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Part I: With the Blessings of the Star, the Course the Future Takes is Ours
New Music: [url=https://lpix.org/4479072/MISC%20-%20Bumper.mp3][ GAYSTATION™ ][/url]
A name you may or may not know depending on where you hang out online, she's the one behind what we have here today.
New Music: Super Lesbian Animal RPG
You can tell from the layout this was made in RPG Maker (VX Ace to be precise), though thanks to extensive use of custom scripts it's got plenty of fancy bells and whistles absent from the default engine.
Look on the fullscreen foxgirl, ye Mighty, and despair.
Some pointers on how to control the game, pretty standard RPG Maker stuff.
As someone who's played plenty of RPGs my only game over playing on normal was against one of the bonus bosses; though there were a few other times I was left sweatin'. Easy mode amounts to giving you a stat boost.
Now there is one specific moment I can see even experienced RPGers resorting to briefly turn this on (going by some posts online). But enough of settings, let us play.
New Music: Chasing Dreams
"This single act of kindness forever changed the course of history."
"Grand cities powered by magic were built. Plagues were cured. The lands were connected by new means of transport."
"Magic now coexists with modern technology as a part of everyday life."
"These people seek to become adventurers."
*intro music fades into nighttime ambience*
Now who are these two, and what could they be up to in the dead of night?
: What about back in high school? Wasn't one of our classmates a dragon?
: Are you thinking of Josh? He's an armadillo lizard, not a dragon.
: Oh yeah.
A choice! Sometimes it's something that gives you the power to affect things down the line.
Other times? Not so much.
: I guess I haven't put much thought into it. I dunno, I'm not picky.
: Hey, be honest with me, Mel. Are you still down for this adventurers' guild thing with Claire and Jodie?
: You know I'm pumped. And I'm grateful that you wanna support me. But this is a huge undertaking for YOU, too.
: ...I mean, of course I'm nervous.
: And yeah, out lack of tangible progress so far hasn't been the biggest confidence booster.
: But... we're doing it together, right? At the end of the day, I think that makes it worth trying.
???: WEREN'T YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING IMPORTANT?
: Oh, duh. Come on, Mel, let's finish this little treasure hunt.
: Now let's see... the next clue is "travel north until you find the spot where two paths cross"
Now let's see what we have on hand.
No items on hand...
Well there is this thing, but I doubt that's diegetic.
No skills to call our own.
Melody's got nothing on her either, and pretty low stats at that.
While Allison's got a sword so cheap, it grants only +1 attack.
Anyways, getting back on track.
: Well, I mean, this is less "two paths crossing" and more like a big X someone made with dirt, but this is probably it.
: Now, let's see. The next clue is... "From there, search for the lonely tree."
Well there's only one way from here.
: Oh wait, I think I see something up ahead!
Aaaand she's off.
Suddenly, darkness.
All signs point to:
: Claire, what are you doing?
quack
: Who else would slide directions for a scavenger hunt under my door this late at night?
Okay, true.
: So what exactly was the point of this? Is this more training or something?
Yes and no. I needed to get you in an adventurous mood to prepare you for what happens next. Now, our guild missions over these last few months have been... less than optimal.
: Yeah, we know.
But what if I told you I have something that could change that?
Wait, do I hear... a squeal?
Welp.
New Music: A Major Tussle (Abridged)
Meet the first boss of the game!
Our party doesn't look happy to be thrown headfirst into a fight right at the getgo, but we can't do anything but attack (or guard).
This hamhock packs a big whallop-
And our attacks don't do jack against it.
You can probably tell where this is going, folks
I mean hey it could be worse,
that sword could've given you more than +1 to your attack stat.
What's this?
Smells like bacon.
Video: Behemoth Boar
And this little piggy went "wee wee wee", all the way home.
: I've survived worse. I'm just glad you're okay.
: What, me getting my butt kicked yet again?
A lot of people would have given up after so many setbacks. But not you two. Your hearts are in the right place, and you're willing to put in the work. You just need the power to back it up. Which is why I have this.
New Music: Is This Dangerous?
It also has an absurd amount of magical energy, which
I think is what attracted that monster just now.
: Whoa, where did you get that?
I... found it while exploring.
So, as the story goes, when Fortuna first taught magicto us mortals way back when, nobody had the training required to cast spells. But instead of giving up on us, Fortuna came up with a ritual to awaken her acolytes' latent magic abilities. And I just so happen to have the instructions for that right here. It won't give you the powers of a goddess, and you'll still need a lot of practice. But it'll give you a running start.
I dunno, something's not quite sitting right...
: Is this... cheating?
: Is it really fair to just get magic powers for free? People work hard for those.
I mean, it's not "free." You'll still have to work very, very hard to figure out how to do anything with your new mana. What's REALLY unfair is the thought of you two being left in the dust just because you didn't have your whole lives planned out at age 14. I mean, come on. You probably would've started training years ago if you knew adventuring wasn't a pipe dream. This is just a nudge in the right direction to make up for lost time.
: ...Okay, when you put it like that, this sounds like just what we needed.
: Well, if Mel's in, then I'm in.
Excellent. Let's start with you, Melody. Why do you want to be an adventurer?
: Well... Allison wants to join you and Jodie in your guild. But she knows I'd be worried sick if she ran off without me.
: So I thought, well, I'm not really doing anything else with my life. Maybe I could go with her and look out for her. Try to keep her safe.
I see.
: I'm not the best fighter, so I think I'd be more useful if I had healing magic.
: I mean, I've tried being the healer, but without magic all I can really do is hand out potions. And I don't want to keep being the team water girl.
I assumed as much. You'd make a great cleric.
: Well, not quite. I was thinking I'd rather be a... a paladin.
: I've been reading up on my options a lot, and, well... I don't know, I just liked the sound of it.
You don't sound all that confident in your choice.
: No, this is what I want. I'm sure of it.
That's better. And you, Allison?
: You know me. Adventuring's in my blood! I just wanna be strong and fight monsters, really.
Care to be a little more specific?
: Evil monsters would be preferable. I don't have any reason to fight nice monsters.
Okay, smartass, but if that's all you're gonna give me to work with, you don't get to complain if you think your powers suck.
: No promises.
Great! Now, let's begin the ritual.
Relax, it's just a little spell. I'm following the instructions to the letter.
Oh, absolutely.
And again, darkness.
New Music: Art of the Gods
I feel like an LP from the old days would make a joke about Melody tripping balls about now.
Melody, are you still with us? Can you hear me?
: Huh? Oh, yes, I can hear you, Claire.
: You had us worried there for a second!
Dang, I wish I could see what you're seeing, wherever your consciousness is right now. Anyway, Allison didn't need as much magic, so she's already done. But I've still got a few final preparations to make for you, Melody. I'd suggest you look around a bit while you wait.
Actually now that I think about it, someone in the SLARPG patreon discord posted a video of a hack that did just that, so I guess that type of humor is alive and well today.
Who's this?
: Is this normal?
Huh? Oh, I dunno. Maybe. I've never experienced this myself. That might always be there.
: Uh... hello?
"Well I guess I'll go fuck myself, then"
: It just disappeared!
See? It left you alone. It's fine. I'm sure it's more scared of you than you are of it.
Through the trees we go.
A whole lot of magical power is currently being channeled into you, and we need a way to focus that. You want to be a paladin, and paladins derive their power from faith.
: I'm... not really all that religious.
It doesn't have to be religious. Let's just try filling in the blank. "My power is derived from my faith in..."
Here we are at the crossroads: Like any good rpg, we've been given options. Sword, Wand or Shield? Grass, Fire, or Water? Ranch or Cool Ranch? Sainte or Grunch?
What's behind door numbah 1?
: That's a little spiritual, right?
Could you rephrase that so it uses the word faith?
: I... have faith in nature? I mean, that ecosystem. It sure is goin'.
...I guess I can work with that. Most things in nature have arcane energy. You can just borrow some of that. Nice choice, Mel. I think it's a good fit.
How about door numero dos?
That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard in my life.
: Yeah, I know...
But it could work. Especially with how inseparable you two are.
: This idea sounds pretty gay. I like it.
If you're mainly doing this to follow your girlfriend around and heal her, then the source of your powers will never be far away. I don't see you two breaking up, but even if you did, you could still use feelings of platonic love as a power source. It's like a symbiosis sort of thing. Well, okay, maybe that's not the best mental image. Eh, whatever.
The new car's gotta be behind this last door.
What?
: Well, I feel like I'm kind of a natural healer. It just feels... right. If it can be any faith, then it could just be my faith in my ability to heal.
You're telling me. That you want to believe so hard that you have magic healing abilities...
...that the belief itself gives you the arcane power needed to actually cast healing spells. Which would, in turn, prove that belief right, like some kind of magical self-esteem Ouroboros.
Is that what you're saying?
: Well, I, uh -
I mean, Resolute Paladins are a thing, but it's not that simple, Melody.
: Mel DID help me out last flu season. I probably would've been in bed another week without her. And not only because she brought me medicine. I think just having her around helped. She has, like, a soothing presence. I mean, healing's healing, right? Just juice that up with some magic or whatever.
Fine. If this is what you really want, then I guess I can make it work.
Well what's Melody going to go with? That's up to you, dear reader! It'll be up to the thread to choose which specialization Melody goes with, and guess what? You guys are gonna be working with as much info as she/first time players would (i.e. what we just saw above) I'll call it when I'm close to having the next update ready. Well not you guys in the sandcastle or SLARPG discord, but for when the proper thread starts. Have some patience, will ya?