A Side Quest?

[brian 333]

Serini seems confident in her defenses, and has none in the party. I'm betting in the next issue Serini sells them some gear and sends them on a side-quest to level up.

In video game terms, she is the last merchant before the final boss encounter.

[Fyraltari]

Serini seems confident in her defenses, and has none in the party. I'm betting in the next issue Serini sells them some gear and sends them on a side-quest to level up.
A side quest to do what? Wouldn't that kind of tank the pacing of the story to have the heroes go do something completely irrelevant? Especially since Team Evil knows something's up with the tunnels, now?

Also,

In video game terms, she is the last merchant before the final boss encounter.
No, that's this guy. (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1201.html)

[Mic_128]

Serini seems confident in her defenses, and has none in the party.

Which is why, if anything, Serini will see her defences fail and see how competent the Order can actually be.

...at which point something outside of their control will no doubt go horribly, horribly wrong.

[KorvinStarmast]

Which is why, if anything, Serini will see her defences fail and see how competent the Order can actually be.

...at which point something outside of their control will no doubt go horribly, horribly wrong. IFCC, for example.

[brian 333]

A side quest to do what? Wouldn't that kind of tank the pacing of the story to have the heroes go do something completely irrelevant? Especially since Team Evil knows something's up with the tunnels, now?

A side quest to build a gate over Lirian's Rift comes to mind. It would help with the issue of fighting Xykon causing the destruction of the last gate. Sure, it's a band-aid, but but it's something that will get them some huge story EXP.

There are a lot of other things, like rings of Negative Energy Protection or something that they could use in the fight, and Serini might know where to find them. A side-quest to recover such an item might allow them to deal with the other players in the gate-game, and then have to get back to the pole just in time to stop Xykon as he performs the ritual.

Now, in my opinion, is too soon to defeat Xykon. As I see it, dealing with him now, then having a few years of denouement to deal with the rest of the story would be less impactful than to have all the various threads come together for the climax.

At this moment Roy has no reason to do anything but try to kill Xykon. Something needs to change, and that's where a side-quest would come in handy.

[Mic_128]

IFCC, for example.

I'm honestly low-key excited to see their next move.

[hroþila]

A side quest to build a gate over Lirian's Rift comes to mind.
According to Redcloak, you need Epic casters for that. The Order can't do it.

[hungrycrow]

A side quest to build a gate over Lirian's Rift comes to mind. It would help with the issue of fighting Xykon causing the destruction of the last gate. Sure, it's a band-aid, but but it's something that will get them some huge story EXP.

There are a lot of other things, like rings of Negative Energy Protection or something that they could use in the fight, and Serini might know where to find them. A side-quest to recover such an item might allow them to deal with the other players in the gate-game, and then have to get back to the pole just in time to stop Xykon as he performs the ritual.

Now, in my opinion, is too soon to defeat Xykon. As I see it, dealing with him now, then having a few years of denouement to deal with the rest of the story would be less impactful than to have all the various threads come together for the climax.

At this moment Roy has no reason to do anything but try to kill Xykon. Something needs to change, and that's where a side-quest would come in handy.

The Order doesn't get XP for doing things with no conflict or danger.

We don't know that the Order is capable of building Gates. That might require epic magic. Also, it might not be possible to rebuild gates anyways after the first ones were destroyed.

Coming back just before Xykon finishes the ritual means fighting him next to the Gate, which is the exact nightmare scenario Serini wants to avoid. And it might not even get to that if they give time for Xykon to penetrate Serini's defenses; the Order believe the Gods might blow up the world before that happens.

What plot threads need to be resolved? I can't think of anything that would be worth the anticlimax of the heroes walking away from the final battle

[Peelee]

A side quest to do what? Wouldn't that kind of tank the pacing of the story to have the heroes go do something completely irrelevant?

Yeah, that's a real quick way to kill my interest.

[Fyraltari]

A side quest to build a gate over Lirian's Rift comes to mind. It would help with the issue of fighting Xykon causing the destruction of the last gate. Sure, it's a band-aid, but but it's something that will get them some huge story EXP.
But they don't have the time or ability to do it.


There are a lot of other things, like rings of Negative Energy Protection or something that they could use in the fight, and Serini might know where to find them. A side-quest to recover such an item might allow them to deal with the other players in the gate-game, and then have to get back to the pole just in time to stop Xykon as he performs the ritual.
Again a side-quest would the most infuriatingly pace-breaking thing that could happen right now. It would be like Frodo and Sam, on the Gorgoroth plateau, near Mount Doom, suddenly decided to go buy mountaineering equipment in Rohan. Sure it'd be handy, but... just no. It would also be widly out-of character for our heroes to leave the last Gate less defended for an extended period of time especially now that they have ruined their element of surprise and the ennemy is actively looking out for them.

This is isn't a game where it would make sense to halt the main story to go grind, Roy already refused that back in Azure City.


Now, in my opinion, is too soon to defeat Xykon. As I see it, dealing with him now, then having a few years of denouement to deal with the rest of the story would be less impactful than to have all the various threads come together for the climax.
I agree with you. But, I think that what's going to postpone the climactic battle will be independent from our heroes. Something related to the Word-Within possibly or, more likely, the IFCC's new minions showing up with "the vessel" and "the artefact" to do whatever it is that The Directors have been hinting at for more than three books now.

At this moment Roy has no reason to do anything but try to kill Xykon.
Precisely why he would turn down any side-quest.

[No good @ names]

Yeah, that's a real quick way to kill my interest.

And here I was thinking the elder dragon would be guarding the forums for centuries.

[Precure]

A sidequest to find Redcloak's niece. She's the key to all of this.

[brian 333]

A sidequest to find Redcloak's niece. She's the key to all of this.

She would be a grandmother by now, wouldn't she?

[Precure]

She would be a grandmother by now, wouldn't she?

According to her father, she was still raised by humans (or worse) six months ago.

[Fyraltari]

According to her father, she was still raised by humans (or worse) six months ago.

Six months before the start of the comic. So roughly a year and half from "now".

[brian 333]

Goblins grow up fast?

[Precure]

Goblins grow up fast?

Not that fast.

[brian 333]

I don't know how to do blue text. My previous two posts should have had it. This one shouldn't

[Precure]

I don't know how to do blue text. My previous two posts should have had it. This one shouldn't

[COLOR=BLUE!][/COLOR!]

Like this.

[Peelee]

[COLOR=BLUE!][/COLOR!]

Like this.
More accurately, like this:


Or this:


:smallwink:

[Quebbster]

More accurately, like this:


Or this:


:smallwink:

I like the [noparse] tag personally.
This text is blue

[Precure]

More accurately, like this:


Or this:


:smallwink:

"Blue" implies a lack of commitment to the color for me.

[Peelee]

"Blue" implies a lack of commitment to the color for me.

That's why I prefer hexadecimal. You are committing very, very specifically.

[Quizatzhaderac]

That's why I prefer hexadecimal.So Redcloak's niece has been raised by Reboot's Hexadecimal and the world within the snarl is Mainframe, where enough time has past for the niece to grow up to be Belkar's grandmother.

[brian 333]

So Redcloak's niece has been raised by Reboot's Hexadecimal and the world within the snarl is Mainframe, where enough time has past for the niece to grow up to be Belkar's grandmother.

We're through the looking glass, people. Now how do reverse vampires and the Rand Corporation fit in here?

[Peelee]

So Redcloak's niece has been raised by Reboot's Hexadecimal and the world within the snarl is Mainframe, where enough time has past for the niece to grow up to be Belkar's grandmother.

The original Reboot or the Reboot reboot?

[hungrycrow]

She seems to be the last trader before the last boss battle in video games.

We already met him (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1201.html)

[brian 333]

No, that's this guy. (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1201.html)

Ninja'd in the first reply!

But that guy only has basic potions. I'm sure Serini has better stuff, or knows where to find it

[Squire Doodad]

Ninja'd in the first reply!

But that guy only has basic potions. I'm sure Serini has better stuff, or knows where to find it

She certainly has some of that jingle-jangle (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1251.html), so she can buy herself some, or perhaps that's just a very clinky sounding sack of halfling pipeweed (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0991.html).