The Celestial Crusade

"Name the forest "Marko's Super-Cool Forest of Fun."
*You attempt to type it in, and, well, it fits. But it somehow shortens itself to "MSC Forest".
*Oh well. You'll remember the intents.

"One you are done, try to craft a pickaxe."
"Actually, we already got a copper pickaxe, remember? I suggest we use it."
Cheers.

*Act>Pickaxe>Use
*You decisively throw caution to the wind and dig yourself a hole.
*I mean that literally, actually. Making yourself an easy way out by sloping the hole, you manage to dig in rather deep, collecting a bunch of dirt that I will not bother to let you keep because that stuff stacks to 999 and you should not need so many blocks of dirt.
*I will however let you build some temporary things if you bother to acknowledge that you want to keep this stuff.
*It gets dark, though, so you decide to save yourself from being lost and resurface.
*You'll need a source of light if you hope to continue. Maybe you can improvise with your current items.

*Fight
*Act
*Item

Dig horizontally further so you can install skylight holes along the way. Surface materials are our priority until we know we'd be prepared to handle, like, a skeleton monster if we saw one.

"Make a lantern out of all of your dirt. Then dig into the Dungeon and die."

*You construct a lantern...and then it falls apart.
*Well, there was no fire anyway.

"Dig horizontally further so you can install skylight holes along the way. Surface materials are our priority until we know we'd be prepared to handle, like, a skeleton monster if we saw one."
You have the right idea.

*You think about digging some skylights into the cavern, and...well, I won't lie. It's one of your better ideas.
*But I'm afraid you dug a bit too deep for that to be an option. The pick certainly has more range than that stubby shortsword, no doubt. But you probably can't dig that well.
*Trying this even on the slope proves tedious and soon enough you can't break the surface. There's gotta be something you can hold in your hand to allow some light...

"Skylights are probably a bad idea until we actually have glass. If I remember correctly, torches can be made with slime and sticks, so let's try that out."

*Well, you have that Slime Staff, but you doubt that's an infinite source of dripping gel. Better to use the gel you've acquired from the slimes you've killed.
*You chop down a tree for its wood, accidentally killing the bunny in the process of swinging your axe. How that happened I am not sure of but you're pretty sure that thing was suicidal.
*Hopefully that wasn't the Adventurer's pet...
*You got 10 spare Wood, 2 Acorns, and a sense of partial guilt.
*Doing some tinkering, you manage to strike two of your copper tools together to create some sparks over the gel-covered wood, split into three pieces. You manage to get a fire going...but why stop there? You still have that dirt...

*You got the Earthen Lantern! Despite being made out of base materials, this lantern will be an integral part of your repertoire for quite the while. You'll need gel to keep it lit, so remember to keep killing slimes. This isn't Undertale, people, killing is in fact required...sometimes.
*One unit of gel produces 5 rounds of light. Keep that in check when going underground, because despite slimes also being abundant there, they're less common and if you can't get back then you'll probably get lost trying once the light's out.

*...you also get two torches which are less demanding, but you need the hand(s) you hold them with to mine and such. It's easier to use the lantern, which can be clipped to an equip slot.

Round 1/5
*With a source of light, you dig in...again, literally. Not bothering with all the dirt, you eventually come across a vein of stone. Normally this wouldn't be necessary to note, but this could come in handy...
*Digging around it reveals a cavern that seems pretty deep...but you think you saw something sparkle. Just a quick look inside wouldn't hurt, would it?
*After all, you can just keep digging. Maybe you'll find a bigger cave, or maybe a grave of a fallen adventurer with loot they left behind. Or maybe some ruins of an ancient civilization? You're ill-equipped to deal with any of this, you'll admit--but think of the loot...


*Fight
>Digging
*Act
>Stone
>Cave
->Shiny
->Stone
*Item

Sparkly? Follow it.

Greet him with a hearty handshake.

Hurry up and help that man!

Dig with feelings of numerical inadequacy.

*You complain about your inadequate stats.
"Why do you think I took you for a mook, dummy?"
*You note that his stats are much higher than the norm anyway.
"Heart Crystals, you slime-summoning--"
*You slap Vincent and start digging.

Round 3/5
*Digging in all directions doesn't reveal much, but when you dig behind the throne, you're met with an opening.
*You decide to head on through and remember this place for later. That throne can't be vanity.
*You're quickly met with a tunnel, but it isn't long before things get interesting.
*You tell Vincent to stand back as you scout the area ahead, hearing sounds.
*What you end up seeing is a way out of this tunnel and a couple of...skeletons? That doesn't make much sense. They're Typeless, too, so magic isn't exactly a viable excuse for what you see.
*You call over Vincent. You note that given the natural cover and the old ruins around here, you may be able to sneak past. But it probably won't be bloodless. ...well, it will, but not in the meta--
"Well, this bow is much more powerful than that wimpy shortsword. I've got 100 arrows, but I can't take out all these bones with that, now can I? If you can get me close I can probably hold one down while you whale on it with that little pocket knife. But that might take too long...what's your call?"
*...you?
"Well, yeah. If I'm not mistaken, in this world's fairy tales, the Stardust represents intellect and cunning. If you're really the Stardust Hero, you should be able to get us through."
*Not really caring how he knows this for the time being, you start thinking.



-First Cover
>To A
->Fallen Hoshido Mace Fighter (???HP, 1SP) x2 [They look tough. If only there was one more person here...]
->Fallen Hoshido Soldier (??HP, 1SP) [Has mook written all over it. If only those mace fighters were gone...]
>To B
->Fallen Hoshido Pegasus Fighter (??HP, 2SP, Mountless) [This one looks ready to fight, but they may be useless without a mount. Alert, too. May take a bit longer to maneuver around them.]
-Second Cover
->Fallen Hoshido Archer (??HP, 1SP) [No way we're taking anyone down with this one standing, though. Maybe Vincent can shoot an arrow to distract this one first? Certainly less arrows than shooting to kill.]
->Torch Staff (10HP, 0SP) [This thing's giving off light. Anyone remaining will see us if we take down the archer without disabling this first...]
-Exit
->Fallen Hoshido Samurai (???HP, 3SP) (Lord) [This one stands directly in front of the exit. No stealth killing this one...we'll need to make an opening then escape that way.]

*Item
*Light

But don't use too many, this would probably be better served as a distraction to snipe as many enemies as you can before something inevitably happens to the pegasus. Let's try to stay under 20 arrows used for this.

So it's mountless as in nobody CAN mount it, not that it isn't mounted.

Hmm.. Can we pull a Gatlin and seduce the pegasus into letting us ride it? Otherwise we have no choice but to try the plan mounting Vincent.

All right then.

Maybe try tossing some goo from our lamp at the torch. Maybe it'll extingush it, or alternatively create a blinding flash of light to operate past the dazed troops.

THANK YOU.

*Okay. New plan.

Vs. Fallen Hoshido Forces
Round 1


*You carefully scoop up some goop from your lamp. You quickly rush into the fray and fling it at the torch, then cover your eyes.
*As the area explodes into a burst of light, the troops become dazed and confused by the sudden flash. Two in particular let out a brief, muffled cry.
*When the area clears, the torch is extinguished, and apparently none of the troops were harmed, save for the Archer and the Pegasus Fighter. Those two seem to be out of sight.
*It doesn't take long for the Samurai to assume the worst and send out a search party, accompanying them personally. Little did it know that the two missing soldiers would come out of the tunnel you were just in, while a mysterious pair of shadows dashed into the exit created by the Samurai's absence.

"Well, I have to say, after you stopped hallucinating about a pegasus, that was pretty smart. Maybe you ARE the Stardust."
*Does that mean he trusts you?
*Oh. Wait. He pulled out his bow.
"Down, Rencar. We're only beginning. Those skellies are going to look for us here soon. We need to cut off their entrance--any ideas as to how?"
*...no.
"Well then."
*You'd better run.

Escape!
Pacifistic: +1 Silver
One Round Wonder: +1 Silver
Unintended Path: +2 Gel

*Running from the scene of the escape, you quickly run through a door and close it behind you.
*You pant a bit. Humans weren't meant to run at the pace Vincent was going without proper equipment.
*Speaking of Vincent, he's tapping your shoulder incessantly. You turn to ask him what the problem is...
*...whoa.

New Location: End of Roads (Fates)


*...oh, right. Sorry.
*Anyway, soon enough, you're met with a strangely domed room. This area has hints of the ruins you were just in, mixed with some...oddly darker architecture. More ruins, no doubt, but...this seems more subtle compared to the brightness of the Byaku Caverns.
*The area's naturally lit by a trio of red, purple, and cyan flames, which makes your lamp obsolete. Better turn it off...
*Time to do some exploring, anyway. What's first?

No HP, SP, Ammo, or Light changes.

*Fight
-Vincent???
*Act
-Glass Dome
>Crystal Heart (Increases Max HP by 20. Not sure how that happens, but it just...does.)
>Crystal Star (Increases Max SP by 20. Alternatively summons the treasure of Rougeport, wherever that is.)
-Flames
>Red
>Purple
>Blue
-Rune Circle
-Red Chest
-Purple Chest
-Vincent is also an option
-Byaku Door
-Ana Door
-Megaphone
-Bandage
*Item
*Dig