MarisaStory: A Certain Magical Internet

[Third Eye Lem]

>Hey now, Alice contacted us like that too...! And she's asleep! Talking in the room wouldn't work too well!

> D'oh, I--er, the parser missed that. You should ask Alice if she has any plans to put hearing and voices into her dolls...

>Thankfully the junk cutlass we have is unbreakable, so that's a little less to worry about. I guess.

> Too bad it's probably the weakest wepon weapon in the game right now. At least you can poke things to death with it!

>What do we have in the way of in-game cash? Could we sell off those drops yet?

> You have a grand total of zero coins! Maybe you should sell off those drops, ze!

>We probably have a guild chat now. Use that if we can, and see if there's any chatter there already.

> You can access the guild chat as easily as the friend chat. So far, the only members are you, Chen, Alice, Flan, and... "EdwinaHeartmann8?" He or she is offline right now, however.

>'Finally, time to get to the magician's guild and start blowing things up! What were you planning on, Chen?'

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nyanNekomata1313 said: I'm a ninja, I'm a kitty ninja, nya!
nyanNekomata1313 said: I think I'll mess with my skills a bit, I haven't decided what I wanna do yet.
risingstar82 said: Aight then, ze. Lemme know when you're ready to go.
nyanNekomata1313 said: K~!

>If nothing of importance, head for the mage's guild/teacher/whatever to cash in those skill points, or however that system works. We need more ultraviolence.

> You can use or refund the skill points at any time through the skills window, the guild hall is more or less for practice.

Spoiler:

And Challenge Levels ala Smash Bros or whatever that test specific skills you don't have yet.

> So, you head to the guild hall, and see four doors. In front of each doorway is a ghostly NPC, each representing a different class. There is Thomas the Knight, Loraine the Mage, Shinobu the Ninja, and Archimedes for the Gadgeteer. Talking to one of them brings up a list of training exercises for you to try.

And since someone is going to ask what is available in the Skill Web, I'll just explain how it works: it's basically the Sphere Grid from FFX. You can learn new skills, or increase your stats, using skill points. It is recommended you learn your skills first before earning stat boosts. You can refund skill points at any time, but anything that has a prerequisite will be unlearned.

Now for the "fun" part...Actually listing the skills we have available! I'm not listing every single skill (or stat increase) in existence here, for two reasons:
A- You need to level up and collect certain skill books to learn new skills
B- This skill list is pretty much made up on the fly Leaving out certain skills will make their discoveries more EXCITING! Don' worry, I'll let you know when new skills become available or what is required to unlock them. Or try to at least.

Elemental Magic -- Classic fire/ice/elec/etc magic. There are 12 elements available for you to blast your enemies with.
* Fireball -- Shoot a firey projectile forward, damaging enemies on impact.
* Iceball -- Shoots a ball of ice forward, damaging enemies on impage.
* Thunderball -- Sadly, this is not related to a Bond movie. Shoots an electric ball that damages enemies.
* Gustball -- Shoots a swirling orb of air forward, damaging enemies on impact.
* Earthball -- Shoots a rock forward, damaging enemies on impact.
* Darkball -- Shoots a shadow ball forward...You get the idea.

Destructive Magic -- Nonelemental magic that inflicts status ailments as well as causing damage.
* Power Bolt -- Shoots a magic blast forward, damaging enemies.
** Power Flare -- Creates a wall of flame that travels across the terrain, damaging enemies and doing some DoT.
** Power Flash -- A burst of light blinds enemies, lowering their hit and evasion rates on top of damaging them.

War Magus -- Specializes in using magical weapons. This means magical swords, bows, hammers, etc; staves and wands are magical by nature. Magic Weapons use your Magic Attack stat to attack the enemy's defense instead of Physical Attack (Staves and Wands do damage to Magic Defense instead).
* Summon Weapon -- Summons a random magical weapon if you don't have one equipped. The weapon summoned depends on the user's level, and cannot summon certain kinds of weapons (like Legendary Epic Unique Swords Of Planet Cleaving). The weapon vanishes if you log out, die or if you cast the spell again.
** Magic Weapon Mastery -- Increases damage, hit rate, and critical rate while using a magic weapon.
** Wand and Staff Mastery -- Same as above, but for the obvious.
** Mana Strike -- Toggle-able Buff. Use your mana to supercharge your normal attacks, making them do more damage. A small portion of mana is consumed every time you hit someone with a normal attack, based on how much damage you do.

White Magic -- Healing, buffing and similar abilities.
* Heal Scratches -- A weak AoE healing spell.
** Heal Ailments -- Removes some ailments from your party members.
** Aegis -- Increases defenses for a short time.

Spirit Summoning -- Allows you to summon Elemental Spirits to assist you in battle. May require skills from other trees to use.
* Elementals -- Allows you to summon Spirits that do elemental damage to enemies. Requires some investment in Elemental Magic.
* Undead -- Summons spirits of the deceased, that do nonelemental damage and status affects. Requires some investment in Destructive Magic.
* Guardians -- Divine Spirits that heal, buff, and attack. Requires some investment in White Magic.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>How bad an idea would it be to 'triclass' with dabbling in destructive magic, war magus, and cleric...?
>I'm thinking Power Bolt and Summon Weapon for starters to have both ranged and melee options; uncertain about the rest. We can probably pass on healing for now, but once we have a party a little bit will be good. We usually use a broom instead of a wand, but can choose which to go for once we've had more experience with 'em.
>Let's not waste any time on the challenges for now; we've got people waiting for us! Though... let's stop by the armory to sell off our junk and see if we can buy anything interesting, now that the inventory is actually visible. Check the jewels real quick as well.
>How's armor work in this game? Hopefully it won't interfere with looks too much...
>If we can't afford anything useful, go find Otto again and meet up with Chen.

[Third Eye Lem]

>How bad an idea would it be to 'triclass' with dabbling in destructive magic, war magus, and cleric...?

> That's actually not a bad idea. You'd be pretty versatile while not sacrificing too much power.

Spoiler:

I'd personally just go with Elemental Magic and Healing first, I like picking at enemy weaknesses to elemental attacks. I also like specializing in one thing early on, then branching out to other areas as I go.

>I'm thinking Power Bolt and Summon Weapon for starters to have both ranged and melee options; uncertain about the rest. We can probably pass on healing for now, but once we have a party a little bit will be good. We usually use a broom instead of a wand, but can choose which to go for once we've had more experience with 'em.

> To unlock one of the skill trees, you need to spend an SP (for instance, War Magus would cost one SP, but it'd unlock all the skills after that). So, it'd take 2 SP to get Power Bolt, and 2 for Summon Weapon, leaving you 2 out of 6 SP left over.
> The parser apologizes in advance for A- not making this more clear, and B- not planning ahead and actually making an appropriate graphical chart for all this. :V

>How's armor work in this game? Hopefully it won't interfere with looks too much...

> You can equip any armor that's equal to or lower than your level, OR if you raise the appropriate stat. You can also toggle the appropriate cosmetic item to appear in place of the armor (or weapon), or make it invisible if it's a helmet or some other head ornament. Obviously, you can't do this with your shirts and pants. :V Even adventurers have to dress decently!

>Let's not waste any time on the challenges for now; we've got people waiting for us! Though... let's stop by the armory to sell off our junk and see if we can buy anything interesting, now that the inventory is actually visible. Check the jewels real quick as well.
>If we can't afford anything useful, go find Otto again and meet up with Chen.

> You let Chen know what you're doing, and ask how her "training" is coming along. She's doing fine, Chen tells you, but the challenges don't give up much aside from personal experience with the skills...For the time being at least. Chen also tells you to consider holding on to some of that stuff, as you can use it to craft weapons, armor and gems at the armory and jewelery shop. The shopkeepers can give you a tutorial if you wish.

...However, I'll just break the fourth wall for a moment and tell you how it works myself. Can I get a code window, here!

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*PFOOF*

Fabulous!
Ok, this is what a Monster Drop or Gem Ore looks like when you examine it in your inventory:

OOO
 O
Small Sapphire Ore -- Type: Blue Gem
+2 bonus to MagicAttack when using a Water or Ice skill.

And this...Is a mold.


             XXX
            XXXX
           XXXXX
          XXXXX
         XXXXX
        XXXXX
  XX   XXXXX
  XXX XXXXX
   XXXXXXX
   XXXXXX
    XXXX
   XXXXXX
  XXX XXXX
XXXX    XX
XXX
XXX
Wooden Sword -- Slashing Weapon, Melee, Low Durability -- Bonus: Wood or Plant
* A primitive, but useful starting weapon.

To craft a gem or piece of equipment, you must purchase a mold from the appropriate vendor (they're pretty
cheap). You then select the mold from your inventory, and fill it with the pieces you've collected. Please note
that you cannot craft any items from a mold until your mold is COMPLETELY filled, but once you do, you can
pay the vendor a fee to craft your newly assembled item!

Of course, you can find equipment and gems via drops, quests and other places, and you can sell them, but
you can also have them dismantled at a vendor to get extra monster drops/ores. However, you will always
get less pieces than what was used to make the item, so don't get too excited when you Disassemble an
item. The exceptions are Boss Pieces: these can be used either gems or equipment, and you will ALWAYS
get them back if you dismantle the item.

"What about gems? Aren't they important too?" Of course! To add a gem to a piece of equipment, you
must add a Socket to it. You can add (or remove) one by using either a Socket Kit, or paying a vendor to
do it for you. A single piece of equipment can have up to four slots. You craft gems in the same way as
equipment: buy a mold, fill it with gem ore pieces, pay the vendor to craft it. However, gems have levels!
A bigger gem will have a higher max level, and as you play the game you will gain Gem EXP to increase
a gem's level, and thus the effectiveness of your gems.

One more thing: Each mold has a Bonus. If you use a type of piece that matches the bonus, that piece's
stat boost will be doubled.

And that concludes my somewhat lengthy tutorial. I'll toss out pieces where appropriate, and if you want
to craft anything using the pieces you have, feel free to grab Legos, graph paper, or MSPaint and go nuts.
All I ask is that you label (and maybe color code) which pieces are which; I'll provide a list of what pieces
you have when crafting is being discussed.

Oh, I almost forgot, you can rotate pieces too while you're assembling an item. Hope that helps!
> On that note...Click here to see what pieces you have so far!
> Furthermore, you only have 54 coins at the moment so far, and that's barely enough to buy anything. Awww...  Dejected, you decide to speak with Otto after realizing you're lacking anything useful to craft with.

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*Prof. Otto* said: I say, young lady! Why the long face?
risingstar82 said: Me not having any money for anything, ze. Do I have to slaughter Boars for the next
eight hours now?
*Prof. Otto* said: Heavens no! In fact, to commemorate your guild's recent founding...
*Guildmaster Carrot Top* said: ...We pulled our funds together to buy you some equipment and supplies!
*Guildmaster Carrot Top* said: We even had some money left over!! Please, take this!
> OBTAINED THE FOLLOWING INGAME ITEMS:

• Apprentice Wand -- One-handed Wand, Medium Durability, Set: Apprentice Magician
  +20 MagAttack
  A high-quality wand given to students of magic. It's more than capable of withstanding magical backfires, throws, drops, or blugeonings.
• Apprentice Gloves -- Glove, Medium Durability, Set: Apprentice Magician
  +15% Elemental Damage, +4 PhysDef, +10 MagDef
  A pair of durable, yet comfortable gloves. You could probably feed these to a dragon and they'd still make it out in one piece...Just wash them afterwards.
• Apprentice Robe -- Overall, Medium Durability, Set: Apprentice Magician
  +10 Elemental Defense, +10 PhysDef, +25 MagDef, +5 to Health Regen
  A robe made of the most comfortable fabrics you can imagine. Its therapeutic properties make it easy for students to relax while studying...Sometimes a bit too much. The Thousand Island School District is considering banning these robes because students keep falling asleep in class!
• Apprentice Shoes -- Footwear, Medium Durability, Set: Apprentice Magician
  +2 to movement speed, Slightly reduces skidding when stopping or turning, +2 Physdef, +6 MagDef
  A pair of tough, but comfortable pair of shoes. While they protect your feet against heat and cold, it is advised that you do not walk on lava while wearing these!
• Apprentice Circlet -- Headgear, Medium Durability, Set: Apprentice Magician
  +5% to critical chance, +6 PhysDef, +18 MagDef
  A circlet worn by students to help them focus their magic. Or maybe it's just a scammy product made by Digitalogists to mooch money from magical students and faculty alike.
• Apprentice Magician Set Effect: +5% HP and MP per item
  2 Items: +10 MagAttack
  3 Items: +10 to MP regen
  4 Items: All magic damage taken is reduced by 5%
  5 Items: +15% critical chance

> Oh, you also have an MP meter now. Thought you ought to know that.
> ...Shit, the parser forgot something else.
> YOU ALSO GOT 5000 GOLD COINS YAYYYY.
> YOU ALSO GOT 20 SMALL HEALTH POTIONS AND 20 SMALL MANA POTIONS YAYYYYYYY

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risingstar82 said: Wow, thanks ze! =D
*Guildmaster Carrot Top* said: Use it wisely, equipment and supplies aren't cheap...But enough about that!
*Guildmaster Carrot Top* said: We ask you, as a new Guildie, to help us investigate the Erddite Catacombs.
*Prof. Otto* said: Yes, quite. There have been numerous tremors coming from the underground as of late,
and we fear it may be related to monster activity...Or something far worse.
*Prof. Otto* said: We'd investigate ourselves, but we're scholars, not fighters.
*Prof. Otto* said: That said, if you find anything suspicious, please let us know ASAP! You might want to
bring a friend or two along with you, as well...
*Prof. Otto* said: Good luck!
> Guildies! Quest Received: Catacombs Catastrophe -- There's something weird, and potentially dangerous going on in the Erddite Catacombs. Go down to B3F of said Catacombs and find out what's threatening the temple.

*collapses*

> _

[E-Nazrin]

capth wants the magic weapons, I want the lasers pew pew pew, we'll need healing support sooner or later. That struck me as a compromise!

>Download the nude hack
>... oh, the wand is part of the set? Darn. Maybe magic weapon would be better to hold off on for now... but we'll definitely screw around with it later to see what kinds of weapons it can call up! That should be interesting.
>Most of our crafting items look physically-oriented, which is useless to us... except maybe in armor? Would Alice use guns? Those seeds might be useful to her, at least.
>If we're short on inventory space, sell off some of the Flat Garnets and Boar Tusks; they look bulkier than they're worth. Odds are good they'll get outclassed quickly anyway...
>Equipment set with bonuses right off the bat may be hard to top for a while! How's it look on us?
>Is anything in the shops really comparable for magic damage output right now?
>Have we met Koishi on the internets before?
>Are there any equipment slots we could fill with gear from the shops, or should we just save our cash until after we see how much the 'real' game wants you to use potions or other gear? May want to use gold respawns on the way to finding Alice.

[capt. h]

> Adventure into the catacombs, inspiring what little fear is left in the undead with our mighty war cry:

> "SPOOOOOOOOOOON!"

[Third Eye Lem]

capth wants the magic weapons, I want the lasers pew pew pew, we'll need healing support sooner or later. That struck me as a compromise!

Compromise is never a bad thing!

>Download the nude hack

>Please input the 30-digit password to download this hack

>... oh, the wand is part of the set? Darn. Maybe magic weapon would be better to hold off on for now... but we'll definitely screw around with it later to see what kinds of weapons it can call up! That should be interesting.

> Blame the game for not giving you an appropriate weapon...Or more than one weapon. :V You hope you can fix this with a random drop or a quest reward.

>Most of our crafting items look physically-oriented, which is useless to us... except maybe in armor? Would Alice use guns? Those seeds might be useful to her, at least.

> Such is the nature of the Random Number Gremlins. Yes. Gremlins. Blame them for your crappy drops!
> Considering the Gadgeteer is all about BIG FRIGGIN' GUNS, you're pretty sure they would be of more help to her than you or Chen.

>If we're short on inventory space, sell off some of the Flat Garnets and Boar Tusks; they look bulkier than they're worth. Odds are good they'll get outclassed quickly anyway...

> You can carry a ton of shit, but selling off some of the lesser ore pieces might not be a bad idea. You can always get more with mining.

>Equipment set with bonuses right off the bat may be hard to top for a while! How's it look on us?

> The outfit is mostly silver with patches/stripes of pink and blue, the circlet is bronze/brass colored, and the wand itself is of a steel color with a blue gem on the top. Your pick if you think it's fashionable or not, the parser isn't the best at fashion...ing.

>Is anything in the shops really comparable for magic damage output right now?

> A quick check shows there might be something you could cobble together, but shops rarely, if ever, have set equipment, and if they do it's usually pretty damn expensive. BALANCE! And even if you did, the nicer stuff is several levels out of your reach for the time being.

>Have we met Koishi on the internets before?

> You haven't seen her since you crossed paths at the Moriya Shrine, or that recent incident with Kokoro. It's very hard to pin Koishi down, she just does whatever the fuck she wants. Also, she turns invisible a lot. Good luck trying to find her.

>Are there any equipment slots we could fill with gear from the shops, or should we just save our cash until after we see how much the 'real' game wants you to use potions or other gear? May want to use gold respawns on the way to finding Alice.

> You have two ring slots, two earring slots, a necklace slot, a face tattoo slot (yes, those exist), four "wrist" slots (two bracelets and two anklets), and a "back" slot for stuff like capes. Quite a bit of stuff to fit in there!

Face tattoos cannot be crafted and cannot be given sockets. However, they can be given enchantments ala Diablo or Torchlight II. Most earrings require a single gem to make; some of the fancier ones have some...Interesting molds, but for the most part they are just single gems.

> Adventure into the catacombs, inspiring what little fear is left in the undead with our mighty war cry:

> "SPOOOOOOOOOOON!"

> You try to head off to the catacombs, but your bumming around the various shops randomly has made Chen appear out of nowhere, like the ninja she is.

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risingstar82 said: Kya! You surprised me, ze!
nyanNekomata1313 said: I was just messing with my skills, hehe. What've you been up to? owo
risingstar82 said: Dumbing around the shops, ze. The equipment they gave me is nice, but...
risingstar82 said: It ain't what I'm lookin' for. I need a blazing sword, dammit!
nyanNekomata1313 said: ono That sucks. You have to understand there haven't been any "official"
builds yet since the game just released, nya.
nyanNekomata1313 said: Do you want me to help ya with a build?
risingstar82 said: I was aiming for War Magus and Destruction Magic, ze.
risingstar82 said: With a bit of healing on the side.
nyanNekomata1313 said: Well, I'd focus on Destruction Magic first, maybe get that first heal spell at least.
nyanNekomata1313 said: You recover mana fairly quickly as a mage, since you have a buttload of more
MP, nya.
nyanNekomata1313 said: You'll find some magic weapons later, especially if you fight bosses and rare
monsters. Don't despair, nya! *purrs up against you*
risingstar82 said: Heh, I'm not, just a little frustrated.
risingstar82 said: It doesn't help that the first pieces of gear you get pretty much outclass anything the
shop has to offer.
nyanNekomata1313 said: o.o
nyanNekomata1313 said: I'd stay away from the shops, unless you have to restock on pots, or craft...
nyanNekomata1313 said: Unless you wanna invest in a portable crafting box.
risingstar82 said: A what now?
nyanNekomata1313 said: It lets you craft stuff while away from the shop, nya! It's expensive, and it breaks
after you use it enough times, but it's worth it!
risingstar82 said: Ok, but why does it have the abbreviation "PCB?"
nyanNekomata1313 said: I dunno, nya. But we can't just sit around here all day, don't worry about gear now!
nyanNekomata1313 said: Just put your points into something and let's go!
risingstar82 said: Ok ok, but color me curious...What build are you going for?
nyanNekomata1313 said: Katanas and elemental ninjutsu, mainly. I played Ninja Gaiden a while back and
I really liked how the combat flowed. Didja ever play it?
risingstar82 said: Heck no, ze! That game would eat me and my fingers alive!
risingstar82 said: Alice can't even get past the first boss.
nyanNekomata1313 said: =P Practice makes perfect, nya. But I can understand.
nyanNekomata1313 said: But we need a little less conversation and a little more action!
> Chen proceeds to jump around and attack randomly while you ponder your next move...

> _

[capt. h]

> Who is Chen randomly attacking?

[Third Eye Lem]

> Who is Chen randomly attacking?

> The air, apparently. Or the nigh-invisible flies above your head. Or some zombie goasts. Either way, you can tell she's getting tired of waiting.

> _

[capt. h]

> Go to catacombs with Chen.

> Discuss ideal war cry with Chen while going to catacombs.

> Side with the legendary French war cry, "Ich ergebe mich!"

[E-Nazrin]

>Get Heal Scratches, Power Bolt, and whatever we can still afford of Power Flare/Power Flash to start off. Stabbings can afford to wait, if Chen thinks healing will be more helpful at this point. Guess accessories or gear will have to wait.
>/find Alice again to make sure she hasn't moved from... B3 was it?
>Focus on progression instead of thorough exploration for the Catacombs areas, if it's reasonably safe, and find Alice again!

[Third Eye Lem]

>Get Heal Scratches, Power Bolt, and whatever we can still afford of Power Flare/Power Flash to start off. Stabbings can afford to wait, if Chen thinks healing will be more helpful at this point. Guess accessories or gear will have to wait.

Skills unlocked:
* White Magic > Heal Scratches
* Destructive Magic > Power Bolt > Power Flare + Power Flash
6/6 SP spent. More skills will be revealed soon...

>/find Alice again to make sure she hasn't moved from... B3 was it?

> B2, actually. She still hasn't moved...Alice must really like digging for ores.

> Go to catacombs with Chen.
> Discuss ideal war cry with Chen while going to catacombs.
> Side with the legendary French war cry, "Ich ergebe mich!"

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risingstar82 said: Oy, Chen, we're leaving, ze.
nyanNekomata1313 said: Nya?
nyanNekomata1313 said: Great! We're heading to the catacombs then?
risingstar82 said: Duh, ze! Sorry I kept you waiting. I am...Really indecisive about freeform leveling
like this.
nyanNekomata1313 said: I can understand. =3 Don't let it get you down, nya.
> The two of you head for the entrance to the catacombs, which is flanked by a pair of guards. They step aside at your approach, allowing you to step inside the atrium of the dungeon.

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nyanNekomata1313 said: I just had a cool idea!
nyanNekomata1313 said: We should shout something as we enter and take a picture of it! X3
risingstar82 said: Huh...Oddly enough, I thought of a similar idea, ze.
nyanNekomata1313 said: Nya? owo Are you psychic?
risingstar82 said: Hardly. =P
nyanNekomata1313 said: Well, what did you have in mind for a war cry?
risingstar82 said: Lemme see if I can remember this...Alice taught it to me a while ago.
risingstar82 said: "Ich ergebe mich!"
nyanNekomata1313 said: ...
nyanNekomata1313 said: LOL, did she tell you want it meant?
risingstar82 said: She said it was supposed to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies, ze! Does it work?
nyanNekomata1313 said: Unless you're planning on faking out a surrender strategy, not really! X3
risingstar82 said: The hell are you going on about?
nyanNekomata1313 said: You really have no idea what it means? ono
nyanNekomata1313 said: It means "I surrender."
risingstar82 said: ...
risingstar82 said: I sometimes wonder if Alice was just playfully trolling me, or if she hates my guts, ze.
risingstar82 said: But I'm gonna stick with it, ze!
risingstar82 said: It'll confuse our enemies and give us a confidence boost!!
nyanNekomata1313 said: owO? Ooookay then, nya.
nyanNekomata1313 said: I guess it works now that I think about it!
nyanNekomata1313 said: You're the party leader, so...Lead the charge!
risingstar82 said: Aight then!
risingstar82 said: Ich ergebe mich!
nyanNekomata1313 said: Ich ergebe mich!
> With that, you rush into the catacombs proper. The dungeon is appropriately dank and creepy, with the occasional drips of water and patches of plant life here and there. That ends pretty quickly, as the plants are replaced by spider webs and some weird...Scum you don't want to know the origin of. The music is appropriately creepy as well.

Welcome to...
ERDDITE CATACOMBS
The Vein of Carrot Island's Lifeblood

>Focus on progression instead of thorough exploration for the Catacombs areas, if it's reasonably safe, and find Alice again!

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nyanNekomata1313 said: Mew...This place really sends shivers through my spine.
risingstar82 said: I haven't felt like that since I decided to head down to Makai.
risingstar82 said: Don't tell me you're a scaredy-cat, ze!
nyanNekomata1313 said: Th-That's not funny! >m<
nyanNekomata1313 said: Let's just hurry up and find Alice.
risingstar82 said: All right, all right. ;P
> The first room slopes down slightly, but it only has a few spike pits that're easily jumped over. The passage eventually takes you to a larger room that looks like a maze of blocks, not unlike something you'd see in a Mario game. Here, your Power Flare skill starts earning its keep already, as spiders crawl around the blocks and try to bite you. Chen uses streams of fire and extended sword slashes to cut down the ones you miss. As you travel around the room, you see passages running off to the left, right, and below to different parts of the dungeon.

> _

[capt. h]

> I guess if we're trying to go down, we should go down.

> Light up the lower passage with fireballs.

EDIT: > er... power flares.

[E-Nazrin]

>Do the blocks react to being hit/bumped at all?
>Jump down unless it turns out to be an obvious trap. Please tell me B2 isn't a maze with multiple entrances and sections cut off from one another... this is only the first dungeon!

[Third Eye Lem]

>Do the blocks react to being hit/bumped at all?

> Not really, they're inert. The maze isn't that complex anyways.

> Light up the lower passage with fireballs.

EDIT: > er... power flares.

> You send a Power Flare or two to light up the area...Until you realize that the area is well-lit to begin with in spite of there being no torches. Video game visibility!
> You don't hear any hit-sounds, so there don't seem to be any enemies down there, at least.

> I guess if we're trying to go down, we should go down.

>Jump down unless it turns out to be an obvious trap. Please tell me B2 isn't a maze with multiple entrances and sections cut off from one another... this is only the first dungeon!

> Only way to find out for sure! GERONIMOOOOOOOO--BOING. Turns out you landed right on top of a spring in the next room. At least you can get back up...After maneuvering around the spring while falling, you and Chen head to the right, and see a large Golem in the way. You could try to go around it, or fight it. The passageway to B2F lays beyond.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Is there an easy way to gauge our relative strength compared to an opponent without provoking them? Does mouseover reveal a level or anything?
>Are there other Golems visible in other sections of this cave region, or is it clearly blocking our way like it's supposed to be a barrier or midboss or something?
>Or actually, is it just an NPC?
>If it isn't, like, 10 levels higher than us, ask Chen whether we should try to snipe it down; if she's unafraid, give it a go, but be willing to retreat if it's too much.
>If our cohort doesn't want to risk it, work on finding a way around. Is there a clear way to climb over the area the golem's patrolling?

Spoiler:

Brings back memories of getting through the snowfields

>During a lull, peel ourmedi eyes away from the screen long enough to glance at Alice and make sure nothing bad happened.

[capt. h]

> How effective would sneaking up behind it and backstabbing it be?

[Third Eye Lem]

>Is there an easy way to gauge our relative strength compared to an opponent without provoking them? Does mouseover reveal a level or anything?

> Yeah, a mouseover shows the monster's level, health and icons depicting its resistances and such. You also have a more detailed Bestiary button on your UI for all the monsters you killed.

>Are there other Golems visible in other sections of this cave region, or is it clearly blocking our way like it's supposed to be a barrier or midboss or something?
>Or actually, is it just an NPC?

> Monsters *could* be considered NPCs, but no, it's more like a miniboss.

> How effective would sneaking up behind it and backstabbing it be?

>If our cohort doesn't want to risk it, work on finding a way around. Is there a clear way to climb over the area the golem's patrolling?

> Stealthing your way around it isn't really an option, as it's precognizant of your presence like most simple-minded AI enemies are. :V You can jump over it or just dash through it, taking collision damage, but who does that?

>If it isn't, like, 10 levels higher than us, ask Chen whether we should try to snipe it down; if she's unafraid, give it a go, but be willing to retreat if it's too much.

> It's only level 3, you and Chen can take it. You both fling spells at it, while dodging the occasional Rock-it Punch, but it collapses before too long. You're a bit worse for wear, but a couple of heal spells fix that.
> Upon the Golem's defeat, it drops a large sack. Chen runs and picks it up, and it is added to both your inventories. She explains that it is a LOOT BAG; it's dropped by tougher enemies within dungeons, and they (usually) contain nice things like gear and crafting parts.

>During a lull, peel ourmedi eyes away from the screen long enough to glance at Alice and make sure nothing bad happened.

> As you take a moment to lick your wounds, you take a look at Alice. She's still in the same state as she was before.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Well, not worse is fair enough.
>Take a moment to contemplate the most amusing way to waken her if it becomes necessary.

>Take a quick look at our loot from the golem before pressing onwards!
>Are there any other players in the dungeon, or are these instanced?

[Third Eye Lem]

>Take a moment to contemplate the most amusing way to waken her if it becomes necessary.

> You can always try tickling her or making her sneeze with a feather...That always gets a rise (and shine) out of her.

>Take a quick look at our loot from the golem before pressing onwards!

> You get...

• Steel Spiked Helmet of Electricity -- Headgear, Semi-Low Durability
  +10 PhysDef, +6 MagDef.
  +5% to MagAtt when using an Elec skill.
  Does +10% of your Magic DPS in Elec damage when jumping up into an enemy, or using an Upward Attack skill.
  Originally used on convicts when sentencing them to death by electrocution. Sadly, these fell out of style quickly when said convicts developed a sudden ability to absorb and control electricity.

> Chen gets...

• Absurdly Hot Kunai -- One-handed Throwing Knife, Low Durability, Fire Magic Weapon
  +5 PhysAtt, +7 MagAtt.
  Can be used with certain skills involving throwing weapons.
  20% chance to ignore 15% of the enemy's defense when attacking with this weapon.
  A throwing knife dropped by some careless ninja, left at the mouth of a volcano, in the harsh sunlight, where a red dragon goes regularly to heat up her eggs when they're incubating. Oddly enough, the handle itself is safe to touch.

>Are there any other players in the dungeon, or are these instanced?

> Aside from you and your fellow Guildies, there's barely anyone else here. You're not sure if the dungeon itself is auto-instanced per guild, or if it's just having a slow day.

> _

[capt. h]

> Would Alice notice if we started drawing on her face?

> Don helmet. Become the Dovahkiin.

[Third Eye Lem]

> Would Alice notice if we started drawing on her face?

> Depends on how hard you push down with the marker. Alice would probably realize if was you anyways the instant she looked into a mirror. :V

> Don helmet. Become the Dovahkiin.

> Sorry, you need at least a level 20 "Steel Downward Curved Horn Helmet" to achieve that look. And maybe a breath attack or two to back it up.

> _

[capt. h]

> Flip coin to decide between mustache, goatee, and monocle or big deep dark panda eyes. We'll blame it on mini-medicine. Mind you, she probably won't believe us.

> We'll have to find one of those  fancy helmets and a couple breath attacks later. For now, onward to victory!

> Or certain death! Either/or really.

[Third Eye Lem]

> Flip coin to decide between mustache, goatee, and monocle or big deep dark panda eyes. We'll blame it on mini-medicine. Mind you, she probably won't believe us.

> You flip a coin and get heads. Facial hair and monocle combo it is. Mini-Medi approves of your mischief and doesn't mind taking the hit for you. ;P

> We'll have to find one of those  fancy helmets and a couple breath attacks later. For now, onward to victory!
> Or certain death! Either/or really.

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risingstar82 said: Hey Chen.
nyanNekomata1313 said: mrowr? owo
risingstar82 said: If you find any helmets with horns on them, lemme know, ze.
risingstar82 said: I have the strangest urge to become Dovakiin now.
nyanNekomata1313 said: ...
nyanNekomata1313 said: Do that.
nyanNekomata1313 said: Become the savior of Guildiesrim!
nyanNekomata1313 said: Just don't saddle me with carrying all your shit, nya.
nyanNekomata1313 said: Eeep! Sorry I cursed!
risingstar82 said: What? I swear like a sailor all the time!
nyanNekomata1313 said: Ran-sama says it's impolite to curse. T~T
nyanNekomata1313 said: But...What she doesn't know won't hurt us, right?
risingstar82 said: Exactly.
> Passing by the former stomping (lol) ground of the Golem, you find the passage to the next floor...The's a bit of a lag spike as the map loads, and you see why: it's PACKED with players! Most of them are huddled around sparkling points in the scenery...A little help message tells you these are Mining Spots, and you can get ores from them. Amidst the sea of red dots on your minimap, a blue one sticks out: it's your fellow Guildie, Alice!!
> As for the map itself, it's horizontal, and it consists of two paths: You're on the upper path, where most of the players (and enemies) are; the lower path is submerged in water and is pretty threadbare compared to the upper one. There's a door at the far end that takes you to B3F, where your "main" destination is.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Save the mean surprise for after we find her in-game and start getting ready to take a break to avoid brain problems.
>Probably not worth actually USING that helm until we get other gear upgrades worthy enough to make up for losing the newbie-gear set bonus. Hang onto it for now, of course, but probably not worth switching off the Tiara for, unless it looks waaaaay better. We aren't even using electric attacks, for crying out loud!
>Oh, did any of the tutorials say whether items could be repaired when their durability gets low, or do they eventually break permanently?
>Head on down and start looking for Alice. If our map name's the same as her /find, start exploring thoroughly; otherwise, dart around until it is!
>Holy balls. Swim through the sea of players better than the sea of water, and rose-emote next to Alice's character before PMing her "Did you miss me?"

[Third Eye Lem]

>Save the mean surprise for after we find her in-game and start getting ready to take a break to avoid brain problems.

> Yeah, you probably should take a break soon...Right after you finish this quest.

>Probably not worth actually USING that helm until we get other gear upgrades worthy enough to make up for losing the newbie-gear set bonus. Hang onto it for now, of course, but probably not worth switching off the Tiara for, unless it looks waaaaay better. We aren't even using electric attacks, for crying out loud!

> The RNG is a fickle mistress. But having electrical attacks would be neat, both ingame and in Gensokyo. Seriously, the only youkai you know who actually uses them doesn't even have the appropriate-looking danmaku!! How unstylish is that!

>Oh, did any of the tutorials say whether items could be repaired when their durability gets low, or do they eventually break permanently?

> You can repair them at shops, or by using a Repair Powder Kit on the afflicted items. If an item breaks, it stops giving you the bonus effects and its attack/defense boosts become +1.

>Holy balls. Swim through the sea of players better than the sea of water, and rose-emote next to Alice's character before PMing her "Did you miss me?"

> You sidle up to Alice (after fighting off a few bats) and greet her...But she doesn't respond at all.

> _

[capt. h]

> Check for petrify status ailment.

> Continue prodding Alice.

[E-Nazrin]

>If Alice doesn't seem to respond, glance over at her screen to see what the dolls are doing. Maybe the mining minigame (presumably) is really involved and she needs to concentrate?
>Well, that or we're lost in the message spam of the five thousand other people here.
>Give her a few seconds while keeping an eye on her real-world actions. If there's no response for a bit, ask Chen if she knows anything about the mining process or why else Alice might be occupied.

[Third Eye Lem]

> Check for petrify status ailment.

> Nope, she's not grayscale, and her character is still idly animating.

>Well, that or we're lost in the message spam of the five thousand other people here.

> You're using the Friend Chat with Chen, but thankfully the "All Players Chat" doesn't flood into that. Serverwide announcements appear as a non-intrusve marquee above your minimap, buffs, etc., and official announcements come as notes directly to the players.

Spoiler:

See, why couldn't the source material be like this?!

> Continue prodding Alice.

>If Alice doesn't seem to respond, glance over at her screen to see what the dolls are doing. Maybe the mining minigame (presumably) is really involved and she needs to concentrate?

> You keep spamming messages until the chat bars you from spamming for a few seconds. She doesn't budge at all.

Code: [Select]

risingstar82 said: ...I don't like the look of this, ze.
nyanNekomata1313 said: ono
nyanNekomata1313 said: She's with you still, right? Try seeing what she's doing.
risingstar82 said: I was just about to do that, ze.
> You finally get up and stretch a bit, before looking at Alice's screen. Her dolls are still clicking away, and you can see why...She's been working that Mining Spot repeatedly, collecting ores. From what you can gather, it works like one of those "click and remove" puzzle games (Collapse, Big Money, Pet Rescue Saga, etc). Remove groups of similarly-colored rocks to earn ore pieces; bigger matches give you rarer ores. After a certain amount of clicks, you're put on a cooldown for a short time, and the wait between mining gets longer and longer. However, it seems multiple players can access the same mining point at the same time. Alice is not giving a damn about the cooldown, the instant it runs out, she's back at it again, collecting ores like a blue hedgehog collects rings.

> _

>Give her a few seconds while keeping an eye on her real-world actions. If there's no response for a bit, ask Chen if she knows anything about the mining process or why else Alice might be occupied.

> You watch Alice play for a bit, and see the dolls celebrate a bit with giddy dance and some high-fives whenever they see a particularly rare ore pop up. You decide to tell Chen about this.

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nyanNekomata1313 said: How is she?
risingstar82 said: Like a zombie...Or a robot.
nyanNekomata1313 said: o~o
risingstar82 said: Or a zombie robot. Robot zombie? Whatever!
risingstar82 said: This isn't good, I think she's suffering from Shiny Addiction Disorder.
nyanNekomata1313 said: XD
nyanNekomata1313 said: Wait...That's an actual thing?
risingstar82 said: Know how fairies obsessively collect pointless trinkets, ze?
risingstar82 said: This is kinda like that.
risingstar82 said: I'm not sure how to snap her out of this, ze. I don't wanna give her a heart attack or anything!
nyanNekomata1313 said: Sheesh, you worry too much. What would the Marisa-chan I know, do? owo

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>'Mischief, of course! Be right back.'

>Get up and apply the mustache/goatee/monocle to Alice's face.
>If that doesn't wake her up, poke at the dolls (as Medicine, for simplicity?), and give them a pointed look. "Having fun?"

[Third Eye Lem]

>'Mischief, of course! Be right back.'

Code: [Select]

nyanNekomata1313 said: I'd say "add some cat whiskers," but that'd be silly! >w<

>Get up and apply the mustache/goatee/monocle to Alice's face.

> First, you go up to your room and retrieve a MAGIC MARKER (it is totally magic, shut up). Then you go down and start scribbling on Alice's face. You somewhat inadvertently end up drawing a mashup of Snidely Whiplash and Garfield on Alice's face, with a side of Rainbow Brite for good measure. God you love old cartoons.

>If that doesn't wake her up, poke at the dolls (as Medicine, for simplicity?), and give them a pointed look. "Having fun?"

> Alice's face twitches a few times, but she doesn't budge. One of the dolls does, however, tap you on the shoulder to get your attention before slapping you across the face. It's as ineffective as you would imagine.
> You ask Murky Green Number Seven here if you're having fun, and she shrugs, miming herself typing on the keys like crazy, digging up something, and wiping the sweat from her eyebrow.

> _