Well, it's frightenly easy to reroll for one thing. If you have a good enough computer, you could open several emulator instances and run a macro to simply skip the tutorial and roll the account, then later sell the account for money.
All the accounts that don't get a 000 still are saved to PM servers, so I'm betting a large portion of it is due to server infrastructure and needing to store account information. Ergo, they're cracking down on large volumes of abandoned accounts that the rerolling process uses on mass, which emulators, well, can create on the fly.
But this is just my personal guess on why anyways.
[] Practice to improve your skills
-[] Focus on footwork and kicks
-[] Hire a tutor for footwork
In the end, you decide the higher Grades can handle this without you. For now you will ensure that you can keep up in the long term, which means practice. Not that you like the prospect. What Dexter showed you was helpful, but he is no teacher; a few hours of office time are not equivalent to proper lessons, either.
Asking him for advice on the matter just makes it a certainty. In his words: "If you plan to advance, you've got to cough up for proper lessons. Some people are good enough on their own, but you and I aren't them."
He has a point, as much as it hurts you and your wallet. At least Dexter is willing to introduce you to someone who taught him in the past. In exchange for a few hours of office time, but that is just fair. Your boss is busy as well.
Which is how you meet Gyeong-Hui, an attractive man in his mid-thirties. He is immaculately dressed in a maroon suit, making you feel inadequate just standing in his little gym with your worn clothes. Not that the man himself seems to mind, studying you out of sharp and perceptive eyes. He dissects you with his gaze alone, studying your motions as you offer a short letter from Dexter.
His motions are fluid, like a gently curving river. He takes the paper and scans it carefully, then nods. "Another Fixer, then. I get many of them wanting to learn. And at least the one that sent you here is doing well with what I taught and still teach him."
"He is still learning?" you manage to ask, though your voice may be a bit more faint than usual. Gyeong-Hui inclines his head.
"Much as Dexter did when we first met, you have come to learn how to move in battle. There is no weapon that does not benefit from proper footwork, more so if you choose your body to be the weapon. I teach these basics, but also advanced courses in hand-to-hand combat, polearms, and longswords. As you will already know, I am Gyeong-Hui, formerly a Grade Three Fixer."
You straighten up in response, eyes widening notably. His name you knew, but not the Grade. You expected someone experienced, but not that experienced. When he names his going rate per hour, you may have had second thoughts if not for the rank. Even if he is retired, no, especially because he is retired. It hurts your wallet, but you pay up-front and are shown into the training rooms proper.
"First, we shall determine your current level of skill," he declares calmly. "Demonstrate."
You do as told and run through the exercises Dexter showed you. A few high kicks are added as well, prompting slow nods and sometimes a lightly furrowed brow. In the end he steps in front of you again.
"Very well. It is a solid foundation, if with a few bad habits we will need to correct. Be aware that while I will teach you the right way to move, it is up to you and you alone to burn these motions into your muscle memory through rigorous practice. Even then, only bitter experience in the field will solidify them into something your own. Do not presume yourself invincible for the mere act of investing time or money."
You nod rapidly, soaking up his wisdom as you always do. You never saw yourself as invincible, but a reminder never hurts.
Gyeong-Hui then gets to work correcting what you already know, both with demonstrations and advice. He shows you an additional exercise and ends the hour with a short spar; the objective is to evade all of his strikes, which is much harder than one expects. You can tell he is holding back a lot, but by the end you only have three stinging bruises across your entire body. It feels like a good start.
"Practice and return next week at the same time," is his final piece of advice. You offer a faint bow and see yourself out.
In the end, paying as much as you did for a single hour still makes you wince; but if most of it is practice at home, you feel this is less straining on your wallet than you thought. Your time is definitely strained more, though.
From then on you make it a habit to practice for an hour before lunch and one hour after dinner every day, followed by a shower and some relaxation while knitting. The rest of your days is spent doing chores or at work, mainly to earn at least some more money than you spend. Parvati is busy as well, though you make time to do a few jobs together.
"So that's what you're up to," she muses when you explain the training. "Makes sense. I'm looking into something at the moment, but after this Thorn business I'm probably finding a teacher, too."
"I can't tell if it's worth it yet, but he did say it takes time."
"Which sounds like any scam artist," she shoots back jovially. "But yeah, I keep hearing the same thing. It's honestly true with any skill. I'm a much better cook than I was five years ago, for one."
"I'll believe it," you shoot back with a little grin. Parvati rolls her eyes at that, but does not comment. In the ensuing silence, you backtrack the conversation a bit. "You said you're investigating something?"
"Yeah, but it's nothing you need to worry about. Family related."
"Ah, got it."
You leave it at that and swerve into less intimate subjects. Parvati goes along with the switch and you keep on going.
The first week of practice passes slowly; you manage to eke out enough money to not have trouble, not that your reserves are that low yet. It gets a little worrying with what you already put aside for tax season, but still manageable.
Gyeong-Hui knows nothing of your worries, he simply accepts his payment and continues the instructions. There are some corrections again, but he notes that you practice adequately. How he can see that, you are not sure; maybe one gets an eye for this over time. You simply go through the motions, trying to ingrain each one as much as possible. That day is a mixture of old and new exercises, once again ended by a short spar.
"What exactly is the purpose of this?" You ask afterward, wincing as you rub the handful of bruises left mostly along your bicep. The teacher has his arms crossed, thoughtful though no less attentive.
"Try to strike at me," he finally says.
You hesitate for a moment, then step forward and kick with all the speed you have. He flows around your foot and enters your personal space, face inches from your own. The proximity makes you flustered, but you dare not move.
"Again."
You swing around, but he ducks underneath and presses one finger to your collarbone to push you back and onto your ass.
"This time with your spear."
The weapon lashes out, only for him to float back away, then sidestep a second strike. One hand lands on the handle, keeping it still. You stare at each other, Gyeong-Hui not even winded.
"Part of it is my superior augments," he admits freely while letting go of the weapon. "But just as much if not more is the results of many years of practice and experience. The battlefield can not be simulated, but I can give you a taste of how an actual enemy will move. If you keep up your practice and stay alive, you will eventually be able to do the same as I just did."
Those words stay with you for a while. They almost reverberate through your skull as you practice the next few days, keeping you focussed. Motions as smooth and graceful as his? From you? It is hard to believe, but you do. Because you understand that every Fixer once stood where you stand now. Each and every single one of them once entered a Hana office to get their license, they all worked their way up the ranks.
If they could do it, then so can you.
It is this thought that keeps you going through repetition after repetition. Days pass and turn to weeks, graced with more examinations and new exercises. By the fourth week you manage to come out with only a single hit again. It is already October and the battle with the Thorns kept on going.
You were not involved, but you do keep tabs on what is happening; the Thorns responded to the continuous counter-raids by recruiting more idiots and raiding more Offices. Still only Grade 9 Offices, though.
That morning, just the day after your latest hour with Gyeong-Hui, Giano calls to tell you to meet up. You have no idea where Dexter is, but she mentions he will be there. Parvati is absent, though. You would have liked to take her along.
The meeting point is some way distant from the office. You pass the beartrap once more, still an Urban Myth that nobody can explain.
Then you pass not one but two Index Proselytes, each one giving you the creeps; the first does a handstand in the middle of the street, with everyone giving her a wide berth. The second Proselyte is busy hanging three corpses from a bunch of clotheslines, upside down so as to exsanguinate them on the pavement. You give that one an even wider berth after checking the dead to see if it is anyone you know. One has the shoulder pads of a Thorn member, but you do not know them.
"There you are," Giano greets you once you enter the rundown bar. She waves from a table near the entrance, her own team of Fixers and a few familiar faces around her. Dexter is among them, though Hermes is missing.
You quickly join them and order a drink, non-alcoholic for the lower price. "Is something happening?"
"That it is," Dexter confirms. He looks a little wearier today. "You were busy the last few weeks, but I guess you kept an eye on things?"
"Kind of, yes. I know the Thorns are fighting back and that we lost some of our Fixers. Is it the same for the other Offices?"
Nods go around in response, though nobody seems bothered by it. You are not, either. Only a number of Grade Nines were killed, no one you would care about. Giano grimaces, though.
"Well," she starts, fingers steepled. "They got Hermes, too. Best I could figure out, he was too close to one of the battles and got caught by the mob. Then they tore him into bloody chunks."
Now you feel a little bad, if not much. You barely knew Hermes; he seemed reliable, but that may have been Giano's constant presence. Some of the others wince as well, aware that you lost your primary intel specialist. Maybe you should have taken the time to dry up Thorn recruitment with rumours; then again, who knows if it would have even worked? Instead of going back and forth on what could have been, you focus back on Giano.
"Anyway," the redhead says next, "I finished digging. Turns out a Rose Briar does not exist. A Rosamonde Briar, however, does. She fits the profile we had on the Thorns' boss. Good news first: neither she nor her old man are high enough up the ladder to make us legal trouble if we catch her. They shouldn't have the means to bully Hana Association into dropping the inquiry, either.
She pauses there to gauge everyone's reactions, though it is easy to spy the palpable sense of relief. Some, like you, still wait for the other shoe to drop.
"The bad news is that I haven't found whatever Fixer Office provides her protection detail. I also checked the law, there is at least one loophole they're probably using to do this legally. So we can't get them from that angle."
When Giano falls silent again and glances to her remaining entourage, Darius takes over: "We took down seventeen elites. Hermes' contact stopped answering two weeks ago, but we've got enough to figure out where they're aiming. Easy enough to keep an eye on the remaining Grade Nine Offices in the area. Thorn recruitment is drying up now that word's getting out how we're killing them every few days."
He looks mighty proud and others nod along, impressed. Shadow chooses that moment to speak up: "We took no further prisoners. All Thorn members and initiates we encountered were killed. The last three were more cautious about watching their backs. Word must have spread that I am involved."
"Noted."
Giano taps a spread map of District 9 on the table, the Thorn headquarters and a number of safehouses marked. You remember providing a few of those locations yourself. "I bought the blueprints for this building. We're pretty sure that a few Thorn elites remain at most. In the best case, it is only Rose and her bodyguards that will be problems. Twelve Fixers on par with a Grade Seven or Six Fixer are no joke, though. Suggestions?"
A moment of silence follows as everyone registers that she wants input. Some people start making proposals while you lean forward to study the map more closely. The Thorn hideout is not in a residential area, which makes you breathe a sigh of relief. Getting in there without breaking the law would be harsh otherwise. Darius seems to think likewise, but his suggestion to burn down the building is vetoed.
So far, no one has seen hide nor hair from the bodyguards. Rose seems to keep them closeby for her safety, especially since the Fixers started fighting back.
Then Shadow's hand hits the table, loud enough to shut everyone up. He looks at Giano.
"I have a Fairy."
Her expression morphs first to surprise, then glee. "Really, now? A little ace up your sleeve? Good thinking there. This changes things."
As she begins rubbing her hands, you have to agree quietly. Having a Singularity at hand is a game changer; you considered looking into them before beyond the consumer goods, but Fairies are expensive. Less so once you have one that just needs recharging, but still not sustainable on a Grade 8's budget. Giano could probably afford one, which makes you realise she has at least one Singularity up her own sleeves.
If she actually does, there is not even a hint of it. The Hana Fixer simply begins laying out a plan: "So we use that Fairy and get in no problem. After that is where things get difficult. Fighting all twelve bodyguards at once won't end well unless we call in reinforcements. Or, well," she adds with a glance to the other operators. "We could keep turning the Thorns' own strategy against them to tire out their Fixers."
"How's about we try baiting them out? Make some noise, send some folks who can run faster than them, y'know?" Darius motions in your direction of all people, then slams a fist into his open palm. "Throw a buncha insults or something, try to get one or two to split off, then pile on 'em once we get 'em alone?"
The operators are still mulling over the human wave tactics while Giano gives a tentative nod. "Possible, but that depends on if we can bait them. Considering that they were dumb enough to pick a contract like this without considering their long-term reputation, I'd say it can work." So saying, she turns to Shadow next. "And you?"
A moment of silence follows, then the assassin glances at Darius. "The opposite. My Fairy won't trip any alarms or cause noise. We can go in with a small team, focus on stealth. Get the drop on the bodyguards while they don't know we are there, then open the door for others after whittling them down."
You can see where that one is going, too. A small elite group, probably led by Shadow himself; it may work and it would be safest for you because you will not be in that group.
At the same time, Shadow's plan is the least likely to earn you any credit. Unless you volunteer to join them, which makes it the most dangerous plan. Darius wants to use you and others as bait, but you are decent at running away. Getting under peoples' skin on purpose is not something you did often, but it can work.
Of the plans, Giano's is definitely the safest in general. Throwing away a few dozen lives to tire out the opposition in close quarters and keep them occupied while picking them off one by one. It is straightforward in a sense.
Shadow's is either the safest or the most dangerous, depending on whether you join in. It is also the meanest of the lot, assuming the team can stay undetected. That quality calls to you as a former Rat, who always struck people when they did not even knew you were there. An unaware enemy is a defenseless enemy. But if the team is spotted early, they will be in trouble.
Darius' plan forms a sort of middleground between the other two, bringing superior numbers to bear at the risk of failing once they catch on to what you are doing. It will put some danger on you, but also give you plenty allies to cover you as long as you can run fast enough.
Or maybe... maybe there is something they missed? If you could present a better plan, then that would definitely earn you some recognition in their reports. Maybe even a decent bit of the reward for this Urban Legend.
Decisions, decisions... [] Support Giano's human wave plan
[] Support Darius' bait plan
[] Support Shadow's infiltration plan
-[] (optional) Volunteer to join the infiltrators
Situation
-Thorns are holed up in their headquarters, Giano has a blueprint of the building
-Shadow has a Fairy (can unlock a single door with guarantee)
-Thorn recruitment has dried up after recent, colossal setbacks
-Added Contact: Gyeong-Hui (Former Grade 3, combat instructor | Relation: your teacher)
-Hermes and Hermes' Office are no longer among your contacts
-Ciel's Wealth changes from "Okay" to "Afloat"
welp, There goes our rag tag teams intel specialist and chance of learning his tricks, but the war is starting so it doesn't matter.
hmm, How about a trap? Since we have a fairy on the hand, we can easier lure them in with the promise of getting a singularity weapon on their hands...and we can be the lure with the fairy on hand since we won't die and we cannot put others in risk.
ciel holds the fairy and use that as bait while others set up a kill zone and inform him of where to go, when we reach the place With a bunch of stupid assholes on our back. Well, that's the time where everyone strikes and Take so at least a few dozen of them out before most of us die!
Of course, there might be someone else who takes the bait but whoever does they deserve it anyway for being stupid.
Far as I see it, we just gotta consider the personalities of the people we're up against. Thorn Headquarters, full of goons, will probably come running when up against a headfirst attack. Rose, Nest Dweller here testing out products, and 12 bodyguards. Rose will either stay holed up out of fear in an attack, or try and run away since they're just here to test out some stuff, they don't want to die in the Backstreets for nothing. The bodyguards are just focused on Rose, she's the meal ticket.
My ideal plan would be to have one large group of Grade 9ers attacking head-on, making a commotion and drawing attention to one side, preferably with Darius as the point man leading as that's where he does his best work, with a smaller team consisting of Shadow, Giano, Ciel, and a few others who volunteer to go in through the opposite entrance using the fairy. This lets the stealth team take the bodyguards by surprise when they're expecting people from the opposite direction, though then again they do know there's a Shi member running around so we'll have to be careful of that.
Some other things could make the plan better, like having someone in a replica white coat out front to encourage Rose to flee (doubt Giano would allow that, but maybe) and having somebody go for Rose fast, as they probably already have some good Augments if they're willing to go through with this plan, but that's the main gist.
10 000 hours tp become an expert, and that's just the time invested, there are other criteria, like seeing the results in a timeframe close enough to be able to learn from them (why becoming a good job counselor is difficult), and also having your results actually depends on your actions (why there isn't any actual expert in the stock market, and you can use a random generator for about the same results).
Then you pass not one but two Index Proselytes, each one giving you the creeps; the first does a handstand in the middle of the street, with everyone giving her a wide berth. The second Proselyte is busy hanging three corpses from a bunch of clotheslines, upside down so as to exsanguinate them on the pavement. You give that one an even wider berth after checking the dead to see if it is anyone you know. One has the shoulder pads of a Thorn member, but you do not know them.
First idea in my mind is simply to combine the Stealth and distractions parts, have us go and make them run one direction, Shadow enter from the other side.
We get credits for being part of it, he gets his jollies on being the man of the hour, he won't refuse that proposition.
I actually don't think the shadow plan by itself would work, the thorns are already wise to him existing and taking precautions. I would highly advise against following him on his plan right now.
I actually think a mix of all 3 plans by Giano, Shadow and Darius is the play here. Getting a good number of fixers that are not part of shadow group to act as a distraction on the front gates in waves (preferably so some of the injured can retreat and not just to blindly let them die, extending the fight to lure out as many elites as possible). Shadow will infiltrate in and find the right moment to pick off the kill on some of the key members of the protection team.
Only question is if Rose try to escape through the back... In which case maybe some of the elite fixers should be ready there to intercept them along with Shadow's team to balance out the fight. Hmm... Ciel will probably be part of this team then as he should be familiar with escape routes and such. I think this can work.
I'm not sure how big the thorns headquarters is but maybe we can smoke them out, too bad we can't just use fire, that would have been too easy huh.
Edit: I just realized that this puts the thorns in an almost similar situation as Dexter's office back when the thorns attacked. Such irony. Unlike them, we may as well use our numbers correctly here. Their number disadvantage is not as bad here, but they do have the weakness of having a VIP they need to protect, so let's figure out how to use that to our advantage.
I have to go with no here. I do not trust myself to design a proper building in drawing without forgetting something crucial. I do not think it is particularly relevant either. You can specify what you want to do and I can tell you if it works or not.
Hmm, I'm considering how feasible the smoke bomb plan is, with possible changes to using a sleeping bomb if the City has knowledge of that (I'm really not sure why we don't see much bombs/grenade type of stuff in PM world).
But basically, is the layout such that Shadow can rather easier sneak into to wherever the VIP is using his one use of Fairy with a strong distraction on the front gate? Is there an obvious backdoor or other escape routes Rose and the protection squads might use if they are desperate to run?
If in doubts, blame the Head, seriously, given the given reason why they dislike guns, I have no doubts the notion of grenades and bombs makes them even more angry, no way theses things aren't regulated even worse than bullets, if it is even tolerated.
If in doubts, blame the Head, seriously, given the given reason why they dislike guns, I have no doubts the notion of grenades and bombs makes them even more angry, no way theses things aren't regulated even worse than bullets, if it is even tolerated.
True, that would make barricades really troublesome though. Without a way to smoke them out, the plan will basically be human wave attacks and pray they don't decide to barricade themselves in. Giano did say they are probably dumb enough to do that, but the plan isn't really as clean without a good plan to deal with this scenario if it happens.
Ban on destruction of building is only applied to night of the backstreet, Since if not monsters can break down the wall and get to you. Since we literally see a bunch of people burning a house down in limbus and our dear Guide and purple hag cutting a big ass building down
So let's torch the place.
True, that would make barricades really troublesome though. Without a way to smoke them out, the plan will basically be human wave attacks and pray they don't decide to barricade themselves in. Giano did say they are probably dumb enough to do that, but the plan isn't really as clean without a good plan to deal with this scenario if it happens.
Smoking them out is probably more tolerated than killing them with gas, so we may be able to find ways for that easier than ways to explode or gas the place, after all, smoking them our is just bringing them closer so you can hit them with your sword.
There are still some thing we'll have to discuss about going for any distractions plus stealth though, like, we have to make the distraction both convincing and not too threatening, if we don't get the first, they can get suspicious and be on the lookout for the stealth part, if we get too threatening, they are going to want to flee discreetly and maybe run into the stealth operatives.
Hmm, also, have to decide where to put ourself, we are not a stealth specialist and we know it, so how would trying to get in a stealth part would look like....
So far, no one has seen hide nor hair from the bodyguards. Rose seems to keep them closeby for her safety, especially since the Fixers started fighting back.
Ban on destruction of building is only applied to night of the backstreet, Since if not monsters can break down the wall and get to you. Since we literally see a bunch of people burning a house down in limbus and our dear Guide and purple hag cutting a big ass building down
So let's torch the place.
Hmm, I'm considering how feasible the smoke bomb plan is, with possible changes to using a sleeping bomb if the City has knowledge of that (I'm really not sure why we don't see much bombs/grenade type of stuff in PM world).
But basically, is the layout such that Shadow can rather easier sneak into to wherever the VIP is using his one use of Fairy with a strong distraction on the front gate? Is there an obvious backdoor or other escape routes Rose and the protection squads might use if they are desperate to run?
I imagine it is a mix of three factors we do not see much in terms of explosives and gas: first is that they are regulated for reasons similar to firearms, much like Nyarky pointed out. Second is that I highly doubt there are no augments to confer immunities or strong resistances to most poisons or other adverse effects that are not lethal. Gas also has no friendly fire option, so unless the user themself has that immunity it can quickly become a problem for them. Third is that from a story-telling perspective, explosives are nowhere near as interesting as face-to-face combat, so the games do not feature much of it. Difficult to implement into Ruina's combat systems, too.
We do have Smoke in that direction and I will not declare there is no such thing as gas grenades, but you will not find actual explosives in Ciel's price range. They are also consumables, meaning they will have to fork over money for every single one they use.
That aside, yes. There are several entrances into the building. Giano does not know where Rose set up shop, though she has some good guesses and can identify which entrance is closest to those spots. I am not sure I should comment on how well or badly Shadow could sneak through beyond the fact a distraction would obviously make it easier for him.
Ban on destruction of building is only applied to night of the backstreet, Since if not monsters can break down the wall and get to you. Since we literally see a bunch of people burning a house down in limbus and our dear Guide and purple hag cutting a big ass building down
So let's torch the place.
Could you remind me where in Limbus that happened? I faintly recall something of the sort, but it may have been in the Nest where that rule does not count. Point for Leviathan, though.
At the same time, what is banned during Night in the Backstreets is breaking into buildings, not destroying them. By the Head's decree, you are not allowed to force your way into a residence to be safe from the Sweepers. I have the feeling property damage is generally not well liked, particularly in the residential districts. An entire area's population getting eaten by Sweepers because a Grade 1 was fighting in the area does not sound like the sort of situation the Head wants to see.
That and even if you do not get a Claw on you for destroying property, you will still get hit with hefty fines for doing so.
Could you remind me where in Limbus that happened? I faintly recall something of the sort, but it may have been in the Nest where that rule does not count. Point for Leviathan, though.
We see Cawl, a village inside a Nest, be burned down by Nagel und Hammer.
Of course, the people doing that are the agents of another Wing with the probable consent of the Wing who controls the territory. So that's barely a good example.
