So about a month ago, I saw an ad on my Xbox 360 for 800 free Microsoft Points. Obviously I clicked on it to see what the catch was, and it wasn't as bad as I thought. To get those 800 points, one just had to spend 2400 ($30, being $1.25 for every 100 points). Seeing as how I already had 400 points on my account, I figured why not, there were plenty of things I've been meaning to purchase on Xbox Live, but was waiting for the right time. What could be a better time than basically buying two games, and getting a third free?
My problem now is that I still have 1200 points left to spend, and only have three days left to choose. I already spent 400 right off the bat on the downloadable content map for Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, and today I gave in and purchased Super Meat Boy (I'll be getting to that soon) on sale for 800 (normally 1200). I'd usually save the other 1200 points, but I can't if I want the extra 800. So what do I buy with the remaining points? I've got a few ideas, but I want to make sure I spend the points wisely, and make sure I don't overlook anything. The first idea is to purchase Psychonauts for the full 1200, which has become a cult classic and is said to be extremely overlooked. Another idea is to buy The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, also for 1200. I've been wanting to play that game for a long long time, but it is very hard to come by for the computer these days. So that's another option. And the only other idea I have is to get the downloadable content for Mirror's Edge, which contains nine more courses set across four different maps. It's another thing I've been meaning to purchase, just never had the money. Though even if I got that, it's only 800 points, so I'd still have 400 left over to have to buy something else. Maybe downloadable content for Fable II or Borderlands? Do I even have the memory space for the d/l content? We'll see, and I'm sure I'll put on here soon what the final decision turned out to be.
But back to the game I did purchase. Super Meat Boy actually started as a free flash game made by two guys, put up on Newgrounds. There's a good chance that the free version of the game still exists on that site, so I'd highly recommend people to give it a shot. But be forewarned, this game is not for amateurs. It may start easy, but that's just to lure you in.
Anyways, the game's main character is a cube of meat (Meat Boy), and his girlfriend is another cube composed of bandages (Bandage Girl). Unfortunately, another character hates Meat Boy, so he beat him up and stole his girlfriend. His name is Dr. Fetus. He's a fetus in a jar wearing a tuxedo, and he's a real dick. Yes, this game is that awesome. So basically the game is comprised of many short levels that Meat Boy must traverse to rescue Bandage Girl, who is waiting at the end of the level. However, whenever he reaches her, Dr. Fetus appears out of nowhere, gives one of them a smack or punch, and whisks her away. It's true that Dr. Fetus likes to smack around Bandage Girl. Like I said, he's a dick. Don't worry, he knows everyone hates him, which is why he's always giving people the finger.
But I'm getting off topic. As I said, these levels are very short, ranging anywhere from five to thirty seconds to complete. That's not to say that it takes that long to actually complete the level, no way. That's just how long it can take to beat the level once the player finally understands how to beat it, and can actually pull it off. Many times a 12 second level can take me ten minutes to beat, if not longer. It's because these levels are just brutal. Not including the first few introductory levels, they range from hard to insanely and unfairly difficult. It's like taking a MegaMan game, except traversing the worst levels without any weapons. Unlike the MegaMan games (which I actually just started playing), my frustration doesn't stop me from playing. Maybe it's the fact that one has unlimited lives, and even if one dies, the levels are really short. It could also be the fact that after the level is finally beaten, the player is given a replay of not only the winning run through of the level, but every single failed attempt to race through the level. So it's not uncommon to see 50 Meat Boys all running across the place, slowly dying by different means. It's a extremely rewarding sight and feeling. The levels are basically big rooms, platforms, and walls all over the place, and Meat Boy can run, jump, wallslide and wall jump. Wall sliding and jumping are the key elements to the game. If you've ever played N+, it's very similar to that...except with chainsaws, lava, salt pits, fireballs, and more chainsaws...and a fetus in a jar wearing a tuxedo.
So far I'm 43% done with the game, according to my statistics. I've heard there are around 340 levels to the game, and I've beaten about 100 of them. It's too bad that there are actually only around 150 levels, and then another 150 are just the same levels, but made harder in a mode called "Dark World." Basically each level has a quote time to beat, and if the player can beat that time, they get an A+ for the rating (there is no other rating, so it's just a way of saying that the player has beating the time), and unlock the Dark World version of the same level. I played some of the Dark World levels in the demo, and man, those aren't even funny. No room for error in those ones, and there isn't even that much room for error in the normal levels! That only adds up to 300 levels however, so I'd imagine that the other 40 or so are secret warp levels. To get to these levels, one must find a WORM HOOOLE!!!! on different levels. The announcer is strange, and he says certain words very loudly and with much gusto. These levels are super cool though, and are based around classic games. I've already played levels that are modeled after and look strikingly similar to Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Land, Tetris, some Atari game, and some evil undead type of game, maybe Splatterhouse?
Finally, the player must try to collect bandages throughout almost every level, and in doing so, unlocks secret characters. The developers (all two of them) had fun with getting secret characters, and I'm impressed already. I've so far unlucked just one character, and that's the Bit.Trip block thing from the WiiWare Bit.Trip games. But I also know that the main character from Braid is in the game, among other cool cameos. So that's neat, especially seeing as how every character controls differently. The Bit.Trip character even had his own WORM HOOOLE!!!! levels. I definitely encourage players to at least try the demo on the 360 or the free flash game on Newgrounds.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Still Adventuring
So almost a month has gone by, and I'm still playing Etrian Odyssey III. I'd say that was a well purchased game. My adventures will soon be coming to a close however, since I've finally made it to the final boss. Or at least, I've made it to the first portion of the final boss?
Not to give away any spoilers (like there are any people in the maybe three who read this that this will spoil anything), but I unlocked the Yggdroid class soon after my last post, and so obviously, decided to use it. Unfortunately to use a different character, I had to make a few sacrifices. The first and probably the worst, is that I had to remove a character from my already pretty well set-up party to make room for a new one. Who was the one with the least value? My Hoplite/Gladiator was a brick wall for defending my team, and was doing great damage with a spear. He wasn't done yet. My Buccaneer/Ninja was extremely fast, did good damage with a rapier, and could hit 2-4 times on most turns. No way was I about to get rid of her. My Monk was my healer. Enough said. My Wildling was starting to produce viable animals, with a lion which had a ton of health, did good damage, could paralyze enemies on occasion, and would take hits in place of other characters. That on top of good damage as well. I wasn't about to let go of a character I put plenty of effort and thinking into. That left my Arbalist/Zodiac. Sure it did more damage than others on occasion, but it had very low TP which left him with little abilities. Someone had to go. It just happened that he was the odd one out.
Little did I know that the Yggdroid is, well, difficult to use. It has two "main" ability paths it can take. The first involves summoning elemental robots into empty party spaces, and countering elemental attacks. They can also team up with the Yggdroid for attacks. The problem is that to cause stronger attacks, more robots must be "summoned" into empty spaces, and who wants to take out even more party members? That's also combined with very low TP, so the attack could only performed about one time. I strongly decided against that route, to save party members. But to save those party members, I had to sacrifice my Yggdroid's health. Not a normal way of attacking in an RPG, but it was something I was willing to try out.
This turned out to be a huge pain, literally. By the time I had the abilities maxed out to do as much damage as possible, I had to completely bind my Yggdroid, and basically reduce its health to 1. It's ok, that wasn't very difficulty, seeing as how it damages itself 127 HP each turn (thankfully only down to 1 HP, it would never damage itself to death, with curse, plague, poison and confusion not included) and I could self-inflict the three binds with one ability in one turn. But I only did around 280 damage, which sounds great, but being left at 1 HP left the Yggdroid extremely vulnerable.
A few days ago I finally made the decision to rest the character, losing 5 levels, and then putting the ability points into the former ability path. With only one robot being produced, the damage was minimal at best. I haven't made the switch yet, but I think it's about time to drop Samus (yes, that's my Yggdroid's name, and it even looks a little like Samus) and reinstate Nate. Eh, it was worth a shot...just maybe not worth my time.
Maybe with Nate back on my team and leveled up to around the same levels as the rest of my party, I can take on the final boss. I tried fighting him earlier today and reduced his health to 1/3 of what he started with, but unfortunately with all bosses in EO3, new abilities are used by the bosses when they get to low enough health. No surprise that my party was quickly demolished. Doesn't help that I have a character *cough*Samus*cough* laying dead in the corner during the battle. Dead weight indeed.
But yes, I think I've enjoyed this game, and should probably thank the person who made me buy it. I mean I've mapped out what, 95% of the ocean? Found every town in the ocean? Beat every quest but one in the normal game? Yeah, it's kinda fun.
Enough about EO3, I've come into possession, or at least I will come into possession of a SNES soon, thanks to a few back and forth transactions. This has me very excited since I've wanted a SNES since I was a kid. Not only that, but I've found a couple stores that still sell SNES games! Back home it was becoming hard to find older generation games, especially of cartridge format. But here where I live now, there are a few cool stores who sell all types of games. I've already spent a few bucks on two games, even though I don't have the SNES yet. I got F-Zero and StarFox. Yeah, I have to go for the classics first.
Finally, yes, I am still playing a few other games. Spirit Tracks has been put on hold for now. Yes, I'll come back and beat it some day, seeing as how it's Zelda. But I also got Borderlands for cheap at the same store that had the SNES games that I bought. It's basically a FPS game with leveling up...and x500 the amount of weapons...and it's not set during WWII or a modern war. It's an RPG gamer's FPS. To me it's a ton of fun, because it's basically taking a ton of guns out into a huge landscape, and killing everything in sight. No major plot to be found (yet), no linear path through levels or a story, and no online deathmatches. For example, right now in the game I'm a basic soldier who's proficient with automatic weapons and shotguns. I'm a big fan of going back and forth between a SMG and a high powered pistol with long range sighting. Best of all, I like to melee as much as possible to conserve ammo. There's nothing like sneaking up to the top of a ridge, spotting a few non-human enemies about ten yards below, and jumping down quickly meleeing them before they knew I was about them. When they finally realize what's going on, they're all getting a mouthfull of lead. I imagine playing online with a friend would be sort of like crackdown, except instead of a do-anything roaming action game, it would be a do-anything roaming FPS game. Hopefully I'll get to try it sometime.
Ah, I forgot to mention that I have 2080 Microsoft Points sitting in my account on my Xbox 360, and I need to figure out something to spend them on. Microsoft has a deal where if you spend 2400 by the end of October, you get 800 free soon after. I figured there would easily be things I was going to buy anyways, so why not buy them now and just play them later? So now I've got about five days to figure out where to spend these points, so any tips would be welcomed. And I still can't believe Microsoft basically gave away Fable II for free last week. Awesome.
Not to give away any spoilers (like there are any people in the maybe three who read this that this will spoil anything), but I unlocked the Yggdroid class soon after my last post, and so obviously, decided to use it. Unfortunately to use a different character, I had to make a few sacrifices. The first and probably the worst, is that I had to remove a character from my already pretty well set-up party to make room for a new one. Who was the one with the least value? My Hoplite/Gladiator was a brick wall for defending my team, and was doing great damage with a spear. He wasn't done yet. My Buccaneer/Ninja was extremely fast, did good damage with a rapier, and could hit 2-4 times on most turns. No way was I about to get rid of her. My Monk was my healer. Enough said. My Wildling was starting to produce viable animals, with a lion which had a ton of health, did good damage, could paralyze enemies on occasion, and would take hits in place of other characters. That on top of good damage as well. I wasn't about to let go of a character I put plenty of effort and thinking into. That left my Arbalist/Zodiac. Sure it did more damage than others on occasion, but it had very low TP which left him with little abilities. Someone had to go. It just happened that he was the odd one out.
Little did I know that the Yggdroid is, well, difficult to use. It has two "main" ability paths it can take. The first involves summoning elemental robots into empty party spaces, and countering elemental attacks. They can also team up with the Yggdroid for attacks. The problem is that to cause stronger attacks, more robots must be "summoned" into empty spaces, and who wants to take out even more party members? That's also combined with very low TP, so the attack could only performed about one time. I strongly decided against that route, to save party members. But to save those party members, I had to sacrifice my Yggdroid's health. Not a normal way of attacking in an RPG, but it was something I was willing to try out.
This turned out to be a huge pain, literally. By the time I had the abilities maxed out to do as much damage as possible, I had to completely bind my Yggdroid, and basically reduce its health to 1. It's ok, that wasn't very difficulty, seeing as how it damages itself 127 HP each turn (thankfully only down to 1 HP, it would never damage itself to death, with curse, plague, poison and confusion not included) and I could self-inflict the three binds with one ability in one turn. But I only did around 280 damage, which sounds great, but being left at 1 HP left the Yggdroid extremely vulnerable.
A few days ago I finally made the decision to rest the character, losing 5 levels, and then putting the ability points into the former ability path. With only one robot being produced, the damage was minimal at best. I haven't made the switch yet, but I think it's about time to drop Samus (yes, that's my Yggdroid's name, and it even looks a little like Samus) and reinstate Nate. Eh, it was worth a shot...just maybe not worth my time.
Maybe with Nate back on my team and leveled up to around the same levels as the rest of my party, I can take on the final boss. I tried fighting him earlier today and reduced his health to 1/3 of what he started with, but unfortunately with all bosses in EO3, new abilities are used by the bosses when they get to low enough health. No surprise that my party was quickly demolished. Doesn't help that I have a character *cough*Samus*cough* laying dead in the corner during the battle. Dead weight indeed.
But yes, I think I've enjoyed this game, and should probably thank the person who made me buy it. I mean I've mapped out what, 95% of the ocean? Found every town in the ocean? Beat every quest but one in the normal game? Yeah, it's kinda fun.
Enough about EO3, I've come into possession, or at least I will come into possession of a SNES soon, thanks to a few back and forth transactions. This has me very excited since I've wanted a SNES since I was a kid. Not only that, but I've found a couple stores that still sell SNES games! Back home it was becoming hard to find older generation games, especially of cartridge format. But here where I live now, there are a few cool stores who sell all types of games. I've already spent a few bucks on two games, even though I don't have the SNES yet. I got F-Zero and StarFox. Yeah, I have to go for the classics first.
Finally, yes, I am still playing a few other games. Spirit Tracks has been put on hold for now. Yes, I'll come back and beat it some day, seeing as how it's Zelda. But I also got Borderlands for cheap at the same store that had the SNES games that I bought. It's basically a FPS game with leveling up...and x500 the amount of weapons...and it's not set during WWII or a modern war. It's an RPG gamer's FPS. To me it's a ton of fun, because it's basically taking a ton of guns out into a huge landscape, and killing everything in sight. No major plot to be found (yet), no linear path through levels or a story, and no online deathmatches. For example, right now in the game I'm a basic soldier who's proficient with automatic weapons and shotguns. I'm a big fan of going back and forth between a SMG and a high powered pistol with long range sighting. Best of all, I like to melee as much as possible to conserve ammo. There's nothing like sneaking up to the top of a ridge, spotting a few non-human enemies about ten yards below, and jumping down quickly meleeing them before they knew I was about them. When they finally realize what's going on, they're all getting a mouthfull of lead. I imagine playing online with a friend would be sort of like crackdown, except instead of a do-anything roaming action game, it would be a do-anything roaming FPS game. Hopefully I'll get to try it sometime.
Ah, I forgot to mention that I have 2080 Microsoft Points sitting in my account on my Xbox 360, and I need to figure out something to spend them on. Microsoft has a deal where if you spend 2400 by the end of October, you get 800 free soon after. I figured there would easily be things I was going to buy anyways, so why not buy them now and just play them later? So now I've got about five days to figure out where to spend these points, so any tips would be welcomed. And I still can't believe Microsoft basically gave away Fable II for free last week. Awesome.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Voyages at sea
Capuchin 9, day 100 at sea
Life at sea has not gotten any easier for me and my comrades. I feel as though every time we set out to sea, we are putting our lives on the line. And yet, none of us can say no to this life. Our guild, the RedWings, has become well known across many towns on the ocean. No one has mapped as much water as we have. I thank Marle for her expertise on sailing - I no longer regret letting a pirate join my team.
Today sailing went well, fishing was a success. We caught a handful of Flying Fish, and a few Lantern Squid had floated into our nets as well. Hopefully this will net us enough money to buy more Xian Yu fish. Our rations have been running low, and the biscuits and sheep cheese have gone bad. I won't say this up front, but I have suspicions that Rahil has been sneaking food when the rest of us aren't looking. Speaking little English, it can be hard to get across to the Wildlings, but I knew having someone with the power to connect with nature would be helpful in the caves.
Capuchin 10, day 101 at sea
An unfortunate day for the RedWings. As we were sailing the southern seas, Nate spotted something gleaming in the water. Unsure of whether to investigate, the five of us stared into the water as we slowly passed by. Staring at whatever that may have been was our undoing, as we were sailing straight towards a whirlpool! I was struck with fear, but luckily Nate and Marle were no strangers to whirlpools, and with much strength and wits, navigated the ship right past the danger. Hopefully one day Nate will tell more about his voyages on his old ship.
Continued sailing took us north once again, ever closer to uncharted territories. There was a reason why most ships avoided this region. Seaweed clusters and reefs were bad enough, but there are many tales of ghost ships. Stories tell of a ship which appears out of thin air, and wrecks all ships that dare to pass. I personally believed that these are all folk tales, and that captains won't admit to their clumsy sailing around the reefs.
But lo and behold, as we were dragging our net for fish, Rahil started hollering and pointing to the north. We had no idea what he was trying to say, but instantly understood his gibbered English as the fabled ghost ship sailed into view. Not wanting to end up like the other sailors, I quickly jumped to the wheel and steered us away. But outrunning a ship of that size was futile. It quickly overtook us, and something rocked the boat. The Epoch had suffered severe damages, and we knew it was best to call it quits for now, and head back to the marina. As we looked back towards the passing Ghost Ship, it slowly disappeared back to nothingness. Had we been rammed by the ship, or was it my fault and had hit the reef below us? We had little time to think, with a pirate ship full of laughing pirates heading straight towards us. We knew to get away before they overtook us. One day...one day I'll be able to fight those damned pirates!
Capuchin 15, day 106 at sea
Our ship is done with repairs, and my crew is ready to set out to sea. While repairing the ship, I decided to spend a little of our spare money to buy a stronger hull. The workmen told me that this hull could withstand the pounding of the reefs. The northern waters would no longer be slow and delicate sailing. I also found a cannon at port yesterday, and really wanted to bring it along, to blast those pirates out of the water. Unfortunately, I had to choose between food or the cannon, and my crew would not let me leave the food behind. *sigh* I suppose they're right, food can be important. And lately Lucca's "spectacular" fishing abilities have not kept us full during our recent voyages.
We set out north, towards where we had found the Ghost Ship. All the men at the taverns laughed at our story, but I want to prove them wrong. And this time, the reefs would not be a potential downfall, with my stronger hull. As we sailed towards the same spot, a different view came across us: pirates. I was about to turn away from the hooting and hollering pirates, when Marle stopped me. She explained that during the past few days at port, she had learned the ways of the Ninjas, and could slyly outmaneuver the other ship. I had no idea what she was talking about, but as with all my crew members, I had learned to trust her instincts. We sailed this way and that, getting the pirates to follow our every movement. While they did indeed follow our movements, they had followed them too closely. In one last mad dash, we zipped by the laughing pirates. The wind took our sails, and the pirates had little chance of catching us with their tattered sails. I couldn't believe my eyes, but we came across uncharted waters!
Rations were running low at this point, but none of us were ready to turn back just yet. We sailed and sailed, what seemed like hours, without any sign of land or fish. I began to question the value of new waters when I spotted a gleaming light in the sky. I had only seen this once in my voyages, and I knew it to be true: a new portal! Feeling the day had come to a semi-successful close, we pulled into the new-found third portal, and whisked back to port.
Capuchin 19, day 110 at sea
Things have been looking up for my crew. With each new discovery of land in the northern seas, the men at the tavern come to respect us more and more. Many have been asking questions, curious to what we've found. The older sailors have always told their stories of trading with the northern cities, but the younger men have always just laughed. But now that another ship has crossed into northern territories, they have started listening intently. Were there really more cities to the north to trade with?
The seas are much more expansive in the north, so I've had quite a bit of time to hone my weapon skills. Having been raised my entire life by a family of Hoplites, all I've come to know is defending. My team continually praises me for my courage to stand on the front line, defending them from as many attacks as possible. But holding a shield has become boring, so I've been using this time to learn some sword skills. Nate has been teaching me these skills, revealing to me that earlier in his life he was a Gladiator with a different guild. Every time I bring up the topic of why he switched from being a front row Gladiator to a back row Arbalist, he becomes angry and stomps off. I've noticed that during these times of anger, he likes to hide in corners of the ship practicing the arts of Zodiac magic, especially conjuring up ice. I'm worried the water is getting to him.
Capuchin 20, day 111 at sea
Success! The stories were true, and we have found humanity in the northern seas. More ships have started to chart the waters in this area, especially traders, using one ship as bait for the pirates as another ship slips by. None of the ships will go where we go however. Even my crew has begged me to turn back, fearing for their lives as we dare the waters around us. Lucca balls up near the railing crying each time, and even Marle will have nothing to do with the sailing. I'm not sure what's causing the disruptions in the waters, but each way we turn there are rapids, whirlpools and reefs. One slight miscalculation and the ship is pulled into the rapids, all leading to one whirlpool or another.
As I said before, trust is important with my guild, and my comrades gave in and let me sail the waters, giving me one chance to get through. We don't have the money to repair the ship again, though Lucca found some rare Silver Saury and Stonefish in her nets. That money gave us enough to buy some Salted Meat, enough food to last longer voyages. My crew was thankful as we passed the last of the whirlpools, and was amazed as we came across a windmill near some patches of seaweed. Being the first sign of humanity, we approached the men cautiously, but they seemed happy to see us. We laughed and rejoiced at the two sides of the seas coming together, and took part in a feast around the windmill. But the night ended too soon, especially with Nate getting sick on the rum. We left before the men caught wind of the mess. We headed back to port, but kept in mind what the men had told us. There were more cities to find out in the water.
Capuchin 21, day 112 at sea
We set out once again with a full stock of Salted Meat, meaning well to pass the windmill and find the cities. We passes the windmill as the men waved at us, and set out into the expansive waters. We sailed and sailed, the whole day and night, but found nothing but more water and seaweed. We got our hopes up many times at the few spottings of land, but nothing was found there. Were the men lying to us? But then why would they give us a feast? There must be more places to find out here.
Capuchin 22, day 113 at sea
Today we decided to spend some time fishing, needing to make some more money. My crew is complaining that their armor is beginning to rust from the water and salt in the air. A good thing I handle the money too, or else it'd be spent on weapons for the fighters, and necklaces and chokers for Lucca. Some Monk she is!
As we rounded a corner near an island, we came across a small straight. Having no luck with the fish, we decided to take to chance and explore this path. We carefully navigated some reefs and many rapids - most likely leading to more whirlpools - and eventually came across more land. One piece of land stood out from the rest, with a large orange rock jutting out from its center. Immediately upon seeing in, Rahil jumped up and started hooting and hollering, pointed ferociously at it. We armed our weapons as we sailed towards it, ready for a fight. We hadn't fought in quite some time, so it was about time. But then we noticed that Rahil had a smile on his face, and as we approached the island, the men looked just like him! Finding nothing to fear once again, we put away our weapons and pulled up to the island, and disembarked to greet the people.
What we came across was actually a large clan of Wildlings, just like Rahil. We couldn't understand most of them, but luckily a few of them spoke enough English to explain to us the joy of the occasion. It turns out that not only do they know Rahil, but he's a Prince! A Prince! The rest of the party stared with bewilderment as the tribes started giving Rahil plenty of food, and praising him for becoming a strong warrior. We spent the rest of the day and night on the island, and watched closely as an elder lady taught Rahil the ways of Princedom, including healing abilties. Supposedly there is more to being a Prince than just ordering people around!
Capuchin 25, day 116 at sea
The past few days we have took to sailing the same small straight once again, knowing full well there were not only more fish but more land to explore as well. We had all but given up hope on Lucca's fishing abilities until we stumbled upon a small house on a beach yesterday. The home was empty, and all the food had gone bad, but as we boarded back on the boat Marle tripped over something on the beach, hitting her head on a shell. As Lucca kneeled down to heal the gash on Marle's forehead, she noticed that what Marle tripped over was actually a large fishing net. We spent quite a while digging it up, but it was well worth it, turning out to be a fishing net much larger than the one we had. Fortune smiled upon us that day.
Today we sailed past the island of Wildlings, smiling to them as we passed. A few hours later, the most bizzare thing happened. The clouds became dark as if they came out of nowhere, we prepared for a storm, but none came. Instead, a man cloaked in white rose up out of the water, slowly approaching the ship. Rahil started to hoot and quickly became scared, trying to convince us to move the ship away. But the rest of us couldn't take our eyes away from what appeared to be an old man, standing out on the sea. We stared for what seeming like hours, as the man moved around the boat, but never directly approaching us. What we didn't notice is that while we were staring at the man, a storm had grew around us. By the time we guided the ship to safety, the man had disappeared, along with the storm.
Unsure of what to make with what just happened, we continued sailing. Eventually we saw a giant tower at the edge of the horizon. Knowing that our money depended on us finding more towns, we pushed towards it. We're not sure how long it took, but we eventually reached the tower, with dark clouds circling the upper levels. We creeped towards it after we landed, and even entered it to see if anyone was living there. All we found was dust, spiderwebs, and many stairs leading up. Being extremely tired from the days events, we decided to leave and come back another time.
Our day was not yet over, and we still had a little bit of food left in the storage. We continued sailing, this time turning south again, hopefully finding a route to the southern seas. Any new trade routes would earn us quite a bit of en, and we needed it badly right now. For hours all we found were more rapids and whirlpools, and even another pirate ship. Luckily the pirates did not see us, and we made for a different direction just in time.
What we found was even better than a new trade route. We had found yet another portal! Who would have thought that us, the RedWings, would be the first to find all these portals across the ocean? We could see it gleaming on the horizon, and we all hugged each other, happy as can be that our day was looking up. However, Nate pointed out that our rations were running dangerously low, and that there was a good chance that we wouldn't have enough food to make it to the portal. After spending time calculating the distance, rations, and weather, I deemed Nate to be correct. It was sad having found another portal, but not being able to reach it. We turned back towards port, hoping that one day the Epoch could reach that portal. Fortune was not with us that day.
Capuchin 26, day 117 at sea
Lucca, Marle and Rahil all continue to urge me to sail towards the portal, but Nate and I continue to point out that we cannot make it. They don't understand our math and how we just don't have enough rations or a good enough sail. The owner of the marina is pleased with our findings, and promises and new and larger sail, but it's just a promise. Even if it is true, I've seen in the past how it can take months to gain new equipment for my boat. Best to continue on, finding more discoveries during the time I wait.
Today we took the path towards the giant red tower that we had found yesterday, but instead of heading south, we pointed west. We found many more pieces of land, but of course all were bare. A familiar sight approached and passed us, with rapids gliding beside our ship. But unlike other rapids we've seen, these one seemed to stretch on and on for what seemed like eternity. And the most unusual part was that they were only about as wide as the ship, with calm waters on the other side. I don't dare try to pass, knowing full well that we'd get stuck sailing down the rapids, most likely into a whirlpool. But we followed the rapids, hoping to find either a break or the end. After many hours, we did find the end: a whirlpool. Strangely enough, the rapids continued into the whirlpool coming from the other direction, just as thin as before. It was almost as if the rapids were purposefully surrounding something, guarding it. I instinctively took out my telescope and peered past the rapids into the distance, and found something beyond my wildest dreams. I couldn't believe my eyes, so I passes the telescope around, and everyone agreed on what they saw without telling anyone else. We had all seen an island floating in the sky. Was this a mirage? And why was it being guarded? Our rations were running low, so we decided to turn back. I will come back some day, and I will find out if the island is real.
Life at sea has not gotten any easier for me and my comrades. I feel as though every time we set out to sea, we are putting our lives on the line. And yet, none of us can say no to this life. Our guild, the RedWings, has become well known across many towns on the ocean. No one has mapped as much water as we have. I thank Marle for her expertise on sailing - I no longer regret letting a pirate join my team.
Today sailing went well, fishing was a success. We caught a handful of Flying Fish, and a few Lantern Squid had floated into our nets as well. Hopefully this will net us enough money to buy more Xian Yu fish. Our rations have been running low, and the biscuits and sheep cheese have gone bad. I won't say this up front, but I have suspicions that Rahil has been sneaking food when the rest of us aren't looking. Speaking little English, it can be hard to get across to the Wildlings, but I knew having someone with the power to connect with nature would be helpful in the caves.
Capuchin 10, day 101 at sea
An unfortunate day for the RedWings. As we were sailing the southern seas, Nate spotted something gleaming in the water. Unsure of whether to investigate, the five of us stared into the water as we slowly passed by. Staring at whatever that may have been was our undoing, as we were sailing straight towards a whirlpool! I was struck with fear, but luckily Nate and Marle were no strangers to whirlpools, and with much strength and wits, navigated the ship right past the danger. Hopefully one day Nate will tell more about his voyages on his old ship.
Continued sailing took us north once again, ever closer to uncharted territories. There was a reason why most ships avoided this region. Seaweed clusters and reefs were bad enough, but there are many tales of ghost ships. Stories tell of a ship which appears out of thin air, and wrecks all ships that dare to pass. I personally believed that these are all folk tales, and that captains won't admit to their clumsy sailing around the reefs.
But lo and behold, as we were dragging our net for fish, Rahil started hollering and pointing to the north. We had no idea what he was trying to say, but instantly understood his gibbered English as the fabled ghost ship sailed into view. Not wanting to end up like the other sailors, I quickly jumped to the wheel and steered us away. But outrunning a ship of that size was futile. It quickly overtook us, and something rocked the boat. The Epoch had suffered severe damages, and we knew it was best to call it quits for now, and head back to the marina. As we looked back towards the passing Ghost Ship, it slowly disappeared back to nothingness. Had we been rammed by the ship, or was it my fault and had hit the reef below us? We had little time to think, with a pirate ship full of laughing pirates heading straight towards us. We knew to get away before they overtook us. One day...one day I'll be able to fight those damned pirates!
Capuchin 15, day 106 at sea
Our ship is done with repairs, and my crew is ready to set out to sea. While repairing the ship, I decided to spend a little of our spare money to buy a stronger hull. The workmen told me that this hull could withstand the pounding of the reefs. The northern waters would no longer be slow and delicate sailing. I also found a cannon at port yesterday, and really wanted to bring it along, to blast those pirates out of the water. Unfortunately, I had to choose between food or the cannon, and my crew would not let me leave the food behind. *sigh* I suppose they're right, food can be important. And lately Lucca's "spectacular" fishing abilities have not kept us full during our recent voyages.
We set out north, towards where we had found the Ghost Ship. All the men at the taverns laughed at our story, but I want to prove them wrong. And this time, the reefs would not be a potential downfall, with my stronger hull. As we sailed towards the same spot, a different view came across us: pirates. I was about to turn away from the hooting and hollering pirates, when Marle stopped me. She explained that during the past few days at port, she had learned the ways of the Ninjas, and could slyly outmaneuver the other ship. I had no idea what she was talking about, but as with all my crew members, I had learned to trust her instincts. We sailed this way and that, getting the pirates to follow our every movement. While they did indeed follow our movements, they had followed them too closely. In one last mad dash, we zipped by the laughing pirates. The wind took our sails, and the pirates had little chance of catching us with their tattered sails. I couldn't believe my eyes, but we came across uncharted waters!
Rations were running low at this point, but none of us were ready to turn back just yet. We sailed and sailed, what seemed like hours, without any sign of land or fish. I began to question the value of new waters when I spotted a gleaming light in the sky. I had only seen this once in my voyages, and I knew it to be true: a new portal! Feeling the day had come to a semi-successful close, we pulled into the new-found third portal, and whisked back to port.
Capuchin 19, day 110 at sea
Things have been looking up for my crew. With each new discovery of land in the northern seas, the men at the tavern come to respect us more and more. Many have been asking questions, curious to what we've found. The older sailors have always told their stories of trading with the northern cities, but the younger men have always just laughed. But now that another ship has crossed into northern territories, they have started listening intently. Were there really more cities to the north to trade with?
The seas are much more expansive in the north, so I've had quite a bit of time to hone my weapon skills. Having been raised my entire life by a family of Hoplites, all I've come to know is defending. My team continually praises me for my courage to stand on the front line, defending them from as many attacks as possible. But holding a shield has become boring, so I've been using this time to learn some sword skills. Nate has been teaching me these skills, revealing to me that earlier in his life he was a Gladiator with a different guild. Every time I bring up the topic of why he switched from being a front row Gladiator to a back row Arbalist, he becomes angry and stomps off. I've noticed that during these times of anger, he likes to hide in corners of the ship practicing the arts of Zodiac magic, especially conjuring up ice. I'm worried the water is getting to him.
Capuchin 20, day 111 at sea
Success! The stories were true, and we have found humanity in the northern seas. More ships have started to chart the waters in this area, especially traders, using one ship as bait for the pirates as another ship slips by. None of the ships will go where we go however. Even my crew has begged me to turn back, fearing for their lives as we dare the waters around us. Lucca balls up near the railing crying each time, and even Marle will have nothing to do with the sailing. I'm not sure what's causing the disruptions in the waters, but each way we turn there are rapids, whirlpools and reefs. One slight miscalculation and the ship is pulled into the rapids, all leading to one whirlpool or another.
As I said before, trust is important with my guild, and my comrades gave in and let me sail the waters, giving me one chance to get through. We don't have the money to repair the ship again, though Lucca found some rare Silver Saury and Stonefish in her nets. That money gave us enough to buy some Salted Meat, enough food to last longer voyages. My crew was thankful as we passed the last of the whirlpools, and was amazed as we came across a windmill near some patches of seaweed. Being the first sign of humanity, we approached the men cautiously, but they seemed happy to see us. We laughed and rejoiced at the two sides of the seas coming together, and took part in a feast around the windmill. But the night ended too soon, especially with Nate getting sick on the rum. We left before the men caught wind of the mess. We headed back to port, but kept in mind what the men had told us. There were more cities to find out in the water.
Capuchin 21, day 112 at sea
We set out once again with a full stock of Salted Meat, meaning well to pass the windmill and find the cities. We passes the windmill as the men waved at us, and set out into the expansive waters. We sailed and sailed, the whole day and night, but found nothing but more water and seaweed. We got our hopes up many times at the few spottings of land, but nothing was found there. Were the men lying to us? But then why would they give us a feast? There must be more places to find out here.
Capuchin 22, day 113 at sea
Today we decided to spend some time fishing, needing to make some more money. My crew is complaining that their armor is beginning to rust from the water and salt in the air. A good thing I handle the money too, or else it'd be spent on weapons for the fighters, and necklaces and chokers for Lucca. Some Monk she is!
As we rounded a corner near an island, we came across a small straight. Having no luck with the fish, we decided to take to chance and explore this path. We carefully navigated some reefs and many rapids - most likely leading to more whirlpools - and eventually came across more land. One piece of land stood out from the rest, with a large orange rock jutting out from its center. Immediately upon seeing in, Rahil jumped up and started hooting and hollering, pointed ferociously at it. We armed our weapons as we sailed towards it, ready for a fight. We hadn't fought in quite some time, so it was about time. But then we noticed that Rahil had a smile on his face, and as we approached the island, the men looked just like him! Finding nothing to fear once again, we put away our weapons and pulled up to the island, and disembarked to greet the people.
What we came across was actually a large clan of Wildlings, just like Rahil. We couldn't understand most of them, but luckily a few of them spoke enough English to explain to us the joy of the occasion. It turns out that not only do they know Rahil, but he's a Prince! A Prince! The rest of the party stared with bewilderment as the tribes started giving Rahil plenty of food, and praising him for becoming a strong warrior. We spent the rest of the day and night on the island, and watched closely as an elder lady taught Rahil the ways of Princedom, including healing abilties. Supposedly there is more to being a Prince than just ordering people around!
Capuchin 25, day 116 at sea
The past few days we have took to sailing the same small straight once again, knowing full well there were not only more fish but more land to explore as well. We had all but given up hope on Lucca's fishing abilities until we stumbled upon a small house on a beach yesterday. The home was empty, and all the food had gone bad, but as we boarded back on the boat Marle tripped over something on the beach, hitting her head on a shell. As Lucca kneeled down to heal the gash on Marle's forehead, she noticed that what Marle tripped over was actually a large fishing net. We spent quite a while digging it up, but it was well worth it, turning out to be a fishing net much larger than the one we had. Fortune smiled upon us that day.
Today we sailed past the island of Wildlings, smiling to them as we passed. A few hours later, the most bizzare thing happened. The clouds became dark as if they came out of nowhere, we prepared for a storm, but none came. Instead, a man cloaked in white rose up out of the water, slowly approaching the ship. Rahil started to hoot and quickly became scared, trying to convince us to move the ship away. But the rest of us couldn't take our eyes away from what appeared to be an old man, standing out on the sea. We stared for what seeming like hours, as the man moved around the boat, but never directly approaching us. What we didn't notice is that while we were staring at the man, a storm had grew around us. By the time we guided the ship to safety, the man had disappeared, along with the storm.
Unsure of what to make with what just happened, we continued sailing. Eventually we saw a giant tower at the edge of the horizon. Knowing that our money depended on us finding more towns, we pushed towards it. We're not sure how long it took, but we eventually reached the tower, with dark clouds circling the upper levels. We creeped towards it after we landed, and even entered it to see if anyone was living there. All we found was dust, spiderwebs, and many stairs leading up. Being extremely tired from the days events, we decided to leave and come back another time.
Our day was not yet over, and we still had a little bit of food left in the storage. We continued sailing, this time turning south again, hopefully finding a route to the southern seas. Any new trade routes would earn us quite a bit of en, and we needed it badly right now. For hours all we found were more rapids and whirlpools, and even another pirate ship. Luckily the pirates did not see us, and we made for a different direction just in time.
What we found was even better than a new trade route. We had found yet another portal! Who would have thought that us, the RedWings, would be the first to find all these portals across the ocean? We could see it gleaming on the horizon, and we all hugged each other, happy as can be that our day was looking up. However, Nate pointed out that our rations were running dangerously low, and that there was a good chance that we wouldn't have enough food to make it to the portal. After spending time calculating the distance, rations, and weather, I deemed Nate to be correct. It was sad having found another portal, but not being able to reach it. We turned back towards port, hoping that one day the Epoch could reach that portal. Fortune was not with us that day.
Capuchin 26, day 117 at sea
Lucca, Marle and Rahil all continue to urge me to sail towards the portal, but Nate and I continue to point out that we cannot make it. They don't understand our math and how we just don't have enough rations or a good enough sail. The owner of the marina is pleased with our findings, and promises and new and larger sail, but it's just a promise. Even if it is true, I've seen in the past how it can take months to gain new equipment for my boat. Best to continue on, finding more discoveries during the time I wait.
Today we took the path towards the giant red tower that we had found yesterday, but instead of heading south, we pointed west. We found many more pieces of land, but of course all were bare. A familiar sight approached and passed us, with rapids gliding beside our ship. But unlike other rapids we've seen, these one seemed to stretch on and on for what seemed like eternity. And the most unusual part was that they were only about as wide as the ship, with calm waters on the other side. I don't dare try to pass, knowing full well that we'd get stuck sailing down the rapids, most likely into a whirlpool. But we followed the rapids, hoping to find either a break or the end. After many hours, we did find the end: a whirlpool. Strangely enough, the rapids continued into the whirlpool coming from the other direction, just as thin as before. It was almost as if the rapids were purposefully surrounding something, guarding it. I instinctively took out my telescope and peered past the rapids into the distance, and found something beyond my wildest dreams. I couldn't believe my eyes, so I passes the telescope around, and everyone agreed on what they saw without telling anyone else. We had all seen an island floating in the sky. Was this a mirage? And why was it being guarded? Our rations were running low, so we decided to turn back. I will come back some day, and I will find out if the island is real.
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