(OOC: Whoa, that became dark quick.)

-

Natsuki stared at the seal of the letter. She should know this one, but memory eluded her and that made her frustrated. Yemhelch had explained little, but she had gathered that Mikkael and Philena had gone right into a trap set by necromancers.

So the rumors were true. It had always been whispers in the bars of Cyndar after a particularly hard night of drinks that the accusations of the Vex Vinas University being a stronghold of blasphemers and necromancers would start to trickle - she had mostly passed it off as jealous political mudslinging against a rival school... but now she wasn't so sure.

What she was sure of was that she had seen this sigil on the letter before.

Of course, she wasn't quite ready to tangle with them. Monsters and bandits were one thing, but against the elite mages of Vex Vinas, a mere scholar-in-training like her would only end up endangering Yemhelch. So, she decided to stay in Vel Da Ir - at this time, the safest place for her. She would return by dragon to Cyndar once the buzz about necromancers died down. Until then, she had her own research to do.

She watched him go, before taking the seal and returning to her work.

On the table, sat a large tome. "Elemental Magics for Beginners."

Mikkael had lost track of the time, but when he finally arrived with his bandit companion, it seemed the camp had already been moved.

"Well, this is a problem." The girl laughed to herself. She pulled out a mug and bottle of warm ale and poured herself a cup, taking a long drink. Mikkael looked at her, waiting for a response.

"... What?"

"So what are we going to do?" He finally asked, impatience in his tone.

She gave it thought for a bit and then shrugged, taking another sip of ale. In a few short hours, he had lost his girlfriend, his child, his sanity, his career as a spellsword, and thousands of Legens.

"Yep, this is rock bottom..." He groaned. Tiredly, he began walking east.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?" The bandit girl shouted after Mikkael.

He turned and said, "I'm off to find those guys. Look, footprints, if we follow them, then we're likely to run into those guys."

Mikkael continued eastward. Soon the girl caught up to him and in a few moments they had taken themselves right to the border of the Chaos Desert. Something alarmed Mikkael at this point. Like he was not supposed to be here. However, he also felt a need to go.

"... Later. Now is not the time to do anything foolish."

He lost the tracks as the ground became harder, and thus he had to rely on instinct alone to try and find the bandit clan.

"Hey, isn't there something you can usually do to get in touch with your guys?" Mikkael asked, she thought for a moment and then got an idea. Leading Mikkael to the cliffs near the opening of Oasis Canyon, she started to finally shout...

"GOLD! OH MY GOODNESS! LOOK AT ALL THIS GOLD!"

Mikkael sighed. Surely it couldn't get any worse than this.

However, her shouting wasn't without results, and a young bandit came up, daggers drawn. Then he noticed the symbol on the bandit girl's leather armor.

"Oi, ya lost th' main party again, 'ave ya?" The young bandit asked. The bandit was so young, Mikkael did a bit of a double take. He really did not understand humans with their limited life, and yet in that time, wasting it on things such as banditry.

Then again, that's just what he was doing.

"Thay went ta th' forests ta git some food. Wanted me ta wait at the aisles for ya 'cause thay suspected ya'd go south."

Mikkael raised a hand, "Sorry, but that entire statement is illogical. If she knew the camp was north, then why would they expect her to go south?"

"... A fair point. Either way, if ya want, thay'll be back by tomorrah morn."

"OH BY THE NAME OF- Fuck this..." Mikkael shouted, "I'll find those guys. Thanks for your help, but they've got no sense of organization. Wait by my house. I had it relocated to Selk. I will bring the entire bandit party back myself."

It was actually surprisingly easy to track them down. Once Mikkael had reached the forests, he noticed a trail of bandits. Most with the sigil of the girl and the young lad who had given him the info earlier. Besides that, just the stuff he was used to. Blood, dismembered body parts, and so on. One bandit was standing up against a bear.

Mikkael asked himself, "So, this is the clan I'm supposed to join? Really? Oh god... That grip is so... sloppy!"

But rather than let the poor sap die, Mikkael jumped on the back of the bear and started going at it violently. It was already half-dead, so it didn't take long for Mikkael to wrestle the beast into a grave. The bandit merely looked at Mikkael with awe as the meridian jumped off the now dead bear and gave the dumbfounded man a very friendly punch in the face.

"Am I really supposed to join you!? Honestly. That fighting was worse than my skill with a knife as a hatchling."

"Uh... Sorry, Mr. Meridian, but thanks for the help... Hang on, did you say join me?"

"Yeah, it's a long story, but I'm the guy who will be taking mentorship under whoever your master is." Mikkael stated. He let out a sigh, "Look, I'M sorry, I have a lot of anger right now. My name is Mikkael, I am an ex-spellsword. Now, who is the master of our little clan here?"

The bandit slumped and he pointed to the remains of a man only a few paces to the left of them.

"... Well, that's great." Mikkael stated with as much sarcasm as he could muster without entering a frenzy of curse words, "Everything is going downhill for me it seems."

"Us too, that damn bear was harder than we thought." The plump bandit remarked.

Mikkael could only let out a sigh, "I guess I have no choice. You, we're heading to my place. I already sent the girl and the young lad there. We may as well tell them what happened and figure out where we go from here."

--------------------------------------------------

"So you're all giving up then?" Mikkael asked them, all three members sitting at the dinner table. Mikkael had only gotten to know each of them just a few short minutes ago, and yet, here they were, ready to give up their bandit lives and go on to piracy.

Mikkael couldn't accept that.

He looked to them all with an honest look in his eyes, "It's not just that I need you, but if you're just going to turn your backs on one another, then maybe you shouldn't have entered your little crime game in the first place."

The larger fellow to Mikkael's right, Maxwell, was the most mature of the group, and stood up, stating, "New blood, if you think we can go on, you're only kidding yourself. I mean, look at us! We're nothing but a lowly bunch of bandits, nothing notable..."

"Well then I will make you notable." Mikkael rebuked, "If I must, I will become your new leader!"

"Huh!?" The young Ivor spoke, "Youse ain't been wit' us for long, mate... How d'ya expect ta rise up in a matter of secinds."

"Simple. By proving my worth of the title, 'Bandit Master' and giving you guys an opportunity to do a raid... Like the bandits of the old days who nearly leveled Cyndar."

"THOSE BANDITS!? B-But we're not like them, we merely steal to help the poor." Maxwell stated, "We don't commit crime for ourselves..."

"Then we'll split a portion of the money for ourselves and we'll send the rest to charitable causes. Sound fair?" Mikkael responded, smiling, but the girl, who still hadn't shared her name, shook her head.

"Mikkael, it's a great idea, but... We're still just new blood in this clan ourselves. We got no talent, we got no funding, we got no leader. Heck, we don't even have a base of operations."

Mikkael looked at her, then to Ivor, then to Maxwell, and then looked around. Ivor and Maxwell followed suit until Ivor said, "Dis here place seems pretty good."

Mikkael smiled again, "Indeed, this place can work as our base of operations. The Sand Shark Base!"

"Base sounds too military," the girl stated, "Let's call it the Den of the Sand Sharks!"

"Please. It needs ta be called Th' Sand Shark Palace!" Ivor chimed in.

"Or..." Maxwell began, "We can go a little less obvious. The Black Hawks will want us dead if they know our location. So we ought to call ourselves something clever."

Mikkael snapped his fingers, "The Golden Sand Dune!"

Everyone seemed to agree with the name, and Mikkael decided he'd add the name to his house at a later point, then he moved onto other matters...

He tossed each of them their weapons and instructed them to attack him as fast and as hard as they could...

"Don't worry, I want you to damage me. So go on!"

Ivor tried first, but received a boot to the head.

"You're too slow. NEXT!"

Maxwell swing his sword but Mikkael reached out and pulled it right from his hands, causing him to fall over.

"Your grip is terrible. NEXT!"

The girl was finally up and she attempted to mix in her attacks, however, while she did get strikes into Mikkael's arming sword, she failed to hit him even once and tired herself out in a matter of three seconds.

"Fast, but your pacing is bad, and you lack the stamina to swing that much. Clearly we have some work to do..."

Mikkael lead them outside, where he had the bodies of the clan piled up.

"OI, WHAT IN THE BLOODY NAME OF SCORPIO'S LEFT NUT DID YA DO!?"

"Well, I said I'd bring the entire clan back." Mikkael chuckled, "Actually, I needed to report each of these deaths to the Assassin's Guild. So you're all going to help me count and carry these bodies all the way to the cemetery."

"B-But these are our clan's people..." Maxwell voiced. However...

"Right, your former clan members. Let this harden your heart. Because after we get a work out after eating that bear, we're going to hunt for some rival bandits. I reckon, after all, that none of you have ever killed another person in your entire lives."

"E-EH!? W-Well..." The girl responded.

Mikkael shifted to a softer tone, "Welp, let's get to work. After all... I do know why it is like to lose someone close to you. That's why I can't have any of you losing faith. So, let's get this done, let's honour those who are lost, and most importantly, have faith in the future... Alright?"

With three people to take care of, his new life was now beginning.

_________________

The fire had been extinguished before it could consume the archives, but the damage was done. Several walls now were gutted. Some of the more older mages - when they thought they were out of earshot commented on 'crystal flames' from a 'meteor' being a 'bitch to cool down'.

To prevent the tower from collapsing, several mages were now overseeing the repairs. Here in the city of magic, they had a novel method of wall repair - pouring almost pure ether into a mold, then having hired workers dump in obsidian and gravel into the mixture that when set, formed a very solid wall. Of course, when heated by powerful fire, they did have the unfortunate propensity to collapse, but the temperatures here were brutally cold and this variety of wall ablated cold away very effectively.

The ethers were mixed to an amalgam in the basement - earth magicks used to stabilize the mixture. The runes filled up the ceilings as they slowly stabilized the unstable liquid into a semi-solid slurry. It was here that Yemhelch now stood. That was when the alarm went off.

"Prisoner breakout!"

"It's the traitor! He's escaped!"

Traitor? If what he had picked out from the enemy chatter here - it was Mikkael who had destroyed a 'holy artifact', then he must've gotten cornered... then busted out again. It was time to put his plan into action.

"Bet they locked him up right with his big-ass sword, too..." he mumbled to himself as he followed the Rune Lords and Wardmasters.

"He can't have gotten far! Search the area! You there! Secure the Holy Artifact too, just in case he tries to steal another!"
Quickly changing his step, he slid into the group heading into the dungeons. His first goal now was to locate Philena...


Link


METAL GEAR JUNGALORE: TACTICAL ESPIONAGE ADVENTURE

_________________

((So I did a bunch of racial rebalancing, please refer to the spoiler immediately below to see how things have changed. Here, I'm going to say why I did it.

Adapted Skill: Not going to lie, I had no idea how to rebalance it the first time I did a rebalance of the racial skills. Hell, the meridian racial skill was better despite them being polar opposites. So I finally figured out something that would work. I gave it a lot of extra oomph to keep up with the other races. It still seems a little unfair, but it works pretty well I think.

Nine Lives Skill: This is, for the most part the same, but I gave it more oomph as well in that instead of just attacking twice, you now can perform two actions of any kind on your next turn.

Aqua Fighter Skill: It was literally just the swimming skill. No joke. So I added a new goodie to it. Now, your meridian can dish out some actual fighting power when bare handed. Remember, meridians are based on zoras, and you can't tell me that fighting as a zora in Majora's Mask wasn't pretty cool to watch. I remember I specifically made the meridians a thing because I thought playing as a zora was really really cool.

Stat Changes: This will take a little longer to explain. The basic principle I had in mind in the first racial rebalance was to give those with less of a stat bonus more powerful skills... which I did. Yes. However, I recently asked myself, "What about the overall stat difference?" Which I looked into when I was reallocating stats for Mikkael during his class change. I arrived at an astonishing mathematical coclusion which is actually fairly obvious. Those 20-40 missing points make ALL the difference.

You see, before it didn't matter, because we didn't have bonus status apply/resist. However, now it does matter. Mikkael, by his end build, will have a bonus status apply of 3%, and a bonus status resist of 2%. He will have a total atk/matk base of 300, and total def/mdef base of 210. Now, let's say we attempt to get the same stats, but as a reptal or a nekor. Now it's IMPOSSIBLE to get a 3% and 2% because we are missing stat points. Thus, one of them has to give. As a meridian, his offensive/defensive split will look like 300/210. However, as a reptal, he is effectively missing 20 stat points in attack and magic attack, meaning his split would look like 280/210. Thus, it would be impossible for him to get a 3% AND 2%. He would need to go for a 3% and 1% OR a 2% in both. The same issue would apply for elvine, as they are also missing 20 points. However, the titans and nekor have it EVEN WORSE, as they are effectively missing 40 points.

Thus, I did the sensible thing and kept the total stat increase from race at +35 points to two stats (a total of +70). Humans and meridians, therefore, stay the same as opposite ends of the spectrum. However, elvine, titans, nekor, and reptal now get the missing points filled in on the opposite stat. Thus, they will all have a total increase of 70 points. Problem solved!))

Spoiler: show

Human's Adapted Skill
Grants the character a passive 5% resistance to every status. Furthermore, humans will always have their own version of the Escape skill. This skill's chances are increased and it uses less will.

Escape 1: Flee Chance +15%. Chance of avoiding boss = 105 - (D * 10)%.
Escape 2: Flee Chance +30%. Chance of avoiding boss = 105 - ((D - 2) * 10)%.

Human Will Costs:
-Ninja/Druid: 25% Max Will
-Assassin/Ranger/Jiu Duan: 15% Max Will
-Jounin/Prophet: 5% Max Will
-Other Classes: 45% Max Will

Humans always have level one of the Escape skill, except when getting level two via class upgrade.

Meridian's Aqua Fighter Skill
Allows the player to swim around the world and in submerged routes. Increases bare-handed damage by 50 after defensive calculations.

Nekor's Nine Lives Skill
If a Nekor is about to be defeated in combat, they may choose to use this skill to avoid death, recover all their will, and can take two actions on their next turn. This skill can only be used nine times every three months, real time.

All Racial Stat Canges
Humans: +35 Defense & Magic Defense
Elvine: +25 Defense & Magic Defense, +10 Attack & Magic Attack
Titans: +15 Defense & Magic Defense, +20 Attack & Magic Attack
Nekor: +15 Attack & Magic Attack, +20 Defense & Magic Defense
Reptal: +25 Attack & Magic Attack, +10 Defense & Magic Defense
Meridians: +35 Attack & Magic Attack

((That said, on with the story!))

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mikkael, why do I have to do this?" Maxwell asked with heaving breaths, "I already helped you carry these bodies once..."

Mikkael, with one body over his shoulder and one in each arm responded, "Let me put it this way, if you want to be an effective bandit, you'll need to thin up that belly of yours. A bit of work will go a long way."

"Can't we say I've done enough though?"

"The harder you work, the more you'll earn. Besides, Ivor and the girl will have the other bodies over here shortly and we can get a move on with a rival bandit hunt."

Sure enough, they both came carrying one bandit each. Scorpio had come along as well, surprised to see Mikkael once more.

"Mikkael? I didn't think you'd be here." The Assassin leader noted, "As a bandit no less. What changed?"

Mikkael began to explain everything to Scorpio away from his clan, Scorpio was none too pleased to hear the words Mikkael conveyed.

"So, the mages are in cahoots with the necromancers after all... Tell me, how many people know of this info?"

"At the very least, you, Philena, and I. I think my traveling companions from earlier may be onto it by now. Yemhelch and Natsuki will probably be on their way here. If not, then they'll be pulling off things in either Cyndar or Vex Vinas." Mikkael answered.

"So do you have any evidence of this?" Scorpio asked. Mikkael scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

"I had some... But then I got caught by my grandfather, a master warlock."

"You mean there's two?" Scorpio asked. Mikkael gave a puzzled look.

"Dean Hohenheim is the only warlock." Scorpio continued.

"But... He clearly used a meteor spell on me." Mikkael stated, "Isn't that like, the signature skill of warlocks?"

"Hmmm... This is very strange. Still, what will you do? You can't tell me you're going to-"

"I'm going to get Philena back at all costs."

Scorpio wiped his brow, "... Surely you jest."

"I wouldn't joke about this. Scorpio, I plan on not only breaking her out, but with her at my side..." Mikkael entered a whisper.

By now, the clan was looking over at their new "leader" and Scorpio. Scorpio wasn't surprised that Mikkael would attempt to break her out, but what Mikkael whispered into his ear next gave him a complete shock.

"I will need your help in completing the first task, though. Can you get for me an exit out of Vex Vinas? I mean, the place will be crawling with guards once I start the mission." Mikkael said with a grin. Scorpio gave it thought for a moment.

"That I can manage... But how do you plan on figuring out that second mission? I mean, no one knows its whereabouts whatsoever."

Mikkael turned about on his feet, "Guys, are you ready to do a raid?"

The bandit clan walked over to Mikkael. Ivor curiously asked, "What is dis new stuff youse be mentionin'?"

"A little side-quest for us to do." Mikkael answered, "It'll be along our journey through Oasis Canyon. If it's fruitful, then we'll have enough money to last us the next thirty years of our lives."

Scorpio watched as the party got themselves prepared and began their journey to the Oasis Canyon to the north. Mikkael turned to Scorpio who was showing signs of concern for Mikkael and his clan, the meridian reassured the leader of the assassins, "I'll protect them, I promise. If I find what I'm looking for, I'll report it right away to you."

"Alright then." Scorpio agreed.

Thus, the team set off northwards.

--------------------------------------------------


Link


"HAAAH!"

Maxwell sliced clean through the morpho with his sword and then gave it a jab with the dagger in his other hand.

"Already, they're showing signs of improvement..."

"How was that?" Maxwell asked, Mikkael gave him a nod as he rushed towards another aqua morpho. The team coordinated the attack so that when Maxwell would be in danger of a hit, he would slide back and allow for the girl to deal a number of blows. When she tired out, Ivor would strike the weak points of the enemy.

Mikkael cheered them on as they fell morpho after morpho, one after another. The team had killed so many that they lost count.

"See? If you put your mind to it and take time to grow your skills, you can fell anything."

"I think I'm finally gettin' it..." Ivor responded. Maxwell nodded as well, picking up the Legens and distributing it among everyone. Mikkael turned down his share, stating that it was thanks to their efforts alone, and that they needed the money more than he did.

The team continued winding through the canyon, they finally made their way to the oasis where they noticed the entrance to the second part of the dungeon.

"That's where we need to go." Mikkael stated, "Our quest objective lies in that cavern."

Though a great morpho blocked their path, the team took it out in no time at all due to their careful coordination. He once again let them keep the money and dropped items, despite his own participation.

-----FLOOR 2-----
Mikkael started the second part of the dungeon by mining, he let everyone else also participate in the excavation, where they obtained more materials for selling or crafting purposes.

CHANCES: 30% Gold (1-30), 60% Iron (31-90), 9% Shade Ingot (91-99), 1% Platinum (100)
ROLLS: 81 - 82 - 37 - 32 - 38 - 14 - 57 - 56 - 51 - 94 - 21 - 31 - 100 - 69 - 6 - 20 - 9 - 28 - 33 - 14
DROPS: Gold x14, Iron x33, Shade Ingot x2, Platinum x2

Mikkael and the group walked through the corridors of the cavern, unknowing of what they'd find in the dark chasms of the Oasis Canyon. Mikkael himself had never set foot in the cavern, and so it filled him with a bit of excitement, like when he first set foot on the Corisca Mainland.

However, they finally found a target for them to deal with. A bandit master commanding a great lava morpho and a great aqua morpho.

"Well well, look what we have here..." The reptal bandit master stated with a slyness in his tongue, "I'll enjoy robbing you and providing the money to my clan..."

Mikkael smiled, "This is it! Our target has been spotted!"

He pulled out his pickaxe and rushed towards the enemies!

BATTLE: Bandit Master (Reptal), Great Aqua Morpho, Great Lava Morpho
((NOTE: New racial stats applied to this battle, meaning a small boost to the defense of the Reptal.)


Link

Spoiler: show

ATTACK ORDER
1. Great Aqua Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 500
Will: 200

2. Great Lava Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 500
Will: 200

3. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5800
-Will: 2500

4. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 10000
-Will: 600

The great morphos cannot break through Mikkael's defenses!
Mikkael prepares to dodge the enemy's attack! (Rolled: 98!)
The Bandit Master swings his axe down heavily! Mikkael jumps onto it and delivers an attack to the head!
338 Damage!

Mikkael commands the group to attack the great morphos!
Damage = 2(3d100)
Damage = 2(16 + 2 + 84) = 2 * 102 = 204
204 - 30 = 174 Damage!
The group attacks the Great Lava Morpho!

Mikkael attacks again with a bash!
676 Damage!

1. Great Aqua Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 500
Will: 200

2. Great Lava Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 326
Will: 200

3. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5800
-Will: 2485

4. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 8986
-Will: 575

Mikkael takes damage from the bandit master's bash attack!
4(145) - 190 = 580 - 190 = 390 Damage!

1. Great Aqua Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 500
Will: 200

2. Great Lava Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 326
Will: 200

3. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5410
-Will: 2485

4. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 8986
-Will: 560

The clan attacks the Great Lava Morpho once more!
2(74 + 49 + 40) - 30 = 2(163) - 30 = (200 + 120 + 6) - 30 = 326 - 30 = 296 Damage!


1. Great Aqua Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 500
Will: 200

2. Great Lava Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 30
Will: 200

3. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5410
-Will: 2485

4. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 8986
-Will: 560

Mikkael moves in as if attacking, but instead reaches into the pockets of the bandit master! Mikkael steals two items!
STOLEN: Gold Horn x1, Magic Leather x1
Mikkael pockets the items.

1. Great Aqua Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 500
Will: 200

2. Great Lava Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 30
Will: 200

3. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5410
-Will: 2435

4. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 8986
-Will: 560

The bandit master unleashes a flurry of attacks! (Rolled: 1)
Mikkael is hit twice!
(2(145) - 190) + (2(145) - 190) = (290 - 190) + (290 - 190) = 100 + 100 = 200 Damage!

1. Great Aqua Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 500
Will: 200

2. Great Lava Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 30
Will: 200

3. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5210
-Will: 2435

4. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 8986
-Will: 525

Mikkael's team attack the great lava morpho once more!
2(84 + 12 + 4) - 30 = 200 - 30 = 170 Damage!
The great lava morpho lies dead!
Mikkael shifts their focus to the great aqua morpho while preparing a dodge! (Rolled: 73)
The bandit master fails a critical hit and gets a pickaxe jammed into his ribs!
338 Damage!

1. Great Aqua Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 500
Will: 200

2. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5210
-Will: 2435

3. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 8648
-Will: 500

The bandits attack the great aqua morpho!
2(96 + 6 + 54) - 30 = 2(156) - 30 = 312 - 30 = 282 Damage!

1. Great Aqua Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 218
Will: 200

2. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5210
-Will: 2435

3. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 8648
-Will: 500

Mikkael delivers a swift kick to the chest of the bandit master! The bandit master is stunned!
676 Damage!

1. Great Aqua Morpho 32/30/25/50
Life: 218
Will: 200

2. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5210
-Will: 2420

3. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 7972
-Will: 500

The great aqua morpho gets attacked by the clan!
2(100 + 21 + 41) - 30 = 2(162) - 30 = 324 - 30 = 294 Damage!
The great aqua morpho gets decimated!

Mikkael and the bandits prepare to coordinate their attacks as one!
Mikkael enters a dodge stance! (Rolled: 57)
The bandit boss fails to strike Mikkael! The group unleashes a flurry of hits!
Total Damage = (2(69 + 58 + 13) - 110) + 338 = (280 - 110) + 338 = 170 + 338 = 508 Damage!

1. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 5210
-Will: 2420

2. Bandit Master (Reptal) 145/110/85/90
-Life: 7464
-Will: 485

---At this point the group basically continued their strategy of mixing dodge tactics and bashes in order to get the most damage in and eventually defeat the bandit master!---

Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
-Life: 4120
-Will: 2120

VICTORY!
Legens: 810
Drops: Blue Gem x1, Red Gem x1, Gold Horn x1, Magic Leather x1, Rainbow Gem x1
+1 Quest Completion

"Great work, team!" Mikkael congratulated each of them. They each split the money and loot, giving themselves quite the earnings just for one small trek alone, that's when the girl noticed something off in the distance.

"Is that... gold?"

Mikkael looked in the direction she was pointing, a crack in the wall showed a deposit of gold in another room of the cavern. He held an arm out as they began stepping forward.

"Hang on. Something isn't right. Let's find the entrance to that area and check it out."

Mikkael took a few potions to heal himself as they wandered the passages. They didn't run into many other enemies as they seemed to get closer to the room. Something which made Mikkael all the more cautious.

"I bet that the gold in the vein there would be worth hundreds of Legens." Maxwell remarked, "You think there will be a lot?"

"I'm thinkin' that th' gold there will be even greater than that, Maxi." Ivor laughed, "Maybe I'll even be able ta get my dream hair!"

"Dream... hair?" Maxwell asked.

"I wants ta have blue hair." Ivor stated, "I just loves me tha colour blue."

The girl stifled a laugh.

"OI! A man can dream, can't he!?"

Mikkael smiled bemusedly at the conversation taking place behind him, and then, they found the entrance to the room, but something set it apart from the rest of the cavern...

"An entryway?" Mikkael asked to no one in particular. Indeed, the entrance to the area had not been carved out, but built. A man-made arch that lead into a dark paved room, save for a glimmer at the far end, corresponding to the crack they had glimpsed into earlier.

"I 'ave a bad feelin', boss." Ivor said, hand on the hilt of his dagger. Mikkael squinted as best he could, but couldn't see fully into the area. Luckily for them, some torches were on the wall, and Mikkael lit one up, passing the fire to the other one.

That's when their eyes widened at the sight before them. In that entryway, not only did it seem like the entrance to a stronghold, but at the other end, the exit, was a black-metal creature with glowing golden veins.

"A... golem? My god... its entire body is made of gold and black metal." Maxwell voiced in complete awe.

"Tabhartas... a guardian of ancient wisdom." Mikkael explained, "We need to get out of here. That thing is not something to toy with."

"I-I think y-youse is right, boss." Ivor shuddered, looking at the level of defensive enhancements the golem had. Yet, when they began to step out of the room, the ground began shaking and the door behind them became sealed off!

"N-NO!" Mikkael shouted. However, a sound behind the group had made them all freeze in place as they turned around.

Tabhartas was activating...

BOSS BATTLE: TABHARTAS
Special: Cannot Flee!


Link


ATTACK ORDER:
1. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/190/40/102
Life: 6000
Will: 2550

2. Tabhartas 262/208/70/60
Life: 20000
Will: 900

To be continued...

_________________

The crowd was quite a lot in the University Grand Courtyard. Several mages, and even necromancers in generic black robes stood in attention as the older Meridian took stage.

"You've all done a good job in protecting the Tower of Will from the traitorous Magus Guild scum who would seek to upset the balance of nature in their perverted quest to bend the world to their whims, my students." the Dean spoke in a clear voice. "Furthermore, I would like to place a bounty on their leader - one Mikkael Altans. Yes, my grandson who has become mad with power and has destroyed a holy artifact in order to absorb its divine powers. Unchecked, he will surely become a threat to not only ourselves as a rival school of magic - even the world stands to lose if his depraved hunger for power is not stopped. 50,000 legens to the one who delivers his head to me. Three hundred thousand for the brave hero who delivers him alive. However, do not endanger yourself. He may be foolhardy and battle-eager, but he is no weakling."

Excited murmurs filled the courtyard as several mages began to discuss what they'd do with such a huge sum of cash. After a while, the Dean raised a finned hand for calm.

"In light of this recent security breach, I have instated a security task force to patrol the University grounds. I ask that you give them your full cooperation. Until we have reviewed our safety barricades, I request that all students remain in your designated dorm rooms. You will be pulled as volunteers for patrol duty. Do not fail the University, and the University will not fail you. Consider this a form of advanced study."

"And now, a demonstration of what happens to those who dare to violate the sanctity of the Tower of Will..." the Dean gave a signal, and a black-hooded giant of a man turned a great wheel - lowering the body of a man in a copper mail shirt and a sword in his scabbard. "We found this intruder - slain by one of our brave defenders. Let us now condemn his body into Punishment." With a snap of his fingers, the corpse was consumed with keening blue fire, until only the ashes remained. "We know that Mikkael had at least one collaborator in his attack against the University and the Tower of Will. This is what awaits for those who betray the Light - eternal punishment."

The flames continued to dance for a while, amid the cheers and jeers.

After a while, he raised his hand again with a curt "Dismissed."

-

"Jahaark ulk-Skahtch, warlock-in-training. Here are your schedules. You are to report to the basement for patrol duty on 6PM sharp." the security officer escorting him said, her voice clearly bored - but as a mercenary, she was in it for the cash. "And don't get lost in your books or else I'll drag you out."

"Yes, ma'am." he responded - a perfect copy of how the other students spoke to the security guards. As he entered, the door was locked from the outside.

"You be good now." she chuckled as she left.

Since he was stuck here, he might as well take a look around. His eyes fell on a parcel, delivered via express, from a Mikato Aikiro, from Vel Da Ir. His curiosity piqued, he took the box to the desk and carefully opened it. Inside was a strange pair of strange suits, and a note. "I did it, J! I managed to snag the prototypes! You stash these good, y'hear? Anyway, enclosed is a how-to manual. Read it! - Mikato"

_________________

Spoiler: show

ATTACK ORDER:
1. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/194/40/102
Life: 6000
Will: 2550

2. Tabhartas 262/208/70/60
Life: 20000
Will: 900

Mikkael made a rush up to the side of the golem and dug his pickaxe into its side!
[Hidden Effect! Golems take double damage from pickaxes!]

8(169) = 1352 Damage!

1. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/194/40/102
Life: 6000
Will: 2535

2. Tabhartas 262/208/70/60
Life: 18648
Will: 900

Tabhartas prepares to strike Mikkael, but he uses his knowledge of mining to resist as much of the damage as possible!
F = 2c * v
F = 2(1) * 1
F = 2

Damage = (2(A.Atk))/F - B.Def
Damage = (6(262))/2 - 194
Damage = 592

1. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/194/40/102
Life: 5408
Will: 2535

2. Tabhartas 262/208/70/60
Life: 18648
Will: 875

Mikkael's team attempts to attack Tabhartas!
2(12 + 74 + 10) - 208 = 192 - 208 = No damage!

Mikkael readies himself to dodge the next attack! (Rolled: 41)
Tabhartas attempts to bash Mikkael against the wall! Mikkael jumps onto Tabhartas' arm and drives his pickaxe into its head!
4(169) = 676

1. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/194/40/102
Life: 5408
Will: 2535

2. Tabhartas 262/208/70/60
Life: 17972
Will: 860

The team attempts to damage the gilded golem!
2(88 + 10 + 48) - 208 = 2(80 + 10 + 40 + 16) - 208 = 2(146) - 208 = 292 - 208 = 92 - 8 = 84 Damage!

1. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/194/40/102
Life: 5408
Will: 2535

2. Tabhartas 262/208/70/60
Life: 17888
Will: 860

Mikkael jams the pickaxe into the golem! The golem staggers, nearly collapsing on Mikkael! ((Which is weird, I only have a 2% stun chance. I should be getting more bleed rolls, but, whatever.))
1352 Damage!
The team follows up with strikes of their own!
2(32 + 73 + 17) - 208 = 244 - 208 = 36 Damage!

1. Mikkael Altans 169(P)/194/40/102
Life: 5408
Will: 2520

2. Tabhartas 262/208/70/60
Life: 16500
Will: 860

((Because this is getting repetitive, and we all know for a fact that he's going to win anyways, I'm skipping the rest of the battle stuff as it's a pain to type up.))

VICTORY!
Legens: 12000
Drops: Rainbow Gem x1, Shade Ingot x2
Mikkael mined the body of Tabhartas...
Gold x40 Obtained!

The golem fell, completely and utterly defeated, as Mikkael looked towards the exit. It was a stairway, weathered, but on the stairs was something even more amazing to him.

"Look, skeletons." He noted, "Exactly as I suspected."

He began running up the stairs as his party shouted after him. He knew he had finally found it...

A weathered city sat at the top of the mountains, and embossed into the archway was its name.

"Avalon. The ancient city."

"No way... I must be dreamin'." Ivor stated. It was as if they had stepped into a new world entirely. Skeletons lined the streets, and of many races. Humans, nekor, meridians, reptal, no titans, but the other four were there. The city had no notable features about it, and everywhere, there was decay. Not a monster was in sight. Clearly, the inhabitants wanted the place sealed off so that none would be subject to the doom that they themselves had faced.

Mikkael walked north of the square to find a cathedral, built to honour Lumbra. However, like the rest of the city, it had been destroyed long ago...



The cathedral was surrounded by a large lake, and in the distance, Mikkael saw a small island. He noticed a boat, still tied to the pier. Clearly, that island was of importance. So, with the rest of the crew, he set out for the island. When they docked, they climbed a winding stairway, until they stood on the one area of the city where the grass was still growing. There, in a pedestal, was a sword, with a shining blade of platinum, and a hilt of the most beautiful gold.

"It can't be... Excalibur!?" Maxwell stated in astonishment.

Maxwell tried pulling the blade from the stone. Yet it would not budge.

"They say that King Arthur Altena pulled a sword named Caliburn from the pedestal, and that's how he became the new king of the Altena Kingdom..." The girl explained. She too tried pulling it, but once more, the stone wouldn't budge.

"Youse guys are doin' it all wrong! 'Ere, let me try it."

Yet when Ivor tried to pull it, from all angles and with all his might, the sword would not come out.

Mikkael approached it. On the blade, it had engravings, "Take Me Up" on one side. On the other, "Cast Me Away" as a sign of showing that a monarch shall never last.

"To oblivion with that. This blade is mine." Mikkael said, gripping the blade and then pulling it clean out of the stone, its light glimmering once more. The bandits each fell back as Mikkael looked into the beautifully crafted blade.

"M-Mikkael... Y-You did it!" Maxwell stated.

"Does this mean he's to be the king of Jungalore?" The girl asked.

"No." The blade began speaking in a female voice, "I do not determine the king. It is the heart that beats with the people that shows who is right for the throne. His heart merely beats for a cause which I haven't seen in ages..."

Everyone, even Mikkael, stared at the blade in disbelief. The sword itself was talking to them.

"What?" The blade asked.

"Excalibur? Are you talking to... us?" Mikkael asked.

"Why, yes. You must be the new master. I am Excalibur... At least, that is what they call me now. It certainly has been a long time since I've been awakened by a hero." Excalibur stated, "You remind me of another hero somehow, but I'm sure my mind is just playing tricks on me. What is your name, master?"

"Mikkael. Mikkael Altans." He answered.

"I see... So you are a meridian. I've never been used by one of your kind before, Master Mikkael." Excalibur spoke once again, "All I've ever known about was the hands of a human master. It seems you are a bandit as well. Again, something I've only really had the pleasure of speaking with, but that was in a time where I was among the humans as a human, rather than as I am now."

"Dis 'ere sword is making little sense. What d'ya mean by all that?" Ivor asked.

"It does not concern any of you, really, I was merely trying to make small talk, something I haven't done in quite some time. You haven't the slightest idea what it's like to be alone for literally hundreds of years." Excalibur explained.

"Well, Excalibur, I have a favour to ask, since I'm not really into the whole kingship and such... There's a girl who I'm in love with, and she's... being kept for nefarious purposes."

"A damsel in distress story?" Excalibur interjected.

"Not so much in distress, but... It involves experiments that are less than humane." Mikkael finished.

"I see, so you would have me fight against these nefarious individuals, yes? Well, if I must do so, then your wish is my command, master!" Excalibur exclaimed, "Although, you should probably find me a scabbard, I don't want this blade getting any worse."

"R-Right..."

-----Avalon can now be visited, north of Selk and Oasis Canyon.-----

"I see." Scorpio nodded, "I didn't think there would be such a thing lurking in the canyon. Why, we've been sending novice thieves training there for a while. Still, now people will be happy to know that the legends are true... and Excalibur, you actually found the blade and pulled it from the stone, you say?"

"Yes, as you can see, she's a little dull, so could I get her sharpened?" Mikkael asked.

"Well, yes, but why do you refer to it as a 'her' if I may ask?"

"Because I am very much a her." Excalibur responded. Scorpio nearly dropped the blade in shock.

"By Lumbra! The blade speaks!"

"Mr. Scorpio, may I also request some info?" The blade politely asked, "You are the figurehead of this city, is that correct?"

"Yes, Miss... Excalibur." Scorpio stated, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was talking to a sword.

"Please, just Excalibur is fine... Anyways, may I request that you fill Mikkael in on the hidden quest of the gods?"

"Hidden quest of the gods?" Mikkael asked, "Look, I'm not into the whole religious scene... I mean, sure, we may have souls, but gods?"

"Ah, yes, my apologies, your people don't believe in such things. However, I think you should do it. Mikkael, the fact that I could be pulled means one thing for certain, that Jungalore is in desperate need of a hero. There has to be a reason why that is. In any case, that hero appears to be you. Thus, completing this quest will make your life easier, and save the people of Jungalore as well" The blade stated.

Mikkael gave it some thought but shook his head, "Not today. Maybe some other time. Right now, I have but one mission in mind..." He smiled for a moment and continued, "However, I will take that into account."

"Well, Mikkael, I will have some excavators open the path up to Avalon. Since you found it, we'll name you as the mayor. However, you will obviously need to fix the place up... and that will cost quite a lot." Scorpio explained.

"Alright, I can work with that at least. Thanks." Mikkael took the sword in his hand, "As for you, let's go get you sharpened..."

--------------------------------------------------

With the blade sharpened and Mikkael now back with the clan, busy counting the money that Scorpio gave them, Mikkael put away his goods as Maxwell finished his documentation of the earnings.

"Precisely one million, five hundred thousand legens... Boss, you weren't lying. So how should we split this?" He asked.

"Simple. Donate six hundred thousand to whatever charities are best, such as orphanages and hospitals, and then split the remaining nine hundred thousand among yourselves. Gear up as best you can, because we need to tame a specific creature in order to perform this raid."

Mikkael began explaining it in great detail.

"Barioth, a badass monster that is so fast it acts five times per round in combat. The thing likes to fling ice and blizzards, and is carnivorous. It can kill a man in a few hits, and should be hunted in parties of twelve people to minimize deaths, with at least two of those people being priests with the best healing magics around..."

Mikkael looked at everyone, whose faces were more pale than the fur on its body, "... and I'm going to tame it and keep it as a pet."

_________________

Part 2 Epilogue: For Her...

Mikkael worked away the afternoon, he made payments where necessary to get the house fitted into a viable bandit hideout. He added a second floor and a master bedroom, and added a cellar to store everything he needed. With the best locks money could buy to match. He even put a vault in for the clan to store money if need be.

No one saw Mikkael as he was working the forge for the next hour. He wanted to be in top shape is he was to fight someone such as his grandfather. That's why he had to have better armor, and better weapons.

He created some new lab gear to make sure that he would get the most optimum yields in his lab work, and used his red gems to create red upgrade stones - Traumarite.

"Surely, Mikkael, you aren't doing this just for me." Excalibur stated as he grinded the material into Excalibur's blade. Mikkael shook his head.

"Nope, I'm also going to add this to my buster sword."

"Oh, so they've perfected the build of it?" Excalibur asked.

"Well... More like I did. It still needs some tweaks, though." He answered.

By the end of the reforge process, Excalibur was sharp enough that her blade sang as it was swung through the air. His buster sword would even slice through solid ingots of iron.

"Nice." Mikkael remarked.

Finally, he went ahead and made some new additions to his clothing. He cut down his old coat and turned it into a cape, and sewed a new tunic for use as his new class.

He stepped out in his fancy new gear, and everyone turned to him in amazement.

"It's time. Let's do this!"

--------------------------------------------------

"In the deathly tundra, they said a beast lurked, terrible enough to fell entire hunting parties. I am about to fell that same beast, for I am a one man army."

Mikkael smiled at the creature which looked quite ready to tear into Mikkael's flesh.

"A measure of an opponent's life can be made." Mikkael told his bandit clan, "Say, 25000 life for the Barioth. Maxwell, how much is half of that?"

"Like... 12500?" Maxwell remarked.

Mikkael drew Excalibur, "Precisely! That is the numerical value we aim for, then, I shall tame the beast before us and we will bring Vex Vinas the greatest raid ever witnessed!"

The group delivered a warcry as they ran towards the beast...


Link


BATTLE: BARIOTH
Special: Capture to win! Cannot flee!

Spoiler: show

Attack Order:
1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 25000
Will: 3000

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 7500
Will: 3050

Barioth lets out a roar and begins with a Critical Hit!
6(210) - 226 = 1260 Damage!
Barioth moves with incredible speed and delivers four consecutive attacks!
4(2(210) - 226) = 4(420 - 226) = 4 * 196 = 784 Damage!
Total Damages = 1260 + 784 = 2044 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 25000
Will: 3000

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 5456 [BLEED][AMPUTATE]
Will: 3050

Mikkael staggers back but holds his ground, realizing he's bleeding heavily, he almost gets bandaged up but tells them to hold it back.

"Gotcha. So it likes to throw attacks around. Well, let's see it take THIS!"

Mikkael flings a red grenade at the Barioth's face! It explodes dealing heavy fire damage and severely weakening the creature!
F = 2c * v
F = (2 * 2) * 1
F = 4

Damage = 50 * 4 = 200 Damage!

Mikkael laughs as it delivers a roar. He calls upon magic to heal himself!
Rested Recovery Effect +50%!
1.5(250 + 5(40)) = 1.5(450) = 625 Life Restored!
Mikkael takes 350 damage from the bleeding!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 24800 [WEAK]
Will: 3000

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 5731 [BLEED][AMPUTATE]
Will: 3050

The group rushes forth with their new gear in hand and starts dealing heavy damage! Ivor strikes with his new sword dealing 5d100 damage! The girl uses her dual dagger combo to deal 4(1d100) defense-ignoring damage! Maxwell strikes hard with his sword and dagger combo, dealing 2d100 damage and then 10(1d20) damage with a 10% chance to cause amputation and then a 5% chance to cause bleeding!
Ivor: 25 + 32 + 83 + 73 + 12 - 120 = 105 Damage!
The Girl: 4(66) = 264 Damage!
Maxwell: (54 + 74 - 120) + ((10 * 10) - 120) = 8 Damage! Amputation applied!
Total Damage: 377 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 24423 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 5731 [BLEED][AMPUTATE]
Will: 3050

The Barioth strikes with five icy blasts!
5(2(165) - 102) = 5(228) = 1140 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 23923 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 4591 [BLEED][AMPUTATE]
Will: 3050

Mikkael bandages up his wounds and smiles, "GOTCHA!"

Mikkael runs in and delivers a fierce bash to the head of the Barioth!
4(407) - 120 + 500 = 1628 - 120 + 500 = 1508 + 500 = 2008 Damage!
"THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!"
Blind status applied!

"Excalibur? Was that you?" Mikkael asked his new sword.
"Hm hm.~ Glad to know you like my special ability."

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 21915 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 4 Turns
Slowdown Count: 1/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 4591
Will: 3035

"Don'tcha worry, boss, we gots 'dis!" Ivor exclaimed.
Ivor: 72 + 97 + 85 + 5 + 76 - 120 = 215 Damage!
The Girl: 4(4) = 16 Damage!
Maxwell: (26 + 20 - 120) + ((10 * 2) - 120) = 0 Damage!
Total Damage: 231 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 21684 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 4 Turns
Slowdown Count: 1/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 4591
Will: 3035

The Barioth strikes wildly, blinded from Mikkael's attack!
Mikkael takes four hits and starts to bleed!
4(2(210) - 226) = 776 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 21184 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 3 Turns
Slowdown Count: 1/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 3815 [BLEED]
Will: 3035

Mikkael takes a swig from a large potion! All life restored!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 21184 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 3 Turns
Slowdown Count: 1/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 7500 [BLEED]
Will: 3035

Mikkael attempts to steal from his opponent! Gained Platinum x1, and Infernal Ingot x2!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 21184 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 3 Turns
Slowdown Count: 1/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 7400 [BLEED]
Will: 3035

The team attacks the Barioth!
Ivor: 92 + 76 + 27 + 47 + 84 - 120 = 206 Damage!
The Girl: 4(53) = 212 Damage!
Maxwell: (13 + 87 - 120) + ((10 * 16) - 120) = 40 Damage!
Total Damage: 456 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 20728 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 3 Turns
Slowdown Count: 1/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 7400 [BLEED]
Will: 3035

The Barioth attempts to critical hit! ... But misses competely!
All ice attacks from the Barioth miss, but its physical attacks hit!
2(2(210) - 226) = 388 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 20228 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 2 Turns
Slowdown Count: 1/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 7012 [BLEED]
Will: 3035

Mikkael laughs it off and delivers a debilitating bash attack!
2008 Damage! Blind timer reset!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 18220 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 4 Turns
Slowdown Count: 2/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 6912 [BLEED]
Will: 3020

The bandit clan surrounds the beast from all sides, delivering attacks as quickly as they coul before it would swipe its tail around at them!
Ivor: 80 + 4 + 39 + 26 + 42 - 120 = 71 Damage!
The Girl: 4(25) = 100 Damage!
Maxwell: (70 + 72 - 120) + ((10 * 7) - 120) = 22 Damage!
Total Damage: 193 Damage!

Mikkael egged them on as they stepped back, "Don't hold back! It's getting weaker! Only about five thousand to go I'd say!"

Maxwell laughed and began preparing for the next attack, "Quit the weird math stuff! Just jump on its back and tame the thing when it's time!"

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 18027 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 4 Turns
Slowdown Count: 2/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 6912 [BLEED]
Will: 3020

The Barioth whirled itself as best it could and attempted to attack Mikkael! It managed to get two hits in, and almost got him with a third!
2(2(210) - 226) = 388 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 17527 [AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 3 Turns
Slowdown Count: 2/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 6524 [BLEED]
Will: 3020

Mikkael didn't want to waste a perfectly good first aid kit yet. Thus, he drank a small potion instead to account for the recent damages. Then, he ran in and began his onslaught!
Damage = 2(407) - 120 + 500 = 814 - 120 + 500 = 694 + 500 = 1194 Damage! Bleed applied!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 16333 [BLEED][AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 3 Turns
Slowdown Count: 3/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 7174 [BLEED]
Will: 3020

"YES! That will go a long way for us in this battle!" Mikkael remarked.

The group was thrilled to know that the battle was truly in their favour, and with a boost in morale, Ivor shouted, "On me! Attack!"
Ivor: 59 + 99 + 73 + 36 + 28 - 120 = 175 Damage!
The Girl: 4(98) = 392 Damage!
Maxwell: (74 + 87 - 120) + ((10 * 16) - 120) = 81 Damage!
Total Damage: 648 Damage!

"Good job, guys!" Mikkael cheered.

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 15689 [BLEED][AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 3 Turns
Slowdown Count: 3/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 7174 [BLEED]
Will: 3020

Three extremely chilling breaths of frost manage to hit Mikkael!
3(4(165) - 102) = 1674 Damage!

"G-G-Gah!"

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 14989 [BLEED][AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 2 Turns
Slowdown Count: 3/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 5500 [BLEED]
Will: 3020

Mikkael contemplates his next move very carefully. He decides to clean up his bleeding with a first-aid kit. Then, he runs up and deals another bash attack!
4(407) - 120 + 200 + 500 = 4(407) + 580 = 1628 + 580 = 2208 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 12781 [BLEED][AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 2 Turns
Slowdown Count: 4/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 5500
Will: 3005

The team prepares to attack, but Mikkael halts them.
"It's almost ready, let it bleed a little..."

The Barioth rams its head into a cliff as Mikkael begins moving about. It does swipe him with its tail as he prepares his next move, causing Mikkael to feel heavy pains in his chest.
2(210) - 226 = 420 - 226 = 194 Damage!

1. Barioth 210/120/165/185
Life: 12081 [BLEED][AMPUTATE][WEAK]
Will: 3000
BLIND: 2 Turns
Slowdown Count: 4/5

2. Mikkael Altans 407/226/40/102
Life: 5306 [AMPUTATE]
Will: 3005

"... NOW!" Mikkael shouts, climbing up its back and, while drinking a potion, attempting to tame the beast!

The beast struggles for a few moves, but then finally tires out as Mikkael slowly pets it, tending to its wounds.

TAMING VICTORY!
New Title: The Big-Game Tamer

Mikkael gently petted the Barioth's face as he applied as much healing to it as possible.

"You're with me now." Mikkael stated, "I need to think of a name... Something fitting."

"How about frost?" Maxwell suggested.

"Jus' go wit' da name Snow or sometin'." Ivor also suggested.

"I... Don't really have a suggestion. Something in the meridian tongue I guess?" The girl giggled to herself.

Mikkael gave it some thought and decided, "Afalans. Your name will be Afalans. It's the meridian word for Avalanche."

Excalibur spoke, "Indeed, this seems to be a good name. Also, congratulations on your first victory as a barbarian, master."

"Well, it was nothing without everyone's help." Mikkael noted, "Now, let's discuss plans for the raid back at home. Afalans, would you mind giving us a ride?"

Afalans crouched and motioned for everyone to get on its back. Then, without warning, it flapped its strong wings and took flight. In a matter of mere seconds, even faster than Mikkael's trip with the Paragon, they had already landed back in Selk. Before getting to the talks, Mikkael went ahead and registered his familiar with the bank.

Then, the plan would come into action...

_________________

"Patrol volunteers, you will be attached to Group E. You will follow Runelord Hazkiil and Sorcerer Ba'ganhal in a two-pair column. In the case you sight the mark - remember to use incapacitating spells. He may be a goddamn traitor, but the noble Dean wishes to see him captured alive. Now, Column B, prepare your knockdown spells and walk in the Phalanx Formation behind Column A. Kill, but only if you have no other choice."

He prepared a simple Wind spell, focusing on what he had learned while locked into the dorm room. The sorcerer, Ba'ganhal looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Jahaark, are you having trouble casting simple spells?"

"No, sir. It's just that..." he responded as he raised his hood to reveal a large bruise on his forehead. "The intruder we captured gave me a pretty horrible hit."

"Ah... that... that looks pretty bad..." the battle-hardened sorcerer's stern face melted into one of concern. "Would you rather sit this one out? You should get one of the healers up on B2 to look at that at least."

"N-no. Please give me a few moments to focus. I'll be fine." he replied. "Besides, I want to capture the traitor now more than ever."

"That's the spirit. See, with folks like you, we're gonna get far. I'm sure you'll do well with extra credit in your next review."

"Yes sir."

"Patrol group, start!"

_________________

Mikkael pulled his map of the tower out in front of the group and laid it on the table. Joining them was Scorpio, Shade, and three assassins.

"The tower of will sits on a 60 foot hill above sea level. It is Jungalore's second tallest structure at 260 feet tall, making its top 320 feet above sea level. This building is second in height to the former Meridian Castle, third in height to Castle Soraen. Twenty floors, plus a roof, and three basement levels. While the first fifteen floors are accessible to students, the basement and top five floors are not normally accessible. At the very top sits the dean's room, and two floors below sits the archives. Other than that there are labs."

Mikkael cleared his throat as he continued, "Our mission is as follows, we ride to the top of the tower, and raid downwards, I want our Maxwell and Ivor to enter from the top. Both of you will steal from the archives anything with the terms in this envelope." Mikkael stated, handing them a sealed envelope, "See if you can find any business ledgers too, as those will be crucial to pull this raid off successfully. Our girl here will act as an apprentice mage in the main city, pretending to block off the main exit of the tower, and will remain mounted on the Barioth. I am giving you precisely five minutes to hold the position. Once you have held it for five minutes, begin your rendezvous with Maxwell and Ivor and you three can take out any opposition around the tower and in the main town."

Mikkael looked to the three assassins and Shade, "Meanwhile, Shade, you will help secure an exit by providing a distraction in the main city. I hear you're wanted by the Lumbra inquisition, so we will raise the alarm with them to begin a search of every house for you. The mages will be chasing the church for this breach, as will any necromancers nestled in the city. I just want you to stir the pot to keep any baddies from messing with our plan. The assassins at your side will work with us to secure the main tower, killing any rune lord troops that would dare to cross us." He then finally put his thumb to his chest, "I, finally will be the one who will searching for Philena. When I raise the signal, send Afalans to me."

Taking a deep breath, Mikkael asked, "Is everyone clear on what they're doing?"

Maxwell raised a hand, "So, what do we do after that?"

Mikkael then instructed, "I have given everyone a red grenade. These are our signals. Throw them up into the air, and I will pick each of you up in those positions."

Everyone seemed to be in agreement, and so they began to set off for Vex Vinas. Before going, Mikkael fitted Afalans with some pet armor.

"Afalans, see this red grenade? If you ever hear one of these explode, I want you to go to where the explosion is. Got it?"

The Barioth nodded its head and Mikkael got on its back with the rest of his clan. Shade took her Qurupeco as she gave a hug to her father.

"Be safe, alright? The inquisition will not be as friendly as they are here." Scorpio instructed, "Mikkael, you make sure my daughter returns safe, alright?"

Mikkael nodded, and thus, they began their flight for Vex Vinas!

"I'm coming, Philena... Great grandfather... I will have you pay for what you've done!"

_________________

Patrol duty was finished. But this time, he was certain that he had a solid lead on Philena's whereabouts. All the 'holy artifacts' in the possession of the University had been moved deep into the third basement - only the leaders of the security team were allowed to go in there. If they were considering Philena to be an 'artifact', there was no telling how long she would last down there.

He had to pull this heist off alone.

3 hours had passed, and there had been no sign of Mikkael. Security was tight, but eventually was gently winding down. The talk of 'capturing him alive' had gone to 'he must have been badly injured'. Some of the more bloodthirsty students boasted that they had a hand in the attack - and would collect the bounty offered.

He sighed. Worrying wouldn't accomplish anything.

That's when he saw it. A large tank of ether had been moved to a student lab to produce the crystal amalgam that once set, served as a conduit for magical power in this tower. He had read up on this powerful magical substance - that in its pure form, was similar to high-octane fuel. If he could rig this to explode, he could have a distraction.

"How convenient..."

Now, all he had to do was procure a means to cause a powerful explosion in the lab. He began to look around the laboratory...

... not that it helped him.

He would have to look it up in the students' library.

_________________

Mikkael flew high above the clouds so that none could see them approaching, he motioned for Maxwell and Ivor to jump off with him. They drew out their sail cloths and landed safely on top of the tower with the three assassins, who scaled down the side and hid in key floors of the building. Keeping her eyes on the skies for the drop in the city below was Shade, at about this time, she heard a call...


Link


"PEOPLE OF VEX VINAS! AMONG YOU IS A WOMAN WHO HAS BETRAYED THE WORD OF LUMBRA! COOPERATE, AND NONE SHALL BE HURT!" A bishop shouted in the square.

"Sounds like my cue.~" She remarked, hiding within the city's shadows.

The Girl piloted Afalans below, wearing a mock mage uniform, and she raised the alarm with the rune lords nearby.

"Sirs! It's the traitor Mikkael! He has landed on the tower!" She stated, creating the diversion they needed. A troop of mages ran up, with the other distraction now taking place.

"Milord! The church is raiding houses in the city! We need the rune lords down there to help keep calm them!"

The rune lords were stumped, and so they turned to the girl and said, "You! You have a barioth, we shall let you guard this entrance, DO NOT let the traitor escape. Troops! To the city!"

A platoon of rune lords ran through the entrance of the tower and down into Vex Vinas, the necromancers nearby also joined them to settle a score with the church. Meanwhile, Mikkael, Maxwell, and Ivor all made it to the archives.

"Begin your search!" Mikkael commanded, running down the stairs.

"H-HEY! It's HI-GAAAAAAGH!" A mage screamed as Mikkael cut him in two, it seemed Mikkael would be in for a fight.

"The bounty is mi-AAAAGH!!!" Another screamed as Mikkael continued cutting down the apprentices who stood in his way.

The raid was well under way. Mikkael happily gazed out the window at the carnage he had started. Necromancers and priests began tearing at each other, and even paladins were falling to the chaos below.

"Brilliant." Mikkael remarked, rushing in and cutting away at another mage who weakly attempted to take him out.

--------------------------------------------------

"Hey! Vex Vinas is being raided! We need to go assist them!" A paladin said to another in Cyndar. Eiryk looked in astonishment as all the guards moved from the entrance to the prison, leaving Eiryk with the perfect opportunity, a single soldier to guard the entryway.

"Whoever did this for me, may your path be blessed." He stated, ambushing the single soldier and putting on his gear, "Apologies, I must take from you a prisoner..."

Eiryk ran down the stairway and into Cyndar's prison, ready to save Karliah.

_________________

In his hand, was a set of screamroots, hellflowers, a bottle of dragonsaliva and a flame-retardant blanket. He had made an excuse that he was on an errand to acquire these. It was only a matter of time before he would be found out.

Returning to the lab, he looked over the recipe for a fireball.
"Carefully mix the hellflowers into powder, and place the screamroots into the material..."
"Do not damage the screamroots..."
"Pour the dragon-saliva in slowly, careful not to splash any on yourself..."
Steam began to froth from the compound as it began to heat up. Pouring the contents into a flask, then wrapping it in a heat-proof blanket to cause it to explode after about 20 minutes...

The end product was a frothing jar that was slowly becoming hotter and hotter. He plugged it up and after wrapping it in the heat-proof cloth, tucked it into his robe.

"Ow, hot!"

He returned to the lab - all the while trying not to wince in pain. After making sure no one was looking, slipped the package into the tank of purified ether.



Silence. No one had seen him do it. With his dark deed done, he quickly climbed out of the the security area and went back to the lab proper, with a book marked "Alchemy 101: A comprehensive guide to basic Alchemy. He would make for his room, but then slip away into the base-

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

-

Student volunteers, backed with security captains rushed to the surface. He also followed them, lest he be found out. That was when Sorcerer Ba'ganhal called him to the side.

"Listen, you. I know you're trying your best to earn extra credit because you're not so good at magic." he said. "But you've already been injured once. How about you sit this one out?"

He made a token protest, but then nodded - giving the man exactly what he wanted to hear. "I'm sorry, sir. I... I guess I was too excited..."

"Only a fool fights battles while handicapped." the sorcerer smiled as he stood up. "Return to your dorm and rest. I'll put in a good word with the head of department for you. Once you graduate from this place, I'll let you in on some REAL exclusive education opportunities."

"Yes sir!"

The large majority of the University had been drafted into the defense militias. With 300,000 Legens on the line, several student groups had banded together to form platoons under the command of a security officer. With the tower evacuated, this was the perfect time for a sneaking mission.

He approached the door to the basement level, noting that the security teams that had stationed here had gone topside to lead the defense. Pushing a hand against the cold stone door, it gave way revealing a staircase that led into the darkness.

Silence.

He began to slowly climb down.

_________________

An entire line of shielded troops blocked Mikkael's path.

"Aw, come on guys, you're making it too easy!" He remarked. They looked over as Mikkael tossed one of the grenades in from of them, blowing their line back, even causing many of them to fall over one another before pulling his buster sword and breaking the floor. He caused the floor to collapse down to the first floor of the tower, crushing most of the opposition in the rubble.

"Phew. No sign yet..." Mikkael stated. He was noticed by two warlocks who stood alongside the Girl, however, as they tried to cast spells at Mikkael, she pulled out her dual daggers and stabbed both in the neck. Ivor and Maxwell followed down the stair, kicking one of the mages out of one of the windows.

Mikkael continued going down the stairs as they made their way out to the main city. That was when he ran into an opened security door, he followed inside, and bumped into the man there, "Who-!?"

He pulled out a sword shining a light on the area, "Aha... Another necromancer..." Mikkael said to the cloaked man.

_________________

The few people set to guard this place weren't trained soldiers. They were more of a spellcaster and researcher group. Of course, he had ended up walking right in front of them. One had managed to scream out an alert before being pinioned by his tanto. The other, a meridian - had backed off, letting his compatriot die as he prepared a shockwave spell to knock him down - clearly intent on grabbing the 300,000 Legen reward for himself.

"Your throats are soft - cartilage replacing bone means I can do this." Yemhelch grinned as he sidestepped the bolt of lightning and punched him in the throat, crushing the windpipe. Dragging the bodies away, he stopped to listen for a moment. Had anyone else heard his scream?

...

Only silence replied in this dark dungeon. He had to keep searching.

Most of the prison cells in this dungeon had been converted into storerooms for several treasure boxes and chests filled to spilling with gold and jewels and some unusual totems. He'd have loved to collect a few, but his bag was already full.

That was when he heard pained groaning coming from a room marked 'research lab - absolutely no entry.'

Slowly opening this door, he saw... an unusual, massive apparatus suspended from the ceiling - looking more like a giant, metal spider. And below it, a series of mirrors and crystals focused black light onto the ceiling where a massive rune formed of blackness focused the eldritch energies into a swirling maelstrom of otherworldly power.

And right below it was Philena - naked and spreadeageled to a stone slab. Two researchers, one human and one reptal stood over her, poring over her body with unusual tools in hand.

His body moved. The reptal saw his approach and managed to jump back - the human necromancer had no such luck. All he could do was look up before the tanto burst forth from his left eyeball. His scream was silenced when Yemhelch put him in a chokehold. The reptal raised his hands to fire off a volley shot, then changed his mind as Yemhelch pulled out the necromancer's dagger and threw it at him.

In a show of perfect skill, the Reptal performed a perfect backflip, letting the knife fly past him close enough to touch with his snout. With a picture-perfect landing, he smirked as he prepared a bolt spell... only for him to stare down Yemhelch's fist for a split second before a wet crack sounded in the chamber.

Both his targets were down. He quickly turned the bolts to loosen the shackles. Philena looked up at him with a pained expression. "...Who?"

"Oh, right." Yemhelch whoopsy'd as he let the control of his facial muscles slip. Philena watched the change - she'd be surprised, but she was in considerable amounts of pain right now. She slumped to the floor, clutching at her groin.

"E...e...."

"Are you all right?"

"I didn't think I could hold this in any longer..." she sighed, falling backwards.

"What? What happened? Did these bastards rape you?"

"N-no... no.... I was holding another egg..."

... this wasn't a good time for questions, then.

"...Allright, okay. Try to control your breathing and let it out. We're getting you outta here!"

"W-we...?"

"Well, I came here on my own, but I bet you a good chunk of cash Mikkael's the one attacking topside."

-

The birth had gone without complications, and finally Philena's breathing became normal. After carefully packing the bag with rags from the human necromancer's clothes, he slipped the egg in the second bag he had borrowed from the reptal necromancer - since he looked like he wouldn't need it anymore. With both bags in tow and Philena wearing the clothes he had offered her, it was time for him to show her the strange suits he had received. He began to explain how it worked...

Dressed in the suits, then covered with robes - now began the hard part. Climbing to the top of the Tower of Will. Time was running out. Of course, the ceiling on the stairway had collapsed. Mikkael must've brought in heavy artillery or something.

"This way!"

An old fire escape, unused for years had been revealed by the impact. Yemhelch tested it - the metal held strong despite the fact that it looked quite ancient, plugged into the brickwork. They began to climb.

_________________

Mikkael finds himself adorned with the cloak of the necromancer, it looked nearly perfect, and he snuck into the research lab where Philena was...

"GONE!?" Mikkael shouted, frantically searching the area. He found not a trace of her body, but in a box he found her clothing and more importantly her pink scarf.

Mikkael gripped it in his hand and turned to notice a familiar warlock.

"YOU...!!!" Mikkael shouted as he pinned his great grandfather against a wall.

"Agh... M-Mikkael... Y-You would not dare... Kill your family member..."

Mikkael grinned an evil grin, "Funny, you were the one who told me to leave that family behind." Mikkael stated, tensing his grip up.

"DON'T YOU DARE DO IT...!" His grandfather barely managed to let out.

Mikkael threw him to the ground and began punching his head in, "WHERE IS SHE!? TELL ME! YOU... FUCKING... SHITHEAD!!!"

Mikkael grabbed a nearby shard of broken glass and cut out his eye as he screamed, gushing blood all over Mikkael. His grandfather coughed, feeling the glass jammed into his ribs, "I.. GAH! I don't know! I... I was coming... To retrieve the girl... Before you could come and steal her!"

Mikkael slammed his grandfather's head into the device and broke multiple beakers over his head, spilling a variety of chemicals on the elder meridian. The man outright set on fire with the third beaker.

Mikkael cut off the man's right arm next, "YOU... BECAUSE OF YOU, SHE'S PROBABLY DEAD!... AND MY CHILDREN."

"Mi... Mikkael... You... You will regret this..."

Mikkael began to feel a tremor. He realized he spent enough time with his grandfather, who had already teleported away. Mikkael grabbed the money he found in various chests to the tune of 300,000 Legens, as well as a glowing rune stone as big as his helmet, and then located an old open fire hatch. That's when it occured to Mikkael...

"Maybe... She escaped?"

He ran towards the fire exit and began crawling through it. Something was clearly about to explode.

Mikkael wasn't much of a climber, but hitched a ride with one of the Assassins in the building.

"It seems a necromancer has your girl, yet it seems like she knows the man." The assassin stated. Mikkael had a feeling he knew who it was, and instructed the man to take them to the top immediately.

"Yemhelch... You crazy dude..." Mikkael uttered to himself.

As Mikkael made it to the top, he noticed his grandfather looking over the city. It seemed several fires had started, and that building were outright destroyed. He could even notice Afalans battling off necromancers in the distance.

"Mikkael..." The old man coughed out, "I nearly had this entire city under my control... You were to be my greatest warrior, encased in black armor..." He turned to Mikkael, now clad in black armor, yet missing one piece.

"Seems you're one gauntlet short of a complete set there." Mikkael remarked.

Mikkael then heard grunting behind him. He nodded for the assassin to help whoever was climbing up the side, "... and if it's a damn mage, cut off their hands."

_________________