“...That was 57 MP?”
“Well actually it was a hundred and two I can’t stop charging a spell until I release it.”
“...Huh.”
The notifications are still rolling in… but frankly the only thing I need to look at is this.
875/1055
Hot damn! Sorry Jasper, didn’t think that fireball would’ve killed so many right off the bat! You’re gonna have to miss out on that delicious experience pack.
With the initial blast alone, there were easily over fifty notifications that represented a minimum of 100 damage. And given that’s how much hp I think you get without any vitality, it makes sense that it’d kill if these rats are fully specced into agility. And given they all piled up, directly beneath me, and therefore the blast; they ate that with zero fall off. I’m not sure if fall off is a thing, but if it is, it certainly didn’t apply here.
Of course, not all of them died in the initial blast, but it is a fireball. It uh, y’know, set things on fire. In fact, I’m quite glad bodies don’t persist after you kill an enemy, because dozens of burnt rats doesn’t sound like the most pleasant of scents. Zero out of ten, would not purchase a candle.
They’re not all dead or anything, in fact, I’d wager Screech bought me just about… ten, fifteen extra seconds with that little maneuver costing two thirds of her MP apparently? But that sure is a lot of experience! Alright… I’m starting to get an idea here, perhaps Jasper won’t be nearly as necessary for this particular encounter as I’d have thought. Lemme put those fifteen seconds to use real quick.
Theoretically, as far as I’m aware… there is no potion sickness. I might have not just consumed enough to find that out, but three in a row gives me hope? And… I have…
Lesser MP potion X16 (Common)
Okay and, also theoretically…
53/121
Alright, alright… I can work with this… So, theoretically, purely theoretically, let’s say every ten or so points invested into strength is a… ten percent increase to the base damage you deal. And let’s also assume that MP invested into an attack is worth, say, one point of damage per MP. And then also assume that MP stamina loss rate for Screech is about 2:1… yada yada yada, how many more bombs can she launch?
She only really needs to deal about eighty damage with the initial blast counting burn damage afterwards, so… quick math 50 times 1.7, hibbily dibbily doo, about eighty, somewhere around there. Twenty five stamina consumed… so, theoretically, Screech can launch about two more bombs. Because MP isn’t an issue, we have more than enough potions, and then she goes into hibernation…
Now, let’s stop highballing, account for possibility of error, probably have Screech go for sixty MP per attack instead of fifty to really get at the rats, maybe take a little damage from too much stamina being used… at least, probably, that’s probably how it works? If push comes to shove Jasper will be ready by the time Screech passes out and she can start tearing things to shreds. Moving on…
Right… Have Screech use 60 MP per attack, feed her two potions after the first bomb is launched during the downtime from the rats being obliterated, should be way more than six seconds of time to do so, therefore it won’t be an issue… launch the second bomb, profit immensely.
Alright, thinking I’m-
“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh are you alright?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve just been hanging here for like six maybe seven definitely eight now seconds? Are you alright?”
“Oh, yeah definitely. I’m just thinking up a plan.”
“Is it something adjacent to getting out of here ooooooooooooooor are we just going to get eaten alive?”
“Not even in the same ballpark.”
“Wha-what’s a ballpark?”
“Uhhhhhhh, think like… imagine a place the size of this clearing we’re in right now?”
I gesture outward for effect, continuing to dangle onto the wall with my other arm.
“But uhm, more rectangular? And it’s used to play a game.”
“...Okay but what game?”
“Well, that’s a bit much to explaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-we are getting carried away here, would love to chat Screech, but I don’t wanna get eaten.”
“I thought you weren’t able to die?”
“I’m not. You are. It wouldn’t be pleasant for either of us though! NOW, STOP DISTRACTING ME! And listen to the plan-”
Wait… didn’t they just express concern about getting eaten alive earlier? Why would they… did they… did they think that I was waiting there, as a legitimate option, because I “can’t die”...? Was that not just… sarcasm… oh my God it wasn’t sarcasm.
“Mhm.”
WhaabasABhahahahaha-nevermind, nevermind. Note, never don’t take Screech seriously.
“See? Jasper says so too-oh hi Jasper are you doing alright?”
“...”
“Right, right, don’t get distracted, giant encroaching horde of death and doom, and whatnot. Okay! Pretty simple plan here, might’ve taken a little too long… ‘deliberating’, given the rats are starting to pile up again…”
I once again gesture for emphasis, this time directly below us, at the now piling pile of fur mere feet below my feet.
“But at the same time that’s also a good thing. Screech, I want you to cancel your [Morrigala Metamorphose]-”
“Done!”
…We really need to talk about uh, waiting just a moment for me to finish what I’m saying… although this might be my fault, given I told her to follow my orders without question… pfhhhghhh whatever we’ll have a talk later it’s fine.
She simply perches on the stone I’m currently holding onto for dear life, and continues to give me her full attention.
“Okay, and I want you to let me finish what I’m saying before you do anything-”
“Got it!”
“...”
“My bad!”
“Right, before you do anything else. As I was saying, please charge a fireball, with just about 60 MP. And I want you, to fire it, directly at the rats beneath us. Please let me know when you are about to shoot it… You’re good to begin.”
“Oki doki!”
Breathing in to try and center my mind after the… hectic (to put it mildly) conversation… I raise my legs up as far as I can in an effort to avoid being singed, because yes, my HP is not full.
129/140
…For reasons which should be obvious.
And take in another breath of blessedly fresh air free of decaying burnt rats, then point my arm out in the distance.
“Done!”
[Summon]!
“Alright go ahead-”
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
And she already fired it.
Oh well, doesn’t matter!
The flames descend again, and predictably, the rats do not move. I can’t imagine you’re supposed to bring AoE this screwed up to the table at an early point in the game, so this kind of method probably wasn’t intended… but I will gratefully abuse the buffet, thank you developers.
94!
94!
94!
94!
95!
93!
93!
92!
93!
91!
90!
90!
89!
90!
9-
The damage numbers kind of fade into the background pretty much immediately I’m not gonna consciously recognize like, a hundred of them? And none of the rats died… instantly, but, that was accounted for. They don’t need to die instantly, burn damage is a thing! It doesn’t register as a damage number that pops up or anything, buuuuuuuuut…
+5 exp!
It very much is a source of damage, evidenced by that first de-
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
…And those ones, and-
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
…These ones, I’m just gonna get cut off again ar-
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
+5 exp!
+5 exp!-
—
Level up!
Ah! That’s a new one!
I didn’t get as many kills with this one, given not instantly obliterating all of them seemed to uh, scare them off a little bit unlike the last time. I mean there were a few that didn’t instantly die beforehand, but they all eventually died to burn damage.
This time, there’s like, a dozen and a half of them just running around on fire! It’s kinda funny, in a sick and twisted way. Relax rats, it’s called dark humor.
“SCREEE!”
I’m not sure they find the joke funny. We’ll need extensive interviews.
Buh-buh-buh-buh buuuuh~, anyways, as I was saying, didn’t kill AS many this time… but still got a lot of them! Given… what’s my new requirement?
Exp-45/1367
Jeeeeee… zzzeh. Oof, I will worry about that curve later. But, given those numbers, I think I killed about… fifty, sixty?
+5 exp!
Sixty one!
Professions have been unlocked!
Hah?
Would you like a tutorial-
NO! HELL NO! Oh, wait, wait, this game doesn’t suck, the tutorial might not be awful. Uhm… worry about that in a moment. The number of rats has been thinned, yes, but unfortunately, there’s still… a lot.
“Hey Jasper!”
“Mm?”
“Kill as many as you possibly can, by whatever means you see fit. They’re scattered, break them further.”
“Mhm!”
Ah… setting a cat loose upon mice, tale as old as time. I also have an eagle I guess, but they’re like… falling asleep. They haven’t said anything in the five or so seconds that have passed since they launched that fireball to begin with, so that’s a definite tell. What’s their stamina?
19/121
Ooooo, lower than I thought it’d be. Maybe the loss is variable? Cause they definitely should’ve lost more stamina from using over a hundred MP at once if that’s how the rate of exchange worked… must not be a constant.
Shame about the second fireball, but the rats aren’t grouping up right this instant anyways, so it wouldn’t even be as valuable.
Guess I’ll just [Recall] her and let her get some rest… but then she won’t get any experience… I mean, I guess she’s already level TWELVE, but still… she did kind of save my backside this time…
“Hey Screech?”
“...Yes?”
Oof, that’s a pause, she’s definitely boutta conk out.
“You can go to sleep, don’t worry about it.”
“Oh. Okay!”
And she didn’t even latch onto the protruding rock we find ourselves hanging on before doing so.
Before she plummets and hits the ground, which definitely wouldn’t be fatal from a mere two something meters in the air, but it would be unpleasant, I let go of said rock myself, catching her mid fall.
She is… such a goober.
Perhaps too much of a goober, but that remains to be seen. Only time will tell. And also probably me when we talk when she wakes up. Right.
Anyways… were those rats always that black or is Jasper just-
Yup, that’s a few dozen dead already.
56!
+5 exp!
54!
61!
+5 exp!
[Hunter’s Mark]
+5 exp!
Oh she really wanted that one dead. I’m not even gonna discuss the damage that just did that’s… nasty work. I mean, I guess she has the MP to spare with all those phantoms summoned, they’re probably restoring like five a second for her…
Welp, I can pretty much just sit back and watch…
You go girl! Work off that post-ear annihilation stress!