C45: Miscellaneous Tasks
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Returning to the dream, I look at my sparkling echoes as the 1.489m combined with all that I farmed amount to 93,976. I am now left with 1,583,576. Which isn't too bad really.
'Oh How I wish I could convert this all into Shades Essence and just drown myself in the collagen.'
Permanent stats are much more useful than stats that get nerfed when I enter the other side as I really want to make more progress on the other side of town but the bosses there are no joke.
'My only complaint is that there is nothing of actual worth on the other side as I get no weapons or tools from there. Everything is consumable and don't get me wrong, the runes are great since they count amongst the non-nerfed stats which is how I have currently just a bit better than starting stats with all my bonuses.'. I randomly mumble to myself about something that doesn't really matter as its not prevalent to my goals in the future.
"Well back good hunter" The doll snaps me out of my musings and a smile slips onto my lips unconsciously. "Hello my dear Doll. Same as usual with you?"
She gives me curtsy as she says that 'Master' Gehrman has been spending more time in the garden this night. I look behind me until she informs me that there is another garden.
"Right, that one. Not my first pick but he can do him" I shrug in response as my first response was to sneak up on him and drop kick his chair, sending him tumbling down the stone steps.
With the doll accompanying me. Im about to go inside to work on my weapons when I notice a messenger at the first steps leading up.
I crouch down and speak to this group who have bridal veils on their heads. "Hey there buddies, ya got something for me?" i ask as I don't remember them giving me anything at any point in the game after the starting gear during the first entrance to the dream.
They give me a note with a small bag that has an eyeball inside.
go to the weapon station and fix up my saw cleaver and tontritus
["The Eye of a Blood-Drunk Hunter beckons hunters to the Hunters nightmare. A Deformed creature will whisk you away outside Oedon Chapel."] The note says and the system follows up with a prompt.
[Secondary Main Quest acquired. Find and Enter the Hunters Nightmare.
Step 1: Travel to Oedon Chapel and find the method to enter the nightmare with the blood drunk hunters eye at your side.
Reward: 1: 10k echoes]
"Um, okay. Thanks buddies" I first react to the system before mentally shooing it away before thanking the messengers who slink away back into the shadow realm.
"Anyways" I brush off the situation as I go on up to the cabin and to the workshop where I fix up my weapons, the Saw Cleaver and Tontritus and Gascoignes Hunters Axe.
"Damn, need three of them to get to +7, dang. So expensive." I comment on the resources needed to upgrade my weapons with a downtrodden expression.
I then check on the blood gem fortifications where I update my gems to be one Tempering Blood Gemstone (2) in the first slot. A tempering 3 for the second as the two has higher physical attack with a secondary stat of more damage at full health which is my optimal state. The third grade has slightly lower damage but has a secondary effect of poison. I've never got that to work but I won't complain about the damage since it's still higher than all my first tier gemstones.
As for the third slot, I originally only have a blood tempering (3) and a fire blood gemstone (3) available until I remember I haven't used the tokens from the bosses.
I thus open my inventory and crack open Vicar Amelia's golden necklace. Getting myself the Gold blood gem and then the tear stone I got when I gave the doll the hair ornament which gives me the tear blood gem.
"Eh, the gold isn't a drop. Well then it's trash since I believe if I'm getting this right. I'm not gonna be fighting all that many beasts anymore unless I choose to venture into the dungeons. They all fall under the category of Kin now or some shit. Whatever, it doesnt matter."
"Oh, this one gives health regen" stars enter my eyes as I examine the tear blood gem which I got from Doll. "it's only two but if this is per second then it's goated as I just need to laze around a bit and no need for me to waste my vials or mutagen vials." I immediately slot it in and while I can't see, the doll sees the gemstone formed from her tear and a smile crosses her face as she curtseys behind my back.
I move onto my Tontritus next, socketing an adept blood gem (2) in the first slot and Tempering blood 3 in the second and third slot. At least until I notice that the Fire blood gemstone (3) gives +1 to hp regen. Im at first uncertain about using it until I check my stats and find that there is a subsection under my health which lists +2 at the moment for regen.
I quickly switch them and see the +2 increase to +3 and I clap my hands together in glee as while I won't get the few bits of damage increase, the hp regen will be vital in the long run unless I can get a skill that does it better than these gems.
"Wait, are there skills for regen?" I question myself as I open up the system store and I do not find any right now but that could be because there is some sort of hidden requirement for it like it was with the advanced skill set being breaking the 100 insight limit.
Moving onto my gun, I finally upgrade it to +6 just so I can and then slot in a blood-tinge gemstone (3) which increases my damage by 12.6% for a whopping 23 extra damage per shot. Wowee.
I then move onto the rune workshop and find that this works by me making blood markings on my limbs. I put the moon rune I have on my neck, along the spine. It increases how many echoes I gain and it's about as good as a non-evolved level 10 harvest skill as it's a 10% boost. I put it there so i can simply forget that it's even there since I won't be able to take it off without Dolls help.
It has the appearance of a single line in the middle with a glowing eye in the center. Then there is a small upside down u with a bigger one underneath the eye. Another way of thinking of it is a 2-d version of that one radioactive ball that is kept open with a screwdriver or something, if the two sides ever touch then it bursts out with radiation. As such you had the pot, the contents inside and the lid on top. The mark is blood red unlike the others which are primarily gray or black.
My next choice is the Heir rune since it's increases echoes gained when killing via Visceral strikes. 'I wonder if this also buffs when I slay a soul too?' My intrusive thoughts are winning but not for long as my choices are quite clear. This one has the appearance of a dna strand entwined with the hunters mark in the middle. I put this on my right arm which I regularly plunge into my enemies rib cages. Much simpler in design than the moon rune but not nearly as complex as the next one I chose.
The lake rune. It increases my defense by a flat 3% against Physical attacks which is essentially my favorite form of abuse as this reduces my overall pain when I get smacked…by anything. The design of this is as if looking at a music sheet but from a distance as it's just a multitude of vertical and horizontal lines which looks like chicken scratch. I place it square on my chest and treat it like im wearing an extra piece of armor thanks to it. 'I think the only possible threat to me later would be…the Winter lanterns ... .ehhh'.
A look of disgust crosses my face as I squelch up, this is accompanied by a shiver in disgust at the memory of them before my rage nearly overwhelms me otherwise as while they were relatively simple to beat in the game.
They still made me lose a ton of echoes along with the vile tjugsyhlew… since I didn't know how to get rid of it during my first playthrough and only succeeded in New Game Plus of that playthrough. I was so upset but I still persevered until I got the blood rock that was near it.
Moral of the story is to say yes to drugs. Especially when dealing with literal nightmares beyond human comprehension.
I finish up my work here by placing the impurity rune which is a horizontal squiggly line with a straight line down the middle with three dots on the left and right of said line down. I place this on my left arm as unless I want them on my legs, they would be pretty ugly and uneven. Its only effect is to grant more health when in coop. This is completely useless to me as other than summoning for bosses, I haven't seen any instance of being summoned but maybe that will change now. Not that I would care otherwise.
When I confirm all four of my choices, I feel the blood ink used on the stamp for delivering the design to the various parts of the body heat up.
I twitch involuntarily as my arms, chest and back of my neck all feel a burn from the marks. It's like a brand to my body and other than the pain, I only have one thought. 'How would I even go about changing these out if they are branded on me?' I soon receive a system message but a new idea flows into my retarded head after the first thought.
[Caryll rune: Moon, Heir, Lake and Impurity have been equipped.]
'Wait, am I even limited in how many runes I can use?' I think to myself and decide to ask the resident expert. Turning to the Doll, I pop the question. "Am I able to use moar than just four Caryll Runes?" i enunciate the word and to my surprise the doll nods.
"Yes it is possible but im uncertain of what effect transpires when this happens. According to records of long ago. Certain hunters would be driven mad when covering themselves in these runes."
"I see" I response with a nod but not before thinking about my actual thoughts. 'but im already retarded, I can't be insane and retarded, it's a double negative and just makes me a normal person at that point' My thoughts bring a chuckle to my face and I eventually say fuck it. I'll do one more rune to at least see what will happen.
I decided to put the deep sea rune which is a five pointed spear mixed with a trident. This rune is the tier 2 version which grants 200 frenzy resistance and I got it recently in the Forbidden Forest. Specifically where I dropped down onto the two giant viper pits.
[Caryll Rune: Deep Sea has been equipped.]
[Warning: Oversaturation of Caryll runes detected. +20% increased damage taken, +2 extra insight gained]
Being burned one more, I finally see the results of using too many runes and I have to say that it's pretty underwhelming. 'I see, the insight must be the madness as other hunters who were unprepared must have reached the so-called mental barrier and forcefully tried to ascend because of the runes.'
I get to work on putting on the clear deep sea rune beside the other lake and sea runes on my chest and then the anti clockwise metamorphosis on my back alongside the moon rune but some distance between them.
The anti clockwise metamorphosis is one that boosts my total stamina by 10% which to me is a giant boost due to all my skills and physique. It has a great affect but it's design is so weird since it's like two vertical and horizontal S's crossed on top of each other. That or a cross that was stretched out and curving at each end but it's in a 'clockwise' direction which means they curve to the right instead of anti clockwise which would be to the left.
'What's the deal?' I huff at the weird design as I get the update on the negative effects.
[Caryll Runes: Anti clockwise Metamorphosis, Clear Deep Sea Rune have been acquired.]
[Warning: Oversaturation of Runes detected. +100% damage taken. +8 insight whenever gained.]
"Hmm, I should invest into my 'speed' to avoid being hit.
"So many options, so few echoes" I say as I begin to scroll through the store list.
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Word Count = 2357
Upgrading gear, gemstones and finally learning im not bound by the 4x rune limit of the game. Now just need to learn to avoid dying or at least avoiding taking damage.
Enjoy
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