[D'sP] Tough Vines - Chapter 424

A bit of time has passed and Doyle figures he has it. A quick check shows that Ally isn’t busy, simply rereading what might be the first post-system newspaper in the entire planet. It didn’t actually start in Wolf’s Rest, which was a bit odd, given they had been the first to figure out paper.

Though it seems that someone two settlements past Bennett town had been a paper making hobbyist. So once the tools to make the tools and so on and so forth got sorted out, that person bought a set and ran with it. Besides, newspapers aren’t exactly being printed on archival grade paper or anything. So while Wolf’s Rest is constantly improving their methods on the road to masterwork paper production, somewhere else captured the low end market.

Anyway, this first edition newspaper didn’t actually have much new information for the pair. If only because given how big of an event this felt like to people, everyone had been talking over the articles before copies even made it to town.

Doyle turned to Ally, ‘Heyo, I think I got it.’

Ally folds up the paper with care and puts it in a custom preservation box Doyle had thrown together just for it. ‘Did you figure out a mundane skill or give up on that?’

Doyle rolls his core to the side, ‘As if I was ever close to that. I could have easily grabbed a skill for sturdier vines and been done with it. No, I was looking for something that would give them a bit more mundane oomph. They’re still killing people and causing general problems, but assassin vines are one of my original three. To have them reduced to gimmicks is a little sad.’

Ally, ‘I hate to point it out, but if that’s the case, why didn’t you do this sooner?’

Doyle, ‘Eh, I was going to get around to it, eventually. It was more like having a shelf you don’t use that is slightly angled. Sure, you’d probably use it more if the shelf was flatter, but you aren’t using it so you don’t mind putting it off? Or at least, that is how I feel about it.’

Ally nods, ‘And now you have something you want to put on the shelf so you’re straightening it out.’

Doyle, ‘Yep. Or more like, I just had to straighten and so I’m finally able to put something on it. That something in this case being the skill “Flexible Vines” to make them tougher to cut.’

Ally raises an eyebrow, ‘So, it sounds like you just grabbed a skill for sturdier vines.’

Doyle nods, ‘That is true.’

Ally, ‘So, like you said what you wouldn’t do?’

Doyle, ‘I only said that if I just wanted to be done with it, that is what I would have done. Yes, I did end up with the same sort of skill, but this is after careful consideration. Besides, it is slightly different. Instead of a simple “vines are now tougher” sort of skill, I’ve gone with a skill that makes them more flexible so it is harder to cut when not holding someone.’

Ally nods, ‘Fair enough. How much did it cost?’

Doyle, ‘Five and five. Though honestly, I should probably get around to keeping track of all the skills I’ve bought access to. Also, it feels like I should be getting access to skills from the people that fall in the dungeon.’

Ally shakes her head, ‘Nope, sadly things aren’t that easy. After all, that kind of stuff is part of what you’re eating.’

Doyle, ‘What about all the skills I’ve bought access to?’

Ally, ‘That does feel like something there should be a screen for.’

Doyle, ‘That answer feels like there isn’t.’

Ally shrugs, ‘You should just “know” what skills you’ve bought access to and if they can be used for one pattern or another. However, there was also a lot of complaining by some of the bonded fairies who would occasionally project in to teach a lesson or two. I suspect at some point we’ll have to sit down and sort through what you have. That or be surprised when you go to buy a skill only for it to come up as free or heavily reduced.’

Doyle, ‘Free I get, why would there be discounts?’

Ally, ‘Any skill that is broad enough that behind the scenes it has actually been broken up into multiple skills at the low end. For instance, hydrokinesis? In theory that skill should include how to manipulate liquids in every manner.

‘Whether that means using magic to splash around water, psionics to clear fog, or you hand to scoop up some ice. If it involves the movement of water, in theory the skill should cover it. And yet, it isn’t seen as all that powerful of a skill.

‘All because while it does involve knowledge of all that, what you get is directly related to your specific application. The aquatic assassin vines are likely using Qi, if only because it is easier to use without a mind.

‘Sure, if you watch someone manipulating water with a different power, you’ll gain some levels as you gain understanding. You just won’t have such knowledge injected through the skill unless you seek it out. So, if you get hydrokinesis for your kobolds, it will likely be discounted as they would not only use Qi, but Mana as well.

‘Or rather, it would be discounted if you had actually bought it. Skills that monsters come with aren’t magically yours. You have to buy them if you want them for other patterns. It doesn’t even come with a discount.’

Doyle, ‘Well, just more busy work for when we aren’t actually busy.’

The both of them start laughing.

Ally shakes her head, ‘I would love to be bored. I mean, I guess I’ve technically been bored for brief moments, you know, waiting for a delve to get past a certain point. There is just always more to do.’

Doyle, ‘Less about not being bored and more about being bored because of a lack of things to do. There is always more to do and that doesn’t even count the fact that we could have ten copies of you on surveillance duty and still use more. The town is stable, but you can’t ever be too careful.’

Ally nods, ‘Always more to watch.’

Doyle, ‘And speaking of watching, how long do you think it will take Ace to get a look at my core again? You have more experience with people training under the system.’

Ally looks to the side at the current group delving the last floor. ‘I would not put it past the Barrais being able to take a peek right now. Jim may be able to sneak his way there as well.

‘For Ace? I’d give it a timeline of months. Sometimes in summer? So I guess the question is, are you willing to wait that long?’

Doyle’s core settles a little, ‘With the recent variant and the minor changes I’ve been making? While I’m sure my floors are excellent for a normal dungeon, I personally could be doing so much better.

‘Given the time outside? I’d say I should get around to doing some spring cleaning. Maybe also gather up all the disparate information and consolidate things. That or maybe play around with how the system displays my patterns.

‘Not only do I have some control over that, but I feel like the monsters are almost being placed haphazardly into things. Nevermind how I have both super general materials as well as super specific.

‘I mean, seriously! I’ve got eight unique patterns for quartz and a single pattern for “prey insects”. How does that make any sense? If I had to guess, the system is simply throwing things into my status in a way that fits with my instincts.

‘Of course, there would be a ton of different quartz patterns. They have different values to delvers. All the while the idea of prey insects is at best set dressing. Not that I want to break up prey insects. As I’ve already shown and have gotten a path ability for, general categories can have things split off from them. I bet it is so janky simply because the actual focus is on beings who can’t just create stuff from thin air.’

Ally, ‘Well, that isn’t the worst plan. It would certainly make things easier for us, especially if you can combine some things. That would likely give us access to more things, if in a roundabout fashion. Like, maybe you wouldn’t instantly have every quartz configuration available, but other similar types of quartz might be available right away.’

Doyle, ‘I should really use more quartz, now that I think about it. A floor of stunning crystal formations that aren’t actually so valuable that people try to harvest them? That sounds pretty nice to me.’

Ally, ‘Except you aren’t planning on any new floors soon.’

Doyle, ‘Well, sure, but I can add it to the pile of ideas. If anything, I can still mix some things up on the last floor. They haven’t actually seen too far into the place.’

Ally rolls her eyes, ‘If you were actually planning that, you would have mentioned details.’

Doyle, ‘I just thought of it.’

Ally, ‘Okay, I guess that is fair. You still aren’t planning to, though.’

Doyle laughs, ‘Well now I am. Middle of the last lake I’ll put in a nice spike of quartz. Should look pretty amazing. Actually, yeah, it would look pretty sweet. Give me a second.’

And he focuses on the last lake. There isn’t a good reason for a spike of pure quartz, well, mostly pure quartz, to be there. Still, he could throw in a few harvestable pieces of amethyst. Despite being a form of quartz, it was considered more valuable, if only for being a bit rarer or seemingly so. He wasn’t certain about actual rarities.

Back in her room, Ally shakes her head. She didn’t mind. At least he seemed to have found something to do for the moment. Then it would be back to the grind.

And with that, time began to pass. Outside, the town didn’t exactly settle down. There was always more expansion to do, more updates to implement. Despite the houses likely being built to survive the decades, they were already on the next round of rebuilding.

Skills had progressed, materials acquired, and knowledge spread. The materials in particular had required a certain amount of build up. For instance, the white roads required a large quantity of bones, though once set up Ace found that the town could be set to maintain them. He wasn’t certain the specific mechanics of it, but when he asked one of his system provided assistants, they assured him there was a cost that he had to pay.

Though the biggest change was the fact that people weren’t coming to the town just for the dungeon. Which shouldn’t have been that big of a thing, except it meant that the town wasn’t an end point anymore. There were people heading through the town and into the forest.

Ace, in particular, was stressed by this. With the dungeon, even if they didn’t return, at least people would sign up at the guild first. Those heading into the forest? Some didn’t end up even staying in the town overnight. He wasn’t particularly invested in keeping track of everyone, but this was getting out of hand and it was his own fault.

From various reports, the forest next to Wolf’s Rest was actually the safest in the entire community. Not only was Jim pretty effective at scouting out trouble, but the simple presence of the Adventurers Guild meant people were constantly stumbling around the place.

Though Ace was a bit worried about this recent push. There was a big difference between some people moving around the nearby areas and a large movement to try and find what is in the depths of the forest. Even if Ace was also interested in the idea that they might find another community.

Freshwater Aquatic - Chapter 423

Wave Time - Chapter 425