Leave a comment

[Short Story] What’s your Skill Point allocation? (Hinagiku)

“Hinagiku, congrats on getting the Katana Skill. Have you gotten to try it yet?”
“Oh yes, there’s so many powerful enemies in Schwarzwald that it’s perfect for training.”
“Really? I’ve heard most people struggle a lot in there…I guess you really are as talented as I thought. Anyway, do you mind letting me see how much you’ve grown?”
“Yes of course, Master!”

“Woah, you already have so many points for the Katana Skill..?!”
“Eheheh, I’ve been working hard.”
“By the way, what’s this Unsheathe Skill?”
“Ah yes, when an attack starts with the katana sheathed, that Skill makes the first strike deal bonus damage. There’s various other weapon arts that follow-up to such an attack, making it an essential part of handling a katana.”
“Ohh, I see… Hmhmm, overall you look like a pretty straightforward frontliner. I think you might be the only one with such a clear role in our party, so it’s pretty easy to see how you’ll keep going.”
“Yes yes, though I feel like I might have some room left to grow once I’ve maxed out my current Skills. But I can worry about what to pursue next later on. Regardless, I’ll keep working hard as the party’s only pure frontliner!”

“Moving on… You’re from the rare Silver Fox species, and the main trait is Blue Fire, huh. It doesn’t seem like you really have any negative traits though.”
“About that, Blue Fire can also be a bit of a negative trait in itself. Health Regeneration is stopped while Blue Fire is active, and it also deals some ticking damage.”
“That does sound like a bit of an issue…”

“On top of that, there’s points deducted from my VIT, which is connected to my HP. So I don’t think I can really become a tank like you had hoped, I’m sorry…”
“Nah, it’s fine. I don’t really think traditional tanks are that necessary in this game, except for endgame content or raid bosses.”
“Is that so?”

“Mhm, especially for things like PvP. For example there’s the provocation art Taunt you get with 10 points in Combat Ability, where you strike your shield to lure enemies to you. That works fine for NPC enemies that easily let you draw aggro, but it’s useless against other players.”
“Ah…that’s true.”
“Yeah, you don’t have a way to become the main target when fighting other players. Or well, the best thing you can do is to make sure they see you as the main threat.”
“I see, and that’s why the frontliners should be skilled warriors.”

“But then you have things like Chain Bind that you get with 30 points in Combat Ability that restraints an enemy’s movements to focus on you. It’s a bit weak against enemies with long range attacks, but it’s especially good against other players.”
“Your Slave Chain is also like that, right?”
“Mhm, it is. Good job remembering that.”
“Eheheh…”

“Anyway, tell me Hinagiku, are there any situations you dislike in fights?”
“Hmm…I guess I don’t like having multiple people attacking me at once?”
“I see. I get that though, it’s really annoying when you’re trying to fight someone and then someone else throws spears from the backlines. Kinda like the PKers from the other day.”
“PKers…PKers should all die…no mercy…I’ll kill all red names…”
“There’s none so try to calm down! H-how about fights you find easy then?”

“Ah..! Mm…ummm…any time I get a lot of support from our backlines!”
“Hmhmm, what can we do to create such situations for you then?”
“Make sure that the enemy’s backlines can’t move freely, and then support me when given a chance…ah!”
“Yes, your supports will have to get the enemy’s backlines busy for that to work. But once that happens…”

“The enemy will do the same…”
“Yes, the both frontlines engage to allow their backlines to do their job safely, and the backlines try to make sure nothing interrupts their frontline from holding back the enemy. This creates a sort of balance that needs to be tipped one way or another for one side to win, but then…”
“But then?”
“Alright so, say there’s a guy with crazy tough armor but not much power, and a ridiculously strong guy with paper thin armor, which would you attack first?”
“The one with little armor, obviously…ah!”

“Yup. It’s also possible to become a juggernaut though, basically having thick armor and also a lot of firepower at the cost of mobility. But in this game…I wouldn’t feel very confident doing that, since it doesn’t fit the general playstyle.”
“You could just ignore someone like that…”

“Yeah, since you have no way of establishing aggro from other players. Even the backline has ways to be tanky and heal themselves, so they can take a bit of punishment. You can always ignore tanks and focus on squishy targets first, eliminating any advantage in numbers, or at least that’s the current meta. Who knows if that’ll change one day.”
“I see, that’s why you said traditional tanks aren’t necessary. (Also, I still think not everyone is so brutal as to focus only on striking critical hits like you, Master.)”

“Yeah, that’s why. You can always dodge while wearing light armor, and like a great man once said, who cares, as long as it doesn’t hit us!”
“Umm… I’ll keep training hard then! (I still think you’re the only one who fights like that though, Master.)”

“Anyway…sorry that ended up being more like a lecture.”
“It’s fine, I learned a lot.”
“Also, always keep in mind that these are general guidelines. Every fight has its quirks, something that worked in one might not always work on others.”
“Yes, I’ll never forget your teachings!”

[Short Story] What’s your Skill Point allocation? (Lycoris)

“Alright then, Lycoris, you’ll probably be the one fighting the most with strategy and tactics, so I’d like to know a bit more about your Skills, are you free right now?”
“Ah, m-me? Umm…it’s a bit embarrassing…but if it’s you I can…show you…”
“O-okay…let’s do it then (First Freya, and now Lycoris is also talking in such questionable ways!!)”

“How do I put this…your Species seems to be nearly as unique as mine as far as your traits go.”
“You…think so?”
“Mhm, almost all players in this game can use at least some forms of magic to expand their skill trees, but you have to use something completely different.”
“So I locked myself out of a normal playstyle the moment I picked this…”
“Yeah…it seems like a pretty extreme negative trait. I also don’t recognize any of the Support Skills, are they also unique to you?”

“Ah, I think those are common amongst all Gnomes… Electronic Eyes gives me a telescoping view and infrared vision. Accelerated Thought and Controlled Breath are activated as a form of system assist under specific circumstances…I think?”
“Ohh, I see. That makes me more curious about it.”
“The conditions to activate them are unknown though…and it’s a bit of an inconvenience that I can’t activate them at will.”

“By the way, about Technologie, what else can it do apart from Einstrasse that you used the other day?”
“Umm…right now I can think of the one that camouflages with the environment, or letting my body phase into a different dimension to hide…”
“I see. I guess you picked the most Skills to conceal yourself and sneak around, at least out of everyone in the guild. Is it all to snipe better?”
“Mhm… Picking a secret sniping spot is really important.”

“Do you also have a Magius Orb like Ryunosuke?”
“Yes… It allows me to survey a bigger area, or I can send it out like a drone camera so I can spot enemies while hiding in my shelter. It’s really…useful.”
“Ohh, I know Ryunosuke uses it a lot to take pictures, but I see you’ve skillfully adapted it to use in actual combat. It’s interesting to see how everyone adapts things to their own uses in this game.”

“So I guess you’re just a staple sniper then, and you have your Magius Gun too. I haven’t seen anything about other players obtaining one, so could you tell me more about it yourself?”
“You…want me to detail Blank Easel’s capabilities?”
“Mhm.”

“Umm…well, unlike a regular gun, there’s no need to reload magazines. Instead I first pick what type of bullet I want, then focus Mana into the chamber and a bullet is formed. There’s no magazine or clip like in real guns either, so I have to create a new bullet every time after firing, so it doesn’t have rapid fire. The Mana cost is pretty high too, but that also guarantees the bullets have a lot of range and power.”
“U-umm…Lycoris?”

“Also, Blank Easel is basically just a tool to direct the line of fire, she doesn’t have any attack power by herself. Almost everything depends on the type of bullet I make, and my own Mana. I guess it can be compared to regular magic attacks in that aspect. Ah, and and-and-and it deals magic damage too, so physical defenses don’t stop the bullets at all, and I can fire at heavily armored enemies without issue. But I still have to be careful because magic barriers do have an effect…also…”
“Wait, give me a moment. I’m still trying to process everything!”

“Ah…I’m really sorry…”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. (She became really talkative as soon as the conversation became about her interests. It’s kind of endearing how embarrassed she got when she realized.)”
“U-um…Crim?”
“I’m alright, just try to talk a little slower, alright? I promise I’ll listen to you.”
“Okay…I’ll try.”

(After that the two talked about good locations to snipe from and various tactics for a long time, so it has been omitted.)