/cyoa/ - Choose Your Own Adventure

god damn anon that took a while to get through.

it's really good though i found the companion part pretty stupid. why would it be right at the end?

"now pick 3 companions and 1 to bond with"

ok where do i do that?

"oh you don't do that until page 12, you're only on page 4 silly"

then why the fuck would you tell me about it now?

>>11553

Child

Parents:

>Arcane Knight

>Arcane Knight

They were both Arcane Knights. That's a pretty neat coincidence. Then again, if they were the only ones to survive their respective teams, maybe it's decided that Arcane Knights are the ubermensch class of adventurer.

Legacy:

>Nothing.

F

Homeland:

>Craitha

City in the sky sounds gay but bordering on the Ig and a penchant for having valuable artifacts makes it perfect.

A Moment Like Any Other:

>Nothing

I was a boring kid who did their training, their reading, then went to sleep so they could get up bright and early to do it all over again. Like the fantasy version of a wageslave but with mana and muscles instead of shekels.

Memorable Quests:

>A Quirky Old Man

Fuck yeah, old guy.

>A Wizard's Lizard

In my mind, I like to think these two quests are related. He gives me my familiar and lets me hang around.

>Cook Off

I'm not gonna be a chef by any means, but if I can throw a bunch of shit in a pot and make something edible out of it, then that's an invaluable skill.

Training:

>General Physical Boost

>Weapon Training

>Armor Training

>Last Man Standing

>One Man Army

>Greater's Blessing

>Blood Fueled Rampage

>Battlefield Terror

>Slayer

>Magical Theory

>Elementalism

Not going for anything fancy here. I'm a juggernaut in the form of a kid with a sword, some armor, and a penchant for throwing fire at people.

Unfortunately for me, I'm just a kid. Mundane skills, and things like social politics are a bit far above me. Maybe being tutored instead of playing with the other kids stunted my social skills, because I don't have anything unique regarding my leadership abilities either.

Companions:

>Sherry

She seems cute.

>Leonhardt

I've got a habit of getting along with the weird kids.

>Billy -> Draw!

He seems like bit of a yes man but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Let's fuck 'em up.

Learning how to use a flintlock sounds like it could be useful in some extreme scenarios. Maybe I'll even carry one around for when a sword and fire don't cut it.

Guild Hall:

>Old Hall

Hard to argue with the convenience of having a proper hall already set up, and in a good spot too.

Expansions:

>Equipment

>Materials

>Crafting Stations

>Tavern

Everything a functioning guild needs.

First Quest:

>The Wilds of Ig

I've always been interested in seeing what the Ig had to offer. Maybe I bit off more than I could chew, but I made it out with some extra survival skills in the process.

>>11887

Teens

Guild Recruits:

>Youths

Having the mercs or retirees around seems like it would be too big a drain on resources. The country I'm in seems like it would have a bunch of bright eyed and bushy tailed youngsters eager to get mauled in the wild, so let's bring 'em aboard.

Staff:

>Business (((Consultants)))

>In-House Craftsmen

>Chefs

The (((consultants))) and the craftsmen cover the things I failed to learn myself, and bring a steady source of income in. The chefs keep the tavern up and running, and maybe we can even open the tavern up to the public to bring in some extra income.

It's a shame that these kids aren't going to have any dedicated trainers or medical staff, but maybe I can share some experience with them.

Contacts:

>(((Merchant's))) Alliance

I don't have a good mind on buying and selling, but I know money is the lifeblood of a guild. It helps to have some extra jobs on the table, too.

>Rival Guilds

I'm a young upstart in charge of a bunch of young upstarts. It makes sense that we'd be willing to take the scraps that other guilds throw at us.

>The People

Prime location, and with a focus on trade and bringing people into the tavern, it makes sense that we'd get a few people walking in just to hand in a few requests, big or small.

Furnishings:

>Relaxed

We're trying to run a business as much as we're trying to run, well, other businesses. We're already bringing random people in to drop requests off, so it makes sense that we'd want them to feel welcomed and relaxed as well. Productivity takes a hit, and these youths are already ill-trained. This is starting to feel more like a death trap than a proper guild.

Public Opinion:

>Friendly

We don't want the people to treat us like family. A bit of friendliness is already more than enough.

Quests and Events:

>The Tournament of Champions

It makes sense that a rowdy bunch of teenagers would get the guild leader drunk. I'll take the training merrily.

That's it. Just the tournament. I live a pretty boring life outside of the jobs I do for the guild.

Training:

>General Physical Boost

>Weapon Training

>Armor Training

>Last Man Standing

>One Man Army

>Greater's Blessing

>Blood Fueled Rampage

>Battlefield Terror

>Slayer

>Magical Theory

>Elementalism

Same as last time. I think I've found something good here, and I'd rather hone what I've got than try to pull out the gimmicks.

Companions:

Old:

>Sherry -> Rebellion

She's toughening herself up. Literally.

>Leonhardt -> Rebellion

Nice to have a friend that isn't all smiles, all the time. Sometimes you gotta get shit done.

>Billy -> Rebellion

He's getting better at flintlocks, which is good. We need someone that can specialize like that.

New:

>Snow

She seems too perfect a fit for this nightmare of a guild, but at least she can hold her own.

>Hayden

I've got an eye for those flintlocks, and I'll try to pick up anyone who knows how to use them.

>Giana -> Hargreath Connection

She seems like the type to show up purveying everything we had to offer. Her joining and enhancing everything we've already got in store is perfect, and I don't mind getting to know her better as a result.

>>11889

Adult

Fame:

>Guild-Brand Equipment

>Guild-Brand Toys

It makes sense, given how much commerce our guild engages in, and how we're constantly in tune with the younger adventurers. It brings some more money in, some more materials in, some more equipment in, and of course more adventurers when they grow up.

Christ, we're like the McDonald's of adventuring guilds.

New Home:

>Renovations

We're already in a prime location for the things we offer and the relations we maintain with the public, so moving would just be detrimental.

Future Epics:

>Treasure Hunting

All those hints from the merchants, and all those requests dumped on us by other guilds and random villagers have a funny habit of leading to things that any adventurer would be happy to get their hands on. Of course, this means most of our experienced adventurers already know what they're doing when it comes to this.

Adventures and Events:

>None

These are just too grand for someone like me.

Training:

>General Physical Boost

>Weapon Training

>Armor Training

>Last Man Standing

>One Man Army

>Greater's Blessing

>Blood Fueled Rampage

>Battlefield Terror

>Slayer

>Magical Theory

>Elementalism

Having become a master in all of my fields, it's tough to really think of anything else to say. I'm the best there is at what I do, yet I still need to bring a companion along when I go clothes shopping because I can't tell if I'm a summer or a winter.

Companions:

With everyone growing rebellious, I've grown distant from all of them and just chill by myself, filling paperwork and watching things happen whenever I'm not personally moving out on missions. I'm gonna go ahead and skip this section, stating that I haven't been keeping up with relations as much as I should have. Everybody falls in the Rebellion side of things, getting wrapped up in the chaos of the guild, but not necessarily suffering as a result.

(I've gotta go to work and this section always takes the longest, but interests me the least.)

Expansions:

>Materials

>Crafting Stations

>Security

We're focusing heavily on our crafting now, and the security makes sure the important things stay where they are.

The Legacy:

>A Treasure Map

I'm not content to just sit around on my ass, watching commerce go in and out while I skip out on the adventures. This is what I've been waiting for all this time, and I'm gonna make it count.

>>11890

Companions:

Kids:

>Sherry

All grown up now, she becomes a teacher. Our guild finally has someone we can rely on to make sure all the newfags don't go out and get themselves killed.

>Leonhardt

He's not going to get caught, and he's making the surrounding area safe and free of corruption, so everything works out. Maybe he'll even target some dishonest (((merchants))) that want to try and take advantage of us.

>Quest

He taught me how to use guns way back when, and maybe I taught him a thing or two about using fire magic to ignite the gunpowder in just the right way to have the slugs fly right where you want them to.

>Billy

He's gonna show everyone who's boss of this town, pardner.

Teens:

>Snow

A bit of charity work couldn't hurt.

>Hayden

It's nice to have someone that can function on his own, without needing to rely on a group. The rest of our guild has the group tactics covered.

>Giana -> Imperial

Fuck it. This is the one character I'll let go down the Imperial (see: Good ending) path.

As our head craftsman, she gets better at her craft. I wouldn't want anything else.

>Quest

If she wants inspiration, I know where to look from my time as an explorer. If she needs materials, I know where to gather them or where to import them. She needs to do this on her own but if she has a bodyguard, I'm sure she'll pull through.

Adults:

>Anastacia

She's an assassin, which is a nice niche to fill.

>Lilliana

It's probably important to bring on a mage, given that our snot-nosed kids probably haven't been hitting the books like they should.

>Gino -> Survival At Any Means

Since exploration has always been a big deal for our guild, having a legendary survivalist is a perfect fit. Being able to know how to survive in even the most extreme situations is invaluable, especially given my legacy.

>Quest

We'll go trekking out far and wide and who knows what we'll find. All I know is that we're making it back, either bringing back the others or leaving his baggage out there in their place.

>>11553

>Father: Rogue

>Mother: Wizard

My father was a penny pincher in the literal sense of the word, and mother's only kiss was with her familiar (not on the lips, thank God!). They don't seem to have gotten along any better since the day they met, "seem" being the operative word.

>Legacy: A Treasure Map (-250)

I grew up with a dour view of the world. I was set to become a villain or an edgelord. My mother sat me down one day, and told me thus: "Happiness and positivity are easy for they whose view of the world is flowered and ideal. It is those who see the world, grey, ugly, and unfair, were they to find the slivers of brightness in the dark, they would be the rightful claiments to happiness, for they will have earned it. Now go back and finish doing the dishes…"

So yeah, I'll find the treasure, and use it to improve the world. Reality is only as shitty as we allow it to be.

>Homeland: Craitha

If I had a copper for every time I almost fell off the edge, slipped off a roof tile, and (got) kicked off a ledge, I'd be richer than the oldest of dragons.

>A moment unlike any other: Nacal Pod

I tried to draw the map in inverse, cut it in a swirl, redraw it in the opposite order, and then fold it over itself and put it against a strong light. More likely that it was coincidence it looked identical to a section of the nearby kid-friendly dungeon, but I still try for more such "coincidences". It's first whisper was a request to be fed an uncommon but relatively cheap reagent colloquially known as "Seymour". It sulked for a while for some reason.

>>>Childhood

>>Companion

>Kyrie

Having her depend on me and idolize me so pushes me to be worthy of her praise.

>Shuzi

I grew up indebted to her. Every time I would forget to do my chores and cower in shame as my parents move to check on them, they'd find them done to perfection. I will never forget what I owe her.

>Riula [bond: A smile in the dark]

While mother's advice helped, it was my daily interaction with Riula that saved me from going over the (heh) edge with my lack of childlike wonder.

>Billy [Draw!]

We would've been rivals if he wasn't so gosh-darned charming. It also helped that we were both equally enamored with gunpowder weapons, and that his uncle made us some in his free time.

>>Quests&Events

>Bully hunted

Kyrie once stood up for me when some local boys were badmouthing me, and then somehow managed to injure the kids with her flailing. She was still bruised pretty badly when she came crying to our guild. I called my buddy Billy, and we went on a rampage. Nobody bothers Kyrie anymore, and she somehow idolizes me even more.

>A picnic with the family

Yeah sure, it was fun! I mean sure, I lost a finger to an Ig creature, had to shave half my head to match the burnt half, almost lost the pistol I got from Billy to a mischievous fox spirit, scraped my knees raw climbing a cliff, scraped the rest of my skin raw scratching away at mosquito bites, grew my glutes so much none of my pants fit anymore and I had to make do with mother's petticoats for the shameful remainder of the trip, lost innocence I wasn't aware I still had thanks to my father's shoddy tent setting, acquired a nervous tic that comes up whenever I hear a dog bark, and lost the ability to count ten things on my fingers, but other than that, it was a good time!

>Kidnapping

It's how I met Riula. After I caught up to the cart (courtesy of Glutes 2.0), tore off the wheel (courtesy of Nacal Pod as empowered by the corpse of a stray dog), kneed and slapped both kidnappers in their groins so hard I heard a pop, and untied the sack over her head, what greeted me wasn't the panicky face of a child, but a neutral face that quickly turned into a dazzling grin.

My heart went aflutter at that moment.

>>12076

>>Training (10+5=15)

>General Physical Boost (13)

I wasn't kidding about the glutes of steel

>One Man Army, Slayer (9)

I yell "It's high noon!" when I'm surrounded

>Greater's Blessing (7)

When I caught the fox spirit that stole my pistol and was about to brain it, a befeathered being descended upon me and tried to pick a fight with me. Once I had the kid on the ground, arm twisted behind her back, screaming "Uncle!", she offered me a deal. I would let her pet go in exchange for a blessing. I should've twisted her arm more and demanded the blessing not carry a small curse alongside it. I won't repeat my mistake again.

>Craftsmanship (6)

I wanted to craft my own pistol eventually. Maybe a bigger one, that shoots multiple bullets.

I was also adamant about never being stuck in the wilderness pantsless ever again.

>Medical Knowledge (5)

I like to walk in the streets at night, holding a scalpel and facemask, and just tittering whenever I see someone. 'course, the doctor wouldn't let me even touch his scalpel until he was sure I knew everything else about medicine.

>Stealth (4)

My aforementioned hobby required I disappear mysteriously once the screaming starts. Judge me all you want, you can't prove nothing.

>Poisons and Mechanisms (3)

I wanted to attach an anti-theft mechanism to my pistol after the fox spirit debacle. No trapmaker would give me the time of the day, so I made my own that releases poisonous thorns all over its surface. Don't need subtlety when you're trying to counter theft.

>The Right Man for the Job (2)

It should help later when I have to decide between executing the captive bandits or recruiting them.

>Battlefield Tactician (1)

"On hemmed-in ground, I would block any way of retreat"

>Morale Management (0)

Thanks to Riula, I can always maintain a happy exterior. Our guild sells our services with a genuine smile. Sometimes, that's all it takes.

>Guild Hall: Cave System Outside Town

This is the kid-friendly dungeon I was talking about.

>>Expansions (1000)

>Materials, Crafting Stations (500)

We were big on making your own stuff. Part of the admittance test is making your own weapon and set of armor.

>Obstacle Course (300)

I get instant respect from any new guild members as soon as they go through my former playground.

>First Quest: The Tower

Me, Billy, and Riula managed to drag Kyrie with us, promising her the creepy tower was safe as it could be. I also brought Shuzi to help us catalog our findings and figure out what rooms were best to claim for ourselves as a secret base.

I don't know who shrieked louder when a doll dropped on us from above, but I do know my shriek was manliest when it started slashing at us with its scissor hands.

A few hours, several sets of underwear, ten doll heads fed to lil' leftie, some half-hearted rejections to demands to touch and talk to lil' leftie, and a giant amalgamation of dolls made of very flammable materials later, we reached the top.

The wizard was planning on converting his secret weaving shop into a more "wizardy" horror house. He was killed by his creations before putting a limiter into how far the dolls should go to scare people. All we had to do was complete the "tour" for the dolls to finally shut down until turned on again.

Now, we have several dolls working as assistants in the guild, and a secret platoon of musketeer dolls with a firing rate of 12 shots a minute, and I still haven't started tinkering with them yet!

>Childhood Fate score: -350

>Jaded 12-year old, eyes of a dead fish, smile of a banana plantation worker, ageless wisdom

>>12077

>>>Late Teens

>Recruits: Retired Soldiers/Guards

My guild is sometimes mistaken for a therapy office with how many people enter with broken souls and exit with a knitting manual. Not really a problem, seeing as I get some of the best rough diamonds with very low wage expectations… I sincerely apologize for my insensitive comment and have reflected profusely upon my behavior please give it back Riula, I worked on it for days

I'll be having words with Shuzi about the privacy of my journal and what her job as proofreader entails…

Anywho, with a large selection of damaged ex-army personnel, I'm spoiled for choice. Most of my chosen personnel know a thing or two about keeping their equipment in shape, they all know how to march long distances, many of them know how to to pilot various transportation vehicles, they're all already well-trained and could even train any greenhorns that slip through the cracks, a large assortment of medical officers with traumas of various degrees make up their ranks. I also grab the more experienced woodsmen off any bandit/kobold/goblin troupe we apprehend, so we never needed for scouts.

>>Staff

>Business Consultants

Relying exclusively on traditional quests is very short-sighted. As society advances, security improves, roads are built and distances shortened, dungeons are fully explored, and wars are ended, the need for adventurers will cease. We must prepare, and even accelerate the arrival of such a time.

To that end, our business ventures could potentially shape the future in ways none have imagined. Our power and influence may yet rival that of the nobility, if not the kings and queens!

>Maids

For the old soldiers, not having to clean out the latrines anymore actually brought tears in their eyes. Not to mention the positive psychological impact of having such lovely ladies cater to their every need (not the "others" though, I'm running an adventurer guild, not a brothel!). Shuzi also took to her position as head maid rather well.

>Scholars

Veterans carry information worth their heads' weight in gold. Our scholars will document that information, eventually building a reservoir of knowledge (read: library) to rival the mages'.

>>Contacts

>Owl Syndicate

Scratch that, our library will rival theirs!

>Nameless Informant

Always something new to find, always something to catalog, harvest, research, then blee-nurture it so that it won't be negatively affected when we find a way to profit off it.

>The People

The backbone of the country, they can connect me to every guild. Some forget that even the hardened mafia don and the grizzled detective after him both have families. I don't.

>Furnishings: Just like home

Some of my adventurers lived longer away from home than at it, and most returned only to find that decades have passed and their families either passed away or moved on. Either way, they appreciated having a new place to belong.

>Public Opinion: One With The People

Old soldiers always faced problems interacting with society after returning from the military, in part due to the horrors they faced scarring them, and in part due to the rigid hierarchy they got accustomed to sapping them of their spontaneity.

I aimed to help them interact with people again.

>>Memorable Quests and Events

>Friends in Low Places

Okay, so when I went with my family on that LOVELY picnic all those years ago, and had to wear my mother's petticoats until I acquired new pants, my parents apparently wanted to grab some dirt on me to use once I grew up and started "bossing them around"… cunning ba-sorry Shuzi.

Anyway, my mother gave me the picture once, in a moment of introspection, and I was so overwhelmed with emotion I threw it out the window.

I never found it when I went down to the yard in front of the cave. I received a letter in the morning asking me to enter their underground fighting ring, alone and unarmed.

Shame for them, they didn't specify HOW un"armed" I should enter, and lil' lefty had eaten a young dragon's heart the night before. The next morning, their ring was in cinders, and their leaders worked for me. The picture was incinerated.

My !@#$% mother had duplicates

>The Tournament of Champions

I'll give you two guesses who the referees for the tournament were. I'll give you a hint: they were people who thought they'd be doing it for a bloodsport, but got friendly tapping matches instead.

Either way, I wasn't gonna cheat, but it helped smooth over any complaints about lil' lefty's laser, my cannon boots, and the miniature dolls armed with miniature flintlocks I carried on me (technically equipment).

My weakness became apparent in the semi-finals however. I had very bad aim, relying on barraging my enemies with bullets until they started breathing lead, which worked overall. The man I faced crouched down as soon as I started my barrage while warming up my laser, aimed down his rifle, and fired. I was taken down in one shot!

Still got the airship, which I dubbed "The Hayden", in honor of the first man to defeat me in single combat.

>Eternal Rival

A new hotshot crafter joined our guild recently, and immediately called my pistols crudely made paperweights. I gave her an hour to make a "more elegant" paperweight before I shot her through. She produced her own flintlock, we had a duel, we drew due to her flintlock producing a collapsible shield that ricocheted my bullet back at me while knocking her down with the impact.

Giana and I have been at each other's throats since. At least the guild benefits from our competitions and "failed" crafts.

>>12079

>>Training (10+5=15)

>General Physical Boost (13)

My mother insisted we continue our LOVELY picnic tradition. I've taken the liberty of inviting my friends to the picnic. All of them. I befriended each and every guild member. We actually got paid for our expedition into Ig territory, what with the scouting, harvesting, harassment, and general chaos we'd sown into their territory.

>One Man Army, Slayer (9)

Did I mention the time a certain klutz managed to knock me off a certain terrace of a certain abandoned fortress in Ig territory, then managed to drop the gate keys into a gutter, requiring an hour of dirty in-depth search to find them while I danced like a drunk against the hordes of Ig creatures surrounding the fortress?

Just checking. It happened several times, and I know it tends to seem repetitive.

>Greater's Blessing (7)

I never found the little miscreant's shrine, even after lots of research into the forgotten gods and their shrines and churches lost to the Ig expansion. All I did manage to find out was the name of the goddess who took a fox as a pet: "Mythal". Cue a smear campaign about the furry goddess, only for my "blessing"'s intensity to increase.

I miss mother's massage spells.

>Craftsmanship (6)

If it wasn't for Shuzi, I might've outlawed the usage of that smug attention wh-… slat-… INSINCERE Giana's equipment in the guild. Having failed that, I had to step up my game. No way was I getting shown up by a basic greenhorn that relies on her family's good name to sell anything. You were all thinking it, I'M JUST THE ONLY GUY WITH THE GUTS TO SAY IT!

>Medical Knowledge (5)

Okay, so I may have gotten a little overzealous with my crafting, ignored some safety restrictions, caused a few severed limbs and burned skins. BUT, you cannot prove it! You won't find a scar on any of the members who wore my equipment! That's more than can be said for sheWhoMustn'tBeNamedLestIThrottleYouWithHungryLil'LeftieHere.

>Stealth (4)

I once got a complaint of miniature explosions coming in from the intruder's workshop at night. Ecstatic at the chance to finally expel her

for making bombs outside of the designated blast proof lab, I snuck into her workshop during dinner and laid in wait.

Turns out she was training herself how to swing a giant hammer, muttering about "showing" someone she could take care of herself.

…

Shuzi said that I once pointed out "insensitively" to Giana that she was a burden during combat, whereas I not only at least matched her in crafting, but was vital to our strategies (I direct our doll musketeer company), not to mention anything but helpless in a tussle.

I kept hiding in her room every night, watching her improve slowly, until I couldn't take it any longer and came out of hiding to scream at her that her hammer was a thumb-width too thick thanks to all the gaudy engravings she added to it, which ruined its balance. She lost hers in shock, and sat staring at me for a very uncomfortable minute, during which I realized how creepy my actions were.

Since that day, we agreed to put a limiter on our competitiveness and to never speak of that night ever again, she to preserve her sensitivity to criticism (none of her future works contained non-ergonomic decorations of any kind), and I to not tarnish my reputation.

>Poisons and Mechanisms (3)

We started a new squad of dolls. They emphasize speed and resilience over all else, wading into the middle of enemy forces, before deploying the hundreds of traps stuffed into them.

It isn't illegal yet thanks to no survivors living to tell the tale, but I've gotten into the habit of only utilizing them in cleanup operations when my guild members are out of sight. Wouldn't want any PTSD to awaken in them after all the work I've put into healing them.

>The Right Man for the Job, Morale Management (1)

More like the right job for the man, with the way I've been running it lately. Therapy requires recognizing what would help my guild members [patients] grow out of their psychoses.

>Battlefield Tactician (0)

I started to find new ways to utilize my command of the dolls. One of which was applying it to my guild members to some degree.

>>Companions

>Hayden [Hawkeyed]

The man, the myth, the legend! The first to best me in single combat, I immediately asked him to join my guild and teach me his ways. Throughout our conversation, he was staring deeply at my lil' leftie, and absent-mindedly agreed. A man after my own heart!

>Tristan

He literally bumped into me during one of my… "nightly excursions". Once he figured out where I was, he insisted on joining our guild, wanting to protect the guild from their insane leader doctor. I never bothered correcting his misconceptions, as that would lead him to sharing my secret and I'd become the laughingstock of the guild, and might get arrested by the guard.

>Her {screw that, I'm naming her Adahn}

While Hayden defeated me in the tournament's semifinals, he lost in the finals. Adahn was the winner. She wanted to stick to the strongest guy around, so she followed Hayden into the guild. One sparring session had me easily counter her lightning fast style by just filling the air with lead.

Finally found the rock to my paper and Hayden's scissors.

>Giana [Artisan's Assistant]

That means she's MY assistant, don't get it mixed up. The fact that her crafted goods could still function with all the crappy add-ons she added to them is commendable, I'll giver her that.

>>Expansions (1000+300=1300)

>Materials (1000)

"The Hayden" was a boon for our trade ventures.

>Crafting Stations (800)

Building up my future trade empire step by step. Some of my older adventurers also enjoy the activity, finding it a manlier past-time than knitting.

>Library (500)

My library actually surpasses the most specialized learning centers. Nothing less when you're dealing with the Owl Syndicate, and you obsessively compiled every kind of knowledge, from maps of every playground in the continent to the stride length of each and every Ig creature.

>Training Hall (300)

I tried testing lil' leftie's laser in the forest, and caused a forest fire. In the mountains it caused an avalanche. In the sea it roasted the fish inside the water, causing me to go hungry from smelling the broiled roasted well-salted meat, and distracting me from training.

The hall was also necessary to train our doll troops without showing our hand to any passerbys.

>Research Center (100)

Picture this: A regiment of giant ten foot tall dolls, armed and armored to the teeth, the brains of deceased soldiers guiding them and teaching them how to do battle.

Imagine this: A massage spell that would (metaphorically) turn your brain into mush, your bones into jelly, and your skin into a pool of warm milk.

Think about this: I plan to make those two, and more, into reality.

>First Epic: The Folly of Spade

Step 1: Set our prototype crafting dolls to creating hundreds of thousands of teams of five 2-inch tall dolls [one armored, one magical, one with elemental powers, one with multitude of tools].

Step 2: Have them utilize their abilities and numbers to systematically map each and every inch of the first level of the dungeon, from traps, to vents, to secret corridors, to creatures of Syn.

Step 3: Set up an entertainment lounge, with a pool and pool table.

Step 4: Use the compiled map to mine and harvest the first level of the dungeon bare using off-duty adventurers and labor dolls.

Step 5: Repeat steps 2 through five for each level of the dungeon.

Trial and error, but this is the basic framework of how we reached level 52 of the world's most dangerous dungeon in the span of a few years. And we're still working on it. Our teams are still going through the levels.

>Final Fate Score: -300

>Nobody knows the troubles I've seen, but don't let that bother you any~

>>12081

>>>Adulthood

>>Fame Perks (4)

Our guild didn't engage in any illicit activities that could be monitored in the conventional sense. Our killing dolls left no trace, for they were trained and designed personally by yours truly. Our… contacts in the seedy underground fighting rings were very happy not to draw our attention by occasionally directing their better fighters to us, as well as making inconspicuous donations to our guild, not to mention dropping a papyrus full of information updates in any of our members' flagons after buying the whole bar a round in our honor.

>Universal Discount, Guild Brand Equipment (2)

At our scale, it is inefficient for me, Giana, and what few retired army smiths we have to craft all of our equipment. We outsource our less than unique equipment from others now, though we rank quality by indispensability.

>Guild-Brand Toys (1)

After several updates, our initial 2-inch explorers became practically obsolete. This left us with a thousand or so eager to please dolls with little purpose. We ordered them to remain motionless unless certain conditions were met: pulling the string causes them to cry in an intimidating (read: cute) manner, and hearing a secret causes them to save it until the end of the week (or sooner, depending on urgency) when they send it back to the guild through a variety of methods… etc.

They'd also make excellent assassins if the need arises, what with them being in most households, including noble ones.

>Healing Services (0)

I can no longer abide having my adventurers having to suffer through long and exhausting surgeries merely because my pride won't let me accept healers into the guild (still bitter about the "blessing"). I also need to revive Kyrie after she dared Giana to get through her shield with her rocket hammer.

It was easy convincing them to help as soon as they noticed the "blessing" on me and mistook me as a chosen of the gods.

>New Home: Renovations

No matter how careful we are, we're bound to leave trace of our past activities. If nothing else, a good enough elemental might question the earth itself.

Instead, we dug deeper tunnels. A network spreads from us to every corner of Craitha. We can "teleport" anywhere, anytime. When we ran out of space, we built actual teleportation circles -utilizing the knowledge we compiled thus far- to the earth below, and seeded our dolls over the land, digging and building tunnels and bases for our guild. It's slow work, but vastly rewarding.

>Future Epics: Exploration

With all our dungeon-delving efforts concentrated on The Folly Of Spade, a ridiculous amount of information flowing in from our adventurer-figures, and our guild library with many vacant shelves yet, we chose to explore farther. No book in the land nor beyond will be safe from our grabby hands and inquisitive eyes.

>>12082

>>Special Adventures and Events

>The Hermit

The Owls Syndicate's former leader, retired early to increase his skills beyond the scholarly that confine his group. After a long detailed quiz where he asked me about random tidbits from their library, as well as a list of riddles used by his guild members, he finally acquiesced to run me through his trials.

Trial of willpower: I bit the fingers off the succubus that took my mom's shape. When will they learn that love does not equate lust?

Trial of cunning: The poor sphinx was out of date with current riddles, I gave her a copy of a book we found in a certain forgotten ruin listing never before seen riddles.

Trial of I'm feeling the munchies and the nearest deli is a day's walk away: We dined on The Hayden.

Trial of look buddy, these old bones can't really train anybody: My massage spell was perfection, he melted into a puddle.

Trial of you really wanna do this?: Nodded.

My bones ache to this day.

>A Bet Between Guilds

My search for preserved brains of great warriors kept turning up blanks. The donations from our deceased members were nowhere close to keeping up with the needed schedule. So I started looking for warriors outside the guild who were nearing death. Top of the list provided to me by sources was Mila.

I went to the guild and asked them for Mila, they asked for angel tears.

Luckily, my research finally allowed me a way to summon Mythal (borrowed the priests and materials from the church), the accursed goddess. Or at least one of her angels. Turns out she ascended her pet spirit fox into angelhood. I couldn't stop giggling like a maniac as I committed acts of animal cruelty never before seen. The tears filled a whole cup, of which I handed the two tears to the guild, and got myself and indentured servant named Mila.

>The Guild Presents: The Epic, The Musical

Thrice damned Riula had been planning this for years in secret, aided by none other than Shuzi (catering and logistics) and Billy (co-writer of the scripts). By the time she told me of it, the tickets had already reached every major city in three of the nearby kingdoms, and they were still selling and spreading.

I weighed my options: utilize my 2-inch doll network to burn every ticket in the world, call in every favor I had and promise the underground fighting ring their "freedom" in exchange for burning whatever tickets that survive, or put on a musical.

Mother shakedly telling me she was ecstatic to see me on stage stopped me before I finished penning out the orders.

I hope I don't get judged too seriously…

[I shamefully ripped off The Greatest Showman, don't sue me]

>Featureless stage, huge coliseum, The Hayden hovering above

>Audience is waiting in darkness

>Slowly, drums are struck, guitars are played, and a spotlight slowly lights up the stage

>A line dangles down from the rafters, and down swings Adahn, wearing a gaudy costume that heavily contrasts her deadpan delivery

>"Ladies, gents, boys and girls"

>"Members of all races, tall and small"

>"I see you brought your tickets. Now-"

>"-turn them over, give a shake… that is all"

>Adahn is pulled out of the audience's sight. Confused, they pull out their tickets, turn them to their backs, and shake them

>Suddenly, dolls start falling from The Hayden, each with a target, each with a purpose

>They fall on the crying crowd, each swallowing its target into its body feet first

>>12083

>The audience find themselves trapped in a body not their own, too strong for even the more physically gifted adventurers amongst them to break free. They can see through the doll's eyeslits, and what they see isn't the same featureless stage, but a stony catacomb

>In their ears, different voices start narrating, and their doll-suits start moving them to do their parts in the play

>[Me] "Our guild started with a party, made of brave"

>[Kyrie] "Dragged meek"

>[Billy] "Dreamer"

>[Riula] "A heart (not weak~)"

>[Shuzi] "And common sense to guide 'em all"

>[All] "We decided, "Hey! Let's check out that wizard's tower, magic loot sounds swell"

>Party enters stage right. Overselling the "wide-eyed youths" bit, but the kids need to dream according to Riula

>Some of the dolls jump above the praty and hang in the air

>[Adahn] "Room by room, chest by chest, the party explored with little rest"

>[Me] "Might we find a hideout to start-"

>[Billy] *Hurriedly* "-making our flintlocks part by part"

>[Me] *Confused* "But that wasn't really what we-"

>[Riula] "-thought we'd find, aieeeeeee!"

>The dolls that were above the party drop down, their manner and form menacing and creepy

>The party takes formation perfectly, though their voices still shook ever so slightly

>They charged the dolls bravely and swiftly… if the dolls were in the opposite direction

>[And so on, and so forth, imagine each tale I told, and quite a few I yet hold, delivered in more flowery prose, rhyming and a little on the nose. Seriously, I really have work to do.]

>Finally, the cast took a bow. Not me, I signal the doll with the crossbow

>It aims and takes a very measured, very practiced shot, straight at me

>I take up a position, bring out four diamond studded rings

>As I kneel there, bleeding with an arrow sticking in my knee

>[Me] "Riula, Kyrie, Giana, Shuzi, will you marry me?"

>The curtains close…

>>Training (10)

>General Physical Boost (8)

I did mention my bones ached to this day, but that is not entirely accurate. It is more that my skin and bones are at odds on which should be tougher at the moment. The hermit promised it'll wear off in a year.

>Greater's Blessing (6)

Mythal decided that after my treatment of her angel, I deserved my "blessing" to be unmatched by any other.

>Slayer (4)

I decided that after forgetting what mother's massage spells felt like, I'd devote my all to preparing every possible method to make her bleed!

>Craftsmanship (3)

Interesting thing about any process that could be repeated infinitely: eventually, you'll find yourself doing the same thing in different places and skills. Teach a doll the algorithm, give it a year, and you have yourself a tool unmatched by mortals and approaching the better works of divinity.

>Medical Knowledge (2)

Running away from several "angry" women with an impaled knee should be impossible. Not for a calculating genius like me ?(??_?)??

>Poisons and Mechanisms (1)

While taking down the fox-angel was a pleasure, watching the reinforcements the panicked Mythal sent scream in terror with every step any of their number took made me happy I invested in recording-scrying-orbs.

>Morale Management (0)

Weaponized Traumas™. 'nuff said.

>>Companions

>Mila [Boundless Energy]

I technically own her. She never fails to remind me, whenever she isn't carving her name into every prominent surface in the guild, staring at her alphabet soup (mother's patent) and trying to spell her name, or reclaiming her bed at the infirmary, that is.

>Esh [Oversized Weaponry]

Of the crowd that attended our play, she was one of the few to break free of her doll, and took tens of our reserve dolls to calm down. I like to think she appreciated the play after the anesthetics kicked in.

I asked her to join us after I saw the damage she did to our dolls, and she accepted, possibly out of shame for almost ruining the play.

I also had her bless my prototype pepper-grinder gun, my BIG gun (more of a tube, really), and my long rifle.

>Matthias

Met him while returning from the hermit's grove. He asked me for directions, and I gave them. He tracked me down later, claiming that the hermit evaded him yet again, and had left a message telling him to first pass my trials before he was worthy of passing his. Seeing as my first trial involves a foot race, he isn't leaving our guild any time soon. In the meantime, he can help train our greener adventurers and dolls.

>Dianne

She actually attended the play, hoping to catch me off guard and murder me before disappearing in the crowd. The dolls detected her when she laughed at the last pun, and even though they dragged her to me in chains, she kept her mischievous smile that almost made me doubt she was caught unwillingly.

Two can play the game, and I'm the one with an endless supply of truth serum.

>>12084

>>Companion Quests

>Riula

After the dust settled, Riula came to me with an ultimatum: hunt for the fabled love ark, a vessel said to belong to the love goddess, set adrift in the siren gulf, so only one with true love fueling him could reach it.

I neglected my daily cursing of Mythal that day, and reached the ark safely. After riding it for a few days, we agreed to sell it off and never speak of it again.

>Billy

He looked in physical pain when he asked me for help, so I relented from making him beg and took him with me on a forced vacation instead into the middle of Hive gorge in Ig territory. We came out of there changed men, and a few thousand bullets short.

>Hayden

… If you were a girl, I would've begged you to take me now, here, now! As it stands, I merely spend the months of vacation I had backed up through the years to handcraft him the most fearsome suits of doll-armor possible. I then asked Matthias to handpick our best warriors, train them to be better during that time, then sent them with him. I may have slipped him instructions for how to summon Mythal's angels in case he feels his men are growing soft or if he was running short on funds (harvesting angels is lucrative, and Mythal was already angry at me).

>Giana

A few subliminal messages were all it took for our creation that dwarfed others for the rest of time: The Matryoshka, a suit of doll-armor that had so many layers, each deadlier than the one it was inside of. As soon as the outer one was destroyed, the inner one emerged, fresh and ready for battle. The suits also acted as a miniature factory that built an extra "layer" every hour, making battles of attrition a nightmare!

>Mila

The guild that traded her for the angel tears contacted us a little later, informing us that they found the cure for Mila's condition, which required regular doses of angel tears, of which they were the sole proprietors of in the whole kingdom. They offered us a "favorable" agreement in exchange for keeping her alive via regular deliveries of heavily diluted tears, to ensure our continued cooperation.

I was tired of their crap, so I gave Mila a doll-suit that regularly injected her with some of my large supply of highly concentrated angel tears (as well as augmented her currently weak physique), and set her loose upon them. She was forever remembered as the swordswoman who slew a guild singlehanded.

>Esh

[Some dating sim crap I lost the motivation to think up halfway through].

>>Expansions (1000+1000+100=2100)

>Materials, Crafting Stations (1400)

When your adventurers use mithril for their boots, and your dolls use adamantite for their screws, a good supply becomes a requirement. I also may have gone a step beyond what people normally do, and all but fully automated the crafting stations, giving any of my adventurers their required gear within minutes at the press of a button.

>Arena and Holding Cells, Religious Site (900)

Two guesses where I'm going with this.

Yep, I set up a shrine for Mythal in the middle of the arena, and use it to summon her angels to fight my adventurers, dolls, or any customer that wishes to trade blows with divine beings. In a way, I'm helping her, spreading her name. In another, I've turned her into a deity for bloodsport.

>Amusement Park (600)

Finally, my investments start to bear fruit! This brilliant park will be remembered for a long time yet. I shall name it: Amagi!

>Luxury 1&2 (0)

Now it's officially a retirement home.

>The Legacy: A Treasure Map

My loins are set afire at the thought of this. The only thing that stopped me from taking over the world at this point was how easy it would've been. Now, I finally have a challenge, and am justified to pursue it to boot!

LET SLIP THE DOLLS OF WAR!