A Simple Transaction I

Age and Treachery

He awoke steadily from slumber, the high sun of noon creeping into his eyes through a giant's upraised fingers. Below was the chirping of birds and the slow, drawling hum of cicadas, trees creaking slightly in the breeze.

Slowly, the Armament above him flexed its fingers, steam pouring from countless apertures as it rose clumsily to its full height. From this distance he could clearly see how badly diminished was the weapon's current state: the errant, too-pale flickering of runes stenciled on its flesh; the choking, muffled retort of its damaged mechanical systems; and even the bone-deep weariness reflected in its stance.

You and me both. Though he'd slept in, he was nowhere close to fully recovered from yesterday's exertions. His physical body felt fine, perhaps even stronger than before, infused with a portion of the King Fish's thrashing vitality. The wound in his side stung sharply as he raised himself up with his elbows, but it was a brisk sharpness, jolting him awake.

But his powers of spirit, what Letrizia called his Astral Rank, was badly depleted still. It was a dull, hollow exhaustion, a blankness of the marrow, his soul's sharpness worn down to a nub.

"Good, you're awake." Gisena came into view, a pale, fatigued cast to her features. Without pausing she unleashed a Tide of Nullity into the open air, then turned and threw another.

"What's going on?" Fighting through the hollowness, he sprang to his feet, the Forebear's Blade appearing in his grip.

"We've got incoming," Gisena said, briefly wiping sweat off her brow. "Some kind of portal, but not an Astral effect. And they're persistent, too! Hundreds of attempts over this past hour."

"You should have woken me," he said, coming to her side.

She shot him a cheery smile, with only a hint of strain. "Nope! Both you and Zea were out like a light! And you need your rest most of all, whereas I'm positively brimming with energy!"

"I'm operational," Letrizia's voice boomed from Verschlengorge, testily flexing a hand. "Or as close to it as we can be in this state."

"I suppose it's too much to hope they'd give up," Gisena said. "And running won't do us any good if they have portals. Well, if they're dying to see us, how about we grant their wish?"

"We'll talk about this later," he growled, advancing upon the now-forming portals. Fuck these so-called interesting times.

"I await your commendation eagerly!" she responded.

There was no more time for talk as the shimmering blue portals finally gained a semblance of solidity. Scarce had the outline of their occupants appeared before he ducked, avoiding the chest-height Tide of Nullity that Gisena fired into the occlusion.

The first intruder appeared with a baffled shriek, the magic of her armor smothered under Gisena's assault, and he swiftly followed up with a pommel-strike to her sword arm, bone splintering under his enhanced strength.

Though they'd ambushed one, the full party had materialized successfully: one man, a mechanical construct, and two other women, all outfitted in rugged armor with an assortment of faintly glowing artifacts.

"Took 'em long enough," the man whined, eyes sweeping the party. "The fuck? They didn't say anything about adds. You guys deal with those, the monster's mine."

"Yes, my lord!" Spoke the others, even as Hunger pulled the first intruder close and plunged his blade into her sternum. A swift stroke brought her life to an end as the remainder of the party advanced on him.

The male leapt forward with a thump of displaced air, his blade glowing brilliant blue before it unleashed an arc of energy into Verschlengorge's direction. Too slow to evade or block, the Armament took the blow across the torso, leaving a great smoldering gouge in the plating on its chest. Hunger frowned.

Then the attackers were upon him, a nymphlike woman wielding an elaborate sword and a cool-eyed blonde who covered her with crossbow fire. The construct attempted to rush past, targeting Gisena single-mindedly, but he intercepted it easily as null bolts rained down around them. None of them seemed particularly concerned about the loss of their first companion.

"We must disable the mage," the construct groaned, bronze armor clanking as it traded blows with him. Its internals held up poorly against the power of ruin, scars of riven metal opening at each point of contact.

"I'll give the orders, mercenary." The swordmaiden said frostily, ducking back to avoid another volley from his Sorceress. "But I do agree. Beth, as we practiced?"

The swordswoman was a striking beauty, her features haughty and regular, crimson hair and pristine blue eyes, though plain in comparison to Gisena. Her companion, 'Beth,' was shorter and mousier, wearing a hood to cover her golden locks.

"Sure," Beth nodded. The two women withdrew.

He took the opportunity to pressure the construct, accepting a blow against the Evening Sky to slice open the thing's neck. It reeled, stumbling backwards, but before he could finish it the crossbow wielder appeared overhead.

"Nice!" Shouted the swordmaiden as her ally fired, several powerfully enchanted bolts hurtling towards Gisena. The Sorceress dipped and weaved, emitting a wave of dispellation, but was caught in the arm. Gisena whimpered but wasted no time, snapping off the bodkin tip and pulling the bolt free. She drew Letrizia's sidearm and began to return fire.

Growling, he hurled his blade at the midair archer and pounced on the golem, kicking off its chest to propel himself skyward. Beth contorted wildly to dodge his thrown sword, then spun with languid grace to evade Gisena's fire, heedless of leverage or gravity. But she did not see the Forebear's Blade hurtling back as he recalled it to hand.

She gave a startled, hapless shriek as the sword-fragment embedded itself in her side. An instant later he reached her, clothesline to the solar plexus driving her to the earth. Before she could recover his fist rained down with haymaker force, ending her life.

Slow. He was too slow, his instincts numb. He was caught in the flow of the world, instead the rock against which it broke. Had he been anywhere near fighting form, an opponent of this level would never have been allowed to hurt Gisena, and the golem would already be carven scrap.

But what was the point of dwelling? Nothing to do but fight on. His ring pulsed, feeding him with strength from the intruders he'd felled.

He pulled free the Forebear's Blade and moved to once again interpose himself between the construct and his Sorceress, but a howl of stark grief stole his attention.

"ELIZABETH!" Screamed the redhead, her eyes wet with tears. "You- you bastard. You'll pay..."

She began to tremble, hair rising in an invisible wind. Furiously he pushed past the golem, unwilling to let her complete whatever technique -

Slow. A moment too late he reached her, and by then her eyes had snapped open, infused with amaranthine energy. She blurred, tearing into him, Celtic knot of her sword pulsing as it pressed against his cloak of stars. Her blade sang as it moved, a mournful hum that intensified steadily, increasing her own speed until she dissolved into a whirlwind of slashing strokes.

"My name is Seralize vi Esterarc. And I am your end, monster. It's not about the money or even the glory. I'LL AVENGE HER IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

How many times had he proclaimed similarly, when faced with the Tyrant's cruelty? Had he sounded so ridiculous? The fact that she was distracted by her monologue was the only reason he was able to keep her at bay.

Gisena tried to assist, darting to the side, probing for an angle. The badly-damaged construct doggedly followed her, forcing her to disengage.

The force of Seralize's hatred was as a palpable thing. It suppressed his initiative and lent unnatural sharpness to her blows. Her sword fell upon him from all angles, grazing neck and cheek, nicking his ear, scraping against his forehead to send blood into his eye. The Evening Sky lent his flesh the same impossible resistance he'd faced against the pirate captain, else he would have died threefold in one exchange.

Was he any better than the Tyrant, in the end? Was vengeance alone a goal worthy of all this?

He jumped back slightly, resignation coming over his features. There was not much left in him, but if he exerted all he had, could he reach her, just this once?

"I get it," he said, looking his would-be murderer directly in the eye. "And I'm sorry."

She nodded bitterly. "As it should be."

With a final vengeful roar, she thrust forward, the gleam of her blade like a falling star. He made no move to intercept, stepping into the blow, taking it into his side, all but collapsing on her.

As the blade sprouted from his back, she let out a grim, tremulous sigh of catharsis, then began to pull her sword free for the finishing blow. The weight of his cloak was like a leaden mantle around them.

Still caught in that impromptu embrace, she was unable to evade when he stabbed her in the spine. The Evening Sky billowed and swarmed, holding her longsword in place to prevent further damage, blanketing them and smothering them, gentle dying of the light. Grimly he twisted his blade, cutting flesh and spirit, fell energies severing body from mind, soul from essence. A mortal wound.

Strike a thousand times, or strike one blow that tells.

"Hate..." she rasped, blood flecking his cheek. "I... hate you..."

He closed his eyes. "I know."

He tore free the Forebear's Blade and cut off her head.

Age and treachery, the Tyrant had told him once. Against such forces as that, what was the vigor of youth? Merely the purposeless guttering of an over-bright flame.

By walking into her strike, controlling the angle, he'd directed the blow down the path of his existing wound, minimizing the damage. Still, the pain was intense even under the soporific numbness of the Evening Sky. She'd widened the cut broadly and managed to nick his intestines. Not a wound that would trouble him much, if he were at full strength. As it was...

Letrizia screamed in pain, and his head snapped around to take in his companions.

Gisena had worn down the construct, which looked to be on its last legs, though she'd taken a nasty scrape from its claws. Verschlengorge was tottering, brought to one knee by the onslaught of bright blue energies hounding it.

Letrizia's opponent nodded to himself as he struck, his eyes steady and calculating, baiting her into an overhead swing before darting sideways to target the joints. Even the Armament's cockpit was exposed, smoke rising steadily from its insides. As he fought, the intruder spoke, an incessant stream of affirmational nonsense mixed with strange jargon.

"C'mon Ber, you've got this. Patterns are down solid. One last phase and it's payday. Just gotta do like you do, only it's real life. Done it a hundred times..."

The last invader spared a glance for them, and briefly paused in shock to see his companions scattered and lifeless. His body was not bare of wounds either; cuts and burns covered his skin, and his left shoulder was one enormous bruise, though compared to Verschlengorge he seemed able and hale. He leapt back, dodging a translucent wave from Gisena, scanning the three of them rapidly.

"Even Sera? She's allowed to die? Shitfuck. Should have known an Astral Lord would try to fuck me, no matter how shiny the prize." He mumbled to himself, sword raised in a guard position. "Assess."

Hunger frowned. It almost sounded like this guy had come from Earth, or a realm like it. Not that it mattered at this juncture. Gently extracting the now-dull steel of Seralize's longsword, he prepared to advance on the man. Warmth from the ring on his finger, sending power down his arm. Warmth from the wound as well, leaking strength down his side.

Idly he wondered if he could actually defeat this man. He was getting light-headed. Convincing Seralize had taken too much out of him.

"Information not found..." the intruder whispered, eyes going wide. "System, what the fuck is this? Some kind of hidden boss bullshit?"

Evading another Tide of Nullity, their enemy shook his head. "Fuck it. Gotta bail, come back when I'm higher level. Hey, fuckwad!"

He pointed his sword at Hunger, its flat the cold, unending blue of a cloudless sky. "You're dead, okay? All of you. No one kills my... friends and lives to talk about it. See ya."

So saying, he launched a torrential strike directly at Letrizia's cockpit, a sky-furrowing wave of blue that devoured the land as it traveled. Hunger and Gisena both moved to intercept, but even her focused Nullity only diminished the attack.

Panting in exhaustion, the invader gestured listlessly again. A portal of the same color quickly engulfed him.

Hunger hurled himself at the remnants of the attack, cloak fully spread, managing to divert it off-course, though his arm was seared very nearly to the bone. Gisena approached quickly, holding her bleeding arm.

"Check on Letrizia," he grunted, collapsing. "I'll be fine."

"On it!" Gisena said, running her fingers gently over his shoulder before sprinting for the Armament.

Letrizia was hurt, her left side marred by burns. Gisena carefully set her down on the grass and opened the medical kit. The young duchess whined, twisting away from her ministrations.

"I can stabilize her," Gisena began worriedly, "but she won't be in any fit state to travel. What do you think we should do?"

---

Last time the winner was [X] Sleep In. I'm still calculating the winner of the long-term planning vote, but it was a 25 Arete option so it's not particularly relevant for this post.

Given what he said, this particular enemy ('Ber?') wouldn't be returning for some time. Therefore...

[ ] Recuperate - Rest for now until the Exhausted and Tired conditions clear, then continue onwards without diverging from the plan. It's likely you'll outscale this particular enemy without any special actions. Don't get distracted and focus on your own Progression.

[ ] Press the Attack - By analyzing magical remnants, Gisena should be able to discern the origin point of the enemy's portals. Take over Letrizia's care while she does so, then prepare to hunt this foe with all due haste. He has powerful magics of his own and some form of... video-game based 'system' to manage it. A threat like that must be pursued to its conclusion. Rest until the Exhausted condition clears and then begin the hunt.

[ ] Hunt for Healing - Your battle hasn't given you any abilities that would help you heal Letrizia. Strike out into the wilderness until you kill something that gives you the capability. Navigation will be difficult in your state, but you've some power remaining from your recent victories. A risk, but one you're willing to bear to ensure that Letrizia recovers unharmed.

---

You are currently at 61% Health and 84% effectiveness. You are Exhausted again. Choose 2, or 3 if Fury is picked. You have 5.9 Arete.

[ ] Forebear's Blade - Echo of the Forebear - Cloud-shadow of the Forebear's might. Legendary strength and speed, and the resilience to exert them. Can be taken multiple times. [+Might, +Agility]

[ ] Evening Sky - Opalescence - The soft light of evening before which all attacks falter. Improves defensive parameters. [+Protection]

[ ] Hunger - Ring of Blood - 2 Arete. Wielder fully recovers health with [Might's Repose], can use [Ring of Power] to restore health, though inefficiently.

-Do note that [Ring of Power] cannot be effectively used while Exhausted, so this will not heal Letrizia in the short term. It will heal your near-incinerated arm when you sleep, however.

[ ] Evening Sky - Amaranth Star - 2 Arete. Swift fury of vengeance unshackled, and its unremitting resolve. Exhausted and Tired Conditions are 25% less severe. [+++Agility]

[ ] Hunger - Scent of Prey. A single drop of blood will set predators to swarming. When hunting a target, gain an instinctual sixth sense for its distance and bearing. Existing knowledge may yield superior accuracy. [2 picks]

-For example, 'Ber,' the human swordsman who wields blue energy and constantly mutters to himself, would yield a more accurate bearing than 'A creature I can kill to develop healing capabilities for Letrizia,' though the latter would at least give you a vague direction.

[ ] Feat - Age and Treachery. Gain +.25 Rank. [2 picks]

[ ] Forebear's Blade - What Rains May Come. To strike at him would arouse his disdain. To strike at his loved ones, would arouse his ire. Once per month, transfer wounds caused by the hand of another from an ally to yourself. Reverse wound penalties, except from those inflicted by your own hand. [3 picks]

Thread Participation has yielded a bonus. Please choose one:

[ ] Coldly Calculating - +.75 Arete
[ ] Fury - +1 pick above
[ ] Wolf Moon - 'Ber' becomes a valid target for A Hunger, Sated.