Miasma Ream Quest: Recolonization [DM]

[Luna]

A colonization attempt is underway in the Miasma Realms. Six volunteers (you) are to basically become the leaders of the project. You are arriving at the location in the carriage of a Supply Caravan to the outpost’s location. The sky is dark and clouded, making time difficult to tell as day and night are near indistinguishable. Fire burns in an unnatural green color and attracts predators, thus requiring alternative forms of lighting. Vegetation is abundant but is corrupted and tainted by the miasma. Eating it would invite the miasma into your body, along with the possibility of diseases; thus food is preserved and imported in.

As you arrive in the outpost, you noticed a faint bubble of light around it. It was a small imitation of the magic circle used to protect cities from monsters, modified to purify the area of miasma. However, it was unstable, required maintenance, and while it could repel monsters, it could disabled through repeated attacks. Its source is a large crystal floating in the center of the outpost. Through a series of smaller crystals, given to each the six adventurers (again, you guys)—active as long as they remain in the inventory or at hand, the large crystal can also act as a imitational respawn point should an adventurer die. However, this act requires a large amount of power, thus a bit of reserve power is stored within the smaller crystals—with each crystal having enough power for two respawns. Additionally, there is an option to discharge all of the reserve power to create a large shockwave of light that severely harms any miasma infected monster (basically every mob in the Miasma Realms) and fully heal nearby Adventurers within a 30 feet radius, but as it is releasing all of the reserve power the respawn function becomes inactive.

The smaller crystals also serve several other functions: first off, they can be taken out and set to float and follow their owner (still counted as being at hand) and act as a light source.; second, they also have a teleport home spell weaved in that is locked onto the large main crystal—albeit with a 24 hour cooldown as to conserve power; finally, they offer a control menu for a series of worker golems (current set to one per crystal but more can be added later). The golems can collect materials and build structures, but not fight. They are durable, but lack combat ability. These function use the crystal’s main power that is constantly being regenerated by the main crystal so don’t worry about it running out. The smaller crystals have a metal band around their center with the words “Red Faction” engraved in them. This engraving can also be found on the golems, but no one knows what the engraving means.

A platoon of thirty lander mercenaries are also stationed at the outpost. They are each level 10 with intermediate combat training (for a lander) and can use both a sword and bow. However, as landers, they die for good and will lose morale when someone of their unit dies. They can defend the outpost, but will refuse to scout the area. Also, you will have to feed them.

There are basic structures already built: A small garrison for the mercenaries. A small residence for the adventurers to rest in. A golem maintenance facility that can construct additional golems with resources. A mess hall for food. And a basic wooden wall surrounding the perimeter.

Finally, a supply caravan will come around time to time, delivering supplies and will take orders for a cost. They will prove invaluable for necessary supplies that you may not be able to find in the Miasma Realms such as additional troops.

                                                                                                                                                        

The process will go as follows:

You can use the golems to gather resources and use those resources to build defensive structures. Time to time, waves of enemies will come and attack the outpost. Use those defensive structures and the mercenaries to defend against the waves. Each golem can do one task at a time so plan well. Manage your resources well and you shall succeed; do otherwise and well… probably best not to think about it.

Your status goes as follows:
Crystal Durability: 100%

-Shuwen 100 Resources, 1 Golem, 2 Respawn Charges
-Sophia 100 Resources, 1 Golem, 2 Respawn Charges
-Avalon 100 Resources, 1 Golem, 2 Respawn Charges
-Steel 100 Resources, 1 Golem, 2 Respawn Charges
-Bailin 100 Resources, 1 Golem, 2 Respawn Charges
-Zyrune 100 Resources, 1 Golem, 2 Respawn Charges

Food Units: 1000, current upkeep: 36 (30 troops+you 6) per day, production: 0

Current Golem Production Option Costs:
-Collect Resources: +100 resources per golem sent, 1 round
-Build Defensive Barracks (can man 4 Lander mercenaries, they can shoot arrows in it): -50 Resources, 1 ound
-Build Golem: -1000 resources, 2 rounds
-Upgrade Garrison (can house 10 more units): -100 resources, 2 rounds
-Upgrade Mess Hall (reduces food upkeep by 6): -100 resources, 1 round

You may give your golem one order per round, provided they aren’t already performing an order. Otherwise RP freely (no posting more than once per round though). If you are ready for the next round early, have ONE person PM Luna (Luna does not need Luna’s inbox being filled with the same message six times). Luna will try to make the next post round post ASAP, but it is not guaranteed as Luna has classes to study for (and an exam next week). Otherwise, the next round will begin in about 72 hours. Oh, anyone who is skipped will have their golem go out for resources.

[Bailin]

[nospaces]

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Antiqua Musket (lvl 5)* LH: Antiqua Musket (lvl 5) QS: Starter Rapier* AR: Starter Warden Armour*

WC: 1482 TWC: 1482 Tags Steel Zyrune Sophia Shuwen Avalon Luna Theme Song TS Credits Cortana

“Good morrow, my friendly neighbourhood adventurers.” Bailin said as he stretched his body skyward in the supposedly morning light… though here that was somewhat up to a debate as the sky was more or less always dark, clouded and just generally eerie looking. “So, do you all reckon this place really needs a tad of paint?” he said jokingly, waving his had gently through the air as he waved it through the general direction of the fort. [break][break] “Anyway, enough lollygagging, let’s get down to business. I suppose we all know why we are here; I think we all have a pretty good guess on the consequences and risks we will face and I will assume we all have our reasons for being here.” He said smiling. “As for me, I am Bailin of the Vylbrand Academy, Kings German Engineers division, Warden, Accountant and Mechanic. I am honoured and pleased to make your acquaintance.” Bailin said with a gentle bow. “Steel, my friend, it is good to see you once again.” Bailin said with a smile, seeing a familiar face amongst the other volunteers, remembering their encounter when Bailin had more or less first arrived in this game. [break][break] “So, impatient as I am, we need information, plans, strategy and tactics. The strategy or long term plan is rather simple: survive, improve, adjust and prosper. The tactical plan would depend on what we can accomplish during the times we are not out fighting and such. Judging from the terrain we could do with a lot of things. I propose digging a moat about twenty meters away from the wall. The moat could be improved with Punjab sticks, as were used in the Vietnam War. Behind the moat I suggest we build a mound of dirt and places stakes upon them, like medieval archers would do to deter cavalry from charging them, lest they or their horses become impaled on the stakes and left at the mercy of the bowmen.” Bailin said as he explained his vision of things that could be done on the short term and hopefully help out quite a bit. “Next on the list should be the wall itself as well as structures within the wall. I think a repeating of the Punjab-moat and mound and stakes would be nice as a second line of defence, with the difference being no wall behind it, but rather make guard towers* like casemates, built as a chessboard. That way we can create killing fields as well as delay the enemy, whom will surely come knocking on our door. “Bailin continued his explanation, carefully looking his companions in the eye to make sure they followed his trail of thought. [break][break] “Those are the first defensive steps we should take. We should also think of building the following structures: A field hospital, for we as adventurers can handle things, our Lander friends are more… delicate. A proper field kitchen or mess hall and ways to preserve food, if we are to stay here for a while we will eventually run out of food, so perhaps a non-corrupted food production would be wanted, dearly I must add. Next up, I think we should also train our Lander allies, I suppose they are tough enough but getting extra into shape would not be a waste. I also would like to propose a three tiered shift, regarding activities, rest and maintenance. It would mean that there are always two of us awake and present keeping watch, two of us are resting and the remaining two will be working on the larger chores, like scouting, overseeing construction works and such.” Bailin continued his mind racing through an imaginary checklist. He had no intention of dying here, or having any of his companions, be they Lander or adventurer, die on him. [break][break] “So for the next bit on my list, I think we should divide our labour as followed: We will have two of our golems gather resources, three of them shall construct and three of them shall gather resources. With a bit of luck we can persuade our Lander allies to assist in the keep watch and construction part. That should set the gears in motion, like I have mentioned before I think we are in this for a long, very long time, so our focus should be on resource gathering and expanding our productive capabilities, thus more golems. However we cannot neglect the fact that we need defensive capabilities and thus construct those as well.” Taking a deep breath Bailin checked if his companions were still following. He had only met Steel before and Bailin had become more certain of himself since that time, however, he did not know any of the others and it seemed him rather rude to start barking orders right off the bat. So he had decided to propose his plans rather than telling people what to do. [break][break] “Which reminds me of two things, I think we should introduce ourselves to our Lander friends and we should work on a tactical battle plan. Personally I think that, if the Landers agree with me and are willing, we should divide our forces as followed: Each of us takes a set number of Lander under his or her wing, if I am not mistaken it would come down to five Landers for each of us. Please treat them as equals and in a friendly manner, we both need each other so it would be most prudent if we could all just get along fine. As for the serious bit of the battle plan, I think we should be on the front lines, having the Landers provide support from the rear. They can die permanently, so the longer we can keep them alive, the longer they can assist us and such. Keeping them alive is also a rather civilised act and I intend to keep them alive for as long as possible and hopefully drag all of them through this, as goes for all of you of course.” He continued his suggestions, sharing his point of view with the rest of the party. [break][break] “I am terribly sorry I got a bit side tracked on my point of view. So yes, in my humblest of opinions we should try to keep the Landers as much out of the fight as possible. If possible we should divide them into three groups working with one of use to coordinate the location of where we require them the most. If you folks don’t mind I would like to discuss this with the Lander leader, unless of course any of you have better plans.” Bailin said with a smile, “Like I said, this is my point of view but if someone thinks of something better we should go with that.” “I think I have talked your ears off enough for now, I am looking forward to working together with you and I hope, no, I believe we shall make it through all of this in a good and orderly fashion.” He finished his proposition with a gentle smile, his eye sparkling with joy at the thought and thrill of the new adventure that was upon them. Out in the real world he had read enough books and played even more games that fitted this theme perfectly, but now he was living it and he was enjoying every second of it. With a grin he looked at each of his companions, as if he were inspecting them and figuring out their strength and weaknesses. They looked like a rag tag band, but, those tended to work well enough, if they would all be willing to work together, play their cards right and strengthen each other. Bailin knew from his past experience with Steel that the two of them could complement each other, Steel being the swashbuckler and thus being able to deal large amounts of damage and Bailin himself being able to function as both a tank, damager or just a general nuisance for hostile mobs. The others were unknown to him, but that would change soon enough he figured. [break][break] Taking the small crystal they had received in his hand he inspected the small, glittering object with the weird inscription. It was obvious they shared some mysterious link with the golems, but it was rather vague. It could well be part of some half implemented part of the game, but that would be speculation and take up a lot of time, a commodity they would probably not have much time for idleness, though for now things seemed as if they had a little while. “Golem, would you please be so kind as to go and collect resources for us? I think we should prioritize on wood, stone and perhaps iron if you happen to find it.” Bailin said to the crystal, hoping it would relay the message to the golem and put it to work. [break][break]

*Defensive Barracks[break][break]
OC: I hope I kicked it off at the right place and the correct style and such, if not, please let me know so I can fix things ;). [break][break]
I also have newer gear which I would like to use, however it is not yet approved, thus I will keep my current gear stated. [break][break]

[Zyrune]

Lets Play Elder Tales.

Hp: 100 Mp:100

▼

Tagged: Bailin Steel Sophia Shuwen Avalon Luna Wc: 1474 NOTES:

Frowning as he stared around him, the druid couldn't help but feel the sickness that plagued the area press against him as if it filled the very air he breath. Looming above his pink haired head, hung like a bad omen the dark unnatural twilight sky of the Miasma Realms. A large area roughly said to have covered an area of ten square kilometers if the druid remembered correctly. Letting out a soft breath, Zyrune tried to still his heart. What little light that broke through the constant barrier that was the dark blanket of clouds didn't seem to reassure him that his time within the Miasma Realms was going to be pleasant, instead it seemed to only remind him of the dangers that lurked in the shadows that plagued this place. At the moment the group of adventurers had gathered to plan out what was going to happen, the druid could still make out the soft hue of the magic that surrounded the area. It had been a long journey to get here, most of it had passed within the carriage of a supply caravan, one of many that had been sent to this outposts location. Zyrune hadn't enjoyed the closed encounters of the carriage very much, preferring rather to sit up front chatting with several people of the land that had come along. So far the druid had managed to count six different adventurers, each one seemed more different than the last and the only one he trusted had been the blue haired monk, Shuwen. Over the last few weeks, the two had managed to meet here and there, even managing to somehow survive a harrowing descent into the temple of Tides. It was during that makeshift quest that the druid had not only seen what the monk could really do, but also gotten to know him somewhat, however calling them friends would have been a step too far. Still the adventurer held a place on the half-alv's friend-list. Other than the monk, the druid had made a mental note of the classes that made up his party. Although he did recognize another face, the guardian, however he had never seen her in battle, instead the druid had met the girl shortly after stopping to enjoy a short cup of tea in a small place he had discovered purely by chance in Londinium. However their meeting hadn't really gone very well, with the druid's summon managing to call the guardian fat and even going as far to insult the woman's armor. and hoped that she was as skilled as he hoped for she would be the tank of the party, if she wasn't able for this, then everyone would be in danger. Zyrune had hoped that for the sake of the efforts they intended to make that she wouldn't cause any trouble, though he very much doubted that she would. Assassin, Swashbuckler and the warden class represented the final three players and Zyrune thought he had recognized the swashbuckler, but he couldn't be sure, perhaps they had met briefly. During their journey, the druid had wondered how the other five players had managed to secure their place on the party. Zyrune had been recommended by his guild House Of Crowns after managing to have himself volunteered both in an effort to give back to his guild and also to return a long owed favor to the guild's master, an Adventurer who went by the name Saber. The druid had managed to get himself into a rather sticky situation during his first few months as he had come upon a sorcerer being threatened by a group of thugs. Back then he was far more impulsive than he was now and had instantly jumped to the man's defence, without Saber's help he would have surely ended up on his back on the Cathedral's floor. It wasn't any secret that the Miasma realms not only held many dangers to the people of the land but also to adventurers and the city of Londinium and any effort to secure it would be highly observed by all forces in the Unfounded Kingdom. Saber knew the guild needed a representative on the supply caravan and to Zyrune's knowledge, the House Of Crowns had deliberated long and hard about who to send and eventually it came down to class. A support class was needed as the rest of the party lacked sufficient support abilities and with the highest level cleric occupied, Zyrune was the next capable support class adventurer and thus had his name put forward. So far into his life within Ender Tale, Zyrune had managed to avoid stepping foot in the Miasma Realms. Of course he had heard stories of the area during his stay at many taverns but to actually stand within the realm itself, breathing the humid air that seemed laced with sickness, the dark sky looming above you, it was hard to appear optimistic. Rubbing his forehead, the druid watched as his crystal as it hovered nearby. Each adventurer had been granted one crystal, apparently the could act as a makeshift respawn, allowing the adventurer to respawn within the small outpost, however the amount of times this would be the case was obviously limited and there was no gaurentee it would even work. Other than that it also granted the adventurer control over a golem for the duration of the mission as well as provided light. Inhaling another breath, one of the other adventurers had decided to start things off. Going by the name of Bailin, the warden adventurer of the Vulbrand Academy seemed to be pretty knowledgeable in many areas of warfare, the druid guessed that his previous life must have had something to do with the subject, how else would you explain the level of knowledge he seemed to hold on the subject. Judging by how he acted, Zyrune couldn't help but feel that he was very over the top, that introduction alone told him that. Not only that but the man seemed to have spent the whole journey forming plans in his head on what needed to be done once they had arrived. The druid couldn't help but already feel like he was behind as he hadn't given it much thought. First and foremost he was a support class, not only would he had to deal with healing the group of Adventurers but he would also be responsible for the well being of the landers. That was a serious responsibility and a heavy one at that. The druid needed to make sure that he didn't over extended himself. Not only that but his tailoring crafting class would certainly come in handy, if not for anything else but for providing armor repairs, he doubted his idol subclass would be of much use, but still he could fine some use he guessed. Many of the ideas that adventurer suggested held quite of a lot of merit. The group's main objective was to secure the outposts foothold in the area. There are so many things that they didn't understand, that they couldn't be sure of within these strange lands, but they had to try. However judging from how little Zyrune knew about maintaining an outpost, he was more than comfortable letting others more experienced take the lead for now. However the notion of preparing a make shift sick area seemed to make quite a lot of sense and if possible he would have liked to meet any of the people of the land that held nay sort of healing capabilities if there were any. Still the idea of setting up base in as strange foreign land only seemed to excite the adventurer, it had been a long time since he had explored beyond the fields surrounding Londinium and the Miasma Realms was completely knew territory. Stepping forward the druid took a deep breath as he quickly scanned the small group that had gathered. "Zyrune, of House Of Crowns." He paused letting the scarf fall from his face to reveal a smirk. "Druid Class, this outpost's primary support, tailor," He focused his gazed on the warden for a moment as if studying him, "And Idol." The word was emphasized somewhat and his smirk increased somewhat as he said it. In this scenario, the druid's place in things was secure, they needed a support class, especially one that had learned a skill of resurrection which Zyrune had, no one else in the party could boast that.  "I recommended my golem gather resources, I will need plenty if I am to organised a sickbay of sorts and my knowledge of construction is rather limited." The druid quickly drew his crystal closer before opening the interface and sending his golem off to collect resources. "However I don't think that they should be left alone to their own devices."

PYXIS ★

[Shuwen]

Words: 582

Somehow, Shuwen managed to find himself in a resource-management quest, in the middle of the bloody miasma realm.. How he did that, he wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t going to complain about it, especially since he had five other people in the quest with him, one of them, Zyrune, he even knew fairly well. He was pretty bad in large groups, so he probably wouldn’t be talking much, fortunately, it seemed the others were more then eager to fill in the gaps. Most notably a Warden named Bailin, who, after an extensive introduction, launched into a series of plans and strategies for succeeding. It sounded like he knew what he was doing, so Shuwen didn’t argue.

“Uh, hi. I’m Shuwen.” He began. “I’m a Monk, Hunter, and Chef.” His data appeared on the interface as he introduced himself. “I guess my main job is going to be cooking.” He said, sighing a little at the thought. “I’ve never cooked for this many people at once though, so this will take some getting used to.”

Bailin seemed to have miscounted or misspoke at one point while explaining his plan; first saying two golems would gather resources then saying three would. The Monk guessed he meant three. But since what he meant was easy to decipher, Shuwen didn’t bother to correct him. He he obviously had a lot to say, and the Monk didn’t want to take up any more time.

Once the monk was finished explaining his game plan, Shuwen looked dubiously at the crystal used to control his golem. “I guess I’ll focus mine on improving the Mess Hall then, I guess that would count as construction?” From what he saw, food was the most basic resource they had; once it was gone, they wouldn’t be able to get anything done. It would have been better if they knew just how long they were scheduled to be there; he could focus on making just enough food to cover their needs and not end up with any extra, but he guessed it couldn’t be helped.

When Zyrune mentioned that the golems going out shouldn’t be left on their own, he began to look around, obviously a bit unsure of how to respond to that. We can’t afford to send a lot of people, and I doubt the Landers will want to leave. That means whoever we assign that task will have to go off into the Miasma Realm by themselves. Dosen’t sound fun.

He turned towards his golem. “Come with me to the mess hall and work on improving it.”

After briefly taking inventory of the cooking gear he had available, he began working on their first meal at the camp; a stew consisting of preserved meat and vegetables. He had a couple of the mercenaries aid him in doing so, but since they knew even less then he did about cooking, they weren’t much help.

After an hour or so of them stumbling over each other, he dismissed several of them to work out or help on construction or whatever else the other mercenaries were doing, leaving him with only two of the mercenaries he’d been assigned. As they worked, they made idle chatter, learned each other’s names and such, but as they had few if any mutual hobbies or overlapping interests, the idle chatter quickly died off and turned into work-related conversations. He doubted their relationship would go any farther then boss and subordinates, but at least they got along alright.

[Avalon]

word count;1008

To be honest, Avalon wasn't sure if this was the best idea to volunteer for this miasma realm recolonization especially since the risk of facing was higher than shooting her arrows at some beast was farther. She was more of solo player making money from either killing or capturing beasts. It was harder to stay perfectly quiet with other adventurers. Still, the prospect of being part of something new and possibly an advancement for Elder Tale was very interesting. Maybe she could even make a name for herself and be respected by others? Thinking about that thought, she couldn't help but grin and laugh since she couldn't imagine her wanting to attract unwanted attention. Unfortunately that laugh led to a forced cough when the supply carriage once again rolled over some small rocks. "Definitely not my day," she grumbled and let out a sigh. It had been a long carriage ride. She had taken a sort of comfortable beauty sleep but when she abruptly woke up from a sudden bump on the trail, it was a start of a series of uncomfortable bumps.

Before she knew it, a raspy voice calling out to her to get out signaled her that she finally reached her destination at last. "He could have been a bit nicer and mumbled and narrowed her eyes at some imaginary enemy. It was then her right hand was twitchy as she felt an urge to reach for one of her arrows securely fitted in the holster. She had originally thought the middle fade person of the land would be at least somewhat glad some adventurers would volunteer for the miasma realm recolonization but she was wrong. She did understand that there were still some people of land wary of adventurers with their ability to come back to life when they themselves were not able to do so. It was unnatural and unfair. Besides the lingering tension between her and the carriage driver, the ride to her destination went she guessed, smoothly--just not literally. She hopped out of the carriage and quickly patted her sore butt wiping off some dust. She gave a wide grin to the middle aged man, "Thanks!" and walked away with bow and arrow in tow.

Avalon shivered for a moment and couldn't help but feel goosebumps crawling up her spines as she took in the sight before her. It was no wonder why only a few adventurers would volunteer themselves for this miasma realm recolonization. It was bloody creepy. It was as if the sky was haunted by a deepening gloom for all to see but none would look forward to do so. Maybe certain heretics would appreciate this sight but not her. This clouded scene would not go well for her if she was in the middle of hunting. Maybe if she had better eyesight. Eventually she reached the outposts she caught a glimpse of the translucent bubble of light that contrasted the darkened sky. Seeing the protection it gave and the light, it warmed her and gave her a sense of solace. Shining brightest of all, a beautiful crystal floating sent her into awe. It was a very pretty sight. Briskly walking toward the outpost, she mentally crossed her finger in the hope that she wouldn't be late. After all, first impressions were very important. Luckily, her efforts to make sure she wouldn't be late were not in vain.

The first adventurer that caught her eye was the tall male warden who look more aristocratic than anything else. She wondered if he was from a rich family back in real life. She couldn't help but let out giggle when he joked that the place needed a paint job. It needed way more than some paint job. Suddenly, the male warden named Bailin took the lead and began devising some strategies on the recolonization. He was like a commanding figure though she really didn't mind it since she honestly wouldn't know where to start anyway. As she listened intently, she was interested in that idea of the defensive barrack especially that her specialty was the bow and arrow. It was a good plan to split up the mercenaries by five each since she could probably train up some of the mercenaries in the bow and arrow to defend from either below or above depending where everything would be placed. It was outmost important for her to train her half of the mercenaries since they could only die once and it wouldn't be good for relations between adventurers and people of the land. It would make their families mourn over their deaths. Still, they too placed themselves at risk so it might not be unavoidable.

A druid class man introduced himself as Zyrune who also said he was of an idol type sub-class. She was intrigued especially that out of the adventurers she had met, she had not met an idol class before. It had reminded her of those celebrities she watched on television doing over the top concerts and shows. She was glad a Druid class was in the party because she knew support was just as important for survival as the purely offensive style classes like hers. A blue haired monk introduced himself as a chef and also, a Hunter. She wondered what he did as a Hunter and maybe she could relate to him in some way. After they finished their own introductions, it was finally her turn. Her wolf ears perked up in eagerness and she gave a toothy grin, "I'm not much for pleasantries," and smiled, "Name's Avalon, an Assassin, Artisan, and Hunter." She wondered for a moment on what she should do. Zyrune and Bailin ordered their golems to collect resources so that must be priority right now and maybe she should go with the golems just in case even though she was slightly nervous about it. "I'll also have my golem collect resources and I'll go with them if that's alright," as she brought her crystal to order her own golem to follow suite.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Steel]

“Man, the miasma realm is as bad as they said it was.” Steel said to himself as he was nearing the location. A while back, he had volunteered himself to be part of a team to clear an area in the miasma realms so that they could secure an outpost there. Currently, he was jumping from tree to tree, using his athletic prowess and ability to get to his destination. This was actually much faster than traveling by carriage surprisingly and he could take more breaks since he was usually ahead of schedule in terms of traveling. By now, it was already to the point where you couldn’t tell what time it was from the looks of the sky and Steel was sure that it was still afternoon. I guess I’m near the meeting spot of the group I’m supposed to team up with for the duration of this battle. I wonder who’s going to be on this team? Steel thought to himself as he found the location.

For Steel, he didn’t know many people as he usually traveled alone. It wasn’t that he purposefully distanced himself from others to be a loner, it’s just that he didn’t have good social skills. He found it hard to strike up a conversation with anyone unless they were a friend or if it was a chance meeting and a majority… no, all of his current friends were people he met though such a chance meeting, something that wasn’t that common. At the same time, it wasn’t too rare either. Although for chance meetings, they were happening far too often for him.

By the time he realized it, Steel was already at the meeting grounds of the party. It seemed that he was the first one there. Soon after, other people, most likely his teammates for this mission, started appearing. To Steel’s surprise, two of the people joining him were people he knew. He had met Sophia on his first day, which was also Sophia’s first day as well, in this world that was basically the inside of Elder Tale. He met Bailin about two weeks later and they were both fellow pupils under their senpai and teacher Kitty who helped them get used to this world. He was somewhat relieved that he wouldn’t have to work with complete strangers. “Yo, Bailin, Sophia, long time no see.” Steel called out to the Warden and the Guardian in greeting. “How have you been?” He then turned to the people that weren’t so familiar to him and decided to introduce himself. “To those who don’t know me, my name is Steel, a Swashbuckler who isn’t affiliated with any guild. My subclasses are Scribe and Courtesan. I hope we’ll get along with each other during our time together.” He said this in a formal yet friendly tone.

It was then he noticed that he recognized another one of the members in this group. It was a druid that he had sort of met during one of his earlier journeys. Due to a misunderstanding, this druid thought that Steel was somebody who was a player killer. In Steel’s point of view, he thought that this person was an idiot. Even disregarding the whole misunderstanding, the Druid wanted to fight head on with a person who was a much higher level (that would be Steel himself) than himself. While he did think that the protecting part was noble, there were smarter ways to resolve the situation. Well, I’m not trusting him to be our tactician. He then looked at the other two members of the party, one was a monk and the other was an Assassin. He didn’t know either of them but her decided that he would observe them so he could figure out some strategy.

It was then Bailin began talking about war tactics. While Steel never really paid attention to war tactics outside of the Sengoku Period, a time period he had great interest in, but all of the tactics he talked about made sense. “Those ideas seem like they’ll work, let’s go with that.” He said in agreement to the war tactics as he began to think about how to put that plan into action. He did think though that Bailin was going overboard with his talking. He saw Bailin send out his Golem to get resources and Steel began to figure out how these crystals work.

Soon after, the idiot Druid stepped forward and introduced himself. In Steel eyes, and probably most everyone else’s, this guy was introducing himself in a really arrogant way, acting as if being in that specific guild and being an idol meant that he was all important. True, he was their only member of the healer class but Steel hated the fact that the idiot Druid was acting like that. “Stop running your mouth Aho. Acting all smug like that because you think you’re the most important or invaluable on the team is only going to hurt the team.” Steel said to him bluntly, using the Japanese word ‘Aho’, which meant idiot in Japanese. Most likely though, none of the other members would know Japanese but with a little reading into it, one could probably guess that it was an insult at the very least. “Acting cocky makes you more vulnerable to screw up, just focus on doing your best.” While that still had a bit of an insulting tone to it, at least he ended it with a bit of encouragement.

The monk was the next person to introduce himself, albeit a bit more shyly than Steel expected. From his introduction, now Steel knew that their group had two chefs, the other being Sophia. The monk didn’t really talk much before summoning his golem to help with improving the mess hall and going to work at the kitchen.

The next person who introduced themselves was the Assassin Avalon, a hunter and an artisan. She as well wasn’t much of a talker as she summoned out her golem to follow her to gather resources. Steel began to think of how it should start out at least. Steel knew that this Assassin girl wouldn’t be able to survive out there for too long on her own since she needed to protect the golems at the same time.

“I’ll go along with you then.” Steel said to Avalon saying that he’d go with her. He then summoned his golem just as everyone else did. When his golem came out, he began to give it instructions. “Golem, please assist in the construction of the defensive barracks.” At the order, the golem followed instructions and off it went. Steel then turned towards Sophia. “Sophia, would mind coming with me and Avalon? I think we’re going to need your abilities to help defend the golems from monsters out there.” He then turned to Bailin. “I think your idea to pair up is good but for now, let’s have it like this, three people outside and three people stay here. This will also give us an opportunity to scout the area and get a feel as to what we’re dealing with.” At this moment, Steel thought that this arrangement was for the best. Shuwen was already in the kitchen so they couldn’t get him to come out anyway, Bailin had to focus on the construction work, and Steel didn’t really trust Zyrune to be capable out there. “As for later, we can stay like this or we can switch to pairs. The pairings are for the most part hard to figure out though. I guess we can figure that out later.”

Words: 1267

[Sophia]

Sophie was inside the supply caravan, deep in thought while it swayed back and forth on the beaten dirt path as it headed for it's destination. In her mind, she kept asking herself if she had made the right choice to volunteer with the colonization of the Miasma Realms. At first she was driven with the desire to the people of the land, as she felt sympathetic for their cause. But since she had entered the caravan, she started to have some doubts if she can really help them. And it didn't help how eerie the surroundings were, especially how they seemed to have gotten creepier and darker the farther they went inside the forest. But even with her doubts and fears, she tried to remain positive. She knew for the fact that there had to be other people joining this quest. The thought didn't ease her fears nor doubts entirely, but she did started to feel better knowing that she wasn't alone in wanting to help the people of this land. 

When the caravan stopped at the outpost of the camp, Sophia thanked the caravan's driver before she climbed out the back. There was a loud audible clanking noise from her armor as roughly landed on her feet. With herself outside, she noticed just how bleak her surroundings really were. There was hardly any wildlife, nor greenery. Just death. Tired of looking at the deaden trees, she made her way over to the entrance of the camp. As she approached it, she noticed there were other people starting to gather around a well-dressed young man who was loudly greeting them all. And then, she heard a voice shot out from close by, and to her surprise it was Steel. She gave him a friendly wave, before she came over to him. 

"Hello!" she said. "It's certainly has been while." She softly smiled at him. "Oh, I've been fine. How about you?" They had first met on the first day everyone was taken into this world. Despite the suddenness of the situation, he was able to keep a cool head and calm her and everyone else down. She remembered how, even though he seemed to be a loner, he did had everyone's best interest at heart. He was such a nice boy, and he still seemed to be from her perspective. 

After she joined Steel, along side the other adventures, the one who was greeting everyone from earlier, called himself Bailin, and he was of the Warden class. He begun talking about possible strategies they could make with help from Golems and the Landers, as well as help from each other. Sophia patently listened to the young man's words and to each of the ideas he brought up to the group. After he said all he had to say, everyone there began to introduce themselves to the group. There was another young man within the group who went by the name of Shuwen. He was Monk, and like Sophia, he was a chief too which made Sophie instantly like the lad. And one who loved cooking was a friend in her mind. Maybe they could trade tips and recipes. Next there was the young girl who was also within the group, who called herself Avalon. She was a Assassin, and a hunter. When she gave a toothy little grin and showed off her animal-like ears atop of her head, Sophie couldn't keep herself for smiling at her. Had she given off such a good vibe to to guardian. And then after her came another familiar young man. She had met him before in a cafe sometime ago. He was a nice boy, except for his summon. It was a nasty piece of work.

But, during the boy's introduction, something about it seemed to upset Steel. She tried to intervene and got in between them, not wanting an argument to break out. "Hey, hey." She said, gently to Steel. "Let's not start making accusations about each other, when were just getting to know one another." She gave him a little smile. "Alright?"

After that, Sophia turned to everyone else, as it was her turn to introduce herself to the group. "Hello, everyone! My name is Emilia, while playing Elder Tales I go by the name of Sophia, or Sophie. I'm Guardian and my subclasses are, Bodyguard and Chief. I am happy to meet all of you, and I hope we'll do our best together!" She said to everyone, with a Steel, asking if she wanted to come and help outside. Even though she would rather help with the other Chief in their group, she decided to go along with Steel and Avalon. She was a guardian after all, and they would probably need some protection outside the camp. She gave Steel a nod. "OK, just let me get my Golem first." She opened up her inventory and took out the small crystal. She hold it up, over her Golem. "Um.. Golem! Collect anything you find, please." She ordered it, before joining Steel and Avalon outside the outpost.

---

Word Count: 846
Tags: Shuwen Avalon Steel Bailin Zyrune

[Luna]

After activating your crystals and golem, the crystals entered into an automatic hovering state, floating right above your heads. If the crystal was green, it would look like you were all Sims. As the golems activated and began following your commands, a holographic menu, similar to the adventurer menu, appeared towards the side of your dominate hand. Like the adventurer menu, your specific menu can only be seen by you and can be opened and closed in a similar manner.

While voice commands could give some basic commands and/or tasks for the golem, the Crystal system menu had a series of options to fine tune the Golems in their various tasks, though a number of them were darkened out with blanked buttons—perhaps the golems had hidden functions that could be unlocked in the future (a thought for the future perhaps?).

As your golems work towards their tasks, the passage of time felt stagnant. The land was basically in an eternal night as the sun does not seem to be able to pierce the dark clouds. How the vegetation, albeit tainted, exists in the Miasma Realms is a question many have asked before. Some theorized that the miasma itself sustains the fauna, at the cost of absolute corruption. Due to the Crystal's barrier around the Outpost holding the miasma at bay and slowly purifying the area, the land within the Outpost lays barren with no vegetation in sight, lending truth to the theory.

As what should be about half a day passed by, your golems finished their assigned tasks and awaits further orders. Overall it was an uneventful day with each task proceeding smoothly, perhaps too smoothly. A strange calm appears before the outpost as no monsters attacked any of your golems while they set out to do their work. Even the mercenaries who have been at the outpost for a while find the eerily calmness to be disturbing, as if something was wrong or coming. Those escorting the golems as they went out to gather materials or build structures would sometimes feel as if something was watching you or in the corner of your eye, see some shadows move.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

-Day 1, Round 2-

Outpost Status:
Crystal Durability: 100%
Wall: Level 1
Garrison: Level 1, Upgrade Available
Mercenaries: 30/30
Defensive Bunkers

• Level 1 x1 (Currently Unmanned)

Mess Hall: Level 2
Food: 1000 Units/30 Upkeep
Golem Facility: Level 1

Character Statuses:
-Shuwen
Resources: 0
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Sophia
Resources: 200
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Avalon
Resources: 200
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Steel
Resources: 50
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Bailin
Resources: 200
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Zyrune
Resources: 200
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

Current Golem Production Option Costs:
-Collect Resources: +100 resources per golem sent, 1 round
-Build Defensive Bunkers* (can man 4 Lander mercenaries, they can shoot arrows in it): -50 Resources, 1 round
-Build Golem: -1000 resources, 2 rounds
-Upgrade Garrison (can house 10 more units): -100 resources, 2 rounds

By the way, you can pool your resources together. If you pool together to build a golem, only one person may command the golem. Please decide who commands it if you pool together to build one.

Also, Luna meant to type Bunker instead of Barracks on the Defensive Barracks (now Bunkers) >_>;.

Finally, could Luna ask everyone to at the end make a note of what action they wish their golem to take so Luna can double check it more easily. Also, make sure it reflects your character's in character decision; if given the choose of a conflicting noted command and in character command, I will take the in character one. So if you say in character to collect materials but make a noted command of building a bunker, you will end up collecting materials.

Also, Luna decided to do away with the one post per round rule for this next round (subject to change for future rounds) to allow for more natural RPing. However, please make sure you get the permission of everyone in the group before posting a second time in a round. The last thing Luna wants is two people basically flooding the thread with posts. If this happens, Luna will permanently restrict it to 1 post per round. Finally, in each post, make sure the noted command for your golem is there.

Next Round will begin Wed. Afternoon/Evening

[Zyrune]

Lets Play Elder Tales.

Hp: 100 Mp:100

▼

Wc: 1629 Tagged: Sophia Shuwen Bailin Avalon Steel Luna Golem Command: Build Defensive Bunkers, -50 Resources, 1 Round.

“Stop running your mouth Aho. Acting all smug like that because you think you’re the most important or invaluable on the team is only going to hurt the team. Acting cocky makes you more vulnerable to screw up, just focus on doing your best.” The druid jumped at the insult and the sudden appearance of it caught the druid off guard, his heart jumping against his chest, his body beginning the tell tell signs of the anxiety that had so casually embraced him in his previous life. The world of Ender Tale is alive, like everything it has a mind of it's own, it has warm soft parts and harsh hurtful rough parts too. At first Ender Tale was nothing more than a virtual game created and played by thousands, a game he played in his spare time, living out childhood fantasies of the great hero saving his friends. But now the world of Ender Tale was alive, it loomed over him and standing a little bit away from him, it bared its fangs. It took the druid a moment longer than he would have wanted but he recognized the man's face. The encounter swept over him like wave as he recalled moving about the dense forest late one afternoon. Eventually he had come across the adventurer as he stood before a kneeling hurt young woman who looked like she had certainly seen better days. The druid hadn't long to react, he knew he had to do something. His first month he had been plagued by run ins with player killers and he expected that this encounter was no different. Even when all had been said and done, the druid had explained his reasoning and even the player at Steel's feet had assumed he was a player killer. "Both of you are just plain idiots." The words rang throughout his head. He used a similar word here and now. Zyrune couldn't understand why the player was so intent on throwing others beneath his feet, did he really want to just bully others? Looking at the same player now through his eyes, he felt a mixture of emotions. How dare he call the druid out in front of everyone that was something else, not only that but how had the druid's behavior warranted such behavior from him? Compared to the warden's grandiose title and non stop talking about orders and assuming he was the leader, the druid had barely said a word. Of course the two adventurers knew each other didn't they and Zyrune was an unknown? The popular always stuck by one another and of course Zyrune must have appeared too confident and warranted such a smack down by the adventurer. There was nothing he hated more than arrogant people who had nothing better to do than upset others and make them feel bad about themselves. So what if the druid had been confident, maybe that's exactly what was needed right now in the face of a quest. A bully. He was called ugly, stupid, pathetic, a nerd, a moron, useless, fat, he was thrown against lockers, stepped on daily and put down further than anyone else. He could still feel the wince he made as the air was knocked out of his lungs as his back was thrown against the lockers for the sake of a laugh. Verbal and physical, the abuse the druid had suffered was abundant, he tried to ignore it, to rise above it but even then, they continued as if his efforts egged them on somehow. Yet he never did anything to deserve harassment, he never warranted it or asked for it. And this time was just the same. Sure the adventurer had a problem with him or maybe he was just having a bad day, but still there were other ways to go about it, he could have been nicer. "Dont be so confident, we don't know what risks this place holds" that sentence held the same meaning without the ignorant arrogant bully intent. But he guessed the man choose his words carefully. To call him out in front everyone, that was because then he would have an audience, an audience to his remarks. Why was the druid so unfortunately to receive the gift of being sent on an important quest with this infamously insulting dog? The pink haired druid merely frowned playfully and scratched his cheek, cocking his head slightly. "You're such a tsundere. You know you love it," Zyrune cooed, watching through big blue eyes at the adventurer before him. Letting out a chuckle, his eyes lit up machievously. "If an idol like myself didn't do his best, it'd be a loss to adventurers everywhere." The druid smiled evilly while giving his best sweet innocent look with his eyes. "The whole world would be sad that we couldn't work together and be civil." The druid pursed his lips but smiled, his whole face seemed to glow with a bright warmness. "Don't worry, I won't let your cute butt suffer a scratch." Zyrune pouted playfully as he scratched his cheek while Sophia got between them. "Stay Sharp and don't worry your pretty little head about me." Yes the world of Ender Tale is alive and yes it may bare its fangs at him, but he couldn't shy away any more, it punished him for it, now Zyrune needed to welcome it, with his skin, his eyes, his soul, his heart, his entire being, he needed to welcome Enter Tale, he needed to start stepping forward. Maybe every step he took within the world would lead him one step closer to his sister and maybe it took him one step further away from her, but he wasn't going to stand still and wait while dog adventurers like the one before him tried to cast him down and make themselves feel better in the process. Insulting the primary healer of a task group was not a wise thing, either this player was just arrogant or just stupid, he couldn't help but wonder if the adventurer had been a bully in his previous life too, even if the adventurer had a healing skill in his arsenal, there was no way he could last out here without the druid's help, help the druid would be sure to make the man knew came with a heavy price. From now on the druid would play the game. *** Things hadn't gotten off to the way that the druid had intended, but still things were beginning to process despite what the Miasma Realms would lead one to believe. As the sky remained uneventful and dark and the plant life lay outside twisted smooth and black, it was hard to believe that anything would grow in this unearthly light, but then again the proof lay literally before his eyes. Zyrune couldn't help but feel uneasy, there was this feeling that lingered around everyone, despite appearances, people were on edge, the people of the land more so, then again they had more to lose than the group of adventurers had. Something was clearly wrong with this place, why anyone would want to make progress here is beyond him perhaps it held places that merited research. Despite the uneasy feeling that seemed to follow the druid, he had managed to avoid any more disagreements with the rest of the team, perhaps it was due to the fact that Steel had spent the majority of that time with the golems that were collecting resources. Part of that time had been spent getting to know the people of the land that they had with them, however they did not wish to spend to long conversing, the druid didn't really blame them either. It was far too quite or at least judging from what the druid had heard of the Miasma realms it was anyway. At first the druid had assumed the worst had happened as the group who had been sent to gather resources seemed to be delayed or at least in his mind they were, as waiting inside the outpost under the eternal unmoving sky seemed to cause time to drag on. However evetually his golem and the rest returned unharmed. It was a positive omen or at least that was how Zyrune was going to judge it. Other than conversing with the people of the land and his fellow adventurers, he had managed to set up a small make shift infirmary for any people of the land that might need to recover there. He had chosen a small location away from the front entrance to avoid attraction should the outpost be invaded or attacked like he had no doubt it would. However now that his golem had returned with much needed resources and the way the world seemed to be intent on the inventory system, Zyrune now had more resources at his disposal than others did such as Shuwen. "I hope you guys don't mind, but I don't want to send my golem out again, energy reserves and all that." Zyrune's sweet voice spoke to whoever was listening. "I wanna have this guy build some defensive bunkers." Letting out a sigh, the druid slowly pulled up the golem command interface and ordered his hulk of a golem to begin work constructing defensive bunkers. Though Zyrune himself had decided to take a break from his sickbay duties and pulled up a crate against a wall near where the golem was working away. Pulling out his tailoring equipment, he decided that perhaps it was best to craft some blankets and stuff for the group, they may have had enough for themselves, but what about the landers. Pursing his lips, he winked at a nearby adventurer has he begun thread a piece of fabric slowly.

PYXIS ★

WC: 1629
Abilities Used: None
Tagged: Sophia Shuwen Bailin  Avalon Steel_ Luna
Golem Command: Build Defensive Bunkers, -50 Resources, 1 Round.

[Shuwen]

Words: 525

Trace sighed as conflict erupted between Zyrune and one of the other adventurers; swashbuckler of presumably Asian decent. Set off by either his attitude or long-winded introduction, he quickly tried to crack down on the Druid’s attitude. Honestly, considering how few people choose to be of a supporting class, I’m just glad we have any at all. The idol seemed to bounce back easily enough, but then, during the Coconia event, he’d done the same thing when his date’s attention had been drawn by someone else, which in hindsight, he realized was probably feigned. The blonde Guardian attempted to mediate, but he guessed it was just a temporary reprieve; they seemed to be opposites in ways that would lead them to clash at every opportunity. Ohhhhhh booy. This would not end well.

The final member of their party was a dark-haired Assassin equipped with a bow. I guess that confirms I’ll be sticking to melee then. If they already had someone to provide ranged fire support, his own crossbow would probably be superfluous.

He tried to start a conversation over the next meal, hoping it wouldn’t devolve into complaints about his cooking. “If I had to guess, we’re being watched.” He knew it was probably obvious to anyone sufficiently genre-savvy, but it needed to be stated, and hopefully got the conversation going. “The buildup of fighters here, particularly adventurers, the golems, or maybe the increased activity might have drawn unwanted attention. Do we have any way of setting up an alarm system?” Most of what he said was somewhat obvious, considering the circumstances, but he needed to keep it basic, or he’d probably have trouble talking.

Eventually, his golem finished working on the ordered repairs, and it returned to him around the same time as everyone else’s did. “Mine used up all his resources building the mess hall, so he’ll have to gather some more.” He commented, imputing the appropriate command through his crystal. Without any verbal command or response, the golem trudged out of the camp, accompanied by any other golems that were doing the same. If no one else complained, he went to go back work in the kitchen. They hadn’t used up all the stew, and he’d gotten a good estimate of how much everyone would eat in a given meal, so he did his best to add just enough ingredients that there would be just enough.

As they’d managed to get into a comfortable rhythm, his subordinates talked even less then they had that morning. They were at an uncomfortable stage between unfamiliarity and familiarity that was hard to breach. Shuwen was beginning to feel a little desperate when one of the Landers took the matter into their own hands and started telling jokes and humorous stories to pass the time. The monk tried to make an extra effort to smile and chuckle at his antics, though Lander humor seemed to be just a little bit different from the kind he was familiar with. I guess now would be a good time to pick up on it. He thought, paying perhaps a little more attention then he probably should have been.

-Collect Resources

[Avalon]

word count;1131

"Nice to meet you too," she responded and chirped, "Yup, let's all get along!" hoping that statement would hold true until the end of the recolonization and maybe even further than that. Inwardly, she knew this feeling shouldn't matter much but when the japanese swashbuckler named Steel greeted the female guardian and Bailin the Warden, she felt a bit lonesome and thought that maybe she should do a little less soloing. Avalon did miss the company of friends and family who could support her without expecting anything in return. It was just that hunting was so much easier by herself in creating tactics than planning with other adventurers and for having patience. Honestly, it took a long while until she was able to achieve patience especially being assassin wielding a recurve bow. In real life, she enjoyed the social life and loud noises and only recently turned a new leaf becoming a down-to-earth girl. It was quite a drag how long the cool downs were but the attack stats very much made up for that negative. She had to learn to wait for the right moment to shoot down her target. Unfortunately, sometimes it would take hours until that right moment.

She was glad there was a female adventurer other than herself in the group especially being surrounded by a bunch of male adventurers she didn't know anything about. They weren't bad looking either and were very easy on the eyes. There were no creepy vibes given off by any of them so far. She just hoped none of then were rowdy or caused drama, whatever that may be. Usually it was the other way around with the girl causing drama but with all that testosterone well, she didn't want to jinx anything. It was just that the female guardian apparently named Sophia gave off a cheerful personality during her introduction that she felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach and couldn't help but flash a wolffish grin at the blond guardian after her introduction. She knew she just met the girl but she felt like she could trust Sophia as weird that statement might sound. Another reason why she liked thee female guardian was because she had taken the initiative to intervene between Steel and Zyrune before a potential fight could break out for some dumb reason of not liking each other. Neither of the guys were making the situation better by insulting each other back and forth. She didn't know what a tsundere nor an Aho was but it didn't sound good at all. Whatever happened between the two guys--they just had to put aside their differences and be the bigger man. This was an important that they needed to complete.

Avalon was relieved when Steel and Sophia volunteered to go with her to protect the golems while they went to collect resources. Even though she had been nervous about volunteering to go out there, she volunteered because she wasn't sure if anyone else would volunteer so she decided to take the first step and just hope someone else would assist her afterwards. It made sense the plan that Steel had proposed to the group in which three adventurers would be sent out to scout the area and three left to protect their recolonization buildings and lander mercenaries left behind. Right now, her group of three looked like ch with a guardian to protect Steel and her, Steel with his melee attacks, and her to shoot down the enemies possibly debuffing some of them when she got the chance to do so. The environment did discomfort her with darkened eerily land that it had sent shivers down her spine and gave her goosebumps. Nothing seemed normal here. It just seemed like such a depressing bleak place to live. Why would someone want to recolonize here? But this was a job she decided to partake in so there must be a good reason right?

When she and the two other adventurers came back after a long day of gathering resources with the golems, she still felt sense of dread and lingering tenseness around herself. She couldn't pinpoint it exactly what was bothering her but the run went too smoothly. She had expected some enemies along the way but there was none in sight. Nothing. Something was amiss. She could be wrong but she thought and expected some resistance from the monsters already inhabiting the miasma realm. On the positive side, maybe this recolonization would actually go smoothly? She had that small hope lingering in the back of her mind. She muttered with soft growl admitting, "I felt like I was the prey not the other way around," as she clenched her bow tightly and narrowing her just appeared golden eyes. She had been so used to being the predator waiting patiently for her prey to become at the most vulnerable with more openings that she had almost forgot the feeling of being stalked by an unknown enemy. It felt quite frustrating made her feel more urgent to get things on the way to order to survive.

"I'm not the best at strategizing this time of thing but I know that increasing our resources is important," she started tentatively and paused for a moment, "I think we're being watched," with emphasis. She believed in her gut feeling that something was amiss and she did not want to and couldn't afford to second guess herself like when she first started out in Elder Tale. Maybe it was her wolf hair class instincts coming out but at least some of the other adventurers hopefully felt the same way about the situation. She noticed that the monk adventurer ordered his golem to collect resources so that was a good idea. The more resources, the better.She saw that the Druid had already chosen to upgrade the defensive bunker and start tailoring some necessities for the group and the lander mercenaries. She smiled at his tailoring work with him thinking about the whole team, not just the adventurers. Avalon wished that she had chosen the tailor class to create some nice clothing for herself. It would quite useful when she needed patchwork on her armor and stuff items. Maybe she could ask him for help later on. "I'll have my golem gather some resources," she began and thought for a moment, "I'll stay here this time to help train the mercenaries to shoot," glancing at the lander mercenaries who were clumsily practicing their archery. At least she had something she could really help with this time. They really needed all the manpower they could get. She took out her crystal holding it carefully and ordered her golem to collect resources. Thus, she greeted her mercenaries cheerfully and began teaching them the basics of archery.

Bailin Steel Sophia Shuwen Zyrune Luna

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Steel]

“Since you know the word Tsundere, I’m guessing you know some Japanese terms huh? Looks like I’ve got to be more careful about my choice of words or I should just not care. Either way, could you stop acting so annoying? I think it’s fine to have lots of energy but that’s different from being annoying which is how you’re acting right now.” Steel said with a sigh of annoyance at how this guy was trying to act all playful and such. Steel just thought of it as extremely annoying and began to wonder whether this guy was gay or something. For some reason, Steel was annoyed to the point that he wanted to punch this guy in the face and knock out a few teeth. It was then Steel began to guess what was going on in the Druid’s mind. Because of kendo and other activities Steel frequented in the real world, Takeshi had to learn how to use his skills of observation to figure out what a person was generally thinking. He was able to do all this using a technique called ‘Cold Reading’, a technique commonly used by fortune tellers, mystics and the like where you observe a person’s body language, age, clothing or fashion, hairstyle, gender, manner of speech, etc to obtain information. Such an ability was an invaluable resource in a kendo match where you had to read your opponent’s movement. Because of this little trick, a fellow swashbuckler he met a while ago said that she swore that he was a mind reader or something. He decided to use this ability to dial down the situation while still calling him out on some things. This guy was annoying but he would probably ruin the mission if he let his emotions take control of him.

“By the way, despite what you’re probably thinking, I don’t plan when I say things, I just speak my mind so it’s not like I’m targeting you for bullying or anything.” He said in explanation as the group began to disperse. Sophia and Avalon were already headed towards the gate ahead of him and Bailin went wherever he went, most likely to go help with the construction. “Also, I’m already guessing you’re thinking something along the lines of ‘This guy is a bully and I’m going to get back at him by not helping him out or healing him in battle. He won’t survive without my help.’ right?” The slightest change in Zyrune’s expression confirmed Steel’s guess. While a normal person would smirk at this, Steel kept on his normal expression which didn’t change at all although he did have the mental satisfaction of being correct as he occasionally was wrong with his guesses. “That is perhaps one of the most selfish and arrogant things I’ve heard all day. Well technically, I didn’t hear it physically but the sentiment remains the same.” Although Steel was criticizing him, he made sure that everyone else was outside of hearing distance so the Druid wouldn’t feel like he was calling him out in front of everyone. But Steel felt that he had to drill some common sense into this idiot Druid who lets his emotions take control. “To be honest, I separate combat and non-combat. I don’t bring in any issues I have with others into the battlefield because it would cause problems for everyone else. You’re acting really immature, letting your emotions potentially ruin the mission or make it more difficult just because you want to get back at me because I acted in a way you didn’t like. There are lives on the line here. Unlike us, the people of the land will permanently die if they lose all of their HP. We can’t let ourselves succumb to useless grudges in a serious situation.” Steel was beginning to wonder how the Druid would take this.

“The two of us are completely different. Actually, I think it’d be more accurate to say that we’re practically opposites in many ways.” Steel said as he picked up a small rock. “I’m a shadow, I’ll continue to fight how I fight and help my teammates and others around me regardless of what happens to me, even if I’m ignored or forsaken by others. I’m not here just for the glory after all. That is what it means to be a shadow.” He said the ‘ignored’ and ‘forsaken’ part in reference to how Zyrune was planning to do that to him. “You on the other hand is the light, one who attracts attention and wants all of the attention and as a person of the light, you should become a shining beacon of hope for others. However…” It was then he disappeared right in front of Zyrune, leaving the Druid confused. In reality, Steel didn’t use a magic spell or anything of the sort. It was actually quite a simple trick. Steel has actually redirected Zyrune’s line of sight by throwing the rock he picked up to the side. At the same time, he moved around behind the druid so that by the time Zyrune’s eyes would naturally fall back to where Steel was, it would have seemed as if he disappeared. Steel did this all the time when it was needed. He would redirect the attention of other people to a larger presence. It was something simply known as misdirection, also known as sleight of hand which was a trick commonly used by magicians. It’s because of this sort of trick that he could call himself a shadow. “….your light is way too dim, I can’t see a beacon of hope from you at your current state.” He finished his sentence before he walked off towards Sophia and Avalon so that they could go and protect the golems.

The whole process of keeping guard of the golems gathering resources was uneventful and no monsters. Steel was actually expecting that the three of them would have to fight. For that reason, he felt some unease. This was too easy for a start. It seems Avalon shared his sentiments and even said that she felt like prey rather than a predator. “I got a similar feeling too. It makes me wonder what’s going on around here.” He said in response. “For now, we should stay together and watch each other’s backs.” He said this to try to comfort her a little but he was concerned about the situation. He actually felt a little relieved when they got back from the resource gathering. Avalon began talking again and Steel agreed with her sentiment that they needed to focus on resource gathering early on. She then mentioned the possibility of being watched. Steel nodded. “I think so too although I can’t figure out yet what was watching us. We have to be careful.” They then saw the monk of their party order his golem to gather resources and Avalon decided to do the same. Steel nodded when she said she’d stay this time, the assassin deciding to help the people of the land with their archery. Steel then saw his own golem finish its duty with constructing a defensive bunker. Steel decided to go along with it. “Golem, please come and help gather resources.” He said to his golem. The golem complied and started heading towards the outside. “I’ll continue to protect the golems but I’m going to need some help with that.” He knew he wouldn’t be able to defend the golems on his own against the monsters outside.

Words: 1251

Bailin
Avalon
Luna
Shuwen
Sophia
Zyrune

[Bailin]

[nospaces]

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Antiqua Musket (lvl 5) LH: Antiqua Musket (lvl 5) QS: Starter Rapier AR: Starter Warden Armour

WC: 1008 TWC: 2490 Tags Steel Sophia Zyrune Avalon Shuwen Theme Song TS Credits Cortana

As both Steel and Zyrune were bickering several thoughts came to Bailin’s mind, most were rather rude, suggesting they should get a room or take out a ruler, drop their trousers and get this rubbish over with, which ever would have their preference. He was not the only one who was slightly annoyed with the attitude of both swashbuckler and druid. The monk let out a sigh, whilst the guardian of the party tried to calm things down. Luckily others had more sense than the two bickering kids and started with their tasks, something that made Bailin rather happy. After a few hours Bailin went to the mess hall, finding some of his fellow adventurers there, as well as some members of the garrison. The monk of the party, Shuwen, started talking, it sounded a bit like small talk to Bailin, but he made valid remarks. [break][break] “I concur after hearing that. As it is written it is always best to leave the enemy guessing at what you are planning to do, where you are and the likes, however, as you said quite correctly: they know where we are and they are most likely aware we are up to something. Setting up an alarm system would be nice, but what do you think would suffice, except posting sentries and sending out small patrols to see what is happening. As for the patrols, I am afraid we currently cannot afford to have all of us on the outside of the settlement. So I think we should stick with the gathering of resources and protecting them, making that party dual purpose as observers as well.” Bailin responded as he took a pause from his dinner. Taking a bite he listened carefully to what Shuwen had to add in response, however, he merely stated that he needed resources and as such would send his golem out to gather those. Bailin was slightly disappointed that there would be no further discussion, but on the other hand, discussions took time and that was a commodity they lacked sorely. Quickly Bailin continued his meal as he figured he had many things to do. Avalon had mentioned she felt as if she was being watched; the notion probably did make all of them feel rather… disturbed and uneasy. Though the feeling probably came with the territory of the miasma realms; the almost ever present night adding to the eerie atmosphere. Pondering on things that were needed to be done, Bailin came to the conclusion he agreed with Avalon; gathering resources would be best as well as increasing their production capacities. After the short talk she had headed out to train some of the Lander mercenaries, probably as a way to try and rid herself of the rather annoying feeling of being watched as a secondary goal. [break][break] Looking to the Landers sitting in the mess hall, Bailin gently rose to his feet. “My good gentlefolk, please allow me to introduce myself, I am Bailin, a Warden and adventurer, here with some fellow adventurers to assist you in your task at this stronghold. I have a question I would like to ask of you: could you please refer me to your commanding officer, I fear that I have been unable to locate him or her during my short time here as we have set about to work almost right off the carriage. I must admit I find it a rather shameful act on my account, however, as you know the current situation a lot better than we do at the moment, I would very much like to get up to date on pretty much every bit of information I can find regarding the enemy, terrain, things you have been planning, how things have been before our arrival and so on. To shorten the list: you have been doing a mighty fine job at holding this post and we’re here to assist you to improve things and break this apparent stalemate. Thus I would very much like to have a chat with your commanding officer to find out what is needed most, where it is needed and when it is needed.” Bailin explained, hoping to gain access to the Lander’s commanding officer so the two of them could coordinate better and improve Lander – Adventurer relations. In Bailin’s opinion being on good terms with the Landers would go a long way to bring this noble endeavour to a good end. Meeting the commanding officer would be a good step along that path. [break][break] Once he had finished his meal and received an answer from the Landers, he joined up with Steel, who was getting ready to set out on his second trip outside of the base. “I think I can be of some assistance, though I am still more of a ranged assistance fighter, rather than being either tank or killing machine. However I would like to take a look around as well, to get the lay of the land, and maybe find some spots where we can set traps and such. I also think we should pool our resources together and try to improve our golem count. The sooner we get that done, the sooner we can start building big.” He said as he too ordered his golem to accompany them on their scavenger hunt, bringing the total to four golems and two adventurers. “I think we should also keep an eye out for valuable items, rocks or anything else we can either sell or use to barter. I don’t know how long it will take but I think that our driver mentioned something about trade caravans coming around every now and again. Maybe, if we gather enough resources we could try and expand our garrison’s capacity and try and start our own food production. After that… we might try and think about improvising some siege weapons to do battle over long range and thus minimize risks to ourselves and our allies. What do you think?” Bailin asked his fellow adventurers whilst they waited for the moment they could set out once more.

- Golem orders: resource gathering

[Sophia]

Sophie whistled out a joyful little tune from her lips, while she stood outside the outpost with Steel and Avalon and kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. There wasn't anything outside that gave any sort of signal of an attack. It was pretty quiet out in the woods. Which Sophie understood. She couldn't picture any sort of animal living in these woods. But from was shew was told, there were. In her mind she was worried what kind of creatures could live in such a dead and toxic environment. Her mind, as well as her body shuttered at the thought. She would continue to whistle, attempting to clam her nerves. 

"Being watch?" Sophie asked Avalon, after she heard her mention that she felt like someone's eyes were on them. Sophie looked around, but couldn't see anything. After she had  taken some more time to scan the woods, she turned her sights over to her golem. Worried for it safely, and not wanting it to wonder off from the camp, Sophie pulled out her crystal and pointed it at her golem, before she gave it another order. "Continue to collect whatever you find, but please stay close to the camp." She said, to the construct, with a concerned tone in her voice as she spoke to it.

When Avalon decided to go back to the camp to help the landers train, she turned to Steel. "I'll stay out here with you, and help guard the golems, if you like." She replied, before Bailin came over to the two of them, intending to join in also protecting the golems. She nodded with him in agreement, to his idea of getting as many resources as they can outside, and use them to fortify the camp's defenses. "That sounds excellent!"  She turned her head, with her eyes on Steel "What do you think, Steel?"  

---

Word Count: 311
Tags: Bailin Avalon Luna Shuwen Steel Zyrune

[Luna]

The Miasma Realms remained eerily quiet as your golems finish their last task for the day. The night (or at least what you think is night) was quiet and strangely uneventful. One would think that the monsters in the Miasma Realm would attack right about this time. The strange calmness has put many of the Lander mercenaries on the edge, believing that it was merely the calm before the storm. They believed the Miasma Realm to be a living entity of its own, carefully plotting the ruination of those who trespass on it, and considering some of the things they have seen in the Miasma Realm, one cannot blame them for coming to that conclusion. Still, even if a storm was coming, this brief respite, however misleading it may be, could work out in your favor as it gives you time to prepare.

As a new day begins, the Outpost remained quiet throughout the night with the Mercenaries still on edge. However, the morning brought a strange turn of events. The Supply Caravan that brought you to the outpost suddenly appeared at the gates. They were not due for another week so their visit was rather unexpected. As the leader of the Caravan came to explain their sudden visit you learn that they are not here to bring additional supplies, that won't be until next week. They came because they found a young lander boy at the edge of Miasma Realms. They tried taking him with them towards the nearest town, but the boy would simply sneak off and head towards and into the Miasma Realms. They even tried tying the boy up, but somehow the boy managed to free himself and continue towards the Miasma Realms. The boy doesn't seem to be able to speak so they don't even know his name. They have no idea who his parents are or if he even has any.

Due to how he keeps trying to go into the Miasma Realms, they decided that rather than letting him sneak off into the Miasma Realms and getting himself killed, it would be safer for him to just stay at the outpost. It was not ideal, but as he keeps trying to enter the Miasma Realms, it was better than risking the chance that he will find a way into the realm on his own and getting himself killed by the monsters that inhabit it. At least at the outpost, he will be under your protection. Of course, the final decision of whether or not he can stay is up to you six.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

-Day 2, Round 1-

Outpost Status:
Crystal Durability: 100%
Wall: Level 1
Garrison: Level 1, Upgrade Available
Mercenaries: 30/30
Defensive Bunkers

• Level 1 x2 (Currently Unmanned 0/8)

Mess Hall: Level 2
Food: 970 Units/30 Upkeep
Golem Facility: Level 1

Character Statuses:
-Shuwen
Resources: 100
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Sophia
Resources: 300
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Avalon
Resources: 300
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Steel
Resources: 150
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Bailin
Resources: 300
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

-Zyrune
Resources: 150
Golem: Awaiting Orders
Respawn Charges: 2

Current Golem Production Option Costs:
-Collect Resources: +100 resources per golem sent, 1 round
-Build Defensive Bunkers* (can man 4 Lander mercenaries, they can shoot arrows in it): -50 Resources, 1 round
-Build Golem: -1000 resources, 2 rounds
-Upgrade Garrison (can house 10 more units): -100 resources, 2 rounds


Next Round will begin Sunday. Afternoon/Evening

[Bailin]

[nospaces]

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Antiqua Musket (lvl 5) LH: Antiqua Musket (lvl 5) QS: Starter Rapier AR: Starter Warden Armour

WC: 1462 TWC: 2944 Tags Steel, Sophia Zyrune Shuwen Avalon Theme Song TS Credits Cortana

“So… any of you good with kids?” Bailin asked his companions as he examined the little boy the trade caravan had left in their care. Bailin knew of his friend Mitsu whom, as a heretic, could suffer from the corruption miasma could inflict, though Mitsu had been safe from that fate as far as Bailin was aware, as well as the fact that Mitsu was not a Lander but an adventurer and as such was more resistant to the poison on that account, or so Bailin figured. Thinking on what the caravan master had told them Bailin figured they would need to know a boatload more about the kid and thus, after leading his companions away from the kid so he couldn’t hear them talking, proposed the following: [break][break] “If none of you have a knack for kids I will try to at least get a name from him, however I am… not that great with children. I would very much like him to join us in our endeavour, as our ranks could do with more troops and aid. I also think it would be unwise to let him just wander into the dark before we know all there is to know from him, like the why does he want to keep going to the Miasma Realms, what are his skills, can he fend for himself, has he seen or heard anything that might be of use to us, those things I much desire to know of him.” Bailin softly voiced out to his companions. [break][break] “The next thing on our list, in my opinion should be the constructing of a new golem. This will increase our options regarding resources and construction. If we pool our resources together we should have enough for one golem and some buildings, which would be my next point. If we expand the garrison building we can allow for more troops in the garrison, which could free our hands a little bit. If we want we can spend the rest of our resources on some more bunkers, placed in a chessboard formation as to create killing fields between them and fall back positions if need be. After that we should probably start digging, gathering resources and upgrading things if possible. Which reminds me… does anyone here have any skills with woodworking or even better: siege engineering? I, like our comrades here, dislike this silence, we were told things were rather bad out here and those who went out had the feeling they were being watched, so it would be logical to assume the enemy, whom or whatever they are, are probably gathering forces, so we should use this time of rest to improve, build and improvise. In my humblest of opinions if we could build some siege engines like ballistae or catapults we could perhaps do some area damage attacks whilst the enemy advances upon us, thin the herd so to speak. But that is long term planning. For now I think we should, like I said, build a golem, some bunkers and upgrade the garrison building.” Bailin rambled as his mind raced between options. On the one hand it would tie them all down to this place, leaving them void of resources, however, they had been lucky two times already, too lucky in his opinion. Even the Landers said they felt really uneasy with this calm and they had been here longer then the adventurers. If this were one of the strategy games he loved to play, the enemy was currently building up a force to wipe them out instantly or diminish their numbers so badly it would be futile to remain. The third option would be to send a force to occupy them whilst they either swung round the flanks or just to keep them busy whilst hostile reinforcements kept pouring in, never enough to make the defeat total but binding them long enough in one place to make them unable to do anything else but fight. [break][break] The situation left them in a bit of a snare, they could go out and gather more things but that would split their already small force, leaving both forces weakened and easy pickings. Nor could they set out in force, leaving the Landers to more or less fend for themselves. The third option was probably the best option, or so Bailin figured, as it would strengthen their current position on both the relative long and short terms, whilst minimizing the risks. And so his mind kept racing for a bit. [break][break] “Darn it.” He mumbled as his racing mind came to a stop. “Steel, do you think you could draw us a map and have the Landers show you where there are known hotspots of enemies or where we could find potential supplies, help or other useful things. Also if you could ask them if they know about siege engineering that would be mighty kind and fine of you.” Bailin asked of Steel. [break][break] ”Shuwen, could you start preparing food supplies that could last us about a day, two at most. I will not lie, I am expecting things to erupt in chaos and fighting and I, no, we will need all hands on deck, which leaves little time for cooking, so it would be best to have enough supplies to last us a bit.” Bailin continued his round or requests to each separate member. [break][break] “Zyrune, if you would be so kind as to prepare an area for the wounded. If possible I would like to have you near the front lines when the fighting starts to heal both Landers and us, prioritising the Landers as most of us can handle a punch or two and the Landers are a bit… more prone to permanent injuries than we are.” Bailin asked the druid. “Also,” he continued more serious and sternly, “I would ask of both you and Steel to bury the hatchet for now, preferably in the enemy's head instead of the ground or each other’s. I know not the history you two share but we need all hands on deck and all minds focussed on the task at hand and the inbound fight. There will be little to no time for bickering, so please refrain from it until we are safe and sound.” [break][break] “Avalon, I will leave you a choice, I would love to know what is happening on the outside, however that is rather risky and I would not be happy to lose you already. Thus the choice I would like to give you is either continue training with the Landers or go scout. I currently cannot think of any practical or useful things for you to do at the moment.” Bailin suggested to Avalon. [break][break] “Sophia, I will leave you the same choice as Avalon as going outside alone might equal suicide and together you might fend off whatever is out there long enough to get here safely, more or less anyway. If you prefer to stay here would you please train with the Landers as well… or wait… you mentioned you could cook as well if I am not mistaken? If I am correct on the matter, perhaps you could assist Shuwen with the preparation of supplies.” Bailin asked the last member of their expeditionary adventurers force.[break][break] “As for me, I will probably run about, try to organise the Landers more and check on how things are faring with each and every one of you as my subclasses are not that useful at the moment compared to the skills you all have. I also think we should have the Landers start being on guard in the bunkers we’ve already constructed as well as have half of the remaining Landers on active duty and or training whilst the other half is resting.” Bailin suggested with a smile, “Lastly I would like to apologise for me taking command and talking a lot, the last part is a bad habit, the first being something that I’ve always dreamed about when playing games back home and seeing this as the most opportune moment to put those skills to proper use. I am looking forward to working alongside you and we will survive this if we work together, how cliché a thing that might be to say.” He ended his talk, which took a bit longer than he intended but he did say all that he thought was needed of being said. All that remained now was to see if his companions agreed with his suggestions and if anyone was willing and able to talk with the kid. [break][break] “Golem, please start improving the garrison building.” Bailin asked his Golem, setting it about to upgrade the building where the Lander garrison spent most of their down time, if not in the mess hall or training. [break][break]

Golem orders: Improve/upgrade Garrison barracks

[Shuwen]

Words: 556

“I wasn’t thinking of putting more focus on guard duty, I get that our manpower was limited.” He said quickly. “I was thinking of using devices or spells intended to warn people of intruders. Tripwires or pressure plates that make noise, piling dry vegetation around the border so you can’t enter or leave without making noise. I’ve heard some of the magic-centric classes also have spells that are suited for detecting intruders, though I don’t remember which ones, or which spells.” Bailin then rose and made a short speech directed to the landers. I guess he’s the type that likes giving speeches, isn’t he? Well, better him then me I guess.

Later, Shuwen was a little surprised to see the caravan come back early. However, it wasn’t to bring them anything, at least, nothing they expected to receive. They’d come back to drop off a young boy that seemed to be obsessed with the miasma, as they had no way of keeping him away, they at least wanted him supervised. Guh, what an annoying choice.

If he were a normal kid, the kind that liked to laugh and play and ask question, then he could probably hand him without any issue whatsoever. It was one of the few times his ADHD worked to his advantage; it made thinking like a kid easier, making it easier for him to put himself on the kid’s level. However, this didn’t seem like a normal kid; he didn’t talk, he didn’t play. He was obsessed with the Miasma realm, and that was all he let govern his actions. I wonder who will be the one to give the talk about ‘hard feelings’ if I stood up for the kid? Blah, screw this. He stood up. “I could use some help in the kitchen. Washing dishes and the like isn’t particularly dangerous or require too much technical skill, and my subordinates aren’t so overworked that someone couldn’t keep an eye on him.” If no one objected too strenuously, he’d accept the child into the camp under his own supervision.

Before the caravan left, Shuwen spoke briefly to the caravan’s master about obtaining specific items, even giving him the money necessary to do so. I know I picked it to move away from the usual monk build, but my hunter subclass really hasn’t seen much use. He hadn’t really used his bow for much other then the occasional surprise attack, and quite frankly, throwing projectiles worked just as well in that regard. And since they already had a hunter in the group, he’d decided he wanted to change his roleplaying subclass to something else, something that might be of more use in the Miasma realm, so he wanted to acquire a subclass changing scroll and a skill changing scroll. If the caravan had the items on hand, he’d simply buy them as a player and that would be the end of it, but if not, they’d hopefully have one the next time they came around.

When it was time to assign golems to do more work, he decided send his to gather more resources. There were likely other things he could do with it. He had some ideas for other things he could have done, but regardless of what he chose, he'd inevitably end up running out of resources pretty quickly.

- Golem order: Gather resources

[Zyrune]

Lets Play Elder Tales.

Hp: 100 Mp:100

▼

Tagged: Shuwen Bailin Steel Avalon Sophia Luna Wc: 1556 Golem Task: Construct A Bunker NOTES: None

Eyes slowly fluttered open to the morning rays of sunlight or instead the lack of sunlight and instead that twilight like beams that seemed a constant reminder that one was in the Miasma Realms. Sitting up from the bed the druid had chosen to sleep on, he stretched for a moment and yawned. It was hard to believe that it was morning nor that any time had past since arriving in this forsaken place. Thankfully after Steel and the the candy gloss haired druid hadn't come to heads just yet, however Zyrune had kept a closer eye on the adventurer since that first meeting and he guessed that Steel had kept an even closer eye on him. Tossing the blankets over him he stretched once more as he glanced towards a nearby window in the room before groaning. The miasma realm didn't really seem like it wanted anyone to enjoy it, nor did it seem to enjoy the passing of time as everything seemed to trudge along like an eight hundred year old tortoise. While three adventurers had once more ventured outside, the druid had been more than happy to remain within the outpost and it's secure walls, he hadn't come into contact with a single monster of the Miasma Realms and he planned on keeping it that way. Instead lean boy had watched over his golem as it dutifully went about it's task of constructing a simple defensive bunker, however the druid couldn't help but note that the landers had yet to take place in the bunker if they were attacked, they needed to be stationed there. Sitting nearby letting the people of the land do their own thing, he had managed to make some repairs to his own armor and also managed to design some interesting but basic pieces that he hoped would offer the people of the land stationed with them some added protection. It didn't bode well that the druid was the main support, of course he was flattered and filled with pride at the task but he was also quite nervous should something happen to one of them. Unlike adventurers who died, the druid could bring them back with the use of a resurrection spell and even failing that they could respawn, however the time and location might vary but they had countless more chances. People of the land however were mortal in the truer sense of the word, once they fell they were gone for good, so damage protection was a must and any healing needed to be done quickly and efficiently. Still half asleep the druid went about his morning routine getting dressed in his unique style of clothing that only seemed to be fitting for this area of Elder Tales. Next on the pink haired half-alv's mind was breakfast and for once he was grateful for the presence of Shuwen who he knew was an adept chef. That meant that at least they wouldn't have to resort to the cracker tasting menu food supplies during their time here. Being here was punishment enough it seemed, adding flavorless food would serve nothing but dismay their efforts. As the group had their fill not really saying bar the occasional greeting, the outpost had a rather unusual visitor. The supply caravan that had originally brought them here had returned so soon, the reason being a rather troublesome young lander. Inwardly the druid was not impressed. Not only had the caravan returned without any new supplies, they were dropping off an added risk, a child who only seemed intent on causing trouble who also would become an extra mouth to feed and someone's added responsibility. It didn't sit well with the druid that the child's care would be his, of course it had not been directed as such but he was the outposts healer, at least with the lander guards and adventurers, he could comfort himself if they got hurt that they had willing signed up to the task full knowing of the risks that the Miasma Realms held. A child did not understand that and yet if anything happened to him, he knew full well that he would be expected to save him. Not only that but now the outpost would be without resources an extra day presumably due to the caravans delay in returning home. The only idea of it seemed rather idiotic as if the people of the land didn't care if the outpost had much needed supplies or not. Pursing his lips he decided not to say anything. There wasn't much they could do now that he was on their doorstep was it, they couldn't exactly turn away a child without bringing the wrath of the lander guards on them now could they? As Bailin started once again rattling off a speech that the druid no doubt presumed the warden had spent all night preparing, the groups attention was focused on the silent boy who seemed to be quite uninterested in that around him. It was curious how the lander seemed to want to remain in the Miasma Realms. To Zyrune that meant one of two things; one he was looking for something or two he was from the miasma realms and wishing to return. The druid gave the boy a day in the outpost if even that before he went missing just like the caravan traders had mentioned. As the warden inquired about their reputation with kids, the druid looked away. Due to his impressively close friendship with his sister and background as an outside it made sense to place the child with him. However as he took in the boy with a curious expression it only set him further against the idea. Too many harsh memories of his sister flooded his mind and he needed to stay focused. Having the child around would only serve to distract him from that purpose. However the druid had no doubt that the group would lump him with the child as it didn't look like Steel was going to allow the druid out of the outpost any time soon. Since they had arrived the man had volunteered each time to venture outside, was he concerned the Miasma Realms would suit the druid or was he still worried that Zyrune couldn't hold his own? Regardless due to their reluctance to let the druid venture outside that meant that the boy would more than likely be put under his direct or indirect care the majority of the time. “Zyrune, if you would be so kind as to prepare an area for the wounded. If possible I would like to have you near the front lines when the fighting starts to heal both Landers and us, prioritising the Landers as most of us can handle a punch or two and the Landers are a bit… more prone to permanent injuries than we are.” The druid tiled his head and almost chuckled at the notion. Had the warden had his head stuck in the clouds as he made up these speeches  this entire time and failed to see that the druid had already prepared a more than sufficient casualty area that he had spent the majority of the previous day preparing or perhaps the warden had found fault with it and didn't consider it adequate. Either way the druid raised and eyebrow and glared at him. "Maybe if you should take a break Bailin, you'll find I've already done that." The druid spoke very matter of factually with a calm expression. "Perhaps instead of concerning yourself with scolding Steel and myself like little children," The druid then gave a wink to the adventurer he was sure now despised him. Sticking his tongue out playfully towards the other adventurer, he smiled. "You should think for a moment. So far you haven't convinced the landers to do anything, they don't seem to want to do anything either. Steel here is a courtesan, or so the interface tells me." The druid paused looking towards the other man. "He should talk to the boy and the lander soldiers. That skill of his will give him more sway than any of your fancy speeches. We need those men in those bunkers and as much as it pains me to say it." The druid rolled his eyes playfully towards the argumentative adventurer. "He is the man to do it, it is also wise to find out what that boy wants and why sooner rather than later, and if nothing else convince him to behave and not cause trouble. Again a job more suited to someone with that skill." He paused and swung his crystal down before him as he opened up the interface. "I enjoy children as much as the next person, but the Miasma Realms is dangerous enough without adding in the risk of a child who doesn't understand those risks, the supply caravan shouldn't have brought him here." Shrugging the druid let out a sigh of defeat, knowing there was nothing they could do about it now. "If you want my resources you can have 100 of them, my golem will build another bunker that hopefully Steel can convince the landers to fill. If you want I can stay here and craft some more stuff for our lander friends or I can aid a team venturing for resources."

PYXIS ★

[Avalon]

word count;1085

"No, no hun. You're a bit too tense there," she admonished as she held one of the lander's shoulders and continued with a slight smile, "There we go, you got it. Remember shoulder length apart. Not too tense but firm," when the willing lander mercenary clumsily adjusted his stance. "Don't worry, it took me a while to properly learn to shoot," she reassured as she addressed the rest of the landers who seemed to be a bit frustrated on some of the techniques of the bow and arrow. Still when it came down to the actual battle, as long as they were able to defeat at least an enemy--made all the difference. Luck also played a factor as well no matter what other people would say about it. Avalon was willing to take any lander mercenary who wanted to learn the bow and arrow. She and the mercenaries woke up early what it seemed like early morning for some archery practice and she was surprised by the turn-up. More than what she had expected showed up.

They weren't the best bunch of landers she would want to train since some of them seemed a bit shady characters but they did their work so she had to respect that at least. At first, they seemed skeptical of a girl especially an adventurer, teaching them how to fight. She guessed it was understandable since the Elder Tale world seemed like mixture of the Middle Ages and fantasy elements. She hardly seen any lander women taking charge. But eventually after proving herself that she wasn't just a girl but an experienced archer, they quickly became hard workers listening to her instructions and even began joking around with her.

Stopping her teaching, she noticed a vehicle not too off from the distance. "Is that the caravan?" she asked herself as she squinted her eyes for a better look at the incoming vehicle. Wasn't the caravan supposed visiting until a week later from now? Was there some emergency or some important news to be told? She frowned at the thought of this miasma realm recolonization being canceled when she had already put in effort to completing this quest. She accepted this quest knowing that it was a possibility that she might die. Even so, she would respawn but the thought of the possibility of pain leading up to it made her nervous. This was why she has chosen a long range combat style.

Curiously listening to the landers' explanation, she noticed the young boy who was the reason for their early visit to the miasma realms. She cocked her head in thought wondering why such a young boy would want to go into the miasma realms especially that this place was most likely filled with dangerous creatures and toxic miasma fumes.what was his reason of risking his life repeatedly to enter such a dangerous place? Hearing that he didn't even speak, she wondered if there was some sort of trauma that caused him to become mute. She heard of such cases that caused this but this seemed different. Maybe he was born in the wild? No, that couldn't be it right? He was capable of escaping from being tied up so maybe he had a secret he had to hide. There were many questions spinning around in her mind but she had to put it in the back-burner for now.

Avalon guessed it was time for a group meeting like a band of misfits coming together. She wasn't sure yet if some of the team would be able to put aside their differences when it would be time to get down to business. It was the eye-patched heretic who began the group meeting and started by asking if someone was good with kids. Showmen suggested that he and his subordinates could watch the young boy while working in the kitchen so that was a good idea. "Not really," she replied to the heretic and shrugged remembered that she was the youngest in her family. She never really was able to hang out with much children younger than herself since everyone was older than herself. The designated baby of the family who actually enjoyed getting away with things and rebelled from family expectations but it had been only a matter of time until things changed and she finally realized she had to grow up and take responsibility as an adult. "But if he's proven trustworthy, I could train him up a bit and add him to our manpower," she pondered and continued, "the more the merrier right?" with a smile.

Avalon was not used to long explanations by a single individual so when the heretic began, she felt a little overwhelmed by the information overload. All of the ideas he gave were reasonable but her mouth curved downward realizing that none of her classes were useful in siege engineering, if only she stuck with the wood crafting sub-class instead of changing her class to artisan just because she liked painting pretty pictures. She could have added to the arsenal by constructing some catapults or other such siege weaponry. She was take aback when Zyrune replied to Bailin with a wink and sticking out his tongue. "You're not helping out the situation you know?" she muttered sharply at Zyrune. She didn't want pissed off guys eventually leading up to a meaningless brawl. She did like his idea of using Steel's courtesan class to hopefully gain the trust of the silent young boy. She guessed that courtesan class did have it's uses in quests too.

Avalon frowned feeling offended that the heretic couldn't find anything useful that she could contribute to the quest. She knew none of her classes helped as much but to hear it from some one else was another matter. She felt a little envious he found things the other members could do for the quest but he could of was just scouting and training the landers. At least she could help out by taking charge of constructing a golem by pulling in the resources. Every little bit of help counted for something at least right? "I think I'm going to continue training the mercenaries to boost up morale and gain their trust in us," she stated and paused, "And I'll get my half of the mercs to man the bunkers," since concentrating inwardly was vital as well. "I'll take charge of building a golem if that's alright," she continued as she got ready to pool in the resources.

Shuwen Bailin Steel Zyrune Sophia Luna

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Steel]

“First off, you should cool your head Bailin.” Steel said in response to the Warden’s very long speech as he’s trying to get everyone to do something and follow his instructions. “Things aren’t going to get much better if keep acting like that. I appreciate the enthusiasm but that fire of yours is going all over the place and it’s almost going to lose control. Keep a cool mind while maintaining the fire inside you. Also, just for future reference, if you start telling people what to do without even getting them to recognize you as a leading figure of any sort, it’ll just get harder to lead them. Also, you talk too much, people will just ignore you in that sort of case.” While he was being quite blunt, Steel wasn’t saying anything near the lines ‘who made you boss?’ or ‘just shut up’. He was genuinely giving him advice so that Bailin wouldn’t be facing trust issues in the future due to people thinking of the warden as bossy. “Don’t worry though, I’ll do all that you wanted me to. I’ve already made a map of the area based on the map that the people of the land have. I’ll ask for the necessary info when I can.”

“As for the whole bury the hatchet thing, you already know from way back that I don’t hold grudges during a serious time so you don’t have to worry about me. Remember how me and oddy weren’t on the best terms at first?” Steel said in response. “I put on hold all grudges when it would hinder the group.” He then turned towards Zyrune who still decided to act, in Steel’s opinion, like an idiot. “But I would advise you not to push it with that annoying behavior you have.” Other insulting words about the annoying Druid came to mind but the Swashbuckler did not wish to say them out loud and make things worse.

The Druid had then began to address a problem with the People of the Land not doing anything and also suggested for Steel to use his Courtesan ability to get them to follow orders. Although Zyrune had a good point, Steel didn’t like his idea of using the Courtesan subclass to get the people of the land to do what they wanted. “To be honest, I think that’s a despicable idea. You’re practically asking me to manipulate people using their own emotions. To suggest such an idea just reinforces my opinion about your light being weak.” He then walked over to the large group of People of the Land that were nearby. “I’ll thank you though for giving me an idea. For once, the shadow will overpower the light.“

Although he was approaching them, the people here were too immersed in their own conversations to take notice, further driven by Steel’s usual lack of presence. Let’s test this out then. Steel thought to himself as he activated a skill from his menu, Celebrity Concubine, a skill that was basically a widespread version of his Allure skill and it would attract a lot of attention. Sure enough, it caused everyone, both Adventurers and People of the Land to pay attention to him. To those of the opposite sex, it would have made a more powerful effect which didn’t merely just attract their attention. This was just a more powerful version of Allure after all so the romantic effect was still a thing in this. Steel was still somewhat annoyed by this part of the ability but he needed it to attract the attention of everyone. Once he knew he got everyone’s attention, he turned the skill off before taking a deep breath.

“ATTENTION, ALL, FORCES!!” Steel exclaimed in a volume that created a certain intensity in the atmosphere and now all ears were listening. At this, Steel’s voice became more serious as he continued to speak. “Why have you just been standing around, not doing much to fortify our defenses?” He said in a rather blunt tone. “Did you expect us to do all of the work and protect you by ourselves? Did you think that god was going to do everything for you? I’ll make it clear right here and now. We aren’t god, we aren’t some all-powerful beings that can solve every problem. There are differences but we’re people just like you.” Steel hated doing things in the roundabout way, he wasn’t one to use inspirational speeches and he especially hated using deceit to get the result he wanted. This is why he wanted to do this his way, he wanted to speak his mind. “Ever since I’ve come here, I’ve heard this sort of thing all over the place. ‘We’d never be able to beat an Adventurer, they’re so strong’ and ‘You’re an Adventurer right? Please protect me.’ Honestly, I’m sick of it.” His voice then became a little low. “I’m sick of how you people are underestimating yourselves way too much. Show some backbone for once in your life! If you don’t want to die, then fight for your life! If you were planning on just telling us to fight the enemy on our own and hiding behind us, you’d be more likely to die since the six of us would probably be overwhelmed. Also, if we don’t hold our ground here, the enemy is most likely going to advance even further, making them even closer to more people. That’s why we have to reestablish our footing and fight back.” At this point, Steel calmed down a little. “Well, I won’t force you to do so physically or through the use of my Courtesan skill. The choice is up to you. No matter the choice, I’ve already decided to give it my all to protect as many people as I can. I was just hoping you’d all have the same resolve you know?” He then walked back towards the other five adventurers.

“That’s all I can do I think.” He said to them. “If it’s not enough, sorry about that. But either way, we can’t get anything done if we just stand around right? Let’s get to work.” He then walked up to Avalon. “Take all of the resources I’ve collected, I’ll just send my golem to get more. We’re going to be needing that extra golem.” He then instructed his golem to go out and get some resources. He then turned back to the men. “To those who have resolved themselves to fight, we need people to man the defensive bunkers. Avalon here is willing to teach people archery. Also, can I meet with some people later so I can figure out the dangerous areas on my map? It’d help to know the area more so we can plan better.” He then found the kid again. “Hey kid, I want to know why you keep running off towards the miasma realm. It’s dangerous out there you know?” He said to the kid before picking him up. “I heard that you sneak off the first chance you get. I’ve done similar stuff so I already know the basic idea of it. I’ll just make sure to keep an eye on you.” He then thought about the situation. Now he couldn’t just go out so easily with this kid. “Hey Druid, you’ve probably gotten a little sick of getting cooped up right? I even bet you’re thinking something along the lines of ‘Steel won’t let me out of the outpost.’ Well, now’s your chance if you want. We’re going to need more people to join you. Anyone else free?” He then remembered the golem thing. “Ah right, we still need more resources for the golem building.”


Words: 1283

OOC: Finally, I posted

Shuwen
Sophia
Avalon
Bailin
Zyrune
Luna