Dungeon Crawler Quest(Original Fantasy)

True, a caster type has an easier time in switching tactics than the martial types, since they are not limited by having to change their equipments to cast different type of spells.

. . .
Though Cleric spells might require Talisman to cast? Can Elementalists cast without their Staves?
Uh, off-tangent a bit.

At any rate, I am still interested in persuading Anshelm to give Axe Warrior a chance.
He could equip Axes for Dungeons which has more Elite types (like Ogres), while picking Spears when in Dungeons that have Mook types (like Spiders).

 

Loot:
[X] Shimah: [Barbarian Vestment], 1 Ether
[X] Maya: [Ogre’s Rucksack], [Purty Hat], 2 Potions
- [X] Suggest keeping the Hat in storage, in case we want to repeat the Ogre's Den
[X] Anshelm: [Ogre’s belt], [Axe Warrior Job Crystal], 2 Hi-Potion, 2 Potion
- [X] Suggest to Anshelm to activate the Crystal, having an option to switch to another damage-dealing class might have helped us finish the ogres faster
[X] Alice: [Magikal Robe], 2 Potions, 1 Amrita
- [X] You are thinking of trading the Robe to Sera later, she certainly can use it... Why is Maya laughing?

 

You can cast without your staff, but your range suffers quite a bit, damage less so, but there's still a decrease.

 

Ouch. Definitely props up the versatility of caster-types or caster-based hybrids.

 

My first reaction was actually that Anshelm obtaining aura-type skills (think: Cold aura) could work really well for him. Passive debuff/damage on everyone in melee range? yes please.

 

Very minor damage, and probably very low proc on Freeze, if either correspond to the Power Stat.
But the Slow might be worth the SP cost.

 

Yeah, it would be more for the Debuff than anything else. Also, it's probably like ten different fusion classes now that i think about it. Hell, i could totally see class which whole shtick is "give elemental status on a shield block".

 

The idea isn't to deequip it perfectly, just to deequip it when entering new/unknown dungeons.

Consider, it's E rank right now. That will change, and we probably can't benefit from the E rank version at its C rank parameters.

The higher it gets the greater a risk it becomes as we venture deeper in. It's very very useful, but that use is predicated on the right situation and, given the dice, it can end up hurting us in the long run.

 

Spoiler: Anshelm and Alice, D-ranked Adventurers!

Sketches.

 

Oh wow, those are great.

*looks at Anshelm, looks at Alice* Gee I wonder why the monsters think Alice might be a threat.

 

Awesome work as always Toad. A1.

 

Very nice Gross. Those look great.

 

Alright, seems like Darkened's variation of the loot split is the winner. And the action is visiting home, which seems pretty much uncontested. Voting is locked, gonna try and get the update out fairly soon.

 

Aww, we never got to hang out with the guys with the guy and his harem.

. . . Well, it's just day 2, I guess.

 

+1 [Amrita], +1 [Potion], +1 [Magikal Robe], +1 [Ogre’s belt]

“Well, I definitely want to the robe,” you answer after a moment, “I like the crystal one better, but I figure Sera might like it.”

That draws a small smile from Maya, though you’re not done yet. “I think Anshelm should get the job crystal though. The rest of us would just sell it, but he can use it, you know?”

Anshelm glances over at Maya, seeming a little… you aren’t sure. It seems nervous, maybe unsure? You don’t know, it’s hard to read his expression with that stupid pot on his head. “It might be pretty useful, but I uh… don’t mind letting Maya have it. She’s been pretty unlucky on loot today.”

Maya though, waves it off, she seems to be relaxing again, going by the return of her usual easy smile, “No, I’d certainly like it for the Gilder, but it would be more useful to you. Sometimes you just get a little unlucky. If I’m not going to get the crystal I will want the bag though. I would like to get something of use today.”

You nod enthusiastically, glad that Maya isn’t fighting you on this, frankly if she decides she wants to convince the others of something you strongly suspect she would just do it, no matter what you said. “Right, so Shimah gets her vestment, Maya gets the bag, Anshelm the crystal, and me the robe. I kinda want the belt for later, I get hit a lot and I have way less health than Anshelm.”

Shimah speaks up at this point, looking a bit pleased. “The belt provides ten additional health. I already have one. I think it would be more useful for someone of less stellar vigor as well.”

Anshelm just seems relieved that Maya’s mood has cleared, “Yeah, that’s fine, I’m getting the most expensive thing anyway.” He pauses taking another look at the screen, “What about the hat though… and what is up with all these dungeons giving weird head gear?”

The latter you can’t answer, monsters like strange hats you guess. “It’s kinda situational, do you think we could maybe just call that one party loot and give it out when we’re doing a lightning flavored dungeon? I’m pretty sure there’s a bank for branded to store items in back in the city.”

Maya speaks up now, crossing her arms under her chest, “There is, but accounts are a little pricey for new branded like us to set up. Besides, wouldn’t we want to wait for Seraphine to do that? I haven’t checked, but from what I’ve heard you need at least a full party of five to open a vault.”

“I believe Maya is correct in this,” Shimah adds, “I would not be opposed to grouping with you all again, but we will need a fifth member. As Anshelm likely has the highest strength among us by far, perhaps he can simply hold the item until we have this fifth person.”

Anshelm stands up a bit straighter, “It wouldn’t be a problem. I have twenty four slots, I’m pretty much never full up, using one to carry the hat isn’t a big deal.”

Well that seems sensible enough, and yeah, you’d probably feel a little bad if you went and excluded Sera, there’s a little more work to do on dividing up consumables, but the four of you are soon enough on your way back home once the dungeon dissolves. All of you keep up a quick march, no one wants to be caught outside after dark with as little resources as your party has right now. You make it back to the city with no problems, discussing your plans for the evening as you move up the main street of the city.

“I will be spending some time at the cathedral. I have been fortunate today, and it is only right to pay my respects to the Goddesses,” Shimah says in response to your query.

“I think I might actually join you for a little while,” Maya adds, looking a bit morose for a moment. “I’ll see you all at the Inn come morning.”

“Well I’m going to go take care of some shopping while I can, need to pick up an axe to use with this crystal,” Anshelm responds.

“Well, I’m just going to head home, I really have to thank Mom for this crystal. It’s ridiculously useful,” you say after a moment’s consideration.

“It really is.” Maya adds, “knowing that there are recommended party sizes for dungeons… it kind of explains a lot.” You did take a look at the Lost Graveyard and the Devil’s Eye while you were still grouped…. So you suspect you know what she means. Lost graveyard is only capped at six, but its recommended party is five, so is the Devil’s Eye for that matter, though its cap is ten.

You part ways with your friends… and isn’t that a nice feeling. You never had a whole lot of friends growing up, other girls weren’t interested in the stuff you were and guys were usually jerky jerk faces. Bah, you’re getting soft, you guess it’s pretty hard not to get attached to people you face possible death with though.

The trip home was simple and uninterrupted. You arrive at your doorstep and knock, waiting for the answer. The footsteps that approach aren’t your Uncle’s slow and uneven steps. The door opens, and you see Mom for the first time this week. She looks pretty tired even for her. You actually look a lot like her, though she’s grown her hair out to shoulder length, and is still a little taller than you. She’s starting to go a little gray at the roots though, not that you have time to do more than look at her for a second before you find yourself swept into a hug. What. Why. Mom isn’t a huggy person, neither are you, this is awkward, and you are still outside, “Er… Mom, it’s nice to see you. Can we go inside though?”

Instead of answering, her arms just tighten around you for a moment before she releases you. She looks slightly embarrassed, though it disappears before you can really be sure, going back to the calm if slightly haggard look your used to from your mother. “Yes, of course. Sorry about that, dear. I’ve just been a little worried.”

She takes a step back, making room for you to come in. “Have you been well?” You can’t help but notice that she’s still hovering a little.

You shut the door behind you as you answer, “Yeah. I’ve gotten some really nice stuff in the last couple of days. Found a pretty good party to go with too.”

The two of you walk further inside to take seats around the table, “That’s good. I was a little worried you wouldn’t find anyone to group with. You’ve always been bad with people.”

“Mooom.” You groan, shooting her a betrayed look, “I’m just fine with people, most of them are just jerks.”

“Of course.” She responds placatingly, this is a conversation you’ve had way to many times. “I’m just glad you found a few who aren’t…. finally.” You barely catch the last bit, and narrow your eyes…. ugh, no you aren’t getting drawn into this again. Luckily she seems willing enough to change the topic. “I’ve seen a fair few young branded, you went with Ice Elementalist? I was a little worried about how cold you were until I recalled the secondary effects of the jobs.”

“Yeah, it seemed like a good choice. It really helps our melee out when all the enemies are slowed down,” you respond, feeling a little more at ease.

“It is an often overlooked choice, fire and lightning are chosen much more often. I’m glad you chose something sensible,” your eyebrow twitches a little, you’re fairly certain that compliment was a little backhanded, like she didn’t expect you to pick something sensible.

“Well how have you been, has anything interesting happened at the labs?” You ask, deciding you don’t particularly want to talk about yourself anymore at the moment.

“Oh just the usual, you know. One of the student researchers was nearly pulled into a minor astral rift and testing lab three now needs cleaning and refurbishment. Hopefully that young man will check his calculations properly next time he’s working with the translocation crystals,” she pauses, “Oh, is the crystal I got you working well? It's new, but I think you should find it very useful.”

“It is, the information is reveals is really helpful to the whole party,” you admit. If nothing else you are genuinely thankful for that.

She seems relieved, “I’m glad. I want you to do well.”

You fidget, not really knowing how to respond, “Um… well, thanks. It was a really great gift,” you cast about for something else to talk about… it’s not like you dislike your mom or anything, but she’s always home so rarely you aren’t sure what to talk about. Oh, you were curious. “Hey, I was thinking, maybe once I start getting more job crystals, could you give me some tips for working on studying them myself? Just using the labs is great, but I want to know more about them myself.”

“Really?” she asks, sounding slightly surprised. “Very few branded want to get involved in the technical side of things. They have other duties to take care of after all,” it’s hard to tell with Mom, but you think she’s a little pleased, “I’ll ask the Director if he doesn’t mind me showing you around a little. I imagine it won’t be a problem as long as you are careful.”

“Great.” You find yourself smiling, before being branded you always wanted to work with stuff like this, it was the one thing you didn’t like, having to give up on more academic pursuits. “Hey, where is Uncle at anyway?” you ask after a moment. "He’s usually home.”

“Out doing something dangerous I expect,” your mother grumbles, “Having you out of the house has made him think it’s fine to get up to his old experiments. Honestly, you would think losing a leg and an eye would teach that man some caution.”

Huh, you always knew Uncle was basically a retired alchemist, you wonder what exactly he’s doing. You know better than to express that in front of mom though, best get her talking about something else. “So, would you mind telling me about some of the common combinations? I don’t have the gilder to go crazy with it yet, but knowing what to look for is good.”

“Hmm? Oh, you mean the combinations for the starting jobs?” She asks, “Well, that’s simple enough. Let’s see. Ice Elementalists combine with the three warrior classes of course. All the elemental classes do. You have the Huscarl for axes, the Winter Knight for swords, and the Glacier for spears. Those are all fairly defensive variations, mostly about using the slow effect of Cold to enhance their melee in different ways.”

Well, might be good for Anshelm, but let’s be honest, your physical stats are kinda terrible. “How about combinations with the other spell casting classes?”

She frowns, thinking for a minute, “Ice doesn’t combine with lightning or fire, though lightning and fire combine to make the Bright Mage. Ice does combine with Water Elementalist, a fairly common crystal, to make the Polar Adept class though, and Wind works as well, making the Blizzard Sage. The first has a focus on using water spells to enhance your chance of freezing enemies from what I understand, and the Blizzard Sage is more useful for its field effects.” She drums her fingers on the table idly as she gets into lecture mode…. Something you usually only see when you’re in trouble, it's nice to see it used for good. “It combines with Hexer as well to create the Winter Wizard… or Witch in your case, dear. I’m not certain on the details of that one though, it’s such a rarely used combination. Other than that, every Elementalist combines with the Bow Hunter job to create the Arcane Archer, which is limited only by which kinds of Magic skills it has equipped.”

You end up discussing further and more esoteric details of skill crystals with your Mom until fairly late, when your uncle slinks in covered in soot. You decide to slip out while Mom is lecturing him, giving a hasty good bye as you return to the Inn.

Choose what you want to do in the morning. Shopping or Going to the Cathedral can be chosen in addition to the other options.

[]Time to go Shopping, you're pretty low on consumables and you also might want to sell some stuff
[]Go to the Cathedral and see about these 'Blessings'

[]More Dungeons! Sera should be back today, so you go full party if you want.
-[]Party Up
-[]Solo Time
[]Mission time! Check out the Mission Board in the Plaza
-[] Bring the others
-[] Nah, go solo
[]Well you can see if Mom has cleared things to let you check out the labs today...

 

[X] Meet up with the others first
- [X] Trade Sera the Robe if she wants it for an IOU of a Green item later

[X] Go to the Cathedral and see about these 'Blessings'

[X] Also go investigate about any guides to the starting dungeons. If there are none, write up short ones that describe the number of rooms, recommended party sizes and characteristics of the bosses and enemies, just a few paragraphs each, sign them and ask Adel if he'll offer them to other newbie adventurers.

[X] Mission time! Check out the Mission Board in the Plaza
-[X] Bring the others
-[X] Consider shopping consumables if you are taking a potentially combative Mission


I am currently pondering how the Magikal Robe will look on Sera, considering the source as well as the perverted god(desses) thing. Not to mention the Barbarian Vestment on Shimah, since the source is also ogres.

On the other hand, we probably can get the Polar Adept more easily, but I think the effect clashes with Sera, so I'd prefer the Blizzard Sage instead.

Is there a similar element combination, or will Bright Mage attacks have fire and lightning elements in their damage?
Cause Sera's Passive only boosts fire damage.

 

[X] Cathedral
[X] Mission time
-[X] Trade Seraphine the robe if she wants it. Don't ask for repayment, but don't stop her if she insists.
-[X] Find Seraphine and the party first, introduce everyone and ask if anyone wants to join you (If anyone has a pressing desire to dungeon it up, go with that instead.)
-[X]Mention to the group, if we want to make a real group, how everyone should have at least one escape orb, and offer a groupe-effort to pitch in to buy a new one for Maya.
[X] Also go investigate about any guides to the starting dungeons. If there are none, write up short ones that describe the number of rooms, recomended party sizes and characteristics of the bosses and enemies, just a few paragraphs each, sign them and ask Adel if he'll offer them to other newbie adventurers.

 

[X]Time to go Shopping, you're pretty low on consumables and you also might want to sell some stuff
-[X] Buy 2 Ether
-[X] Buy 1 Amirita
-[X] Sell Common Robe

[X] Meet up with the others first
- [X] Trade Sera the Robe if she wants it

[X] Mission time! Check out the Mission Board in the Plaza
-[X] Bring the others
-[X] Consider shopping consumables if you are taking a potentially combative Mission


[X] Also go investigate about any guides to the starting dungeons. If there are none, write up short ones that describe the number of rooms, recomended party sizes and characteristics of the bosses and enemies, just a few paragraphs each, sign them and ask Adel if he'll offer them to other newbie adventurers.Maybe sell them for a pittance? Say 5 gilder?

 

[X]Time to go Shopping, you're pretty low on consumables and you also might want to sell some stuff
-[X] Sell your starting robes
-[X] Buy two Amritas, or possibly some ethers if they aren't too expensive
-[X] Store your Oger Belt in your room.

[X]More Dungeons! Sera should be back today, so you go full party if you want.
-[X] Party Up
-[X] Crystal Lake

 

@yrsillar

Do Elemental Job classes synergize? If we picked up Wind Magic, would it boost Sera's spells?

 

[X] Cathedral
[X] Mission time
-[X] Trade Seraphine the robe if she wants it. Don't ask for repayment, but don't stop her if she insists.
-[X] Find Seraphine and the party first, introduce everyone and ask if anyone wants to join you (If anyone has a pressing desire to dungeon it up, go with that instead.)
-[X]Mention to the group, if we want to make a real group, how everyone should have at least one escape orb, and offer a groupe-effort to pitch in to buy a new one for Maya.
[X] Also go investigate about any guides to the starting dungeons. If there are none, write up short ones that describe the number of rooms, recomended party sizes and characteristics of the bosses and enemies, just a few paragraphs each, sign them and ask Adel if he'll offer them to other newbie adventurers.

EDIT:
We might also want to talk to the group about all the common fusions. They probably don't know all of them.

 

As for synergizing, that might be a thing. Try it out.

 

[X] Plan Arkeus

 

[X] Meet up with the others first
- [X] Give Sera the Robe, tell her that it's a gift and that you figured it would be nice on her.
[X] Go to the Cathedral and see about these 'Blessings'
[X] Also go investigate about any guides to the starting dungeons. If there are none, write up short ones that describe the number of rooms, recommended party sizes and characteristics of the bosses and enemies, just a few paragraphs each, sign them and ask Adel if he'll offer them to other newbie adventurers.
[X] Mission time! Check out the Mission Board in the Plaza
-[X] Bring the others
-[X] Consider shopping consumables if you are taking a potentially combative Mission

 

[X] Meet up with the others first
- [X] Give Sera the Robe, tell her that it's a gift and that you figured it would be nice on her.
[X] Go to the Cathedral and see about these 'Blessings'
[X] Also go investigate about any guides to the starting dungeons. If there are none, write up short ones that describe the number of rooms, recommended party sizes and characteristics of the bosses and enemies, just a few paragraphs each, sign them and ask Adel if he'll offer them to other newbie adventurers.
[X] Mission time! Check out the Mission Board in the Plaza
-[X] Bring the others
-[X] Consider shopping consumables if you are taking a potentially combative Mission

 

Hey folks. My table top session ran late tonight. Update will still be out today/tomorrow depending on your time zone, but it's gonna be a bit on the late side.

 

Your morning is just as comfortable as the last, you could definitely get used to the feeling of being perfectly well rested every morning. You spend a little time taking care of the usual morning rituals, those that you still need anyway, and consider what you want to do with your day. You want to check out the Cathedral, the Archbishop is a member of the Governer’s party as far as you know, one of the highest level branded in the city, he wouldn’t tell you about blessings if they were useless.

After that you want to at least check out the mission board, preferably with your party, and see what’s on offer there, getting a nice store of gilder for when you need to glut on consumables or even buy some common crystals or gear is a good idea.

That decided you head downstairs, and look around to see if any of your party is awake and ready to go yet. Oh, there’s Sera at a table near the bar. She looks pretty cheerful, has a new staff too. It looks pretty nice, smooth black wood with a polished knot at the top, inset with a ruby.

When she sees you come down she waves, though she doesn’t call out, you guess she’s still a little to reserved to yell in the common room. You wander on over, half thinking about the idea going through your head, a guide to the dungeons you’ve been through. You could probably make a bit of gilder on the side, and Mom did say knowledge shared was best. Anyway, Sera, “Morning, how did things go yesterday?”

“They went really well,” she responds as you take a seat across the table from her. “I took care of a job for Father yesterday to prove I could do this on my own. The monster I killed even dropped this staff!”

She places said staff on the table and you give a quiet whistle, this is a pretty nice staff.

[Staff of Crypts] A staff imbued with the dark energies of unlife, in return for boosting the damage and status rate of all spells. It reduces the wielder’s total SP by a small amount.

Well that explains why her SP is five lower than the last time you saw her. “What dropped this?” you ask curiously.

“A-a vampire, a weak one had been spawned by one of the nearby dungeons.” She stumbles a bit at the beginning, but grows confident again as she speaks, “They burn really well, and I had plenty of potions, so it was no problem,” she’s looking at you expectantly, like she’s hoping for something… oh right.

“Great job,” it really is, vampires aren’t complete slouches even if they do generally do better with lots of minion back up from what you understand, “I knew you’d be fine,” why is she blushing? Ah well, Sera is just being weird you guess, being so outgoing is probably tough on her. “Oh, that reminds me, I got a robe out of dungeon yesterday that I think would be really good for you.”

She’s blushing harder, why? “Um, you really don’t have to Mister Al. I mean, thank you very much, but I…”

You can’t help but roll your eyes a little, though you hope she doesn’t take it as derisive. “Don’t worry about it Sera. I already got a nice one yesterday, and if I don’t give it to you it’s just going to end up sold. Also, you can just call me Al, you know, you don’t have to be all formal.”

“I-if it’s alright,” she responds slowly, looking both pleased and uncomfortable. You trade the item to her through your inventories, dungeon gear doesn’t really have a form unless it’s worn or in a shop, one of those weird things, “T-Thank you, um…. Al,” she says as she looks over the info pane.

“Well, you should go ahead and put it on, you still have the starting robe, right, that thing is itchy and useless,” you say cheerfully, feeling oddly pleased at being able to give a friend a gift.

“R-right.” She goes through the motion in air that you recognize as pressing ‘equip’ and her robe changes in a flash of light… oh, um, right, you had no idea what it looked like. It’s not as bad as Maya’s gear, the fur lined hem and neckline is rather nice, you think and the dark brown fabric looks pretty shiny in the Inn’s light. The… neckline plunges a little low though, like halfway down to her navel low. Also no sleeves, so there’s that.

She’s turning pretty red, you think there just might be actual steam rising from her head, must be a fire elementalist thing. She looks pretty good, you can’t help but note, she might not have Maya’s completely unfair figure, but she’s no slouch in the curves department. She also looks like she might faint, so you might want to do something about that.

You take a second to figure out what to say, and oh crap she looks like she might cry, “Hey, um… sorry about that. I had no idea how it looked, I never equipped it, you look great in it though? I’m really sorry, maybe equip your cloak?”

She turns even darker red if anything and hastily does just that. “It’s….it’s good gear. Don’t apologize,” she mumbles. “I just have to get used to this kind of thing.”

Your eyebrow twitches, mostly because it reminds you that you will too. At least she regained the SP she lost to her new staff; the SP bonus on that robe must be pretty good. “Yeah, anyway,” Goddess this blushing crap is contagious, now she has you doing it.“I was thinking about writing up a quick little guide to the starter dungeons and maybe selling them here at the Inn. Do you think you want to help since it’s still pretty early?”

Sera latches onto the new topic of conversation easily enough, “That sounds like it might be a good idea… um, do you have writing gear, or the Innkeeper’s permission?”

“Oh, right,” you guess you forgot, you don’t really have ink or a quill on you, or paper for that matter. Sera giggles as you smile sheepishly, “Guess I should go see about that.”

You hastily stand up and head over to the bar, where Adel is idly wiping down the counter, “Hey Adel, do you mind if I write up a basic dungeon guide and sell it here?”

The pretty boy innkeeper blinks in surprise, possibly at your bluntness, “I wouldn’t be opposed to that. No one has gotten around to writing anything down for the new set yet. It might be good for business too.”

“Great, great. I just, uh… need some paper, and writing stuff,” you respond, losing some of your confidence toward the end there.

His surprise has lapsed, and he instead just looks amused, “If you intend to really do this, going to a copyist might be best. I suppose your just testing the market right now though, right?” he thinks for a moment, “How much do you intend to charge?”

“Yeah, that’s it exactly, and I… dunno, maybe five gilder?” you respond quickly.

“Generous of you,” he says, though you can’t tell if he’s for or against that. “Well if I’m providing the writing material I’ll need two gilder from each sale, paper isn’t cheap, you know?”

“That sounds pretty fair.” You say. He isn’t lying, paper is kinda expensive, parchment or vellum either, given how hard raising livestock is.

You and Sera spend the rest of the early morning writing stuff out, well Sera mostly proofreads, she refuses to take any of the gilder though, and you suspect she’ll remain stubborn on that. In the end by the time more people start filtering down you have ten copies. They’re basically short pamphlets at this point, you’ve only been to a few dungeons, though you note the recommended party sizes and room numbers for the ones you’re aware of, hopefully it’ll stop people from getting killed in the Graveyard or the Eye.

You figure ten is fine for now. If they sell you can always take your master copy to a copyist to have more made. In any case Shimah is the first down, and you can’t help but notice she looks a little different. Well if you're being serious she looks a lot different. Stupid ogres.

The new vestment looks like a rather nice black fur dress… if you cut the middle of it out. It covers her legs completely but stops just below her navel. Likewise the top has sleeves and covers the top half of her chest, leaving the bottom bare. How the hell are her boobs staying in that thing, they look like they should slip right out and why are you thinking about this.

Sera is frowning at you, it only gets worse when Shimah looks your way and gives a relieved smile, hurrying over to your table… well kind of hurrying, honestly she’s hard to read.

“Hello, Miss… can we help you?” wow, why does Sera sound so annoyed, she barely ever speaks up, let alone talks like that.

“Ah, My apologies. I grouped with Al and his companions yesterday, my name is Shimah,” she bows her head slightly. “I take it you are the absent member they spoke of?”

“I guess I am,” Seraphine replies slowly, looking kind of unhappy. You pull your eyes from the absurd gravity defying phenomena, and glance over at Sera.

“Yeah, Shimah is a pretty good Hexer, she really helped out yesterday. A healer was what we were missing, right?” you say, not really sure why she’s so annoyed.

“Oh my, has Al’s affair been discovered? The drama!” well, there’s Maya. She’s grinning like a cat from just behind Shimah, you scowl at her, but it just makes her smile bigger.

“A-affair. Al and I aren’t. That is, not that I. I mean.” Sera barely makes sense. Shimah is glancing around in confusion. Slowly the gears turn, your mighty intellect trying to decipher the last ten minutes. It goes a little slowly. Wait, Maya was just teasing. Sera can’t actually. Oh dear. This is not what you meant to happen when you came in as a guy. You don’t like women, but you don’t want to hurt Sera’s feelings, crap, crap, crapcrapcrap.

You blurt it out before you can think further, “I’m a woman.” Shimah just nods, she already knew that. Maya… seems less surprised than expected, looking over you with a studying gaze that makes you fidget. Sera looks a bit like someone kicked her puppy. Crap.

“I thought you must be, you’re a little undeveloped, but that robe does your figure favors,” Maya says after a moment. You blush, there’s nothing wrong with the way you look dammit. Stupid robe. “I don’t see what difference that makes though, love is blind after all!”

No, Maya stop it. Now Seraphine looks like she’s going to faint again. Ah, there’s Anshelm coming down the stairs, looking kind of out of it. “Hey Anshelm, whats up, did you sleep well?” You say in a hurry as he wanders over.

“Uh, alright I guess.” He seems to become aware of the situation, your discomfort. Maya’s giggling, Shimah’s confusion, and Seraphine going into a critical blush state. “Did… did something happen?”

“Oh, Al just revealed herself to be a woman. Seraphine is just adjusting.” Maya says in a sing song voice, sounding far too amused.

“Wait, what?” Anshelm looks at you wide eyed, “You’re a woman, no way.” What the hell is that supposed to mean. He looks disappointed, why, but, arrg.

“Yeah, I am.” You grumble, “it’s not a big deal though, so can we drop it?”

“I am unsure how you all failed to notice. Al asked me to keep this beneath my hat when I inquired yesterday, why the sudden revelation?” Shimah finally asks.

“Cause keeping it secret was just going to cause more trouble,” you glance over at Seraphine, who seems to be coming down from wherever she was looking disappointed and sad. Dammit. “Sera, I’m really sorry, I wasn’t trying to mess with you or anything.”

“Of… of course.” Seraphine responds quietly, “It really doesn’t make a difference though, you’re still the same person.” She mutters the second part quietly. You like men. You can’t just reject her to her face though, it’d be like punting a kitten.

“Mah, what a nice way to start the morning.” Maya sighs as Anshelm takes a seat, it’s a testament to his surprise that he only stares at Shimah for a bare few minutes before going back to looking at you. Stupid Maya, let it go. “So, what does everyone want to do today?” She asks a moment later as one of the servers, a non-branded brings your food to the table, you guess its pancakes and bacon today, good stuff.

“I was thinking of checking out the Cathedral, then the mission board, I haven’t done any yet. Think you would care to come along?” You ask.

“I suppose something a little less frantic would be nice after yesterday,.” Maya muses.

“I don’t mind whatever everyone wants to do.” Sera responds.

“I kinda want to do more dungeons, but I guess getting some gilder together is a good idea.” Anshelm mutters.

“I would be satisfied with this as well. Yesterday was profitable, but stressful.” Shimah adds her two bits.

Well, that’s settled then. The five of you eat your meal, and you take a moment to look over the Inn, no sign of Alex, Kirk, or that Hiro guy. The other group you noticed is around though and still together by the looks of it.

In any case you take the time to enjoy breakfast with everyone before setting off to the cathedral. Anshelm still seems kind of distracted though, and your pretty sure it isn’t just because of your revelation, you aren’t sure how to pry politely if he doesn’t want to talk about it though.

The walk to the cathedral isn’t too long, the massive building is still dwarfs everything else nearby. You and the others head inside, passing by the statuary and stained glass to reach the altar and statues of the Goddesses that stand at the center of the Cathedral. No archbishop is around today though, instead it seems another branded is in attendance.

Dinah
Wrath of Vernas
Level ??

The first thing you notice is the pure, snow white hair, long enough to reach her shoulders, no way is that natural. Second is the ankle length cloak of pretty white feathers… well you think they’re a cloak until she turns around and they move on their own. Those are wings, what, you were kind of aware race Mods are a thing, but this is your first time seeing such a blatant one.

She’s wearing some kind of pale pink silken clerical vestment, much like the starting Cleric gear. It’s somehow concealing and yet halfway transparent and clingy, what the hell is with armor pieces.
“Oh, hello.” She seems a bit surprised to see you, “Are you all here for blessings? I’m afraid the Archbishop is taking care of some business today, so I will be overseeing things.”

“You pull your eyes away from her wings, and to her face, she’s inhumanly pretty, and seems vaguely glow-y, like she’s lit from within. “Uh... yeah I’m here for a blessing. I don’t know what’s available though, this is my first time seeking a blessing.”

“I’m just tagging along,” Maya responds airily, “I wouldn’t mind hearing about these things for later.”

“I would like to know more as well.” Seraphine adds quietly.

Shimah and Anshelm simply remain silent, Shimah with her head respectfully bowed and Anshelm just seeming kind of absent.

Dinah for her part seems fairly cheerful at the prospect, “Ah, how wonderful. The Goddesses can provide great boons for your journeys. May I ask which Goddess you seek the blessings of?”
“Well…” you hedge, you somehow feel bad for saying this to the irrepressibly cheerful woman in front of you, or maybe it’s her ominous Job and level. “I don’t really… know the difference? Could you tell me about all three.” Religious studies were never exactly your thing.

She blinks in surprise, and her expression becomes serious. “Ah, you absolutely need my help then. The central Statue is Althena, the Protector and Mother. It is she that allows us to live peacefully in our cities. She is the source of the brand and the eldest Goddess. Her blessings allow one to be safer in their travels, and to turn aside a lethal blow once in your day. She has many others, but these are the blessings available at your level.”

Well, that seems useful, you point out the statue on the right though, the one that you are fairly certain smiled at you last time you were here, “And that one?”

Dinah seems faintly pained by your casual referral, but forges on with the zeal of a true believer, “She is Jula, the Maiden, the Goddess of good fortune and discovery. She is the youngest of the three and the Goddess of those who would seek to delve deep into the wilds and forge new safe havens for us. Her blessings increase the gilder found in dungeons and raise ones likelihood of discovering rare treasure,” she continues along before you can interrupt her again this time though, “My patron the lady Vernas is on the left. She is the huntress, and the slayer of the wicked, she acts to protect our fair city from those dark things that evade Althena’s protection. Her blessings guide your blows to strike more strongly, or turn aside the blows of your foes.”

Well, lots of useful stuff there, “So… how do I go about receiving one anyway, do I just kneel like I did when I got my starting job?”

Dinah nods fervently, “Yes, simply kneel before their altar and you will receive a vision, the Goddeses will show you the blessings available to you. Each one will last an entire day or until discharged, in some cases.”

No time like the present then, you step forward past the cleric, and kneel down, your vision soon whites out, leaving you in the same field of gray mist in which you chose your initial class. You can see the silhouettes of the Goddesses, and as you focus on each one, a description of their blessings swims into view.

Althena
-[]Blessing of Safe Travel: Decreases the likelihood of random encounters in the wild. 60 Gilder.
-[]Blessing of the Savior: When a lethal blow is struck, damage is reduced so that you remain at one health. Discharges after one use. 75 Gilder

Jula
-[]Silver Blessing: Slightly increases the Gilder from dungeons as well as wandering foes. 70 Gilder
-[]Blessing of Lesser Good fortune: Slightly raises the likelihood of receiving treasure from dungeons and wandering foes. 75 Gilder

Vernas
-[]Blessing of the Eagle’s Eye: Increase the likelihood of striking critical blows. 60 Gilder
-[]Blessing of Armor: Slightly increases ones resistance to physical damage. 70 Gilder

So, which blessing, if any do you want? It looks like you can only pick one at a time for now.

When you emerge from your trance, you notice that Sera has kneeled down beside you, she must be seeking a blessing too. Your attention turns to Anshelm though, who is now speaking With Dinah.

“…So anyway, this guy, he started in on the usual macho stuff, you know gave me a shove, and I shoved him back… but he kind of slammed into the wall on the other side of the street, I think I broke his ribs. I just… I didn’t actually want to hurt him, but I’m not going to pretend I didn’t. Do I… like need to give some kind of penance?” what, did Anshelm get in some kind of fight last night?

Dinah sighs, but doesn’t look angry or anything, “This man will come for healing, if he has not already. You owe nothing, anyone foolish enough to start a physical fight with one of the blessed deserves no thought on your part,” wow, that’s kind of… dismissive? “Still, this lesson is one blessed who focus on physical abilities must often learn. Please remember that you are many times stronger than any normal person and act accordingly. If a person starts something, feel free to end it, but please be careful of your own strength. You can very well damage buildings or bystanders as you grow in strength.”

“Right… I just wanted to, confess I guess? Thanks for listening,” Anshelm still seems kind of uncomfortable about the whole thing, but maybe also a little relieved.

Maya seems a little worried about him too. So you leave them be when they start chatting quietly as you take your leave. The trip to the main plaza is fairly short as well. If somewhat crowded, it’s the first time you’ve seen so many branded in one place, it’s practically a forest of floating names and levels. You see dozens of classes you haven’t seen before, and many race mods. There’s a woman twice your height with curved red horns chatting with an androgynous person seemingly made of light blue slime, a man with silver scales, reptilian eyes and wings. People seemingly made of crystal or with hair like leaping flames and many other variations. It’s honestly a little overwhelming.

The mission board is actually several boards arrayed around the plaza, you make for the nearest one with your friends, and start looking for D and E rank missions, there honestly aren’t all that many, but there are a few that catch your eye.

[] A farming village has been having troubles with Wargs raiding their livestock. The City of Altkhot is offering 450 Gilder to anyone who slays the warg pack. Minimum group of the three. This one is D rank

[]A herbalist requires a number of common ingredients harvested from the nearby forest. Description of the herbs will be given in person. Payment is 150 Gilder, Minimum group is one. E-Rank

[] The City sewers are starting to fill up with dire rats again. Someone needs to go down and clear out their nests. Payment is based on the Number of Rat Kings slain. 50 Gilder per Rat King, Minimum group of three. D Rank

[]An Arena fighter requires a secure delivery done quickly, the pick up point will be given on acceptance. Minimum two people. Reward is 100 Gilder plus two Arena referrals. Time sensitive. E rank

[]A Mining Town has recently come under attack, the creature is not believed to be highly dangerous given it’s propensity to flee from attackers, but the true danger is not completely known. Pay 850 gilder, minimum group of five. D rank

[]Never Mind, Do some dungeons after all.

--[]Side Vote: Do some shopping?

 

[X] Blessing of Lesser Good fortune: Slightly raises the likelihood of receiving treasure from dungeons and wandering foes. 75 Gilder
[X] A Mining Town has recently come under attack, the creature is not believed to be highly dangerous given it’s propensity to flee from attackers, but the true danger is not completely known. Pay 850 gilder, minimum group of five. D rank

This mission is one we're uniquely qualified for i think. Cats Curiosity + Our Identification crystal will be a massive help here.


EDIT:
Adding grosstoad's shopping list.

[X] Sell Common Robe, store Ogre's Belt
- [X] Suggest Sera to pick up the Earthspeaker's Boots since we are heading to a Mine
[X] Shopping List: 1 Ether, 1 Amrita
- [X] Suggest the party to have at least 2 Panacea, 1 on Shimah, and 1 on Maya
- [X] Suggest Maya carry 2 Lightning grenades, to round up starter Elements
- [X] Surprise Maya by buying her an Escape Orb (bill split fourways)

 

[X] Blessing of Lesser Good fortune: Slightly raises the likelihood of receiving treasure from dungeons and wandering foes. 75 Gilder
[X] A Mining Town has recently come under attack, the creature is not believed to be highly dangerous given it’s propensity to flee from attackers, but the true danger is not completely known. Pay 850 gilder, minimum group of five. D rank

 

The blessing is only for one day though.
Do we earn enough money to get the money we spent back?
Especially if we do not go into dungeons today.

If we get one blessing at all I think Blessing of the savior is the better choice - it does not have a time limit, at least.