Days were going to get harder from here on as the preparation needed to be prepared further. We agreed to a certain schedule to follow for the coming week. I was still haunted by the dream but I didn't have time to think about it. Since the lucky knife's effects works after a week when thrown, things still had to be done at the week before. Tyrell was to be with us for the first four days but the other half of the week, the group is to split with preparations later on. We were still allowed to do quest but the task at hand was more important. But doing so means that we have to set up a party. It was the first day of our party and we were pretty early this time.
All of us were at the outskirts of Tondo in that same yacht from last time. It was early and the sun was barely up. This time I was at watch with Mr. Williams and Gram. They were on their periscope and binoculars while I was using a bird shikigami to scout the area. I was alright for now so magic can be used for these means. "How's your point, Gram?" Mr. Williams asked. "Nothing much...some wild boar just passed by. You?" He asked Mr. Williams.
"How's a flock of goats? You think we can go for them, Rin?"
I directed my gaze towards the flock with my shikigami. As the shikigami soared across the sky, I came with feedback. "Can't. It's too near that giant trapdoor spider from last time. I don't wanna get close to that." I replied. "Too bad...I wanted some fresh meat." Mr. Williams accepted fate.
"We can do the boar if you want." I suggested.
"Nah...it's either gonna attack us or run away once it gets close. I don't wanna risk either." Mr. Williams declined.
"Agreed. Besides, judging by the size it looks like this is around four feet tall and six in length. No way we'll be able to carry that on our backs." Gram added.
Rebecca then comes up from the deck with light footing. "Sakuya wants us at the interior below. We're gonna do a rundown before we head to town." She told us. "On it. We'll be there." Gram replied. The three of us went down below. Once our feet were out of the stairs, Gram and Mr. Williams unload their crossbows and put them on their backs and we join the rest on the table. Everybody was present at the location with their gear at their side. Everybody was present so it was about time to begin with the meeting. "Good morning, again. I'd like to advise you on the current route we would be taking today." Sakuya greeted. She then gives attention to the map and extends a pointer at our current location. "We are currently here. For now we will be entering this side of the port. However we will be exiting out north later on." She instructed.
"So what's the reason? Isn't it just a field up there?" Luka asked.
"That's the interesting part. Just a week ago our sources tell us that they have discovered a clay deposit at the far north of the city." Magna told us.
"But wouldn't that just mean that the place would have been raided by now?" Rebecca asked.
"Not exactly… . Its there but something is up." Richard replied.
"So why leave it alone then?" I asked.
"My guess is the monsters. Isn't that right?" Mr. Williams asked my seniors.
"Correct. The first few days are usually leaking with monster nest all over. It's gonna be pure chaos if we just barge in the day itself." Sakuya confirmed.
"Then why let us in for a week early? Isn't that dangerous." Tyrell asked, concerned.
"That's the thing, this party will dissolve in four days. We will be out on the remainder for exploration and scouting missions." Sakuya tells us, "By the fourth day we should be back at Laputa for preparations."
"So this party has an expiration date?" I asked.
"No. Parties are held until the request are finished. The remaining three days of preparation will be done for resupplying for the trip you will be having later on." Sakuya clarified.
"So the three days are for recovery?" Rebecca asked.
"No. It's more of so the group would do further preparations for strategy in terms of team commands." Richard insisted.
"Team commands?" Tyrell wondered.
"Overtime, parties must come up with codenames for certain plans. Sometimes a certain magic or item is needed or a form of a combination attack is used whenever necessary. Most guilds use this method when team members are at least at their second rank." Magna explained.
"But since we don't have that time, we'll just have you watch us for now." Richard added.
"Doesn't that take time though?" I asked.
"Just try to notice our Dynamics and try to put it as your own." Richard blurted out.
My group looked at him rather surprised. We all thought he was pulling out legs. But Richard notices our looks and became dumbfounded. "...I'm serious." He told us with a straight face. Every guilds had their own way of doing strategies. Hanami did it unconventionally and used a MMORPG system. For those who don't know, MMORPG stands for Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. The rule of the games is to play a certain role or job class then play as the role in order to get stronger. But where does MMO play into this? Few roles can venture alone but play tactical advantage of used properly. So in the end it is a cooperation between others in order to win the game.
Hanami and many other guilds used this unorthodox topic as a method to fight against monsters and ways to survive. Hypothetically we were kinda living one since all classes differed by their skills. But no matter the class, each had a common skill set that fit different categories. These were Tank, DPS, Assassin, Range, Mage, and Support. Tanks were heavy hitters and have strong defense. Their role is to act as the vanguard. DPS stands for 'Damage Per Second". Acting as the mid-guard, they take are the ones who do most of the attacking and fighting. They are the ones who can take the fight to somebody and withstand battle for long periods of time. Assassins are individuals who specialize in eliminating targets by special means. They have high attack power however most of their focus is eliminating targets. Range types prefer to attack from mid to far distance. They use this distance as their advantage. The mage comes to no surprise that it uses magic to fight. They act much like a range but the distance of the spell determines how far they can attack. Magic used can be either elemental damage or cause problems to the target after being struck. Support lastly aids the others by either boosting, healing or aiding other party members. This can be done by spells that heal or increase in abilities, and sometimes giving cover fire to give aid in either retreat or adding to the other teammates' attacks.
With these six roles, it is up for the party to identify the types of roles the party should take in order to think of a strategy. It sounded a bit far-fetched but it actually made a little sense. Why not right like an RPG if you're actually stuck into something like it? "So...the reason why you came with us is because of strategy?" Rebecca wanted to confirm. "Yeah. According to Richard, you guys were doing your own separate thing. It did wear off the rumors linking to you but it did have problems." Sakuya admitted.
"Such as…?" Tyrell asked out of curiosity.
"For starters the battle experience between the four of you all the more differentiated. Rebecca fought a couple of times but you had little to begin with." Richard told Tyrell.
"Well my job does less fighting. Besides most of my time was at the forge." Tyrell defended himself.
"Yet as a blacksmith you should be testing your own products. That was the main problem I got from Steph. It's important for blacksmiths to know about their equipment before selling them at the market." Sakuya pointed out to Tyrell.
"So...what do blacksmiths play at missions outside of the walls?" I asked Sakuya.
"Producers aren't just needed for salvaging and scavenging but act as a means to aid the other party members by their skill sets." She explained to us, "If I remember well, paper charms don't work when wet unless it is the catalyst of the spell. Then there are the aspects of several monsters here in Laputa can only be killed by only special. And what about Mr. Williams? What happens if he runs out of bolts or bullets to take down the target? The producer can provide their own alternatives. Clearly the support role is where producer classes fit best. With knowledge based on the products they hold, producers play good quartermasters."
"It's really important to learn about each others abilities while you still can. While we're at it, we might as well talk about it." Sakuya agreed.
"So how would I play a role as a support?" Tyrell asked.
"By memorizing the equipment and weapons specialties used by the group member and find ways to make them fight more effectively. And if the time comes, use their equipment as a means of an assist. Help me out and think of it as some sort of internship." Magna answered.
"I guess that means we might need to give Tyrell a gun or something." Mr. Williams thought.
"Maybe the crossbow pistol first. The guy has butter fingers and his aim isn't too good." Rebecca added.
Knowing that just now made us realize how little we knew about the things that can do with playing as a team. It was there where we identified roles for the party. Some went on without even saying. In many terms I would say it was common sense for them. They gave us further explanation. Since Magna was the only warrior in the group it was best to say that this guy was our tank. Rebecca was a capable Assassin as a rogue class with her daggers and bombs but just in case we put her as a support to assist in for taking care of certain task. After all she was mortal and cannot use magic. Gram, and Mr. Williams were another story. Even if they were all part of the hunter class they were bound to be part of the Range role but all had their own specialties. Gram was skilled with a heavy crossbow but can kill close quarters to do a finishing attack. Thus, Gram can play the role of Range and Assassin. As for Mr. Williams, his training as a marine as a sniper gives him edge but they are also given hand to hand combat training as well so he can play as a DPS. He can also play the support role as well for his medical training. In other words the man is an all rounder within all the roles.
"Normally we would use this method for a few raids monster populations. But since this is a reconnaissance mission, we might need to focus on stealth and scavenging as a side hustle." Sakuya told us.
"Scavenging? Wouldn't the extra weight limit our movement?" Mr. Williams asked.
"Not exactly. We're considering in getting a few mechs once we reach the area." Richard said.
"Mechs? What?" Tyrell asked rather confused.
"Machinery. Mostly vehicles. Anything from cars, trucks, even motorcycles can do. We might need to cover more ground to get to know the land." Magna replied.
"Then can we just find a map or something? For sure they would sell a few at some supermarkets." Rebecca suggested.
"While we're at the new location we might need to survey on the land. That way we would know where would be the right place to salvage and hunt in the future. We don't want our people to walk blindly at dangerous spots." Sakuya told Rebecca.
"Do we at least know the new location?" I asked.
"Apparently not. The crew we sent barely made it alive. In other words it open season for anything that's bipedal in nature." Sakuya replied.
"I remembered the first time our guilds grouped together and went out at the first week...we were barely able to escape the first day." Richard recalled.
"That was New Orleans, right?" Magna asked.
"Nah the one after that. You know... Salem." Richard corrected Magna.
"Oh yeah...that town was a pain in the ass. It had good magi-tech but some idiots ended up letting loose a couple of demons and some portals to the underworld open." Sakuya agreed.
"Oh gawd don't remind me...it was so hard to find a priest even able to seal one portal. Heck, we almost died taking care of one of them." Magna groans with shivers down her spine.
"At least you dealt with the wraiths. Our guild had to deal with the Horrors. They shape-shifted to anybody's fear." Gram told them.
"Just be lucky none of us dealt with a succubus or incubus. I do NOT wanna be at the receiving end at one of those things." Magna told him.
All agreed with the orc with a nod. Well... except me and the rest of the noobs. Honestly, I liked all the fantasy, dungeon and dragons stuff but it was hard to relate to begin with. But if the threats were that bad then I guess it was better off not knowing.
"So whatever we're getting into...we really don't know the odds?" Mr. Williams asked.
"Yeah... anything can happen. Even a few S rank monsters might pop out." Magna said.
"How exhausting is the outcome?" I asked.
"No matter the rank of the monster, all of them come out of the streets like hordes. It's pretty random but they mostly relate to the climate, surprisingly." The orc said.
"In other words...like a seasonal loot box that nobody asked for..?" Tyrell tried to relate.
"That's one way to put it but...yeah. But at least you can do is sell the loot to somebody who can use it. Organic materials from various monsters are sought for armor and weapons parts." Richard says, "An example would be the anti-magic saurian Rin killed. We had so many people wanted to buy it that we needed to do it at an auction."
"Yet with that much chaos within the first week, it would be hard to figure out how to take them down." Magna interrupted
"I'd say. Our group was just lucky to survive the first few days. We were barely able to block the first floor of our apartment." Rebecca agreed.
"Yeah...who would have thought a goblin party would raid the building? Good thing the lady at the floor below me had an antique piano. We slid that thing off the first floor and blocked the main entrance." Mr. Williams added.
"The hardest part was killing the rest of the monsters in the building. My body was barely fit to sync with Hijikata's memories in kenjutsu." I also agreed.
"Really? The chimera was worse." Tyrell told me.
"Oh yeah...that really wasn't a good day." I rationalized.
"We were actually surprised you managed to take on most of the monsters, and the ones you killed were the anthropomorphic ones." Rebecca told me.
"I rather not remember that..." I insisted.
Sakuya then gives a fake cough. We turn to her as she had something to say. "Anyway to avoid anybody from running mindlessly, we're going to place you guys roles. Make sure to follow them religiously." She told us. We were all given our own special roles to follow. Most of them were kinda obvious, Tyrell of course being the support. Rebecca and Richard became DPSs for their rogue capabilities. However Richard can be placed as range since he has an affinity with long range firearms. Gram and Mr. Williams were also placed as Range but Gram can be also placed as an assassin role whenever dealing with monsters. It was the same with Mr. Williams but his secondary roles were DPS and Support. Magna was given a tank role but on emergency situations he could also be a support role to sabotage or wound monsters with his gear. As for me it was actually something complicated all together. Even Sakuya, my guildmaster couldn't decide where to place me.
"So what do you guys think?" She asked Magna and Richard.
"Well Rin is a capable martial artist has unique agility...so my guess is he's capable as a DPS." Richard said.
"But then again he is also a range with his archery skills and but again…Rin can also be a support with his version of magic and knowledge." Magna added.
"True but that's not what I'm worried about." Sakuya told the both of them.
The three of them soon got the point after giving a nod. They had an idea but the rest of us were blind. "So what's the issue?" I asked.
"It's the past lives that are influenced your abilities." Sakuya said.
"Of all the past lives most present in your life...it would be Hijikata and Kenshin. Even when you were fighting and training, sometimes I wonder which one were you." Richard confessed.
"So what are you trying to say?" I asked.
"The way you fight differ between lives. Hijikata was a capable DPS due to his stamina and capability in fighting in wars. On the other hand Kenshin is more focused in eliminating rather than fighting. If he specialized in killing rather than countering, then that would make Kenshin a capable assassin." He explained me.
"Come to think about it...even if Chiron can play a role as a range, most of it is done due to self-defence and hunting. I didn't get that memories from him other than those." I recalled.
"Yet the more you learn about these the more it's gonna be hard it is to sort the roles you need to be placed." Magna said.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"With the multiple past lives you have, the more it would be harder for you to get a grip of what kind of role and fighting style you would use to survive." Magna answered.
"But what if I were to learn and use them all? Much like Kenshin but for different purposes?" I asked.
"I don't recommend it but it's really up to you. But remember your current abilities extremely differ from what your past lives." Magna insisted.
"Maybe I can volunteer as an assassin?" I suggested.
"The Assassin's job is to take out the bigger monsters and are target specific. Are you sure this won't tire you out? We don't even know if you're still fully recovered." Sakuya asked.
"Well...one of my gifts from my god was that my chi and presence cannot be seen. Maybe I can assist in the shadows." I put out.
"He does have a point. While at the Cornerstone, I did watch Rin sync behind the scenes with a past life...and I'm sure it wasn't Toshizo. It looks like he does have experience in killing. Maybe we can make him take out anthropomorphic and bipedal types." Richard clarified to Sakuya.
Sakuya nodded her head on this one. It looks like she agreed to it but had some doubt. I ended up becoming part of the Assassin role. However I was also given a secondary Role as a support or a DPS. Support in cases of retreat and DPS in dealing with monster hordes and bandits. We were then given a few two-way radios and a tactical headset to start the quest. It started at mid-morning and we were given our roles and a rundown of how it was gonna work. Better yet, the method of what Hanami uses in which a scouting party is needed.
The DPS types were given the lead as scouts to explore the area of any dangers of what was going on. It was by their signal that we are told when or how to move. The assassin's do pair up with the DPS types but only by a distance. They are to come as assist whenever a monster(s) are too difficult to kill. The range does both the role of a DPS and a Assassin but at a long range in which they are able to aim at further targets or get a view at farther directions of the scope. However if special conditions are need to eliminate a monster then the mage has to intervene to either eliminate the monster or aid in weakening opponents. The support on the other hand is the most protected since they bare the most supplies and sometimes do support fire and aid teammates. If someone gets the support then the expedition is good as done. Therefore the support must always be accompanied with a tank to hold off any threats near the tank.
But for the plan to follow, there must be a leader to give commands whenever the certain task must be committed. The leaders can play any role as long as they give orders to the rest of the party. If there was a case of the leader being injured then another leader would take over to cover an escape for recovery. We decided to use codenames to make it easier to identify each other. My group stuck to our old names but given a few more to know each others places. Gram was Blackfoot, Richard was Itachi, Sakuya as Iris, and Magna named Kit.