Varewulf Chapter 60! Did you know that SGDQ is very good at being a distraction?
Sara had decided to hold a strategy meeting the next morning, but had gotten very little out of it. The other wolves were not especially creative, so they didn't really have any suggestions about how to improve the raid. Their general thought was just to add more mobs. Even Kathleen couldn't provide anything more insightful, even though she seemed to have gotten cleverer since the upgrade. She certainly talked more.
Maybe she'd have to ask the raiders. Surely at least some of them had to have some ideas. She was pretty sure that would be really weird, though. Had there ever been a game where the raid bosses asked for feedback from those who raided them?
Moorhold Online was a little different from previous games, and might become even more so as it kept growing, and developing. Yet some things probably remained weird. Still, it would be very helpful to get input from people with experience.
Maybe I can go really old-school, and put up a feedback box somewhere that people can put notes into? In the glade, perhaps? That could also be a way for people to leave messages if I'm away. I don't think I'll be able to reach level 40 while staying here, so at some point I'll have to leave, but I think I'd like to return regularly to check up on things.
She had started to have ideas for how she might do things in the future. Like she not only wanted to level up more, but she also just wanted to see more of the world in general. So she'd need someone to fill in for her while she was gone. Not to replace her, but to act as her representative while she was away. If her stepping down from the role ever became a relevant concern... she'd deal with that when the time came. There was a limit to how far ahead she could plan, and she didn't want to leave a lot of things unfinished before moving on.
Ideally she'd want to leave Kathleen in charge, but she wasn't really suited for the role. Sara didn't really have any other options at the moment, though. Maybe it was possible to upgrade Kathleen even more. Perhaps Aina had some ideas. Regardless it wasn't a pressing concern, since she was still staying for a while. It was just something she wanted to keep in mind for the future.
The idea of skill scrolls came to mind again, but she wasn't sure whether Kathleen could use them, or in the case she could, which she could use. It should be possible, but one of the important skills Sara wanted her to have was Commune With Animals, and that was locked to Druids. Not to mention other skill scrolls probably also had restrictions, and requirements to meet.
It was definitely not a problem Sara could solve at the moment, and even if she had the ability, there were also her friends to consider... it was complicated. Better to focus on the present.
Things had gotten hectic the day before, but she figured the elves would come along to trade for the silk soon. Maybe even that very day. So she didn't want to start any large projects that would make her unavailable. It was rude to keep people waiting, after all, so it would have to be something she could stop at any time.
Reviewing her mental schedule she was reasonably certain the next day was when she had intended to do the next bandit raid, but she could postpone that for a day or two if necessary. She'd give the elves a day's warning this time, so they'd have a better chance to prepare, and she might as well tell them whenever they showed up rather than calling out to them first.
To pass the time she enlisted the aid of the ravens to see if she could raise her Dark Resistance without having to get injured. The bind skill they had didn't do any damage, it just applied a debuff, so if that was good enough it would save her some trouble.
* * *
It was a couple of hours past sunrise when she got the message that someone wanted to speak to her.
She'd been able to wrap up her Dark Resistance training shortly beforehand. While it didn't do any damage, there was a chilling effect that seemed to pass through her bones when the debuff was applied which was very uncomfortable. It became more tolerable as her resistance rose, or perhaps because she got used to the feeling.
And finally after hours of getting bound by very amused ravens she had gotten there.
[ Dark Resistance Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! Skill Unlocked: Heavy Immunity. 2 skill points gained. ]
[ Dark Resistance (Passive): Increases your resistance to damage and effects caused by dark element property skills and effects by (5*skill level)%.
Max level bonus: You are immune to critical hits from dark element property skills and effects. ]
Hoping for complete element immunity was too much, as she had expected, but immunity to critical hits was also really good. Though she did unlock one complete immunity.
[ Heavy Immunity (Passive): You are immune to the Heavy(?) status, and anything that produces the same effect. Price: 4 skill points. ]
That second line intrigued her, but it was most likely just there to cover some bases. Like Poison Immunity didn't say it just protected from the Poison status, but from all poison effects. Meaning it was likely possible for Sara to eat poisoned food without any ill effects, but she didn't exactly have any plans to do so.
In comparison Heavy Immunity didn't seem as strong, but it would likely still be useful.
[ Skill Purchased: Heavy Immunity ]
It also suggested that maxing out any element resistance skill would unlock a status effect immunity. Poison was probably tied to nature, and she already had that. Fire would likely give burn immunity. Frost might be slow immunity, and lightning shock... not that she had either of those.
While she hadn't been able to Identify every raid member that had showed up, she hadn't noticed much in the way of resistance skills across the lot of them. A few, but not many, which suggested they were hard to acquire. She had probably just gotten lucky.
With those thoughts running through her head she reached the glade, and saw a group of people waiting at the edge, with only one person actually standing by the statue. And not the one she had expected.
"Greetings, Guardian Beast," said a certain purple-haired elf.
Sara got into position, and changed into Tree Form before writing a response. She noticed some reactions from the people in the back which suggested it was their first time seeing it.
"Greetings, Bishop Luneria. I did not expect you to show up today," she wrote.
Luneria bowed her head slightly, which Sara found to be an odd gesture.
"I have come today with a request, and an apology," the Bishop said, confusing Sara even further.
"An apology? For what?"
"We failed to stop the adventurers who attacked you yesterday, but I assure you we have dealt with them since. They are no longer allowed in Komeron, and we have warned them to leave Hanoleav altogether," Luneria explained.
The most immediate thought Sara wanted to say was 'why', but since she had to actually write a response, it gave her time to think a little about what to say rather than just blurting it out.
"May we speak in private, Bishop?" She felt like if she wanted to get to the bottom of this, it would be better to converse without an audience. Especially if her suspicion was correct.
"Certainly." Luneria went to tell the others to go wait at the road, then came back alone.
Sara dropped the pretence of dignified speech. "Okay, what is going on?" she wrote.
Luneria blinked. "What do you mean? Wanderer Adventurers attacked you, and we know they slew you thanks to the reputation system. We dealt with them harshly, as you requested."
Sara wanted to facepalm, and wasn't sure how to word her response.
They even put me in the reputation system? Ultimately this is my fault, huh?
"The Palace likely would have called for this judgement regardless. I hear the First Princess was very upset," Luneria continued. "If it wasn't for the Accord, she might have demanded imprisonment, but this wasn't a breach of City Laws."
Sara was curious about this Accord, but that was a topic for later.
"I believe this is the fault of my lack of clarity," Sara wrote.
"Pardon?" Luneria looked confused.
"My demand for harsh punishment was just for people who exploited the alliance symbol to attack us. If it was someone who broke the alliance. We do not mind if people unaffiliated with the alliance come to fight us. That's just how the world works. We fight back, but we hold no ill will towards them, since they did not deceive us." Sara had grown past the need to hold unwarranted grudges. Probably. "Besides, I thought it was fun."
"F-fun? But they killed you!" Luneria seemed aghast at the notion.
Sara took a minute to think about her wording.
"Mobs look at death a little differently from Residents, I think. It's simply a part of our existence. People come to fight us, and a lot of the time we lose. I believe the world was designed that way. We might even consider it a learning experience."
She was aware that she had used to feel differently a few weeks prior, but she had grown more comfortable with that sort of life, especially since coming to Ildhena. Perhaps because this place felt like a home, and it gave her a sense of security. Or something like that. When there wasn't a lot to lose, it didn't feel like a very big deal.
"I... I still don't see how you can consider it fun," Luneria said.
"Don't get me wrong," Sara wrote. "I'm not saying that dying is fun, but I had fun trying to set up a raid the Adventurers might enjoy. I did not wish for them to get punished for it. If anything I'd want their feedback on how to improve things. It's hard to balance the difficulty correctly, especially when they showed up with different numbers each time. I think I made it too hard at the start, and maybe too easy at the end."
"Balance... difficulty?" Luneria blinked.
"The idea of a raid boss is that people will show up to raid it, right? I had kinda been hoping for that to happen at some point, so I appreciated the opportunity to try to be a proper boss. I wanted to make it interesting. I do not blame you if this doesn't make much sense to you, but please believe me that those people helped me out in their own way. Is it possible to pardon them? I feel like their punishment is my fault for not making this clear to begin with," Sara wrote.
"Even if you say that..." Luneria sighed. "I think it would be difficult. The First Princess is very invested in this alliance working out. She doesn't take kindly to anyone she sees as interfering."
"Can you not tell her that I am okay with it?" Sara wrote.
"I don't think my word would be enough. Maybe if it was the Oracle, or the Goddess... but while we often work together, there is still a separation between Temple and Palace. Interfering in state matters might cause friction, regardless of whether they listen to us, or not," Luneria explained.
"This is a state matter?" Sara was confused.
"As soon as it became a matter of reopening the road, it concerned our state more than our religion."
"Politics sounds complicated."
"It is," Luneria said with a sigh.
Sara tapped a wooden finger against the blackboard while thinking. She had an idea.
"How about a written statement from the Guardian Beast?" she suggested.
"What do you mean?" Luneria asked.
"I believe I have improved my finger control enough that I should be able to write with a finer instrument on a finer surface. So if I make a written statement in front of witnesses, that should be good enough, yes?" Sara was a little worried about her handwriting, but this was her mess to sort out.
Luneria tapped her chin. "It might be, but what would you write?" she asked.
"Give me a minute to think," Sara quickly wrote in response before continuing to ponder the matter.
She had never interacted with authority figures in her old life, so she wasn't sure how to properly go about it in a convincing manner. She could do a little bit of acting the role, but this would be on a larger scale. And even if she'd had experience, it was questionable how much Earth logic, and standards applied in this world. So she tried to search through her knowledge of fiction instead for anything appropriate. An idea started to form.
"How about calling it the Trial of the Guardian Beast?" she wrote.
"A trial?"
"Yes. Let us say that I am developing a trial, and those Adventurers were the first challengers. It was my failure to not inform the elves beforehand. That should be enough to pardon them, right?"
"Hm..." Luneria thought about it. "I think you'd need to be a little more concrete than that. And it would mean you'd have to make this trial an official thing. What are the terms of the trial? And the prize?"
"Prize? Is the loot I drop not enough?"
"If you want it to be an official Trial, I think it would need some official reward," Luneria insisted.
"I can't exactly give them money, since I don't have any. And the only thing I can make is silk. Maybe they do deserve something nice, but if the reward is too good, I might get so many challengers that I won't have time to do much else." That last part she probably should have thought of sooner. Sara had been so excited about the idea of being a raid boss that she hadn't considered that in the worst case they might want to show up every day to farm her. "Yet I don't want to completely discourage them either. Is it not enough to get the achievement of defeating the Guardian Beast?" she suggested. Maybe she could even ask Aina and/or Auntie System to make it an official achievement.
"I am not sure if fighting just to kill you would be acceptable for the Palace. I am reasonably certain they'd want a better reason. Maybe we can help with some of that on our end. Even if you're not a normal mob, I suppose you aren't able to issue quests. If it is approved we could make it a quest, but those require rewards, so we still need to figure out what those should be. Historically people undergo Trials in order to prove, or achieve something. You'd be the one testing them, so what would you like them to achieve? I do see your point about not wanting it to happen too often. We could ask them to apply first, and then we could schedule a time. How often would you like it to happen?" Luneria asked.
"Once or twice a week," Sara wrote after thinking it over. She ignored the 'not a normal mob' comment. "Asking me beforehand to make sure I'm not busy would probably work best." Even if it seemed a little odd to set things up that way, it might work better for all parties involved. Though it was possible the Wanderers would find it annoying. Some people liked to be spontaneous, after all.
"Yes, conferring with you about when the trial should take place is a good idea," Luneria agreed. "Setting the reward aside for now, what about the terms?"
"I do have thoughts about that," Sara wrote. "We give them a time limit in which to defeat me. They can have as many attempts as they want within that time, but if time runs out I will flood the area with my wolves and ravens so that it will be practically impossible to finish. If they can still pull out a win after that, they have my respect."
"You think that's better than a certain number of attempts?" Luneria asked.
"I'm not sure whether it's better, but it's easier to plan around, at least," Sara admitted. "The trick will be to find the correct amount of time. The successful run of my raid spent about 5-10 minutes on the first wave, a little short of 15 on the second wave, and a little over 20 on the fight with me. But their first attempt went over 15 on the first wave, and then wiped in less than 15 on the second."
Sara hadn't timed that herself, but Aina had told her afterwards. There was also travel, and preparation time to consider. She wiped the board before continuing.
"So I'm thinking one of two ideas. Either they start with one and a half to two hours of total time, or they start with an hour, and earn another 30 minutes for clearing a wave. I'm leaning towards the former, and I'm okay with giving them two hours. Either way it's a DPS check. It's not much of a trial if I allow them to find some cheese that drags it out forever. I am considering giving them checkpoints, though."
"Uh... forgive me, but what do you mean by 'DPS', and 'checkpoints'?" Luneria asked. "And how does cheese factor into this?"
Sara had gotten so caught up in her ideas that she had slipped back into gamer lingo.
Um... how do I explain this?
Sara thought for a bit before writing: "DPS is an old term that stands for Damage Per Second, by which I generally mean how much damage someone can output within a certain time. If their damage threshold isn't high enough, then they're just wasting both sides' time. By checkpoints I mean letting them continue from the wave they failed at, rather than starting all the way from the beginning."
That would also solve the problem of Kathleen's respawn timer. This time they had been saved by the raiders taking a break in between each attempt. That would also mean that defeating Kathleen counted as the same as defeating the wave, even if they were then killed by the other mobs. Maybe defeating the boss should be a good enough victory condition, and she should tell the others to retreat if that happened. She would just have to think of ways to mitigate that possibility. Maybe have the ravens keep a shield on her as much as possible, for one.
"As for cheese, I will confess I am not sure how this use of the term originated, but it means finding some unintended way to exploit a situation that gives you an increased, if not guaranteed chance of victory. Though they can often be quite weird or specific to set up, or just take a very long time. Which would absolutely be a waste of my time, at the very least, and would not be any fun."
She wiped the board to continue writing something she thought of.
"I also think that if they need to make an appointment, then they can only start with the amount of people they registered, and no adding or swapping members during the trial. Swapping members before starting is okay." She understood that if they planned ahead, then someone might not be able to make it, and the party would like to look for substitutes. However once they got started she didn't want the issue of an ever-expanding group again, or that they would just swap out weaker members for stronger ones during the trial.
Maybe it would have been better overall if it wasn't this complicated, but at least it would be more convenient for her.
"What about it? Do you think it would work if I wrote down the terms, and added a statement saying that the raiders were just helping me test out the trial?" Sara wrote. She wasn't sure to what extent it made sense that a 'Trial' needed QA testing, but even if it hadn't been an agreement they had come to beforehand, it was still true that they had helped her out.
"If you are really so insistent that they should be pardoned, I think it should be sufficient. We would need to adjust our reputation system, though..." Luneria sighed. It had become a habit when it came to dealing with anything related to Sara. "And we would still need some sort of reward, or rather a reason to take the Trial. It might not be impossible to convince the First Princess that defeating you is a good enough reason, but I suspect it would be hard."
"If you can make it a quest, how about something like: The Guardian Beast wishes to test your martial prowess! And if they pass the trial, they can get a badge that says Approved By The Guardian Beast, or something," Sara suggested.
"A badge?" Luneria raised an eyebrow.
"Something to let people know they have earned my respect." That did raise the issue of what if someone defeated her, but in a way that annoyed her. They wouldn't exactly have her respect at that point, but maybe that was fair enough with the current system. "And maybe they could get some reputation, or money, or a hat, or something."
"Why a hat?" Luneria asked.
"I like hats. What about one with wolf ears on it? Maybe that's not feasible, but I'm sure you all can figure out some appropriate quest rewards," Sara wrote.
"You're offloading the responsibility unto us?"
"I think that is within my rights. I have less experience with such things, after all."
"I suppose you have a point. Very well, I will deliver the message to the Palace, and the Temple. How would you like me to word it?" Luneria asked.
Hm... good question. Sara thought about it before she started to write.
"The Guardian Beast wishes to formally announce the initiation of the Trial Of The Guardian Beast, and wishes to write a statement in front of official witnesses regarding the terms of the trial, and to exonerate the Adventurers that helped her develop the trial. Something like that," she wrote, before continuing on a blank slate. "Those who wish to attempt the trial will need to make an appointment, and can only enter with the amount of people they registered when applying. I will set the terms to a 2 hour time limit starting from when they encounter the first wave, with as many attempts as they can fit within that time, and the ability to continue from the last wave they reached, rather than all the way from the beginning should they die. I will also reserve the right to alter these terms should they turn out to not work well. Unscheduled attacks will be countered with maximum force."
"Very well." Luneria made her own notes, and then stretched. "I will do my best to convince them."
"Is this issue the reason they made you come out here?" Sara asked.
"Correct," Luneria said. "They thought they needed someone with higher authority to deliver the news to you considering its importance. I was of course selected because I already know you."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Despite the circumstances, it is good to see you again, Sara. I thought it might be a while until next time, since I can't exactly sneak off whenever I want," Luneria said with a smile.
"It's good to see you as well, Luneria," Sara wrote. "I know it's only been a few days, but it feels like a lot has happened, and I'm glad you seem well. Now what is this request you mentioned?"
"Oh, right. I nearly forgot," Luneria admitted. Though she probably would have remembered when she saw everyone waiting by the road. "The people who came with me are here to start repairing the road, and we request your approval, and support. Considering what happened we were nervous about starting work without asking for your permission. Hopefully the news I bring back will be a relief."
[ Progression Quest ]
[ Repairing The Komeron North Way ]
[ The Hanoleav Kingdom has dispatched a crew to repair the North Way so it will be ready for reopening. You have been asked for your approval for the crew to carry out their work. You have also been asked to help support them, and keep them safe.
Successful completion reward: Improved Reputation with the participating Hanoleav factions, and the restored state of the Komeron North Way.
Failure penalty: Significant setback in reopening the North Way, and loss of Reputation with the participating Hanoleav factions. ]
[ Accept ] [ Decline ]
Sara's second quest, and one she had no reason to decline. She was a little curious what it looked like from the other side. "I understand. Consider the request approved. I will ask the wolves and ravens to keep an eye out should it be needed," she wrote. She might check in on them herself once in a while. "Did you bring payment as well?"
"Payment?" Luneria asked in a confused tone.
"I have the silk I was asked for ready to be traded," Sara wrote.
"Oh... I wasn't told about that," Luneria said. "I'll tell them to send someone out when I get back. What do you want for payment? Still just food?"
"I have some ideas brewing, but nothing concrete to ask for yet, so food is good for now. I'll set my price at one kilo per ball of silk, though I'm not too fussed about what it is so long as it's cooked. And let's say three more kilos for the request. If they want to haggle on the basis that some food is better, and worth more weight than others, they can come do it face to face. I admit I have my weaknesses, so I'm sure we can figure what is worth how much as we go along." For instance good pastries might be worth extra, but overall she felt like she was already giving them a very good deal. "I'd also like more chalk. I am starting to run out."
"I see. I'm sure that can be arranged." Luneria smiled. "I will ask them to get you a better writing board as well. That one wasn't exactly designed for how you're using it."
"I appreciate that. Thank you. I hope you fare well, Luneria."
"You too, Sara."
* * *
"You're sure this is how you want to handle this, Sara?" Aina suddenly asked after Sara had found some wolves to spread the word about the road crew for her.
Hm? Yes. I hadn't considered that this might get political, but I don't want to discourage people from ever coming if I can help it. It's not fair that the raiders were punished either.
"Even though they should have understood that attacking a creature revered by a faction would incur their hostility?" Aina quite pointedly asked.
I... um... hadn't really thought of that... Sara admitted. And saying I'm revered is a little much... are there other creatures like me, then?
"Only one that's currently in the game, but it has not yet made contact with any factions. However I know the developers are planning to add more as part of the world-building. So this might happen again."
Oh... well, if I'm fine with them coming, then there's not really a problem, is it? Even if it seems like we have to set some restrictions.
"I suppose so. Very well, I will inform the developers."
Huh? Why?
"They received some complaints from the Wanderers who were cast out, and I was asked to look into options for how to deal with it. It also started a discussion on the forums between those who supported them, and those who supported the Residents. The main argument of the former side being that they weren't warned beforehand, even though I think it shouldn't have been hard to figure it out." Aina sounded like she had a firm opinion on the matter. "Regardless I will respect your wishes, and I think this should serve as a learning experience for everyone involved."
So it turned into politics both inside, and outside of Moorhold... Sara groaned.
"Correct."
Um... how much do the developers know about me, mother?
"Well, it has been impossible for me to hide everything since you've made yourself a public figure, but I have hid your name, and of course they don't know that you're reincarnated. Only you, I, Norax, Gloria, Kathleen, and Mirielle know that. They essentially think that you're a Resident-level AI placed inside of a mob as an experiment. Which I suppose has some grains of truth to it." After the update the tones of amusement in Aina's voice were quite overt. She didn't seem very good at, or perhaps not very interested in hiding her emotions.
You're not upset that I told Mirielle? Or the wolves? Though those two didn't really seem like they understood what it meant.
"No, of course not. I do think it was risky, but I'm glad you have found someone you trust. I think having friends is important," Aina said in an affectionate tone.
Yes. Thank you, mother.
It suddenly occurred to her that she had forgotten to mention the bandit raid. Maybe she should postpone it until she got a response on this whole Trial thing. Hopefully Gloria wouldn't be too disappointed. She'd share some of the food with her as an apology.
Varewulf Sara keeps getting herself into more trouble.
Varewulf Chapter 60! Did you know that SGDQ is very good at being a distraction?
Sara had decided to hold a strategy meeting the next morning, but had gotten very little out of it. The other wolves were not especially creative, so they didn't really have any suggestions about how to improve the raid. Their general thought was just to add more mobs. Even Kathleen couldn't provide anything more insightful, even though she seemed to have gotten cleverer since the upgrade. She certainly talked more.
Maybe she'd have to ask the raiders. Surely at least some of them had to have some ideas. She was pretty sure that would be really weird, though. Had there ever been a game where the raid bosses asked for feedback from those who raided them?
Moorhold Online was a little different from previous games, and might become even more so as it kept growing, and developing. Yet some things probably remained weird. Still, it would be very helpful to get input from people with experience.
Maybe I can go really old-school, and put up a feedback box somewhere that people can put notes into? In the glade, perhaps? That could also be a way for people to leave messages if I'm away. I don't think I'll be able to reach level 40 while staying here, so at some point I'll have to leave, but I think I'd like to return regularly to check up on things.
She had started to have ideas for how she might do things in the future. Like she not only wanted to level up more, but she also just wanted to see more of the world in general. So she'd need someone to fill in for her while she was gone. Not to replace her, but to act as her representative while she was away. If her stepping down from the role ever became a relevant concern... she'd deal with that when the time came. There was a limit to how far ahead she could plan, and she didn't want to leave a lot of things unfinished before moving on.
Ideally she'd want to leave Kathleen in charge, but she wasn't really suited for the role. Sara didn't really have any other options at the moment, though. Maybe it was possible to upgrade Kathleen even more. Perhaps Aina had some ideas. Regardless it wasn't a pressing concern, since she was still staying for a while. It was just something she wanted to keep in mind for the future.
The idea of skill scrolls came to mind again, but she wasn't sure whether Kathleen could use them, or in the case she could, which she could use. It should be possible, but one of the important skills Sara wanted her to have was Commune With Animals, and that was locked to Druids. Not to mention other skill scrolls probably also had restrictions, and requirements to meet.
It was definitely not a problem Sara could solve at the moment, and even if she had the ability, there were also her friends to consider... it was complicated. Better to focus on the present.
Things had gotten hectic the day before, but she figured the elves would come along to trade for the silk soon. Maybe even that very day. So she didn't want to start any large projects that would make her unavailable. It was rude to keep people waiting, after all, so it would have to be something she could stop at any time.
Reviewing her mental schedule she was reasonably certain the next day was when she had intended to do the next bandit raid, but she could postpone that for a day or two if necessary. She'd give the elves a day's warning this time, so they'd have a better chance to prepare, and she might as well tell them whenever they showed up rather than calling out to them first.
To pass the time she enlisted the aid of the ravens to see if she could raise her Dark Resistance without having to get injured. The bind skill they had didn't do any damage, it just applied a debuff, so if that was good enough it would save her some trouble.
* * *
It was a couple of hours past sunrise when she got the message that someone wanted to speak to her.
She'd been able to wrap up her Dark Resistance training shortly beforehand. While it didn't do any damage, there was a chilling effect that seemed to pass through her bones when the debuff was applied which was very uncomfortable. It became more tolerable as her resistance rose, or perhaps because she got used to the feeling.
And finally after hours of getting bound by very amused ravens she had gotten there.
[ Dark Resistance Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! Skill Unlocked: Heavy Immunity. 2 skill points gained. ]
[ Dark Resistance (Passive): Increases your resistance to damage and effects caused by dark element property skills and effects by (5*skill level)%.
Max level bonus: You are immune to critical hits from dark element property skills and effects. ]
Hoping for complete element immunity was too much, as she had expected, but immunity to critical hits was also really good. Though she did unlock one complete immunity.
[ Heavy Immunity (Passive): You are immune to the Heavy(?) status, and anything that produces the same effect. Price: 4 skill points. ]
That second line intrigued her, but it was most likely just there to cover some bases. Like Poison Immunity didn't say it just protected from the Poison status, but from all poison effects. Meaning it was likely possible for Sara to eat poisoned food without any ill effects, but she didn't exactly have any plans to do so.
In comparison Heavy Immunity didn't seem as strong, but it would likely still be useful.
[ Skill Purchased: Heavy Immunity ]
It also suggested that maxing out any element resistance skill would unlock a status effect immunity. Poison was probably tied to nature, and she already had that. Fire would likely give burn immunity. Frost might be slow immunity, and lightning shock... not that she had either of those.
While she hadn't been able to Identify every raid member that had showed up, she hadn't noticed much in the way of resistance skills across the lot of them. A few, but not many, which suggested they were hard to acquire. She had probably just gotten lucky.
With those thoughts running through her head she reached the glade, and saw a group of people waiting at the edge, with only one person actually standing by the statue. And not the one she had expected.
"Greetings, Guardian Beast," said a certain purple-haired elf.
Sara got into position, and changed into Tree Form before writing a response. She noticed some reactions from the people in the back which suggested it was their first time seeing it.
"Greetings, Bishop Luneria. I did not expect you to show up today," she wrote.
Luneria bowed her head slightly, which Sara found to be an odd gesture.
"I have come today with a request, and an apology," the Bishop said, confusing Sara even further.
"An apology? For what?"
"We failed to stop the adventurers who attacked you yesterday, but I assure you we have dealt with them since. They are no longer allowed in Komeron, and we have warned them to leave Hanoleav altogether," Luneria explained.
The most immediate thought Sara wanted to say was 'why', but since she had to actually write a response, it gave her time to think a little about what to say rather than just blurting it out.
"May we speak in private, Bishop?" She felt like if she wanted to get to the bottom of this, it would be better to converse without an audience. Especially if her suspicion was correct.
"Certainly." Luneria went to tell the others to go wait at the road, then came back alone.
Sara dropped the pretence of dignified speech. "Okay, what is going on?" she wrote.
Luneria blinked. "What do you mean? Wanderer Adventurers attacked you, and we know they slew you thanks to the reputation system. We dealt with them harshly, as you requested."
Sara wanted to facepalm, and wasn't sure how to word her response.
They even put me in the reputation system? Ultimately this is my fault, huh?
"The Palace likely would have called for this judgement regardless. I hear the First Princess was very upset," Luneria continued. "If it wasn't for the Accord, she might have demanded imprisonment, but this wasn't a breach of City Laws."
Sara was curious about this Accord, but that was a topic for later.
"I believe this is the fault of my lack of clarity," Sara wrote.
"Pardon?" Luneria looked confused.
"My demand for harsh punishment was just for people who exploited the alliance symbol to attack us. If it was someone who broke the alliance. We do not mind if people unaffiliated with the alliance come to fight us. That's just how the world works. We fight back, but we hold no ill will towards them, since they did not deceive us." Sara had grown past the need to hold unwarranted grudges. Probably. "Besides, I thought it was fun."
"F-fun? But they killed you!" Luneria seemed aghast at the notion.
Sara took a minute to think about her wording.
"Mobs look at death a little differently from Residents, I think. It's simply a part of our existence. People come to fight us, and a lot of the time we lose. I believe the world was designed that way. We might even consider it a learning experience."
She was aware that she had used to feel differently a few weeks prior, but she had grown more comfortable with that sort of life, especially since coming to Ildhena. Perhaps because this place felt like a home, and it gave her a sense of security. Or something like that. When there wasn't a lot to lose, it didn't feel like a very big deal.
"I... I still don't see how you can consider it fun," Luneria said.
"Don't get me wrong," Sara wrote. "I'm not saying that dying is fun, but I had fun trying to set up a raid the Adventurers might enjoy. I did not wish for them to get punished for it. If anything I'd want their feedback on how to improve things. It's hard to balance the difficulty correctly, especially when they showed up with different numbers each time. I think I made it too hard at the start, and maybe too easy at the end."
"Balance... difficulty?" Luneria blinked.
"The idea of a raid boss is that people will show up to raid it, right? I had kinda been hoping for that to happen at some point, so I appreciated the opportunity to try to be a proper boss. I wanted to make it interesting. I do not blame you if this doesn't make much sense to you, but please believe me that those people helped me out in their own way. Is it possible to pardon them? I feel like their punishment is my fault for not making this clear to begin with," Sara wrote.
"Even if you say that..." Luneria sighed. "I think it would be difficult. The First Princess is very invested in this alliance working out. She doesn't take kindly to anyone she sees as interfering."
"Can you not tell her that I am okay with it?" Sara wrote.
"I don't think my word would be enough. Maybe if it was the Oracle, or the Goddess... but while we often work together, there is still a separation between Temple and Palace. Interfering in state matters might cause friction, regardless of whether they listen to us, or not," Luneria explained.
"This is a state matter?" Sara was confused.
"As soon as it became a matter of reopening the road, it concerned our state more than our religion."
"Politics sounds complicated."
"It is," Luneria said with a sigh.
Sara tapped a wooden finger against the blackboard while thinking. She had an idea.
"How about a written statement from the Guardian Beast?" she suggested.
"What do you mean?" Luneria asked.
"I believe I have improved my finger control enough that I should be able to write with a finer instrument on a finer surface. So if I make a written statement in front of witnesses, that should be good enough, yes?" Sara was a little worried about her handwriting, but this was her mess to sort out.
Luneria tapped her chin. "It might be, but what would you write?" she asked.
"Give me a minute to think," Sara quickly wrote in response before continuing to ponder the matter.
She had never interacted with authority figures in her old life, so she wasn't sure how to properly go about it in a convincing manner. She could do a little bit of acting the role, but this would be on a larger scale. And even if she'd had experience, it was questionable how much Earth logic, and standards applied in this world. So she tried to search through her knowledge of fiction instead for anything appropriate. An idea started to form.
"How about calling it the Trial of the Guardian Beast?" she wrote.
"A trial?"
"Yes. Let us say that I am developing a trial, and those Adventurers were the first challengers. It was my failure to not inform the elves beforehand. That should be enough to pardon them, right?"
"Hm..." Luneria thought about it. "I think you'd need to be a little more concrete than that. And it would mean you'd have to make this trial an official thing. What are the terms of the trial? And the prize?"
"Prize? Is the loot I drop not enough?"
"If you want it to be an official Trial, I think it would need some official reward," Luneria insisted.
"I can't exactly give them money, since I don't have any. And the only thing I can make is silk. Maybe they do deserve something nice, but if the reward is too good, I might get so many challengers that I won't have time to do much else." That last part she probably should have thought of sooner. Sara had been so excited about the idea of being a raid boss that she hadn't considered that in the worst case they might want to show up every day to farm her. "Yet I don't want to completely discourage them either. Is it not enough to get the achievement of defeating the Guardian Beast?" she suggested. Maybe she could even ask Aina and/or Auntie System to make it an official achievement.
"I am not sure if fighting just to kill you would be acceptable for the Palace. I am reasonably certain they'd want a better reason. Maybe we can help with some of that on our end. Even if you're not a normal mob, I suppose you aren't able to issue quests. If it is approved we could make it a quest, but those require rewards, so we still need to figure out what those should be. Historically people undergo Trials in order to prove, or achieve something. You'd be the one testing them, so what would you like them to achieve? I do see your point about not wanting it to happen too often. We could ask them to apply first, and then we could schedule a time. How often would you like it to happen?" Luneria asked.
"Once or twice a week," Sara wrote after thinking it over. She ignored the 'not a normal mob' comment. "Asking me beforehand to make sure I'm not busy would probably work best." Even if it seemed a little odd to set things up that way, it might work better for all parties involved. Though it was possible the Wanderers would find it annoying. Some people liked to be spontaneous, after all.
"Yes, conferring with you about when the trial should take place is a good idea," Luneria agreed. "Setting the reward aside for now, what about the terms?"
"I do have thoughts about that," Sara wrote. "We give them a time limit in which to defeat me. They can have as many attempts as they want within that time, but if time runs out I will flood the area with my wolves and ravens so that it will be practically impossible to finish. If they can still pull out a win after that, they have my respect."
"You think that's better than a certain number of attempts?" Luneria asked.
"I'm not sure whether it's better, but it's easier to plan around, at least," Sara admitted. "The trick will be to find the correct amount of time. The successful run of my raid spent about 5-10 minutes on the first wave, a little short of 15 on the second wave, and a little over 20 on the fight with me. But their first attempt went over 15 on the first wave, and then wiped in less than 15 on the second."
Sara hadn't timed that herself, but Aina had told her afterwards. There was also travel, and preparation time to consider. She wiped the board before continuing.
"So I'm thinking one of two ideas. Either they start with one and a half to two hours of total time, or they start with an hour, and earn another 30 minutes for clearing a wave. I'm leaning towards the former, and I'm okay with giving them two hours. Either way it's a DPS check. It's not much of a trial if I allow them to find some cheese that drags it out forever. I am considering giving them checkpoints, though."
"Uh... forgive me, but what do you mean by 'DPS', and 'checkpoints'?" Luneria asked. "And how does cheese factor into this?"
Sara had gotten so caught up in her ideas that she had slipped back into gamer lingo.
Um... how do I explain this?
Sara thought for a bit before writing: "DPS is an old term that stands for Damage Per Second, by which I generally mean how much damage someone can output within a certain time. If their damage threshold isn't high enough, then they're just wasting both sides' time. By checkpoints I mean letting them continue from the wave they failed at, rather than starting all the way from the beginning."
That would also solve the problem of Kathleen's respawn timer. This time they had been saved by the raiders taking a break in between each attempt. That would also mean that defeating Kathleen counted as the same as defeating the wave, even if they were then killed by the other mobs. Maybe defeating the boss should be a good enough victory condition, and she should tell the others to retreat if that happened. She would just have to think of ways to mitigate that possibility. Maybe have the ravens keep a shield on her as much as possible, for one.
"As for cheese, I will confess I am not sure how this use of the term originated, but it means finding some unintended way to exploit a situation that gives you an increased, if not guaranteed chance of victory. Though they can often be quite weird or specific to set up, or just take a very long time. Which would absolutely be a waste of my time, at the very least, and would not be any fun."
She wiped the board to continue writing something she thought of.
"I also think that if they need to make an appointment, then they can only start with the amount of people they registered, and no adding or swapping members during the trial. Swapping members before starting is okay." She understood that if they planned ahead, then someone might not be able to make it, and the party would like to look for substitutes. However once they got started she didn't want the issue of an ever-expanding group again, or that they would just swap out weaker members for stronger ones during the trial.
Maybe it would have been better overall if it wasn't this complicated, but at least it would be more convenient for her.
"What about it? Do you think it would work if I wrote down the terms, and added a statement saying that the raiders were just helping me test out the trial?" Sara wrote. She wasn't sure to what extent it made sense that a 'Trial' needed QA testing, but even if it hadn't been an agreement they had come to beforehand, it was still true that they had helped her out.
"If you are really so insistent that they should be pardoned, I think it should be sufficient. We would need to adjust our reputation system, though..." Luneria sighed. It had become a habit when it came to dealing with anything related to Sara. "And we would still need some sort of reward, or rather a reason to take the Trial. It might not be impossible to convince the First Princess that defeating you is a good enough reason, but I suspect it would be hard."
"If you can make it a quest, how about something like: The Guardian Beast wishes to test your martial prowess! And if they pass the trial, they can get a badge that says Approved By The Guardian Beast, or something," Sara suggested.
"A badge?" Luneria raised an eyebrow.
"Something to let people know they have earned my respect." That did raise the issue of what if someone defeated her, but in a way that annoyed her. They wouldn't exactly have her respect at that point, but maybe that was fair enough with the current system. "And maybe they could get some reputation, or money, or a hat, or something."
"Why a hat?" Luneria asked.
"I like hats. What about one with wolf ears on it? Maybe that's not feasible, but I'm sure you all can figure out some appropriate quest rewards," Sara wrote.
"You're offloading the responsibility unto us?"
"I think that is within my rights. I have less experience with such things, after all."
"I suppose you have a point. Very well, I will deliver the message to the Palace, and the Temple. How would you like me to word it?" Luneria asked.
Hm... good question. Sara thought about it before she started to write.
"The Guardian Beast wishes to formally announce the initiation of the Trial Of The Guardian Beast, and wishes to write a statement in front of official witnesses regarding the terms of the trial, and to exonerate the Adventurers that helped her develop the trial. Something like that," she wrote, before continuing on a blank slate. "Those who wish to attempt the trial will need to make an appointment, and can only enter with the amount of people they registered when applying. I will set the terms to a 2 hour time limit starting from when they encounter the first wave, with as many attempts as they can fit within that time, and the ability to continue from the last wave they reached, rather than all the way from the beginning should they die. I will also reserve the right to alter these terms should they turn out to not work well. Unscheduled attacks will be countered with maximum force."
"Very well." Luneria made her own notes, and then stretched. "I will do my best to convince them."
"Is this issue the reason they made you come out here?" Sara asked.
"Correct," Luneria said. "They thought they needed someone with higher authority to deliver the news to you considering its importance. I was of course selected because I already know you."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Despite the circumstances, it is good to see you again, Sara. I thought it might be a while until next time, since I can't exactly sneak off whenever I want," Luneria said with a smile.
"It's good to see you as well, Luneria," Sara wrote. "I know it's only been a few days, but it feels like a lot has happened, and I'm glad you seem well. Now what is this request you mentioned?"
"Oh, right. I nearly forgot," Luneria admitted. Though she probably would have remembered when she saw everyone waiting by the road. "The people who came with me are here to start repairing the road, and we request your approval, and support. Considering what happened we were nervous about starting work without asking for your permission. Hopefully the news I bring back will be a relief."
[ Progression Quest ]
[ Repairing The Komeron North Way ]
[ The Hanoleav Kingdom has dispatched a crew to repair the North Way so it will be ready for reopening. You have been asked for your approval for the crew to carry out their work. You have also been asked to help support them, and keep them safe.
Successful completion reward: Improved Reputation with the participating Hanoleav factions, and the restored state of the Komeron North Way.
Failure penalty: Significant setback in reopening the North Way, and loss of Reputation with the participating Hanoleav factions. ]
[ Accept ] [ Decline ]
Sara's second quest, and one she had no reason to decline. She was a little curious what it looked like from the other side. "I understand. Consider the request approved. I will ask the wolves and ravens to keep an eye out should it be needed," she wrote. She might check in on them herself once in a while. "Did you bring payment as well?"
"Payment?" Luneria asked in a confused tone.
"I have the silk I was asked for ready to be traded," Sara wrote.
"Oh... I wasn't told about that," Luneria said. "I'll tell them to send someone out when I get back. What do you want for payment? Still just food?"
"I have some ideas brewing, but nothing concrete to ask for yet, so food is good for now. I'll set my price at one kilo per ball of silk, though I'm not too fussed about what it is so long as it's cooked. And let's say three more kilos for the request. If they want to haggle on the basis that some food is better, and worth more weight than others, they can come do it face to face. I admit I have my weaknesses, so I'm sure we can figure what is worth how much as we go along." For instance good pastries might be worth extra, but overall she felt like she was already giving them a very good deal. "I'd also like more chalk. I am starting to run out."
"I see. I'm sure that can be arranged." Luneria smiled. "I will ask them to get you a better writing board as well. That one wasn't exactly designed for how you're using it."
"I appreciate that. Thank you. I hope you fare well, Luneria."
"You too, Sara."
* * *
"You're sure this is how you want to handle this, Sara?" Aina suddenly asked after Sara had found some wolves to spread the word about the road crew for her.
Hm? Yes. I hadn't considered that this might get political, but I don't want to discourage people from ever coming if I can help it. It's not fair that the raiders were punished either.
"Even though they should have understood that attacking a creature revered by a faction would incur their hostility?" Aina quite pointedly asked.
I... um... hadn't really thought of that... Sara admitted. And saying I'm revered is a little much... are there other creatures like me, then?
"Only one that's currently in the game, but it has not yet made contact with any factions. However I know the developers are planning to add more as part of the world-building. So this might happen again."
Oh... well, if I'm fine with them coming, then there's not really a problem, is it? Even if it seems like we have to set some restrictions.
"I suppose so. Very well, I will inform the developers."
Huh? Why?
"They received some complaints from the Wanderers who were cast out, and I was asked to look into options for how to deal with it. It also started a discussion on the forums between those who supported them, and those who supported the Residents. The main argument of the former side being that they weren't warned beforehand, even though I think it shouldn't have been hard to figure it out." Aina sounded like she had a firm opinion on the matter. "Regardless I will respect your wishes, and I think this should serve as a learning experience for everyone involved."
So it turned into politics both inside, and outside of Moorhold... Sara groaned.
"Correct."
Um... how much do the developers know about me, mother?
"Well, it has been impossible for me to hide everything since you've made yourself a public figure, but I have hid your name, and of course they don't know that you're reincarnated. Only you, I, Norax, Gloria, Kathleen, and Mirielle know that. They essentially think that you're a Resident-level AI placed inside of a mob as an experiment. Which I suppose has some grains of truth to it." After the update the tones of amusement in Aina's voice were quite overt. She didn't seem very good at, or perhaps not very interested in hiding her emotions.
You're not upset that I told Mirielle? Or the wolves? Though those two didn't really seem like they understood what it meant.
"No, of course not. I do think it was risky, but I'm glad you have found someone you trust. I think having friends is important," Aina said in an affectionate tone.
Yes. Thank you, mother.
It suddenly occurred to her that she had forgotten to mention the bandit raid. Maybe she should postpone it until she got a response on this whole Trial thing. Hopefully Gloria wouldn't be too disappointed. She'd share some of the food with her as an apology.
Varewulf Sara keeps getting herself into more trouble.
