So you want to be a zako? (RP, Mentos Edition) (1 Viewer)

ViridianShine

Club Regular
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
If the update goes in before I get the chance to write something, McKayla, Kuu'rin, Kendra, Fedosia, and Tihana are all betraying as well.
 

Skinny73

Swell Supporter
Joined
May 15, 2019
Moira, Bianca, and Anko will all betray Marla. For Moira, it's a matter of ambition and pride; she's waited months for a chance to usurp Marla and she knows she won't get a better chance than this. Anko has more pragmatic considerations; she figures that whether she participates in the coup or not, her chances of survival are better with Marla dead and the rebels successful. Besides, even if she dies fighting, at least she won't be Marla's slave any longer. Bianca doesn't really care either way; she's been with the group for such a short amount of time that she hasn't had a chance to form any particular kind of bond with anyone save for Rixa and Bee. With Rixa dead, Bianca's primary concern will be to protect Bee, and seeing as practically the entire battalion is turning on Marla, she figures the best way to do that is to follow the rebels' lead.
 

Mentos

Club Regular
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
Last mission! This one was a ton of fun writing and I was reeling with every dice roll. If your character survived, congratulations!

Miasma Battalion:
Mission 12: The Eye of Abaddon
Difficulty: 6/5
BOSS: Marla (Dark Mage, ??/F) 60/110 (Level 18) Items: Mysterious Staff, Elven Crown
SUB-BOSS: Elven Assassin (Assassin, ??/F) 50/50 HP (Level 10)

1: Lieutenant Amanda (Soldier, Claymore 24/F): 50/50 HP (Level 8) Items: Elfcalibur +10 to ATK, Superior Elven Armor: +2 to DEF
2: Arastine (Stalwart Defender, Axe, Gauntlets, Tower Shield 49/F): 60/60 HP (Level 9), Items: Mithril Elven Armor, +7 to Defense Rolls, RIng of ATK +1 to ATK, Ring of Def +1 to DEF
3: McKayla (Cleric, E. Jewelry 26/F) 17/17HP (Level 7) (Spells: Heal, Shield, Gravity, Dispel, Drain Life) Items: Elven Jewelry, +1 to Healing Spells, Black Bow
4: Moira (Dark Mage, Magic Staff 32/F): 17/17 HP (Level 7) (Spells: Shadow Bolt, Drain Life, Summon Snakes, Cocoon, Poison Mist) Items: Elven Bracelet, +3 to Attack Rolls, Spider Shawl (+1 to Def)
5: Astrid (Soldier, Fencing Rapier 20/F): 50/50 HP (Level 9), Items: Elven Armor, +1 to Defense Rolls
6: Anko (Rogue, Martial Arts 27/F) 30/30 HP (Level 10) Ring of Attack, +1 to ATK, Ring of Defense, +1 to DEF, Elven Armor, +1 to Def
7: Eisenhilde (Reaver, Crossbow/Spear, 25/F) 35/35/ HP (Level 12) Items: Blade of Hel +1 to ATK, Tyris' Mace +2 to ATK, Elven Chain Mail, +1 to Def
8: Avaricia (Mage, 19/F) 15/15 HP (Level 6) (Spells: Fireball, Lightning, Stone Throw)
9: Kuu'rin (Rogue, Daggers ???/F) (Level 8) (25/25 HP), Elven Daggers +2 to ATK, Ring of ATK +1 to ATK, Ring of DEF +1 to DEF
10: Kaede (Soldier, Claws/Biting ???/F) 35/35 HP (Level 6)
11: Bee (Archer, Short Bow 18/F) 13/13/HP (Level 4)
12: Bianca (Rogue, Scorpion Tail/Claws ???/F) (35/35 HP) (Level 11) Ring of ATK +1 to ATK Ring of DEF +1 to DEF
13: Kendra (Warrior, Zweihander) 60/60 HP (Level 11) Elven Armor +2 to DEF, Enchanted Zweihander +3 to ATK, Ring of ATK +1 to ATK
14: Fedosia (Soldier, Poleaxe 29/F) 25/25 HP (Level 4)
15: Tihana (Mage, 18F) 11/11 HP (Level 4) Spells: Icicle

The battle against Kia is finally over. Miasma Battalion is granted a short reprieve before venturing forward into the Elven Temple inside Oakenshield. While they heal their wounds, they can hear the sounds of fighting going on throughout the city, along with the ongoing magical duel going on between Toxin and Queen Anemone.

Marla is absolutely furious at being hurt by Kia's attack. While she was able to mend the bleeding with her magic, she still has a nasty scratch across her face. Her silver hair has fallen length down, and she looks about ready to kill the first thing that moves too close to her. Amanda, who picked up Kia's blade and is now claiming it as her own, suggests that she heal the wound but she is quickly brushed aside by the Dark Mage.

"Never mind that! The final stretch is here, I won't sit around healing minor scratches when the goal I've waited for for so long is right ahead of me!"

Marla begins to ascend the Temple steps. At her side are Amanda, the reanimated Elven Assasin, and two Elite Black Legion Guards. As the rest of Miasma moves to follow, Marla swiftly turns around and halts them.

"Not so fast. Kia knew we would be coming here because of your treachery! It seems one or more of you whores can't be trusted. You're to stay out here with the rest of the Black Legion. When I return, I'll find out who's responsible. If you offer up the culprit to me, I may even show a little mercy to you wretches!"

With that, Marla and her entourage enter behind the sealed doors of the temple.

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

The members of Miasma Battalion that remain behind gather together, under the watchful eye of the remaining Black Legion Elves. While they all had betrayal on the mind, it seems that Marla has ceased trusting them completely. A fight against the brainwashed Elves would leave them too weakened to deal with the dark mage and her entourage. And once she claimed the Eye, whatever it did, she was under the impression that the battle would immediately be over. There would be no stopping her then.

Just as things seemed bleak, one of the Elves approached the group.

"Hey...listen, I don't have time to explain but...I can get the rest of these guys to stand down. It won't work for very long, but it should give you enough time to enter the temple and deal with Marla. I trained most of them myself. There's a special command I can issue that would get them to drop their weapons. It'll only work for a moment...before they recognize I'm not their actual leader...to be honest...they'll probably kill me the second they snap out of it. But in that brief moment, if you rush inside, they'll forget all about you."

Everyone looks at the Elf as though she's deranged, but she clearly hasn't been brainwashed, and it's the best bet they have right now.

"I know what it looks like, but trust me! I can't go in with you, I probably won't survive this, so stab her good for me alright!"

The Elf runs away from the group. She let's out a short series of whistles followed by a clap. All of the present Black Legion Elves drop their weapons and sharply turn their gazes away from Miasma and towards the girl. The group takes the brief opportunity to open up the doors and head inside. Right before the doors close, they see their unexpected helper take a javelin to the chest.

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

Marla and her group encounter little resistance as they walk through the temple. Some young acolytes and priestesses who were hiding inside beg the Dark Mage to turn back, however with a flick of her staff, the elves are sent flying to smash against the temple walls with a grotesque bone-crushing sound.

After walking through a long corridor and through several rooms for what seems like almost an hour, Marla and company enter into a large auditorium. Stained glass windows adorn the room, which finds itself overlooking a cliff. Down below, one can see the ocean that the Forest of Mythra borders. Sunlight pours into the room, and the sounds of the raging battle outside are unable to penetrate within the sanctum. While the scenery is beautiful, the most eye catching thing about the place lies at an altar, situated at the very front of the room. There lies a blood red ruby, circular in shape.

"The Eye of Abaddon." Says Marla, with an air of reverence. She turns to Amanda. "We came all the way here, ventured through the forest, slayed countless Elves and threw away thousands of worthless lives, all for this. Would you like to know what it does, my little plaything?" Asks Marla, brushing aside a stand of Amanda's hair.

"It's an artifact of untold evil, entrusted to the Elves thousands of years ago for them to seal and protect. It has the ability to feed on the souls of thousands of people at a time, damning them to a life of eternal servitude to the Eye's master. Perfect, loyal obedient slaves each willing to die for their master. Imagine, the Black Legion Elves, times ten thousand. Armies, cities, entire nations would fall overnight to whoever was able to utilize the power of the Eye. Toxin wanted to use it to raise an army that could conquer the continent...however..." Marla starts, but trails off. She looks directly at Amanda.

"Well, I had high hopes for your soldiers. I planned to spare them from this fate, but now that I can't trust any of them, I'll be using the Eye on them as well as this entire city. Toxin and Anemone have worn each other out, I can feel it. Once I use the Eye to bring every living being in this city under my control, even those two high level sorceresses will be unable to stop me." Marla steps closer to Amanda, putting one hand behind her head. "You're about to witness the beginning of the reign of Empress Marla, my new General. My, we're going to have a lot of fun together~"

With that, the doors of the inner sanctum swing open, and the members of Miasma Battalion swarm into the room, taking formation. The sudden outburst surprises Marla, who quickly turns to the group.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO WAIT OUTSI-" Marla notices that the soldiers in front of her have their weapons drawn. She gives the group a blank stare, before beginning to laugh.

"Betrayal? Honestly? You're all too funny. Your egos have far outgrown your common sense. You're developing a backbone now? Of all times? I OWN YOU! You're nothing but worthless scum! Tools to die at my disposal!" Marla brandishes her staff, purple eyes locked and focused on the surviving members of Miasma. Her group takes position next to her.

"Allow me to remind you pathetic weaklings where you stand in life!"

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

vs

BOSS: Marla (Dark Mage, ??/F) 60/110 (Level 18) Items: Mysterious Staff, Elven Crown
SUB-BOSS: Elven Assassin (Assassin, ??/F) 50/50 HP (Level 10)
Lieutenant
Amanda (Soldier, Claymore 24/F): 50/50 HP (Level 8) Items: Elfcalibur +10 to ATK, Superior Elven Armor: +2 to DEF
Black Legion Champions x2 (Level 8) 50/50 HP Swords/Tower Shield

With a roar, the last members of Miasma charge Marla and her group. The Dark Mage's crown activates, and roots erupt from the ground, disrupting the formation the group tried to hold and splitting them up.

Amanda and the two Elves charge into the front of the pack, with Arastine there to meet them. Arastine takes a downward swing from Amanda's new sword that she looted from Kia's corpse. While Arastine is able to block the swing, the pressure of the weapon is enough to almost break her shield arm. She counters with a swing of her Axe that scratches Amanda's midriff.

The other two Elves charge in, meeting Astrid, Kaede, Kendra and Anko in combat. The four of them are able to land a few hits, however the Elves Tower Shields make it hard to break through, and the three soldiers and one rogue all take counter damage.

"Get out of the way!" Screams Moira from the back. She begins to chant in a dark language, and a poison mist begins to bubble around the two Elf Champions. They begin to cough and gag, before eventually dropping their shields and falling on-top of each other in a heap. While they lie their defenseless, Avaricia is able to summon a slab of stone from the earth to slam on-top of the two Elves, crushing them to death. (2 Kills for Avaricia)

"Ha! I got them!! Take that you-huh?"

Avaricia's gloating is cut short as she staggers, reaching behind her to find the Elven Assassin, who had been concealed and sneaked her way into the backline. With a deft twist of her wrists, the Elf's daggers slash through Avaricia's spine like paper, killing her. (Avaricia has died)

"We need help here!" Yells McKayla, as she attempts to cast a gravity spell on the Assassin, who deftly side steps out of the way. She charges the mages in the back. Tihania launches an Icicle at the Assassin, however she is able to jump over it with inhuman (in-elf) reflexes. She lands deftly on Tihania's shoulders, wrapping her thighs around the mage-girl's head. Tihania is only to offer a muffled yelp as the Assassin gracefully twists her body, snapping the poor girl's neck clean. (Tihania has died)

"What fun!" yells Marla. With a slash of her staff, she breaks up the duel between Amanda and Arastine by sending the Stalwart Defender flying to the back of the room with a meaty thud. The Warrior's shield is thrown in the opposite direction, leaving her defenseless.

Eisenhilde and Kendra are able to close the gap on Marla and they each swing at her. Their slashes connect with Marla's magical shield, which flickers briefly, before Marla is able to push them back. Kendra, with a roar, charges at Marla and swings, but she's shocked to see the mage counter with her staff. With a sidestep, Marla dodges around the former Acid Lieutenant, and slams her staff into the back of Kendra's knee, breaking it. She then slams the staff on the back of Kendra's head, producing a bone-crunching sound. Before she can finish beating the Warrior to death, Eisenhilde steps in and slams her mace full force at Marla. Her shield flutters again, before fully shattering and sending the mage sliding back. (HP - 10)

Meanwhile, the Assassin sets her sights on Moira. She moves with lightning speed and the mage can do nothing but cast her Cocoon spell as the Assassin slashes at her. The Cocoon spell is the only thing that saves Moira, holding tight before launching her back, heavily wounded. Before the Assassin can finish her off, Bianca and Kuu'rin jump into the fray. The three of them begin exchanging blows, and for a while it seems as though the Assassin is unable to fend off the speed of both rogues. However, Kuu'rin overextends with what she thought would be a fatal stab. The Assassin is not only able to dodge just out of range, but stabs her dagger upwards, catching Kuu'Rin in the chin and through to her brain with a critical hit. The Kitsune paws helplessly at the dagger, tail wagging back and forth, before falling flat on her face, dead. (Kuu'rin has died)

The Assassin begins approaching Bianca, however an arrow shot from Bee manages to catch her in the arm, grabbing her attention. This distraction is all that's needed for Bianca to spring forward and stab the Elf Zombie with her daggers and tail, finally putting a permanent end to one of the bloodiest enemies Miasma ever faced. (Elite Kill for Bianca)

With Arastine down and hurt, Amanda begins dueling with the other Melee members of Miasma, who have received healing from McKayla. As Amanda was the group's Lieutenant, she knows who the "weak links" are, and her new sword only makes her more of a dangerous threat. Picking up a trick she learned from watching Kia, she swings her sword in a 360 motion, knocking back Astrid, Kaede and Fedosia with some bad wounds. As the trio reels back, Amanda thrusts Elfcalibur into Fedosia's side, slicing upwards. Besides cutting through Fedosia's armor and exposing her breasts, the attack has the unfortunate side effect of slicing through most of Fedosia's internal organs, killing her after a brief moment of agony. (Fedosia has died)

Kaede, with a howl, charges at Amanda, claws let loose. She jumps and lunges at Amanda, who parries with her sword. While Kaede's claws have proven sharp so far, once meeting with Amanda's new weapon, she lands to find most of her fingers and hands suddenly missing, blood gushing like a fountain. She howls again, this time with much more pain behind it, before being impaled from the back. (Kaede has died)

Astrid howls with rage and begins stabbing at Amanda with deft speed. The Lieutenant can barely block the barrage and ends up taking heavy damage. As Astrid launches one final attack, Amanda parries and slashes at her midriff, knocking the girl down. Before she can finish off the pampered noble, she finds her downward swing slowed down. Instantly recognizing it as a Gravity spell, Amanda looks up and locks eye-contact with McKayla. Before she can react, Astrid lunges up and plunges her rapier in Amanda's chest. The warrior shudders, before falling limply on top of Astrid, sword clanging to the side. (Amanda has died)

Marla faces down Eisenhilde with a hateful look, teeth baring. As she begins to cast a spell towards the Reaver, she's surprised to see the woman drop her mace in order to pick up a crossbow the Dark Mage hadn't noticed. Eisenhilde launches her bolt, which catches Marla square in the chest and drives her towards the window. (HP - 25). As she pulls the bolt out of her chest, gushing blood and snarling, she activates her crown. Roots emerge from the ground and tangle Eisenhilde down, unable to move and slowly crushing the life out of her. Before Marla can finish off the Reaver, Kendra, who had been pretending to be dead, launches up with her sword and catches Marla with a slash. (-15 HP)

The dark mage staggers forward, and before a badly wounded Kendra can finish her off, she suddenly vanishes.

"W-where'd she go?!" yells Bee. As the archer begins to look around, she backs up and into a figure. She turns around to see Marla standing behind her. Bee's eyes widen in terror, and she drops her bow before hearing Marla whisper: "Drain Life".

Green energy begins to leak from Bee's mouth and into Marla's. The archer begins convulsing. Her skins wrinkles and eventually falls off the bone, her life energy nourishing Marla (+13 HP). (Bee has died)

Bianca let's out an anguished scream and charges at Marla, however draining Bee's life has given her enough energy to raise her magical shield up. Bianca is repulsed by the unseen force and is sent flying brutally into McKayla with a swing of Marla's staff.

Facing the room, Marla begins casting a spell, a dark aura surrounding her.

"It's a shame it has to end this way. You were all so very helpful for so long. I'll remember you all fondly. Well, maybe for a day. After all you were all expendable from the start!"

As she gets ready to launch her spell, Arastine lunches at Marla from behind with her Axe. The swing strikes true and shatters Marla's shield, wounding her slightly (-5 HP)

With a yelp, Marla quickly turns around and blasts her spell directly at the Defender. Flames consume the woman and the whole back room entirely as Arastine takes the spell that was meant for the group, completely annihilating her without a trace. (Arastine has died).

Sensing this may be their last chance, Moira launches a Shadow Bolt at Marla. The Dark Mage sees it coming, and teleports away from the attack, landing by the Eye of Abaddon, and the stained glass windows.

"ENOUGH!" She yells, picking up the Eye. "I've played around with you fools long enoug-" before Marla can activate the eye, she feels a pair of strong arms grab her from behind. In the heat of battle, Anko had been laying low. Like a true Kunoichi, she waited for her time to strike, watching Marla and waiting until the opportune killing blow presented itself. With a loud battle cry, Anko lifted Marla up above her head and suplexed her through the stained glass windows. The glass shattered loudly, and the last image Anko saw of Marla was her sailing down the cliff, with the Eye in her hand, screaming and falling into the water and crushing rocks below.

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

Press your F's for Marla folks. You finally did it! Those of you that survived, congratulations!! No longer are you officially no longer Zako, you might have even saved the world!

I'll post an epilogue later, but that's the final combat mission for this campaign. I had a ton of fun rolling the dice, and even more fun writing it! For now, say your goodbyes, mourn the dead and wrap things up!
 
Last edited:

dinomoneyman

Master of this Domain
Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Tyris says a prayer for Arastine. She's not usually one for praying, but with no body left for a burial and the ashes scattered to the wind, it was the least she could do after her heroic sacrifice.

Astrid grumbles, "I figured Amanda might have been more sympathetic to the rest of us and maybe even joined us in the end, but no... She killed Kaeda in cold blood. Bitch... I'm glad I killed her. But... We've got to move on. We won and it's over. I feel like I've learned a lot since I first came here. Now we're free to do whatever we please but... I don't know what I want anymore. I can never return to the life of a royal, and I'm back to square one with nothing left."
Tyris takes control of Eisenhilde's body and offers a hand to Astrid. "Aye, it's a lot to take in, but you still got a friend right here. Dunno what I aughta be lookin' forward to stuck in this body, but whatever it is, I'd like If you came with me. In fact, I'd enjoy working with all of you more in the future. The respect I have for all of ya'll is immeasurable. We did this. Together."
Astrid smiles and takes her hand. "Yes. Sounds good."
 

Severity

Club Regular
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Feeling like she has a responsibility to the rest of Miasma, Arastine takes the lead in the fight. The strength of Amanda's blow surprises her, but she's able to survive it because of her shield. Getting back up, she continues the fight.

Then, she sees Marla readying a spell. She's not very knowledgeable about magic, but this one seems like it will be a big one. So, she attacks from Marla's behind. Her attack smashes through the dark mage's shield, shattering the magical barrier, and Arastine suddenly finds herself in an idyllic field, swinging an empty hand downwards.


Arastine's in the afterlife now. She'll be telling her stories of far-off lands to an interested audience.


Bee looks for an opening to attack, but armed with only her bow she can't find a way to safely attack without endangering one of her comrades. She takes the few shots she gets, but is disappointed when they don't seem to have much of an effect on her foes. At least Bianca's not hurt!
Suddenly, she's grasped by Marla. The mage whispers something, and suddenly something green starts flowing out of her mouth and towards Marla. Instead of being terrified, like she was a moment before, she's very calm. Her body seems to fade away, and she manages to see Bianca.
Looking into the tiefling's eyes, she smiles and closes her own before she crumbles away as a feeling of peace falls over her.


I'm not gonna say that Marla unintentionally inherited some of Bee's panic and anxiety when she took her HP, but I won't say that's not what happened either.


Eisenhilde lets Tyris take control of the body, and in all likelihood will be letting her remain in control for the next day or so. Right now, she's lost in the bliss of serving Lady Hel, and giving her such a great offering.




A minute or so after the fighting ends, a single Black Legion elf charges into the room, weapon drawn. She shouts.
"Oh! She's not here. That means you wasted the bitch?"
When told what happened, she immediately sprints to the shattered glass windows and, without stopping, leaps through.
The last they hear of the elf as she falls downwards is her shouting.
"You do not have my permission to die, bitch!"

Later, she might haunt McKayla or something.
Also, the elf Vittoria was inhabiting did die. But the rest didn't, and they weren't sure how to handle it when one of them started killing the others, and when killed a different one started killing again.

Also, Asreine and Minerva are holding hands in their afterlife, smiling as Marla falls to her death. She had it coming.
 

ViridianShine

Club Regular
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Everyone else probably figured it out by now, but I still wanted to see who survived the last chapter.

3: McKayla
4: Moira
5: Astrid
6: Anko
7: Eisenhilde
12: Bianca
13: Kendra

1: Amanda
2: Arastine
8: Avaricia
9: Kuu'rin
10: Kaede
11: Bee
14: Fedosia
15: Tihana


Skinny with the 3/3 and the Marla kill on the hardest chapter, damn. Amanda was probably dying but if Arastine didn't die, everyone would have had one of their first posted characters survive the whole campaign.
 

Mentos

Club Regular
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
Yeah I noticed haha. Zako that were created early on and managed to survive tended to have a better success chance. Especially Arastine who was stacking a lot of Defense.

I’d actually really like to go back and count what the total amount of Zako we had were. Most of the ones alive were from mid-game or end-game
 

ViridianShine

Club Regular
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Its not enough. Its not-

McKayla almost felt her legs give way beneath her. Maybe the other physical fighters couldn't feel it, or even Moira with her aptitude for magic, but Marla's magical presence was almost overwhelming. Like a dust in the room, choking the air out of McKayla and drying her throat the longer she even existed in the same room as her. With every critical healing spell she had to cast on a near dying ally, her energy continued to drain. If she wasn't the only healer in the room, perhaps, but that wasn't a luxury she had.

...This body won't last long.

Yeah. Heh, I guess I wasn't the grand witch you were hoping me to be. Maybe if we reached Moira you could...?

Ridiculous. Had I been unsatisfied, I would have corrupted your body like I did to your friend Aura.


Hearing that name again; it had been a while. A feeling of almost anger and sadness returning, giving McKayla the energy to stand again. That, and the sensation of a familiar feeling in her head slowly and gradually fading away.

Your darkness has been dissipating. Your growth has been splendid to watch! Spirits like me only dream of encountering such an entertaining host, and you think I will simply abandon you? No. No, McKayla. You still have that last remnant of darkness in you. Do you know what it is?

McKayla finally became lucid enough to see what had happened to the melee fighters she had just finished healing. Marla's loyal lieutenant Amanda had hacked them down, one by one, and now stood above a weakened Astrid. She felt a strong, murderous urge rising, but for what reason? An offensive spell here would surely kill herself with how weak she was, and dying for Astrid's sake wasn't something she had ever envisioned on doing for the pompous princess.

Yet she lifted her arm anyway, as one word kept crossing back into her mind. Aura. Aura. She killed Aura. She killed her. Every thought of it caused energy to surge around her.

This is for you. Die, bitch.

Farewell, McKayla! It has been my pleasure.


The black mist within her earrings shot out and darted into McKayla's open palm, enveloping it with an incredible dark clouded aura. What spell would she use? Moira had taught her so many, but perhaps it was fitting to end this all with the only spell she had gained herself.

"Gravity-!"

The warrior became stunned. Her body, suddenly heavy as she stared down at Astrid. McKayla locked eyes with her and smirked, one last time, before Astrid's rapier plunged deep into her chest.

=====

McKayla didn't remember much after that. Bianca had knocked McKayla unconscious, and the latter woke up shortly after in the aftermath finding her hood down with Moira kneeling above her, stroking her hair.

"A-A-Agh-?!" McKayla skittered back, wide awake upon seeing her, "w-what did you do to me while I was unconscious?"

Moira stood up slowly, quietly giggling behind her hand, "oh, do I still instill such fear? My, how amusing."

McKayla felt her face turn red, turning away from the red dressed woman. Though, given how attractive she was, McKayla didn't really mind.

Wait what am I thinking?

"Uh, are you alright, dear?" Moira asked, noticing McKayla's distressed facial expressions.

"Yeah, y-yeah. Fine. Just glad to see you alive...and to be alive."

McKayla finally had a look around. No Marla in sight, though the bodies were plentiful. It was saddening to see only so few of them see this final victory, but McKayla knew they were lucky enough to have survived. She quickly noticed Arastine wasn't among the dead or alive in the group, though in the back of her head, McKayla had wished that she had simply just left in the aftermath.

Though, more surprisingly...

"Kendra?" McKayla addressed the larger woman, who had been hunched over the bodies of one of her friends.

"Oh, its you!" Kendra stood up quickly, her expression bewildered, "I thought you had died! Well, not really, I mean, you're pretty strong and all that so, uhh."

McKayla smiled and bowed, "it is good to see you made it too."

"I even got an attack on that bitch! Cut straight across her chest," Kendra beamed, "I kind of chickened out again by playing dead, but...the opportunity arose and I..."

"There is no need to feel ashamed. I'm proud that you managed to stand up and fight to the end this time."

"Yeah! And, uh, just so we're clear. Its over now, right? You're not a general right? We survived?"

McKayla thought back to the presence in her head. The spirit which she believed was evil and would corrupt her ended up saving her life. The feeling of it was now gone completely, so McKayla figured it didn't survive. She actually kind of missed it.

"Yeah, its over now."
 

Mentos

Club Regular
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
I finally went back and did the math lol. Of a total of 66 Zako throughout the story, only 7 survived! That was definitely more than I originally had thought. I do like those odds though! Really drives home how expendable everyone was. I also thought it was pretty interesting that almost no one from mid-game survived. Either characters from early game that had a lot of time to develop performed best, or characters that came in towards the end and had a bit of a boost.

I don't think I'd do another one of these for a long-while as I'm pretty burned out as is, but I did have a lot of fun! I'm curious, if we were to ever do another one, would you:

A:) Prefer to see a game similar to this one
B:) Make it a more traditional DnD thing. Everyone makes one character and you go around busting Zakos left and right.


I felt like after a while everyone clearly had their favorite character and RP'd them more than their others. I know it can be a bit much for the folks who liked to have 4-6 characters at a time.

I'd also like to go back to mostly fighting regular humans as opposed to Elves in either case. I felt I had more fun describing the human enemies in the Acid fights more so than the other ones haha.

In any event, this is the last update. For funsies I updated everyone who survived's stats to what they would be at the end of the story. Please feel free to share any feedback you may have had!

1: McKayla (Cleric, E. Jewelry 26/F) 23/23HP (Level 10) (Spells: Heal, Shield, Gravity, Dispel, Drain Life, Haste, Slow) Items: Elven Jewelry, +1 to Healing Spells, Black Bow
2: Moira (Dark Mage, Magic Staff 32/F): 23/23 HP (Level 10) (Spells: Shadow Bolt, Drain Life, Summon Snakes, Cocoon, Poison Mist, Fireball, Mind Control) Items: Elven Bracelet, +3 to Attack Rolls, Spider Shawl (+1 to Def), Mysterious Elven Staff
3: Astrid (Soldier, Fencing Rapier 20/F): 65/65 HP (Level 12), Items: Elven Armor, +1 to Defense Rolls, Superior Elven Rapier +5 to ATK
4: Anko (Rogue, Martial Arts 27/F) 42/42 HP (Level 13) Ring of Superior Attack, +3 to ATK, Ring of Superior Defense, +3 to DEF, Mithril Elven Chainmail, +5 to Def
5: Eisenhilde (Reaver, Crossbow/Spear, 25/F) 40/40/ HP (Level 13) Items: Blade of Hel +1 to ATK, Tyris' Mace +2 to ATK, Mithril Elven Armor, +7 to Def
6: Bianca (Rogue, Scorpion Tail/Claws ???/F) (48/48 HP) (Level 14) Ring of Superior ATK +3 to ATK, Ring of Superior DEF +3 to DEF, Mithril Daggers +4 to ATK
7: Kendra (Warrior, Zweihander) 70/70 HP (Level 13) Elven Armor +2 to DEF, Elfcalibur+10 to ATK, Ring of Superior ATK +3 to ATK


1: Leah (Soldier, 2H Spear (22/F): 10/10 HP (Level 1)
2: Mary (Archer, 21/F): 6/6 HP (Level 1)
3: Elizabeth (Soldier, Spear/Shield 18/F): 10/10 HP (Level 1)
4: Morgan (Soldier, Broom 18/F): 10/10 HP (Level 1)
5: Amanda (Soldier, Claymore 24/F): 10/10 HP (Level 1)
6: Li Ann (Rogue, Kunais 21/F): 7/7 HP (Level 1)
7: Leticia (Cleric, Magic Staff 19/F): 5/5 HP (Level 1)
8: Atella (Mage, Staff 22/F): 5/5 HP (Level 1)
9: Tyris (Soldier, Mace 28/F): 10/10 HP(Level 1)
10: Fuzzy (Soldier, Gauntlets 18/F): 10/10 HP (Level 1)
11 Arastine (Soldier, Axe, Shortsword 49/F): 10/10 HP (Level 1)
12 Asreine (Soldier, Javelins/Shield 23/F): 10/10 HP(Level 1)
13: Vittoria (Rogue, Knife/Shortsword 19/F): 7/7 HP (Level 1)
14: Chantelle (Rogue, Daggers 18/F) 7/7 HP (Level 1)
15: Rixa (Archer, Longbow 26/F) 6/6 HP (Level 1)
16: Sylvia (Archer, Shortbow 19/F) 6/6HP (Level 1)
17: Tamara (Soldier, Martial Arts 27/F): 10/10 (Level 1)
18: Aura (Archer, Short Bow 19/F): 6/6 HP (Level 1)
19: Gloria (Cleric, 25/F): 5/5 HP (Level 1)
20: Terra (Rogue, Axe/Dagger 27/F): 7/7 HP (Level 1)
21 Nia (Archer, Shortbow 18/F): 6/6 HP (Level 1)
22: Seru (Archer, Crowssbow 24/F) 6/6HP (Level 1)
23: Haggia (Cleric, 19/F): 5/5 HP (Level 1)
24: Oola (Soldier, Barbed Whip 22/F): 10/10 HP (Level 1)
25: Kalla (Soldier, 2H Club 35/F): 10/10 HP (Level 1)
26: Zatrilla (Mage, 19/F): 5/5 HP (Level 1)
27: Judith (Soldier, Spear 19/F): 10/10 HP (Level 1)
28: Alicia (Cleric, Flail 21/F): 5/5 HP (Level 1)
29: Capricia (Mage, Mage Staff 16/F): 5/5 HP (Level 1)
30: "Kiara" (Rogue, Daggers ??/F): 7/7 HP (Level 1)
31: Rixa (Archer, Longbow 26/F) 8/8 HP (Level 2)
32: Aria (Cleric, Poisons) 5/5 HP (Level 1)
33: Red (Rogue, Baselards) 7/7 HP (Level 1)
34: Beth (Dark Mage 25/F) 5/5 HP (Level 1)
35: Minerva (Harpy 22/F) 10/10 HP (Level 1)
36: Morella (Rogue, Axe) 7/7 HP (Level 1)
37: Hathus (Archer, Longbow 29/M) 6/6 HP (Level 1)
38: August (Soldier, Mace/Shield 30/M) 10/10 HP (Level 1)
39: Feira (Slave, 20F) 5/5 HP (Level 1)
40: Elendra (Cleric, 19/F) 5/5HP (Level 1) (Spells: Heal)
41: Anko (Rogue, Martial Arts 27/F) 7/7 HP (Level 1)
42: Yoshiko (Rogue, Kusarigama 23/F) 7/7 HP (Level 1)
43: Millie (Soldier, Axe 18/F) 10/10 HP (Level 1)
44: Cernya (Cleric, Longsword, 21/F) 5/5 HP (Level 1)
45: Micci (Mage, 19/F) 5/5 HP (Level 1)
46: Mireille (Soldier, War Scythe ??/F) 10/10 HP (Level 1)
47: Shandris (Fencer, Twin Blades 191/F) 40/40 HP (Level 7)
48: Arlette (Soldier, Spear 18/F) 10/10 HP (Level 1)
49: Minuette (Soldier, Sword/Shield 19/F) 10/10 HP (Level 1)
50: Avaricia (Mage, 19/F) 5/5 HP (Level 1) (Spells: Fireball)
51: Halette (Rogue, Short Sword 17/F) 7/7 HP (Level 1)
52: Kuu'rin (Rogue, Daggers ???/F) Level
53: Kaede (Soldier, Claws/Biting ???/F) 20/20 HP (Level 3)
54: Kimiko (Rogue, Kunai/Bladed Fan 23/F) 11/11 HP (Level 3)
55: Bee (Archer, Short Bow 18/F) 10/10/HP (Level 3)
56: Courtney (Archer, Crossbow 21/F) 10/10/HP (Level 3)
57: Fedosia (Soldier, Poleaxe 29/F) 20/20 HP (Level 3)
58: Tihana (Mage, 18F) 9/9 HP (Level 3) Spells: Icicle
59: Amaia (Cleric, 18F) 9/9 HP (Level 3) Spells: Heal, Shield



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

The Siege of Oakenshield is over, and Toxin's long and bloody campaign against the Wood Elves of Mythra has ended. After a fearsome magical battle that engulfed over half of the city, Toxin was unable to defeat the Queen of The Elves, Anemone. Rumor from those present in the battle was that Toxin had been counting on the retrieval of a powerful magical artifact from one of her Lieutenants to shift the tide of battle. However, the artifact was never delivered. Before the final blow could be struck, Toxin ripped open a portal, swearing that she would have her revenge, before leaving entirely.

While Toxin was gone, her army remained. The conscripted slave soldiers of Kafra had their leadership completely cut off. Many of the soldiers threw down their arms, surrendering and pleading for mercy. Anemone, who had lost her daughter Kia during the fighting, had no mercy to show to Kafra's citizenry. She did not care that the soldiers were following orders out of fear, and those Kafra citizen who had surrendered willingly had found themselves rounded up, tortured, and executed. Hundreds of Kafra soldiers had their corpses unceremoniously dumped in a massive pit at the edge of the forest to rot. The pit, which was sealed in Ancient Elven Magic, ensured that the spirits of those soldiers would be unable to pass on, and that they would be tortured for thousands of years.

Those soldiers that did not surrender attempted to flee the forest, however many were unable to navigate Mythra's maze-like nature. A good number of soldiers either starved to death, were picked off by Elven Rangers or were eaten by Mythra's many monsters.

One group did successfully escape however...

The remnants of Miasma Battalion had a head start as they made to leave as soon as they had defeated Marla. Made up of mostly veterans, they had fewer issues navigating the forest, scavenging for food wherever they could and laying low from Elven Patrols. Eventually, they were able to navigate all the way back to the ancient Elven Temple that they had been using as a base. A good portion of the loot that Marla had acquired had been left behind at the temple, so as not to slow the group down during their march. The Dark Mage had assumed she would just be able to go back at any time and get it, however things had naturally changed.

The group collects all the food, loot and magical artifacts they can hold, and spend two nights there before heading for the exit of the forest. After a few more days of walking, the seven Miasma Remnants finally leave the forest and set their sights on the plains of Rigel, with the ruined city of Kafra nearby.

Many things have changed since the months of conflict they had found themselves in. Astrid's kingdom had laid claim to Kafra, conquering the empty city. The new ruler in charge ordered any humans who emerged from the forest to be killed on sight, for the crime of aiding and abetting the evil wizard Toxin. Even after escaping the forest, the Miasma Remnants had to remain low, in hopes of avoiding the patrols of bounty hunters and Kingdom soldiers that would see them killed.

They would develop a new plan, and eventually move to a new land where they would not be hunted. These seven soldiers had changed as well. After surviving the war, they were no longer the weak and expendable conscripts they'd been upon joining Toxin's army. They were now powerful adepts of their respective classes, armed to the teeth with rare Elven equipment and riches. They'd go on to make a name for themselves, and tales of the group "Miasma", would spread far and wide through Rigel.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Top


Are you 18 or older?

This website requires you to be 18 years of age or older. Please verify your age to view the content, or click Exit to leave.