Good evening~ The sun is setting, and my MP is full. The Fish supply has never been better, and I have a festival to begin tonight. I need to go secure the Goblin Hooch, but that's practically child's play compared to the amount of clothing that I need to make. I overestimated my MP. I still need more if I hope to even come close to the last festival donation. Jeez. It's hard coming off as a wealthy travelling Cat to everyone I meet. Should I be lowering the bar? I'm actually not that wealthy and I feel like I'm a slave to all those around me.
I gather all the Fish to feed 3 Goblins, two Cats, a One-Eyed Lizard, and a Drake. Not only that, I devotedly attempt to cloth the poor and less fortunate roughly estimated 1000 Goblins of this Village single pawed. I also am currently attempting to start a clothing franchise in order to attain vast amounts of Candy to feed my Clansmen in times of war threatening not only the estimated 1000 Goblins of this Village, but also the remaining thousands of monsters in this safari like territory. I'm freaking outmatched here! I need help! Anyone?! This one is in grave peril of being overworked to death! I'm not even a month old yet! I'm still just a kitten! I'm surely being helped by my Clansmen when it comes to combat, but I'm not actually receiving any help when it comes to managing any of it aside from the Goblin Chief dealing with his intelligence network solo and potentially the Harpy Matriarch lending a wing every now and again! I'm not filled in on the loop about those things though so I'm still worried!
Thinking about such things, I was hastily making new clothes aiming for level 5 while sloppily scarfing down Fish. This continued for about half an hour until I ran out of MP and was essentially just waiting on it to regenerate. I decided to make my way to the Goblin Hooch guy. Actually, I had Goblin Viking show me the way because I had forgotten. I was skipping around with a soggy lab coat of Fish in tow on the way. Cetilla joined us as she had never been to a Goblin Hooch Distillery. Trust me, it's not that great. It's basically any other old Hut but it reeks and has a lot of cauldrons and bottles. It's been a whopping 8 days since the last Festival, so I feel disgusted. Tonight couldn't have come any later to be honest. I should aim for a Festival at least once every 5 nights if it's the only way for me to bathe. It would be nice to do it even more often, but it's expensive and I already feel overworked as is.
I ended up needing to haggle with the Hooch Goblin to get him to knock down the price. I needed more Hooch this time, after all. More means less price! I purchased 6 bottles of Goblin Hooch for a whopping 40 common Fish, 10 pink fish, and a deal to be able to get the first serving from Meglacommon among the Villagers. I told him to make sure he's there when it's being served, because I won't wait around on him. The deal wasn't horrible, but I feel like it could have been cheaper. It seriously knocked down our regular Fish storage though, so I'll need to go Fishing again tomorrow considering the Meglacommon will probably be gone by the end of the night.
When I returned to the hut, I decided to consume one more bucket of Candy to top off the festivity donation. I consumed any of the additional MP that I had on paw to help that as well. The night is still young, so there's no need to rush towards starting the festival yet. We shall begin at midnight! By waiting it out a bit longer, I secured around 50 more pieces of clothes for the pile. After finishing, I decided that it was time to separate the pile, so I made everyone leave the Hut and sit out by the fire for a bit. No peeking! It took me about an hour and a half, but I managed to recover some MP during the process so I decided to add more clothes to the process as well~
The added clothes only took me like 10 minutes to add to the piles, so it wasn't a big deal. The results are 82 level 1 pieces, 46 level 2 pieces, 24 level 3 pieces, 15 level 4 pieces, and 21 level 5 pieces. Woah. I'm thankful for [Disguise+2]. Overall, I think my roll results have increased in proficiency drastically considering I have more perfect results than almost perfect results. It's a good haul.
Regardless, this donation seems somewhat smaller in size. So, I'll promise to distribute more over the next few days. I'm only giving away the 82 level 1 pieces to the Goblin Villagers this time, as all of the Tier 2 Goblins already have decent clothes. The people getting this donation are intended to be the Tier 1 Goblins who actually don't ever fight. It's justified, because high DEF isn't as helpful when you have low HP. Yosh! After getting dressed and vacating the hut, I had some of the lesser Scarecrows help me carry the level 1 pieces out into a pile beside the hut. No need to show the Villagers the extra pieces not intended for them, after all.
It's still not actually midnight yet, but I suppose it's fine. Having all of my monsters let out as loud of a scream as they can, I gathered the Villagers round the hut. If we tried to get into the semantics of just how each and every one of them yelled, then we'd have been here all night. It was a precarious sound when all of them roared together like that, infact I'm quite certain that I saw numerous flocks of birds vacate their trees in the distance to somewhat flee before resettling on further trees. The Goblin Chief hut is strategically placed in the middle of the Village, and it has a slight clearing around it before other huts are actually built. It's pretty convenient for holding my Clansmen and audiences of nearby Goblins. It's like the intersection of all the busy streets randomly has a small parking lot instead of an intersection.
After around 5 minutes of Villagers crowding nearby while I scarfed down some last minute Candy to regenerate my MP fully... I say this, but I just ate most of my Candy to do this. I now have around two thirds of a bucket left. I decided that it was time to make my announcement to commence the Festivities. I'm currently sitting atop my Broom, floating somewhat above the Hut to allow everyone to see me. Removing my sunglasses to reveal that I do indeed, have glowing orange eyes similar to some of my more terrifying Clansmen; I began my announcement.
"Gather round, Villagers of this fine Goblin Village! I am called Nero, the one True Halloween Cat! On this fine night, we will feast on the catch of the rare and mighty beast, Meglacommon subjugated by my Clansmen! This joyous night, I announce a festival of giving and fun! I have prepared some pieces of clothing for those who have not yet received any at the prior giving, but I must apologize for I have not prepared nearly enough. To make up for that sad fact, I will be handing out more clothes in a few nights as well! In addition to feasting on the Meglacommon, you may enjoy the sounds of my Clansmen singing and the sight of my wondrous [Wailing Keep] rising from the ground! A once in a lifetime opportunity, never before bared witness to by any other living creature of this Kingdom! That is right~ Tonight, the [Wailing Keep] shall rise near the northwest side of this very Village and you shall all get a peak at Halloween itself should you choose to venture inside and explore my very own home!" [Nero] beckoned with a mischievously happy tone before continuing.
"Now~ Goblin Villagers! Eat to your hearts' content, grab a piece of clothes from that pile or follow me should you wish to see my whimsical home magically rise from the ground!" [Nero] concluded while taking Cetilla's hand and hoisting her atop his Broom before slowly flying towards the northwest edge of the Goblin Village. Abruptly, hundreds of Goblins and Clansmen followed the flying Cat from below towards the event.
After arriving at the outermost edge of the Goblin Village, I flew a bit ahead of the crowd to ensure that it wouldn't like... Grow from beneath them or something. From here, I cast [Wailing Keep]. I could hear a sound instantaneously, but nothing really happened. That sound was growing louder, so I began to fly higher just in case. Moments later, from right beneath where I was previously flying... Cracks in the surface emerged and instantaneously, a structure began rapidly crushing through them. After around 5 seconds, the structure was fully visible. It's a large black castle with two large towers at each side of the entrance and 1 smaller tower towards the back. The Tower tops which should be cone shaped are instead spiral shaped. Adorning the Castle grounds are varying sized orange jack-o-lanterns growing from the gigantic roots which have begun to sprout from beneath the surface, along the Castle walls. The roots wrap around the castle as if attempting to protect the vulnerable spots, without actually obstructing entry into the Castle. The Castle itself isn't large in comparison to the Temples, and it seems like it's probably intended for some wealthy noble to live in. It is however, still Halloween themed and henceforth looks evil. The tall front entrance between the two tall Towers is adorned with a red carpet trimmed with gold, and the door is a double door looking like church doors. Black steel church doors.
I decided to take the lead by opening the Wailing Keep doors, and walked on in. I technically do own the place, after all. It's all mine. Even if it's ominous, there's a sense of it being a result of my own hard work. I know full well that there are beds here. Oh yes. Beds. I had a taste of them in the Demon Kingdom, and I've been fervently waiting for them ever since without any real feeling that they were going to be attainable any time soon. If not for the idea of unveiling my home as a festival activity, I would have busted this bad boy out last night. There's one cost to having [Wailing Keep] activated. It requires 20% of my MP to be locked away, no matter how much MP that is. I cant use that MP even if it technically regenerates after casting [Wailing Keep]. Apparently if it reaches a point where 20% of my MP is greater than the original casting cost of [Wailing Keep] which is 500, then the [Wailing Keep] will begin summoning its own Clansmen to protect itself. They're temporary Clansmen which can't actually permanently enlist to join my cause though.
The Wailing Keep can actually stay summoned indefinitely, but it's not invincible. It has HP too, just like the other monsters. It's just your regular monster. While that may be the case, it can only be damaged in specific ways. Outside of it, at which point it has immense P./M. DEF, or it can be damaged from the inside of it in a specific location where it has absolutely no P./M. DEF. That specific location is in the Treasure Room reachable through the Throne Room. In the event that my Wailing Keep is under siege, there are two objectives. I must protect the outside of my Wailing Keep while also protecting the Throne Room. If my Wailing Keep is destroyed, all of the inhabitants are teleported outside of the Wailing Keep which disappears onto the surface where it had originally stood. At which point, I can not cast [Wailing Keep] for an additional 24 hours. It's strange. The cooldown for [Wailing Keep] does not arrive until after it is destroyed or until after I cancel the summon.
What's more, if I cast a [Hallowed Gate] at any place in the world while the [Wailing Keep] is raised; then the [Wailing Keep] also gains a [Hallowed Gate] within the Throne Room. Anyone could walk through my true [Hallowed Gate], walk around the allegedly trick blood fountain before facing the [Hallowed Gate] connecting to the [Wailing Keep]. I can use the two abilities to create a permanent portal connecting two different places through the Halloween world. I believe this will come to be quite useful in the event that I go to travel the world, if I were to attempt at keeping tabs on the Goblin Village.
Theoretically, someone could invade the Wailing Keep and destroy the heart in the Throne Room without ever needing to venture into the Kitchen or Dining Hall. The Dining Hall also has a path leading to the 50 guest Bedrooms in the Basement. The fact that the guest Bedrooms in the basement are connected to the Dining Hall and not to the Throne Room is depressing. It means that I need to protect the Foyer if at all possible. Genuinely speaking, it would be better to not let any enemies inside of the Keep at all if that's the case. It's too difficult to defend if there are guests who can be used as hostages which also need to be protected. It would be better to just defend from outside. Yosh.
It seems that a lot of Goblin Villagers decided to opt out on actually venturing inside of my esteemed home, but some did actually come in. I guess the sight of seeing it rise alone was enough for some. Others? They wanted to see the whole dang thing! I know, it's so beautifully decorated in here. All of the furniture is old fashioned and somewhat dilapidated, giving off a haunted house kind of vibe.
The Kitchen is actually modern, but the Dining Hall is victorian. The Kitchen has several stoves with ovens, a large cooking island, two large double door fridges and two very large freezers. All of the appliances are some type of purple steel, and the large cooking island is a smooth, orange surface while the cupboards beneath it are a deeply dark shade of purple wood. The room is lit up by a faux candle lit chandelier which is obviously run on electricity. It has covers over each of the flame areas which look like little mini orange plastic jack-o-lanterns. It causes the lighting in here to be kind of orange.
The victorian Dining Hall has 3 obnoxiously long high end tables, giving off a high class mess hall vibe. There are similarly obnoxiously long sets of candle lit chandeliers stretching the full distance of the middle table. These chandeliers don't have the plastic jack-o-lantern covers and instead look real. There are no windows, but the wall paper is beautifully fashioned in white and gold, and adorned with variously eerie paintings. All of the furniture adorning the dining hall are of a similar color palette, making up a more regal atmosphere. Even if the atmosphere is regal, those eerie paintings throw it off entirely. There are candle sets lit along the walls to help bring extra light in, but the main reason for the light is probably the chandeliers.
The Throne Room gives off the Demon King Throne Room kind of vibe and has the red gold trimmed carpet extend into it while seamlessly fading to become a color of bright purple with a vibrant orange trim as soon as one passes through the arch leading to the Throne Room. The carpet changed color without actually changing carpet? Just who made this carpet?! There are small orange glass windows in this room to let in some natural light, but there's also some kind of glowing orange gem atop the ceiling. It's breathtaking. Kneeling slightly off to the side but in front of the throne made of bones with small jack-o-lanterns adorning the floor surrounding it, is the towering Weeping Angel. Is it a sense of duty? Are you expecting me to pompously sit down right now? We're currently mid-house tour, you know?! The walls of the Throne Room are a deeply dark shade of purple, and made up of an incredibly smooth ceramic type stone. The Throne Room feels much too big to be inside this Keep. On both sides of the long Throne Room stand full sets of armor models which look as though they could start walking around at any time. Their armor is sheer black, each of them wield pole-arms in one arm with shields in the other. They also have orange feathers sticking from the top of their helmets. The Throne itself is made of bones and sits on a level a few steps higher than the generalized flooring within the room. The Treasure Room looks like a high end victorian master bedroom, and totally ditches the purple and orange theme. It looks more like a typical victorian themed bedroom. Except, for that. The heart within the Treasure Room looks like it's a glowing orange globe on a pedestal made of bones. It's put on the opposite side of the room from the bed, so it feels like it's an option to kill the sleeping ruler or kill the castle. Yikes. It's 50/50. I don't like my chances. Wailing Keep Sama?! You clearly only care about yourself!
Making my way up the stairs of the Foyer to see the Towers, I'm led up a spiral staircase stone tower without any windows, but it has candlelit lanterns nailed to the walls every so often. After reaching the top, there's an area that seems advantageous for a mage to defend from. It seems that Crowli likes to stand up here. The lesser Crows are also flying around the tops of the Towers. There are two identical Towers like this. Making my way down to the basement after returning to the Dining Hall, I am met with a similar spiral staircase. The ceiling of it currently has a lesser Bat hanging from it. It's a dark place, so that's probably why. It seems that the basement is actually quite deep underground. After seemingly a fair amount of time, I am met with a long corridor having wooden doors on both sides.
Between the doors are often shelves of sorts adorned with old fashioned knick knacks like collectible plates and snow globes, or mirrors. Yo! Mirrors! There are mirrors here! Looking at myself, I'm a cute little kid and my eyes are indeed quite glowing. The corridor is adorned in a similar carpet to the one leading into the Keep, but this one does not have gold trims adorning it. There's also no mention of the orange and purple color palette being used down here. Each of the rooms seem identical, and have a double bed with a dresser. There's a table with a porcelain tea set as well. It's all victorian themed and looks high class. After reaching the end of the hall, I am met with a different spiral staircase leading back up. Taking this one, I was led to the top of the much shorter third Tower which perches just above the Treasure Room. I don't understand the construction of this place. It doesn't seem right. It's like this Keep bends actual space and warps it however it wants to.
Having finished my house tour, I now returned to the hut to get my fill of the Meglacommon. Around 40 percent of the Meglacommon has already been eaten. Incredible. How does it taste? Pretty darn good. Honestly speaking, I'd say it's almost as tasty as the Goldfish. The size being so large is definitely the major selling point. If I ignored the Villagers, I could have eaten this thing for a month. Granted, by the time I finished it... It would probably have rotted considerably. I do now have a fridge and freezer though. I probably could have managed it.
Most of my Clansmen have also returned now, some of them stayed here to begin with. The Goblin Trio is probably still looking around the [Wailing Keep]. I guess it makes sense. I already had a summarized layout of it, so I didn't have much to really discover aside from the finer details. Those guys are seeing it without having expected a single thing, so they're probably taking their time to explore it. Cetilla who explored it with me was fascinated by the sheer amount of extravagant decorations within the Wailing Keep, and seemed to wish to take things with her. Thankfully, after actually leaving the Wailing Keep; everything that she had been carrying rapidly disintegrated. The items might have returned to where they previously had been placed, or they might be gone now. I really didn't care enough to turn around and check though. I'm sure the items will return the next time I cast [Wailing Keep]. Probably.
The dud clothing pile is gone, so that's good. Now, deciding to recommence at making clothes; I begin to aim for level 15 clothes while I ate my fill of Meglacommon. I say that, but just creating one of those pieces costs a whopping 60 MP. I only have 464 maximum MP right now due to [Wailing Keep] being active, and even that isn't fully recovered. I was only able to make 3 pieces immediately because I wasn't really sitting down as I explored the [Wailing Keep]. What can ya do? Enjoy the festival vibe and commerce with your comrades, I guess. I want to bust out the Goblin Hooch, but the Goblin Trio is still occupied in the [Wailing Keep], so I can't. It looks like tonight will be a long night, seeing as how we'll have started drinking later.
Currently, the band is performing admirably. Goblins are dancing in the streets, and the crowd is loud. I'm chatting away with Cetilla, Drake; who I will now dub Budget Dragon, and One-Eyed Lizard who I will now dub Cyclozard. Yosh! Cetilla can actually understand them, as she apparently also has [Language Comprehension]. Is it something Cats can easily gain? They're pretty cool guys, anyways. Budget Dragon is filled with pride, and acts very lore like. As a Halloween Cat, I genuinely don't mind at all. I'm pretty sure that Cetilla and I are the only ones who can understand what he's saying though. Cyclozard on the other hand, is actually very timid and shy. He doesn't like it when people bring up his eye, either.
Both Budget Dragon and Cyclozard think that just being here is an honor. It might be because One Eyed Lizards and Drakes are both races which were not among the original Monster Knights. So, you're finally allowed to sit with the cool kids and you're ecstatic about it... Ehh? They're adorable! I can't wait to see what they Evolve into next~ Oh? You would like to accompany me to see the Witches as representation of the Lost Kingdom? Uh-no. Sorry, we can't go around showing our hands! Even though I'm going to the Witches as a means to secure future Clansmen or stop brutal practices at the roots, I'm not going there on behalf of the Lost Kingdom! This matter is entirely Halloween Clan related! Two separate bags that happen to be somewhat similar, is all!
My Clansmen may be monsters living in the Lost Kingdom, but they are my Clansmen first and foremost! Until the day that I die! I say day, but it could also happen at night. It's way less likely, but it's possible. When I die, they may very well choose to remain inhabitants of the Lost Kingdom... Or they can do whatever they desire. I really don't care what they do because I have no right to as a dead Cat, and I'm not about to act as though they're sure to stay here and be true Monster Knights. I haven't asked them and I don't intend to. If I asked them, they might feel pressured into answering some sort of way. Therefore, as I'm venturing to visit the Witches as a means to save future Scarecrows from being enslaved; and potentially add them as my own Clansmen and not as Lost Kingdom inhabitants, then the situation has no need for representation from the Lost Kingdom at all. None. Nope! You're staying home, lads.
After explaining to them why they simply were not necessary for the current mission at hand, Budget Dragon seems quite dejected. Sorry! I'm not changing my mind. Cyclozard doesn't really seem to mind. Cetilla is clearly begging me to come. She's the only other member of my Cat Crew-which is supposed to pose as my party and keep me safe during the day. I say pose, because I honestly don't know her combat abilities. I've never witnessed her fight, or really use magic. She had a reputation for being a master of magic, but I really have no idea how reliable she is in battle. I also haven't had a need to see her reliability as I've been having all of my fights during the night as well. We should get around to that soon. She bears no feeling of responsibility or oath to the Lost Kingdom, and is here as my friend. So, she can come. It's fine.
Ahhh! Finally, the Goblin Trio has returned! They seem somewhat exhausted. Sorry guys, tonight we drink! After I went to fetch the Goblin Hooch, it seems their moods have increased drastically. Yosh! Take a swig! I have 6 of these bad boys! Let's go~ Dancing and drinking merrily to the beautiful sounds of the Halloween Band, we had a marvelous time. I learned that apparently the bandit camp state of affairs had been discovered and that trade has resumed between the Human and Beastkin Kingdoms. Jeez. When can a kitty catch a break?!
I began to have a chat with Goblin Village Wheat Farmer Sama and ended up learning that he had actually been born as a Tier 3 Goblin, which is why he possesses [Appraisal] among other higher end abilities. These were abilities passed down specifically throughout the Goblin Village Chieftain bloodline. In order to ensure the safety of the Goblin Village, their Chief who knew of the risks to Devolving and was currently watching as the other races in the Monster Kingdom Devolved due to starvation appealed to the other Villagers. Then they made the conscious decision to have several families all give some of their food to a pregnant mother. His own wife. When his wife became pregnant, he had the Villagers help him feed her to ensure that her newborn child would be born of the highest Tier possible. By doing this, they were able to pass down their abilities throughout their bloodline to ensure that at the very least, they would have one child to lead their Devolving brethren through the trying times. This child would become the Village Chief, and would continue this tradition throughout the ages.
It's a touching tale and all, but it has failed. The current Village Chief for whatever reason, never wed a Goblina to continue the tradition. He's probably reached the age of being too old at this point in time. What's more, is that he's Tier 3. There's no way that the Goblins of the Monster Knights were Tier 3, considering that Weeping Angels which are a Tier 6 monster were among the Monster Knights. They definitely still didn't have enough food to fully stave off Devolving. Thankfully, there are two spruce young new Tier 3 Goblins to take up the mantle... But they don't have the century long passed down abilities like [Appraisal]. If Goblin Village Wheat Farmer Sama were to Evolve, he might be able to stave off his old age a little longer. He may even regain some of his ridiculously high spec abilities. If he can Evolve rapidly enough, he might be able to regain his ability to procreate, effectively pulling an un* reverse card on the whole situation. Too bad he's a shut-in.
If I think about it, I only know of one thing in this entire Kingdom which could feasibly grant him the experience needed to regain the ability to procreate. It's the lochness monster. That massive beast is the biggest baddie in this Kingdom. Sadly, I doubt that the Tier 3 Goblin; despite having outrageous abilities can handle it. I don't even think Crowli can handle that thing. Hell, Crowli struggled to take down just the food for that thing... Probably because of his stupidly wasteful abilities causing him to only be capable of fighting for roughly a few minutes though.
Well, thinking about the terror of the lochness monster wont help me who currently desperately needs to bathe in the same Lake it reigns over. So, I informd the others that it is time for my festivity bath. See ya!~ Oh? You're coming too? Is this that one trope where everyone needs to go to the beach together? One of the main reasons for me to throw this Festival was for me to have a chance at bathing, so why do you guys seem more excited than me? Welp. It can't be helped. I guess it's become something of an event, like when we held duels in the Prairie field.
Staring up at the stars as we tipsily travel to the Lake while we talk about the finer things in life... Fish, I notice that a lot of the Halloween Band stayed back to continue their performance. White Wolf Lady already knows that she isn't allowed near the Lake on account of her being endangered, so she probably convinced some of the others to keep her company. The show must go on, eh? Currently with me are Crowli, Goblin Viking, Bloody Jester, Cetilla, Cyclozard, Budget Dragon, and one little rogue Tier 1 Bat which wanted to hangout with the cool kids. We're a ragtag band of drunken monsters going for a dip in the Lake. Just your regular, every night monsters.
Arriving at the Lake and removing the vast majority of my clothing but leaving the black swim trunks, I hopped right on in! It's cold, but I can deal with it because of the liquid courage that is Goblin Hooch. It's a strong beverage, not for the weak hearted. Cetilla seems to now understand why I host extravagant festivals. Yep~ She probably realized that this Lake was far too cold for sober bathing several days ago. The Goblins are fine to bathe in it whenever, but we Cats are of a more sophisticated breed. Not just any water will do, okay?!
The splashing war was fun, and it felt fair. No one was overly good at getting anyone else. It felt strange to watch Budget Dragon and Cyclozard swim. Crowli used his wings as arms and did a backstroke because skeletal arms aren't very dynamic in the water. Budget Dragon swam with the sole use of his legs, and reminded me of a late stage Tadpole or young Frog. Cyclozard swims in the doggy paddle while wagging his tail left and right with each movement. The wagging tail causes him to swim in a slightly zig-zag pattern, but he still manages to be capable of swimming straight paths regardless. He can also stop wagging his tail and leave it in a twist to help him make sharper turns with his doggy paddle technique. I guess all beasts, no matter what kind come from water. They all have their own method of being somewhat capable in the water because of that.
After around 30 minutes of messing around in the water, we all got out and began to dry on the sand while playing a drinking game. The game? Varies. We're taking turns doing challenges. The winner of the challenge is then challenged by another individual. The creature making the challenge decides which challenge it is. The loser drinks. The challenges are staring contests, arm wrestles, sumo wrestles, distance racing, jumping contests, or climbing contests.
Staring contests are seeing who can keep their eye(s) open longer. Arm wrestles are seeing who can outmatch the other in arm strength. Sumo wrestles are seeing who can force their opponent to leave the predefined area first. Distance racing is seeing who can travel from 'Point A' to 'Point B' at a faster rate. Jumping contests are seeing who can jump the furthest from 'Point A'. Climbing contests are seeing who can climb the Mountain beside the Chasm first. Obviously, I came up with the challenge types. Honestly speaking, all of the challenge types except for staring contests, jumping contests, and climbing contests can be pre-calculated based on status. The other three are either a test of willpower or ability versatility for the given situations combined with status. As I don't know the status of more than half of the combatants, you can say it's a fair game. Yosh! Let the games begin!
"Alright then, because I am the one who offered up the idea of having a drinking game; I will be the first Champion. Do we have any who wish to challenge me?" [Nero] proclaimed while puffing out his chest and removing his sunglasses.
"NYAAHHAHahahahaha~ I will face you!" [Cetilla] laughed in a seriously sadistic tone of voice before accepting the challenge.
"Very well, then what shall we play?" [Nero] asked, seemingly amused.
"What shall we play? Why... A climbing contest, but of course!" [Cetilla] answered as if it were the most obvious choice in the world.
"I accept your challenge~To the Mountains!" [Nero] proclaimed while pointing his Broom south.
The group traveled at a speed one can only attain by having become a Tier 3 or above monster. Cetilla rode on Nero's Broom. The Tier 1 Bat gripped onto Crowli's hood as he flew. Bloody Jester cast a spell allowing himself to fly. Goblin Viking, Budget Dragon, and Cyclozard all ran on foot. Having taken only about 20 minutes to reach the depths of the Chasm, we decided to take a 10 minute breather to allow for a more fair challenge.
"Alrighty then, are you ready folks?! It's time for the first challenge to commence! On our left, we have I-the one True Halloween Cat Nero trying to hold his crown. On the right, we have the Sorceress Cetilla trying to brazenly seize it. The challenge at hand is the climbing contest! The first combatant to reach the top of the Mountain wins!"
"Ready when you are~" [Cetilla] called out while making a pose.
"Then, on your marks… Get set~Go!" [Nero] yelled before beginning to run and jump across the Chasm and onto the walls of the Mountain.
Cetilla began her fight by casting several uniquely bright and colorful spells on herself. Noticing that this isn't a game, Nero decided to let loose and grabbed his Broom after letting out a gasp at what he saw. Moments after Nero started ascending by Broom, Cetilla jumped and immediately catapulted, covering the distance of half the mountain in one move. Answering the astonishing speed, Nero spent more MP to raise his flying speed. Cetilla leaped up the side of the Mountain, making much shorter and less powerful movements than before... But also shortened the rate of lag in between each new jump. Nearly coming to a tie, Cetilla managed to win the race by no longer than 3 seconds.
I'm flabbergasted. Cetilla outmatched me in vertical speed?! I understand that I've only been here for a month, but come on! I honestly wasn't trying at first, because I was intending to throw the match, but then at the very end I actually tried. I thought I was good… Welp. It's my turn to drink. Letting Cetilla ride on my Broom with me, I fly us back to the foot of the mountain to rejoin the others. Explaining that I lost, they handed me a bottle and I chugged a portion away. Very well. I suppose Cetilla is our next Champion.
"Cetilla, having won this match, is now our current Champion! Do we have any that might wish to challenge her?" [Nero] asked while holding up the bottle of Goblin Hooch.
"...I will." [Cyclozard] stated as if unsure of himself.
"You wish to challenge me? Then what will the game be, I wonder?" [Cetilla] chided in and stole my line. Actually, was it her line?
"I think… we should have a staring contest." [Cyclozard] said tentatively while looking down.
"Fine then. Let's get on with it. I wont lose so easily, you know." [Cetilla] said mockingly.
"Yes! I'll do my best!" [Cyclozard]
"Then, are you both ready?" [Nero] asked before continuing. To which, the both of them nodded.
"Cetilla having won the previous match, currently defending her crown against the challenger~ Cyclozard! The game is a staring contest. Who shall hold their eye(s) open the longest and become our next Champion?! Let the game begin!" [Nero] Beckoned, seemingly amused.
This is good. Cyclozard, who is self conscious of his one eye is now going to have a cute girl staring directly into his one eye for at least a solid minute. I'm excited because secretly, he asked me to start some sort of contest to allot him a chance to score some extra time with the Scoreceress, Cetilla. Yep, Cyclozard has a thing for Cetilla. I told him that I would devise a way for him to get some especially romantic experience with Cetilla, and I thought what better than to have the self conscious One Eyed Lizard get over his fear of someone not liking his eye? This cute girl that he likes is going to stare at his eye intently for as long as she physically can muster. Can it get any better than that?! To incite this matter, when I mentioned the explanation for the staring contest I specifically looked at him and removed my sunglasses in a way that only he could see. I'm glad that he got the hint.
Well I set it up, so I might as well watch it play out. Looking at the scene, Cyclozard is intently keeping his one eye open and Cetilla is-oh. She blinked. She couldn't even manage 20 seconds with her eyes open?! Welp. We have our winner. Handing the bottle to Cetilla, she avidly receives it. Cyclozard looks happy. Congrats!
"And we have our winner, our new champion is Cyclozard! Do we have any that dare challenge his rule?!" [Nero] called out dramatically while passing the Goblin Hooch to Cetilla.
"I will face the champion!" [Goblin Viking] proclaimed boldly.
"Oh? And what would the contest be?" [Nero] asked.
"I challenge him to an arm wrestle!" [Goblin Viking] explained courageously.
"I accept the challenge." [Cyclozard] stated with slight confidence.
"Then, are you both ready? For our next match, on our left... We have Cyclozard defending his crown! On our right, we have Goblin Viking ready to take him by storm through the means of an arm wrestle! Whichever combatant can bring their opening arm down through sheer grip strength will be our next Champion!" [Nero] excitedly called out before continuing after both had nodded and had begun holding hands.
"Then, let the arm wrestle begin!" [Nero] declared loudly.
With one arm each connected and resting above a large and somewhat flat boulder, the two struggled to bring the opponents arm down. It's a strange thing to watch, because Cyclozard has thin and short arms. He has short and thin arms but humanoid hands attached at the ends. His feet have the same form. He has six hands. It would make you assume that his arm strength is lacking, which is probably why this challenge was chosen. Nevertheless, he's still giving quite the resistance to Goblin Viking.
After an intense match of 10 minutes, finally... Clyclozard gave way. I guess this round truly will go to Goblin Viking. A well optimized Tier 3 monster can beat a poorly optimized Tier 5 monster if the situation is opportune, I suppose. Yup! My chosen contest types are truly well balanced!
"And we have our winner! Taking the crown, our new champion is Goblin Viking! Are there any that would dare challenge him?!" [Nero] pleaded to the surrounding combatants while handing the bottle of Goblin Hooch to Cyclozard.
"I will face you! I choose a jumping contest!" [Budget Dragon] announced.
"Very well, I'll take you on~" [Goblin Viking] replied.
"Then, this will be our starting point! Whichever challenger can jump farthest from here will win the crown and be our next champion! Let the challenge begin!" [Nero] proclaimed while gesturing to an area with his foot.
Taking the lead, Goblin Viking got a running start before jumping off from slightly before my foot marking the line. He probably leaped around 2 or 3 metres. A few seconds after he landed, Budget Dragon began to run and kicked off a little bit sooner than Goblin Viking did, but soared almost twice as far. Welp. That's settled. Frog Legged Dragon wins. Goblin Viking seems distraught.
"And we have our champion! Would anyone dare challenge the Budget Dragon's reign?!" [Nero] beckoned while handing the bottle of Goblin Hooch to Goblin Viking.
"SQUEEAAAK!" [Tier 1 Bat]
"Very well~ What type of contest do you choose?" [Nero] asked.
"SQUEAAAK!" [Tier 1 Bat]
"Of course! On our left, we will have Budget Dragon protecting his crown. On our right, we have Tier 1 Bat fighting for his right to be our next champion! The game will be a climbing contest! Whoever can reach the top of the Mountain first wins! Are you both ready?" [Nero] asked before continuing. To which, the combatants both nodded.
"Then let the battle begin!"
The result? Expectable. Budget Dragon was able to leap over the Chasm to be capable of climbing the Mountain. But on impact with the Mountain, he did not have anything to latch onto it, and so... He fell into the Chasm. I needed to have Crowli fetch him before he landed. It was a close call. After that near failure, I decided to call off the drinking games. It's all fun and games until someone drunkenly dies at the bottom of a giant Chasm riddled in monsters. The others seem upset that the contest has ended, but it can't be helped.
After returning to the Village Hut, I began making some more clothes while aiming for level 15 pieces. When arriving, I noticed that there was still around 25% of the Meglacommon so I decided to munch on it a little bit. We still have 2 bottles of Goblin Hooch, so the night goes on. The band stopped performing, and have begun to just socialize. Most of the Villagers have gone to sleep, so it's just the main squad hanging out. After around 3 more hours, Dawn had arrived so I used [Daily Candy] and decided to go to sleep. After struggling to carry the candy and my treasure chest in the hut back to my [Wailing Keep]'s treasure room, I cozied on into my very own bed. Happiness~ Cetilla and the others came with me, and went to go find their own bedrooms in the basement. Goodnight!