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A Simple Transaction I

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Kurowari said:
Oof, shame that Arisen Blood is so far behind; guess that's what I get for not checking the thread before committing to W O R D S. Would have thought the Bloodwraith aesthetic would draw in more questers, but now I do recall that like only 2 or 3 people voted for it - maybe people just don't care about Ghost Form. Oh well. I'm still pretty keen on Cut and that the thread is going for Feat: Shameless with another pick wouldn't be bad, my preference is for Dominion: War but I'd be fine with something else too.

If we end up spending no Arete here, I'd be super interested in trying to get some Praxis effects though. The King Stands Alone was awesome and I'd love to have more effects named after the Evocations on Ambition's charm tree.
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I like it rather a lot, but I don't vote for options we don't yet have the arete for
 
to borrow the words of microwave

EVERY. DAY. UNTIL YOU. LIKE IT.

1025 words

Axe tore through concrete.

Heels skid along as Nine angled his head to dodge the chunks of stone. The younger mercenary barely dodged the strike. Pressure overwhelming had delayed his honed instincts. Incisors dug into lips. A small jolt of pain to wake himself up. To wash away the fear that had built in his chest. If it was guilty until proven innocent, then Nine had made his choice.

The blunt end of his lance struck against the ground, a pivot that redirected him sideward. Just in time to avoid having his leg shorn off. Viktor had struck low, a move that he always favored. For what use was speed and vigor if one could not move at all? Nine slid his lance back and chambered his arm in retaliation.
He'd show Viktor just how low he could go.

Lines of energy were faintly drawn into the lance. Though hampered by the overwhelming disparity of Pressure, Nine's lance would not be deterred. Yet weighed down by the heft of Viktor's presence, the lance could not completely unlatch the shackles of Distance. Regardless, it was enough.

Nine's chambered thrust struck the opponent's ankle. Yet a blow that would have shattered a Rotspawn's skull could not pierce through, defended by battle armor. Instincts flared. Arms pulled back. Entire body flexed as the red eyed youth felt his arms rattle from the strength of Viktor's kick. Ablated as it were with his lance's shaft. Enough, even, that he had been launched in up and away their initial position.

He rolled as he landed, bleeding out the impact as he flowed into a defensive stance. Nine could still feel the shaking in his arms. He knew that Viktor was strong, but to feel it first hand rocked him. He had also expected for the man to charge straight ahead. Break through his defenses and bury the axe head in his ribs. To see the normally aggressive mercenary merely stand there though.

An opportunity...?

"Somewhat stronger. A little faster. Specs are higher than the kid's. Fights like him too."

"You always did say I was a fast learner."

"Weak comebacks too. You're really good at this copying thing."

Nine grit his teeth as he saw the man smile. Small. Subtle. It was rather telling. Was he smiling for the camera? Or was he just trying to push his buttons? But no. Eyes did not stray. Focus unwavering. There was no space for idle thoughts. He knew he wasn't good with his words. All he really knew about was fighting. How to strike. Where to strike. When to strike.

And that is what he did.

Nine shifted his lance. From defense, to offense, to a linear strike aimed dead center. A transition akin to a frictionless surface. A moved practiced countless times. Summation of his mundane skill. In turn, a strike meant for humans. Viktor diverted the strike with his axe. The same motion brought Nine with attacking range. Fingers slid along the shaft, arms pulled back, and swung.

The blunt end of the lance smacked against the flat of the axe. A path, wayward. Space in its deviation. Nine took a small step to the side, the axe harmlessly swung past. Another step back and by a hair's breadth did Viktor's outstretched elbow miss, while Nine pulled back his lance. Stopped midway. Then sent a blunted thrust towards his opponent's exposed neck.

Viktor angled his neck. Just so as the shaft scuffed past the armor. Long grained instincts, more than active thought, moved both combatants. Strikes and parries. Dodges and counters. It was an exchange that had been burned into memory. One that both knew if not by thought, then by heart. A spark in the older man's eyes as his body moved before he thought. Axe was discarded, upright on the floor. Hips twisted, shoulder lined.

"The shortest distance..."

"...Is a straight-line!"

Responded Nine. But where always Nine would have been launched from the shoulder check, he now stood his ground. Lance, stalwart in its support, ablated majority of the force. Though pushed back, the mercenary stood tall. And where he stood tall, he could strike. One more perfect thrust. Instincts and Discipline melded once more. The faint trails of energy ignited, again incandescent in its glow.

All Nine saw was the line. His body but a passenger.

A fist flew, knuckles against the flat of the lance. Faster than even the life-rending thrust could account for. Disruption, then deviation. The inlay disappeared. Senses latched into place. Red eyes came back into focus.

"...kid!"

As darkness filled his vision, Nine swore that he saw tears.


----

[9] Finesse and [9] Fight won! There is something to be said about having strong bonds. To know one another, and to have each other's backs. Where Viktor taught, Nine listened; in such, both learned. In their exchange, such was again realized. And through this realization did Nine survive this encounter.

Due to their exchange, Nine has accumulated 2 Picks and 0.9 Apostle Credits.

[ ] An Apostle's Strength I: "My followers can't be this weak! Suit up. Prep up. Prove that you weren't a mistake!"
- Provides: +Might
- Costs: 1 Pick

[ ] A Lance's Finesse II: "......"
- Provides: +Agi
- Costs: 1 Pick

[ ] Feat: A Promise Kept: "Stand down! Stand down! Alert the medical staff! Get his situation sorted out, or Astral-damned I will have you licking the latrines clean!"
- Provides: +0.25 Rank (Raises to 3.05)
- Costs: 2 Picks

[ ] Promise Unbroken: "Well aren't you glad that your lance isn't shit? Even then, to have it react like this already? It certainly helped make the fight more interesting, my Apostle!"
- Provides: +Symbiote, +Output
- Costs: 2 Picks, 2 Apostle Credits


Nine will be rushed back to the inner sections of the main base. He will be treated back to full condition, but where does he wake up?

[ ] The Infirmary: The soft wheeze of machinery. Surrounded in walls of white. A basket of fruits by your bedside. And handcuffed to the rail.

[ ] The Cells: Blindingly lit. Untarnished steel all around. Iron grates stand behind reflective glass. Wrists and ankles bound; your freedom chained.
- Provides 0.5 Apostle Credits.
 
[9] Feat: A Promise Kept: "Stand down! Stand down! Alert the medical staff! Get his situation sorted out, or Astral-damned I will have you licking the latrines clean!"
[9] The Infirmary: The soft wheeze of machinery. Surrounded in walls of white. A basket of fruits by your bedside. And handcuffed to the rail.

A promise kept, o7. Also, how can i start to like it, if i already like it?
 
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[9] Feat: A Promise Kept: "Stand down! Stand down! Alert the medical staff! Get his situation sorted out, or Astral-damned I will have you licking the latrines clean!"
[9] The Infirmary: The soft wheeze of machinery. Surrounded in walls of white. A basket of fruits by your bedside. And handcuffed to the rail.

I want a love interest sleeping on the chair when he wakes up or RIOT
 
Kurowari said:
Oof, shame that Arisen Blood is so far behind; guess that's what I get for not checking the thread before committing to W O R D S. Would have thought the Bloodwraith aesthetic would draw in more questers, but now I do recall that like only 2 or 3 people voted for it - maybe people just don't care about Ghost Form. Oh well. I'm still pretty keen on Cut and that the thread is going for Feat: Shameless with another pick wouldn't be bad, my preference is for Dominion: War but I'd be fine with something else too.

If we end up spending no Arete here, I'd be super interested in trying to get some Praxis effects though. The King Stands Alone was awesome and I'd love to have more effects named after the Evocations on Ambition's charm tree.
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Also, it's not perfect Bloowraith - it works only until ghost form gets damaged, which makes it more of a one-shot last trick than a viable second stage.
 
[9] Feat: A Promise Kept

This close to graduating from low Ranklet status. Just one more push!
(poor Nine, what did he do to deserve us)

[9] The Cells

Gotta keep things interesting.
 
Rihaku said:
I've never done a reaction because of the intense spoiler / quoting action involved, but I suppose now is a good time to learn.

To Battle's Close
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Red, crimson even. At first that evoked worries from me, I was pretty sure it meant combat, but I remembered it could be a ploy on the Ring of Blood advancement. There was always the chance that it eluded to Hungers battle drawing to a close. Not only here, for the ring, but for vengeance itself. I haven't seen a protagonist death scene in a Rihaku quest yet, I'm not sure what color it may be presented as. Red for blood and the battle for life and death that followed, or perhaps blue, for the truth of the matter, that we were never truly going to succeed against the 'Hidden Masters'.

Part of me also was spoiling for a fight, Hunger getting down and dirty with S O R D is one of the main draws of this quest after all. The battles always draw me in and I'm able to follow the flow of combat when Rihaku writes. In many stories fights feel disjointed, lacking, in not perhaps weight but coherence. If you read carefully you can progress and visualize the battle well, which I appreciate.

On the other hand; I of course considered that this meant the possibility of battle itself had ended. With the marshal at least. We picked up guile and had, at outside shot at talking him down. Man, he would have been an amazing force to have on our side too. Not just for his combat potential, but for everything he would represent going forward. The people would see a veteran, an outstanding citizen, with us. His allies would listen to him, his old soldiers would see the writing on the wall. Truly it would have meant great things for us going forward to snatch our foe from the jaws of death.

Too bad we know how that ends up!

All in all though, I was prepared for anything going in, because in a way every scenario had been eluded to. Rihaku likes to do that, and it must take him most of the update time to just pick the title IMO. It's a common theme that you can extrapolate a thousand different meanings from the context clues he leaves. With just a few words, and a stroke of color, your imagination can take you anywhere.

Soon, he promised mentally, addressing the imprisoned Ring, willing his own to act as conduit.
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This got to me. It's been getting to me. Well, perhaps not me on a personal level, but I can empathize very well with Hunger. For so long he's been forced to take half measures. He has wanted to Cut Through and seize the ring for so long now, and nearly every time he sets off he promises the same damn thing. Soon.

But it has always been a fleeting gesture. It means something so close, within striking distance, yet the reality has always been so far away. Perhaps subconsciously, because he knew it was false, he never called out to the ring like this. Every foray before this was an ill-fated venture, doomed to never breach the inner sanctum. At best he could return alive, to lick his wounds and grow stronger from them.

At one point every foe save the most basic wildlife was either a peer or a mortal peril to our friend Hunger. Now though, things are finally different. Through a confluence of fate and insight, and a brief respite, Hunger had returned on a completely new level. His blade reforged before; but now mastery had taken hold. His blood quickened further, flowing with the benevolence of both the one he lost, and those he now clings to.

It finally wasn't a lie, it couldn't be. Even deception can be seen through at a glance; and surely he cannot hide from himself. His promise was a truth now, so he offered it at last to the imprisoned. The one bound finally heard their call answered, and the Azure Ring believed it too.

He did not know if the Rings could actually speak to one another, did not know if it was merely a futile gesture, but sought to offer whatever hope he could: the strength, perhaps, to resist for one day more, to deny its exploiters whatever power it could, here in this final hour. One way or another, your suffering ends soon.
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This is what makes me believe Hunger could not begin to care less, on a deep level, about the inhabitants of the Inner Temple. He may not be -----heartlessness, but we do have two pips. And weighed against that is something he relates to on a level I don't know that he can replicate with humans. He is irrevocably tied to his Ring, and we have deepened his connection to it multiple times.

Through name, mystery box, and Arete we've poured meaning and strength into this relic of an age. And as he stared into the abyss, the abyss stared back into him. It's hard to see where Hunger begins and Hunger ends on thoughts concerning this ill-fated ring of power. Even if he could deny the influence the ring has wrought on him, in this matter he has no desire to. He's committed to doing his Uttermost in this effort.

Weighed against this civilization is an entire age of suffering; the culmination of untold eons with countless souls contributing to it's meaning; all condensed into one finely crafted piece of artifice, one small band that represents their legacy.

Its suffering resonates with Hunger through his own ring. It is folly to compare the agony of one of their own to the diminishment of their captors. This society has pillaged, broken, plundered and defiled without rest or surcease for millennia. They bend the stars to their whim with unearned power, for if they claimed and mastered the Azure Ring properly they would never have been in this position.

None sought to claim it, and join with it, to unite their wills to take the stars for their own. They sought to break it, to subdue its will for their own devices till every star in the sky had winked out. There was no give and take. This is a moment of reckoning for not only the Azure Ring, but surely Hungers as well.

Such a travesty as this cannot go unpunished; such a thing must be made an example of. Is returning to the status quo of their lives such an awful fate for these people? I think not. It would be a mercy undeserved, but we could give them that much. A fitting fate if they were forced to live by their own power; within their own means. I've no interest in uplifting these people, and I don't think the Azure Ring does either.



He hadn't expect an answer of any kind, so Hunger startled when the Imprisoned Ring replied: first a trickle, then a steady stream, and finally a torrent of numinous power, transgressing space and time, raw potential like a livid thunderbolt flowing into the blood-red jewel of his own Ring. Crimson flared and blazed, a star risen from earth, such fearsome majesty that he staggered to contain it, the power of the jewel threatening to overcome and unbalance the Ring as a whole.
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Beautiful. The Azure ring also believes in Hungers promise. Soon is finally not so distant. We have finally come within the metaphorical stones throw. Nigh eternal enemies in a contest for supremacy joining forces in a desperate bid. The final struggle is within sight; and Accursed I can't help but get caught in such a moment.

I would have loved ADS for the power; the carnage of the unmitigated power of the Forebear. I would have loved the renaissance, a peer to join us on our journey towards breaking through the limits defined by the Infinite Singularity Husk. But to have this moment, it was worth their sacrifice. Such a powerful evocation just rings out to me. This is what I love, when everything is on the table and there's nothing left to give; you sally forth anyway.

I can't over emphasize how much joy it brings me. As much as Hunger may be at conflict being a hero; I'm but a mortal. I relish in the opportunity to stand astride with two existential force of wills combining to give us one arrow in the quiver; one shot to either pierce even further beyond the sky, to reach towards the stars themselves and rescue them from eternal subjugation, or to plummet back to earth, broken utterly. To do any less would be to discard our blade, to leave Uttermost as just a poster on the wall of days gone by.

That day will not be this day.

Gisena sheltered the girls as he forced down its catastrophic might, compressing its all-piercing radiance until it could be safely contained.
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!! I'm gushing, but this is right in my wheelhouse. I'm a total sucker for this sort of scene. The brooding protagonist getting a massive increase in shounen level battle strength, a force so powerful that even his own allies must take cover, lest just the mere unveiling of his new capabilities destroy them. Of course, they make it out just fine, but it's the implication that counts!

I imagined just a dome of Nullity sheltering her and Aeira, much like anti magic zone from World of Warcraft. I didn't even consider Letrizia, I just have her placed firmly in Versh's pocket cockpit
and this would have been nothing more than a flashing light show for her. Imminently useful for research later perhaps, but not a danger.

I do wonder if her SharpBright lets her see rank, it's possible she could see past the deluge of light and color and see to the truth. That Rank once again flew upon the wings of power and amidst the blood of fury and life, inescapably rank provided the stream on which they were guided.

And our dear new girl, Aeira! She had heard stories of our feats I'm sure. Letrizia was spoiling for a friend, and willingly or not Aeira wasn't going to push any buttons with her new employers. She would have listened attentively, if not believing fully, at least appreciating the fervor for which Letrizia would have doled out the compliments for her bodyguard.

And undeniably was the cold, hard cash they were willing to pay. There was no hiding the source of that. Even if he wasn't all she cracked him up to be; she couldn't believe him to be any less than a powerhouse. What she witnessed here though, I can't even begin to fathom what was truly going through her mind.

I would love this POV so much. It is in many ways masturbatory and just lauding on the protagonist, but even so I'm curious how it makes her feel about us. Do we not know how to control our power? Were we hiding something? Why does Gisena need to protect me? If he's this sort of powerful, why am I here, pity?

So many questions, but what she thinks about all of this will remain a mystery until I get more characterization from her. I just hope she's not too frightened of us!

Now the jewel glittered with translucent fire: final remnant of the Imprisoned Ring's defiance, all its hope and joy of life, all its remaining will to resist, given over to him.
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I picture the ring as not only more shiny, but physically and causality bending levels of larger. I see upon his hand what it had always meant to be, an instrument of power so far removed from the word "jewelry" that the latter would be an insult. Defiance, hope, joy, life. These are all things I can not only get behind, but I support whole-heartedly. I love it so so so much, the power of the other options was unmistakable... but this is why I'm here.

I'm certain they would have sounded cool as well, but not like this, and right now it's giving me everything I ever wanted. An emblem of resistance and unity. The confluence of an oath made and accepted, not aloud, but through emotion, trust and no small degree of hope. I pray it enough to break the chains of servitude, and curses upon those that would drive the Azure Ring to such desperation.

The Call of the False Moon faded from his mind, and he knew instinctively that it had faded from every other. This was the final sally of the Imprisoned Ring, one last desperate act of trust when all else had failed.
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It's incredible what consequences a vote can have. I kind of, no I'll admit it freely. I love that I'm oblivious to most things that aren't spelled out. It makes the reveal all the sweeter when I can look back and see the pieces, but I never see something ahead of time!

I never stopped to consider where this power was coming from. I just think oh yeah, we spend Arete and magic happens, cool, cool. But what does spending arete actually mean. I don't have the answers exactly, but it appears to be a measure of fate aligned in our favor. So when we voted to empower the ring, for zero picks, no experience, that power was going to come from somewhere.

Looking back now its super obvious right? We only get the true power after we save the ring. It doesn't cost any experience. We can do it anywhere, at any time. It all adds up, and all signs point to - 'Hey dummy! You're getting everything from the ring! It's the Azure Ring! It's all in, and by the Accursed, so are you!'

These are the best parts about getting EFB's in my opinion. Each time they have coalesced with some cool happening to introduce their arrival. I've not a clue how the stance would have appeared, and I can only imagine how transcendental the scene with Gisena could be... but they make saving up worthwhile. The narrative EFB's are a step above imo!

Gosh, and now here we are. I spoke of trust before briefly, but this is actually it. The ring does not believe a better chance will ever come, or just can't stand the thought of having to remain here for an eternity when hope was just a step away.

Perhaps though... perhaps it was driven even by more altruistic means. Perhaps it knows even now, that this is an ill-fated attempt on our part, (and at 4.3 rank, it arguably would have been) but it won't stand to see his captors benefit twice over. First from the Azure, then from the Crimson. To have two rings tied to their dominion, perhaps that is what spurred it to action.

Not just its own self preservation, but from a desire to keep us from their clutches; for should we both be contained within hope truly would be beyond the Call of the Moon's purvey. It's hard to know how much active intelligence the rings possess, and how much information they have to work with.

Hunger closed his eyes.
"You're our only hope."
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Again, I feel empathy. I think this is one of the very, very few times Hunger has shown anything involving weird icky things, like a display of emotion that isn't some form of anger or deflecting humor.

It settled first on Hunger. And then on me. It was at this moment when I knew that Cutting Through was the only option left to me personally.

'Once again it falls to me, once again I have to be the savior, once again my allies will fall so that I may live.'

Just one of the above can't come true again, not for me, not for Hunger. and to guarantee that; the path is clear. We have them in our heart, tied to us through Edeldross. Let it not be said they aren't here in spirit; and I dare not ask for them to spill their blood. Catherines visage alone is enough to haunt us until the end of our servitude; I would not tempt fate in this place, couldn't bear to see Gisena fall as well. If folly takes us, let it take us alone.


How many times had they told him that in the campaign against the Tyrant? That he was it, that there was no other, that if he shirked his duty, or faltered, or failed, then it simply would not be done - only misery everlasting for the peoples of the world, clawing feebly at the yoke as it tightened and tightened.

It seemed he was not free of such duties. Perhaps would never be free. People fell into the patterns of their lives because of what they were good at. This was what he'd done all his life; was it such a surprise to have duty thrust upon him once more? Moreover, for something he intended to do anyway.
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Again, this is why I don't see Hunger as sympathetic to the 'plight' of the Inner Residents. They are not the poor peasants of yore that he strove to protect, they are, all of them, the benefactors of such oppressive means. Any mercy he offers them is just that, a mercy unasked for and undeserved. Should riling up the dissidents win he may promise to aid them for their betrayal, but it would only be for those who finally stood against oppression. To all else, why should they be rewarded for Hungers hard work? For finally breaking free of their captors bindings would either of them, Hunger or the Azure, be happy with uplifting their enemies?

If he feels compelled to aid them, I cannot imagine it is with a smile, but some twisted facsimile of such. It would basically be fate itself pulling the strings, weaving the pattern of the tapestry back into place. Proof that though destiny opens paths for him, it closes them just as well. It would feel to me as though he had no option but to uplift them, for he was chained irrevocably to the title of Hero; and what is a hero without sacrificing what you believe in.

He understood the sorrow of the Imprisoned Ring, the depths it must have been driven to, not only to ask a rival for aid, but to beg, and to invest everything in that begging. He understood its shattered pride, the egregious disgrace of its situation, the sheer hollowing agony of its every moment.
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Later in this chapter, the ring will be called not a person. Yet what is consciousness, the ability to hope and feel sorrow, to feel pain and disgrace, if not the embodiment of human ideas? I won't claim the Rings to be sentient or experience emotions in the exact way a human would, but there is something buried within.

Imagine for a moment hollowing agony. I'm blessed in that I truly have no compare; I cannot fathom what I can only imagine is the savage drilling into of ones self. A pain that only grows with your diminishment, that is implacable and unwavering. Knowing that without the benevolence of another, this pain is eternal until your dying day. To be subjected to such cruelty, for the greater good. To take back your powers, to leave your captors without the gifts they stole; such is the least of justice.

Even so, fuck these so-called interesting times.
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Slightly out of order, but this deserved a comment on its own. at first I thought that this was not at all an aspect of Interesting times. That we had opted in willingly to such a fate, and that some things of this nature just existed. But I had, just a small nagging corner in my mind. It can't help but wonder that the bottle itself my have been an Apoc proc.

It was right after the pirates, but the procs only reset severity to my knowledge. No one said a 'benign' proc of infinitesimally small power couldn't occur, that would merely lead you to your demise, were you so foolish as to pursue it. This may well have been a product of interesting times after all, only aided in no small part by our 0 willpower, and perhaps wisdom, at the time.


For that reason he did not resent the Ring for casting this burden upon him. The power it had gifted him would make its salvation easier. But he would freely resent the universe, and the Apocryphal Curse that guided it, until the end of his days.

No, he shook his head. Until he overcame them both. That was the promise of Progression, after all. Live, and grow strong. So long as he took care of the former, it would ensure the latter.

Live, and rescue the Ring, and grow strong.
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Live and grow strong. Platitudes he repeats, yet only to remind himself to one day consider them. That is not this day, It was not the day before, and by all accounts it is unlikely to be on the morrow either. We desire to grow strong, yet to do so we must extol in our 'training', we must always be on the cusp of life and death; must always forgo the trappings of pleasure for the cold necessity of progression.

The apocryphal curse is the hunter to the coon. He sends his hounds after us, and time and again we may flee, may fight, may hide. But to strike at the hunter itself is a feat beyond folly, beyond our capabilities, and furthermore beyond our capacity for consideration. At least for now. With progression we may yet mitigate this curse, find others for him to hunt in our stead. Perhaps find the source directing fate.

But for now, he can simply live. Hunger is finally catching a glimpse of what an eternity of interesting times may look like, and it's only been a few weeks. Such is the price of vengeance, I do hope that such a prize will still be thought of as worth the effort at the end of all things.

He rose from his seated position. "There's no way they didn't notice that. Tomorrow morning may be too late."

Lucky that Aeira had gotten them the intelligence she had. He could only hope his present strength was enough to deal with the Immortals of the Temple. The Imprisoned Ring had given him little choice.
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Ahh, such is fate. I had some desire to see the inner trappings of the temple from a peaceful point of few, but that's the ways the dice rolls. Now that we're here, with this sort of atmosphere, I'm excited to embrace it. There is urgency now, the hourglass has flipped and the sands of time begin down their predetermined path. This is when slicing fate could be awfully useful!

In a way, I do wonder if Hunger is panicking in a way that isn't helpful though. Sure, they know something is up, but I think this is where Hunger knows something I don't. It could be that he thinks the Ring has no will to resist, and something unspeakable may happen to it in this brief intermittence. Regardless, Hungers path lies forward, and being oblivious to his inner workings I can only nod my head, and help guide his blade.

Gisena laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Hey. This isn't your responsibility, no matter how it may make you feel. You can still walk away. Always."

He smiled bitterly. "That may be the smart thing to do. And likely the wise thing as well. But only one of us here is a genius. Find me when your meditations are complete."

So saying, he leapt off Verschlengorge, making for the Temple directly.
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I wonder if she knows how right she is. The call was broken; we could take our power and just... poof. Without a single negative, physically anyway. People are worried about Hunger getting scarred from leaving the Inner Residents without their golden spoon; I would worry for Hunger if he were to break his oath to the Azure. Unspoken it may be, but it binds all the more tightly for being in his heart, than on his lips.

His quote is one I wanted to use in my argument to Cut Through. It may be smarter to take our friends, it may be wiser to subvert these fools and trust in combined force of arms to overtake the Immortals, but I'm no genius.

I've got nary a keyboard and the sense to tap upon it, and this is as far as my labor can take me. Hunger signed up for this, it's our oath to uphold. I won't stop them from coming, but they need to make it here on their own time if they want to help. If they think they can get themselves killed beside Hunger, first they must have at least the speed to catch him.

At Hungers command to finish her meditating, I wonder if at all she regrets the time she spent lazying about earlier. Should Hunger be severely wounded, or even fall here, I wonder how much she blames herself if she can't make it in time. Would she come in as an avenging angel just in time to see him fall? or will her prodigal speed and wits be just enough to turn the tide should we end up flat on our ass? If we can but dislodge the ring we have a great chance of Gisena making it through even if we're bogged down. If we are unsuccessful, I pray stealth can see them to safety.



The gift of the Imprisoned Ring had tremendously augmented his own Chief Dominion. Blood rushed and thundered in his ears, an ocean of awareness that stretched far miles: vein and capillary, pulse and heartbeat were naked to him, from the birds in the air to the beasts of the earth, and all the humanity of the Encampment in-between. It was a deluge, too much to process, and he hurriedly tamped it down, focusing the power as it solidified, directing it into his immediate vicinity alone. A greater concentration of power was more suitable to his purposes.
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The breadth of this description is breathtaking if you immerse yourself in it. If you were trying to imagine what it must mean to be an omniscient God, this would be a good place to begin your meditations. Senses enough to not only encapsulate the world, but every strands actions in every moment in comparison to each other to paint the world over. Then start adding in thoughts.

It must have been overwhelming for Hunger, not all the rank nor all the skill with a blade in all the realms can prepare you for sensory overload on that level. I'm sure, at the very least, it was a novel experience he won't soon forget. Luckily not only did it grant him sense though, but the required skill to use it as well. Or perhaps it was Accretion at work, with the stakes so high we were guaranteed to achieve mastery; for any less would be a swift death for our cause, as our function would be reduced to twitching in a catatonic state as the worlds heart beat around us.

I do like the idea of being able to flare such a power though. The scouting applications appear limitless, assuming you search for the living. Mundane stealth rendered utterly useless against us; and tracking over long distances enters the realm of feasibility. I do briefly wonder about the implications of how far our power stretches though. As we sense the heartbeat of a man in the Encampment, could we just as easily still it? Time will tell I suppose.


He accelerated, world a watercolor blur. There was the Temple.

In through the gates, then quickly across the grasslands, up over the mountains and into the Middle Ring. Edeldross-infused, he pushed forward, faster than he'd gone before, the accumulated power of recent days like thunderheads gathering in his wake. Outriders tried feebly to intercept. Those who could not keep up were ignored, the others slaughtered. The Inner Temple loomed, dome of matte blue like still deep waters, a globe stripped bare of land.
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Rihaku asked a while back if we liked the build up to the Vanrier fight. I loved it and have re-read that entire sequence many times. Yet this is just as serviceable in my opinion. The essence of this moment is speed; this sequence being the embodiment of brevity is almost a necessity. In the end, I think it's best to go with the moment rather than have a hard and fast rule about the treatment of goons before the big boss. The results speak for themselves after all!

The only question I have is on our edeldross infusion, is it the full bodied version encapsulating us? or did we inject our core with it? I'm not sure what level we made it to after our training.


A man strode out to meet him, a solid brick wall of muscle, his face creased and cragged, hair streaked with gray. He wore a uniform of gray and black, a marshal's baton strapped to his side, eyes like coals flecked with bronze.

Hunger flared his Ring and felt the man's blood quail before him, even as the greater portion stood strong. Even with all his newfound powers, this would not be an easy fight.
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Oh boy, oh boy! here we go! It's always the retiree's at the old folks home that are the biggest badasses.

At a glance, you don't think this is a guy that could be swayed. I'm honestly impressed Hunger even tried. How bold of him to ask a man of such high station, bedecked in the uniform of his own country, to turn traitor at their very gates. I don't care what anyone says, supernal charisma or not, this was always going to be a hard sell.

As to the man himself, the main thing that rings out to me is his marshal baton. Sure, it fits his rank and station, but what had he used the previous 250~ years? Surely not a baton, so is he handicapped now, by his station? Forced by image to use a weapon never meant for combat against the like of a hero's Panoply. If he had his weapon of choice, could or initial blow have been stymied? I suppose only the Rihakuverse AU will ever know the answer.

Additionally, I'm surprised we opened with the blood probe. I'm sure there was a non-zero chance for the fight to begin right then, but the marshal held his cool. I'm not sure I could have in the same situation, but perhaps our lack forward momentum and quick question afterward let the battlefield settle. He probably had his own defenses at work and could want time as well to analyze us.

He stopped, addressing the man directly. "Care to live more than a thousand years?"

The man chortled, a low, bleak rumble. "Hah! Ask me again in seven centuries."
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To channel Taka for a moment: Oof.
Swing and a miss! Strike one! Three strikes, and you're OUT!

Man, it was a good guess. Old as the very stones themselves, accept he's barely pushing towards the end of his second century. I hope, for his sake, the last 700 years are kinder than the first two hundred! Cause boy, he could have fooled me.

Seriously though, big oof that our opener was riposte so well. Unfortunate that via the circumstances of everything, most of the tactics I considered went right out the window with the Call fading, and this turning into a day of reckoning. Like I said, I'm proud he even tried!


No urgency. Unfortunate. "You people must have known this day was coming."

"Confident, aren't you?" The man frowned, eyes darting to Hunger's finger. "Maybe that's justified, you've got a Ring all to yourself. Some might say it's greedy to go looking for more."
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Aye batter batter, aye batter batter, SWING... and a foul ball! STRIKE TWO!

We pulled out card #2, show off the bling. He's at least understanding of our power, realizes we may be more than the average moon brain at this point. Unfortunately, the conversation is going nowhere fast on the whole recruitment side of things. We use 'blatant threat' he cross counters with 'wary recognition and probing question'

"Are you going to pretend ignorance of what's inflicted on your own?"

"A Ring is not a person," the man shook his head, frown deepening. "Seems you've forgotten that, or maybe never knew it in the first place. Fail to master it and it will master you."

"Perhaps," Hunger shrugged. "But that doesn't justify what your society has done. Let your Ring rest at last. Turn it over voluntarily, or help me secure it, and I can empower you and yours with my own."

Again the man shook his head. "Sorry, kid. I've got a family that depends on that thing to live. Putting everyone's lives into only your hands? That's not happening."
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The stands are quiet when the ball comes, or perhaps we're just too focused to hear them. Regardless, the result is the same

STRIKE THREE! YOUUUUR OUT!

Hunger used his final gambit 'lets trade power for power', and unfortunately our marshal just isn't buying it. I can't blame him really. In his position, I don't think there is any chance a turn traitor with the cards I see on the table. Unfortunate, no option left but to Cut Through then. At least this is something we're good at.


And so Hunger struck, the power of his Ring pressing down upon his foe, blue of true reality outlining his Blade as it descended with cataclysmic force. The marshal reacted quickly, interposing his baton, but could not resist the power of Hunger's cut, and lost half his hand before he twitched out of the way. A spike of fired Edeldross adjusted the vector of his charge, stifling the marshal's evasion. The Forebear's Blade pierced through his foe's shoulder even as the man howled, plunging his free hand through Hunger's guts.
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I've not nearly begun to get tired of the description of our new blade. Blue is my favorite color, and that its being given so much emphasis and is literally edged by reality itself... oh my goodness. This is the effect of Cut Through, the ability to give ourselves an... AHEM, edge against any foe we could conceivably face, at least for the next few weeks.

We're already at cataclysmic force when we put effort into our swings, It's hard to encapsulate what the really means, so I don't try and think about it too hard. It's a really damn strong attack and the only thing that matters is if our opponent can match us. In this case, it's not even close. I'm not even sure if that baton was magical, but it crumpled like a paperweight. Not even withstanding the very first of our reality tearing shears, pathetic. (not actually pathetic)

The visual of only losing half of your hand... I can't help but picture it. Eww, oh Accursed, why. Is it split and dangling, oozing crimson liquid specked with bone? Fully cut, blood just gushing? Well, I know the answer to one of those. Our ring has a specialty you see, and it's in making wounds like yours a fatal condition. I can only picture a torrent without Rank interposing its will.

From here we get creative, go go +control! Using Edeldross to get the angle we need to keep powering through. If Vanrier had such a skill, perhaps he could have righted the course of his blade. Yet our foe is no Hunger, wielding the ring of a panoply' and we are no Vanrier, unable to adapt amidst the changing currents of a life and death struggle. We nearly carve the man to pieces, but he won't go quietly into this goodnight

In a super metal move that I would more expect out of Hunger, He drives his entire arm literally through our body. What the fuck man, chill! Then, just like I would expect out of Hunger, he flexes his flipping insides into an inescapable vice! What the fuck man, chill! These two have no chill! But I love them both for it.

--

Meaningless. With the elevated Ring of Blood such wounds were nearly immaterial. He clenched the muscles of his core, trapping the man's arm for an instant, and twisted his blade downwards, carving through shoulder and breast. The marshal grunted, blood seeping from his mouth as he fell to a knee. With a desperate surge of energy he exploded backwards, tearing his shoulder free of the trapped arm, extending the distance between them.
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Okay I jumped a little bit ahead with the muscle clench, but how could i not? It's way too metal to do something like wait to comment on it. I didn't realize it until later, but when he wrote 'carving through shoulder and breast' uhh, it's a lot more literal than my first interpretation. Hint: when he jumps back, just Hungers muscles apply enough leverage to tear off the rest of his arm. I.E. there is now an arm embedded in our chest. What the fuck man, chill!

I have a feeling I could say that at the end of every exchange between these two, and it would be fitting. From here though, I fear our poor marshal is done for. Even if we backed off completely, I'm not sure he survives his wounds. Could the Inner Temple have specialized in healing enough to cure even our cursed strikes? I somehow doubt it, but perhaps that is why he so freely offers his arm. Or perhaps rank has already informed him all is lost.


Relentlessly he pressed the attack, pouring blade-winds towards the retreating figure, sharpness like a humming shrike screaming towards him. The marshal twisted, inhaling deeply, accepting a blow to the chest in order to counterattack, a roar of pure stygian force that upturned the earth in its wake. Ripping free his foe's embedded arm, Hunger hurled it at the blast, deflecting enough of the energies that he could weather the remainder with the Evening Sky, though the cloak was torn to bits around him.
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I'm curious what that roar could have possibly emanated from. His soul evocation was Administration, so perhaps a battle shout bent on hostile intent? Our blade winds, our ever faithful chip damage. As an aside my favorite character in SSBM is young link for his stellar array of poke. Bombs, arrows, boomerang, never leave home without some arc to get the job done! In hungers case, I do believe his winds can encapsulate and transcend any trajectory mundane means could emulate. We have all the chip we need as far as I can tell.

I do like that the Marshal realizes his position. Life is a resource, and realizing his was hitting 0 no matter what actions he took; he decides to tank a blow to at least bring us low. He already set his course by defying us, accepted the cursed wounds onto his body, this is just following the path his cut made for him. I almost feel bad for what happens next.

Whether by some twist of fate or just the reality of how rank works, it appears his arm still held rank, and thus was in some way equal to the force of the energy he sent out. At least in some capacity anyway; ever faithful evening shroud was there for the rest. From our poor marshals perspective, this couldn't have been anything but a deathblow.

--

This battle was nearing its end. A seal of blood closed around the hole in his torso, while his enemy's wounds bled liberally, a ceaseless arterial spray. Still the marshal rallied, lunging at him, a second Pressure-infused bark ripping through Hunger's remaining blade-winds, driving towards a final confrontation.
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In some ways his determination to persist proves me wrong. Yet reality was unwilling to budge an inch, even for rank of his elevated stature.

Being able to charge forward is the surest proof that he was a warrior. Dead in all but name, with certainty that he was in his final moments, he picks his goal and sets upon it. In some corner of his mind, he must have understood the domain we held mastery over. If anyone could save him, it would have been us. But he dug his grave, and rather than take a step back; he went forward with his Uttermost conviction to see us broken beside him, rather than stain his honor.


But there was no room here for honor, no spirited duel of ideals. Hunger dove to the side, focused shamelessly on evading, simply falling back and giving wide berth to the marshal's dying rampage, his magnificently pointless death-throes. The Jewel of Blood did the rest.
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Rest in piece friend, I don't mind admitting this was one of the few tactics I threw out. Open with an alpha strike and bleed him out. Though in my version I merely hoped we could run away and discourage chase, this Hunger was more than up for the task to finish the job.

I like this Hunger though. Standing tall, sure we can. Crossing blade in honorable combat, with the sun out of both combatants eyes? Been there and done that. But just as easily we can take to the water like a seal, Effortlessly flowing through the waves, further and yet further away. Darting just beyond reach, ever close to the shadow as his vision fades. Nothing to offer but the measured gaze of the victor of an exultant combat.

Mighty as the marshal was, greater than Hunger in Astral strength, he was not Vanreir whose body was as a blade. This was a champion among men, with all a mortal's failings. Liter by liter the marshal bled out until not even the iron wall of his Pressure could stand him upright any longer. He fell, eyes blank, his blood and his life expended utterly in service of his nation, and Hunger did not look back.
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And thus ends the tale of the Marshal. My condolences, may you fare better in your next life.

More pressing to both Hunger and myself though, are what lies beyond. Were his petulant cries, the magnificent death-throes just a mirror of what awaits us beyond those walls? In but a few hours our fate may be decided. It could all end just as pathetically, with the Immortals standing tall in celebration over our battered corpse. Picking clean our panoply, ready to get to work on harvesting yet another Ring of Power.

Perhaps we can still change fate yet though. Good luck everyone

---
The winner was [X] Guile-Defeating Stance with [X] Combat.

Onwards.

[ ] Cut - The state of disarray and relative confusion induced by the Imprisoned Ring's final surge of volition will not last much longer. While the defenders are still poorly-organized, push for the Treasure At Temple's Heart. With the surge of power gained from the marshal's defeat, bring an end to this at last. +1 pick below.

*The defenders are scattered and disorganized. Many Immortals and relevant combatants may be at home or otherwise occupied. Free the Ring and finish this.
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My pick. Not for power, not for the belief that it is intrinsically better, but to take the burdens of this oath upon ourselves. Thematically, I feel it's fitting, and If I were Hunger this is where I would be. I don't want to test the might of our allies against the combined might of the enemy in anything like a coherent battle.

Cut through, stop for nothing. Answer the call and free the ring before they realize the invader is already within the gates. If we but dislodge the ring their power will be greatly diminished and we can hold or escape as the fates dictate. +++bravery not included, but required.

[ ] Foment Rebellion - These Immortals are likely a tier above even the marshal, in which case Hunger cannot be confident of his odds even against one, much less a group. Attack, but do so in a way that demonstrates your power and the inevitability of your victory. Secure what allies of opportunity you can from the repressed, the downtrodden or the merely resentful.

*Your intelligence reports have revealed the potential cracks in Inner Ring society. It would be a shame not to exploit them and improve your odds of victory in the long run.
*Lose the momentum of your sudden assault and be virtually guaranteed to oppose the full complement of Immortals gathered in their place of power.
*As you have the Guile-Defeating Stance, the chance of your collaborators successfully betraying you is low.
*Prolongs the battle enough for Gisena and Aeira to join you, though this may endanger them.
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It could certainly work! In fact I hear it has a higher chance of working! Bah, like I would accept Gisena or Aeira falling in such a place. Ask me again after we have undying vanguard, and I'll bring them into the depths of cosmos to face horrors beyond imagining. Without it though, I'm too scared.

[ ] The Ring of Power - Arisen Blood (7 Arete, 3 picks)

Blood learns swiftly how best to be spilled.

While at full HP, benefit from the following:
+++++Protection
+++++Agi, Might, Wisdom (Combat)
All Attacks deal double damage, stacking multiplicatively
You are treated as if in a form with corporeal blood, even if you would otherwise not be.
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Are we mad enough? Should we generate the Arete and be set on a course to Cut Through, this could be a path to victory.
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[X] Cut
[X] Vigor Incarnate
[X] Fierce Quickening
 
And another one bites the dust.

459 words. @Genesys

[ ] Genesys – In a distant universe, man sought to replicate the feats of divinity, in their hubris, they created Genesys: Creation made manifest, albeit always with one fatal flaw…

The basis of genesis is creation, renewal and repairing. It's ill-suited for be used directly in conflicts, providing little in the way of direct offensive or defensive power. This, combined with the sheer difficult of its use, and the fact that it made the incapable of utilizing other forms of magic, made it so that for a long time Genesys was discarded by most. Fools be them.

While ill-suited to be used directly in conflict, its strength lies in creation: creation of powerful artefacts, wilding conceptual power behind them and the creation of life, allowing the user to create mighty beasts to aid them.

Both are mighty; however, both have something in common: what they create, as mighty and powerful as their beasts and artefacts are, everyone they create have one fatal flaw. The Flaw is something that happens seemingly no amount of mastery can remove, and they will happen in the most inconvenient way possible, and can easily endanger the user's life if he is not careful. The most common flaw in created creatures is that they have no regard for their creator's life. For artefact, the Flaw is much more varied, if just as deadly.

This flaw also makes the system unpopular for healing and repairing, even though it's by far one of the most efficient systems of magic to do so, being capable of healing even old age, or a sword with half of itself long lost, while it's renewal is incredible, when used, it always will leave a flaw: a healed arm might have the bones healed in a wrong way, causing immense pain, while a repaired blade might be dulled.

The way to deal with this flaw is by deliberately leaving one flaw in their work that Is much more convenient to deal with. How much of a flaw Is needed is best discerned as one increases their mastery? When creating a dragon, make it so that it's back lacks scales, it being the most unlikely place to be attacked, when crafting an armor capable of taking mighty blows, make it weak to fire, then make a talisman to protect one from it, when healing someone cut in twine, leave a long scar across it's body, when repairing, make the blade return an ugly thing, albeit just as deadly.

It can be said that for the Genesys, knowledge of flaws Is just as important as knowledge of their creations. Fitting, for a magic stolen from the divine by man, to be marked by imperfections.
 
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Oof Tally.
Adhoc vote count started by Hirorubie on Jul 3, 2020 at 2:35 PM, finished with 375 posts and 55 votes.
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Hirorubie said:
As always, I prefer (Hunger) to take the risk himself, rather than embroiling our non-vanguard protected allies in combat with immortals.
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That doesn't make much sense to me. We've invested in making our allies relevant in combat by picking a Combat focus for Aeira and Sublime Attainment for Gisena, if we had wanted them to stay away from fighting and use them only as support we could have given Aeira a Stealth or Business focus and could have chosen Grand Nullification for Gisena. Our allies are specced for combat, Hunger should be able to trust them to support him in combat.
 
formalAI said:
That doesn't make much sense to me. We've invested in making our allies relevant in combat by picking a Combat focus for Aeira and Sublime Attainment for Gisena, if we had wanted them to stay away from fighting and use them only as support we could have given Aeira a Stealth or Business focus and could have chosen Grand Nullification for Gisena. Our allies are specced for combat, Hunger should be able to trust them to support him in combat.
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While we have a few upgrades for Gisena, we've passed on the evening gown, undying vanguard, and her ultimate. If we had any of those I'd be happy to let her come.

If Aeira had stealth focus I would be more inclined to bring them, because she could keep them somewhat undercover. I don't think her being better at stabbing helps in this sort of battle in the ways that help her not die horribly. It's also her first real fight, do I want her to open against Immortals, the hardest foe we've encountered? not really.

I'll trust more once undying vanguard comes into play, otherwise they can stay against threats of this caliber.
 
formalAI said:
That doesn't make much sense to me. We've invested in making our allies relevant in combat by picking a Combat focus for Aeira and Sublime Attainment for Gisena, if we had wanted them to stay away from fighting and use them only as support we could have given Aeira a Stealth or Business focus and could have chosen Grand Nullification for Gisena. Our allies are specced for combat, Hunger should be able to trust them to support him in combat.
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Agree, in the end a good portion of our build is dedicated to team-buffing and it would be a shame not to make use of that.
 
Omake Meet the Tyrants 1780 words

Meet the Tyrants

The hero and Catherine were in the stagecoach on their way to meet Catherine`s father. The hero insisted that he wanted to do thing properly and ask her father for his daughter`s hand in marriage. Catherine was reluctant to talk about him, but from what he gathered she was actually adopted but her father always treated her nicely.

Still it was always prudent to be prepared so he asked her to explain in detail what to expect from her father.

"He is…intense. He trained me and taught me everything I know. I am ashamed to admit but he always spoiled me when I was a kid."

She stopped and suddenly caught his hands with her own. There was something in her voice, a plea to listen.

"I want to tell you something important but I want you to promise me something my love. Whatever happens here, please know that I will always love you. I want you to not freak out and lash out in anger, please do it for me and our child. Please follow my lead and don`t act rash. Promise me this!"

The hero felt doubt but he had vowed long ago to never break his promise to her.

"I promise, Catherine"

"The truth is I am the adopted daughter of the Tyrant. I was send to infiltrate your party and assassinate you but I could not do it. Now we would have a child together and I want this endless skirmish against my father to end. He agreed to meet and talk like civilized people"

Hero.exe has crashed. He could not understand what was going on, but one thing was certain. Catherine was not lying. Still, he had made a promise and he intended to keep it.

"Well, let`s meet the Tyrants" he tried to quip, but he knew that he was off-balance.

====================================================

The stagecoach approached a huge mansion with dark clouds above it. Catherine was holding his hand and looking at the hero like she expected him to explode.

A final stop and the hero let instincts guide him. He opened the door of the stagecoach and offered a hand to his lover, which she took with a small smile.

Behind him the front door of the mansion opened and he appeared. The aura of villainy was enhanced by the choir of young boys that stood on the terrace of the second floor. The Tyrant was a bastard, but he was a bastard with style. An entrance with a choir chanting in Latin always made everything cooler.

"Tyrannus praecepta

Heros sugit

Sephirot"

The Tyrant raised his hand and the chanting stopped. There was a moment of silence as the two men were sizing each other while Catherine was nervously looking at them.

"I welcome you to my home hero. Do not provoke or attack me and I will grant you the right of sacred hospitality"

An extended hand and a silent expectation.

"I thank you and gracefully accept your invitation"

The hero caught the hand and started squeezing it with all his might. But the Tyrant was powerful for a reason and did not flinch. Catherine was the one to break the stalemate.

"Stop with the macho bullshit and let`s go inside. Hello daddy!"

"Hello sugar pumpkin, I missed you so much" the Tyrant cooed and hugged Catherine tightly.

For a second time today Hero.exe has crashed.

WHAT.THE.FUCK

These were the words that flashed in the hero`s mind when he saw the scene happening in front of him.

"Let`s go inside. Maurizio is here as well Catherine, he will be glad to see you."

"Maurizio was my butler, when I was little" Catherine explained to the hero.

An older gentleman was waiting by the door and when Catherine saw him she shrieked happily. She ran and tackled him in a hug.

The Tyrant was looking fondly at the scene

"Bathe her and bring her to me."

"Oh daddy, still using the classics. No wonder people think you are old fashioned"

"Age and treachery dear. I will entertain your friend while we are waiting for you"

"Sheesh daddy, he is the father of your grandchild. At least call him 'my boyfriend'"

"We shall see about that. Come with me little hero."

The hero was doing his best impression of a fish out of water, opening and closing his mouth without any sound but he moved with his nemesis towards the mansion.

=========================================

"And this is my violet blade, see the curve here? Increases the effective pain of a slice by 3.2 times! Destiny's oracles certainly screamed when I introduced them to this, I hope you'll do the same if you hurt my daughter. Actually I think I will dull the blade and cut off your dick. Don`t worry about it, it will be quick, there isn`t a lot of material anyway"

This was his life now. For the last twenty minutes the Tyrant was showing him various weapons and blatantly insulting him. Still, he was curious about the oracles and he had to ask.

"Why did you kill almost all oracles?"

"Because they are charlatans. I have announced a contest with a grand prize for every oracle that can prove his claims. When they came to the contest I slaughtered them all. A true oracle would have foreseen his death"

"…shit. That actually makes sense"

"I am not monster little hero, I value efficiency and synergy above all else. But enough talk, Catherine is waiting for us at the table."

===========================================

The dinner table was filled with various dishes. He had to admit that everything was perfect. He had nothing to complain about. Catherine and the Tyrant were chatting about various things while he was just standing and eating some raw fish. But what could he say, he always left the intellectual debates to his lover as she was far beyond him in that aspect.

"Interesting table, very sturdy"

The Tyrant stopped and looked at him. The contempt in his gaze was apparent.

"Yes, very durable magic wood. I have bashed many heads on it during dining negotiations. I can show you, if you wish"

"Daddy please stop, he came to ask for your permission to marry me. Please be nice"

"I will do it on one condition, beat me at Monopoly. You can help him Catherine, I don`t mind. But If I win I will never give my blessing. Are you up to the task little hero"

The hero had enough, the mocking tone put him over the edge.

"Bring the game bastard, I will" he looked at Catherine who nodded "We will take you on"

"Excellent. Let the game begin"

======================================================

"The game will consist of twenty laps. The first one to finish the lap receives 200 dollar bonus and ends the game and after that we count our assets. If assets are greater than mine I will consider the game lost. If someone of you is bankrupt I will consider the game my win. I will take the king piece, Catherine will take the princess piece and the hero takes the pawn piece. Honey pumpkin you roll first"

What followed was a brutal campaign similar to the one he fought for the last eleven years. The Tyrant used his Pressure to manipulate his rolls and sabotage theirs. Even after he combined his Pressure with Catherine it was barely equal. How could he defeat such a monster?

The final lap was upon them. The tyrant needed to roll 3 and his would have crossed the finish line. He had 100 more credits in total assets than both of them. Catherine needed to roll 10 and he needed to 12 to finish. The turn order was Catherine, the Tyrant and himself. If the person waited more than 20 seconds he forfeits his turn.

Catherine smirked when she saw the board. She was always the confident one.

"Pass the dice daddy"

Our instincts protects us by guiding our actions and skipping our brain. But sometimes they make us do things that if we thought a little bit we would not have done.

Two hands – the hero`s and the Tyrant`s collided when they both reached for the dice. The hero saw the eyes of the Tyrant flash red. The hero jumped back but he was not fast enough, the Tyrant`s blade cleaving his left arm by the elbow.

"YOU FUCKING DEGENERATE! I WOULD HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS INSULT!" the Tyrant was screaming and foaming at the mouth.

Catherine had also jumped from the carnage. She looked at both him and her father and after a moment that felt like an eternity she moved towards the hero.

"So this is your choice pumpkin pie?"

"Yes daddy. Forgive me"

Catherine looked at the hero and smiled

"Do you trust me?"

"…Always"

"Win. Winning is all that matters"

She pulled out her rapier and charged at her father, but something was off. The angle of attack was suicidal. A deeper part of his brain, the part that remembered thousand training drills understood. She will die, but the Tyrant would have an opening. An extremely rare occurrence.

He charged, burning everything he had. He understood what the Tyrant meant when he first saw him

"You lack the Will brat. Come back when you have the will to act in the name of a singular purpose."

He burned his name, he burned the image of his parents, he burned his childhood and he burned his Rank. Everything was pilled on the pyre. Every memory except the one most precious to him – Catherine with her beautiful smile and hair of gold and eyes like cornflower blue.

Give me power for one final stroke he begged anything that could hear his plea. If he had paid attention to the edge of the blade he would have saw that for an infinitesimal moment it shone in a cold fathomless blue.

The blade cut the tyrant from his shoulder to the hip without resistance. The hero stood victorious but his mind was shattered.

The tyrant looked at him from the ground and smiled

"This is the conviction I expect from the husband of my daughter. I give you my blessing, welcome to the Forebear clan my son"

These were the final words of the mighty Tyrant. The hero stood silently, the shattered blade in his hands falling from his grip.

He moved towards the table where the monopoly board was miraculously still standing. He took the dice and threw them. Two sixes. He moved the pawn piece past the finish line and after that he sat down.

"We won Catherine. We won" he muttered barely above a whisper, staring unblinkingly forward.

AN: At the beginning of writing this I planned it to be humorous but in the middle I tried something a bit darker. Does it come of as edgy?
 
Hirorubie said:
While we have a few upgrades for Gisena, we've passed on the evening gown, undying vanguard, and her ultimate. If we had any of those I'd be happy to let her come.
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A good amount (maybe more) of what we haven't given to Gisena in personal power has been given to Hunger's abilities focused on supporting his comrades. Not much sense in that if we keep fighting without comrades.

Hirorubie said:
If Aeira had stealth focus I would be more inclined to bring them, because she could keep them somewhat undercover. I don't think her being better at stabbing helps in this sort of battle in the ways that help her not die horribly. It's also her first real fight, do I want her to open against Immortals, the hardest foe we've encountered? not really.
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Aeira's combat focus actually makes her objectively (as much as I don't like to use that word) safer in a fight. The option directly says that it makes her "safe and relevant to contribute in combat as an ambush / buffing asset". To reiterate, she has a better control of her element than if she went stealth, the same amount of added agility and she is sturdier (though I do agree that if she ends up needing that added constitution something very wrong has happened).

The only thing she hasn't benefited is Wits (which, okay, can always be useful) and Element Magnitude, and that served mainly to let her hide something the size of Vers better and grant stealth cloaks to her comrades.
 
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So it looks like there are two leading builds -

Shameless (+Dominion: War, +Hero-Defeating Stance with enough Arete)
Vigor Incarnate (+Fierce Quickening, +Stance with enough Arete)

In the case of the former, Hunger is basically going all-in on a Rank-based Blood Caster build. This takes advantage of his high Blood Rank, but loses more than half its potency against opponents without blood. In that case, Foment Rebellion might be preferred so that information-gathering is possible - though on the other hand, even if he got information what would he do with it? He can't revise his entire build on the spot. He'll basically have to hope that his stats and/or blood-buffed Gisena can carry the day, or go for a second all-in play on the Ring. High reward, but potentially also high risk.

On the other hand, Vigor Incarnate stays a bit more flexible. Massively increasing your durability via quintupling your Protection can be leveraged in a variety of situations and you can always go for a Rank-defeating build via The King Stands Alone and All-Defeating Stance, simply pushing aggressively with stats. On the other hand, Vigor may not have quite as much incidental utility - it does benefit from considerably higher CHA, but has somewhat lower Voyaging Realm navigation speed than Shameless. Still, such considerations aren't very relevant when the prospect of battling Immortals is imminent.

You should also consider What Rains May Come. You have a lot of stats points so a multiplier like What Rains can offer more value than marginal stats in most cases (Vigor is an exception with its massive Protection increase). What Rains is your only chance to potentially get +60-70% in relevant stats before facing the Immortals, and since it doesn't spend any Arete you can potentially buy Hero-Defeating Stance alongside!
 
ScalesLikeCinder said:
A good amount (maybe more) of what we haven't given to Gisena in personal power has been given to Hunger's abilities focused on supporting his comrades. Not much sense in that if we keep fighting without comrades.


Aeira's combat focus actually makes her objectively (as much as I don't like to use that word) safer in a fight. The option directly says that it makes her "safe and relevant to contribute in combat as an ambush / buffing asset". To reiterate, she has a better control of her element than if she went stealth, the same amount of added agility and she is sturdier (though I do agree that if she ends up needing that added constitution something very wrong has happened).

The only thing she hasn't benefited is Wits (which, okay, can always be useful) and Element Magnitude, and that served mainly to let her hide something the size of Vers better and grant stealth cloaks to her comrades.
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I meant safer in the sense that she actively avoids the fight unless it comes to her, focusing her efforts on obfuscating Gisena and herself, with perhaps Hunger at the start.

We've invested in our allies, yet we've neglected the main +hitpoints one. I was too afraid to let Gondar, the archer boi, track us down. How could I rationalize letting that same crew fight Immortals?
 
Sharkey_smt said:
Can we actually change the Hero-Defeating to Magic-Defeating. Attacking immortal magicians and relying on rank alone seems a bit unwise.
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I would have thought that Gisena's Nullity would be what took care of magicians. It seems fairly good as far as anti-magic goes, and we've invested a lot in making it easier for her to use thanks to Edeldross.
 
Yeah, there is heavy implication of a presence of a lich in the temple, and if one of the immortals is a lich, Shameless is in high risk. Cut with shameless is a gamble of which immortal we end up fighting.

Overall, Vigor is very much safer than the other, i think
 
Sara said:
I would have thought that Gisena's Nullity would be what took care of magicians. It seems fairly good as far as anti-magic goes, and we've invested a lot in making it easier for her to use thanks to Edeldross.
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Magic-defeating gives our offense 5x increase when fighting against magic. Also if we cannot be sure she will be able to nullify all of the attacks.

My biggest fear is the Capacitor guy. We discussed his Soul evocation that is named after capacitors.
Capacitors filter,smooth or discharge. Worst case scenario he is a burtst mage which is absolutely hard counter versus regeneration build(ours).
Regen build are good against sustained damage with no spikes but suffer versus burst builds.

They have classified Gisena nullification as type S and did not seemed bothered by it. Relying on her alone and thinking that she is hard counter can lead to nasty surprise.
 
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Hirorubie said:
I meant safer in the sense that she actively avoids the fight unless it comes to her, focusing her efforts on obfuscating Gisena and herself, with perhaps Hunger at the start.

We've invested in our allies, yet we've neglected the main +hitpoints one. I was too afraid to let Gondar, the archer boi, track us down. How could I rationalize letting that same crew fight Immortals?
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I'm fairly sure (and I know that for some fairly sure might not cut it) that Crimson Flare let's us share some of our absolutely amazing regen with our allies. Plus, if we aren't using our companions when we really need them such as now there's no real reason to ever buff them, let's just keep them for emotional support and little else...

Xalvitor said:
Yeah, there is heavy implication of a presence of a lich in the temple, and if one of the immortals is a lich, Shameless is in high risk. Cut with shameless is a gamble of which immortal we end up fighting.

Overall, Vigor is very much safer than the other, i think
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Since Cut isn't really leading at the moment, I think we should rather focus on which of those two option is more beneficial for Foment Rebellion.
 
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