[X] Don't take the job. Why?
-[X] We're not a charity, and we're not heroes, the price is what we need to cover our own costs, and a reputation for charity work on the Agency's time isn't a good career choice.
[X] Finish the job, and make sure the client pays it all.
[X] You'll stay behind and hold them off until reinforcement.
[X] Let them go. Why?
-[X] Anyone with the balls to stiff a Fixer Agency is prepared for what comes next. Tail them, find out if they're just being a cocky fuckboi you pry the extra out of and a 'Wasting my time' penalty, or if they've got backing enough to get away with it and you need to write it off. Getting paid what your skills are worth is one thing, getting your Agency committed to a fight with a bigger fish for 30,000 Ahn is another.
[X] A crowbar--easy to conceal, handy at opening things, and sturdy enough to handle a fight. What's not to like?
[X] Flank Her
-[X] Taking on a Pro Fixer in a straight fight? Fuuuuck that. Circle around under cover of the others and try to nail her in a blind spot before she finishes handing them their asses. You might get a few pokes if she has to split her attention between you and the ones who didn't run straight in.
To be fair, it took the equivilant of God in Heaven sending down an Angel of Death, who employed every act of terrible cunning to tilt the scales in her direction.
Yeah. Binah basically had to wear Kali/Gebura down with multiple high powered creatures just to get close to her...and Kali still managed to stab Binah and put her out of commission before she went down.
And don't forget, as of Lob Corp and LoR, she's not in her prime anymore...yet she can still tear down the entire of Lob Corp (in the case of her Meltdown) or solo people like the Purple Tear (at least she used to be able to to until they Nerfed Counter Dice).
Hey! Another SoothingCoffee quest! I almost always like these. I don't know the setting, but I'll try to figure it out as we go.
[X] Don't take the job. Why?
-[X] We're not a charity, and we're not heroes, the price is what we need to cover our own costs, and a reputation for charity work on the Agency's time isn't a good career choice.
[X] Finish the job, and make sure the client pays it all.
[X] You'll stay behind and hold them off until reinforcement.
[X] Let them go. Why?
-[X] Anyone with the balls to stiff a Fixer Agency is prepared for what comes next. Tail them, find out if they're just being a cocky fuckboi you pry the extra out of and a 'Wasting my time' penalty, or if they've got backing enough to get away with it and you need to write it off. Getting paid what your skills are worth is one thing, getting your Agency committed to a fight with a bigger fish for 30,000 Ahn is another.
[X] A crowbar--easy to conceal, handy at opening things, and sturdy enough to handle a fight. What's not to like?
[X] Flank Her
-[X] Taking on a Pro Fixer in a straight fight? Fuuuuck that. Circle around under cover of the others and try to nail her in a blind spot before she finishes handing them their asses. You might get a few pokes if she has to split her attention between you and the ones who didn't run straight in.
Now while we are definitely a direct, aggressive fighter that doesn't mean we don't fight dirty. As such, I'll go with this plan.
It's not fighting dirty, it's trying to fight in a way we don't know to.
We have points in neither Stealth (the Skill) nor Temperance (the Stat that governs the Skill), which is likely what the Flank will require a roll for as we're trying to take advantage of the fact that Ren won't see us cause she'll be busy with the other two.
Which she won't be.
Because she's a Veteran Fixer. She'll see us coming no matter what we do.
We can't beat her as we are now.
This isn't about the winning the fight. It's about making ourselves look good so we get put in a good Office. And trying to Flank her when we know nothing about flanking opponents won't make us look good, it'll make us look dumb as we try to fight in a way that doesn't play to our strengths. AKA An easy way Fixers get deaded.
We should be playing to our strengths here. And while I don't agree that Assault: Aggressive is the best option, it's the only other one winning.
As for the Setting: Post-Scarcity Cyberpunk Dystopia with some Eldritch Horror mixed in.
[X] Assault. Meet her head on, and do not hesitate. From the looks of it, Hood-Man and Cool Girl got the same idea. Maybe you could get some hits in.
-[X] Aggresively
Yeah no trying to be fancy when we're a unsubtle as a brick (and as smart as one :\/)
Flanking is such a basic fundamental part of fighting I struggle with the idea that Lily doesn't know how to do it. We are not trying to get a sneak attack in, we are trying to spilt her attention. Will it work? No. But it won't hurt us to try.
Flanking is such a basic fundamental part of fighting I struggle with the idea that Lily doesn't know how to do it. We are not trying to get a sneak attack in, we are trying to spilt her attention. Will it work? No. But it won't hurt us to try.
I'm not saying we don't know how to do it. I'm saying we don't know how to do it WELL.
And that's the key thing here.
We. Can't. Win. This. Fight.
Ren walked into a room of five people who aren't even Fixers yet, and told them to all come at her at the same time. In any normal World, this would give the side with numbers the advantage and I'd be all for Flanking as it's likely to work.
But this is LoR.
And Ren is a Veteran Fixer.
All five of us can get the drop on her and she'd still kick our asses 8 times out of 10.
Because that's the gulf of experience and sheer prowess we're up against here.
Heck, it's not even that I think the Assault Plan or my original Dueling Defensively Plan would work. They're simply the ones that I think have the highest chances of actually making ourselves look good here.
Cause that's our objective. Make ourselves look good. And you don't do that by making use of something you have little to no experience with.
At best, she'd see our attempt to Flank her as clever but ultimately useless since a baby could likely hear us coming from a mile away.
Edit: Plus if the Flank fails, we'll be a sitting duck and get our ass blasted immediately.
So you're basically saying "When the fight's impossible, turn off your brain and just do what comes naturally", and not even try to turn the tables? To just go "Tactics are meaningless so I'll just ram head first and hope I don't break my skull open because that's easier than risking getting hit on the other guy's terms?"
That seems like the whole point of this was not to grab any Fixers, but to shit on a bunch of rookies because... Pointless cruelty?
And for all the City's a shithole, there's always a cold logic involved in it that seeks to dehumanize at every turn. What you're advocating is just pointless stupidity.
A Fixer that just charges head first into an unbeatable situation isn't impressive, they're cannon fodder and should be treated as such. At least trying to gain advantage by looking for a side door? It might not work (Even probably will not) but it's better than taking the sure fail just because that sure fail is on our terms. Because the thing that separates the elite from the cannon fodder is that the elites are capable of recontextualizing a situation and seeking advantage even when the odds are against them. Not even trying to do so isn't impressive, it's cannon fodder behavior and will be treated as such
I'm not saying we don't know how to do it. I'm saying we don't know how to do it WELL.
And that's the key thing here.
We. Can't. Win. This. Fight.
Ren walked into a room of five people who aren't even Fixers yet, and told them to all come at her at the same time. In any normal World, this would give the side with numbers the advantage and I'd be all for Flanking as it's likely to work.
But this is LoR.
And Ren is a Veteran Fixer.
All five of us can get the drop on her and she'd still kick our asses 8 times out of 10.
Because that's the gulf of experience and sheer prowess we're up against here.
Heck, it's not even that I think the Assault Plan or my original Dueling Defensively Plan would work. They're simply the ones that I think have the highest chances of actually making ourselves look good here.
Cause that's our objective. Make ourselves look good. And you don't do that by making use of something you have little to no experience with.
At best, she'd see our attempt to Flank her as clever but ultimately useless since a baby could likely hear us coming from a mile away.
Edit: Plus if the Flank fails, we'll be a sitting duck and get our ass blasted immediately.
How do you know Lily has no experience with flanking? She's a brawler. She's been in fights before. In none of the fights she has been in has she ever flanked someone? Having novice skill at something doesn't mean you have no experience with it.
I agree with you that we can't win this fight. But that doesn't mean that we can't show fundamental understanding of how to fight. Lily is not trying to sneak up on the fixer. She would be trying to spilt attention. That's what the vote says. Lily has no expectations of sneaking up on her. It's about trying to spilt attention.
You keep hammering the idea that we can't win this fight and that is something everyone agrees with. Being unable to win this fight is not a reason to vote against flanking. No one is under the idea that flanking gives us a better chance. Flanking just shows that we have some basic idea of how fights are won.
It's not fighting dirty, it's trying to fight in a way we don't know to.
We have points in neither Stealth (the Skill) nor Temperance (the Stat that governs the Skill), which is likely what the Flank will require a roll for as we're trying to take advantage of the fact that Ren won't see us cause she'll be busy with the other two.
Which she won't be.
Because she's a Veteran Fixer. She'll see us coming no matter what we do.
We can't beat her as we are now.
This isn't about the winning the fight. It's about making ourselves look good so we get put in a good Office. And trying to Flank her when we know nothing about flanking opponents won't make us look good, it'll make us look dumb as we try to fight in a way that doesn't play to our strengths. AKA An easy way Fixers get deaded.
We should be playing to our strengths here. And while I don't agree that Assault: Aggressive is the best option, it's the only other one winning.
As for the Setting: Post-Scarcity Cyberpunk Dystopia with some Eldritch Horror mixed in.
Ehh, I don't know if I consider us trying to flank her stealth. We aren't trying anything fancy, and if we fail, I doubt trying to flank will have too much of a negative impact on the combat itself. It's just our early positioning.
If it is stealth, though it's not a favored skill, it's not something we are completely untrained in. It's not unfavored and we at least have it at rookie level.
As you said, I doubt we are gonna win this. But I disagree with your perspective. In my eyes, us trying to flank still shows we were willing to try different tactics to defeat a superior opponent even if we are currently unskilled in such tactics. Potential to advance, something that could be refined in the future.
So you're basically saying "When the fight's impossible, turn off your brain and just do what comes naturally", and not even try to turn the tables? To just go "Tactics are meaningless so I'll just ram head first and hope I don't break my skull open because that's easier than risking getting hit on the other guy's terms?"
That seems like the whole point of this was not to grab any Fixers, but to shit on a bunch of rookies because... Pointless cruelty?
And for all the City's a shithole, there's always a cold logic involved in it that seeks to dehumanize at every turn. What you're advocating is just pointless stupidity.
A Fixer that just charges head first into an unbeatable situation isn't impressive, they're cannon fodder and should be treated as such. At least trying to gain advantage by looking for a side door? It might not work (Even probably will not) but it's better than taking the sure fail just because that sure fail is on our terms. Because the thing that separates the elite from the cannon fodder is that the elites are capable of recontextualizing a situation and seeking advantage even when the odds are against them. Not even trying to do so isn't impressive, it's cannon fodder behavior and will be treated as such
AKA The Logical Idea when it comes to a tough situation. Recognize what you're good at, and use that to try to find a way through.
I'd be fine with thinking about other strategies if they played to our strengths. Which to me this doesn't. It plays to something that we should be able to do, but not in anyway that will look good or is likely to work.
And you're right. Those Fixers who just charge in are normally cannon fodder...which is why we won't use this strategy all the time. I'm saying we do it now, cause again, we're trying to play to our strengths and put our best foot forward here. In other situations, I'd say go for a Flank or look for another option. But currently we need to show what we're good at.
Again though, I don't think simply Assaulting is the best idea either. And I'm well aware that it could very easily fail and fail hard. But I see it as less of a chance for that happen than if we went with the Flanking idea...as it stands. Mainly cause I don't know what we'd roll for it. If we rolled Fortitude then I'd be all for it. It plays to a strength. But as it stands, I don't know. So, I'm gonna avoid not playing to our strengths and not putting our best foot forward.
Again, this isn't gonna be my default strategy forever. This is just for now. If we manage to make it and get another Job that requires some deeper thinking, I say we go for it.
How do you know Lily has no experience with flanking? She's a brawler. She's been in fights before. In none of the fights she has been in has she ever flanked someone? Having novice skill at something doesn't mean you have no experience with it.
I agree with you that we can't win this fight. But that doesn't mean that we can't show fundamental understanding of how to fight. Lily is not trying to sneak up on the fixer. She would be trying to spilt attention. That's what the vote says. Lily has no expectations of sneaking up on her. It's about trying to spilt attention.
You keep hammering the idea that we can't win this fight and that is something everyone agrees with. Being unable to win this fight is not a reason to vote against flanking. No one is under the idea that flanking gives us a better chance. Flanking just shows that we have some basic idea of how fights are won.
Again, it's not that she has no experience. It's that she's not good at it.
We wouldn't likely split Ren's attention. We'd just constantly remind her that there's someone who thinks they're being clever on her six, and then she'd crush us right when we try to attack.
Even if we did show that we have a basic idea of how fights are won, that wouldn't be much. Cause we would show that we have some idea of what we're doing, but don't have the ability to put it into practice.
And considering how easy it is to get into this test now, they don't have the time to wait for slow Fixers to rank up.
Because any performance we can possible make will lower her expectations of us, because she's so far above us that any move we can make will be trivially crushed like we're a flailing baby.
In other words. This is an impossible test, there is literally nothing we can do that will be better than the other.
Also, you're assuming that the entire fight becomes a stealth match because we don't immediately attack her? When the whole plan is "Get on her six and fight her there so she has to divide her attention between dunking on Lilly, protecting against the ones who held back (And the ones who were still fighting if she doesn't crush them in the first exchange), and protecting against little miss "I have a gun!" The fight turns to a brawl once we're in position, just one where her options are more limited if she doesn't immediately escalate to "Yeah fuck this" mode and squish us all... But that's still a win on our part because she had to take us seriously to stay untouchable and if that lowers our grade, then this test makes no sense whatsoever because better performance actually lowers your grade
Like
"Try to get at the other person's back" is close combat rule one. You're saying she'll look down on us for fighting the way someone who's trying to win should be? But she'll be impressed by taking her on head on, letting her keep her back clear so she can focus entirely on the threats ahead of her?
Like, what do you honestly think she's testing for if that's the case. Because you're saying she's clearly not testing for instincts, combat aptitude, or any real logic, and thus our best move is the one we are least bad in no matter how much that flies in the face of effective combat tactics.
What is it then that you think is her requirement?
Of course Lily knows how to flank. It's one of those super basic tactics in the Backstreets that comes naturally -- in her head, it's just another fancy way of saying "ambush". It's a way to fight (if she has to) against someone above her weight limit by smashing them before they could smash you. Whether she's good at it, or whether Ran will notice it? Well, that's up in the air.
Re: Flanking vs Aggressive Assault
On one hand, you could say that "trying something 'new', but failing" is better than "bashing your head against the wall until one gives". On the other hand, if you're really good at "bashing your head against the wall", why try other things that you're not that good at, right?
Edit: of course, bashing your head on the wall knowing/suspecting that your head is gonna cave in before the wall even budge is... not a good look. There's doing what you're good at, then there's suicide. Regardless, both are super valid tactics.
Because any performance we can possible make will lower her expectations of us, because she's so far above us that any move we can make will be trivially crushed like we're a flailing baby.
In other words. This is an impossible test, there is literally nothing we can do that will be better than the other.
Also, you're assuming that the entire fight becomes a stealth match because we don't immediately attack her? When the whole plan is "Get on her six and fight her there so she has to divide her attention between dunking on Lilly, protecting against the ones who held back (And the ones who were still fighting if she doesn't crush them in the first exchange), and protecting against little miss "I have a gun!" The fight turns to a brawl once we're in position, just one where her options are more limited if she doesn't immediately escalate to "Yeah fuck this" mode and squish us all... But that's still a win on our part because she had to take us seriously to stay untouchable and if that lowers our grade, then this test makes no sense whatsoever because better performance actually lowers your grade
Like
"Try to get at the other person's back" is close combat rule one. You're saying she'll look down on us for fighting the way someone who's trying to win should be? But she'll be impressed by taking her on head on, letting her keep her back clear so she can focus entirely on the threats ahead of her?
Like, what do you honestly think she's testing for if that's the case. Because you're saying she's clearly not testing for instincts, combat aptitude, or any real logic, and thus our best move is the one we are least bad in no matter how much that flies in the face of effective combat tactics.
What is it then that you think is her requirement?
Again, not at all what I'm saying. What I'm saying comes down to this:
We're good at frontal combat.
She's testing us to see what we're good.
We should do what we're good at.
That's it.
As for what I think her requirement is? I got no clue. I'm just thinking of the best way to accomplish the "Hit me once" objective. And the best way I see is to play to our strengths and do what we're good at.
Of course Lily knows how to flank. It's one of those super basic tactics in the Backstreets that comes naturally -- in her head, it's just another fancy way of saying "ambush". It's a way to fight (if she has to) against someone above her weight limit by smashing them before they could smash you. Whether she's good at it, or whether Ran will notice it? Well, that's up in the air.
Re: Flanking vs Aggressive Assault
On one hand, you could say that "trying something 'new', but failing" is better than "bashing your head against the wall until one gives". On the other hand, if you're really good at "bashing your head against the wall", why try other things that you're not that good at, right?
Edit: of course, bashing your head on the wall knowing that your head's gonna cave in before the wall does is not a good look. Both are super valid tactics.
Of course Lily knows how to flank. It's one of those super basic tactics in the Backstreets that comes naturally -- in her head, it's just another fancy way of saying "ambush". It's a way to fight (if she has to) against someone above her weight limit by smashing them before they could smash you. Whether she's good at it, or whether Ran will notice it? Well, that's up in the air.
Re: Flanking vs Aggressive Assault
On one hand, you could say that "trying something 'new', but failing" is better than "bashing your head against the wall until one gives". On the other hand, if you're really good at "bashing your head against the wall", why try other things that you're not that good at, right?
I genuinely don't feel that Lilly's head is hard enough to bash the wall down before it falls on her, pretty much.
In the sense that "Yes it's her best skillset" then yeah, but in the sense of "But against one of the augmented posthumans that any Fixer above the earliest Grades have", very much no.
But fine, I really don't like it, but I'll change my tactic vote.
I mean with the edit I am sticking with flanking. Bashing your head into a wall knowing your head's going to cave first is not a good look indeed. With everything that's been discussed it's pretty clear Lily would know who's tougher. Showing that you realize that and are willing to try something you may not be good at to try and get an advantage would be a good mark in my book.
In the end we don't know enough about this fixer to judge what they are looking for. Are we willing to try new things to get advantages, or are willing to stick to what we know we can do?
Worth pointing out that I'm not siding with either plans. I realized my post made it sound like it, so I added a line or two specifying that. Personally, I think both tactics (far as tactics go) are super valid.
Worth pointing out that I'm not siding with either plans. I realized my post made it sound like it, so I added a line or two specifying that. Personally, I think both tactics (far as tactics go) are super valid.
Oh, I know you're not taking a side. In fact, that's why I thanked you.
Let me be clear: I'm not saying that Flanking is not a valid option. It is. I just don't think it's our best option right now.
However, we can argue until we're blue in the face, but at the end of the day the real thing that's gonna decide is, say it with me now:
RNGesus!
Whether a frontal assault works and we manage to break down that wall, or end up looking like a fool with a bleeding head is down to RNG!
Whether a flank attempt actually works despite our low experience in it, or we end up looking like a deer caught in the headlights as our opponents spots us coming is down to RNG!
With that in mind, I don't mind which option wins. I'm just making the case for assault over flank.
If I had to do the opposite, then yeah it would look impressive to pull off a flank attack despite not being good at it. It would probably show off that we know more than charge at the enemy...and it ensures the two others going for Assault don't get in our way.
Hmm, I might change because of that. Not cause I think it'll necessarily work, but cause I'd rather not get tangled up with those two.
Adhoc vote count started by SoothingCoffee on Jan 22, 2021 at 5:26 AM, finished with 36 posts and 11 votes.
[X] Don't take the job. Why?
-[X] We're not a charity, and we're not heroes, the price is what we need to cover our own costs, and a reputation for charity work on the Agency's time isn't a good career choice.
[X] Let them go. Why?
-[X] Anyone with the balls to stiff a Fixer Agency is prepared for what comes next. Tail them, find out if they're just being a cocky fuckboi you pry the extra out of and a 'Wasting my time' penalty, or if they've got backing enough to get away with it and you need to write it off. Getting paid what your skills are worth is one thing, getting your Agency committed to a fight with a bigger fish for 30,000 Ahn is another.
[X] Flank Her
-[X] Taking on a Pro Fixer in a straight fight? Fuuuuck that. Circle around under cover of the others and try to nail her in a blind spot before she finishes handing them their asses. You might get a few pokes if she has to split her attention between you and the ones who didn't run straight in.
[X] Assault. Meet her head on, and do not hesitate. From the looks of it, Hood-Man and Cool Girl got the same idea. Maybe you could get some hits in.
-[X] Aggresively
[X] Plan Direct
-[X] Don't take the job. Why? - Costs that much cause that's what it's worth. You want it done for less, do it yourself.
-[X] Do not finish the job. Hunt the client or report them to your closest Hana Association. -Aint what we signed for is it now?
-[X] All of you stay will stay, and fight. -First one to run's yellow, last one to stay dies fastest. You all stick together and bloody em enough to make em back off
-[X] Force the money out of them, one way or another. -Deal's a deal. You screw us we screw you.
[X] Plan It Isn't An Honest Living
-[X] Don't take the job. Why?
--[X] To do something, a price must be paid. If there is no pay, then there is no obligation to take the request.
-[X] Do not finish the job. Hunt the client or report them to your closest Hana Association.
-[X] You'll stay behind and hold them off until reinforcement.
-[X] Force the money out of them, one way or another.
-[X] Sword
-[X] Assault. Meet her head on, and do not hesitate. From the looks of it, Hood-Man and Cool Girl got the same idea. Maybe you could get some hits in.
--[X] Aggresively
To be fair, it took the equivilant of God in Heaven sending down an Angel of Death, who employed every act of terrible cunning to tilt the scales in her direction.
She also did take on 2 Claws during that fight as well and we all know what a single Claw is capable of.
She also had access to her own EGO but it was just an armour piece that boosted her stats. I'm not sure if she actually used that in her fight against Binah.
I also changed my previous vote to flanking after reading everyone's thoughts on the matter. Now that I think about it, if we're successful in getting her attention for the briefest of moments, Min could use those moments to try and shoot her.
Adhoc vote count started by SoothingCoffee on Jan 22, 2021 at 6:31 AM, finished with 38 posts and 11 votes.
[X] Don't take the job. Why?
-[X] We're not a charity, and we're not heroes, the price is what we need to cover our own costs, and a reputation for charity work on the Agency's time isn't a good career choice.
[X] Let them go. Why?
-[X] Anyone with the balls to stiff a Fixer Agency is prepared for what comes next. Tail them, find out if they're just being a cocky fuckboi you pry the extra out of and a 'Wasting my time' penalty, or if they've got backing enough to get away with it and you need to write it off. Getting paid what your skills are worth is one thing, getting your Agency committed to a fight with a bigger fish for 30,000 Ahn is another.
[X] Flank Her
-[X] Taking on a Pro Fixer in a straight fight? Fuuuuck that. Circle around under cover of the others and try to nail her in a blind spot before she finishes handing them their asses. You might get a few pokes if she has to split her attention between you and the ones who didn't run straight in.
[X] Assault. Meet her head on, and do not hesitate. From the looks of it, Hood-Man and Cool Girl got the same idea. Maybe you could get some hits in.
-[X] Aggresively
[X] Plan Direct
-[X] Don't take the job. Why? - Costs that much cause that's what it's worth. You want it done for less, do it yourself.
-[X] Do not finish the job. Hunt the client or report them to your closest Hana Association. -Aint what we signed for is it now?
-[X] All of you stay will stay, and fight. -First one to run's yellow, last one to stay dies fastest. You all stick together and bloody em enough to make em back off
-[X] Force the money out of them, one way or another. -Deal's a deal. You screw us we screw you.
[X] Plan It Isn't An Honest Living
-[X] Don't take the job. Why?
--[X] To do something, a price must be paid. If there is no pay, then there is no obligation to take the request.
-[X] Do not finish the job. Hunt the client or report them to your closest Hana Association.
-[X] You'll stay behind and hold them off until reinforcement.
-[X] Force the money out of them, one way or another.
-[X] Sword
-[X] Assault. Meet her head on, and do not hesitate. From the looks of it, Hood-Man and Cool Girl got the same idea. Maybe you could get some hits in.
--[X] Aggresively
Insane. Everything about this is fucking insane – picking a fight with a Veteran Fixer? Shit. Haltingly, you glance towards Ran, eyes twitching back and forth, never staying on the same spot, always ending on the outlines of her shape. It's scary. It goes against every fiber of your being. It's like fighting Rats, yeah? They're dumb, and way more starved than you are; scavengers who scurry at the first signs of danger. They don't got a goal like you do; they survive for the sake of survival. Kill two out of five, and the other three are gonna scurry like hell. Maybe one will stay back, trying their luck, before they got their shit kicked in. It's like that with Ran, except this time you're the Rats, and there's no way out. You might outnumber her 5-to-1, but she's not the one trapped here with you.
Shit, and fuck. You're sweating. Shaking your head, you manage to turn your eyes back to the walls of weapons, scrolling through them. Maybe if you weren't so distracted by the prospect of having your insides crushed, you might be able to appreciate them. They all come in different shapes, and sizes. Swords, spears, and axes. Daggers, and knives. Carpenter's hammers, canes, and bats, and – your eyes lock onto a crowbar. A jet-black thing of iron curved into a teethy crook, the other end a sharp narrow edge. There's a handle to it; some kinds of red synthetic wrap to keep it from slipping or blistering your hands.
As you swing it in your hand, testing its heft, days of breaking and entering come to your mind. Often, tenants do not come back home. After a day or two, Landlord Lin would keep an eye on it – but after a few days with no news, he'd deem the room abandoned, and the contract voided; the tenant out there somewhere, never to return. While he looks for a new tenant, you're tasked with a crowbar to break in, and clean it up, as well as collecting anything of value – which is almost never. At times, in that empty room, you would swing the crowbar around, shattering… worthless trinkets, and imaginary foes. Those are your usual main source of revenues, excluding the occasional delivery runs Landlord Lin gives you.
You bring up the crowbar to eye level, smiling. Between the teeth of the crowbar, Ran the Hana Supervisor stretches on the ground, and – Merry slips into view, his too-large grin caught between your crowbar's teeth.
"Heya," he chirps. "You look pretty when you smile."
You nearly choke. "Say that again, and I'll cave your fucking face in," you growl, bringing the crowbar to your side. You look around the room; large, and bland, lit up by a series of lamps on the ceiling, and – the boy's not going away. "Get away from me, you creep."
"Ouch, that hurts," Merry grimaces, placing a hand over his chest. He bounces back almost immediately. "But anyway, weird weapon there that you chose."
You look down to your crowbar, and then back up to Merry. "… You making fun of me, asshole?"
His eyes widen "No, no, no," he shakes his head quickly. "I mean, it's not like I have any say about it either," saying that, he lifts a carpenter's hammer to view, wooden shaft, and a metal head. He grins. "See? In the end," he adds, turning to face the others. "A weapon is just a tool we feel most comfortable with, right?"
Following his gaze, you understand what he meant immediately. Cool Girl has the sword she has been carrying, while Hood Man picked out a pair of spiked brass-knuckles off the wall. Min takes out his pistol, tinkering with it, while Alexis has one of those fancy large serrated knife in hand, her hold loosening and retightening, grip switching back and forth. You look back to yourself, and Merry. A crowbar, and a hammer.
You snort, scowling, before turning to Merry. "What do you want from me?"
Merry beams. "A name," he answers.
"A name," you repeat, flatly.
He bobs his head up and down excitedly. "Yep," he answers, popping the 'p'. "I figure that since we'll be working together from now one, we should know each other a bit. You already caught my name, but I haven't yours," he points out.
You raise an eyebrow. "What, that's all? And working together?" scoffing, you smirk. "You make it sound like we gonna work in the same Office."
"Well…" Merry says, stretching the word. He grins. "That's just a maybe, right? Even so, it's not a bad idea to know each other, right?"
He's not wrong. You sigh, nodding begrudgingly. "… Lily."
Merry blinks. "Huh?"
You close your eyes. "… It's Lily."
"… That's a really pretty name," he says, and you open your eyes, shooting him a look. He smiles. "Lily. I really think it fits you."
You shift from one foot, to another. "Dipshit, what did I tell you?" you growl, clenching your crowbar. "Say that shit again, and –"
"You'll bash my face in," Merry finishes, nodding wistfully. "Oops," he giggles sheepishly. "But I can't lie to myself, y'know? My parents named me Merry so I could brighten up their days. Yours must've named you Lily for a similar reason."
You open your mouth, and then closes it. You lift your crowbar, watching his unbudging smug-as-shit face, before dropping it down with a growl, jaws clenched. A knot forms inside your throat. "Just fuck off, you purple-haired fuck –"
"Right," Ran the Supervisor groans, climbing up to her feet. "I see you're all ready," she says, lips pressed together; amber eyes scanning from Cool Girl, and to you. You shiver. "And I'm all warmed up, so," she pulls out a hairband from inside her vest, and slides it over her head; messy, loose green hair stretched far to the back. A deep scar runs horizontally on her forehead. She lowers to a stance. "Come at me."
In the corner of your eyes, Cool Girl and Hood Man make a move; Min stays behind, his pistol held aloft. Quietly, you take a step back –
"Wait! Wait!" you almost jump in surprise. All attention switches to Merry, his hands raise. "Before you all start, can I ask for something?" he exclaims, bouncing on his feet towards the supervisor.
What the fuck is he doing?
Ran raises an eyebrow, a light undiscernible curve on her lips. "Ask away, boy."
"Thanks, Miss Ran," Merry chirps, nodding. "You're real kind. So. Yeah," there's a pause. "I wanna fight you. One-on-one. You and me. Mano-a-mano – "
What the fuck? You turn your head and catch similar expression on their face as they are on you.
Ran raises her hand. "I get you the first time, kid – "
"Merry," he chimes in.
"Merry," Ran nods, letting out a chuckle. That undiscernible smile on her face widens. "But you're serious, aren't you? Hah," she laughs, and from the sideline, you catch Merry beam harder. "You got guts, Merry. Dumb fucking guts that'll get you killed sooner than later. Heh," she laughs again, this time shaking her head. "You definitely live up to your name."
"Soooo…" Merry stretches out. "Is that a yes? Can I dance with you, Miss Ran?"
"Sure, I'll dance," Ran smiles – and you realize, belatedly, how unnaturally wide, and sharp, and thin that smile is. "But mind your toes."
"Guess it's a good thing my partner's super mature, and experienced!"
Ran laughs again, almost giggling. Merry walks forward, a jaunty saunter; a pep in his steps, as though he's not walking to his own doom. In contrast, Ran stands her ground, stance low. There's a pause as a Merry suddenly stops, inches away from Ran. Neither moves. Then, Merry swings his hammer. It's a pure, and simple hammering motion; from up to downwards. It's deceptively slow; deceptively telegraphed, like watching a downhill rolling cart from the wrong end of the street. Ran takes a step back, and the hammer barely whizzes her. Merry lets out a barked laugh, and swings again – but this time Ran steps in.
And what happens next is too fast for your eyes to even compute. One moment, Merry was right there, and in the next, he's gone. An explosive boom follows a second late, and stumble at the invisible wave, your hair blown back. Blood – the color registers immediately to your eyes, a pair of streaks running across the floor like Landlord Lin's brushwork. It originates from where Merry first stood before Ran, and – there he is, "standing" just besides Min, inches away from the blood-splattered wall. His body is covered with dribbling blood, pouring from every hole in his body. His feet look barely recognizable. He wobbles for a moment, eyes shooting wide open, coughs – or maybe it's a laugh – only to spill out more blood, and then tumbles forward like a sack of bring. He's still alive, by his slowed wet breathing. If barely.
"Nice," Ran remarks, and you slowly, and stiffly turn to her. She's rolling her wrist, a narrow slitted smile on her lips; a dark look in her eyes. "Very nice. Now," Ran looks up. "Any new challenger, or are you all going to come at me?"
Nobody answers, and that answers that question.
[-5 SP. 15/20 SP. You are Nervous.]
Oh God, you're going to die.
---
There's no preamble to the fight. In one moment, Cool Girl, and Hood Man stand still, and in the next, they charge straight. Quietly, you slink back, almost pressing your back against the wall. If there's one thing you're confident about, then it must be your strength. It's how you've survived. Rats have tried to take from you, and if you didn't know how to handle yourself, then you would have been another corpse with their organs harvested. Of course, being strong does not mean being the strongest; just because you're stronger than the Rats, doesn't mean you're stronger than the next Fixer. Before Merry volunteered himself to get fucked, you're already more than aware the gap between a Veteran Fixer is to someone like you. What Merry did, what happened to him – that only put things into the proper perspective.
As you reach the side of the basement, watching the Cool Girl and Hood Man "fight", you can't help but wonder what the fuck's going on inside their head. What Merry said comes back to you, about weapons, and familiarity. Your hand squeezes the crowbar. Hood Man swings his fists, hooking, and jabbing in the familiar motions of a brawler; his strikes are heavy. Underneath his flapping, his tattoos burn up akin to neon lights. In contrast, Cool Girl fights like… a dancer. Her sharp pointed sword flashes like lightning, and you notice the white fog covering it; the frost forming on her hand. There's precision in her strikes, and a certain beat and swings to her footwork that you can't help but stare at.
All the same, none of them could even touch Ran. She stays her ground, never moving back, never moving forward. Hood Man throws a haymaker, and it goes wide. Cool Girl stabs for the throat, and it whizzes past it. All the time, Ran's hands are a blur of white, and gold; her sleeves flapping. Her eyes are dark, and her smile a wide narrow slit.
You realize quietly then that Ran was playing with both Cool Girl, and Hood Man. She wasn't playing around with Merry. They both seem to realize that. Hood Man growls, and Cool Girl loses that curviness in her steps. You do not need to watch anymore, because it's your turn to act – Ran's back faces you.
When it comes down to it, when fighting against someone way above your league, then catching them off guard is always a good idea. It rarely, if ever, works of course. For the most part, they seem to always catch you first before you catch first. Ultimately, you're not a sneaky girl, yeah? Even if you know you can't, going right up front to someone's face is more your style. Pride, however, is a privilege that only the strong can have. To survive, you need to strip such things away.
You take a step forward. And then another. Neither Cool Girl, or Hood Man notice you. Ran's insistent to stand on her ground benefits you greatly in this regard. In the distance, Min seems to be looking elsewhere.
You bring up your crowbar, and swing. Ran does not react. The crowbar's teeth sink deep into her side. Ran stiffens, looking over her shoulders. Her eyes are slightly wide. You grin; trickles of salt dripping from your sweat-drenched face. "Got you," you declare, all teeth, and the like.
"Heh," Ran's eyes darken. "Got me," she acknowledges.
Your eyes widen. "Oh shi –" a blur cuts through the corner of your eyes. You bring up you hands up, and –
[-7 HP. 13/20 HP. You're Slightly Injured.]
— the world whips, your vision a blur of white, and concrete, and red, and blobbed colors. For one singular horrid moment of clarity, you could feel the terrible cracks, and creaks of your arm, travelling through your entire skeleton. Then you hit the ground, only to skip over it, airborne like a pebble thrown over a pond – and you realize how much you're going to get fucked. Your body twists out of control in the air, and you hit the ground again, but this time, you do not skip off it. Worse, you slide over it, breaking exposed skin through the concrete floor. Eventually, you simply stop moving, lain flat over the floor. Your heart beats so fast you feel like it's going to explode – and that might have been much more preferable to the explosion of pain which ravages your arm; the same arm you used to block Ran's strike. You open your mouth, and what comes out is only a dying gasp.
Grimacing, you roll over to your back, breathing in the air. "Holy shit," you cough, and gasp. You look down to your right hand. Somehow, the crowbar's still there. "Fuck."
Despite all odds, you're still alive. And all things considered, despite your body screaming bloody murder, you're not all that hurt. You try to move your left arm. Can't. Well. You've seen the other guy. Grimacing, you push yourself up with your good arm, allowing yourself a proper view of the fight.
Cool Girl lies down on her knees, her body slack, blood dripping from her mouth down to her chin. Hood Man lies flat face first to the ground; the concrete underneath him forming a web of cracks. Min stands on where he was before, his pistol smoking, and eyes wide. You blink. Shake your head. It feels as though you're forgetting someone. Merry – you blink again – Merry waves at you from where he sits, conscious but barely, back against the wall.
And oh, that's who you're forgetting. Alexis, flat on her back just next to where Ran stands.
"Right," Ran starts, clapping her hands together. "I think that's a wrap. Blondie there got one point. These two," she gestures at Cool Girl, and Hood Man. "Also got one. This girl," Ran turns to Nest-girl, before crouching down. You catch a smirk on Ran's face. "Got two. Heh," she growls out, more than laugh. "Merry there… half-point for still being alive, and conscious."
Merry raises his hand, before unceremoniously dropping it.
"And you," Ran grins, wide and narrow-slitted thing. She points at Min. "You got –"
Bang.
Ran sways to the right, and the bullet whizzes by. "— Zero."
Bang.
"Still zero."
Bang.
"Zero."
Bang.
This time, Ran doesn't avoid it. She moves; her leg cut into the air, and the bullet burrows down to the floor. "Zero."
Click. "That's not – fuck. Fuck," he growls. "Alexis!"
"W-wait!" you turn to the voice. Nest-girl climbs up to her feet, trembling. Ran tilts her head. "I could – I could share my –"
Whatever it is she's about to say, she never gets to say it. "Uh-uh," Ran shakes her head, hand clenched around Nest-girl's jaws. "I know what you're gonna say, so don't finish that sentence," Nest-girl scrabbles, her large knife scraping against Ran's hand, but it barely penetrates the sleeves. "And I'll let this be a lesson to all you rookies," her voice booms despite its calmness. "Out there, you may cheat, and fight dirty, and betray each other, or kill your own clients for no good reason, or destroy your own Office – I don't give a fuck. We, the Hana Association, do not care. But if we ever catch you – and I mean any of you – try to cheat our systems; to steal merits that you did not get, to take achievements you don't deserve, to share it when you had nothing to do with it, and then have that written to a report for us… to lie to us – we'll make sure all of you regret entering this career," she leans in close to Nest-girl. "Understood?"
Wide-eyed, face streaked with tears, and jaws held tight by a vise-like grip, she nods. You imagine that's the only thing she could do. .
"Good," Ran smiles, wide and narrow slitted. Giggling, she pats Alexis' head. "Very good."
--
Eventually, they patched you up – and when you say 'they', you meant Ran. In your hazy mind, you manage to recall back to the moment before the fight. The building was quiet then, and the building is quiet now. No, not quiet. Empty. Only a handful of Syndicates come to mind who could do that, and none of them are good news. You shiver.
[+2 HP. 15/20 HP. +5 SP. 20/20 SP.]
Well, you're now back to the reception room, along with everyone else. Excluding Min, none of them look any better than you do them. Wrapped up in bandages, and casts to the point all of you are more bandages than human. More so with Merry, sitting on the floor against the wall. You don't think he could walk more than what he already has. Sucks to be him. That's why you don't pull dumb shit like challenging a Veteran Fixer to a straight one-on-one duel. Hah. You shake your head, and stiffly turn back to the billboard.
Even though lots of the pamphlets look old, and weathered, they're all still hiring. Something about Offices don't stop trying to hire Fixers because they die off like flies. Those that aren't hiring are either one of those exclusive, high-ranked Offices, or just flat out dead.
Nonetheless, she told you all to pick whatever – and she'll commend you to them. Or something along that line.
[] Low Grade Office. You're familiar with these kinds of Office. In fact, there's one close to your Apartment, and the Fixers who bother to do patrols aren't what you would consider the best. They take all sorts of jobs, and well… yeah. High Experience Gain. Unsteady Income. You're considered expendable. Generally, you're on your own. Large team. No specialization. Takes all sorts of jobs.
[] Association-Affiliated Office. These are Fixer Offices that are affiliated with Associations. In a sense, they're akin to an Association's hand. Or finger. Doing jobs that the Association deems not as important, or beyond their reach. Regardless, this means stability to the job – though it comes at the price of doing whatever your sponsor wants. Low Experience Gain. Monthly Income in Salary. You're considered less expendable. You'll be well-equipped. When your Association tells you to jump, you jump. Mid-sized team.
-[] Shi Association -- Assassination
-[] Seven Association – Information and Investigation
-[] Zwei Association – Protection
[] Specialized Office. These are Fixer Offices who fill in those niche needs. Sometimes, it's more general, like protection, or warfare and such – but at times, it's more specific like dealing with Distortions, or… well, now that you think about it, they're not that different to the other Offices. They tend to be on the smaller side though, strong, and comes with the benefit of being individual. Mid Experience Gain. High income in Equal Cuts depending on Jobs. Quality over Quantity. Cool senpais. Somewhat specialized. Special Equipment.
-[] Distortions
-[] Combat
-[] Protection
-[] Hunting
-[] Write-in
First Trial: Merry Challenges Ran for a duel. Merry goes for a strike. Rolls 6 (3+2 Melee+1 Clash). Ran rolls to dodge 7 (3+4). Almost hits, but whizzes by. Merry goes for another hit, and Ran does the same. Ran rolls 15 (8+7(Melee+Clash+???). Merry rolls 12 (9+3(Melee and Clash)). Ran wins. Merry's Health: 20 – 14. 6. Ouch. Heavily Injured. Out of commission.
Gets horrified. -5 SP.
Cool Girl, and Hood Man Charge in. Lily rolls for Stealth. Hard Difficulty. 1d10+1. Needs 7 to Win. Rolls exactly 7 (6+1). While Ran is distracted by Hood and Cool, Lily goes in. 1st Strike is Free due to Stealth. 11 (9+2 (Melee)). 11 – 5 (Armor): 6 Hit. Ran looks surprised but looks barely hurt. Ran strikes with leg. Lily's defends: 6 (4+2). Ran rolls: 14 (6+8). 14 – 6 - 1(Armor/Endurance): 7 Hit. Health remaining: 20 - 7 = 13.
So Combat feels a bit janky, and taking get used to for me. But it feels fun. Continuing on that, I revamped on how damage works. That is to say, if Attack vs Attack, then you get the full damage in with only reduction from Armor. If Defend vs Attack, and Attack Wins, damage gets substrated by the result of Defense roll, as well as from Armor (? not sure about this bit ?). If Defend wins, next roll that the enemy does gets reduced (???)
