An icy wind blows through the small, barred window of the interrogation room threatening to put out the only torch illuminating the small cramped space. The sound of dripping water patters to the ground in uneven drops as the icicle that had formed under the torch's sconce hours ago melted from the heat of the flame. It was an almost defiant sound as the water refused to return to it's icy prison. It was this battle of the elements that seemed to add to the tension of the small room. Across the table from you were a pair of guards clad in plate and chain mail. One of the two bore a full helm that he never removed. Part of you wondered why. With the temperatures so cold, it must have been incredibly uncomfortable to wear ice cold metal over their head. Or perhaps the helmet was slightly stuffy as most of the man's breath would be contained within the helmet thus keeping it warm. The sound of something slamming into the table pulls you away from your thoughts. "I'm telling you. We know as much as you do!" Irene shouts as she glares daggers at the two men in front of you. The two of you had been in detainment for about an hour or so after the fight. The guard directly in front of you, a rather serious man who was clearly at the end of his patience speaks up once more. "And we're telling you that it makes no sense that two foreigners, who just recently arrived, immediately find signs of heresy in our city. So we can only assume that you might have had something to do with this." He says, his arms crossed and hands tugging irritably at one of his sleeves. Irene throws her hands up in the air. "What more do you want us to say? That we're here to kill the High Priest? Maybe burn the whole city of Valford and it's surrounding towns to the ground?!" Irene shouts back. "We've told you already! We're just travelers!" "You'd do well to keep your servant in check, sir. Her outbursts look poorly on your house." The guard grunts out through gritted teeth. "I'm not his servant! I'm his teammate! He's not even a noble!" Irene continues to shout. The two of them had been arguing in circles for quite some time and it seemed that the only thing you and the other guard had in common was that neither of you seemed to have the opening to speak up. Part of you found it very amusing and another part of you found it rather fascinating. Irene was never like this outside of the game. She was always far more calm and collected. As a matter of fact, you don't think you'd ever seen her angry at work.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 15 Jul 2025 04:37:15 No. 6274857 Report "I'm getting nowhere with you. Clearly you have some kind of predisposition to subvert the truth!" The guard finally snaps and shouts back. He jabs a finger at the table as if demanding order like some kind of judge. "I recommend that you speak truthfully good sir as I've rather lost my patience with the two of you and your games. For starters, you could actually give us the name of you and your house, maybe how you're able to shapeshift. ">What do you say? >Stick with the name you gave him from the start. The Traveler. >Give him your real name. John Doe. >Say your in game name. Regal_20. >Side step his question. Say you'll tell him what you're doing here in exchange for information regarding the heretics and dragons. (What do you want to know?) >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6274857 >Stick with the name you gave him from the start. The Traveler. We’re back.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6274857 >Say your in game name. Regal_20. Anonymous
>>6274857 >Stick with the name you gave him from the start. The Traveler. say that we saw this sus guy in the bar and that he seemed to recognize us because he suddenly started running
we suspect he was a spy, possibly one of many
he could have been working for the same group or individual behind the wyvern attack on the airship
offer them our help
Anonymous
>>6274857 >Stick with the name you gave him from the start. The Traveler. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6274857 >Say your in game name. Regal_20. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6274857 >Give him your real name. John Doe. Normally I'd vote to stick with Traveler but this is funnier.
Anonymous
>>6274857 >Say your in game name. Regal_20. I feel like John Doe would be the more classic manhwa answer, so let's do a little different.
Have they not yet found out that MC stopped the last dragon attack?
Anonymous
>>6274857 >Stick with the name you gave him from the start. The Traveler. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 16 Jul 2025 01:15:42 No. 6275303 Report Quoted By:
>>6274863 >>6274878 >>6274885 >>6275297 We have a code name and we're sticking to it.
>>6274952 They have not. The story is being circulated by players but it's only been a few hours since then. Compounding the fact is that your pseudonym is The Traveler which is easily confused for "a traveler" so the original tale is told with you and your name as the hero/leader but subsequent tales get a bit muddled and sometimes just substitute you for a generic traveler. Not someone who goes by the moniker. On the plus side, no one is finding out you were the God of Battle or the one who got server first.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 16 Jul 2025 03:04:37 No. 6275374 Report Quoted By:
You hold your hands up in a gesture of peace. "As my <span class="mu-i">companion</span> has mentioned. I just go as The Traveler. Like it or not, I don't have a name anymore." The helmetless guard's eyes bulge and for a moment you fear that they'd simply pop out of his skull. You make a placating gesture and quickly add, "However, it's like we said. We arrived here on a whim after hearing that this place is famous for it's technology and mixture of magic. Unfortunately, what captivated our attention was not what your city offered but what it suffered from. On my flight here my airship was raided by wyverns, some bearing actual riders. If it wasn't for the fact I was flying with actual adventurers then I'd probably have been dead." The guard in front of you stares at you but glances at his partner. The silent man's helmet tilts ever so slightly in what you estimate to be a nod. With the guard placated for the moment you continue, "It was because of this we became curious of what was going on in the city. We've never heard of anything about dragons or heretics before. But it was getting late and we decided to take shelter from the cold. At the tavern we were in, we noticed a suspicious person. Before we could call the guards or tell anyone, he noticed us and proceeded to run so we went after him. After that, he transformed and we only defended ourselves. I don't think there's anything suspicious about that." You conclude. "See? It's like we told you before. We haven't done anything!" Irene argues, folding her arms tightly across her chest. The two guards look at each other for a moment making it the most movement you'd seen from the silent one. The silent guard leans down and seems to whisper something to his partner. As if in defiance, Irene does the same. "Think they believe us?" She whispers. "I think they're getting it. We're being pretty persistent with our story and it's not like we changed anything up." You whisper back. "I think they're gonna have to come to terms with the fact we're telling the truth." "That or they'll just throw us in jail." Irene mumbles as she goes back to sit up straight. Another cold breeze blows through the small room and the torch flickers menacingly. Eventually, your two counterparts seem to come to a conclusion and you speak up once more. "It it means anything. We are willing offer our help. We have...umm...experience with a few things due to our travels." You say. It was rather difficult to keep up the facade of not being an adventurer while offering to help with things that is usually taken up by adventurers. Still, you couldn't deny that it was very funny to see how people reacted. The guard before you rubs his temples. It was clear that this was not what he had in mind for his shift today.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 16 Jul 2025 03:05:38 No. 6275376 Report He stands up, "I need to get in contact with my superiors..." He half mutters half grunts and he walks out. You and Irene sit there a bit awkwardly whilst the remaining guard remains as immobile as ever. Eventually, restlessness begins to settle in and you start to idly tap on the table. Irene quietly traces shapes on the table using the water that was dripping from the bottom of the torch. Just as your boredom starts to reach it's highest point, a loud noise reverberates throughout the hallway outside. Too far to tell what it source was, you can only confirm that it was not something to take comfort in when it sounds out once more, slightly louder, and a clear roar echos throughout the halls. Instinct and years of playing kick in as you and Irene immediately get to your feet and with weapons drawn if you had any on hand. Only a split second later, the silent guard also gets to his feet with a mace and shield in hand. You hear the noise once more only this time it was far clearer. The sound of something being forcibly broken or perhaps an explosion of some kind. "I don't have my weapon!" Irene says as another explosion rings out. By now you can hear the shouts of guards and other prisoners running around. The door rattles as someone attempts to open it but when it fails to open, you hear something being slammed against it in an attempt to break it down. >What do you do? >Take a step back and let the guard take point. Right now you need to focus on getting Irene a weapon. >Throw the door open and take whoever is behind it by surprise. >Take point and wait for the door to be broken down then attack. Escaping is your priority. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6275376 >Take a step back and let the guard take point. Right now you need to focus on getting Irene a weapon. Anonymous
>>6275376 >Take a step back and let the guard take point. Right now you need to focus on getting Irene a weapon. Anonymous
>>6275376 >Take a step back and let the guard take point. Right now you need to focus on getting Irene a weapon. Anonymous
>>6275376 >Take a step back and let the guard take point. Right now you need to focus on getting Irene a weapon. So I guess the cost is for the town to bother with
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6275376 >Throw the door open and take whoever is behind it by surprise. *Sigh*, we'll do the heroic thing, I guess
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6275376 >Take point and wait for the door to be broken down then attack. Escaping is your priority. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 18 Jul 2025 01:50:10 No. 6276337 Report Quoted By:
>>6275413 >>6275434 >>6275442 >>6275516 Sorry about no updates yesterday, work had me beat. We'll let the guard tank for us. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 18 Jul 2025 03:34:24 No. 6276370 Report Quoted By:
You shift to the side and let the guard take the front. "Where do you have our weapons?" You ask. For the first time all night the man speaks up. "Guard quarters. End of hall." He says, his voice measured and brief. The door rattles once more as something strikes it with more force that bare hands could muster. Another strike hits it and you can hear the wood crack from the impact.. Once more and the guard raises his shield higher as the hinges rattle and become loose. A third time and you see something pierce through the center of the door, glinting in the torchlight. The sound of cruel laughter slips between the missing chunk of door and you see the head of a hand axe embed itself into it. With a shout the guard rushes forward, shield up and mace at the ready, and slams into the door. The weakened door breaks apart on impact sending whoever was behind it flying. You rush forward just in time to see the guard block a sword with his shield. He sidesteps, allowing the sword to slip harmlessly off his shield and building momentum to swing his mace right into the attacker's side. There's a sickening crunch and the man falls to ground clutching his side. Another inmate rushes forward with a dagger in his hand in hopes of scoring a surprise hit. "Stick close!" You shout to Irene as you step forward to parry the attack at the wrist. The drive your fist into the inmate's gut, knocking the wind out of him, and following up by a straight kick to the chest. The blow sends him flying backwards a few feet and allows another to take his place. You pull Irene between you and the guard. "We got a live one boys!" One of the inmates shouts. "An a pretty one too." "We have to start working towards the guard station. If we hold our ground we'll just get swarmed." You say, ducking under a swipe and punching your assailant twice in the face. You think you hear the guard make a noise of approval but it's difficult to hear over the din of the shouting. Even so, he begins to move towards the end of the hall. You half walk, half hop backwards as you stay on your toes and move along with the group. Another inmate goes down under the impact of the guard's mace and you fend off one who attempts to grab Irene though not before she breaks his nose with a single punch. Inch by Inch, you fight your way towards your destination. "Where the hell are the other guards?!" Irene screams over the fighting.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 18 Jul 2025 03:35:26 No. 6276371 Report "Upper or lower floors." The guard says. "Sounds like fighting there." You focus on listening and you think you can faintly hear the sounds of footsteps coming down from the stairwell. You're quite surprised the man can hear anything properly from under that helmet. Irene opens her mouth to say something else but a loud roar reverberates through the hallway. From the opposite end of the hallway you see a large scaled mass. It's jaw hangs in an odd angle and it walks with a strange gait as if it were limping. It punches down a doorway, releasing the prisoners within, with the same explosive sound you heard moments earlier before it turns and seems to notice your group. It lets out another unholy roar and begins to rush down the hallway. Any inmates who didn't immediately move out of the way are crushed underneath or thrown into a nearby wall with similar results. "It's that thing from before!" Irene shouts. >What do you do? >Run. Forgo all defenses and make your way upstairs. You're not sure if you can fight that thing in such cramped quarters. >Fight your way to the guard station. You might be able to barricade yourself in there long enough to gather some supplies and gear. >Stand your ground. With that thing chasing you, you won't be safe until it's put down. >Send the Guard and Irene forward. You'll stay behind and hold the line to buy them time. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6276371 >>Send the Guard and Irene forward. You'll stay behind and hold the line to buy them time. let's see if he still feels like boiling himself
Anonymous
>>6276371 >Send the Guard and Irene forward. You'll stay behind and hold the line to buy them time. Anonymous
>>6276371 >Send the Guard and Irene forward. You'll stay behind and hold the line to buy them time. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6276371 >Fight your way to the guard station. You might be able to barricade yourself in there long enough to gather some supplies and gear. Anonymous
>>6276371 >Send the Guard and Irene forward. You'll stay behind and hold the line to buy them time. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sun 20 Jul 2025 03:39:02 No. 6277520 Report Quoted By:
>>6276374 >>6276378 >>6276384 >>6276535 1v1 rematch. Let's do this. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sun 20 Jul 2025 05:02:51 No. 6277552 Report Quoted By:
"Irene, go with guard and get armed, get reinforcements. I'll hang back and hold these guys down." You say. Irene gives you a look. "Are you crazy! There's like a hundred other guys here along with that thing! We should fall back. Regroup with the other guards and work our way back down." She argues. You shake your head. "If that thing is on the loose that it'll whittle us down before we can form a unit. At least against normal prisoners, you and the other guards can group up to make a sizable group. Otherwise, we're just trickling in. Doesn't work well in mobas or here." You insist. "Worst case scenario, you'll have to find other adventurers while the guards hold the line." Irene chews her lower lip. "Damn it, you're right. Hopefully we can find some healers." She relents. "Does the guard have any clerics?" She asks. The guard nods. "Yes." He says simply. "Come on." The two of them turn their backs to you and you to them. You take a deep breath to center yourself and you dash forward on exhale. Leaping into the thick of things, you kick an inmate in the back of the head, swing your leg around to strike at another's knee, and shove them back into a empty cell. The scaled beast lumbers towards you and one of the inmates charges it. "Die heretic scum!" They shout but his dagger bounces uselessly off it's scales. The monster grabs him by the leg and quickly slams him into the stone floor just like he did to you. The impact snaps the man's head and he dies instantly. His limp body is tossed aside and the monster continues onwards. You didn't have any knowledge of taming beasts, nor were you as good as reading people as Irene but you could see hate in it's eyes. Whatever intelligence was left in the monster's mind was enough for it to remember and to hold a grudge. You raise your hands and get ready for a fight but another inmate leaps on your back! He shouts something unintelligible and tries to bring an ax down on your head. You just barely catch his wrist and throw him over your shoulder. The distraction is enough and the back of the monster's hand connects. You're flung back and sent rolling on the ground. Adrenaline rushes through you allowing you to catch the foot of someone attempting to stomp your head in. You pull, twisting the ankle, and causing them to slam their head into the corner of an entrance to a cell.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sun 20 Jul 2025 05:03:51 No. 6277553 Report The monster's fist misses you as you instinctively roll to keep on the move. Bits of brick hit scratch at the side of your face but you manage to avoid any real damage. You throw yourself forward, driving your fist into the beast's hip as hard as you can. It felt like striking stone but more of it's scales crack from the impact. You stay close, using it's elongated arms against him and not giving it a chance to get a good grip on you. The hallway made it difficult for the two of you to move around. There wasn't enough space for you to dart around it like you did before without getting into it's range but the narrowness also prevented the monster from swinging it's arms around like flails. You say on your toes, waiting. You knew what it could do. If it chose to breath fire down the hall, you're not sure if you'd be able to get away at this distance. You glance over your shoulder for a moment. Irene and the guard were still making their way down the hall adding to the list of targets the fire could hit. Even if you could direct it up or down, you'd still get some of the brunt of it. Worse yet, it might cause the floor or ceiling to destabilize, collapsing them. Still, you couldn't just stand there and do nothing. You needed some kind of plan. A few more inmates begin approaching you as well, hoping to take advantage of the fight. Were they allied with the monster? You don't recall it avoiding friendly fire unless releasing it's allies was a side effect to it's rampage.>What do you do? >Try and force your way past the beast. If you can get on the other side, it'll at least be facing away from Irene and the Guard. >Have the monster use it's breath attack and aim it to cause a collapse. It could lead a lot of damage. The only issue is the matter of you surviving it. >Continue to stand your ground. You just need to buy time. Not win. If you die, you'll have to run back but hopefully enough of a defensive line can be built to hold the tide for you to return. >Push past the beast and run downstairs. Maybe there's enough hate in it's mind that it'll give chase. Pulling it to a lower floor would buy some more time. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6277553 >Continue to stand your ground. You just need to buy time. Not win. If you die, you'll have to run back but hopefully enough of a defensive line can be built to hold the tide for you to return. Anonymous
>>6277553 >Continue to stand your ground. You just need to buy time. Not win. If you die, you'll have to run back but hopefully enough of a defensive line can be built to hold the tide for you to return. Anonymous
>>6277553 >Continue to stand your ground. You just need to buy time. Not win. If you die, you'll have to run back but hopefully enough of a defensive line can be built to hold the tide for you to return. If we're just buying time, then it's better to keep putting prisoners between us and it until either of them get tired of it.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6277553 >Try and force your way past the beast. If you can get on the other side, it'll at least be facing away from Irene and the Guard. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 23 Jul 2025 02:17:49 No. 6279125 Report Quoted By:
>>6277600 >>6277596 >>6277568 We're standing our ground. Hero style. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 23 Jul 2025 05:12:41 No. 6279196 Report Quoted By:
You leap forward transforming midjump to deliver a kick to another inmate. "It's round 2 buddy! Hope you're ready for a repeat of last time!" You shout, pointing right at the monster. Truthfully, you weren't there to win but if it meant that the monster would focus it's attention to you and let you buy more time, you were more than willing to play the part. Several attacks come your way but your new form's extra speed gives you just enough of an edge to get by unscathed. A small step backwards causes swung brick to miss, a lean to the right and the following attack causes the dagger to cut into the previous attacker's arm, ducking causes a hammer to strike the dagger wielder in the chest and you finish it all off by kicking them all over. You quickly hop over the struggling inmates to avoid getting grabbed by the monster, it's claws digging furrows into the stone floor as they miss you. Thrusting out your legs, they connect straight into the monster's chest throwing it backwards into some more people. The monster digs it's claws into the walls to slow it self, slicing through doors and stone alike. You try to get into striking distance but more prisoners block your path. Beyond them, you see more of them engage the monster. "Get 'im boys! We kill the heretic and they'll let us out as heroes!" One of them shouts. The inmates before you didn't seem as inclined to do so. Instead they rush you, most wielding rubble such broken stone or bits of door and others with nothing at all. You're forced into a back step as they all rush at you. You block, duck, and dodge to keep the attackers at bay while you see the inmates taking on the monster fall one by one. Slipping into an empty cell, you grab the wrist of one of your attackers and pull them roughly into a knee to the gut. You toss them into the cell and step forward to drive your shoulder into the next, knocking them and his companions aside. A scream echoes through the hall. The inmates fighting the monster were doing as well as you would have guessed. Two lay dead on the ground, and a third seemed to be fading fast. A fourth is held in both of the monster's hands, one of his arms bent at a wrong angle. You bolt towards him, kicking aside one of the men who tried to hold you back. There's another snap as the monster bends the man's other arm to the brink and beyond. He screams and you grab your fist to bring both hands down in a hammer blow to the monster's knee. The beast roars in pain, dropping the injured man. You manage to catch him, stomp down on the broken scales on the monster's knee, and dive into another cell. "Hells! What is that thing?!" The man screams between swears. He shouts vulgarities as you set him down in a corner of the room.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 23 Jul 2025 05:13:41 No. 6279197 Report "Stay still, I need to keep that thing at bay." You say, dashing out. You instinctively throw a punch out of surprise just as you leave the door and run into the monster. In it's pain, it had followed you despite the heavy bleeding coming from it's injured leg. Your fist connects right into it's chest just as it slams both it's hands down on you. Your legs buckle and the ground underneath you cracks from the impact but you remain upright. Gritting your teeth, you raise your foot as high as you can and kick forward with all your might. The monster stumbles back and crashes into the wall behind it causing it to fall. You stumble forward yourself and get back to your original position putting you between the monster and the guard station at the far end of the hall. The monster slowly starts to get to it's feet, small jets of fire escaping it's mouth. >What do you do? >Run forward and strike at it's face as hard as you can. Hopefully that's enough to get it to not breathe fire. >Leap into an empty room at the last minute and hope the fire doesn't come in as it fills the hall. >Grab some debris and try to jam it down the monster's throat. Maybe it'll start to choke. >Tank the flames like you did before and continue fighting. Survival is a secondary objective. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6279197 >Grab some debris and try to jam it down the monster's throat. Maybe it'll start to choke. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6279197 We have those goblin spurs right? Hot metal spikes shoved in its mouth would surely hurt. maybe some knives the prisoners were wielding
Anonymous
>>6279197 >Grab some debris and try to jam it down the monster's throat. Maybe it'll start to choke. Yeah, I like this plan. It's creative
Anonymous
>>6279197 >Grab some debris and try to jam it down the monster's throat. Maybe it'll start to choke. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6279197 >>Grab some debris and try to jam it down the monster's throat. Maybe it'll start to choke. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 25 Jul 2025 03:58:19 No. 6280006 Report Quoted By:
>>6279203 >>6279286 >>6279418 Shoving things down the monster's throat. Writing. Sorry about the slow updates. This week has been pretty grueling.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 25 Jul 2025 05:22:22 No. 6280032 Report Quoted By:
You dash forward. With little time to spare, you needed to keep the monster from breathing fire otherwise you'd have no room to dodge. You stoop down to grab the nearest thing on the floor as you run. With out looking at what you grabbed you thrust your arm forward and down the monster's gullet. With a grunt, you twist your wrist to force the object into a horizontal position perpendicular to the throat's orientation. The monster makes a mix between a gurgling noise and the sounds of trying to throw up as it begins to spasm in pain and confusion. Unable to move due to having your arm stuck in it's mouth, you're knocked aside as the monster tries to dislodge whatever you had forced it to swallow. You manage to catch a glimpse of a glint of metal as you fall back and you think it might have been a fallen weapon of some kind. Rolling with the impact, you grab a chunk of fallen wall and rush in to do it again. A swipe misses you and you roll out of the way as one of it's limbs slams into the ground. You manage to get in close and shove the fists sized stone into it's mouth. The rock lodges in place but you have no time to celebrate or plan. By now the flames were burning brightly as the fire breath ignites fully. There's a kind of backfire as the monster involuntarily inhales from choking. The knife melts from the sheer heat and the brick shatters but the inhale causes the beast to pull the flames back in, further scorching the wounds left in it's throat and causing it to go into a kind of coughing fit. The result is a kind of fireball that explodes directly into your face, sending molten slag right at you. You're sent flying backwards and you slam right into the edge of a door frame. A sharp pain in your back flares up and mixes with the burning sensation of being light on fire. You slump to the ground as your armor fades away, your transformation forcibly ended from the amount of damage you took from the blast. Your vision is blurry and an angry red tint encroaches the edges of your sight as the game tries to remind you of your low health. You struggle to your feet as everything feels like it weighed 10 times more than normal.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 25 Jul 2025 05:23:22 No. 6280033 Report Quoted By:
The monster fared no better as the it continued to choke from the injuries sustained from the lodged weapon, the flames and subsequent explosion. It grabs at it's throat as it's stuck in a kind of loop. The flames are drawn in by it's involuntary inhalations, further injuring itself and causing it to cough out. This causes the fire to come out as a fire ball and explode nearby, sending debris flying and forcing it to inhale once more as it empties it's lungs as it a result. Unable to cancel it's fire breath attack, the loop continues for a few more seconds, burning inmates to cinders, collapsing walls and making the floor and ceiling unstable. Regardless if the inmates were allied with the monster or not they all began to flee to try and get away from the walking bomb. Eventually, the flames die down and the hate returns to the monster's eyes now solely locked on you. You struggle to your feet as the beast makes it's way towards you, angrily lashing out at anyone nearby and leaving a trail of bodies as it approaches. "Everyone, open fire!" Instincts you thought long dormant kick in and you throw yourself to the floor as a storm of gunfire flies overhead. Bullets and magical bolts from Gunner weaponry strike the monster through sheer volume as it's forced backwards. You twist your neck to look behind you and see a party of Gunners behind you, each one bearing a guild symbol on some part of their armor. One of them pulls back a bolt on their weapon like one of those old rifles and they shout, "Grenade out!" "No! Wait-" You begin to shout but it's too late. With a loud "phonk!" a spherical object it fired from the Gunner's weapon. It arcs over your head and lands at the monster's feet before exploding on impact. Had it been only been a few moments earlier, you might have risked such an attack but after the choking and fireballs, the floor stood no chance. It immediately collapses under the weight of the monster sending it hurtling to the floor below. You can hear screams as the ceiling from the floor below collapses and buries whoever was unfortunate enough to have been standing there moments ago. There is a kind of domino effect as the floor continues to fall apart from under it's own weight and it quickly makes it's way towards you. You only just get to your feet as you feel the ground fall from under you. By some miracle you manage to catch yourself just in time. You find yourself hanging from the floor but even as you try to pull yourself up, you can feel the floor trying to fall apart from under your grip. "Hang on!" You hear one of the gunners shout followed by the sound of cautious footsteps. You look down to see the the monster buried under the rubble but you're unsure if it's still alive or if it finally died. Unfortunately, the bodies you can see among the debris had no such uncertainty. They were dead.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 25 Jul 2025 05:24:23 No. 6280035 Report >What do you do? >Drop down and check the monster's body to finish off if you need to. If it wakes up, you don't think you have the strength to fight it. >Wait for rescue to come. You don't think you can do much else now. Some one else can clean up what's left. >Get the party of Gunners to try and help you down. They can serve as back up in case the thing is still alive. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6280035 >Get the party of Gunners to try and help you down. They can serve as back up in case the thing is still alive. Anonymous
>>6280035 >Get the party of Gunners to try and help you down. They can serve as back up in case the thing is still alive. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6280035 >Get up and sit at the rim, ready to taunt the thing and just run while the gunners finish it off. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6280035 >Drop down and escape the building. The Gunners can finish him off. Anonymous
>>6280035 >Get the party of Gunners to try and help you down. They can serve as back up in case the thing is still alive. Go in for round 3 with the scaly son of a bitch.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6280035 >Drop down and escape the building. The Gunners can finish him off. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 28 Jul 2025 03:14:45 No. 6281408 Report Quoted By:
>>6281317 >>6280048 >>6280040 Round 3 it is. With a crew. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 28 Jul 2025 04:19:23 No. 6281419 Report Quoted By:
"Dude, what the hell was that?! We said flashbangs only!" One of the gunners snaps. You quickly glance down at the rubble below you. The half dragon/half human monstrosity could still be seen despite having both a floor and roof's worth of debris atop it. While it didn't move, you couldn't be too sure if it was dead. That thing had a nasty habit of staying up despite all you threw at it. "Forget that now! We have a man hanging for his life!" Another voice shouts and their footsteps come running towards you. The three gunners make it to the edge and begin to dig around their packs. "You're lucky to be alive mate. I would have figured the blast got ya." The one urging for haste says. "We'll get ya up right now." One of the gunners pauses and looks at you for a moment before a look of recognition flashes in their eyes. "Yooo! It's that dude I was tell you guys about! The Traveller!" He says grabbing a rope and tossing it to you. "This guy is legit, man! Few us through a cloud of those scaly bastards and got us out alive! How are you doing man?" He asks enthusiastically. The two other gunners look at him in confusion but assist him in tying the rope to something somewhat solid. "Could be better." You grunt as you grab the rope and brace against what remained of the floor and helped the others lift you up. "Seems like I keep finding trouble though." You quickly add as your pulled onto solid ground. "What are you doing here?" The new recruit grins. "I joined EVO! They were recruiting today and I managed to get in!" He says proudly. "Got assigned to patrol this section of the city when we heard there was a prison break. By the time we got here, most of the upper floors were secured but damn...what the hell was that thing?" He asks pulling out a small vial of red liquid and handing it to you. "Here, you probably need some HP right?" You nod and gratefully down the potion. The flashing red at the edges of your vision slowly fade away. "Thanks. As for what that thing is..." You quickly run down the last few hours of your adventure. The two other gunners look at you with a bit of disbelief but given that they just saw what you were fighting they had no choice but to believe your story. "We didn't have anything like that back on server 4." One of them says. His armor, though still low level, was of a quality that suggested he was of a higher rank or at least was a senior member of the Guild. Maybe he transferred to serve as the foundation for Evolution's guild on this server. Your old shipmate seems unfazed. "Well whatever it is, we should be good. We basically buried that thing in a whole house. I say we call it a day and let the guards take care of the rest." "No. We should go down there and finish it off." You counter. "This thing's annoyingly tough and I don't think it's dead. Not until that thing's riddled with holes. We should make our way down and kill it."
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 28 Jul 2025 04:20:24 No. 6281420 Report Quoted By:
"He's right." The third Gunner says with an air of seniority about him. He bore an intricate symbol on his his armor that perhaps meant he was the most senior member of the three. "The guards were having trouble containing the regular inmates and that beast. If we leave this to them and it's still alive, they won't stand a chance." He hands you another healing potion. "If you're as good as the rookie says, we could use an extra pair of hands." "Captain, you sure? He's not a guild member, let alone a gunner. In halls these narrow, he'd be more of a liability than anything." The second member says. "I'm used to fighting along side ranged classes. Gunners in particular. Not to mention, there's still prisoners down there. Even with three of you, you'll be overwhelmed. Especially if you're going to be focus firing on that beast." You point out. "And we'll have a harder time fighting if you're constantly getting in out lines of fire. You don't even have a weapon. At least, go back up and grab something from the guards." The second member argues. "Besides, we have CC. We should be fine." "Waitwaitwait. I've seen the dude in action...kinda." The rookie speaks up. "I can vouch for the dude. He's got awesome battle sense. He can help us!" "You've only been with him for what? An hour? You didn't even see him fighting. This is way different than having a full battalion of classes. 3 ranged classes and...what's even your class?" He asks. "I can fight." You say, doing your best to hide your belt under your clothes. "Don't worry about me not having a weapon." "Great, he's some kind of RPer or challenge runner." The second member says, throwing up his hands. "That's enough." The senior member says. "The...Traveler is right. We could use someone who is a front liner to keep mobs away." He turns to face you. "That being said, if you fall we won't be risking ourselves to save your gear. It'll stay there and if it's stolen or confiscated then we won't be responsible." You nod. "That won't be a problem." You assure him. "It's been a bit but I'm sure I can hold my own."
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 28 Jul 2025 04:21:25 No. 6281422 Report "Then it's settled. Let's start making our way down. Take point, sir." He says offering his hand to shake. You take the offer and shake hands firmly. It takes a few more minutes to set up a rope bridge and secure it to something solid but soon enough, the four of you were standing on the floor below you. As if on queue, several inmates begin to walk out of the various cells they were hiding in, each one wielding a weapon that they had pillaged from a dead guard. "Well...this is what you're here for." The second gunner says as he levels his gun. "Buy us some time we'll make our way to the monster." "Good luck my man." The rookie says slapping you on the back. "I believe in you.">What do you do? >Charge the inmates. You can't transform so it's all you can do. You just need to pull out all the stops and hope instincts kick in. >Tell the Gunners to throw some flashbangs at them. Having them blinded will help you but they won't have it ready if they need it for the monster. >Tell the Gunners to open fire on the prisoners. You'll hold the line and keep them at bay while they clean house. At the very least they can provide covering fire. >Write in.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6281422 >Tell the Gunners to throw some flashbangs at them. Having them blinded will help you but they won't have it ready if they need it for the monster. Anonymous
>>6281422 >Charge the inmates. You can't transform so it's all you can do. You just need to pull out all the stops and hope instincts kick in. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6281422 >Just stand your ground, leg sweeping the ones that ignore you and grappling the ones that don't. You don't need to stop them all, focus on not taking hits. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6281422 >Tell the Gunners to throw some flashbangs at them. Having them blinded will help you but they won't have it ready if they need it for the monster. I don't think flashbangs will be very useful against the monster anyway
Anonymous
>>6281422 >Charge the inmates. You can't transform so it's all you can do. You just need to pull out all the stops and hope instincts kick in. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 29 Jul 2025 02:28:56 No. 6281785 Report Quoted By:
We got a tie between going solo or having some CC thrown to help.
Anonymous
>>6281422 >Charge the inmates. You can't transform so it's all you can do. You just need to pull out all the stops and hope instincts kick in. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 30 Jul 2025 04:13:39 No. 6282197 Report Quoted By:
>>6281442 >>6281550 >>6281788 We're just running at them. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 30 Jul 2025 05:12:21 No. 6282218 Report Quoted By:
"Alright, leave it to me." You say as you wind up your arm and try to get the aches out. You hop from one foot to the other to get yourself going. There was something about working in a part, having to balance other teammate's strengths and weaknesses, adjust on the fly because of it, that really seemed to bring back that old energy you used to have. Something about overcoming obstacles perhaps? You were never quite sure, but when the cards were down and your team really needed you to preform that always seemed to bring out the best in you. "On the count of three. One..." You say. "Two..." The rookie counts, giddiness in his eyes. "Three!" The party captain shouts and you all break formation. You sprint forward, slamming your fist across the first inmate's chin with a vicious left hook. He spins around and you wrap your arm around his neck in a lock before spinning around using him as a counter weight to build momentum. Your heel strikes the neck inmate in the temple as you roundhouse him just as a knife plunges into the body of the inmate you were holding. The knife wielding inmate swears in shock and confusion but you stamp your foot down and shove the dead body right on top of him. Another charges you mace held high, too high, and you block the downward swing by grabbing his arm. You drive your fist into his kidney once, twice, three times before he drops the weapon in pain and you finish him off by palm striking him in the nose. Blood splashes on your hand and face from the force but you spare no time in tightening your grip on the man's arm and hurling him over your shoulder right into the inmate who managed to shove the body of his dead companion and finally got to his feet. The two fall to the ground in a confused tangle of limbs and pain.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 30 Jul 2025 05:13:22 No. 6282219 Report Quoted By:
There's a shout as a massive man leaps from the shadows and puts you in a bear hug, pinning your arms to your sides. Another rushes you down, sword in hand, but you pull your legs to your chest to avoid a slash and then snap them forward to kick him away. The large man squeezes tightly and you feel your bones ache as you take damage. Gritting your teeth, you snap your head back and feel it collide with your captor's face. He grunts but his grip doesn't looses and you do it again, and again. The back of your head aches fiercely but the man's grip looses enough to slip an arm free. You feel behind you, desperately looking for something to grab on. When your fingers catch on to something fleshy... <span class="mu-g">Ability: Grab activated</span> ...you pull with all your might. Something tears as the man's flesh is weaker than the supernaturally enhanced grip the game gave you. He immediately lets you go, his hands grasping at the side of his head where his ear once was. You barely land on the ground before you spin in place and start punching at the large man's knee. Once then twice before there's a crunch and he falls under his own weight. You can barely hear the sounds of gunfire and talking as your mind is too busy on fight or flight mode to listen properly. You're not even given enough time to reposition as two men charge you at once, each wielding hand axes. "HE'S JUST ONE MAN! KILL HIM!" one shouts. Running on raw instinct and reflexes, your body moves on it's own. You lean back slightly, the first axe swing missing your nose by a fraction of an inch, then immediately ducking down to avoid the near simultaneous swing behind you. You can feel the slight tug of your scarf as the blade slides across it but doesn't catch. Neither men had time to process their attacks missing nor time to pull back and try again as you throw yourself to the ground and sweep the legs of the nearest one. He falls but you use the spin of the sweep to turn and deliver a series of punches right into the abdomen of the other. As your combo knocks the second one down, you cartwheel ontop of the first to fall and punch him repeatedly in the head until he stops moving. You barely catch the sound of something swinging through the air before you take a sledgehammer to the chest sending you rag dolling through the air and onto your back. Virtual adrenaline is the only thing that keeps your moving allowing you to roll out of the way in the nick of time. Stone shards scratch your face as the hammer crashes near your head. You get to your feet, spot dodging the next attack, and try to shatter the shaft of the hammer with a stomp but it's wielder shoulder tackles you aside. Stumbling backwards, you reorient yourself and take a split second to settle a bit. The last inmate charges you, swinging his weapon wildly and you rush forward to meet his charge.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 30 Jul 2025 05:14:22 No. 6282220 Report The hammer arcs through the air and cuts down in an angle in hops of denying you as much area as possible to evade. You jump parallel to his swing. The hammer head strikes the ground just under your feet before you kick off from the wall right at your attacker. The man's eyes widen in surprise as you rocket towards him and hammer your knee right into his face. The two of you fall to the ground but you make sure to drive your elbow right into him as you both hit the ground. You feel the man's body stiffen slightly before going slack and unconscious or perhaps dead, you didn't really check. You get your feet as quickly as possible. Bodies lay everywhere around you but you didn't have time to look at your handiwork. A little ways ahead were the three gunners squaring off against the dragon monster. A look of sheer awe in the eyes of the rookie who seemed to have been more concerned watching you than keeping an eye on his target. The dragon monster looked a lot worse off then it did when you were fighting it. The combination of your last gambit, the grenade blast, and the ensuing collapse of the prison atop of it had taken it's toll. It's hide was patchy and bloody, missing large chunks of it's natural scale armor. Streaks of severe burns marred the rest of it's body and you hazard to guess that they were no less than third degree burns courtesy of the back blasts from it's own fire. "Flashbang out!" The second in command shouts as he throws a cylindrical object toward the monster. You turn your head to avoid the flash but the dragon beast was not so lucky. It's marred eyes had blurred it's vision to badly for it to notice such a small object in the dark. It was said darkness that amplified the effects of the grenade now causing an even stronger shift from dark to light. Whatever remained of the monster's retinas were overloaded and it instinctively reached for it's face. It was that movement that caused it to screech even more as it probably felt the myriad of broken bones shift and tear at it from within thus forcing it to move as the pain hit it and repeating the cycle once more. "It's guard is down! Everyone open fire!" The captain shouts. "Use your strongest skill!" Bullets and blasts riddle the beast and you start to see chunks of it being blasted off. Eventually the trio force all their abilities into cooldown and remain firing regularly but by then the monsters falls to the ground, mangled but now well and truly dead. >What do you do? >Go over to the gunners and check to see if the damn thing is actually dead. You don't want find out if it can raise itself from that. >Sit down and take a big breather. It's been a while since you've fought for this long nonstop. Let the gunners come to you. >Leave the clean up to EVO and go find Irene. Hopefully she got somewhere safe or else you might get an earful tomorrow. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6282220 >Sit down and take a big breather. It's been a while since you've fought for this long nonstop. Let the gunners come to you. Anonymous
>>6282220 >Sit down and take a big breather. It's been a while since you've fought for this long nonstop. Let the gunners come to you. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6282220 >Go over to the gunners and check to see if the damn thing is actually dead. You don't want find out if it can raise itself from that. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6282220 >Leave the clean up to EVO and go find Irene. Hopefully she got somewhere safe or else you might get an earful tomorrow. Anonymous
>>6282220 >Sit down and take a big breather. It's been a while since you've fought for this long nonstop. Let the gunners come to you. If the dragon gets back up, we should be shouting to get it away from the gunners.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 02 Aug 2025 05:40:54 No. 6283614 Report Quoted By:
>>6282227 >>6282228 >>6282374 We need to sit down. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 02 Aug 2025 07:12:40 No. 6283648 Report As the sounds of combat die down, you feel your legs start to grow week. The adrenaline coursing through you was slowly fading away and it was starting to feel like your legs were made of jelly. Leaning against the nearest wall, you slowly slide to the ground to sit down. "Ho-ly shit my guy! What the hell was that?!" You hear the rookie gunner shout as the group makes their way towards you. "Did you see this dude? Guy's a menace!" He asks looking over to his guild mates who both bore impressed looks. "No, because I was actually trying to kill the damn monster before us." The second in command grumbles but their captain lets out a whistle. "Damn...not gonna lie. I kinda expected you to hold em off for a bit before retreating back to us. I didn't think you'd take them all down alone." He says stepping over the bodies. "Be straight with me, you a competitive player from another server on an alt?" He asks. You shake your head and give him a disarming smile. "Nah, I'm just a guy who took a bit of a break. Came back when I heard the new server was coming online." You lie. "Only just started playing." The captain doesn't seem convinced but doesn't get a chance to press before the second gunner speaks up. "What the hell class are you even playing? Fighter? Brawler?" He asks or rather interrogates. A bit miffed, you simply shrug to irk him. "I'm just a traveler. I guess you can say I don't really have a class that defines me." You add being purposefully obtuse. The gunner mutters something under his breath that you guess was probably not very polite but the group lets the matter die. Slowly getting to your feet, you ask, "So is that thing finally dead?" The group looks behind towards the body of the monster. No one says anything for a moment as if expecting it to get back up once more. It seems like the thought crosses everyone's minds as the gunners all level their guns at it and the four of you slowly begin to walk towards the body. Your steps echo across the now silent hall. "Man this is way creepier now that everything is dead." The rookie mutters and he adjusts his grip on his weapon. "Thing's gotta be dead right?"
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 02 Aug 2025 07:13:41 No. 6283651 Report "With how many times it's been put down I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it got back up." You admit. The rookie swallows and grips his weapon more tightly. The monster's body lay motionless in a pool of it's own blood. Even indoors you can see vague wisps of steam floating from it as the heat slowly dissipates in the cold hall. The captain approaches and nudges the monster's body once with his foot but it doesn't respond. With all the holes in it, you don't think that it can get up after that level of damage. Even so, the captain raises his gun a bit and fires directly into the lizard like head. There's a crunch and the neck twists in an impossible angle before another shot follows and there no longer is a head left. The rookie makes a gagging noise at that. "Was that really necessary?" You ask. "I don't know." The captain admits. "But better to be safe than risk it getting up, right?" "Hold on...I think there's something under it." The second in command says, motioning to the center of the body. He steps over and with some trouble, manages to flip the corpse onto it's back. A faint blue glow emanates from the monster's chest almost from where one would expect the heart to be. However, the only that remains is a large whole where a power shot punched through, at least until you examine it further. Within the wound lies a large, flat, stone like object. Almost like a petrified scale, the glow seems to envelope it and flow off it in an almost liquid like fashion. It clearly held some kind of magical power though of what kind, you're not sure.>What do you do? >Reach for the object. After all, you did most of the work fighting the thing. >Let one of the others grab it. They got the killing blow and you don't want to start a fight with them. >Suggest you all leave the object alone. You're not sure you can trust a strange object buried in someone's body. Could be cursed. >Write in.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6283651 >Reach for the object. After all, you did most of the work fighting the thing. Give it a second to see if one of them will reach for it first, though.
Anonymous
>>6283648 >Reach for the object. After all, you did most of the work fighting the thing. Hope it doesnt explode.
Anonymous
>>6283651 >Uhh, pick it up with a cloth? We don't have pliers, anyway. Acting like it's dangerous should help the gunners hesitate to argue for it.
Anonymous
>>6283727 Im this guy. Changing to.
>>6283787 >Pick it up with a cloth. Great idea.
Anonymous
>>6283787 Yeah, do this. The cloth is a good idea
Anonymous
>>6283651 A mysterious enchanted dragon scale implanted into a shapeshifting man-dragon monster. Either it curses us with some weird dragon version of lycanthropy or we'll see if our tailor can do anything with it.
>>6283787 Supporting.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 04 Aug 2025 21:24:40 No. 6285089 Report Quoted By:
>>6284348 >>6284330 >>6284231 >>6283787 >>6283727 We're going for it. Using a cloth to pick it up and hope it doesn't blow up in our face. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 04 Aug 2025 22:37:01 No. 6285121 Report Quoted By:
You slowly make your way towards the dead body expecting someone to say something or attempt to stop you but no one does. You dig in your pockets for a moment to draw out a silk handkerchief. You had suspected there would be one given the kinds of clothes you were wearing and the fact that your tailor didn't seem like the kind of craftsman who would skimp out on the details. Unsure of how much help it would be, you didn't want to risk the object exploding or perhaps cursing you somehow even with gloves on. Part of you still expected for the damn thing to roar to life, to drain the obviously magical energies from the object to regenerate and kill you all. You suppose if it was possible then it was even more reason to pull the thing free. The blue glow neither grows brighter nor dimmer as you wrap the handkerchief around it and pull. There's a slight resistance to your efforts, almost imperceptible, like faint cling of a weak magnet but not due to the fact that it was still partially embedded in the monster's flesh. In that regard, it slides out without effort. The scale turns out to be the size of a small plate about half as much bigger than your own hand. You straighten up and hold out the scale for the others to see. "What the hell is that?" The second command asks, breathless. "It's a scale of some ki-" You begin before you feel every muscle in your body seize up. The glow of the object flares up momentarily looking like a blue flame before returning to it's dull glow. Rather than feeling a surge of heat or a burning sensation, a cold trickle envelopes your body. No, it was more like all the heat was being sucked out of your flesh and in it's place you feel...hate. Your vision winks out and is immediately replaced with a view of some kind of cavern. Walls slick with meters thick ice, snow being whipped around like a blizzard, and dozens of figures before you murmuring as if in reverence. Hate burns within you threatening to explode and take you with it. From a throat that isn't your own, a roar emerges and threatens to bring down the very walls around you. The murmurs become wails or perhaps chants but they seem all but oblivious to the storm around them and the cracking ice. Then just as quickly as it came, it's gone and your vision returns to see the group of three only just barely running towards you.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 04 Aug 2025 22:38:02 No. 6285122 Report You stumble backwards both in surprise and from your legs almost giving out. Every muscle in your body hurts as they relearn to loosen up and relax. Two of the gunners grab your arms and help you to the floor but even as you do you note that your hand refuses to let go of the scale. "Hey, hey. Buddy, you ok? What the hell happened?" The rookie asks. "You looked like you got hit with some kind of electric arc." The captain says, looking around now alert. "Was it some kind of spell? Maybe we have a hidden spell caster around." He asks before motioning to the two besides you. "Go and secure a perimeter. Make sure we don't have anymore nasty surprises hiding around." The two gunners nod, grab their weapons, and begin to make their way down the hall once more. "If you see any other guards, let them know this place is more or less contained. See if they can start pushing towards here." He calls out before kneeling next to you. "You good?" He asks. You make a quick note of your HUD. You hadn't taken any damage, nor were there any debuffs or status effects on you.>What do you say? >Tell the group about your vision. Maybe they've heard of something that could relate to it. >Say you think it might have been some kind of defensive curse. Something to keep it out of player's hands. Keep the details of the vision to yourself. >Lie and say you think it was just one last gift from the monster. Probably some attempt to kill who ever interacted with it's body. >Write in.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6285122 >Lie and say you think it was just one last gift from the monster. Probably some attempt to kill who ever interacted with it's body. If we tell someone other than Irene, it should probably be someone from the church that would know more
(this is basically like finding out lizard people are real, which they are in this case)
Anonymous
>>6285122 >Tell the group about your vision. Maybe they've heard of something that could relate to it. I doubt they will PK us.
Anonymous
>>6285122 >Say you think it might have been some kind of defensive curse. Something to keep it out of player's hands. Keep the details of the vision to yourself. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6285122 >Tell the group about your vision. Maybe they've heard of something that could relate to it. Anonymous
>>6285122 >Say you think it might have been some kind of defensive curse. Something to keep it out of player's hands. Keep the details of the vision to yourself. We just got put in a jail cell for being strange and mysterious. Telling people we had schizoid monster visions is a one way ticket back to interrogation.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6285122 >Lie and say you think it was just one last gift from the monster. Probably some attempt to kill who ever interacted with it's body. Anonymous
>>6285149 I'm this guy.
Switching to
>Say you think it might have been some kind of defensive curse. Something to keep it out of player's hands. Keep the details of the vision to yourself. These players might be cool but the guards and the Inquisition might not be.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Thu 07 Aug 2025 03:27:00 No. 6286424 Report Quoted By:
>>6285553 >>6285293 >>6285170 Only giving the half truth. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Thu 07 Aug 2025 04:43:01 No. 6286459 Report Quoted By:
"Yeah..." You say suppressing a groan. Your entire body felt like it had experienced one massive cramp. "I think it might have been some kind of curse or mechanic to keep players from just grabbing the thing and running away without helping finish up the other mobs." You say. Give the circumstances of why you were in the jail house in the first place, it was probably for the best that you didn't start talking about wild visions. At least, not to strangers. If the captain seemed unconvinced, he didn't show it. Instead he pulls out a lunch box and offers you half a sandwich which you take politely. "So, you said you took a break? I saw some of those moves you used. Rookie wasn't lying. They're pretty good." He says trying to sound casual. You feel your throat tighten. Did he suspect you as a pro? No, no one would think that a pro was using an alt account just to show off in front of newbies. They'd be too busying practicing and skirmishing for tournaments. Still, you came out of the blue and didn't even want to give out a name. Not wanting to seem panicked, you take a quick bite of your food and say after a bit. "Y-yeah. I used to play a bit but then life happened, you know? Got too busy and had to put it down for a bit. Got some free time now so I figured try the game again." You say in an effort to keep the conversation going. The captain nods. "It happens. The guild's got a few returning players too. Decided to hop on the new server in hopes of not playing catch up. But I'm guessing you played competitively? Arenas, duels that kind of thing? You know, EVO could use someone like you. We're still recruiting and not just for Gunners. With skills like yours, pretty sure you could rise the ranks real quick." You almost choke on your sandwich. Recruiting? You nearly lost your cool over a recruitment drive. It was almost laughable. "Thanks...I...don't really follow the competitive teams that much anymore." You say truthfully.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Thu 07 Aug 2025 04:44:02 No. 6286460 Report "You don't have to. The stories are a bit exaggerated but pro guilds don't demand absolute loyalty from it's members. It's like any other guild. As long as you pitch in and help when you can then it's all good. Sure, it's a good hub for Evolution fans but there's tons of different kinds of players in it. RP groups too if you're into that." Before you can respond a voice from above rings out. "Is everyone ok?" You and the captain look up to see a group of guards gingerly looking over the edge of the hole from the floor above. They look slightly battered and worn but it seems like the fights from the floors above were going well now that EVO had stepped in to assist. The captain gives a wave. "We could be better but we're glad to see some reinforcements. Did my teammates make it to you all right?" He asks. The guard peering down signals the affirmative. "We just got word from them. They're-" He begins before someone shoves them aside. "J- I mean Trav- ugh. Hey are you alright down there?!" Irene shouts as she starts to make her way down the rope ladder, despite the other guard's protests. She was also somewhat battered and cut but the folded Starglobe on her hip made you assume she made it to the armory and stuck around to help them. She hops off the ladder and hurries over to you. Upon seeing the corpse of monster and the bodies of various prisoners all she can say is, "Jesus...what happened down here?">What do you say? >Say that you'll explain it later. Right now you kind of want to log off for the night. >Ask how things on her end went after you split up. >Ask Irene how she'd feel about joining EVO. You're not sure yourself at the moment. >Catch up Irene on what happened. Say that you want to continue downwards and make sure the whole place is secure before logging off. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6286460 >Say that you'll explain it later. Right now you kind of want to log off for the night. The bed calls.
Anonymous
>>6286460 >Say that you'll explain it later. Right now you kind of want to log off for the night. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6286460 >Catch up Irene on what happened. Say that you want to continue downwards and make sure the whole place is secure before logging off. Anonymous
>>6286460 >Say that you'll explain it later. Right now you kind of want to log off for the night. we can also contact her IRL to keep info clean
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6286460 >Catch up Irene on what happened. Say that you want to continue downwards and make sure the whole place is secure before logging off. Anonymous
>>6286460 >Say that you'll explain it later. Right now you kind of want to log off for the night. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6286460 >Catch up Irene on what happened. Say that you want to continue downwards and make sure the whole place is secure before logging off. Logging off is for pussies. We need more playtime!
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 09 Aug 2025 02:57:10 No. 6287446 Report Quoted By:
>>6286598 >>6286548 >>6286485 >>6286465 Going to be wins by one vote. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 09 Aug 2025 06:22:35 No. 6287496 Report Quoted By:
"We finally took the monster down. A couple of prisoners tried to back it up but we managed to repel them." You say vaguely trying to stretch the soreness out of your limbs. "I'll tell you more about it tomorrow though. I feel like I should call it a night. Need to do some stuff tomorrow before my shift and I want to get some sleep." You add quickly changing subjects. Irene gives you a look and opens a menu for a moment. "I guess you're right. I'm gonna need some time to prep the place too so I really should be going as well." She says forcing a yawn to tell her brain it was supposed to be tired. You used to know other players who did the same thing claiming that it helped their mind start getting used to being tired. You never found much merit to it, your body always seemed ok with suddenly being tired and aware when logging in and out of the game. "Are you sure we can't convince you to stay online a bit longer? I could probably pull a few strings and get you some mats from the guild stores as compensation." The guild captain asks. Both you and Irene politely make declining motions. "Sorry. But I really need sleep for my job." You say. "Same here. I have to do a lot to get ready for my job and I have to be up early to do it. I wasn't actually expecting to be up this long or being thrown into a prison break but it was fun." Irene explains. "Maybe next time we'll get up to more trouble." "Hey, I've just had a bit of bad luck. I didn't intend for this to happen." You say sheepishly before turning to the captain and shaking his hand. "Thanks for the assist. Not sure if I could have lasted much longer if I was going at it solo." The captain looks a bit confused almost as if he wasn't used to being the back up and more used to receiving it. "The upper floors are secured right? Not sure I wanna log in back here." You ask Irene. She nods. "We managed to clear them after a bit. Should be good to head back up and out." She confirms. You excuse yourselves and begin your climb back up the rope ladder then through the halls to the stairs. As you walk, Irene looks around for a moment before leaning in and whispering, "Seriously, what happened?" "Picked up an item. Saw something. It'd be safer to talk about this during work. Well as safe as it would be to talk about it with Roland around. Don't want to alert the npcs and other players just yet. Might be big." You whisper back and surreptitiously show Irene the glowing scale before stuffing it a pocket. Her eyes widen slightly before pulling together her retail face. "Where you always this lucky when you used to play?" She asks. "I don't think I've ever heard of anyone running into this string of unique circumstances on their first and second day." You shrug but can't help and grin. "I don't know. Maybe that's what carried me to the top." You joke.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 09 Aug 2025 06:23:36 No. 6287497 Report Quoted By:
--- The following morning, or rather midday, was somewhat rushed. You managed to sleep through your alarm, miss brunch, and almost missed the bus as you were stuffing down a breakfast biscuit while drinking juice. You didn't even have enough time to explain to your mother why woke up so late and didn't hear her call you for food. By the time you had found a seat and wiped the crumbs from your face, you felt the familiar exhaustion of late night gaming. Your eyes ached and you had to stifle a yawn every so often. It was a good kind of tired though, and you were looking forward to talking to Gloria about last night's adventure. You still weren't certain how or when you were going to break the news to Roland that you started playing but it would happen when it happened. The cafe was as lively as always or maybe it was more than usual. You couldn't really tell but there was a certain electricity in the air. As usual, Roland greeted you before you were even two steps in through the door. "John!" He shouts, waving you over in excitement. "John, dude, you gotta get over here!" Normally, you'd take your time certain that Roland was gonna try to get you involved with something Nevermore related. He was never this excited about anything that had to do with the cafe but today you find yourself half jogging over to the computer at the front desk. "What's going on? We setting up an impromptu tourney or something?" You ask. Roland shoots you a grin. "Nothing like that but man, you gotta make a character soon! Server 10 is exploding!" He says, giddy. "You're gonna miss all the good stuff!" "What do you mean?" You ask, genuinely curious. Maybe something else happened in Valford after your adventure. A prison riot didn't really seem like the kind of thing that would spark that much attention. Especially when there were large guilds vying for resources this early in the game. Roland shifts the monitor over for you to see. There, in full screen, was a youtube video of a red haired man in noble's clothing engaged in a fist fight with several prisoners to the song Freebird. The camera was shakey and off in the distance, but the HUD was clearly that of a Gunner's. So much for keeping a low profile. "Yeah...that guy's pretty good. But not sure why a server would be exploding over it." You say, trying to sound disinterested though you couldn't help but glance around.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 09 Aug 2025 06:24:37 No. 6287499 Report Quoted By:
"Good? The guy's taking on like 7 dudes at once! Not only that but he doesn't even have a weapon!" Roland explains not noticing your apprehension. "Must be some crazy challenge player but it's not just that! Look at this too!" He quickly swaps to another tab and video showing the same red haired character barking orders and piloting with a damaged ship wheel. There's a text crawl indicating that it was probably clipped from a stream. "The forum's also on fire. Apparently, he was seen running off after some kind of npc from a tavern and like minutes later there's this huge explosion in the lower parts of Valford. He's all over the place and where ever he goes, something big goes down. People don't even know his name. Only thing anyone knows is that he goes by the Traveler. Even the forums are talking about him! Apparently, he worked with Evolution's guild in the prison fight but they couldn't recruit him! Just check this out again." Roland swaps back to the prison fight, and loops the part where you dodge and drop into a sweep. "Perfect spot dodge into counter and then look.." Roland goes back to the stream clip. "Ice barrage to counter fireballs. This guy knows his stuff! The big guilds would <span class="mu-i">kill</span> to have someone like that in their ranks. Maybe he's an old player who came back?" "W-what makes you think that? It could just be an alt right? Or maybe a pro who wants to play without being known?" You ask, trying to ignore how warm your hoodie was starting to feel right now. Roland shakes his head at that. "No. Pros don't really have much to goof off like that. If they were on an alt, and for some reason their alt was allowed to be outside of their team's official guild, why wouldn't they be out farming for rare drops for their mains?" He says but something seems to come to mind. "Whoever, he is. You can be that the other Guilds are going to start moving in on Valford to try and recruit him and that's gonna get spicy if it's EVO territory. Not to mention all this talk about dragon monsters attacking." Roland rubs his hands in excitement. "Come on, John! This is the perfect time to make a new character!" You swallow but nothing goes down and your throat feels dry. "Well...I'm still not sure. I...you know. H-hey, what's that other tab you got?" You ask, leaning over and clicking on the last youtube tab. The video thumbnail showed what looked to be an interview room featuring a young man you didn't recognize and another man who you remembered to be a prominent commentator and content creator for Nevermore. What caught your attention, however, was the title of the video:<span class="mu-s">Nevermore's New God of War?!</span> "Damn, thanks for reminding me. I saw this just before you walked in. Wanna watch it?" He asks. You nod numbly and he clicks to start the video.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 09 Aug 2025 06:25:37 No. 6287500 Report Quoted By:
"Welcome back to The Spotlight! We got here in our studio Crimson Glory's rising star, James Mason." The interviewer begins with the usual content creator energy. "James, you've been getting a heat recently coming off CG's recent victory and not the usual cope coming from the losing side. Mind letting everyone know what's that about?" James looks unfazed by the sudden question about recent controversy. "There's not much to say. Some people just don't want to let go of the past even when the proof is in front of them. But just to put it out publicly. I'm Nevermore's new God of War. Plain and simple. Evolution stood no chance against us in our last match and they couldn't even touch me." He says coldly. "I've seen the old videos and frankly, anything the old God could do I can do better. Not to mention, no one's even seen him in years." The interviewer nods sagely. "But there are some that say you need to prove yourself by beating the old God and some go as far to say that the title is off limits. He was a popular competitor back in his day. Some of his old matches have several million views on youtube and growing. Look, chat's in an uproar as we speak." The video cuts to a recording of the live chat at the time and it's almost too fast read. "Fuck this guy! A few wins and little bro thinks he's hot shit!" "Cope harder. James is right. No one's even seen the old god of war in years. I bet the guy can't even play the game anymore. Probably got fired." "Dude's all flash and no technique. Learned a few nice tricks and spams them all match. No skill at all." "Old players need to learn that this isn't year 1 Nevermore. Game's evolved and James is at the top!" Against the onslaught of text, James is unmoved as the video cuts back to him. He simply shrugs confidently and says, "I'll let my old account's Arena ratings speak for themselves. 89% win-rate in ranked 1v1s, 85% in 5v5s. Even the old God, didn't go above 60% if he check his current account so I bet his personal one is about the same. Anyone else who wants to find out can go pro and face me." With that, the interviewer lets out a whistle. "Well, that is impressive. But we know the old saying, "It takes one to know one. So we decided to ask another professional for their opinion!" You see James tense up slightly and his eyes glint before the interviewer continues, "Here's what Rising Dragon's Captain, Lance Meyers, has to say! After all, he used to be the old God's teammate in the early years!" Just before the video cuts to the prerecorded footage, you see James relax once more. You feel something stir within you and a sense of unease grow as you see Lance's face once more. Dressed in his team's jacket and colors, he face seems more stoic and stern than ever before. A dull ache seems to flash on your face when you hear him speak.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 09 Aug 2025 06:26:45 No. 6287502 Report "What do I think about James Mason? He's a formidable opponent in his own right." He says professionally, his tone even. "His recent win is also impressive. There's no doubt that Rising Dragon will need to reassess their strategy and double up on our training if we want to avenge our old rivals in Evolution. However..." Lance's tone grows colder. It was subtle but you knew him long enough to hear it. It was a tone he rarely every used which made it even more impactful when he did. "James still has alot of work to do. His technique, while complex and impressive, is rough. He tends to focus on his own kills rather than go for an obvious assist. The talent is right there but it needs more refining. John Doe may not have had half the raw talent James posses but I've never known another pro who gave the game as much attention and hard work as he did. In his prime John would run circles around James and in my eyes, the title of God of War remains unchanged." The footage ends with Lance standing up and leaving unceremoniously without another word. If the chat was going fast before, it had hit lightspeed after that. "Yoooooo!!!!" "holy shit lmaooooo" "oh fuck! Man dropped straight facts right there." The video cuts back to the interview room. "Well there you have it. It seems like even in the pro teams, it's still up in the air! James it seems like there's no sympathy lost between Rising Dragon and Crimson Glory. But I don't think that's going stop you is it? That's what Nevermore is all about. Where anyone can make a name for themselves! After our sponsors, we'll tackle the more recent patch notes! Have brawlers become obsolete? Are healers the new dps? We'll be putting The Spotlight on that and more!" The camera begins to pan away and slowly fade to black to transition to the sponsored section but before everything fades away, you can see James's calm face and the fury burning in his eyes. "Damn...a new God of War? That's crazy." Roland mutters and you suddenly realize you had put all your attention to the video. Suddenly the sounds of the cafe and people chatting around you fill your ears. >What do you do? >Excuse yourself and go see Gloria after you clock in. Roland won't mind you grabbing a quick drink/snack. >Ask Roland about something. (What do you ask about?) >Clock in and begin working at a desktop. Go through the forums as you look through tickets. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6287502 >Excuse yourself and go see Gloria after you clock in. Roland won't mind you grabbing a quick drink/snack. We should probably tell Roland about what we've been up in the game to sooner rather than later, he's not going to stop pestering us about playing until we do.
Anonymous
>>6287502 >Excuse yourself and go see Gloria after you clock in. Roland won't mind you grabbing a quick drink/snack. We need to violate this James Mason guy immediately.
Anonymous
>>6287502 >Excuse yourself and go see Gloria after you clock in. Roland won't mind you grabbing a quick drink/snack. Come up a plan to Rider Kick this guy
in the name of justice Anonymous
>>6287502 >Excuse yourself and go see Gloria after you clock in. Roland won't mind you grabbing a quick drink/snack. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6287502 >Ask Roland about something. (What do you ask about?) Ask him if he's on the new server. He's not gonna leave you high and dry after doing this much to convince us, right?
Anonymous
>>6287502 >Excuse yourself and go see Gloria after you clock in. Roland won't mind you grabbing a quick drink/snack. wasnt our title god of battle before?
Anonymous
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 12 Aug 2025 05:05:30 No. 6289124 Report >>6287510 >>6287519 >>6287584 >>6288009 >>6288858 Gonna go talk to Gloria. Writing.
>>6288858 Yes it was. At least that's what community called John when he was a pro. Basically, some new guy is claiming the title for himself since John hasn't hasn't been around in years.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 12 Aug 2025 06:19:10 No. 6289152 Report Quoted By:
"I'm gonna grab a quick drink at Gloria's. You want anything?" You ask as you stand up somewhat numbly. Roland shakes his head. "Nah, I gotta get up and make some calls after my rounds." He says standing up himself. "I'm telling you John, this is prime time to get back in the game!" He says. "What about you? You got a character in Server 10?" You ask. Roland shakes his head. "Not yet, but damn if I'm tempted. I'd have to stop running my shop in my main server. Might have to sell the land too if I get too busy in Server 10. But if you join, I'd definitely hop over there too! Man I could roll up like a fighter. Or a swordsman!" He says getting excited once more and swinging a pencil around like a blade. "I'll let you know. Don't worry. I'll catch you later." You promise, still a bit distracted by the video and head to the other side of the cafe.Truthfully, you weren't sure how you felt. A fancy title wasn't what you played the game for even when you were a professional but you couldn't deny that having it had a certain appeal or at least it was something you felt proud of holding. But in all sports titles come and go. Those at the top are bested by the newer generation as the limits of competition are pushed and surpassed. So you couldn't be upset that the title passed on to someone else, at least...if that person had beat you or was better. You weren't sure of James' skill but something about using win stats in the public arena just rubbed you the wrong way. His win rate was impressive, but arena matches weren't the best measure of skill. It was possible that he had run into plenty of skilled people but it was equally possible that he ran into newer players or people trying out strange builds. Things could inflate his win rate. Furthermore, you know that your own stats were skewed as well. While yours was indeed lower, you never dueled with a competitive mindset and much of the game was still being explored. New gear was being made, new strategies and tactics invented. Not to mention you were exploring the game world as well and by the time you and the others made a professional team, arena matches were the furthest thing from your mind. You weren't sure how well you'd have done if all you did was focus in pvp but maybe that was what bothered you about the video. The guy didn't seem to appreciate game beyond winning and stats. Maybe it was a different time but you remembered that everyone else you spoke to in the professional scene enjoyed the game for what it was. The thrill of the fight, the idea of coming up with new strategies and overcoming the enemy teams', even the chaos of thinking on your feet, everyone spoke excitedly about anything other than just making your win percentage go up. You shake your head. Maybe it was best that you weren't a professional anymore. Still, you couldn't help but wish you could have the chance to fight for the title or at least land a finishing move on the guy.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 12 Aug 2025 06:20:11 No. 6289153 Report Quoted By:
You sigh and stretch once more as you arrive to the small window of Gloria's shop. "Hey John." She says with a smile in her usual mellow demeanor. A sharp contrast to her in the game. She stifles a yawn and you note the usual tiredness in the eyes one gets after staying up all night playing video games. "Need a pick me up?" She asks. "Yeah, got anything that isn't straight coffee?" You ask, digging your wallet out. Gloria grins at that. "Funny, I remember you asking for coffee your first few weeks here. You looked at it like it was something from the heavens." You laugh at that. "I got teas. Green and Chai are pretty good for waking you up. There's also fresh orange juice. The real deal, not the processed stuff." She lists off. "I didn't realize how busy an internet cafe can be when I first started here. Especially in the afternoons. If it wasn't for that midnight lull, I'd probably never had made it." You admit as you pull out your debit card. "I'll take the juice. Got any breakfast burritos left? I kinda had to run out of the house with whatever edible thing fit in my hand." "I got enough left over to make you one. Green or red salsa?" She asks, as she rings you up. "Gree- no, red. The extra spice'll help and you're the only place I know that roasts the tomatoes." You add. "You know flattery won't help for leaving me hanging last night. You barely told me anything after we split up." Gloria teases and moves to pour your drink. "Ice?" You shake your head. "No thanks. Don't want the juice getting all watery." You take your drink and sip before going into detail about what had happen and sparing no detail on the vision you got. "It was like I had a bolt of lightning got through my body. Before I knew it was seeing all that stuff and just as fast it was all over. If the guard got wind of it, we'd probably be killed on the spot. If EVO got wind of it, they'd probably do the same just for an important story item. It might make a great crafting material too." Gloria just nods along as she makes your food. She hands you your burrito in her shop's custom wrap. If there was one thing she didn't skimp out on it was portions especially if it was using left over ingredients. Rather than letting them go to waste or having to throw them away due to food safety regulations, she'd just double up on portions for any lucky customer that happened to order at the right time. As it stood, you were struggling to hold the thing with one hand. "So what are you gonna do? Take it to that tailor of yours?" She asks, a small fire in her eyes and an eager tone slipping through. "We could sell it on the market. Probably make enough to last us until the next server opens." You take a bite of your burrito and fight through the burn.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 12 Aug 2025 06:21:12 No. 6289154 Report "Definitely, then we'd be public enemy number one of every guild in the game. No way, they'd let us hold some kind of quest or legendary item hostage." You say trying not to laugh with a mouth full. "I mean, not like the game wouldn't have another way to interact with the storyline. I wouldn't be surprised if this is just the start of something and someone else is gonna run into a similar vision but man would it make people angry if we did sell it. Speaking of which, one of the players there was really keen on getting me to join. I was half worried he knew who I was." "No surprises there. I've heard your pseudonym being dropped by half the customers here." Gloria whispers in a conspiratorial tone. "So much for keeping a low profile huh?" She smirks. You chug at the orange juice to try and fight the fire in your mouth. "Roland...aw jeez...Roland said something about the other guilds making their way to Valford because of it." You say, taking another gulp. "Probably going to try and recruit me too. More importantly, it might start a few fights if EVO sees it as them encroaching on their territory. Man, did you add extra salsa?" You pant. "No more than usual." Gloria says idly, cheek resting in her hand as she thinks. "Thing might get a bit rowdy in Valford then. Maybe it's time to move on?">What do you say? >Agree. It's probably best you go to another major city. Keeping on the move adds to the mysteriousness. >Say that it's probably best you leave Valford but not the area. Plenty of stuff to do outside the city. Might even find more clues. >Decline. If things are gonna happen, you wanna be there. Might be an opportunity or two there as well as a freelancer. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6289154 >Say that it's probably best you leave Valford but not the area. Plenty of stuff to do outside the city. Might even find more clues. Anonymous
>>6289154 >Say that it's probably best you leave Valford but not the area. Plenty of stuff to do outside the city. Might even find more clues. Anonymous
>>6289154 >Say that it's probably best you leave Valford but not the area. Plenty of stuff to do outside the city. Might even find more clues. I kind of want to head to the forest zone where Serena went but we've made some progress in the northern zone's questline.
Anonymous
>>6289154 >Say that it's probably best you leave Valford but not the area. Plenty of stuff to do outside the city. Might even find more clues. Anonymous
>>6289154 >Maybe it's time to tell Roland and stop hiding. I don't need to hide my identity if my new one is way more important. Anonymous
>>6289154 >Agree. It's probably best you go to another major city. Keeping on the move adds to the mysteriousness. I also support
>>6289284 Although that should probably be a separate vote
Anonymous
>>6289124 no i was wondering if you made a mistake or if you changed it deliberately
>>6289154 >Say that it's probably best you leave Valford but not the area. Plenty of stuff to do outside the city. Might even find more clues. we could go towards the mountains
Anonymous
>>6289154 >Say that it's probably best you leave Valford but not the area. Plenty of stuff to do outside the city. Might even find more clues. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 15 Aug 2025 01:45:50 No. 6290603 Report >>6289443 That was my mistake. Though I suppose it would be in character if James couldn't even the title right. Probably cares more about the clout than anything.
>>6289161 >>6289166 >>6289167 >>6289173 >>6289398 >>6289443 >>6289458 We're gonna explore the area around Valford. Writing.
>>6289398 Yeah I can have that be a vote.
Anonymous
>>6290603 Lance said it too, but I don't mind John being the god of war now
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 15 Aug 2025 06:11:32 No. 6290703 Report Quoted By:
You fight the fire in your mouth and down the rest of your drink. Gloria pours you another and slides it over to you on the house. You eagerly take the drink, grateful for another respite from the burn but you hone in your urge to simply down the drink as fast as you could. While she was willing to be generous with her customers it was rare that she did so twice in the same order. You didn't want to make it seem like you were ungrateful or worse, indifferent, to the gesture. Once the fire settled a bit you say, "I think so too but not so much the country. We should still explore around the city. We might find some clues, maybe avoid the bulk of the players making their way to the city." You take another sip of the juice and step aside to let someone make an order. You wait a bit to make sure they were out of earshot before continuing. "It's possible that that the heretics are nearby. A lot of the land outside of the forests is frozen wasteland. If they want to survive there they'd need to be close for supply runs." "Not unless they're raiding airships and traders for supplies." Gloria counters as she closes her register. "If they live off of looting, they can be pretty much anywhere near the roads." She pauses for a moment to think. "Like Frozen Gorge." "The dungeon?" You ask. The Frozen Gorge was an intermediate dungeon about a week away from the city of Valford. Unlike the tutorial dungeon which could be done with a solid group of 4 or 5. The Frozen Gorge would require a full team of 5 with both a tank and a healer. Players would need to traverse the top of the gorge and fight through a frozen undead army to reach the final boss, the Ice Lich. At the very least, you'd think you'd need a solid healer and back up dps to do it if you wanted to go for the smallest party. It could also be that your recent adventures might be giving you a bit of overconfidence. Mulling over the dying fire in your mouth and Gloria's words you come to a conclusion. "You don't think the Ice Lich is connected to the Dragon attacks?" Gloria shrugs.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 15 Aug 2025 06:12:33 No. 6290704 Report "I don't know. Nevermore has never done something like that before. Dungeon mobs have never interacted with the outside game world. Maybe it's part of the changes?" She asks. If that was true, then anything could happen in the game. Tutorial island might have been the exception to prevent the Goblins from overrunning the starting town. Having an Ice Lich and a zombie dragon loose would be catastrophic. "There's also the caves beneath the city too. Mostly a gatherer's spot but it could have the easiest access to Valford." You suggest. "Hiding in mostly plain sight? Could also explain the missing citizens. Might not all be the inquisition. But if we're exploring outside the city, we should take some time to grab some items, maybe get some professions." Gloria says just as you hear the intercom neat the register come to life. "Hey, is John still there? I need him to come over and help me move one of the full dive machines. Someone said it's getting overheat warnings." You hear Roland's voice come from the small speaker. You lean over the counter and push the button. "Sorry boss. Was fighting off the burn from hot salsa. I'll be on my way." You reply. The speaker crackles a bit before you realize that it's Roland laughing. "That reminds me. Are you gonna tell Roland? He's gonna find out eventually. Could also give us another pair of eyes in the game." Gloaria asks. >What do you say? >Say that you'll wait a bit longer. As much discussion you have caused the last two days, it'll be difficult to trace this back to you. Your name also makes it hard as well. Who else would believe John Doe is a person's real name? >Say that you will. As fun as it is to see Roland get excited about your escapades, it'd be best to let him in on the secret. He could help with keeping an ear to the ground for rumors and the like. >Write in .
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Fri 15 Aug 2025 06:13:34 No. 6290705 Report Quoted By:
>>6290614 Yeah, Lance wouldn't have gotten wrong. That was just my bad.
Anonymous
>>6290704 >Say that you will. As fun as it is to see Roland get excited about your escapades, it'd be best to let him in on the secret. He could help with keeping an ear to the ground for rumors and the like. Yeah, keeping the secret any longer might be hurtful.
Anonymous
>>6290704 >Say that you will. As fun as it is to see Roland get excited about your escapades, it'd be best to let him in on the secret. He could help with keeping an ear to the ground for rumors and the like. Anonymous
>>6290704 >Say that you will. As fun as it is to see Roland get excited about your escapades, it'd be best to let him in on the secret. He could help with keeping an ear to the ground for rumors and the like. Anonymous
>>6290704 >Say that you will. As fun as it is to see Roland get excited about your escapades, it'd be best to let him in on the secret. He could help with keeping an ear to the ground for rumors and the like. Anonymous
>>6290704 >Say that you will. As fun as it is to see Roland get excited about your escapades, it'd be best to let him in on the secret. He could help with keeping an ear to the ground for rumors and the like. ok but it goes without saying that he cant tell anyone else
i'm sure he can understand that we dont want to be bothered by anyone irl
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6290704 >Say that you'll wait a bit longer. As much discussion you have caused the last two days, it'll be difficult to trace this back to you. Your name also makes it hard as well. Who else would believe John Doe is a person's real name? This guy is a big yapper. He’ll tell everybody he knows once he finds out.
Anonymous
>>6290704 >Say that you will. As fun as it is to see Roland get excited about your escapades, it'd be best to let him in on the secret. He could help with keeping an ear to the ground for rumors and the like. It's only a matter of time before other people make the connection, and he'll be hurt if he finds out from someone that's not us.
Anonymous
>>6290704 >Say that you will. As fun as it is to see Roland get excited about your escapades, it'd be best to let him in on the secret. He could help with keeping an ear to the ground for rumors and the like. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 18 Aug 2025 06:07:50 No. 6292492 Report Just got my internet back. Will do a write up after I wake up. Sorry about the delays, been dealing with shoddy connections and fighting the ISP to actually do something for a while.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6292492 Welcome back. I'm curious, who is your isp if you don't mind disclosing?
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 18 Aug 2025 14:12:21 No. 6292575 Report Quoted By:
>>6290713 >>6290714 >>6290718 >>6290746 >>6290797 >>6290900 >>6291124 We're telling roland. Truth would get around eventually, might as well be from us. Writing.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 18 Aug 2025 15:23:16 No. 6292603 Report Quoted By:
Your down the rest of your juice and set the cup aside. "I guess I should. I don't think he take it well if he found out from someone else. Not to mention, he means well. Just hope he can stay discreet." You say. Gloria snickers at that. "Roland? Discreet? Maybe if it was another game or something serious. But I think you should start planning for him accidentally spilling the beans." She teases. "Still, I think it might be for the best." "How so?" You ask. "Keeping secrets from your friends always tends to burn you in the end. Even the smaller ones. At the very least, you can feel comfortable coming to work without having to dance around the subject when the game comes up which given where we are, is a lot." Gloria says. "Given how you're starting to come out of that shell of yours, I think it's healthier this way." She motions for a customer to approach. "The lunch rush is starting up. I'll talk to you before I close up shop, ok?" You step aside to let the lingering group of customers approach and give her a nod. "I'll see you later then. Save me some of that orange juice. Should probably start cutting out soda before the pot luck. Pretty sure everyone is going to bring tons of it." You joke and head to the other side of the cafe where the fulldive machines were held. Each machine had it's own small booth for privacy and you walk down the small hall of them before you find the door with the "Under Maintenance. Do not Enter." sign on it. You knock lightly and step into the small room once you hear the lock click. "How many times do we have to tell them? The arm rests are not cup holders. Even if you don't move while plugged in, someone always gets up too fast when they log out. I put the desks in here for a reason!" Roland complains as you step in. Even if Roland hadn't spoken up, the sickly smell of spilled soft drink combined with the lingering smell of burnt electronics was enough to tell you what had happened. You let out a sigh and lock the door behind you. "What was it this time? Coke? Gatorade?" You ask as you move to help Roland turn the large machine around for easier access. The faux leather clings to your skin as you grab the sticky reside. Roland grunts as he pushes. Of the two, he was probably the one doing most of the work but not for the lack of trying. Despite being a large fan of Nevermore, he was well built though you've never actually heard or seen anything that would indicate that he frequented a gym. In fact if you hadn't known he ran a net cafe, you'd probably had guessed he was some kind of mechanic. His love of food made him a bit rounder around the waist but it never seemed to slow him down. "Sprite actually." Roland finally says he grabs his key ring to open a maintenance panel. There's a familiar sticky sound as the panel clings slightly due to the dried soda. You turn to open the bag of tools. "We need to get you your cert John." He adds, his usual jovial attitude somewhat muted.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Mon 18 Aug 2025 15:24:16 No. 6292605 Report "I've been saving up for it." You say. Of the two of you, only Roland was certified to do maintenance on the full dive machines without voiding warranty or support. That didn't stop him from having you do basic work on them but if you were going to do more in depth work like right now, at least without his supervision, you were going to have to take the certification exams. "And I told you, I'd cover it." Roland says as you hand him a screw driver. "Besides, this is all formality anyways. If I could help it, I wouldn't have you do it. You know your way around these things as well as I do. But you know how companies are. If they can get a buck out of you, they'll do it. Anyways, I know a guy I can call who can get us a discount on the test. So you could have taken it ages ago." "I dunno. I didn't feel like I was ready." You half lie. Truthfully, Roland was right. You could have taken the exam already and passed it. But it didn't feel right that your boss was paying for it at least not after all the things he had done for you and at the very least taking the risk of hiring you without any experience. You felt like you owed him at least for that. Roland grabs a small flashlight and begins to dig around the inside of the machine. "Come on, John. I've seen the way you work on computers. You practically make them dance for you. Your AMP- err WPM is wild as well. You were basically born for computer work. Frankly, it's kind of surprising I managed to snag you before some big wig company did." Roland says, lightening up and peeking over the seat of the machine. "Starting to make me wonder if you did have some computer experience before you got here. You certainly pick up things faster than anyone else I've trained." He tosses you his keys. "Check the other side. Wanna see if there was a short and it burned out something on that end." You do as your told and open up the other panel to find various crumbs sticking to your hands. "Do you have a can of air?" You ask with a sigh as you wipe your hands clean. "Check the bag. Should be a new on in it." Roland says. The two of you work in relative silence for a bit, only broken when one of you reported something new you found with the machine. Part of you wants to broach the subject of you playing again but you're unsure how. >What do you do? >Just get straight to it. No need to beat around the bush. >Try and lead the conversation towards the subject. See if you can lighten the mood a bit. (What do you say or ask?) >Hold off for now. Maybe you'll get a chance to talk about it later. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6292605 >Hype him up for it, trickling it in as we work the expensive computer stuff so he stays on task. >By the way Roland, I was lying about something-here's the parts disassembled. >When I checked if my card was working, I DID play a bit more. Parts cleaned up, damage assessment. >But I was kinda scared of being rusty, so I worked the tutorial without calling you. Furniture's cleaned. >So yeah, I'm the Traveler. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6292605 >Hold off for now. Maybe you'll get a chance to talk about it later. best we wait until our shift ends so when he freaks out no one is around to hear it
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6292605 >Hold off for now. Maybe you'll get a chance to talk about it later. Anonymous
>>6292605 >Just get straight to it. No need to beat around the bush. Fuck it
Anonymous
>>6292609 >Just get straight to it. No need to beat around the bush. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 20 Aug 2025 00:09:05 No. 6293205 Report Quoted By:
Got a tie between waiting and just telling him right now. I'll give it a bit and then roll for it.
Anonymous
>>6292605 Computer skills? You could say so.....
>Just get straight to it. No need to beat around the bush. But maybe do this as we're finishing up with the machine while we're still by ourselves in here. Ain't nothing getting fixed after his head detonates.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6292605 >Hold off for now. Maybe you'll get a chance to talk about it later. Anonymous
>>6292605 >Just get straight to it. No need to beat around the bush. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Thu 21 Aug 2025 02:06:06 No. 6293784 Report Quoted By:
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Thu 21 Aug 2025 04:43:29 No. 6293851 Report Quoted By:
You bury your nose in your elbow to protect your face from the crumbs and dust of who knows what, as you blow air into the side opening. With your phone's flashlight you peer into the unit's innards. "Nothing wrong on this side." You say with a bit of relief. There were few things that put Roland in what you would call an actual foul mood but having to call for new parts was surely one of them. With the crisis slightly averted, you figure that now would be a good time to drop the news. Otherwise, you don't think you'd ever get around to it and you don't think Gloria would let you hear the end of it. You close up the panel and clap your hands to dust them off. "Hey Roland..." You start and trail off. "Yeah?" He responds somewhat absently without looking up, arms deep inside the machine. You falter a bit but press on in case he finds something that would ruin this opportunity. "Hey...uhh...you know...you know how you've been telling me to make a character for the new server?" You continue, tiptoeing around the subject. "Oh yeah. What about it?" He asks, this time pausing and looking up from his work. "Well...I kinda already did. I made one on day one of server 10's release by accident." You half blurt half mumble out. It takes Roland a second to comprehend what you had said no doubt in part to your strange way of saying it. Once the information seems to have registered in his mind he grins and gets up. "Niiice! You got in day one?! That's wild! Why didn't you say anything before?" He asks excitedly as he claps you on the shoulder. Your knees buckle slightly and you give an uneasy grin.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Thu 21 Aug 2025 04:44:29 No. 6293853 Report "Well I didn't know if I was gonna stick with it. I almost didn't even do it to be honest. And when I did hop on I only found out about a new server after I finished making a character." You admit. "Like I said, it was all more or less an accident." "Aw dude, now I gotta make a character on server 10. Maybe I should pay for a transfer? What do I make..." Roland starts as he promptly forgets about maintenance and starts to wander about lost in thought. He ruminates for a few more moments before turning to face you. "Where you at? What class are you? You in a guild yet?" He begins to fire off question after question before coming to the one that gives you pause. "What's your character name? I'll look for you after I clear the tutorial.">What do you say? >Tell him the full story. You're Regal_20 and The Traveler. All the stories running around Valford are about you. >Give him one name or the other. You're not sure if he'd explode if you told him you were both. >Tell him about your class instead. Maybe Roland has some advice he's heard over the years about it. He'll find out your in game escapades once the two of you meet up. You'll just have to find out how to organize that. >Try and evade the subject of who you are for now and your class. Ask Roland about his plans in game. You don't want him talking about your character to the cafe right now. At least, not until the two of you have partied for a bit. >Do you tell Roland that Gloria is playing with you? >Yes. Might as well if he is going to learn everything. >No but maybe let Gloria know that she should fill him in on her side of things.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6293853 >Tell him about your class instead. Maybe Roland has some advice he's heard over the years about it. He'll find out your in game escapades once the two of you meet up. You'll just have to find out how to organize that. >Yes. Might as well. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6293853 >Tell him the full story. You're Regal_20 and The Traveler. All the stories running around Valford are about you. >Yes. Might as well if he is going to learn everything. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6293853 >Tell him about your class instead. Maybe Roland has some advice he's heard over the years about it. He'll find out your in game escapades once the two of you meet up. You'll just have to find out how to organize that. >No but maybe let Gloria know that she should fill him in on her side of things. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6293853 >>Tell him about your class instead. Maybe Roland has some advice he's heard over the years about it. He'll find out your in game escapades once the two of you meet up. You'll just have to find out how to organize that. >Yes. Might as well if he is going to learn everything. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6293853 >Tell him the full story. You're Regal_20 and The Traveler. All the stories running around Valford are about you. >No but maybe let Gloria know that she should fill him in on her side of things. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6293853 >Tell him the full story. You're Regal_20 and The Traveler. All the stories running around Valford are about you. >No but maybe let Gloria know that she should fill him in on her side of things. Anonymous
>>6293853 >Tell him about your class instead. Maybe Roland has some advice he's heard over the years about it. He'll find out your in game escapades once the two of you meet up. You'll just have to find out how to organize that. >No but maybe let Gloria know that she should fill him in on her side of things. i was wondering if the belt affinity mechanic still existed, because it wasnt brought up so far in this thread
same with the leveling and choosing new skills Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6293853 >Give him one name or the other. You're not sure if he'd explode if you told him you were both. >Tell him about your class. Maybe Roland has some advice he's heard over the years about it. He'll find out your in game escapades once the two of you meet up. You'll just have to find out how to organize that. >No but maybe let Gloria know that she should fill him in on her side of things. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6293853 >>Try and evade the subject of who you are for now and your class. Ask Roland about his plans in game. You don't want him talking about your character to the cafe right now. At least, not until the two of you have partied for a bit.>No but maybe let Gloria know that she should fill him in on her side of things. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 23 Aug 2025 06:15:14 No. 6294872 Report Votes are tallied, we're gonna give him our class and let gloria know to fill him in on her involvement.
>>6294329 It's still around. I've been mulling about on ideas on how to proceed with it as well as how to change cooldown timers in a way that actually impact votes which sounds bigger than it really is. Just want to make it so spamming low cooldown skills isn't always vote. Like spamming cards every vote. Could just come down to my writing though and making it not always the best option.
Also, finishing up on making some kind of pastebin write up to keep track of everything rather than taking up a huge chunk of a post with skills and the like. If you guys have suggestions, I'm all ears as well.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6294872 I'm here for kamen rider henshins desu
Anonymous
>>6294872 You can also limit the number of active cooldowns a character can have, for the sake of sanity.
For example, a build's rotation is based around what 4 cooldown-based moves they cycle, with globals acting as buffs and a few cooldowns acting as emergency evasion/rescue sideboard.
Passives can then be powerful, but constraining since they also take up cooldowns. While other passives are just permanent or under certain conditions.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 23 Aug 2025 08:08:55 No. 6294901 Report Quoted By:
"I dunno about guilds." You admit, rubbing the back of your head. "They seem kinda complicated. At least, I don't know if I'm ready for all the politics and stuff. I mean- I'm always hearing about how this guild is declaring war on that other guild. I kind of just want to explore and hang out, you know?" You didn't really want to mention your name in game just at this moment. You had nothing against Roland but he could be somewhat loose lipped when he got excited. However, you figure if you got him excited enough that he might forget about you not revealing your name. "Guilds aren't so bad. At least the smaller ones aren't. You join one of the pro team guilds though..." Roland gives an apologetic shrug. "You know how crazy fans can get." "Kind of the reason why I'm avoid them for now. But it's not like I need to be in a guild to get jumped by other players right?" You joke. Roland lets out a booming laugh and turns to grab his tools again. "You're right about that. Man, it's gonna be fun wandering around a new server. Hey, hold the flashlight. I think I see something burned out in the back." He says, deflating a bit. You do as your told and crouch next to him. Not wanting to let the conversation die, you speak up. "So I was looking at the classes when I made a character and saw the Hero one. Figured it sounded pretty cool and picked it. You got any tips for it?" You ask. Roland visibly pauses and looks at you with a slightly worried look. "Aw man John, Hero's a beginner's trap. I'd drop it and pick something else. Brawler is close enough and can use weapons and armor. No one's ever gotten the class to work." He says. "No one? There's gotta be someone crazy enough to try and get it to work. Like it has access to skills from other classes. It sounds kind of versatile." You press, unsure of how much you want to divulge at the moment. Roland seems to think for a moment. "Ehhh, I guess there's been some theory crafting here and there as a kind of jack of all trades class. Maybe pull the best of every other class and see what breaks but as far as anyone could figure out the skills you get are semi random. At least, there doesn't seem to be any logic to it. Some people have said they got a weapon proficiency as a choice and that kind of helps but since it doesn't get actual armor they'll end up lagging behind by a lot in terms of enchants and the like." "I saw some kind of affinity system too. Maybe that helps?" You suggest.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 23 Aug 2025 08:09:55 No. 6294902 Report Quoted By:
"Yeah, I read about that. As far as I could tell, no one could really get it to work consistently. It didn't go up with player kills or monster kills even if the players killed were actively hunting down PKers. Seems like it was more of an RP mechanic or something. A few players said they got increases with npc quests but that didn't seem consistent either. Theorycrafters speculate there's something deeper with the system beyond just doing the same thing over and over but it's because of that that no one takes it seriously. It's just faster to level up normally than to be tied down by some vague RP mechanic." Roland explains as he pulls out a singed RAM stick. "I know it sounds cool but honestly, you'd probably have more fun just picking a straight forward class. That way you can defend yourself if anything attacks you." "I still wanna give it a try. Did they say anything that could help? Something concrete?" You insist. "Well...since you can only get accessories like rings and the like. You'd probably want something to help whatever build you were given. Extra damage or defense is gonna be a must." Roland pauses again and you can almost see the cogs turning in his head. "There might be a class quest tied to it." "What do you mean?" "Well about a year ago, the devs added hidden class quests to the game. Stuff like hidden masters or like ancient spell books to find. You know like out of Kung Fu movies. It was to help make builds more diverse. If you did these quests, you could get unique abilities or fighting styles but they're ultra rare and even harder to do than most bosses. Not to mention they were, at best, available to only a handful of players. Some people even say that some quests were for a single person in all the sever. Like a master only taking on a single pupil kind of deal. The general playstyle of the class is roughly the same but now they have a hidden ace up their sleeve. Pro Guilds went wild for em and they're tournament legal. Luckily, or unlucky, they can't really be farmed and so most teams are content to have even one on their team." Roland explains with an air of mystery. "Wait, why don't pro teams just buy accounts with the quests done?" You ask.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 23 Aug 2025 08:10:56 No. 6294905 Report "It's against ToS. Somehow, the company just knows if an account traded or bought. There was a big controversy about it when the quests were announced. A new pro team was formed made up of those kinds of accounts. When they registered their team and their characters, ZenSoft called them out. The accounts were all promptly banned and the characters' unlocks were sent back into the wild for others. Team fell apart shortly after since they had no tournament level characters. The only loophole the pro scene has found is to make a ton of accounts under the team's name and have players farm for it hoping to randomly stumble upon a quest. Legally, the character and it's progress belongs to the team's company and thus is within the rules. I hear there's talks between ZenSoft and the League to lighten the rules but neither side is budging. If there's anything that could save the Hero class, it'd probably be one of those kinds of quests." Roland stretches and scratches his back. "Honestly, some players are starting to complain that the game is getting to lore heavy and it's interfering with mechanics. Others are saying that the game was always like this and has been Nakamura's playground for dumping in what he deemed cool." He shrugs. "Game's still fun and as far as anyone has noticed, this stuff hasn't really affected the competitive scene beyond adding to highlight reels.">What do you say? >Ask Roland if he's heard anything about recent changes to the game. Stuff like the dragon attacks or cultists in the other main zones. >Ask Roland about his experience with the game. What does he like to do outside of running a shop in his old server. >Get back to work but tell Roland how to find you in Valford. >Write in.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sat 23 Aug 2025 08:13:37 No. 6294907 Report >>6294891 So like a player can only have 4 slotted in skills/passives at a time while having a bigger repertoire they can swap out? Sounds pretty interesting to me.
Anonymous
>>6294905 >You think that dragon thing in Valford is a hidden class quest? Be kinda crazy if a unique quest affects the town for others. >Get back to work but tell Roland how to find you in Valford. >>6294907 4 "Main" slots is an option, but it can also be the other way around: if you have 4 skills on cooldown, ALL cooldown-based skills are unable to be used until 1 of those 4 is off cooldown.
Anonymous
>>6294905 >Ask Roland if he's heard anything about recent changes to the game. Stuff like the dragon attacks or cultists in the other main zones. Anonymous
>>6294905 >Ask Roland if he's heard anything about recent changes to the game. Stuff like the dragon attacks or cultists in the other main zones. >Get back to work but tell Roland how to find you in Valford. Anonymous
>>6294905 >Ask Roland if he's heard anything about recent changes to the game. Stuff like the dragon attacks or cultists in the other main zones. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6294905 >Get back to work but tell Roland how to find you in Valford. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 26 Aug 2025 00:29:23 No. 6296465 Report Quoted By:
>>6295177 >>6294946 >>6294925 >>6294915 Asking Roland about the dragon stuff then going back to work. Writing.
I also made a paste bin will the character skills and the like.
https://pastebin.com/XLnJfzV1 Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 26 Aug 2025 02:38:54 No. 6296526 Report Quoted By:
"Have you heard about the stuff going on in Valford?" You ask, shifting topics slightly. "Dragon attacks and stuff? Maybe that's class quest?" Roland seems to consider it briefly before shaking his head. "Nah, nothing on that big of a scale would be a class quest but it wouldn't surprise me if one appeared because of it, you know? I've heard about that stuff going on in my server too so I'm sure there's probably a big event being planned or maybe some kind of major shift in the game. I heard people theorizing that maybe there's gonna be a big change in the world map. Nothing concrete though. Just rumors." He says going back to work, now in much higher spirits. "People are also going about a new class being added or maybe they'll be reworking the whole class system as a whole. Of course, that causes people to complain that they're dumbing down the game and all the follow up arguments. Honestly, it seems like server 10 is just the start of whatever is being planned." "I wonder..." You ponder. Even the devs were up to something big, they would have to be careful or they'd run the risk of upsetting the game's balance. Nothing would be more disastrous if there was a massive shift in the meta mid season. It'd be slightly different if it was simply changes in the way items and materials were gathered. Most teams would already be set in their line up and class composition by now but next season would be a complete tossup if there were any big changes to the way classes worked or if there was a sudden influx of new gear that could shift the way a fight would go. "Well I guess there's no worrying about it now. Might as well see were it goes." You say before getting back to helping Roland with maintenance. The rest of the day goes by as normal with nothing too interesting happening. Before the end of your shift, you make a quick trip to Gloria's end of the building to let her know of what she needed to fill Roland in about and then to fill Roland in about how to find you in game. You figure that having everyone meet up back at the tavern you found the heretic would be the best idea.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 26 Aug 2025 02:39:54 No. 6296527 Report ---- The winds were as cold as ever when you logged back in but that didn't seem to deter the guards. As you wandered the streets from the jail you had fought in yesterday, you note that there seemed to be a lot more guards around this time around. Maybe they were searching for any prisoners that managed to slip by during the attack. Or maybe Roland's prediction came true and there was an increase in guards to keep an eye in case tensions between guilds ran a bit too high. Either way, you weren't planning on staying in the city for long. As you step back into the more public areas of the city, you check the time. You still had some time before you think Gloria logged on and you didn't know how long it would take for Roland to finish making a new character and getting out of the tutorial. That gave you a nice chunk of time to yourself. >What do you do while you wait for your friends? >Go rumor hunting again. Perhaps something happened while you were logged off. (What do you listen for?) >Pick up a side profession or two. Could be handy to be able to craft or gather. (What would you look for?) >Head to the tavern. You don't really mind waiting and you don't want to risk missing on meeting up with the others. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6296527 >Pick up a side profession or two. Could be handy to be able to craft or gather. (What would you look for?) Something to work that scale thing.
Does the belt accept discs? Cartridges? Fan blades? Might want to choose the profession around what can fiddle with those.
Anonymous
Anonymous
>>6296559 >>6296527 Belt tinker profession.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Tue 26 Aug 2025 16:35:15 No. 6296798 Report >>6296559 As far as you can tell it doesn't have a slot or input that would accept anything. It's what made it stand out among the other belts. Just has a simple little fan in the center that acts as a turbine of sorts.
A tinker/engineering profession could make it possible for you to mess with it but as it stands it's simply a plain old transformation device.
Anonymous
>>6296559 >>6296798 Then tentatively some mechanic or metal fabricator. We're in the city of gunners, the blacksmiths surely do more than hammer flat sheets.
Anonymous
I just finished reading thread 1, and now I'm going to start on this one. Good stuff, QM! If you keep going, you have yourself another player soon.
Anonymous
>>6296939 I like this option, metalsmith or something along those lines
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 27 Aug 2025 17:28:25 No. 6297256 Report Quoted By:
>>6296559 >>6296612 >>6296614 >>6296939 >>6297115 We're gonna get a job! I'll tentatively label it as engineer. You'll be able to make gadgets and tinker with devices but full weapons and armor are a no go.
>>6297032 Thanks! Always glad to hear people are interested or just enjoy reading through.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 27 Aug 2025 19:31:45 No. 6297299 Report Quoted By:
You start making your way to the crafting district in hopes of grabbing a profession to level up. Roland might have had a point. Your class wasn't going to level up the same way as other classes would so your best bet was to look for one of those hidden quests. Maybe you could find one if you knew how your belt worked or maybe you might be able to unlock something with it if you could mess with it. At the very least, having a crafting profession could prove useful. --- Compared to the clean and inviting streets of the market district the "crafting district" was positively the opposite. Even a few blocks away you could hear the clanking and hammering of metals ring out. The temperature slowly begins to increase around you from the myriad of forges and various other mechanical equipment emitting heat. You couldn't really tell what many of the machines around you did or even how they worked. Many of them were fantastical versions of real life machines, a mixture of magic and technology. Your footsteps are often accompanied with splashing as the ambient heat constantly melted any snow that would dare arrive. "Hey move it!" Someone shouts before they shove you out of the way. You stumble to the side just in time to see someone running down the street with a cart full of what looks like raw ingots towards a forge. "Behind you!" Another voice shouts and you barely manage to shift out of the way as another person runs past you, tongs in hand with a small crucible full of molten metal held in them. As if a veil is pulled from your eyes, you suddenly notice that the whole street is full of people running back and forth in a chaotic frenzy. You can only assume that they're all players desperately attempting to powerlevel their professions or perhaps fill orders for other players. It's both fascinating and somewhat amusing given that the sheer amount of players all trying to do the same thing is slowing them down all the same. All the machines and crafting stations could only be operated by one person much like in real life. While the city had many forges and workshops, each individual shop only had so much room. You think that the intended way to level was to simply wander the world, gather materials and then spend some time in a random town or shop to craft. Guilds had the ability to buy property and thus have private workshops but for the average player, they had to find their own. With that in mind, you slowly dodge your way towards the nearest workshop to see if there was anywhere willing to teach you. Unlike the tailor's shop, this place seemed quite packed with a combination of ncps and players working on various stations. Most of the players seemed to be working on upgrading various Gunner weapons, guns the size of small cannons and sometimes shaped similarly. You approach what looks to be the people in charge of workshop.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Wed 27 Aug 2025 19:34:16 No. 6297302 Report "I'm telling you. The workshop is at max capacity. You're going to have to find someone else to fill the order." A large burly man who was woefully under dressed for the weather growls. He crosses his large sleeveless arms across his apron. "Now if you're done, I'm sure you have plenty of other useless errands you can do in someone else's store. We have real work to do here." The recipient, a man dressed in leather finery much like your own, seems unfazed. "The Church needs the Dragonkillers made by the end of the month, master smith. I don't need to remind you that as long as your establishment enjoys the protection and security that Her Holy Fury provides Her Blessed City, you will fulfill whatever duty falls upon you in the name of maintaining that safety. Such is the burden Valford's citizens must bear. We will not suffer any attempts to undermine those efforts. I trust I do not need to make myself clear." He says with a cold, indifferent tone. He shifts slightly, only just exposing the hilt of a rapier under his cloak. The shop owner's eyes narrow and he clenches his fists. "I don't like your tone boy. My family helped build this city. Our blood is mixed into the very bricks that hold your church together. Don't think your fancy clothes and title mean anything to-" "Then you know how much we have to lose if we do not build our defenses." The man cuts in. "You will have the Dragonkillers built by the end of the month. Good day." With that, the man about-faces and promptly walks out of the shop unperturbed by the rising color of red in the other man's face. The shop owner clenches his jaw hard enough that a vein begins to pulse in his temple and upon noticing you at the door shouts, "What do you want?! Here to drop another load of shit onto my plate? Or are you just another idiot wanting to play engineer?!" >What do you say? >Say that you are indeed another idiot looking to learn engineering. >Ask who that was. They seemed important. >Try and show your belt to the man. Maybe he might teach you how to work on it. >Mimic the man and do a 180 turn out the door. >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6297302 >Say that you are indeed another idiot looking to learn engineering. Calling ourselves in "idiot" is probably a good idea, for some reason admitting so usually makes assholes more willing to help
Anonymous
>>6297302 >Say that you are indeed another idiot looking to learn engineering. Anonymous
>>6297302 >Say that you are indeed another idiot looking to learn engineering. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6297302 >Try and show your belt to the man. Maybe he might teach you how to work on it. Anonymous
>>6297302 >Say that you are indeed another idiot looking to learn engineering. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6294905 > the game was always like this and has been Nakamura's playground for dumping in what he deemed cool Kek, like Gygax's party strong-arming him into adding monks?
Anonymous
>>6297302 >Say that you are indeed another idiot looking to learn engineering. Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sun 31 Aug 2025 01:50:06 No. 6299074 Report Quoted By:
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sun 31 Aug 2025 03:41:07 No. 6299124 Report Quoted By:
"Uhh yeah, that's me. Just another idiot who wants to learn engineering." You say trying to keep the man from exploding. It doesn't seem to help as the man's face grows a shade darker. You start to worry that his heart might give out from all the blood it was pushing to the man's face. "Does this look like some kind of trade school to you?" He says leaning uncomfortably close to you. "No...but you seem to be pretty popular among adventurers." You say awkwardly as you motion towards the various players working on the machines. The man continues to glare at you. "If you could teach me the basics then I'd be out of your hair." "I got the church riding my ass. Uppity Captains thinking I'm some kind of weapons factory. You think I got time for holding your hands and teaching you how to pick at machines?" "I'm a pretty quick learner." You insist. "And maybe I could help a bit with some of the work?" You ask. "I have plenty of <span class="mu-i">help</span>." The man scoffs. "You adventurer types are all the same. You learn how to hold your tools and off you run thinking you're a master of the craft. Only reason you come back is to hog all the machines. Some of us have actual work to do!" He shouts in the direction of the work tables causing a few players to look away sheepishly. Latching on to that, you quickly respond. "Well how about you teach me the basics and as payment I fill a few basic orders. Just give me one of those work tables and I'll hop to it. Sounds like a fair trade right?" You propose and lean in to whisper. "I'm sure the others only gave you a handful of gold or something as payment right? All well and good but it's not exactly making a dent in the work orders." The man's face seems to lighten a shade or two and he strokes his beard. "Hmm...you do have a point. Money's not making my workload any lighter and those freeloaders are hogging up all my machines." He nods to himself. "Alright. You got a deal." He concludes and squeezing your hand hard enough in what is supposed to be a handshake that you think it might have caused your damage resistances to kick in. The man walks over to the nearest table and spins the person working on it around. "Get out of here. I got work to do." "What? No way! I'm trying to level up my engineering! I paid to be here!" The player argues, causing the man's face to darken once more.
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X
Storyteller Luo !!L+CpM0G8T5X ID:jl1OJB2W Sun 31 Aug 2025 03:42:08 No. 6299126 Report "And I said get the hell off my damn station! And get the hell out of my shop! I don't need your freeloading ass cutting into my work! Now go before I call the guards, and that'll only be so they can peel you off of the road!" The head engineer shouts. The player storms off but not before giving you a dirty look and promptly making a rude gesture at you. "You! New guy! Get your ass over here! I'm not paying you by the hour!" --- You spent the rest of your free time going through the game's basic tutorial on how professions and crafting work. Not something you were unfamiliar with but you never picked up engineering before so it was certainly refreshing to go through it again. After that, you spent some time fulfilling a small pile of orders that were meant for the shop. Fortunately, most of it was simply making parts for other machines and nothing too complex. Once that was finished, you shook hands once more with the head engineer and concluded your deal. As you were leaving, one final popup appeared in your HUD. <span class="mu-g"> Engineering Unlocked. Please choose your starting gadget blueprint. Wrist Crossbow: A small wrist mounted crossbow that can be loaded with anything upto the size of a regular throwing knife. The damage does not scale with level but can be used throw unconventional projectiles. Concussive Grenades: Weaker variants of a Gunner's skill and are consumable. Their effects are easier to resist but may come in handy in a pinch. Magic Detector: A small handheld device that can be used to scan for magical signatures in the surrounding area. It can't identify magical effects only if there is magic in the nearby vicinity and it's general direction. Mini Grapple Gun: A miniaturized grapple gun in a device the size and shape of a small lighter. Has enough power to pull a single person towards the latched on point. Small motor may burn out if used too frequently or pushed past it's weight limit.</span>>Which blueprint do you want? >Crossbow >Grenades >Magic Detector >Mini Grapple Gun >Write in.
Anonymous
>>6299126 Write-in as in we can cook up a starter item? Because I'd go with.
>Igniter: A small wrist mounted flamer that can be loaded with fuel. The damage does not scale with level but can be used to light objects and loaded with unconventional liquids. Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6299134 >+1 to this Oh yeah, the Gaurd is gonna love us!
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6299126 >Crossbow Unconventional projectiles, you say?
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Quoted By:
this is a 3-way tie. Come on, guys.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6299134 I'll break it by voting for this, if it's valid. It seems fun.
Anonymous