[ New Quest: THE CAPTURE OF OMASHU ]
Main Objective: Claim the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu from King Bumi
Secondary Objective: Complete the Quest before the Fire Nation Siege Corps arrives
Rewards:
Massive Reputation increase with the {Fire Nation}
Massive bonus exp
Secondary Rewards:
Perk Points x4
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It was night by the time we returned to the encampment.
With flames in our hands, the raiding party looked like a long religious procession in the darkness of the Earth Kingdom wilderness. Meanwhile, the Kyoshi Warriors- still in their full armoured regalia- stayed silent as they walked beside me the entire march back. The gravity of what they had just done was undoubtedly still weighing heavily on them. Their painted faces were set in stony expressions as they digested the fact that they had essentially defected to Fire Nation, or more specifically, to me.
Companion acquired: Suki
* Raise Reputation with Suki to unlock the recruitment of more {Kyoshi Warriors}. *
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For besting Kyoshi Warriors in both direct combat and subterfuge; and being their only hope for clearing their name...
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Reputation : 30 --> -10
{Suki & the Kyoshi Warriors} Obedience : -25 --> 25
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I was down to negative Reputation with them, but I had finally brought their Obedience up to the positives. I'll consider that progress! After all, I honestly expected it to be a lot lower. Negative ten Reputation was impressive considering that I framed them for a horrendous atrocity that I committed and was now in the process of making them fight their former allies for me. But apparently, I was growing onto Suki...
"I'll be making the announcement to the troops." I told them. "Let me do the talking, but don't show weakness."
"We don't plan to, Khan." was Suki's icy response.
... Yes, it was clear that she was really warming up to me.
I gave the order for the entire division; and soon, the entirety of the camp was assembled before us. The platoons of spearmen in their red and black armour, the squads of Firebenders and the growing number of mounted scouts. All standing at attention in neat, disciplined blocks as they looked up to me and the Kyoshi Warriors as we stood on a wooden platform overlooking them all.
"Proud soldiers of the Fire Nation." my voice boomed loud and clear to the gathered division, "This band of Kyoshi Warriors have formally defected to the 41st. Yes, I know what you're thinking; and no, I'm not expecting you to treat them as equals. The type of bond that you have with the Fire Nation soldier standing beside you cannot be replicated. The Kyoshi Warriors did not spring from the volcanic bosom of Fire Islands of our homelands, nor do their blood burn hot with the stock of the fabled dragons' disciples as yours do. They will never truly be Fire Nation."
Suki's blue eyes momentarily glanced at me- unsure where I was going with this, but she and her sisters stood firm regardless. I continued my little speech to the troops.
"Instead, you will look upon them as the first Fire Lord did look at the disparate and warring tribes of the Fire Islands which he forged into a nation: As your newest allies! After all, the Kyoshi Warriors have come to us bringing a most handsome gift of friendship... in the form of a great heap of our enemies' corpses and the Earth Kingdom's second largest stronghold for the taking. They have given you a most generous gift; where are your manners?!"
In perfect sync, the men and women of the 41st bowed low at the waist and put fist to palm, and as one, their voices rang out as they thanked them in a customary Fire Nation manner.
"Your gift sparks joy in our hearts, Kyoshi Warriors!"
"41st Division, Hone your skills and sharpen your blades." I ordered them, "We will march to take Omashu in three days! Our arrival will be directly preceded by Omashu choking itself on that special Gaoling rice, and such is our generous nature that we will come to bring them a traditional Fire Nation dessert, nice and fiery hot. Dismissed!"
There was an atmosphere of excitement when I made the announcement. Morale had naturally high after we burned and looted those eight villages, and repelled those Earth Kingdom response forces. Both the 41st's war coffers and the coin pouches of my troops were fat with Earth Kingdom money. The servants that we captured were also put to good use. We had the gold, and the women... Now all we hungered for was glory. A big target to win us the admiration of the Fire Nation, and that target was Omashu.
Alright, that should be enough to cover the Fire Nation side of this potential friction between the Kyoshi Warriors and the 41st Division. Now, I have to ensure that Suki and the others didn't.
"So, how will this work, Khan?" Suki questioned with lips in a thin line, likely referring to their current servitude to me.
"For now, I'm assigning you an officer's coach to share." I began with a small olive branch of peace to them, "Get settled in and requisition whatever you need from the quartermaster. Afterwards, come to my private quarters so that we can discuss your duties."
"... Okay." The redhead nodded- and with one last wary glance at me- walked away with her sisters-in-arms.
Meanwhile, I walked back to my personal quarters. I needed some time alone as I considered the next order of business.
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[ Level up Achieved! ]
[Khan's Abode]
The metal door to my quarters shut behind me and I sighed, "Okay, game. Before the Kyoshi Warriors arrive, hit me with that flood of notifications."
[Quest - Raid and Pillage] Completed!
Main Objective: Completely disrupt the Gailong-Omashu trade route
Rewards Granted:
Large Reputation increase with the {Fire Nation}
Massive bonus exp
Legendary Item x2
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For disrupting the vital Gailong-Omashu trade route that fueled the Earth Kingdom defence...
{Fire Nation} Reputation : 6 --> 26
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Level up Achieved!
Name: Khan "The Giant"
Level: 4 - 5
Level exp: 81/2000
Rank: Captain. 41st Division, Fire Nation Army.
HP: 780/780
Strength: 53 --> 54
Dexterity: 51 --> 52
Constitution: 57 --> 58
Intelligence: 4 --> 5
Spirit: 37 --> 39
* 1 Perk Points Available.*
(Increase Intelligence to earn more Perk points per level!)
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Lvl 50 Strength Perks Available:
[Lvl 2] Power Move (Passive): You don't 'run.' You kick the ground until it takes you where you want to go. On top of your Dexterity, add (25% - 50%) Strength to your running speed and jumping height.
Furor of Furious Fury (Active): Angry caveman powers, activate! For the next 4 strikes you make, your strength is doubled.
Flex it off! (Passive): You feel a lot better after you pose and flex your muscles. On top of your Constitution, add 25% Strength to your Health points and Resistances calculations.
Overpower (Passive): Hit 'em hard when they're not looking, but hit 'em even harder when they are. Gain 20% bonus Strength against enemies that you're not outflanking.
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Lvl 50 Dexterity Perks Available:
[Lvl 2] Parkour Prodigy (Passive): Running? On the ground?! Like some peasant!? (Double - Triple) your Dexterity bonus while performing parkour.
Riposte (Passive): A skill distilled from a billion hours in Soulsborne games. Attacking directly after a successful parry now carries a guaranteed crit.
Pickpocket Prodigy (Passive): Yes, you can actually steal equipped items; yes, that includes their underwear. Double your Dexterity bonus while pickpocketing.
[Lvl 2] Bullet Time (Active): Dodge the bullets that haven't been invented yet. Three times a day, slow time to (80% - 70%). Bullet Time duration in seconds is equal to a tenth of your Dexterity stat.
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Lvl 50 Constitution Perks Available:
Iron Gut (Passive): Not to be confused with iron abs. Double your Constitution bonus to resist Poisons, Toxins and illnesses.
Clench! (Passive): Brace your glutes! You gain 10% damage reduction for all attacks that you see coming.
[Lvl 2] Relentless (Passive): Be the Party Animal as told in the legends. You no longer require sleep, and all physical fatigue gain is now reduced by (25% - 50%).
Berserker Rage (Passive): Your incredible anger is your weapon, you are... Karen Incarnate. Gain bonus Strength, Dexterity and Spirit proportional to your missing HP. Up to 200% bonus stats more at 1% HP.
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Lvl 20 Spirit Perks Available:
It's not a Dance! (Passive): ... But it just might be a sex position. Double your Spirit bonus when learning/experimenting new bending styles and forms (and sex positions).
Spirit Rush (Active): Yes, overconfidence is now a power! Once a day, double your Spirit. Spirit Rush' duration in seconds is half your Spirit stat.
* 1 Perk Points Available.*
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14 perks, 1 perk point at my disposal.
Once again, the importance of Intelligence could not be overstated: It was the stat that amplified every other one by virtue of these powerful perks. Every level that I went by with low Intelligence was a couple of perk points that I permanently missed out on. And the bad news kept coming as it was only going to get worse as I levelled up. Like with all games, the required exp to level up increases. Perk points should have been more abundant in lower levels, but since I was an idiot and made Intelligence my dump stat- I was now paying the price dearly.
At this point, I should start saving up perk points- they're about to get a lot rarer as time goes by.
In the meantime, I needed both an offensive edge as well as a safety net, and the [Berserker Rage] perk served both purposes nicely. Practically a power up that scales to the difficulty of the encounter that I'm in. Very useful.
The Perk [Berserker Rage] Purchased!
* 0 Perk Points Available.*
My current build was forming up nicely though.
The added misdirection stemming from the disconnect between my height and my build was very welcome, and it will never stop being amusing how people keep underestimating me because of my height. It always happened in the clashes with Earth Kingdom forces, and it also happened when I first fought Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors.
My enemies always assumed I'd be a slow, lumbering giant from my size; when in actuality, I was a mostly Dexterity build with a focus on speed and mobility. The vertical mobility given by [Parkour Prodigy] coupled with the pure speed of [Power Move] meant that I could move around the battlefield like a speedy acrobat on the level of Ty Lee or the Kyoshi Warriors.
Oh, the looks of horror on their painted faces when I utilised my full speed against them was one for the ages.
Not that I was a slouch in terms of damage dealing either. The [Meteor Hammer: Wind Up] skill was my most reliable source of damage; meanwhile, my Firebending offered a decent, versatile backup in a pinch. Finish off my current build with the reduced physical fatigue of [Relentless], and I literally could do acrobatic combat all day. Side-stepping the rock throws of my enemies, parkouring away from area-of-effect attacks... all while staying outside of their weapons' reach and hammering away with charged up strikes of my meteor hammer.
All in all, the [Berserker Rage] perk is a really good fit. But now came the moment I've been looking forward to: the items! And they were...
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(Legendary) [Mysterious Egg]
A red egg almost as large as a volleyball, similar in size and shape to a normal ostrich-horse egg. It seems to softly hum a song that it is just too faint to hear.
(Legendary) [Flask of Refillment]
A metal flask that dispenses an unlimited amount of whatever popular drink you desire. Self-cleaning.
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... How incredibly useless. I was hoping for a legendary-quality meteor hammer or a magic item that increased my stats. Instead, I have a big egg and unlimited free refills. I would definitely have felt cheated if it weren't for the fact that I was going to raid and pillage anyway.
These rewards were pretty much just bonus rewards than actually incentivising me to do stuff. Still... Pouring myself a cup from the flask, I found that it was at least nice to have access to modern drinks that I normally wouldn't have access to, like soft drinks... Huh, it even has the rarer drinks like Cherry Vanilla Coke and Mountain Dew Cake Punch.
As for the egg though, I simply set it aside. I'll have to wait and see what comes of it.