A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
yes, people wanted ruinous valor before the update and Hunger lamented his lack of two arms before Cut Through, so despite Cut Through changing the value of the option, it's essentially locked in.
Rihaku
The Internet
There's always tomorrow! Besides, he has to go check on [Whichever Party Member won] anyway!
Wait, do I have to messege that dude to get the PSA signature to count?
@Rihaku did you see my PSA acceptance to advertise this quest as my signature for 0.05 arete? if so am i on the PSA list thing or do i need to message the dude above in the quoted messes
Duquette7
I am Fire, and I am Rain
Well, if this isn't a blast form the past, I swore never to return, but the power of Rihaku compels me, truly is there no escape?
Thanks again Orm for reaching out to me, to think I almost let old grievances stop me from taking another crack at a simple transaction.
Not much to contribute here, votes mostly settled, but I did have a question for Rihaku if he's in a generous mood.
The plain text of Rune King states that it applies the effects of to shatter heaven to all magics you learn from this point on, which strongly implies that it does not effect magics learned or purchased before it's selection.
Given that Cut Through was purchased this update, if we take Rune King now, would it apply to Cut Through? Or has our window already passed do to the hateful nature of the Dice?
Thanks again Orm for reaching out to me, to think I almost let old grievances stop me from taking another crack at a simple transaction.
Not much to contribute here, votes mostly settled, but I did have a question for Rihaku if he's in a generous mood.
The plain text of Rune King states that it applies the effects of to shatter heaven to all magics you learn from this point on, which strongly implies that it does not effect magics learned or purchased before it's selection.
Given that Cut Through was purchased this update, if we take Rune King now, would it apply to Cut Through? Or has our window already passed do to the hateful nature of the Dice?
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I think @Aabcehmu will see it from this @ so you should be good now!
- Location
- USA
Yeah we haven't really learned anything from it yet, just acquired the system, so I dunno. If it applies to it though I would swap in a heartbeat.
ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
Well, another reaction post to take advantage of the Arete bonus. I'm going to regret not sitting on these aren't I?
Thunder of Blood Reaction Post (1208#Words)
Letrizia is good at soup. It's a fun little callback to how Hunger asked for soup at the beginning of the day.
Verschlengorge does "scary protective" pretty well apparently. I wonder if each individual Armament has its own personality? Did Letrizia luck out getting one of the good ones? It's interesting that the Armament based around the Affliction of the Decimator would have a protective personality, given what that curse does. But on the other hand, the Decimator is the curse with the most built-in mitigation, perhaps out of a desire to avoid that curse's effect moreso then others? Or perhaps having gone many eons seeing its pilots waste away has made big V protective of them...
Interesting that Letrizia thinks you need to pet dogs to make them work. You should, but you by no means need to.
Also Letrizia using her original hair color could indicate she's feeling more comfortable around Hunger and Gisena, like she doesn't need to put up a front of professionalism. Not that white hair is very professional in the real world, but Letrizia had a rough childhood and can be forgiven for quirks.
Interesting. Domesticated animals are already pretty well optimized for human environments due to artificial selection. But non-biological pets would be more convenient, lacking many of the requirements and... byproducts of living creatures. I could easily see a shift more towards synthetic pets taking place, but I would think there would be holdouts who just really like their dogs or cats or whatever. Maybe Letrizia was just never exposed to such people? Her childhood keeps coming up again...
Fun being had here at the expense of morality arguments. Also the Foremost did the biotech - were the Armaments wholly biological before humans came along and started modifying them?
Navigating the Voyaging Realm is a function of Rank as far as I can tell, but the Armaments still have specialized organs for the purpose. Maybe the Armaments can only use rank in specific ways corresponding to specific parts they have? Perhaps like our rank is channeled through our artifacts, an Armament's rank is channeled through their mechanisms.
This passage does an excellent job of explaining the Armament's thought process and relationship with humans. A being with unity of purpose is not to be underestimated!
Verschlengorge find the silly humans amusing I guess. And here we find the spacetime navigation organ, which appears to by a glyph in whatever language the Accursed uses. Something he developed, much like the Praxis and perhaps intertwined with it, or the native language of his homeworld (might be Old Realm if the Odyssial speculation is correct).
So Astral beast fluids are the main component is Armament repair serums. Perhaps a reason why the Astrals are always trying to off the Armaments - they're natural predators of the Astral denizens. Also V just straight up eats them, but that may be more related to the Decimator's Affliction then a standard armament trait - the Decimator's Affliction is often described as devouring and temporarily putting it off is called "Hunger Sated."
....Interesting coincidence there. The guy named Hunger ended up with the curse related to devouring.
I don't think Hunger and the Armaments are so different as they think. Hunger was reduced to a burned-out wreck when the Forebear's Blade was shattered. I think Accretion users merely have their Rank invested in their Artifacts rather then their bodies. Hunger can continue using his Pressure even if his body is being destroyed because the source of his Pressure is his artifacts, while an Armament derives its Rank from the mechanisms within its body, and as such is more vulnerable to losing them.
If this is the case, Hunger is pretty lucky that a lot of his power is invested in the Ring of Power, which is indestructible thanks to the Accursed.
Actually - the Evening Sky dissipates all the time and Hunger is fine. Is it because the Evening sky is designed to dissipate, as part of its function? Or maybe my speculation about artifacts is off base.
We finally figured out that we need to take a break. Also we physically couldn't go back in immediately because of our injury.
The Moonslavers are going to be pretty surprised when Hunger comes back with Cut Through and Surgecraft. Those are both pretty big upgrades and our massive Omakestorm means Hunger's jumped up in power faster then he ever has before. Might catch them off guard if they planned around his observed growth rate.
He did make an impression. It was probably the hardest fight so far in this quest, our closest brush with death, and it came via a guy that Hunger could respect and identify with. Hunger even made a huge breakthrough in his swordsmanship shortly afterwards, inspired partly by Vanreir.
If we'd picked the Plenary Brand, would we have landed next to this Armament instead? Would be really funny if we'd brought Catherine Amrlt, we have ownership of the Armament and the return of its ancestral pilot. I like the way things have turned out better though, Letrizia is great.
Best way to cheer Zea up: trigger her tsun.
You heard the girl, Zea wants mages! And exotic locals, but we're covering the mages this trip. We can go to weird places later, after the Temple.
The Voyaging Realm appears to be alive in some way. Able to take actions if it encounters something it doesn't like. A thing to keep in mind.
Also we could have run into one of those republic kill-teams. Would have been interesting to see what kind of mage they were escorting, but Besieged Colony has been great so far.
Generally in this quest, I've found there's been very few options I've actually disliked. Other then not being a fan of Uttermost still even with Cut Through, I've found almost every option we could've taken to be compelling, even if I wish we had explored some things (Soul Evocation in particular) more deeply. I'm still pretty happy with what we've done so far, although I still want more magic systems.
Hah! Even Letrizia is saying we're not a real mage! I do consider Accretion a magic system, but she's not wrong that we're not very mage-coded. Let's fix that.
Vote Letrizia Element Upgrade so she can show Hunger her incredible power! And then vote 7-Arete element for us so that she's still not better then us! It's important for character reasons!
Also a little sad that we didn't take Slice Fate so that Zea could become Gisena's apprentice in truth. It was an unfortunate casualty of Arete politics - we could have taken Cut Through an update later, but few wanted to risk delaying such a milestone after they'd worked so hard for it.
It's alright though, even if we aren't making Zea a Sorceress we can make her a really good Surgecrafter! Right guys?
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I already did analysis posts on the vote options for this chapter, which are in the fanwork index apparently. As such I will not do so here.
Thunder of Blood Reaction Post (1208#Words)
Letrizia is good at soup. It's a fun little callback to how Hunger asked for soup at the beginning of the day.
Verschlengorge does "scary protective" pretty well apparently. I wonder if each individual Armament has its own personality? Did Letrizia luck out getting one of the good ones? It's interesting that the Armament based around the Affliction of the Decimator would have a protective personality, given what that curse does. But on the other hand, the Decimator is the curse with the most built-in mitigation, perhaps out of a desire to avoid that curse's effect moreso then others? Or perhaps having gone many eons seeing its pilots waste away has made big V protective of them...
Interesting that Letrizia thinks you need to pet dogs to make them work. You should, but you by no means need to.
Also Letrizia using her original hair color could indicate she's feeling more comfortable around Hunger and Gisena, like she doesn't need to put up a front of professionalism. Not that white hair is very professional in the real world, but Letrizia had a rough childhood and can be forgiven for quirks.
Interesting. Domesticated animals are already pretty well optimized for human environments due to artificial selection. But non-biological pets would be more convenient, lacking many of the requirements and... byproducts of living creatures. I could easily see a shift more towards synthetic pets taking place, but I would think there would be holdouts who just really like their dogs or cats or whatever. Maybe Letrizia was just never exposed to such people? Her childhood keeps coming up again...
Fun being had here at the expense of morality arguments. Also the Foremost did the biotech - were the Armaments wholly biological before humans came along and started modifying them?
Navigating the Voyaging Realm is a function of Rank as far as I can tell, but the Armaments still have specialized organs for the purpose. Maybe the Armaments can only use rank in specific ways corresponding to specific parts they have? Perhaps like our rank is channeled through our artifacts, an Armament's rank is channeled through their mechanisms.
This passage does an excellent job of explaining the Armament's thought process and relationship with humans. A being with unity of purpose is not to be underestimated!
Verschlengorge find the silly humans amusing I guess. And here we find the spacetime navigation organ, which appears to by a glyph in whatever language the Accursed uses. Something he developed, much like the Praxis and perhaps intertwined with it, or the native language of his homeworld (might be Old Realm if the Odyssial speculation is correct).
So Astral beast fluids are the main component is Armament repair serums. Perhaps a reason why the Astrals are always trying to off the Armaments - they're natural predators of the Astral denizens. Also V just straight up eats them, but that may be more related to the Decimator's Affliction then a standard armament trait - the Decimator's Affliction is often described as devouring and temporarily putting it off is called "Hunger Sated."
....Interesting coincidence there. The guy named Hunger ended up with the curse related to devouring.
I don't think Hunger and the Armaments are so different as they think. Hunger was reduced to a burned-out wreck when the Forebear's Blade was shattered. I think Accretion users merely have their Rank invested in their Artifacts rather then their bodies. Hunger can continue using his Pressure even if his body is being destroyed because the source of his Pressure is his artifacts, while an Armament derives its Rank from the mechanisms within its body, and as such is more vulnerable to losing them.
If this is the case, Hunger is pretty lucky that a lot of his power is invested in the Ring of Power, which is indestructible thanks to the Accursed.
Actually - the Evening Sky dissipates all the time and Hunger is fine. Is it because the Evening sky is designed to dissipate, as part of its function? Or maybe my speculation about artifacts is off base.
We finally figured out that we need to take a break. Also we physically couldn't go back in immediately because of our injury.
The Moonslavers are going to be pretty surprised when Hunger comes back with Cut Through and Surgecraft. Those are both pretty big upgrades and our massive Omakestorm means Hunger's jumped up in power faster then he ever has before. Might catch them off guard if they planned around his observed growth rate.
He did make an impression. It was probably the hardest fight so far in this quest, our closest brush with death, and it came via a guy that Hunger could respect and identify with. Hunger even made a huge breakthrough in his swordsmanship shortly afterwards, inspired partly by Vanreir.
If we'd picked the Plenary Brand, would we have landed next to this Armament instead? Would be really funny if we'd brought Catherine Amrlt, we have ownership of the Armament and the return of its ancestral pilot. I like the way things have turned out better though, Letrizia is great.
Best way to cheer Zea up: trigger her tsun.
You heard the girl, Zea wants mages! And exotic locals, but we're covering the mages this trip. We can go to weird places later, after the Temple.
The Voyaging Realm appears to be alive in some way. Able to take actions if it encounters something it doesn't like. A thing to keep in mind.
Also we could have run into one of those republic kill-teams. Would have been interesting to see what kind of mage they were escorting, but Besieged Colony has been great so far.
Generally in this quest, I've found there's been very few options I've actually disliked. Other then not being a fan of Uttermost still even with Cut Through, I've found almost every option we could've taken to be compelling, even if I wish we had explored some things (Soul Evocation in particular) more deeply. I'm still pretty happy with what we've done so far, although I still want more magic systems.
Hah! Even Letrizia is saying we're not a real mage! I do consider Accretion a magic system, but she's not wrong that we're not very mage-coded. Let's fix that.
Vote Letrizia Element Upgrade so she can show Hunger her incredible power! And then vote 7-Arete element for us so that she's still not better then us! It's important for character reasons!
Also a little sad that we didn't take Slice Fate so that Zea could become Gisena's apprentice in truth. It was an unfortunate casualty of Arete politics - we could have taken Cut Through an update later, but few wanted to risk delaying such a milestone after they'd worked so hard for it.
It's alright though, even if we aren't making Zea a Sorceress we can make her a really good Surgecrafter! Right guys?
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I already did analysis posts on the vote options for this chapter, which are in the fanwork index apparently. As such I will not do so here.
I... don't know who to check up on. This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make in this thread.
Gisena musings:
We owe her a princess carry, or five. Only issue being I think we might be a spooky wraith right now. I'm not exactly sure what she was imagining, but a specter-prince ghosting her through town is almost certainly not the aesthetic she was hoping for.
In her favor would also be immediate access to the fat wads of cash we are about to have spilling out of our ethereal pockets. If she wants guns, armor, new stationary.... well, actually, she could probably just charm these backwater rebels into giving her the stuff. But on the off chance she doesn't want to put in all that effort, our pocket money would certainly help.
Checking up with our #1 girl also makes sure @LordOfMurder doesn't... end me. I'm already walking on thin ice from when I speculated about merely introducing another sorceress. I've learned my lesson in that regard! We're keeping things firmly hunger-waifu-daughteru from now on, yessir.
Letrizia musings:
But, I do feel compelled to wonder what checking in on Letrizia could bring. She had been hard at... work? Spying on a bunch of mischievous no good.... uhh... regular school children? I couldn't find a quote but I believe instead of spying, she is actually "undercover", perhaps masquerading as one of those pesky transfer students. Hmm I can see it now.
She'll be in the middle of class, fooling them all, diligently attending classes like a regular girl, when Hunger strikes. He'll slowly phase through the chalkboard behind a nervous young teacher. He's stuttering and asking for names in an all too familiar way, giving off the tell-tale vibes of a substitute teacher. Class had only just begun, and he's putting up a desperate bid to get anyones attention for roll-call.
What had been a ruckus, the apex of adolescents who had for over a decade blithely followed the every whim of their teachers, had finally with age and experience realized that there was no vengeance this poor sod could enact upon them. Realization that in a scant few months they would be released upon the world, and that no manner of hell-raising could impair their escape should they bay in lock-step with one another.
This insatiable, unstoppable, chorus ceased with all the abruptness of a popped balloon. Every eye fell seemingly upon the young teacher. He could feel it - Pressure unlike any he had ever felt before. Somehow he had done it, he had quelled the beast, and now their ire was upon him. He breathed in. He realized he hadn't been, felt then, the sweat trickle down his brow. It was too much! He hadn't signed up for this, he had to, had to -
His eyes fell to the floor, he buried them deep into the earth like the cheap caricature of an ostrich. he couldn't help it! Their eyes bored into him with the unwavering wide-eyed fear of - ....... fear?
Tentatively he peaked back towards the class. On every face - every one of them - was etched some bizarre conglomerate of terror and wonder, wide eyes giving evocation of both. It was only there - in the back corner - that there was any dissimilarity in his charges. In the very nook of the room, at a seat with a high, wide window sat a young woman. Her hand was firmly planted over her face.
...What?
"Ahem"
....There was a noise. Behind him. Every eye - they hadn't been towards him, no, it was through him. Their gazes drilled into what could only - should only be the board behind him.
"AHEM"
Louder now. He dare not move, he dare not - could not think. The weight, the pressure, the expectation threatened to overwhelm him. Then - weight given mass and fear given corporeality - he felt it so much as he saw it. Bright, shining, ethereal blue fingers draped over his unresponsive shoulder. His knees buckled, he locked firmly into place, feeling what could only be blood stain his nails.
Something primal made his head slowly pivot. Something that lurked in all humanity, that insatiable thirst for knowledge, that ever burning curiosity that drove them forward. And so often led to their demise.
Behind him towered an aberration. A being as blue and ephemeral as the rays of the moon dancing across the ocean, shrouded in the very stars that hung above the night sky. It looked at him then - with one ghastly, inhuman bulb. One focal point from which all of creation was surely weighed, measured, and judged.
Without ever moving it's mouth a clear, commanding dissonance in the imitation of human speech coursed across the campus.
"I'm here to pick up my daughter."
"DAD!"
-------------
Well, thats a thing. I still have more Letrizia points I think... where was I...
Ah yes, okay. The other benefit of visiting Letrizia is that, while we might embarrass her in front of her new friends, we may also have the opportunity to learn about Surgecraft from her. Seeing her pining for magic, we might open up the ability to work on her blood on the way backhome to the Temple.
Uhh, I swear I had more but I think this has run its course!
ohgodi'msorrypleasedon'tbemadlordmurder
[X] Check up on Letrizia
[X] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor (3 picks)
-[X] Zweihander
Gisena musings:
We owe her a princess carry, or five. Only issue being I think we might be a spooky wraith right now. I'm not exactly sure what she was imagining, but a specter-prince ghosting her through town is almost certainly not the aesthetic she was hoping for.
In her favor would also be immediate access to the fat wads of cash we are about to have spilling out of our ethereal pockets. If she wants guns, armor, new stationary.... well, actually, she could probably just charm these backwater rebels into giving her the stuff. But on the off chance she doesn't want to put in all that effort, our pocket money would certainly help.
Checking up with our #1 girl also makes sure @LordOfMurder doesn't... end me. I'm already walking on thin ice from when I speculated about merely introducing another sorceress. I've learned my lesson in that regard! We're keeping things firmly hunger-waifu-daughteru from now on, yessir.
Letrizia musings:
But, I do feel compelled to wonder what checking in on Letrizia could bring. She had been hard at... work? Spying on a bunch of mischievous no good.... uhh... regular school children? I couldn't find a quote but I believe instead of spying, she is actually "undercover", perhaps masquerading as one of those pesky transfer students. Hmm I can see it now.
She'll be in the middle of class, fooling them all, diligently attending classes like a regular girl, when Hunger strikes. He'll slowly phase through the chalkboard behind a nervous young teacher. He's stuttering and asking for names in an all too familiar way, giving off the tell-tale vibes of a substitute teacher. Class had only just begun, and he's putting up a desperate bid to get anyones attention for roll-call.
What had been a ruckus, the apex of adolescents who had for over a decade blithely followed the every whim of their teachers, had finally with age and experience realized that there was no vengeance this poor sod could enact upon them. Realization that in a scant few months they would be released upon the world, and that no manner of hell-raising could impair their escape should they bay in lock-step with one another.
This insatiable, unstoppable, chorus ceased with all the abruptness of a popped balloon. Every eye fell seemingly upon the young teacher. He could feel it - Pressure unlike any he had ever felt before. Somehow he had done it, he had quelled the beast, and now their ire was upon him. He breathed in. He realized he hadn't been, felt then, the sweat trickle down his brow. It was too much! He hadn't signed up for this, he had to, had to -
His eyes fell to the floor, he buried them deep into the earth like the cheap caricature of an ostrich. he couldn't help it! Their eyes bored into him with the unwavering wide-eyed fear of - ....... fear?
Tentatively he peaked back towards the class. On every face - every one of them - was etched some bizarre conglomerate of terror and wonder, wide eyes giving evocation of both. It was only there - in the back corner - that there was any dissimilarity in his charges. In the very nook of the room, at a seat with a high, wide window sat a young woman. Her hand was firmly planted over her face.
...What?
"Ahem"
....There was a noise. Behind him. Every eye - they hadn't been towards him, no, it was through him. Their gazes drilled into what could only - should only be the board behind him.
"AHEM"
Louder now. He dare not move, he dare not - could not think. The weight, the pressure, the expectation threatened to overwhelm him. Then - weight given mass and fear given corporeality - he felt it so much as he saw it. Bright, shining, ethereal blue fingers draped over his unresponsive shoulder. His knees buckled, he locked firmly into place, feeling what could only be blood stain his nails.
Something primal made his head slowly pivot. Something that lurked in all humanity, that insatiable thirst for knowledge, that ever burning curiosity that drove them forward. And so often led to their demise.
Behind him towered an aberration. A being as blue and ephemeral as the rays of the moon dancing across the ocean, shrouded in the very stars that hung above the night sky. It looked at him then - with one ghastly, inhuman bulb. One focal point from which all of creation was surely weighed, measured, and judged.
Without ever moving it's mouth a clear, commanding dissonance in the imitation of human speech coursed across the campus.
"I'm here to pick up my daughter."
"DAD!"
-------------
Well, thats a thing. I still have more Letrizia points I think... where was I...
Ah yes, okay. The other benefit of visiting Letrizia is that, while we might embarrass her in front of her new friends, we may also have the opportunity to learn about Surgecraft from her. Seeing her pining for magic, we might open up the ability to work on her blood on the way back
Uhh, I swear I had more but I think this has run its course!
[X] Check up on Letrizia
[X] Forebear's Blade - Ruinous Valor (3 picks)
-[X] Zweihander
Last edited:
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Reaction for the 20% Arete buff pot, word count once I libreoffice. (Edit: 1223 Words)
forums.sufficientvelocity.com
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Do you want a possible Findross or technology mystery box and progress towards a potential Gisena EFB or do you want a possible Surgecrafting mystery box and progress towards Super Juggernaut Undead Chimera?
Praedhir, tool, insult for those unfamilar with the foremost language, also apt given how we get off-brand praxis out of this update.
The word the got dropped in "mission to investigate colony's magic". Given Gisena's technical research, I wonder what the time to founding Aperture Science is now? It can't possibly be long now. Which just leaves us studying the blade. I looked up the meme this is referencing, at the very least the Forebear's blade probably isn't a katana otherwise that would be a lot more cringeworthy.
Which is pretty friendly to the way Surgecrafting works I suppose, we could get something decent without even needing [To Shatter Heaven]. Also, here's my obligatory reminder on what does and does not count for Hunger to develop with the ring.
A Simple Transaction I Original
Current vote count? Hm... an interesting thought. Hunger rewards genuine endeavor, after all, and not just battle! As well it should. Hm...? The real question is, who is Best Girl? There may certainly be more of that down the line. And offscreen interactions, of course. Word count is...
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A Simple Transaction I Original
A quest about a simple transaction and the consequences that follow.
forums.sufficientvelocity.com
The problems of being stuck with military surplus hardware unless/until someone with a truly ridiculous surgecraft element and skill graduates from school I suppose.
We were kind of one before. We deserve the title a lot more once this update is over and done with.
Getting the Doom of the Tyrant stuff taken care of up front, as Rihaku said, Lord Hunger is actually a very intelligent person in spite of his recklessness caused by our voting patterns.
Fabulous! They evidently know how to work with wandering adventurers/monster hunters.
They have leaflets... nice. We should get leaflets once we're holding territory too.
Mountain Range shaped area is the actual Rotbeast? How incredibly Exalted or Rihakuverse. I can almost see the military history esque arrows and funny colors on the map.
Golden Cores? Are we dealing with a degenerate form of Xianxia cultivators turned into disease monsters?
Yeah in the long run they'll need some massive Surgecrafting bullshit to change things or they're doomed to be swept under the muck, sink into the trash, etc.
Probably not rank 6+ unfortunately for them.
I'm suddenly getting Diablo and Warcraft III vibes off these creatures. Like the Abominations with cleavers and meat hooks.
Vanreir really left an impression on you didn't he? Also since Lord Hunger barely needs to pay attention to enemies this weak... *Curbstomp song starts playing*
Division, cutting infinity with the Blade of Want, yes you are entirely right Lord Hunger. The problem is what it takes to attain Royalty. So long as you still have your attachments you're going to fall short, not matter what you attain here.
Attack the giant enemy crab's weak point for MASSIVE DAMAGE.
No, no, you've got to flip it TURNWAYS.
Or not LOL.
I wonder what the deal is with that mist? Could it be the rot or does it have some kind of significance to Surgecrafting?
That sounds extremely unpleasant. Like if Lord Hunger didn't have the level of Astral Rank he did, that fog would soon separate you from your skin literally like it was some kind of acid. Or set you on fire like a World of Darkness mage using Friction Knife.
Acid fog it is I suppose.
Borderline Nasu Excalibur level firepower. Not bad at all.
*Devil May Cry music starts playing*
Those blade winds... for some reason I keep hearing the sha na na na na from Caddyshack accompanying them.
Hopefully you'll have your other arm back by the time this update is over.
Boss time! *Kogami vs Makishima music from Psycho Pass starts playing*
I'm reminded a lot of Nnoitra from Bleach's Resurrección. It even has the energy color right. Nnoitra had gold Ceros.
You're pretty good as Big Boss might say.
You know Sherlock Holmes's inner monologue fights from the Robert Downey Jr. movies, like the one against Moriarty in a Game of Shadow? That's what I'm thinking of right now. Thankfully we didn't have to tumble off Reichenbach falls to win this fight.
We need something else, or to finally muster up the will to actually invest in the Evening Sky. Seriously.
What a metaphor for our existence and trying to fend off conditions this is.
You don't have to convince me Lord Hunger I'm already voting for Ruinous Valor/Zweihander.
Even Vanreir fell short of true Royalty, there's no shame in that.
Seriously? This pedestalizing and memeification of the Forebear is... at least from my perspective anyway kind of annoying. It sets off all my Valeria Trifa and Faust Alberich alarm bells.
There simultaneously was and wasn't given what we got this vote? Also, fall of night is apt given the Evening Sky/Forebear's Blade conjunctional advancement.
Seriously? Hopefully that name would have been different if Catherine was our apprentice because that does not sound mentally healthy for Lord Hunger otherwise.
A pity you can't get much out of stuff like that kind of training anymore, or at least fast enough to matter, eh Hunger?
I wonder what kind of thematic setup will be gone with here? That seems fairly compatible with the willpower boost from Cut Through I suppose.
Hunger's Power of Ruin must have been really nasty back then.
Well, my suspicion of us being a potential past self of the Forebear just jumped several percentage points.
How disappointing. All that room for Kill 6 Billion Demons memes and philosophy wasted.
That sounds like kind of a gray area when it comes to precept 10 of Meti's Sword Manual. "A man who finds pleasure in the result of cutting is the most hateful, crawling creature there is. A man who finds pleasure in the act of cutting is an artisan." Forebear probably not Kill Six Billion Demons Royalty confirmed.
This at least is compatible with the second precept of the manual I've been talking about.
Am I the only person here who gets a sense of forboding off Forebear memes at this point?
Yep. The Forebear for all his power, did not attain Royalty if this is indicative.
Willpower stat enhancement in action? If so this is kind of disturbing.
No Even Further Beyond splitting yet though.
What is the blue then? The Bleak Light? Something else?
This simultaneously makes me go hell yeah and gives me feelings of forboding.
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While the condition sucks, thanks for saving us from ourselves by preselecting Cut Through for us Rihaku.
Leaning towards a Letrezia upgrade for even more downtime synergy.
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Coca Cola as I always say.
Getting started on the ring. Tempting but not enough to make me want to spend given what's coming.
A Royal Praxis Sword Technique. Hax but there will always be hax. The question is what hax you enjoy seeing.
Still the same mystery box.
Take this with prime and our healing ability goes up to 4.85, not bad if you're looking to save.
The ever-neglected last third of our panopoly.
Rank is rank. The always awesome godstat that puts us closer to 7 and possibly healing all our Tyrant wounds at once.
We'd have to be crazy to get Einhander at this point given what Lord Hunger's been saying, the benefits of a second hand for surgecrafting, and all that business.
Surgecrafting won, Rune King would have the potential to make even a low Arete element truly ridiculous and give us some Exhaustion mitigation. Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm not sure, this isn't winning.
Do you want a possible Findross or technology mystery box and progress towards a potential Gisena EFB or do you want a possible Surgecrafting mystery box and progress towards Super Juggernaut Undead Chimera?
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Having thought it over again, my previous vote did not mesh as well with earlier decisions.
[X] Augment Dominion: Blood
[X] Prime
[X] Upgrade Letrizia's Magic (from 2 Arete-equivalent to 7-Arete equivalent)
[X] Check up on Gisena
(Do I have to un-vote the earlier one? Can't recall how the tally works here.)
[X] Augment Dominion: Blood
[X] Prime
[X] Upgrade Letrizia's Magic (from 2 Arete-equivalent to 7-Arete equivalent)
[X] Check up on Gisena
(Do I have to un-vote the earlier one? Can't recall how the tally works here.)
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You don't, the most recent vote's the only one that counts. Remember to specify which bonus you want and who you'd like to check up on!
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Say, whatever ended up happening to that Oracle and Republic Kill Team, anyway?
Just According To Plan
To approach the Bearer of Curses is to be caught up in the tangle of his own designs. Tyrannical as he is, the risk of him claiming the Ring of Lunacy for himself is far too high. Your family has not toiled this long, sacrificed so much to see your Lady freed from one usurper, just to give her away to another. Poor, sweet Gabrielle. You would have preferred to spend more time in preparation, but the Temple has finally made their move, and so the Fairbright Legacy must respond in turn.
Luckily for you, your foe is still at the lowest stage of his ascendancy - following his clash with the Inner Temple, he will be injured, exhausted. Easy pickings, perhaps, but you've no interest in merely being another one of the puppets pulled to fight him by the whims of fate. You are the one who shapes destiny. And that begins here, where you will find useful allies in your ongoing quest.
The boy, desperate and afraid, raises his rifle - too slowly. The chimera is already in mid-pounce, and there is nothing-
The boy, desperate and afraid, raises his rifle - but you're already there, the force of your kick sending the beast tumbling wildly backwards, digging a furrow in the ground. Behind you- Without looking, you extend your crossbow, and what flies forth is nothing less than a solid bolt of time itself, impacting another of the monstrosities and bringing it to an utter stop in midair. Above- You take a single step to the side, and the titanic blow of the broodmother hits nothing but air and dirt, none of which so much as touches you.
This foe will take some doing. You leap forward, your crossbow folding into its collapsed form as you draw your rapier.
Currents of Time, sure and swift, bring forth that bleak fate that binds all creation!
The True Chimera is a composite existence - it absorbs every power, every technique, every skill, every iota of knowledge within that it consumes. Despite its vast bulk, it moves with the skill of a peerless dancer, a consummate fencer, an unmatched martial artist. Its every motion is sublime perfection - but despite all this, one day, it will die. One day, it will falter, its panalopy of stolen treasures insufficient to surmount the challenge it faces. You reach into the depths of fate, and seize that truth - one day, it will die, and that day is today.
You strike, a quick thrust that is parried-
You strike, a upward slash that is dodged-
You strike, a diagonal swing that is blocked-
You strike-
You strike-
You strike-
Across all possibilities, it is inevitable that this will be so: You will strike true. And with your strike will come death.
Your leap leaches its apex, and with a single perfect motion, your rapier pierces the hide of the broodmother, a delicate jab that should be less than a scratch to such a beast. You land, and your foe turns to dust, and then less than dust, the hand of ruin stretching backwards through the ages to reap an early toll.
The captain, still bravely defending the sealed casket despite his ruined leg, looks up at you with ill-concealed concern - but he is the only one. The younger, less trained operatives - to them you are, at this moment, their savior. Soon, their training will reassert itself, and they will become harder to manipulate. But in this sublime moment, they will listen to anything you say.
Just according to plan.
====
Choose one approach to dealing with your new "allies".
{X} Shining Tomorrow
Introduce yourself as Delphine Fairbright, on a righteous quest to save your Lady from her kidnappers and torturers. Play up the "righteous protector" angle, and request these brave young men's help, in exchange for guiding them safely back out to galactic civilization.
* It's what Gabrielle would have wanted
* The best lies are based largely upon the truth
* 48.54% chance of full success with no complications
* 32.85% chance that they'll assist, but fall to the Cursebearer
* 18.61% chance that they'll see too much and need to be eliminated
{X} Plan Means Keikaku
Use the correct authorization codes to present yourself as an Operative of Zeta Branch, sent here to take command of their strike force by Republic Command. The Devouring Armament, Verschlengorge, is in the nearby vicinity and massively weakened. They are to assist you in either claiming the armament for the Republic, or destroying it in a plausibly deniable fashion.
* The captain is suspicious of you, you'll need to eliminate him to pull this off.
** 99.79% chance of killing him without drawing suspicion.
* 39.87% chance of successfully seizing Verschlengorge, using your prognostication openly to guide the ambush.
** 86.79% chance of killing the Cursebearer if seizure successful.
** 93.21% chance of successfully clearing the Temple once an Armament is secured.
* 67.44% chance of killing the Cursebearer even on unsuccessful seizure of Verschlengorge.
Just According To Plan
To approach the Bearer of Curses is to be caught up in the tangle of his own designs. Tyrannical as he is, the risk of him claiming the Ring of Lunacy for himself is far too high. Your family has not toiled this long, sacrificed so much to see your Lady freed from one usurper, just to give her away to another. Poor, sweet Gabrielle. You would have preferred to spend more time in preparation, but the Temple has finally made their move, and so the Fairbright Legacy must respond in turn.
Luckily for you, your foe is still at the lowest stage of his ascendancy - following his clash with the Inner Temple, he will be injured, exhausted. Easy pickings, perhaps, but you've no interest in merely being another one of the puppets pulled to fight him by the whims of fate. You are the one who shapes destiny. And that begins here, where you will find useful allies in your ongoing quest.
The boy, desperate and afraid, raises his rifle - too slowly. The chimera is already in mid-pounce, and there is nothing-
The boy, desperate and afraid, raises his rifle - but you're already there, the force of your kick sending the beast tumbling wildly backwards, digging a furrow in the ground. Behind you- Without looking, you extend your crossbow, and what flies forth is nothing less than a solid bolt of time itself, impacting another of the monstrosities and bringing it to an utter stop in midair. Above- You take a single step to the side, and the titanic blow of the broodmother hits nothing but air and dirt, none of which so much as touches you.
This foe will take some doing. You leap forward, your crossbow folding into its collapsed form as you draw your rapier.
Currents of Time, sure and swift, bring forth that bleak fate that binds all creation!
The True Chimera is a composite existence - it absorbs every power, every technique, every skill, every iota of knowledge within that it consumes. Despite its vast bulk, it moves with the skill of a peerless dancer, a consummate fencer, an unmatched martial artist. Its every motion is sublime perfection - but despite all this, one day, it will die. One day, it will falter, its panalopy of stolen treasures insufficient to surmount the challenge it faces. You reach into the depths of fate, and seize that truth - one day, it will die, and that day is today.
You strike, a quick thrust that is parried-
You strike, a upward slash that is dodged-
You strike, a diagonal swing that is blocked-
You strike-
You strike-
You strike-
Across all possibilities, it is inevitable that this will be so: You will strike true. And with your strike will come death.
Your leap leaches its apex, and with a single perfect motion, your rapier pierces the hide of the broodmother, a delicate jab that should be less than a scratch to such a beast. You land, and your foe turns to dust, and then less than dust, the hand of ruin stretching backwards through the ages to reap an early toll.
The captain, still bravely defending the sealed casket despite his ruined leg, looks up at you with ill-concealed concern - but he is the only one. The younger, less trained operatives - to them you are, at this moment, their savior. Soon, their training will reassert itself, and they will become harder to manipulate. But in this sublime moment, they will listen to anything you say.
Just according to plan.
====
Choose one approach to dealing with your new "allies".
{X} Shining Tomorrow
Introduce yourself as Delphine Fairbright, on a righteous quest to save your Lady from her kidnappers and torturers. Play up the "righteous protector" angle, and request these brave young men's help, in exchange for guiding them safely back out to galactic civilization.
* It's what Gabrielle would have wanted
* The best lies are based largely upon the truth
* 48.54% chance of full success with no complications
* 32.85% chance that they'll assist, but fall to the Cursebearer
* 18.61% chance that they'll see too much and need to be eliminated
{X} Plan Means Keikaku
Use the correct authorization codes to present yourself as an Operative of Zeta Branch, sent here to take command of their strike force by Republic Command. The Devouring Armament, Verschlengorge, is in the nearby vicinity and massively weakened. They are to assist you in either claiming the armament for the Republic, or destroying it in a plausibly deniable fashion.
* The captain is suspicious of you, you'll need to eliminate him to pull this off.
** 99.79% chance of killing him without drawing suspicion.
* 39.87% chance of successfully seizing Verschlengorge, using your prognostication openly to guide the ambush.
** 86.79% chance of killing the Cursebearer if seizure successful.
** 93.21% chance of successfully clearing the Temple once an Armament is secured.
* 67.44% chance of killing the Cursebearer even on unsuccessful seizure of Verschlengorge.
{X} Shining Tomorrow
Obviously. Because:
Obviously. Because:
Taking >99% chances of success against this guy is just asking for it.
The lead valor has looks like a strong signal people are down to spend. So since saving probably isn't happening I'll go with my second choice.
[X] The King Stands Alone - 7 Arete
[X] Prime
[X] +1 Pick Below
[X]Augment Dominion: Blood
[X] Check up on Gisena
I would've thought the update we got Rank stomped by an elite mook would've been a shoe-in for a rank buy honestly.
[X] The King Stands Alone - 7 Arete
[X] Prime
[X] +1 Pick Below
[X]Augment Dominion: Blood
[X] Check up on Gisena
I would've thought the update we got Rank stomped by an elite mook would've been a shoe-in for a rank buy honestly.
I just want to get the arm out of the way honestly. I mean, after this one last
- Location
- Pindorama
Our sword slashes basically ignore Rank now, so it isn't quite the priority it used to be, but I agree it's good. It's just hard to compete with a whole new school of magic when it comes to the shininess department.
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
My counterargument would be that it's probably tiring to use those and we still have considerable need for the defense and utility provided by Rank.
In the update Hunger had to actually move in close and get blapped to first use his super-cut. Do you think it will now apply to his blade winds or is it physically tied to the blade?
While I see no real reason to get it out of the way when it doesn't do much unless we commit to spending. Even if a lot of people are doing it for the aesthetic, there's going to be a strong drive to 'justify' an otherwise mediocre 3-pick investment by buying stuff to make it more worthwhile. So I don't have much faith in future frugality at this point.
I don't think we particularly ignore Rank right now, merely against this specific opponent our newly increased offense could overcome the stifling effect of this particular rank disparity, Rank still does everything it did previously to us.
inb4 the break, *sweats*
Elementary School
A small riot of colorful hair and the occasional inhuman feature marched through the gates of the Good Waters Academy. Among the crowd of magical and potentially-magical teenagers, a couple shocks of white hair stood out.
Our focus is not on the fit young man in a slightly bleached uniform, but rather on the newest student to attend the prestigious school. Ms. Zia Zeirart looked quite normal next to the more mutated of the locals, and stood out mostly by her slightly hectic search for her classes. Glancing between her notes and the room numbers, she confirmed her destination, and with a deep breath opened the door to her temporary homeroom.
The class was rather small, but still spacious for the mere dozen students scattered in cliques around their desks. Several interested heads turned to watch the new girl enter, and the murmur of conversation picked up as the disguised success made her way in, claiming a seat near the window.
The quaint town of Good Waters wasn't much of an eyecatcher to someone accustomed to an Armament's view of the world, and so she turned her attention from the window to her contemporaries. A motley band of students made more exotic by their access to Surge greeted her. Before she could do more than get a quick head count, an eager face filled her vision.
Grinning from ear-to-ear, the young man invading Zia's personal space practically shouted his greeting.
"Hey, you're new! I'm Mickey!"
He seemed harmless enough. His shirt was untucked and his tie loose, but there wasn't any guile in those simple dark eyes. Leaning back a bit from the cheerful assault, Zia replied while most of the class looked on.
"I'm pleased to meet you Mickey, I'm Zia Zeirart."
She punctuated her greeting with an offered hand, which Mickey shook with tremendous enthusiasm. While trying to shake the poor girl to pieces, he launched into a salvo of questions.
"You talk pretty! Are you from the capital? What's your Element? Your grip isn't bad! Wanna join the Wrestling Club?"
"U-um"
Another student, a young man with a charmingly clear complexion and a spotless uniform came to Zia's assistance from the front row.
"Mickey, you're still shaking her hand."
"Ah."
Mickey released her, and rubbed the back of his head, rueful for just a moment.
"Sorry! I get stuck on stuff. It's my Element! DumbGum!"
"Mickey, we'll do introductions when Mister Mendeleev gets in, just let her breathe."
"Ah"
With that, Mickey retreated to his desk at the back of the room. Ms. Zeirart offered the boy in the front a grateful nod. The sobre fellow pushed up his practically opaque glasses and gave her a curt tilt of his own head, before resuming his reading.
The reprieve from Mickey's attention gave Zia a moment to consider her classmates. Mickey was quite accounted for, and she could see the studious nature of the boy in the front, but there was quite the spectrum of students between the two extremes in their small class of twelve.
In the center of the room, with a few complimentary hangers-on, sat Zia's guess at class queen. One of the more fortunate mutants, her rosy skin was complimented by cascading vines of blooming flowers in lieu of hair. Her uniform was mostly orthodox, but for a few spots of color from rogue blossoms here and there. She noticed Zia's inspection, and favored the new girl with an appraising glance with her vivid violet eyes, and a little wave by way of greeting. Pretty, to be sure, but not quite to the blinding standards of the pilot's sorceress friend.
Immediately to the rosy girl's left a young woman sat half-turned in an awkward position so as to watch the two girls interact. Her hair was a distinctly uncomfortable looking brown mass of split ends and tangles, and her uniform was awfully disheveled. She tugged on her collar and fiddled with her tie even as she turned back to her classmate, evidently satisfied with her quick estimation of Zia. Right beside him a boy with the same striking green eyes but far superior grooming leaned over to say something into the flower-girl's ear. Message delivered, he returned to his own desk behind his similar-looking classmate.
Near the back of the class a small huddle of conversation broke up, and first to leave was a tall brunette wearing a long knit scarf, colorful with a variety of patches and patterns along its length. She sat down one row ahead of Zia, and then turned to face the new girl with a warm smile.
"Zia, right? I'm Henrietta."
The handshake was oddly cozy.
"Yes, Zia Zeirart. It's nice to meet you."
"You too."
The other white-haired student in the room took a desk on Zia's left, and propped his feet up with the chair in front of him. He was tall, with bleach-blonde to white hair, and a deep tan. His uniform was strained of color just as his hair was, and he spoke as he leaned back in his chair.
"I'm Vic. You're in my chair, but it's no biggie."
"Zia Zeirart. Is seating assigned?"
"Nah, like I said, no biggie."
He looked back towards the center of the class as he spoke, letting his voice carry.
"So long as you don't get between Rick and Hippolyta, you should be safe."
The rosy girl in the center row frowned at Vic's warning, and the green-eyed boy behind her rolled his eyes. In the far corner, a young man with a moderate acne problem let out a braying laugh.
"Yea! Don't interrupt his beta-orbit! He'd be crushed!"
Rather than focus on the rude blond boy, most of the class turned to the mousey girl sitting quietly in the back. She twitched, seemingly involuntarily, at the poor joke. Looking slightly alarmed, Vic tried to calm things down.
"Uh, good one Marshall, but Mister Mendeleev is gonna be here any minute, you got your homework?"
The brash blond huffed, and oblivious to the classes' relief, started scribbling away on his tablet.
After another lesser tremor, the small girl in the back seemed to relax, and the class did the same. Vic heaved an audible sigh of relief. Across the classroom, everyone closed out their conversation and apps, and prepared for the lecture. Except for Mickey, who passed asleep almost the moment the bell rang. An older man, older than Lord Hunger but less dead or deadly looking, strode into the room, and wordlessly began writing on the board. Zia, a bit alarmed that this might be on a test, hurried to her notetaking.
The diagram which Mendeleev prepared was abstract and seemingly nonsensical. Clearly not mathematics. Wondering if perhaps he was an art teacher outside of homeroom, Zia gave up on reproducing the image herself, and snapped a picture for later. Putting his chalk down calmly, Mendeleev stepped away from the board, and examined his work, before turning back to the class.
"Who can tell me what all imaginary elements have in common, hmm? What, pray tell, is the central design which draws Surgecraft together?"
Peering at the labels to Mendeleev's table, Zia couldn't make any real sense of it. Charm along one axis, with resilience along another, were those the names of students? Wouldn't it be more helpful to record some shorthand to describe their abilities, rather than just writing their names? Had everyone in the class already memorized the particulars of their own talents?
Looking to her classmates for a hint, she was surprised to see them industriously clearing an empty space on the floor, shoving desks to the side, with tablets and notetaking forgotten. Mendeleev seemingly paid them no heed, carrying on a conversation with himself, and some small input from the boy in front. Before she could ask what was going on, Henrietta filled her in.
"Mendeleev is an absolute nutcase, don't worry about him. William keeps him distracted most of the time, his Surge makes the place look like Mendeleev wants it to look, and we swap out Marshall for distraction-duty if William's busy or tired."
Getting up from her own desk, Henrietta swept her scarf around, and around, and around. Quickly, she was practically swaddled in technicolor wool, from head to toe. Vic jumped up with a literally blindingly bright smile, and joined in the explanation.
"So, they're trying to teach us to use this surge stuff, right? But the old guys dont' have it, they don't really know how it works, and it's all different anyway."
Vic's hair began to reflect the overhead lights as brilliantly as his teeth. Were his eyes glowing, too?!
"What we figured out is it's better to just experiment. So we study in the classes that actually grade, and we spar in Mendeleev's!"
To punctuate his statement, he hurled a blast of light at Henrietta. It was brilliant, but not hot. Rather than the exhaustion of a noonday sun, Zia felt energized, if a bit blinded. Henrietta, on the other hand, was shoved back a foot, shoes squeaking on the tile. Other than the movement, she seemed unharmed, wool coiling around her like an animated lamellar suit. Several others in the room complained about the sudden flash of Vic's showboating.
"Sorry guys, just showing the ropes to the new girl."
Another boy stood up and entered the ring of desks. He was a bit heavy, but seemed strong. The sad first efforts at a blond beard dusted his face, and he looked pretty confident as he walked over to Vic.
"Are you sure it's safe to practice this in the classroom?"
Zia's protest fell on deaf ears, stopped up by a heady combination of youth and power. She got up and moved closer to the window, considering the ramifications of overpressure and a fall from this height versus other escape routes.
"It's fine, Sam and William can fix anything between the two of them, and if Mendeleev gets wind of things, Mickey will just gum him up a bit."
Slim consolation given, the big blond bumped fists with Vic, before the two of them squared off in the center of the room.Henrietta moved to the window, where her scarf began to overgrow the rest of the walls and ceiling. Taking after the example of others, Zia picked up her desk and then her feet when the wooly carpet grew across the floor. Once Henrietta was done, all that could be seen of the classroom was a small window to the back of William's desk, where he continued to nod along with Mendeleev's lecture. Noting Zia's curious examination of her knitting, Henrietta explained.
"My element is WoolworkBulwark. It's cozy, but darn tough!"
The mousy brunette, now watching as Vic and the other boy squared off, twitched and threw a dirty look at Henrietta. Henrietta blushed and covered her mouth.
"Sorry Francesca! That one slipped out. You alright?"
After a quiet moment, Francesca nodded and turned her attention back to the two boys squaring off to spar. Vic bounced from foot to foot, arms raised like a boxer, while the other guy was more rigid. Feet planted squarely apart, he made the first move. A step into a punch, but yards away from his target, his fist threw out a gold-sculpted replica of his strike, an afterimage but in bullion. Vic threw out his own reply, a much more substantial blast of illumination, but the light seemed to dim where the metal passed. He resorted to dodging when deflection failed, and threw out another blast of light as the golden fist thunked into the woolen arena behind him.
"Go Davison!" "Get him Vic!" "You guys suck!"
Cheers and jeers flowed freely as the class watched the bout, and Zia had to admit it was neat, if less impressive than what she was accustomed to. Although, they were explicitly holding back to avoid undue damage or injury.
The exchange continued for a short while, but in between blows Davison layered himself in a twenty four karat suit of plate, somehow still mobile despite the likely immense weight. Vic's light offered him no such protection, and while he was going faster than when the fight began, he also seemed bothered by the near-misses from Davison's bombardment. Leaning in as close over a wooly wall as she dared, Letrizia noted the blueness around Vic's extremities and lips, and how he trembled when he stilled. Eventually, Vic surrendered, and was immediately cocooned in a very christmas-sweater offering by Henrietta. He nodded thankfully to the knitter as he sat to watch the next contender for Davison's new title. Noting Zia's attention, Vic explained.
"Davison's got ColdGold. Heavy, but not too hard. It's no good against stronger attacks for him to make armor like that, but he knows I can't really ramp up my BrightMight in here without getting dangerous. So he just freezes me out."
Letrizia hummed in thought, considering.
"You say you can't 'ramp up' in here, but elsewhere?"
Vic grinned.
"I can't cut loose in here, but I get him every time in the yard."
Meanwhile, Davison looked pretty bummed to see a slight young student enter the arena. They were fairly nondescript aside from the silver-gray eye color, otherwise looking human normal-if a bit small-assuming they were a boy.
"Cmon Sam! Let me have this one."
Sam, apparently, grinned and shook their head, before adopting a stance not unlike Davison's own. Resigning himself to battle, Davison again struck the first blow, but rather than dodge, Sam projected their own blast of metal. The silver-gray blast was a torrential flow rather than a discrete body-projection like Davison's own, and shot forth like a geyser, impacting the wooly wall separating the observers from the combatants. Once complete, the new feature neatly divided the arena in half. Seeing the poor odds of a projectile contest, Davison rushed in to confront Sam with the added bulk of his armor. His stride could be felt even though the woven floor, and William turned an irritated glare towards the fight as he maintained his elemental jamming.
Sam put an end to the charge quickly. Targeted shots of metal pinned Davison to the floor in between one step and another, and when he came tumbling to the floor his helmet flew free, leaving Sam in a jaunty pose with one foot on the golden helmet, and one finger-gun pointed at Davison's unprotected face. Davison cursed, but accepted a hand getting up and out of his armor.
Vic, warm enough now to emerge from his cocoon, continued his exposition.
"Sam's got WinTin. The metal's flexible, heavy, and shears easily, but they've always got the advantage. It's a real pain. They're second in the whole class."
"Second? Who's first?"
A loud pop echoed across the classroom, as Mickey shot up from sleep, the huge wad of gum half-stuck to his face where he'd blown it unconsciously. The conversation fell off and the formerly uninterested classmates dropped their conversations to line up along the arena walls, angling for a good shot at the action. Mickey literally bounced into the arena, ricocheting off the ceiling and landing right across from Sam, who was already in motion, firing off a blast of WinTin right into Mickey's face. Rather than be knocked back or overwhelmed, Mickey bent backwards impossibly, as if his feet were glued to the floor.
"DumbGum is the top element!?"
Henrietta laughed, but didn't offer an answer as the fight went on.
Seeing the danger in Mickey's sticky strikes, Sam leapt back, but not before Mickey shot back upright, bouncing towards them. Both hands and feet covered in sticky pink DumbGum, Mickey threw his momentum into a tackle, aiming for a quick defeat. Sam, seeing the intercept coming, left a wake of metal in Mickey's path, while firing another stream towards the ceiling to divert themselves to the ground. Mickey slammed into the quietly confident tin statue, and was promptly stuck, hands and feet wrapped around and gummed together. Sam took a bow while Mickey rolled around a bit, and the class offered scattered applause.
"Nah, Mickey's great but he's a goofball."
Vic explained, then pointed toward the mousey girl, who was chatting with the itchy looking young lady while Sam helped extract Mickey from his sticky situation.
"Francesca's number one. She doesn't spar much, and never in here, cause her element is a three-parter. It's way harder to control."
"Three-parter?"
"Yea, like my element is described in two words, hers has three."
"And that makes it stronger, somehow?"
Letrizia sounded slightly irritated. Vic shrugged in reply, and Henrietta filled in.
"We don't really know how this stuff works, but yea it's way stronger. Like another order of magnitude."
"What's her element, then?"
Letrizia's question caught a quiet moment in the room, and Marshall looked up from his tablet game, eyes ablaze with mischief.
"Can't tell you, it's too punny."
With a violent shriek, Francesca turned and marched towards Marshall, white-knuckled fists trembling as she went. The rest of the class dove for cover, and Henrietta's WoolworkBulwark exploded with growth, trying to smother the apocalypse in its cradle. Too late, as Marshall, still bent over in laughter at his own gag, received a light tap on the shoulder from Francesca.
Immediately, the room was caught in a violent whirlwind. Sound and shrapnel filled the air alongside the tattered remnants of their knit safeguards. The window, and much of the west wall was blown out by the passage of Marshall's body, and the sonic boom left glass falling across most of the academy's tower. Zia picked herself up from the rubble, noting a bewildered Mendeleev staring out at his destroyed classroom, with disheveled students working their way out of their woolen crash-cushions.
Mickey, now unstuck and bleeding from a small head wound, laughed.
"That's number one! The unbeatable Francesca, with her MegatonPunGun!"
---
The total detention period was indefinite, to be determined after cleanup. Zia's case was pending review, as a mostly-innocent newcomer, but she was still responsible for aiding in the repair of the classroom. William led the charge, his CleanMien almost as effective at restoring proper order as it was at portraying it.
Francesca had apologized profusely, and was largely accepted. Her less-than-stable element made it intensely difficult to prevent such an event, and Marshall was a known agitator. Nonetheless, she joined in the cleanup efforts alongside the rest of the class, excepting Marshall. His own element, VileStyle, granted him a pseudo-invincibility through his capacity to manipulate narrative, but twisted events toward a trite and ill-thought story, filled with poor gags and immature humor. His potential was vast, securing his place at the academy, but efforts to mitigate the chaos he caused were ongoing.
"Sorry again, new girl, it's usually not this bad."
"It's Zia. And I really don't mind! To be honest, I was hoping for something like this from a magical school!"
The dishevelled brunette grinned at Zia's enthusiasm, and bent to help her move another chunk of masonry towards their wheelbarrow. Zia continued their conversation once their burden was deposited.
"I don't think I got your name..?
"It's Rikki. And before you ask, yea, Rick's my brother."
She indicated the similarly green-eyed young man working closely with Hippolyta, who paid no mind, entirely focused on his partner.
"He's not just love-sick, either. His FairAir is a really strong enhancement to Hippolyta's FlowerPower."
Zia nodded along, even if her face betrayed a little doubt at Rick's motive. Rikki leaned in and lowered her voice.
"The two of them are totally on Mister Mendeleev's shipping chart, though."
The pilot briefly considered the standards for ethics used by separatists out here in the sticks, before returning to her labors. She and Rikki stuck to the lighter work, her because her 'dangerous to use, difficult to control' hypothetical element couldn't be used, and Rikki because her own NettleMetal was too irritating and dangerous to be of any real help.
From outside the glow of Vic's BrightMight dwarfed that of the setting sun, as he worked to haul off the mess that Francesca and Marshall's trail of destruction had left. Sam climbed and lept up the side of the academy as easily as walking, picking out jagged edges of armored glass as they went, armored in a paper thin sheen of victory. Davison and Mickey bickered as they worked to add temporary patches to keep out the elements. Mickey shivered from the chill of the micro-thin sheets they set across empty windows, and Davison kept forgetting their instructions thanks to a bit of DumbGum in his hair.
Between their efforts, the class had the Academy and the grounds patched up in a few hours. Making her farewell excuses, the duchess explained she had a room at the hot springs resort. Jealous but well wishing, her classmates let her go. She made it to the academy entrance without issue, but was stopped by a familiar spectre, with Marshall slung over its ghostly shoulder.
"Hunger! You were hurt?"
"Not badly. The progress was well worth it."
A faint muttering came from the boy slung over his back, and Hunger tossed Marshall down unceremoniously. Marshall grunted at the manhandling, but paid little mind to Zia, instead watching Hunger with anticipation. The ghostly bodyguard seemed to hesitate, then spoke again.
"I'm bound for the resort. Are you hungry?"
Letrizia could already picture the buffet waiting for them. Hopefully Hunger had made enough on his mercenary trip to hire the personal chef in the brochure!
"Of course!"
"Hi Hungry, I'm Hunger."
Marshall's braying laughter followed them as Letrizia stomped off, hoping Gisena was right about being able to dispel a ghost.
~3600 words, and I apologize for nothing.
You better start believing in young adult stories, Letrizia.
You're in one
[X] Upgrade Letrizia's Magic (from 2 Arete-equivalent to 7-Arete equivalent)
[X] Check up on Gisena
[X] Prime
[X] Fierce Quickening
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- Location
- Pindorama
The blade-winds definitely count as sword techniques.
Our slashes are currently as above Rank as Rank is against physical interference. So when it comes to attacking with the sword specifically, Rank won't be a problem. Rank does many more things than that of course; but we don't need it offensively. But I'm not even against getting Prime; I just think the Arete is better spent broadening our capabilities with a new school of magic than getting King right now, even if the latter is good.