Third Quest: Voice

[lightnovelexperiences]

Yeah, I can definitely confirm that some griefer-ass idiots are around causing trouble. There's a group of them leading pirate raids on Costa Dulce.

The locals weren't very happy with all the Adventurers sticking around eating up the food, until we graciously allowed them to tell us how to fight off the fucking player character pirates. That does give us a bit of a leg up on figuring out what's going on, got a letter to deliver to the Contessa about how we rule, actually.

On the offchance anyone else is stuck here, be on the lookout for an Erandite priestess with a stupid-ass strawberry staff, a conquistador-looking Warrior taking tank builds, Literally Ahri Kpopskin Leagueoflegends, an edgy koboldt caster and an edgier Eithyr warlock of the inferno. All of them kind of made themselves hostis mundanis generis.

Also, Frankie Bacon says hi and is extremely relieved that World War Three hasn't broken out. Yet. The crisis is young.

Comments

[nijistaryume]

Gross. Lemme guess, it's 'cause they can get away with it, and they just say 'cause it's a game.

[lightnovelexperiences]

I mean, I haven't had the chance to talk to them for longer than a Support Action on the other end of my glaive.

But yeah. Yeah, absolutely that's why.

[nijistaryume]

Do you know all their powers? Or do you think they're hiding some kinda cheat?

[lightnovelexperiences]

I think that we were all nerfed back to first level and starter equipment so our cheaty bullshit munchkin builds got wiped, because the Gods couldn't tell which of us whacked Io. If these five were cheaty, those cheats are gone.

It's a design rule in AWO that no player can have any power that a local can't theoretically earn, but we did homebrew abusive bullshit. It's possible that they can level up to the point where they get it back.

[nijistaryume]

That's kinda creepy, but at least it's only a maybe. If they're pirates, I assume they have a ship, right?

[lightnovelexperiences]

We expect they do; they need some way to get rid of all the junk, and people, they're stealing.

I'm going to be part of a mission to burn it down and take back everyone.

[nijistaryume]

Stealing people? You mean like kidnapping to sell them on the black market and stuff? That sounds pretty Invader-y, too. What do you know about their raids if they haven't been coming by ship straight into the town?

[lightnovelexperiences]

Oh trust me, we are operating from the tactical assumption that these idiots are basically Invaders.

We know what direction they come from and have accurate maps of the island made by cartographers trained by the Temple of Io. There's only one place their fortress can be that a ship of any size can dock at that isn't Costa Dulce's cargo dock.

The problem is that Adventurers, mundane or otherwise, are on a different level from most fighters. And there's at least a full party of 5 Adventurers helping the pirates.

[nijistaryume]

How many do you have? And have you tried scouting out any ways to sneak in where they aren't expecting? Like underwater caves, those exist sometimes.

[have_hat_will_travel]

... If I can get plane-shifted over there, I can try to look for them - though what I could do with it might be limited, depending on factors.

[lightnovelexperiences]

You might also get hit with the nerfhammer and I'm not sure which class and species you'll end up.

[have_hat_will_travel]

That's... A good question I can't easily answer.

It depends on a lot of factors I'd need to try and get some study on before experimenting.

[lightnovelexperiences]

Odds are even that you'd end up as an Entertainer with a musical subspecialty or as some kind of seductress-themed Psychic with kiss-based Ravaging Kythes for days.

Not sure if you'd end up an Eithyr of some kind or just Boring Old Human either.

[have_hat_will_travel]

That's if my mechanics get translated at all, which is in question.

If it doesn't happen, that's much better, because then I can keep my magics. Most importantly, Plane Shift. And Greater Teleport, but that's limited to where I've been or can clearly see.

[lightnovelexperiences]

...if it's in the power of the Mundane Gods, they'll nerf you to prevent you from doing damage to them.

But I'm not sure it is.

[have_hat_will_travel]

... I presume we don't have a way to tell them I'm going to try and be here to help???

[Gods. Not a great thing for Pid to experience working with, from past encounters...]

[lightnovelexperiences]

If Durante can't reach them, no. If she does find a way...

[have_hat_will_travel]

... Well. Hope I'm lucky, and that I do enough good to inspire them to not intervene harder?

[turingcompletionist]

Oh thank fuck.

... yeah, uh, I think I can see how their train of thought led there and I fucking hope it doesn't, even though DARPA is making bitchy noises about Chinese terrorists being responsible for this, even though Beijing is very adamant that if it was their people, they were independent actors.

[Dr Durante sighs deeply.]

Anyway, give Frankie my love and tell them that we're still working hard to help you guys get out--which we super are, we've just been slowed down a bit by the red tape.

Also fuck those griefers, man. Try to get their names/IDs so once everyone's free I can ban their sorry asses.

[lightnovelexperiences]

Obviously it was Tencent, mad that their game didn't penetrate the market first.

I'm kidding. I hope.

[turingcompletionist]

I was thinking someone else if we're talking corporate sabotage, but...

[She sighs.]

Anyway, thanks for the heads-up on those motherfuckers and for checking up on Frankie. I've been visiting them at the hospital as often as I can and I tend to look in on the room I got you and Sekh too. Though you'll probably gonna be getting a roommate or two, since DARPA wants to start putting three or four in each room now, since the players keep coming in. You have any preference as to who?

Oh! And you've got a friend that visits pretty often. Nice kid, red hair, somewhere in his twenties? Want me to pass on any messages?

[lightnovelexperiences]

I... That's a surprise. I didn't think anyone would want to visit.

Uh, tell him I'm okay.

The other guildmembers I guess, if they have nowhere else to be.

[turingcompletionist]

Oh yeah, he comes in all the time. He really misses you, you know. And I think there's maybe a little bt of survivor's guilt at play too, admittedly, [she adds with a sigh.] Given that he missed getting sucked in with you guys because he had an exam.

1/2

[lightnovelexperiences]

...in that case you can tell Ralph that rolling a 20 on a Saving Throw Vs Isekai does not make him a bad person, it just makes him a lucky sonovabitch.

And maybe in a position to help us, if that doesn't settle his nervous ass.

2/2

[lightnovelexperiences]

He's not who I expected to be torn up about it but...

...well, I didn't expect anyone to be torn up about it except maybe Mom. More fool me.

Via voice

[theriflespiral]

It is at this point that normally I would say to engage in politics, but bluntly, politics was never my strong suit, and this seems like a good time for the judicious application of violence.

This said my typical advice would be to wait until you can press every advantage going forward. You may not have this time.

In which case I would say to press your surprise and employ stratagem.

Also, while a long-range, high power rifle has never turned the tide of any known battle, do not discount the judicious application of fear and suppression tactics. If they are like you, they will likely not be expecting it and not be trained for it.

If your objective were not rescuing people, I might have also suggested burning the place to the ground, but it is currently counter-productive.

The particulars of these plans, however, I must leave to you. I do not know the disposition of your forces and suspect that explaining them to me would take you too much time.

Re: Via voice

[lightnovelexperiences]

Commando raid, basically. Get in, free the slaves, steal the treasure. Pillage, then burn.

If it comes to a fight... they should be comparable level. It would be a fair fight. Unfortunately. So we're going to need to lean on surprise and chaos.

[godslantern]

How are you holding up?

[lightnovelexperiences]

I'll get back to you about that when I'm done putting out this particular fire.

I've been in an average of two fights a day, along with a night of survival on the island. It's exhausting. I appreciate the locals putting on a banquet for us after we fended off the first pirate raid, gods know we needed it, but still. Exhausting.

Knowing that gamerbro assholes who I might have known IRL from like a forum or something are working with the pirates doesn't help.

[godslantern]

It certainly sounds exhausting.

What's a... gamerbro?