- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
"It has to be done. For the funny." -Me who didn't vote
It's Turbin' Time (Library of Ruina Modded/Arknights)
- Thread starter thenew
- Start date
- Crossover
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
Gacha Players and Financial Ruins.
Name a better couple.
Name a better couple.
Shady
Life been going hard man
Adios!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Wait... I thought we were betting twelve thousand LMD in favor of Linette, are we actually betting like 12 LMD? Is Sieghart that broke?
thenew
#1 Masters of the Bazaar Fan
- Location
- My Lodgings
Based on the small amount of money Jaye took borrowed once on Code Of Brawl and the prices of his finballs, it seems to be similar to the dollar. 32 LMD isn't a lot and it seems to be treated as a small but meaningful amount, for example, so it isn't a currency with high denominations. It also has cents, which means you can actually buy stuff with 0.50 LMD and similar.
For the purposes of this quest, assume you did indeed bet thousands of dollars on Linette.
As I said.
Twelve.
Thousand.
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Seneron4
Have at thee!
- Location
- Lost in Transportation
Of course we did. We are a financially responsible Fixer.
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thenew
#1 Masters of the Bazaar Fan
- Location
- My Lodgings
So this is how he got to have a Grade 1 Office. Careful though, there might not be enough money left for taxes.
- Location
- New Carollton, Maryland
i realized something while I was getting ready for a shower, so technically a shower thought
Terra doesn't have any concept of 'Rats' specifically in terms of the City, right?
So would the people on Terra even be able to see the Rat King?
Terra doesn't have any concept of 'Rats' specifically in terms of the City, right?
So would the people on Terra even be able to see the Rat King?
It was mentioned before, but iirc, someone who didnt knew of Rats, but knew about rats would see Rat King as an oversized rat with a crown. If they didn't knew even about rats, they wouldn't see Rat King at all. Do correct me if I am wrong
- Location
- New Carollton, Maryland
oh. i thought that referred to people who knew about capital-r Rats but didn't really have an 'image' in their head of them
thenew
#1 Masters of the Bazaar Fan
- Location
- My Lodgings
Indeed... I already said this before, yes, but I'll say it again to add a detail. Based entirely on my personal feelings and some stuff said on this thread before, not only does the average Arknights citizen see Rat King as a Zalak, whatever is the "image" of a Zalak in their heads. So, Ch'en (and probably Hoshiguma and Swire as well) would see Rat King as Lin Yühsia, who would see Rat King as her father.
Wei Yenwu, Fumizuki, Bison, Jaye, the entire Shadow Guard and Kaschey/Deathless Black Snake would also see the Rat King as Rat King, hilariously enough.
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3.18 - Duel
thenew
#1 Masters of the Bazaar Fan
- Location
- My Lodgings
3. 18 - Duel
You smile.
You're sure of this.
Hibiscus tilts her head in confusion.
"You're not going to…" she asks.
"Spend twelve thousand LMD in this match?" you answer. "Yes, I will."
You gesture to the woman in the bunch, a short-haired… Kuranta? Yes, that's the name. Horse ears. She stops doing what she was doing before- writing something you don't care much about- and turns towards you.
"Hello sir, would you like to make a bet?"
"Yes. Do you take Lungmen dollars here?"
"We do, sir. Are you going to bet on the current match?"
"Eyup. Put it all on Linette." you say, placing a bundle of money on the booth.
It's good that you remembered to keep all your money with you, inside this nifty little jacket. You don't leave without it, especially when you're yet to get yourself a bank account.
Hmm.
You should get one, actually. You'll ask someone in Rhodes Island about a trusted bank somewhere.
The woman starts counting the money, and raises an eyebrow.
"Sir, eleven, twelve… twelve thousand LMD, if I believe? Is that right?"
"Yup. How's the odds, by the way?"
She takes a look at a piece of paper by her side.
"...around 2.1."
So a possible profit of thirteen dot two thousand LMD- not that much, given what you've learned so far of how important that city is and how money seems to work around here.
It's a bit strange to have all those different currencies. Makes it a bit more complicated.
You give the woman a thumbs up.
"Let's go all-in! What's the odds for the Radiant Knight, by the way?" you question. You are a bit curious.
The woman doesn't even need to look at anything this time- she answers immediately. Guess a lot of people have asked her this exact question today.
"1.8."
Hm, interesting.
You turn towards Hibiscus for a second.
"People really are divided on this, it seems…"
"...everyone seemed to like her, back in the district…" she mutters, confused.
Well, she seems to be a hero to the Infected, here. From what you saw, the devotion some people had when talking about Nearl was pretty much Red Mist tier.
And yet, Linette's odds are not that much distant from her. She isn't even a "Grand Knight," actually…
How curious.
Well.
This won't change your bet.
"Keep it on." you say, still smiling. "Do I have to sign anything?"
"...just here."
She offers you a folder and a pen. It's all there.
Sieghart, you write.
Hm. You wonder why this process seems to be so… informal. Would it be because of the Infected population? Many of them lacked documentation, from what you saw.
They can't exactly fleece them of money with gambling if they can't bet at all. That might be it.
The woman types something in a little ticket-printing machine by her side, and shortly after the machine finishes its job, she hands you a ticket, which you contemplate for a second before storing in your wallet.
That symbol… Linette's emblem. The shattered mirror.
Kazimierz Major, Linette WIN. 12.000 LMD.
Quarterfinals of the 24th Kazimierz Major.
"…Linette can do it, I'm sure of it." you say to Hibiscus, as the two of you leave. "I believe in her."
"You know her, then… is she your friend?" says the little medical intern.
You chuckle.
"Friends, yeah. Tried and tested. You'll be cheering for Nearl, won't you?"
"Yeah…"
"Don't worry. We're both placing our hopes in a friend of ours. There's nothing wrong with that. But the match is almost starting. Let's get up there to where Nicole is."
Arabella's waiting for you, too. She said she had someone you wanted to meet.
ALL RIGHT, POPULACE! EVERYONE HERE?
EVERYONE READY?
SHOW ME!
LOUDER!
HAHAHAHA! THAT'S THE SPIRIT.
AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING A REAL GREAT MATCH TODAY! HAS EVERYBODY PLACED THEIR BETS?
HAHA, I'M SURE IT'LL ALL WORK OUT FOR AT LEAST HALF OF YOU.
WAIT.
LET ME JUST CHECK HERE, OK.
NEVERMIND.
THERE WERE LESS BETS ON THE RADIANT KNIGHT THEN I EXPECTED. STRANGE. I could have sworn… hm-hm.
AS I WAS SAYING, WE'VE GOT A KEY MATCH TODAY, AND I'LL BE HAVING THE PRIVILEGE OF NARRATING IT FOR YOU.
YOU KNOW WHO I AM- NAME'S BEATS.
BUT LET'S GET THIS STARTED.
ON THE LEFT CORNER, HERE SHE IS! A FANTASTICAL KNIGHT, CHIVALROUS AND REGAL, STRAIGHT OUT OF A FAIRYTALE. HEAR IT OUT FOR THE YOUNGEST CHAMPION OF THE MAJOR, SHINING, SHINING, TOO BRIGHT FOR MY EYES- NOT THAT I HAVE ANY NOWADAYS! NEARL, THE RADIANT KNIGHT!
ON THE RIGHT CORNER, YOU CAN SEE HER, OR AT LEAST YOU THINK YOU DO. THE SHAPESHIFTING MENACE, QUEEN OF PLAGIARISM, SHINIEST ARMOR AROUND, SPARKLING BRIGHTER WITH REFLECTED LIGHT. COMPETITOR OF TWO MAJORS, NOW THREE, FINALIST OF TWO, LINETTE, MIRRORED KNIGHT!
HA, THAT'S HOW I LIKE IT. THIS IS THE MATCH OF A LIFETIME FOR YOU GUYS, HM?
(Seen better, honestly.)
COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, VERY SINCERE COUGH.
IF YOU GUYS ARE UP FOR A GOOD BRAWL, HERE IT IS! WILL THE GRAND KNIGHT PROVE HER METTLE YET AGAIN? WILL LINETTE FINALLY STOP SCORING L AFTER L?
Well, I frankly have no idea, I'm as stoked as you guys are.
BUT DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU!
LET'S BEGIN!
As Beats begins his speech higher up there, Linette looks at her enemy.
"...heh." says Linette, Mirrored Knight. "I love that guy."
The cacophony of voices is rising up as the announcer stokes the fire in the hearts of the audience. The first knight stands on the arena, face hidden by her mirrored helm. She wears a magnificent set of knight armor, covered in mirrors of all colors, shining brightly under the lights of the arena with a rainbow gleam.
She plants her sword on the arena floor and places her armored boot over the crossguard.
"Say, how do you want me to lose, Nearl?"
The Radiant Knight is still looking at the arena, which is now consumed by anticipation.
"...lose?"
Behind her helm, Linette's face twists in a manner that is not human. It practically melts, shifting into a rictus grin that stretches beyond the boundaries of her mouth.
"Yeah, lose. I mean, I thought you'd be up for it, that's what knights do all the time, right? Someone gets paid off to lose in an impressive way, and write someone's road to the top of the mountain. Jobbing."
She waves her hands around her face, and then mimics a mouth with her left fist.
Not in the… shapeshifting sense, she just makes a mouth with her fingers.
"Oh, I'm a villain. I'm the evil Corrupted Knight, my armor is so tough and I look really scary. My real name is actually 'Loser Fuckface Nerd' and I eat babies and beat up innocent Pegasi maidens with my really scary brother. I also act like a racist caricature of Nachzehrer Sarkaz, just to rub it in. I talk like a robot!"
To continue the mockery, Linette takes her foot off her crossguard- and does the robot dance.
"Must. Kill. Eat people. Drink blood. Tear tag. Off the mattress." she says, moving her arms rigidly before abruptly stopping.
She gasps in fake surprise.
"But oh noes, who do I see there! The shining Radiant Knight, who came out of absolutely nowhere! I didn't notice her, even though she can be seen from a mile away. She came like a literal missile, blowing up the wall like that shit isn't expensive and it's going to be a pain in the ass for a bunch of underpaid construction workers to fix!" she continues. "And now she has stopped me, the Eeeeeeeeeeevil Sarkaz Knight, from beating up her sister, one second before I could brain her with my warhammer! How could this be happening to me?! And now I can't land a single hit on her! This was SO legitimate."
The Radiant Knight stares in disbelief at the woman in front of her, who is barely holding her laughter back.
"Yeah…" she says, before waving her hand in front of Nearl. ""Waaaait, and I forgot! And then all of those broken rules are just waved off, Mr. Greatmouth- God bless his soul- starts going "oh man, this girl is so awesome, she broke SO many rules but I don't care." And your cute little sister just conveniently gets back up and poses for the camera, the two of you fighting together like the perfect sisters you are. Wait, I think I have one of the photos right here. Where was it… here it is!"
Something forms in her hand- a small picture, indeed. It was all the rage on Kazimierz later. The two sisters, fighting together, Maria Nearl holding a shield, Margaret Nearl holding her warhammer with both hands.
Without a second thought, Linette tosses the photograph on the floor, where it dissolves into a puddle of silvery sludge.
"Come on, you know this whole thing had to be an advertisement all along. Your big announcement of "I'm going back to the Major!" Man, how could this possibly have happened? Don't try that stuff on me, Nearl, I know better." she proclaims, loudly. "We all know you're a faker. So come and take me on! Write your legend! Get the big bucks! You know how it is, I can be your next Corrupted Knight! I can be your jobber for the night, come on, fight me!"
Her helm almost seems to smile.
"You know you want it."
Margaret Nearl's teeth are grinding. Her hands are clenched, and she holds her weapon with fury in her grip. She takes a deep breath…
"I won't respond to your mockery."
Linette chuckles.
"You already did. Say, you ever hear the story of the Steel Determination?"
"...I have not."
The exact second she says this word, Beats finishes his speech- calling out for the battle. Nearl moves- and Linette's sword melts into yet another puddle.
Nearl strikes first, her polearm wreathed in night-scouring gleam. Her opponent takes the blow head-on, shielding herself with her gauntleted arms.
"He's right there! In the audience! My buddy!" laughs the other knight. "And he's cheering on me. So fuck the jobbing! I'll beat you, unfair and circle!"
And then-
And then-
She isn't there anymore. Nearl gasps.
Pinus Sylvestris gasps, staring at a television.
"...who's that guy?" mutters Flametail.
"I think… I know him from somewhere." says another Infected knight. "From… my wife's job?"
"No…" says "Plastic" Szewczyk. "I recognize that man. She really is going for the throat…"
"The nerve of that woman…!" roars "Whislash" Zofia, almost cracking the glass on her hand.
By her side, Vogelweide stares in utter disbelief at what is occurring on the screen. The owner of the bar stops polishing glasses. He almost drops one of them, in fact.
Blemishine, Maria Nearl, the sister of one of the fighters.
She, too, is there.
She, too, cannot believe what is on the screen.
"...I assume this is not a good occurrence." says Abel, body partially manifested on a seat.
"It is not." answers Kal'tsit. "If your intent of recruiting the rest of Turbulence Office into Rhodes Island ever materializes, Abel, we will inevitably find this woman conflicting with Nearl."
"That is, if she does not choose to stay here."
"It is the most likely possibility, but it would do well to take it into consideration. And I will say to you, Amiya will not have a positive opinion of this woman. Not after this."
"I… I think I might have to talk with Sieghart about this."
"...what's gotten everybody so silent?" mutters Arabella, as her child fusses with a worm-like creature, sitting on her mother's lap. Everybody is chittering, confused.
They don't know who this man really is. He is not a competition knight.
The muttering grows a bit louder. Who the hell is this guy and why is he showing up making the Radiant Knight look so shaken?
"I have no idea," says Sieghart, you.
Really, who's this guy she just transformed into?
"I think…" says Hibiscus. "That's Nearl's uncle… he looks just like her. She said she had one."
"Ah." you say.
God fucking damn it, Linette.
This better win her the fight.
Ioleta Russell, Grand Knight of the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi, frowns.
"You…"
The man in front of Margaret Nearl is smiling brightly. His sword is unsheathed, and his gauntlet is as glorious as always. His eyes are full of a light that is unnatural. It does not look right in his face.
The dour look in his mouth is gone.
The disregard is gone.
Młynar Nearl stands before her.
AND THAT'S GOTTA HURT EMOTIONALLY.
HUH?
YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW WHO THIS MAN IS?
SHEESH. I WON'T BLAB, THOUGH, THEY'LL HAVE ME HANGING.
BUT LET'S SEE WHERE THIS LEADS.
Nearl is almost caught unprepared, as the man's blade descends. A blast of light-based Arts almost cuts through her flesh, before her form blurs and she dodges expertly.
Another cut.
Another cut.
Her frown worsens.
Not only does this woman twist the face of her uncle, she has none of his skill.
She wields his power like a blind giant with a club, blasts of resonant Arts, wasteful, impressive, flashy. No finesse, no precision.
She jumps in for another strike- and is surprised.
Linette's stance shifts entirely, and she drops the wide swings. She goes for the kill. The skill that she failed to show is there, all of a sudden.
It was a facade.
She pretended to be simply wielding his strength, for just a second, mocking her with his face. To lure her into close range- and she fell for it.
She has made a mistake, Margaret Nearl realizes. An obvious mistake. She dodges a thrust of her uncle's blade, and Linette delivers a kick to her ribs- a kick that should be physically impossible for her body to deliver. She heard the sounds of bone snapping.
She twisted her limb like this, breaking bones, just to hit her once.
It takes the air out of her lungs, and sends her backwards.
AND LINETTE LANDS THE FIRST HIT! THAT ONE LOOKED NASTY FOR BOTH SIDES!?
WHO SACRIFICES THEIR ENTIRE LEG TO LAND A SINGLE KICK!?
Turns out, no one. One twisting of silver, and the limb is whole, as if it was never broken to begin with.
Margaret Nearl understands.
Everything about this woman is a facade.
Throwing the match was a lie, to throw her off balance, to toy with her expectations, to make her believe what she wanted to believe.
The spiel on how her match against the Sarkaz knights was a lie, it too was a lie, to rile her up, to make her angry, to make her make mistakes.
Turning into Młynar Nearl was a lie. She uses his strength, but not his skill. And then she uses his skill, but not his strength- that kick was not something borrowed. It was a trick she figured out herself, she was sure of it.
Whatever she uses to regenerate, she can also use it to restore a limb. A part of a unique fighting style.
A sole glimpse of truth in a hall of lies.
Lies upon lies upon lies.
Lies told for the sake of nothing at all.
Lies told to misdirect, lies told to deceive, lies told to obscure other lies, truth told as lies to obscure the true truth.
Does she mean to throw the match, still? Margaret wonders.
When she says there is a friend standing on the crowd, cheering for her, is that truth, is that lies? She can't know.
The only thing Margaret Nearl knows about Linette is that kick.
Młynar Nearl is skimming through a few documents, on his lunch break. Rarely does he ever stop working.
He hasn't taken a break or a vacation in quite some time.
Suddenly, he notices something.
There's someone around he recognizes.
"...Toland." he says, taking a sip of his coffee. "What do you want now?"
"Someone's a bore, as always." says the Sarkaz mercenary, smirking.
Suddenly, the smirk vanishes off his face.
"You'll want to see this. You'll really want to see this, Młynar."
"How much of you is even true?" says the Radiant Knight.
The woman wearing the face of Młynar Nearl frowns for a second. A calculated deception, or so it seems, or so does not.
"What are you speaking, niece?" says Linette, in a falsely grave tone of voice. "Don't you have worthless knight things to get to? Don't you have honor to defile?"
A newspaper forms in her other hand, while the other mock waves the sword around.
"Blah blah inevitable blah failures, blah blah nothing can change ever because blah blah blah Both sides are wrong, blah blah, and I'm so fucking smart."
Margaret Nearl ignores the mockery. She roars again. The battle continues to rage on.
The dance continues as well. They trade glancing blows, they weave around each other's blows. Margaret Nearl slowly gleams more and more of the fighting style of her opponent.
It's outdated, she realizes.
The appearance is identical to that of her uncle in the modern day, but the style is archaic, unproven, not tested enough.
What keeps her from losing handily in this battle is that "truth" she sees.
Linette's own fighting style, pieces of it poking through the mask, correcting mistakes that the style of this "Młynar Nearl" would have. Smoothing over edges.
Kicks, impossible swings of her blade, acrobatics that have her practically parting like water before her strikes.
Be like water- a flowing, free style where anything goes. She wields the sword in her hand with a grip that is loose, unrestrained. She is prepared to drop the blade at any moment, grab a spear, punch, kick, headbutt.
She does not cling to her weapon.
Why would she? She can make others, it seems.
She needs to understand more, if she wants to win this battle. The dance continues to rage on, and the waters do not calm.
"How much of this was true at all? You know him. You could have not said those things without knowing him, could you?" she asks. "Who are you, Mirrored Knight?"
The mask comes off- just for a second. The face of Młynar Nearl snarls.
"I can be anything, but I am not a knight."
And then- it melts off.
All of a sudden, she faces the Black Knight, in all of her terrifying glory.
A crushing swing of a greatsword falls upon her, speed and power absolute. The might of pure strength and technique, not a droplet of Arts can be found on this attack.
Nearl realizes something.
She smiles, and continues the dance.
YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING- WHY IS IT THAT THIS IS ALLOWED?
WASN'T MISS LINETTE DISQUALIFIED IN THE LAST MAJOR SHE COMPETED, PRECISELY BECAUSE OF HER SHAPESHIFTING?
THAT WOULD BE WRONG. LET ME GRAB MY GLASSES AND MY RULEBOOK.
TIME FOR A LITTLE STORY.
Article VII of the Major's rulings: Competition knights may not in any way interfere with the judges' ability to make subjective rulings.
See?
This is pretty much it! That's the WHY. SHE WAS INDEED INTERFERING! SHE TURNED INTO HER OPPONENT. HOW WERE THEY SUPPOSED TO TELL WHO WAS DOING WHAT?
BUT IS SHE TURNING INTO THE RADIANT KNIGHT HERE?
NO?
SO IT'S AAAAALLL LEGAL.
NOW BACK TO THE FIGHT.
"…so that's the Black Knight?" you say. Based on what people are screaming about around you, that's her. "The one who beat her last match?"
"She looks nasty." says the Librarian next to you. Turns out he wanted to come.
"You know, these tickets are expensive." says the red-suited man. He comes closer to you and mutters. "Don't tell anyone, but we can make money with the Library's stuff. Basically magic."
That sounds bananas illegal.
"Do you seriously- do you not fear the Claws?"
"We kicked one of them out. Well, my boss, Binah and Gebura did. And they basically washes their hands off us. Don't think they'll be coming here, in a whole new world."
Huh.
Guess that's what banishment means.
And… are there Claws here, on Kazimierz? Probably some equivalent, but you're not exactly sure of how strong they would be…
"Well, I'm not taking part in that. You deal with the consequences."
"Fair enough. Say, did this girl do this before? Like, in your Office?"
"No." you say, sincerely. "She's gotten better. She couldn't copy the ability of someone off raw memory. Even if the fighting style of this guy is relatively unrefined, and she had to correct with her own skills. It's risky."
"...why?"
"She was using someone who was mentally taxing for the enemy, but she had to make a sacrifice for that advantage. She's gotten better, but I hope she doesn't get overconfident."
"Did you make a bet?"
"Yup. Twelve thousand on the line, 2.1 odds."
"Bet on the Radiant. Ten Ahn I found on the street."
"LMD here, not Ahn."
"Same thing."
Nicole takes out a watch from her pocket. You take a look at it. The hands of the clock are… stopped? Pointing towards roughly twenty-five minutes from now.
They're not moving.
Is this a novelty watch or something? Some sort of disguised device?
"I have to go." she says.
"Wait-" you say. "Linette's still fighting, Nicole. This is important for her."
It is. You can see through the veil quite well. She wants to fight. She wants this fight, behind all the lies and misdirection, she sincerely wants to fight the Radiant Knight to the best of her ability.
"...she told me to do this. Sorry." says the sniper, spitting out a puff of smoke.
Really?
Ah, you feel like you're just dragged along, nowadays. Dragged along into all sorts of things…
"Stay safe, okay?" you say. She better.
"I will, boss. See ya." she answers.
She runs off, shortly after.
"Can I take her chair?" says Arabella's kid. "Ayam," you think? You don't want to think about it. Where did she even get a kid from. She is unbelievable.
"You can./Ja." you and Arabella say at the same time. She gets off her mother's lap and sits. Something slips from her hands into her hoodie- something fast.
You look at Arabella. You look directly into her eyes.
You're going to explain this, the look communicates. You're going to fucking explain this to me.
The Black Knight continues to advance. One swing, two swings. A blade soars, and pierces through her hand.
"Gh- you!"
It's not enough to impede her.
Revealing her twin swordbreakers, Linette charges yet again.
"You didn't have to go this far, you know? Don't you want to win? Don't you want to get to the top, be king of the trash pile, Nearl? You should have-" a kick to the mouth. The first serious hit, a swordbreaker straight to the left arm. She trades it for a stab, but it's enough. "-accepted my deal!"
Margaret Nearl falls back.
"No. You will not continue to hide. I cannot trust anything you say until you reveal who you truly are. How could I accept a deal from you- from someone who will lie for no reason at all?"
"You don't know me, how can you even tell?"
"You're leaving it obvious. And it's intentional. This is a game for you. You're having fun at my expense."
"Tch. How was the match between you and the Candle Knight, earlier?"
"...very different from this, for once. However, what she spoke to me will remain between us."
"Fair enough. Not my business."
"I still don't know who you are. I still don't know where you came from, or why do you know so much."
"I've been leaving out the clues, Radiant Knight." says the Black Knight, face twisting into another inhuman grin. "Gather them!"
SHE'S SUCH A SCARY LADY, ISN'T SHE? LOOK AT THAT NIGHTMARE FACE!
IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S MELTING, MAN. THESE PEOPLE ARE SCARY…
…IS THIS RACIST?
IT PROBABLY IS. SORRY.
"Damazti…" says Toland Cash, staring at the screen.
She changes yet again.
First, her uncle.
Then, the Black Knight.
But this person the Radiant Knight faces now is not someone she recognizes. A tall woman, wearing a purple coat and carrying three swords. Black leggings, a gold collar, long dark hair, pulled back by a silver headband. Someone who is instantly recognizable to a few people in the audience.
"...she's gotten serious." you say.
"Ja… die lila Träne. Sie wird alle Hebel in Bewegung setzen…" answers Arabella. "Hmmm. She really is taking this with all the respect she can give, heh. Interessant."
"Don't know what you guys are talking about, but it really isn't that much."
You raise an eyebrow. Iori? Not much? You didn't even know she remembered enough of Iori to mimic her. You expected Vermillion, he actually worked with your Office on many of your missions and you did the same for him.
"The Purple Tear isn't much?"
"Come on, it wasn't that hard. We beat her up before. I even got to shoot her in the face!"
"...fair enough, I guess? That is... such a strange thing to hear."
"I ain't got any idea of who any of these people are supposed to be." says Capone, frowning, staring at the television. "Kind of confusin', all of this."
"I know… the last one? Linette really got better… She's Iori, the Purple Tear. She was… on Sieg's level. The highest grade a Fixer can reach." notes Wympe, fishing through a folder full of documents.
"Yeah, that woman is a pain." says Sleepy, body entirely hidden by a massive pile of pillows and blankets. "Hope Nearl gets to kick her ass."
"Sleepy!"
"What? It'll teach her not to rile her opponent up too much, you know. You did see how she got with that first guy, right?"
A plate of dumplings, almost finished.
A television incessantly stared at, by every denizen of this place, every client and nearly every member of staff.
Some of her favorite places to get a meal is this specific restaurant. She needs the energy. But now…
"Oh dear." says Iori, the Purple Tear. "...I guess imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. But unfortunately, Sieg, you'll have to deal with this yourself. We won't even get to see each other. It's sad, but I really don't have much time to deal with all of this."
She finishes the last dumpling, and smiles.
"But maybe I can watch this match until the end… I've been hard at work. I deserve a little treat, don't I?"
You are Margaret Nearl, and you think you're finally seeing it.
You had your suspicions, but you've managed to confirm them now.
Her fighting style is incomplete.
It resembles many things. You saw it before. This mysterious woman- who fights with three different swords- is supposed to have four styles.
Yes, you can pick up the pieces, the scattered clues she's been leaving around.
A slashing style, reminiscent of Higashian swordsmanship. Incomplete. Forms are missing, strikes are left without the proper followups. But she covers up the tracks- she covers for the holes in the style with the others.
The piercing blade, some sort of hybrid. The style of Gaulian duelists, with some sort of unpredictable style meant to debilitate and weaken the opponent, slowly whittling down at their defenses. Strikes meant to leave wounds that would bleed, for once.
It too is incomplete. Full of holes.
The… third style. She wields a huge, black greatsword that barely holds an edge. There aren't many styles of swordsmanship you can link this with- mostly because swords are supposed to cut and stab.
it's more reminiscent of your weapon, your warhammer, the way some use it. Highly aggressive, heavy impacts, meant to stagger, send the enemy sprawling into the ground. Prodigious physical strength used to its maximum impact.
But there's a fourth.
You don't know what it is, but the way she fights suggests that there is a fourth style she can't use.
You've realized it.
All those people whose power she's wielding, all of this power she carries, they're weakened. She can pretend they aren't, but they are. She has to put in extra effort to place her copied Arts around the same level of strength of your uncle.
But the most important detail isn't that.
It's how limited it is- she can't improve on it at all.
She isn't using your uncle's current swordsmanship. She's using whatever she saw, years ago, over a decade ago… the copy of the Nearl style, untempered, unrefined. She knew your uncle, fifteen years ago, and she copied his Arts and his swordsmanship. But she hasn't moved an inch since then.
And she couldn't make any improvements on the Black Knight, either.
You've seen recordings of her matches, and it's almost like seeing it back here. A snapshot. Yes, this is what it is. A snapshot of a person. What the Black Knight was, on her final Major.
How fascinating.
Is this her Arts? A way of capturing the life of others, a photograph, a moment registered on her techniques?
She doesn't seem to improve on it at all… but she hasn't grown weak.
You can think of all sorts of people, that if given this power, would be content to grow slow, lumbering. Live off the powers of others and never improve themselves.
But she's using her style, her own personal style, to correct the flaws left on each and every one of those innumerable snapshots.
This third enemy, she is destructive, powerful, agile and deadly. She smiles at you, and you continue to dodge and weave past her devastating movements- attacks that split the ground and slice through the land.
She made a fighting style that could improve any other.
This is not an easy task. She has learned how to correct the mistakes of each and every one of her snapshots, with this style. How.. fascinating.
But that is a vulnerability.
You're understanding it now. She wants to get in your head, rile you, annoy you, make you angry. Make you take risks, overcommit, make mistakes.
But she wants the opposite, too. She wants you to understand her style. Like she said- those are clues she's leaving for you.
She's- she's switching again. You'll have to be ready. She grasps the sword, the rapier- and tosses it at you.
Before it can bury itself in your ribs, you sidestep the projectile. It melts down before it can hit the ground, leaving another puddle.
A huge- a huge, flaming cross. She flinches, as it forms in her hand. Her hands are almost completely covered with burn scars.
A long-haired man, in a coat, a simple white dress shirt.
"All right." she says, in a voice that is not hers.
She's slipping into the identity- all of the others held her own voice so far. She even made a mock attempt to mimic your uncle.
The suspicion you've held for a while- that she is simply an incredibly powerful Damazti Sarkaz- is returning to the forefront of your mind.
You need to keep fighting. She's faltering.
There has to be some sort of limit- if she was simply unkillable and capable of shapeshifting away from any injury she wouldn't act like this. Or would she?
Realization comes to your mind.
You understand it now. The reason behind it all. She wants you to doubt. Doubt your senses, doubt your instincts, doubt her every word. You land a blow, but you're not sure if it meant anything. You dodged, but you're not sure if it was part of the plan.
An inventive tactic. But it's certainly something she made herself. It's another glimpse into her mind.
The man charges.
He's slow, painfully slow, almost lumbering at first. But then he picks up. The burning cross drags behind her, and her intent becomes clear.
She's going to collide with you.
You're very fast.
You're not going to let it happen.
The enormous cross moves in the air.
With a single burst of motion, you move out of the way of the swing- and watch as the flames produced by the weapon utterly blacken the ground in its wake.
If this attack landed…
The heat is almost unbearable. She's-
She's lighting herself on fire, you realize. The flames of the cross aren't content with burning the weapon itself, they spread. Her hands are burning, her clothes have caught on fire- and yet she doesn't seem to care, and the threads simply don't burn.
Natural resilience to fire on the part of the original user of that weapon- but no distinctive racial traits. The previous one reminded you very intensely of a Phidia, and her clothes could feasibly hide scales.
But this one's a mystery.
Lighting yourself on fire with your own Arts by having it spread through your foci seems like a very quick way to kill yourself or get Oripathy.
And yet she seems to be using it for some purpose…
Another strike. You dodge, and retaliate. Your polearm strikes true, tearing a hole in her left arm. For a second, she falters- and you take advantage.
She raises the cross as a shield- and you slice clean through it, leaving a large gash on the weapon.
So this- so this is the key to the fight. Her weapons aren't weapons- they're part of her. She's shapeshifting weapons from her own body- certainly Damazti, you know it now.
This fight is not like what you had with Viviana.
Linette has completely lost interest in talking. Here, communication can only be had with your weapons. You're certain she's learning just as much about you as you're learning about her.
She starts to circle. Carefully, one step after the other. You follow shortly after.
Each waits for the other to make the first move.
"Linette." you say. "...why do you fight at all?"
She laughs again.
"You know, when I said I was financing the Reunion Movement, you didn't believe me, did you?"
You really didn't. You did not believe a single word she said. But here and now, you wonder if she was actually telling the truth. The truth, said in an absurd manner, as to seem a lie.
"I did not."
"Nobody ever does. If you lie enough, no one will believe you when you're finally telling the truth. Ever hear the story of the boy who cried wolf? That's my schtick, basically."
"...if no one ever believes you, your words will become meaningless."
"There's people who can sort the truth from lies. There's people I don't need to lie to at all."
"So, you fight for these people."
She nods.
"Nah."
You chuckle.
So this is what she's like.
"I've seen many things. I will spare you the details- you've been away from the glory of the Majors for over a decade now. I'm sure you know everything. But I have seen good things, and terrible things. I am alone no longer."
"...you still think you can fix this country?"
"I believe that I can at least try to rouse what was slumbering. In the hearts and minds of us all."
A sigh.
"You're in for a world of disappointment, you know. If you try to work within the system, you're just submitting to it. Trust me." she says, seeming… resentful, now. "I know that very well. You could say that a charity worker gig is just… returning to my roots. I worked as one for years, and let me tell you. If the approved channels let you change anything, things would have changed long ago. They're made to not change, Radiant Knight. You'll just be swallowed up, like everyone else was. Your best hope is to leave."
Leave?
Simply abandon it all to its fate?
"I know what you're thinking, and I'll tell you. It's beyond saving. If you still want to save it, you gotta work. You have to fight. Those Pinus Sylvestris girls? Doing good work. You should be more like them."
You have to say…
You should be more like them, that's something you haven't heard in a long time.
"I know that I cannot change this by simply working inside of it. But for now- for now, at least- it's the best thing I can do. I have to finish this- for many reasons."
Linette- still wearing a face that isn't hers- smiles.
"I guess that's the sad thing about fight banter. No matter how much we prattle about our ideals and stuff, we can't ever convey everything. You probably have reasons to fight you could spend an hour talking about." she says. "Obviously, not me. I can convert anything I want to convey in a short format. Because… I'm just built differently, I guess."
You laugh.
She laughs with you.
The vision of the man in the cross is trembling. She's preparing to switch again- but there seems to be a delay. She can't switch immediately. If you catch her while she's changing forms, you might force her to fight by herself- and you'll get a better idea of her own skill level.
You leap forward.
She explodes into motion- one last swing of that cross. The flames in her body jump towards yours- so this is what they were for.
No matter.
You plant your spear's blade on the ground, and plant your feet upon the handle- and light shines through the arena. The attack falls upon you-
And the gleam of Arts repels it.
At its full strength, you realize, this singular blow would have shattered your defense- but the pulse of Arts you released resists the strike and dissipates the flames that she can muster.
Before she can correct her movement, you catch her with a kick to the jaw- nearly sending her sprawling into the ground- and successfully making her stumble backwards.
You take your weapon back into your hands.
She had very little answer to this. As you had suspected, she can only combine the snapshots- use the techniques of fighters she copied. She cannot adapt them, nor can she alter them. She has to fill in the gaps, patch the holes in her copies with techniques of her own… because she is not holding their consciousness.
She has access to a library of fighting techniques and forms of the warriors she faced in the past. No more, no less. You wonder…
Just who was that man with the cross?
…she's changing again. Her form is melting into- into the original. Mirrored Knight.
"All right." she says. Her sword is back in her hands. "We're back to zero. I can just keep whittling you down, until you can't stand up."
She's lying.
But about what?
To what extent?
What's her secret? No fighter is a perpetual motion machine. There has to be a secret to get her exhausted. What could it be?
You need to keep fighting- you can win this.
What is your next move?
[ ] Keep your distance.
(Her own range of ability hasn't shown much promise with either ranged fighting or ranged Arts so far- she seems to be best in close-range combat. If you keep your distance and maintain the range advantage with your spear and your Arts, it will be more difficult for her to correct her vulnerabilities. But your own offensive power will be reduced.)
[ ] Rush her down.
(Don't let her change back. She's showing more of herself. Take that opportunity- close in and get what you want from her. You'll learn more and hit harder, but defending yourself will be more difficult.)
[ ] Focus on your Arts.
(She doesn't seem to have that much of it- at least, the identities you've seen her take didn't show too much. The unrefined Arts of your uncle's past, those strange flames she wreathed herself in… if you put the focus on overwhelming her with Arts, perhaps you can win.)
[ ] Commit to the war of attrition.
(You have endurance, too. She was lying about something when she said she could whittle you down. The time frame? The possibility? "Until you can't stand up?" Test that.)
[ ] All or nothing.
(She seems to just shapeshift wounds back into unmarred flesh. But it seems to need conscious effort. If you drop all attempts at defense and just hit her hard enough, hard enough to knock her down, she might not bounce back. This is risky, but if it pays off, you'll win then and there.)
[ ] Write-in.
(Think of another tactic.)
Character Sheet Unlocked: Linette (Under "Turbulence Office")
Character Sheet Unlocked: Nearl, the Radiant Knight (Under "Rhodes Island")
Status of Self and Allies:
You: You took some blows. One to your arm. You're not any close to exhausted, though. You can keep doing this.
Linette, Mirrored Knight
- Enemy Type: Specialist
- HP: S
- ATK: A
- ASPD: B
- DEF: B
- RES: C
- Condition: Unknown. She has taken hits.
Nearl's Note: I have to find out her secret- that's the key to winning that fight. She can't shapeshift forever, can she? But take care. She is versatile- while the holes in her skills are a dangerous vulnerability, she covers for them incredibly well. The sheer variety of forms she must have gathered through the years… it isn't limited in storage- if it was, she wouldn't have kept the skills of my uncle fifteen years ago. I very much doubt she planned to utilize them to shake me from the very beginning.
You smile.
You're sure of this.
Hibiscus tilts her head in confusion.
"You're not going to…" she asks.
"Spend twelve thousand LMD in this match?" you answer. "Yes, I will."
You gesture to the woman in the bunch, a short-haired… Kuranta? Yes, that's the name. Horse ears. She stops doing what she was doing before- writing something you don't care much about- and turns towards you.
"Hello sir, would you like to make a bet?"
"Yes. Do you take Lungmen dollars here?"
"We do, sir. Are you going to bet on the current match?"
"Eyup. Put it all on Linette." you say, placing a bundle of money on the booth.
It's good that you remembered to keep all your money with you, inside this nifty little jacket. You don't leave without it, especially when you're yet to get yourself a bank account.
Hmm.
You should get one, actually. You'll ask someone in Rhodes Island about a trusted bank somewhere.
The woman starts counting the money, and raises an eyebrow.
"Sir, eleven, twelve… twelve thousand LMD, if I believe? Is that right?"
"Yup. How's the odds, by the way?"
She takes a look at a piece of paper by her side.
"...around 2.1."
So a possible profit of thirteen dot two thousand LMD- not that much, given what you've learned so far of how important that city is and how money seems to work around here.
It's a bit strange to have all those different currencies. Makes it a bit more complicated.
You give the woman a thumbs up.
"Let's go all-in! What's the odds for the Radiant Knight, by the way?" you question. You are a bit curious.
The woman doesn't even need to look at anything this time- she answers immediately. Guess a lot of people have asked her this exact question today.
"1.8."
Hm, interesting.
You turn towards Hibiscus for a second.
"People really are divided on this, it seems…"
"...everyone seemed to like her, back in the district…" she mutters, confused.
Well, she seems to be a hero to the Infected, here. From what you saw, the devotion some people had when talking about Nearl was pretty much Red Mist tier.
And yet, Linette's odds are not that much distant from her. She isn't even a "Grand Knight," actually…
How curious.
Well.
This won't change your bet.
"Keep it on." you say, still smiling. "Do I have to sign anything?"
"...just here."
She offers you a folder and a pen. It's all there.
Sieghart, you write.
Hm. You wonder why this process seems to be so… informal. Would it be because of the Infected population? Many of them lacked documentation, from what you saw.
They can't exactly fleece them of money with gambling if they can't bet at all. That might be it.
The woman types something in a little ticket-printing machine by her side, and shortly after the machine finishes its job, she hands you a ticket, which you contemplate for a second before storing in your wallet.
That symbol… Linette's emblem. The shattered mirror.
Kazimierz Major, Linette WIN. 12.000 LMD.
Quarterfinals of the 24th Kazimierz Major.
"…Linette can do it, I'm sure of it." you say to Hibiscus, as the two of you leave. "I believe in her."
"You know her, then… is she your friend?" says the little medical intern.
You chuckle.
"Friends, yeah. Tried and tested. You'll be cheering for Nearl, won't you?"
"Yeah…"
"Don't worry. We're both placing our hopes in a friend of ours. There's nothing wrong with that. But the match is almost starting. Let's get up there to where Nicole is."
Arabella's waiting for you, too. She said she had someone you wanted to meet.
ALL RIGHT, POPULACE! EVERYONE HERE?
EVERYONE READY?
SHOW ME!
LOUDER!
HAHAHAHA! THAT'S THE SPIRIT.
AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING A REAL GREAT MATCH TODAY! HAS EVERYBODY PLACED THEIR BETS?
HAHA, I'M SURE IT'LL ALL WORK OUT FOR AT LEAST HALF OF YOU.
WAIT.
LET ME JUST CHECK HERE, OK.
NEVERMIND.
THERE WERE LESS BETS ON THE RADIANT KNIGHT THEN I EXPECTED. STRANGE. I could have sworn… hm-hm.
AS I WAS SAYING, WE'VE GOT A KEY MATCH TODAY, AND I'LL BE HAVING THE PRIVILEGE OF NARRATING IT FOR YOU.
YOU KNOW WHO I AM- NAME'S BEATS.
BUT LET'S GET THIS STARTED.
ON THE LEFT CORNER, HERE SHE IS! A FANTASTICAL KNIGHT, CHIVALROUS AND REGAL, STRAIGHT OUT OF A FAIRYTALE. HEAR IT OUT FOR THE YOUNGEST CHAMPION OF THE MAJOR, SHINING, SHINING, TOO BRIGHT FOR MY EYES- NOT THAT I HAVE ANY NOWADAYS! NEARL, THE RADIANT KNIGHT!
ON THE RIGHT CORNER, YOU CAN SEE HER, OR AT LEAST YOU THINK YOU DO. THE SHAPESHIFTING MENACE, QUEEN OF PLAGIARISM, SHINIEST ARMOR AROUND, SPARKLING BRIGHTER WITH REFLECTED LIGHT. COMPETITOR OF TWO MAJORS, NOW THREE, FINALIST OF TWO, LINETTE, MIRRORED KNIGHT!
HA, THAT'S HOW I LIKE IT. THIS IS THE MATCH OF A LIFETIME FOR YOU GUYS, HM?
(Seen better, honestly.)
COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, VERY SINCERE COUGH.
IF YOU GUYS ARE UP FOR A GOOD BRAWL, HERE IT IS! WILL THE GRAND KNIGHT PROVE HER METTLE YET AGAIN? WILL LINETTE FINALLY STOP SCORING L AFTER L?
Well, I frankly have no idea, I'm as stoked as you guys are.
BUT DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU!
LET'S BEGIN!
As Beats begins his speech higher up there, Linette looks at her enemy.
"...heh." says Linette, Mirrored Knight. "I love that guy."
The cacophony of voices is rising up as the announcer stokes the fire in the hearts of the audience. The first knight stands on the arena, face hidden by her mirrored helm. She wears a magnificent set of knight armor, covered in mirrors of all colors, shining brightly under the lights of the arena with a rainbow gleam.
She plants her sword on the arena floor and places her armored boot over the crossguard.
"Say, how do you want me to lose, Nearl?"
The Radiant Knight is still looking at the arena, which is now consumed by anticipation.
"...lose?"
Behind her helm, Linette's face twists in a manner that is not human. It practically melts, shifting into a rictus grin that stretches beyond the boundaries of her mouth.
"Yeah, lose. I mean, I thought you'd be up for it, that's what knights do all the time, right? Someone gets paid off to lose in an impressive way, and write someone's road to the top of the mountain. Jobbing."
She waves her hands around her face, and then mimics a mouth with her left fist.
Not in the… shapeshifting sense, she just makes a mouth with her fingers.
"Oh, I'm a villain. I'm the evil Corrupted Knight, my armor is so tough and I look really scary. My real name is actually 'Loser Fuckface Nerd' and I eat babies and beat up innocent Pegasi maidens with my really scary brother. I also act like a racist caricature of Nachzehrer Sarkaz, just to rub it in. I talk like a robot!"
To continue the mockery, Linette takes her foot off her crossguard- and does the robot dance.
"Must. Kill. Eat people. Drink blood. Tear tag. Off the mattress." she says, moving her arms rigidly before abruptly stopping.
She gasps in fake surprise.
"But oh noes, who do I see there! The shining Radiant Knight, who came out of absolutely nowhere! I didn't notice her, even though she can be seen from a mile away. She came like a literal missile, blowing up the wall like that shit isn't expensive and it's going to be a pain in the ass for a bunch of underpaid construction workers to fix!" she continues. "And now she has stopped me, the Eeeeeeeeeeevil Sarkaz Knight, from beating up her sister, one second before I could brain her with my warhammer! How could this be happening to me?! And now I can't land a single hit on her! This was SO legitimate."
The Radiant Knight stares in disbelief at the woman in front of her, who is barely holding her laughter back.
"Yeah…" she says, before waving her hand in front of Nearl. ""Waaaait, and I forgot! And then all of those broken rules are just waved off, Mr. Greatmouth- God bless his soul- starts going "oh man, this girl is so awesome, she broke SO many rules but I don't care." And your cute little sister just conveniently gets back up and poses for the camera, the two of you fighting together like the perfect sisters you are. Wait, I think I have one of the photos right here. Where was it… here it is!"
Something forms in her hand- a small picture, indeed. It was all the rage on Kazimierz later. The two sisters, fighting together, Maria Nearl holding a shield, Margaret Nearl holding her warhammer with both hands.
Without a second thought, Linette tosses the photograph on the floor, where it dissolves into a puddle of silvery sludge.
"Come on, you know this whole thing had to be an advertisement all along. Your big announcement of "I'm going back to the Major!" Man, how could this possibly have happened? Don't try that stuff on me, Nearl, I know better." she proclaims, loudly. "We all know you're a faker. So come and take me on! Write your legend! Get the big bucks! You know how it is, I can be your next Corrupted Knight! I can be your jobber for the night, come on, fight me!"
Her helm almost seems to smile.
"You know you want it."
Margaret Nearl's teeth are grinding. Her hands are clenched, and she holds her weapon with fury in her grip. She takes a deep breath…
"I won't respond to your mockery."
Linette chuckles.
"You already did. Say, you ever hear the story of the Steel Determination?"
"...I have not."
The exact second she says this word, Beats finishes his speech- calling out for the battle. Nearl moves- and Linette's sword melts into yet another puddle.
Nearl strikes first, her polearm wreathed in night-scouring gleam. Her opponent takes the blow head-on, shielding herself with her gauntleted arms.
"He's right there! In the audience! My buddy!" laughs the other knight. "And he's cheering on me. So fuck the jobbing! I'll beat you, unfair and circle!"
And then-
And then-
She isn't there anymore. Nearl gasps.
Pinus Sylvestris gasps, staring at a television.
"...who's that guy?" mutters Flametail.
"I think… I know him from somewhere." says another Infected knight. "From… my wife's job?"
"No…" says "Plastic" Szewczyk. "I recognize that man. She really is going for the throat…"
"The nerve of that woman…!" roars "Whislash" Zofia, almost cracking the glass on her hand.
By her side, Vogelweide stares in utter disbelief at what is occurring on the screen. The owner of the bar stops polishing glasses. He almost drops one of them, in fact.
Blemishine, Maria Nearl, the sister of one of the fighters.
She, too, is there.
She, too, cannot believe what is on the screen.
"...I assume this is not a good occurrence." says Abel, body partially manifested on a seat.
"It is not." answers Kal'tsit. "If your intent of recruiting the rest of Turbulence Office into Rhodes Island ever materializes, Abel, we will inevitably find this woman conflicting with Nearl."
"That is, if she does not choose to stay here."
"It is the most likely possibility, but it would do well to take it into consideration. And I will say to you, Amiya will not have a positive opinion of this woman. Not after this."
"I… I think I might have to talk with Sieghart about this."
"...what's gotten everybody so silent?" mutters Arabella, as her child fusses with a worm-like creature, sitting on her mother's lap. Everybody is chittering, confused.
They don't know who this man really is. He is not a competition knight.
The muttering grows a bit louder. Who the hell is this guy and why is he showing up making the Radiant Knight look so shaken?
"I have no idea," says Sieghart, you.
Really, who's this guy she just transformed into?
"I think…" says Hibiscus. "That's Nearl's uncle… he looks just like her. She said she had one."
"Ah." you say.
God fucking damn it, Linette.
This better win her the fight.
Ioleta Russell, Grand Knight of the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi, frowns.
"You…"
The man in front of Margaret Nearl is smiling brightly. His sword is unsheathed, and his gauntlet is as glorious as always. His eyes are full of a light that is unnatural. It does not look right in his face.
The dour look in his mouth is gone.
The disregard is gone.
Młynar Nearl stands before her.
AND THAT'S GOTTA HURT EMOTIONALLY.
HUH?
YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW WHO THIS MAN IS?
SHEESH. I WON'T BLAB, THOUGH, THEY'LL HAVE ME HANGING.
BUT LET'S SEE WHERE THIS LEADS.
Nearl is almost caught unprepared, as the man's blade descends. A blast of light-based Arts almost cuts through her flesh, before her form blurs and she dodges expertly.
Another cut.
Another cut.
Her frown worsens.
Not only does this woman twist the face of her uncle, she has none of his skill.
She wields his power like a blind giant with a club, blasts of resonant Arts, wasteful, impressive, flashy. No finesse, no precision.
She jumps in for another strike- and is surprised.
Linette's stance shifts entirely, and she drops the wide swings. She goes for the kill. The skill that she failed to show is there, all of a sudden.
It was a facade.
She pretended to be simply wielding his strength, for just a second, mocking her with his face. To lure her into close range- and she fell for it.
She has made a mistake, Margaret Nearl realizes. An obvious mistake. She dodges a thrust of her uncle's blade, and Linette delivers a kick to her ribs- a kick that should be physically impossible for her body to deliver. She heard the sounds of bone snapping.
She twisted her limb like this, breaking bones, just to hit her once.
It takes the air out of her lungs, and sends her backwards.
AND LINETTE LANDS THE FIRST HIT! THAT ONE LOOKED NASTY FOR BOTH SIDES!?
WHO SACRIFICES THEIR ENTIRE LEG TO LAND A SINGLE KICK!?
Turns out, no one. One twisting of silver, and the limb is whole, as if it was never broken to begin with.
Margaret Nearl understands.
Everything about this woman is a facade.
Throwing the match was a lie, to throw her off balance, to toy with her expectations, to make her believe what she wanted to believe.
The spiel on how her match against the Sarkaz knights was a lie, it too was a lie, to rile her up, to make her angry, to make her make mistakes.
Turning into Młynar Nearl was a lie. She uses his strength, but not his skill. And then she uses his skill, but not his strength- that kick was not something borrowed. It was a trick she figured out herself, she was sure of it.
Whatever she uses to regenerate, she can also use it to restore a limb. A part of a unique fighting style.
A sole glimpse of truth in a hall of lies.
Lies upon lies upon lies.
Lies told for the sake of nothing at all.
Lies told to misdirect, lies told to deceive, lies told to obscure other lies, truth told as lies to obscure the true truth.
Does she mean to throw the match, still? Margaret wonders.
When she says there is a friend standing on the crowd, cheering for her, is that truth, is that lies? She can't know.
The only thing Margaret Nearl knows about Linette is that kick.
Młynar Nearl is skimming through a few documents, on his lunch break. Rarely does he ever stop working.
He hasn't taken a break or a vacation in quite some time.
Suddenly, he notices something.
There's someone around he recognizes.
"...Toland." he says, taking a sip of his coffee. "What do you want now?"
"Someone's a bore, as always." says the Sarkaz mercenary, smirking.
Suddenly, the smirk vanishes off his face.
"You'll want to see this. You'll really want to see this, Młynar."
"How much of you is even true?" says the Radiant Knight.
The woman wearing the face of Młynar Nearl frowns for a second. A calculated deception, or so it seems, or so does not.
"What are you speaking, niece?" says Linette, in a falsely grave tone of voice. "Don't you have worthless knight things to get to? Don't you have honor to defile?"
A newspaper forms in her other hand, while the other mock waves the sword around.
"Blah blah inevitable blah failures, blah blah nothing can change ever because blah blah blah Both sides are wrong, blah blah, and I'm so fucking smart."
Margaret Nearl ignores the mockery. She roars again. The battle continues to rage on.
The dance continues as well. They trade glancing blows, they weave around each other's blows. Margaret Nearl slowly gleams more and more of the fighting style of her opponent.
It's outdated, she realizes.
The appearance is identical to that of her uncle in the modern day, but the style is archaic, unproven, not tested enough.
What keeps her from losing handily in this battle is that "truth" she sees.
Linette's own fighting style, pieces of it poking through the mask, correcting mistakes that the style of this "Młynar Nearl" would have. Smoothing over edges.
Kicks, impossible swings of her blade, acrobatics that have her practically parting like water before her strikes.
Be like water- a flowing, free style where anything goes. She wields the sword in her hand with a grip that is loose, unrestrained. She is prepared to drop the blade at any moment, grab a spear, punch, kick, headbutt.
She does not cling to her weapon.
Why would she? She can make others, it seems.
She needs to understand more, if she wants to win this battle. The dance continues to rage on, and the waters do not calm.
"How much of this was true at all? You know him. You could have not said those things without knowing him, could you?" she asks. "Who are you, Mirrored Knight?"
The mask comes off- just for a second. The face of Młynar Nearl snarls.
"I can be anything, but I am not a knight."
And then- it melts off.
All of a sudden, she faces the Black Knight, in all of her terrifying glory.
A crushing swing of a greatsword falls upon her, speed and power absolute. The might of pure strength and technique, not a droplet of Arts can be found on this attack.
Nearl realizes something.
She smiles, and continues the dance.
YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING- WHY IS IT THAT THIS IS ALLOWED?
WASN'T MISS LINETTE DISQUALIFIED IN THE LAST MAJOR SHE COMPETED, PRECISELY BECAUSE OF HER SHAPESHIFTING?
THAT WOULD BE WRONG. LET ME GRAB MY GLASSES AND MY RULEBOOK.
TIME FOR A LITTLE STORY.
Article VII of the Major's rulings: Competition knights may not in any way interfere with the judges' ability to make subjective rulings.
See?
This is pretty much it! That's the WHY. SHE WAS INDEED INTERFERING! SHE TURNED INTO HER OPPONENT. HOW WERE THEY SUPPOSED TO TELL WHO WAS DOING WHAT?
BUT IS SHE TURNING INTO THE RADIANT KNIGHT HERE?
NO?
SO IT'S AAAAALLL LEGAL.
NOW BACK TO THE FIGHT.
"…so that's the Black Knight?" you say. Based on what people are screaming about around you, that's her. "The one who beat her last match?"
"She looks nasty." says the Librarian next to you. Turns out he wanted to come.
"You know, these tickets are expensive." says the red-suited man. He comes closer to you and mutters. "Don't tell anyone, but we can make money with the Library's stuff. Basically magic."
That sounds bananas illegal.
"Do you seriously- do you not fear the Claws?"
"We kicked one of them out. Well, my boss, Binah and Gebura did. And they basically washes their hands off us. Don't think they'll be coming here, in a whole new world."
Huh.
Guess that's what banishment means.
And… are there Claws here, on Kazimierz? Probably some equivalent, but you're not exactly sure of how strong they would be…
"Well, I'm not taking part in that. You deal with the consequences."
"Fair enough. Say, did this girl do this before? Like, in your Office?"
"No." you say, sincerely. "She's gotten better. She couldn't copy the ability of someone off raw memory. Even if the fighting style of this guy is relatively unrefined, and she had to correct with her own skills. It's risky."
"...why?"
"She was using someone who was mentally taxing for the enemy, but she had to make a sacrifice for that advantage. She's gotten better, but I hope she doesn't get overconfident."
"Did you make a bet?"
"Yup. Twelve thousand on the line, 2.1 odds."
"Bet on the Radiant. Ten Ahn I found on the street."
"LMD here, not Ahn."
"Same thing."
Nicole takes out a watch from her pocket. You take a look at it. The hands of the clock are… stopped? Pointing towards roughly twenty-five minutes from now.
They're not moving.
Is this a novelty watch or something? Some sort of disguised device?
"I have to go." she says.
"Wait-" you say. "Linette's still fighting, Nicole. This is important for her."
It is. You can see through the veil quite well. She wants to fight. She wants this fight, behind all the lies and misdirection, she sincerely wants to fight the Radiant Knight to the best of her ability.
"...she told me to do this. Sorry." says the sniper, spitting out a puff of smoke.
Really?
Ah, you feel like you're just dragged along, nowadays. Dragged along into all sorts of things…
"Stay safe, okay?" you say. She better.
"I will, boss. See ya." she answers.
She runs off, shortly after.
"Can I take her chair?" says Arabella's kid. "Ayam," you think? You don't want to think about it. Where did she even get a kid from. She is unbelievable.
"You can./Ja." you and Arabella say at the same time. She gets off her mother's lap and sits. Something slips from her hands into her hoodie- something fast.
You look at Arabella. You look directly into her eyes.
You're going to explain this, the look communicates. You're going to fucking explain this to me.
The Black Knight continues to advance. One swing, two swings. A blade soars, and pierces through her hand.
"Gh- you!"
It's not enough to impede her.
Revealing her twin swordbreakers, Linette charges yet again.
"You didn't have to go this far, you know? Don't you want to win? Don't you want to get to the top, be king of the trash pile, Nearl? You should have-" a kick to the mouth. The first serious hit, a swordbreaker straight to the left arm. She trades it for a stab, but it's enough. "-accepted my deal!"
Margaret Nearl falls back.
"No. You will not continue to hide. I cannot trust anything you say until you reveal who you truly are. How could I accept a deal from you- from someone who will lie for no reason at all?"
"You don't know me, how can you even tell?"
"You're leaving it obvious. And it's intentional. This is a game for you. You're having fun at my expense."
"Tch. How was the match between you and the Candle Knight, earlier?"
"...very different from this, for once. However, what she spoke to me will remain between us."
"Fair enough. Not my business."
"I still don't know who you are. I still don't know where you came from, or why do you know so much."
"I've been leaving out the clues, Radiant Knight." says the Black Knight, face twisting into another inhuman grin. "Gather them!"
SHE'S SUCH A SCARY LADY, ISN'T SHE? LOOK AT THAT NIGHTMARE FACE!
IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S MELTING, MAN. THESE PEOPLE ARE SCARY…
…IS THIS RACIST?
IT PROBABLY IS. SORRY.
"Damazti…" says Toland Cash, staring at the screen.
She changes yet again.
First, her uncle.
Then, the Black Knight.
But this person the Radiant Knight faces now is not someone she recognizes. A tall woman, wearing a purple coat and carrying three swords. Black leggings, a gold collar, long dark hair, pulled back by a silver headband. Someone who is instantly recognizable to a few people in the audience.
"...she's gotten serious." you say.
"Ja… die lila Träne. Sie wird alle Hebel in Bewegung setzen…" answers Arabella. "Hmmm. She really is taking this with all the respect she can give, heh. Interessant."
"Don't know what you guys are talking about, but it really isn't that much."
You raise an eyebrow. Iori? Not much? You didn't even know she remembered enough of Iori to mimic her. You expected Vermillion, he actually worked with your Office on many of your missions and you did the same for him.
"The Purple Tear isn't much?"
"Come on, it wasn't that hard. We beat her up before. I even got to shoot her in the face!"
"...fair enough, I guess? That is... such a strange thing to hear."
"I ain't got any idea of who any of these people are supposed to be." says Capone, frowning, staring at the television. "Kind of confusin', all of this."
"I know… the last one? Linette really got better… She's Iori, the Purple Tear. She was… on Sieg's level. The highest grade a Fixer can reach." notes Wympe, fishing through a folder full of documents.
"Yeah, that woman is a pain." says Sleepy, body entirely hidden by a massive pile of pillows and blankets. "Hope Nearl gets to kick her ass."
"Sleepy!"
"What? It'll teach her not to rile her opponent up too much, you know. You did see how she got with that first guy, right?"
A plate of dumplings, almost finished.
A television incessantly stared at, by every denizen of this place, every client and nearly every member of staff.
Some of her favorite places to get a meal is this specific restaurant. She needs the energy. But now…
"Oh dear." says Iori, the Purple Tear. "...I guess imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. But unfortunately, Sieg, you'll have to deal with this yourself. We won't even get to see each other. It's sad, but I really don't have much time to deal with all of this."
She finishes the last dumpling, and smiles.
"But maybe I can watch this match until the end… I've been hard at work. I deserve a little treat, don't I?"
You are Margaret Nearl, and you think you're finally seeing it.
You had your suspicions, but you've managed to confirm them now.
Her fighting style is incomplete.
It resembles many things. You saw it before. This mysterious woman- who fights with three different swords- is supposed to have four styles.
Yes, you can pick up the pieces, the scattered clues she's been leaving around.
A slashing style, reminiscent of Higashian swordsmanship. Incomplete. Forms are missing, strikes are left without the proper followups. But she covers up the tracks- she covers for the holes in the style with the others.
The piercing blade, some sort of hybrid. The style of Gaulian duelists, with some sort of unpredictable style meant to debilitate and weaken the opponent, slowly whittling down at their defenses. Strikes meant to leave wounds that would bleed, for once.
It too is incomplete. Full of holes.
The… third style. She wields a huge, black greatsword that barely holds an edge. There aren't many styles of swordsmanship you can link this with- mostly because swords are supposed to cut and stab.
it's more reminiscent of your weapon, your warhammer, the way some use it. Highly aggressive, heavy impacts, meant to stagger, send the enemy sprawling into the ground. Prodigious physical strength used to its maximum impact.
But there's a fourth.
You don't know what it is, but the way she fights suggests that there is a fourth style she can't use.
You've realized it.
All those people whose power she's wielding, all of this power she carries, they're weakened. She can pretend they aren't, but they are. She has to put in extra effort to place her copied Arts around the same level of strength of your uncle.
But the most important detail isn't that.
It's how limited it is- she can't improve on it at all.
She isn't using your uncle's current swordsmanship. She's using whatever she saw, years ago, over a decade ago… the copy of the Nearl style, untempered, unrefined. She knew your uncle, fifteen years ago, and she copied his Arts and his swordsmanship. But she hasn't moved an inch since then.
And she couldn't make any improvements on the Black Knight, either.
You've seen recordings of her matches, and it's almost like seeing it back here. A snapshot. Yes, this is what it is. A snapshot of a person. What the Black Knight was, on her final Major.
How fascinating.
Is this her Arts? A way of capturing the life of others, a photograph, a moment registered on her techniques?
She doesn't seem to improve on it at all… but she hasn't grown weak.
You can think of all sorts of people, that if given this power, would be content to grow slow, lumbering. Live off the powers of others and never improve themselves.
But she's using her style, her own personal style, to correct the flaws left on each and every one of those innumerable snapshots.
This third enemy, she is destructive, powerful, agile and deadly. She smiles at you, and you continue to dodge and weave past her devastating movements- attacks that split the ground and slice through the land.
She made a fighting style that could improve any other.
This is not an easy task. She has learned how to correct the mistakes of each and every one of her snapshots, with this style. How.. fascinating.
But that is a vulnerability.
You're understanding it now. She wants to get in your head, rile you, annoy you, make you angry. Make you take risks, overcommit, make mistakes.
But she wants the opposite, too. She wants you to understand her style. Like she said- those are clues she's leaving for you.
She's- she's switching again. You'll have to be ready. She grasps the sword, the rapier- and tosses it at you.
Before it can bury itself in your ribs, you sidestep the projectile. It melts down before it can hit the ground, leaving another puddle.
A huge- a huge, flaming cross. She flinches, as it forms in her hand. Her hands are almost completely covered with burn scars.
A long-haired man, in a coat, a simple white dress shirt.
"All right." she says, in a voice that is not hers.
She's slipping into the identity- all of the others held her own voice so far. She even made a mock attempt to mimic your uncle.
The suspicion you've held for a while- that she is simply an incredibly powerful Damazti Sarkaz- is returning to the forefront of your mind.
You need to keep fighting. She's faltering.
There has to be some sort of limit- if she was simply unkillable and capable of shapeshifting away from any injury she wouldn't act like this. Or would she?
Realization comes to your mind.
You understand it now. The reason behind it all. She wants you to doubt. Doubt your senses, doubt your instincts, doubt her every word. You land a blow, but you're not sure if it meant anything. You dodged, but you're not sure if it was part of the plan.
An inventive tactic. But it's certainly something she made herself. It's another glimpse into her mind.
The man charges.
He's slow, painfully slow, almost lumbering at first. But then he picks up. The burning cross drags behind her, and her intent becomes clear.
She's going to collide with you.
You're very fast.
You're not going to let it happen.
The enormous cross moves in the air.
With a single burst of motion, you move out of the way of the swing- and watch as the flames produced by the weapon utterly blacken the ground in its wake.
If this attack landed…
The heat is almost unbearable. She's-
She's lighting herself on fire, you realize. The flames of the cross aren't content with burning the weapon itself, they spread. Her hands are burning, her clothes have caught on fire- and yet she doesn't seem to care, and the threads simply don't burn.
Natural resilience to fire on the part of the original user of that weapon- but no distinctive racial traits. The previous one reminded you very intensely of a Phidia, and her clothes could feasibly hide scales.
But this one's a mystery.
Lighting yourself on fire with your own Arts by having it spread through your foci seems like a very quick way to kill yourself or get Oripathy.
And yet she seems to be using it for some purpose…
Another strike. You dodge, and retaliate. Your polearm strikes true, tearing a hole in her left arm. For a second, she falters- and you take advantage.
She raises the cross as a shield- and you slice clean through it, leaving a large gash on the weapon.
So this- so this is the key to the fight. Her weapons aren't weapons- they're part of her. She's shapeshifting weapons from her own body- certainly Damazti, you know it now.
This fight is not like what you had with Viviana.
Linette has completely lost interest in talking. Here, communication can only be had with your weapons. You're certain she's learning just as much about you as you're learning about her.
She starts to circle. Carefully, one step after the other. You follow shortly after.
Each waits for the other to make the first move.
"Linette." you say. "...why do you fight at all?"
She laughs again.
"You know, when I said I was financing the Reunion Movement, you didn't believe me, did you?"
You really didn't. You did not believe a single word she said. But here and now, you wonder if she was actually telling the truth. The truth, said in an absurd manner, as to seem a lie.
"I did not."
"Nobody ever does. If you lie enough, no one will believe you when you're finally telling the truth. Ever hear the story of the boy who cried wolf? That's my schtick, basically."
"...if no one ever believes you, your words will become meaningless."
"There's people who can sort the truth from lies. There's people I don't need to lie to at all."
"So, you fight for these people."
She nods.
"Nah."
You chuckle.
So this is what she's like.
"I've seen many things. I will spare you the details- you've been away from the glory of the Majors for over a decade now. I'm sure you know everything. But I have seen good things, and terrible things. I am alone no longer."
"...you still think you can fix this country?"
"I believe that I can at least try to rouse what was slumbering. In the hearts and minds of us all."
A sigh.
"You're in for a world of disappointment, you know. If you try to work within the system, you're just submitting to it. Trust me." she says, seeming… resentful, now. "I know that very well. You could say that a charity worker gig is just… returning to my roots. I worked as one for years, and let me tell you. If the approved channels let you change anything, things would have changed long ago. They're made to not change, Radiant Knight. You'll just be swallowed up, like everyone else was. Your best hope is to leave."
Leave?
Simply abandon it all to its fate?
"I know what you're thinking, and I'll tell you. It's beyond saving. If you still want to save it, you gotta work. You have to fight. Those Pinus Sylvestris girls? Doing good work. You should be more like them."
You have to say…
You should be more like them, that's something you haven't heard in a long time.
"I know that I cannot change this by simply working inside of it. But for now- for now, at least- it's the best thing I can do. I have to finish this- for many reasons."
Linette- still wearing a face that isn't hers- smiles.
"I guess that's the sad thing about fight banter. No matter how much we prattle about our ideals and stuff, we can't ever convey everything. You probably have reasons to fight you could spend an hour talking about." she says. "Obviously, not me. I can convert anything I want to convey in a short format. Because… I'm just built differently, I guess."
You laugh.
She laughs with you.
The vision of the man in the cross is trembling. She's preparing to switch again- but there seems to be a delay. She can't switch immediately. If you catch her while she's changing forms, you might force her to fight by herself- and you'll get a better idea of her own skill level.
You leap forward.
She explodes into motion- one last swing of that cross. The flames in her body jump towards yours- so this is what they were for.
No matter.
You plant your spear's blade on the ground, and plant your feet upon the handle- and light shines through the arena. The attack falls upon you-
And the gleam of Arts repels it.
At its full strength, you realize, this singular blow would have shattered your defense- but the pulse of Arts you released resists the strike and dissipates the flames that she can muster.
Before she can correct her movement, you catch her with a kick to the jaw- nearly sending her sprawling into the ground- and successfully making her stumble backwards.
You take your weapon back into your hands.
She had very little answer to this. As you had suspected, she can only combine the snapshots- use the techniques of fighters she copied. She cannot adapt them, nor can she alter them. She has to fill in the gaps, patch the holes in her copies with techniques of her own… because she is not holding their consciousness.
She has access to a library of fighting techniques and forms of the warriors she faced in the past. No more, no less. You wonder…
Just who was that man with the cross?
…she's changing again. Her form is melting into- into the original. Mirrored Knight.
"All right." she says. Her sword is back in her hands. "We're back to zero. I can just keep whittling you down, until you can't stand up."
She's lying.
But about what?
To what extent?
What's her secret? No fighter is a perpetual motion machine. There has to be a secret to get her exhausted. What could it be?
You need to keep fighting- you can win this.
What is your next move?
[ ] Keep your distance.
(Her own range of ability hasn't shown much promise with either ranged fighting or ranged Arts so far- she seems to be best in close-range combat. If you keep your distance and maintain the range advantage with your spear and your Arts, it will be more difficult for her to correct her vulnerabilities. But your own offensive power will be reduced.)
[ ] Rush her down.
(Don't let her change back. She's showing more of herself. Take that opportunity- close in and get what you want from her. You'll learn more and hit harder, but defending yourself will be more difficult.)
[ ] Focus on your Arts.
(She doesn't seem to have that much of it- at least, the identities you've seen her take didn't show too much. The unrefined Arts of your uncle's past, those strange flames she wreathed herself in… if you put the focus on overwhelming her with Arts, perhaps you can win.)
[ ] Commit to the war of attrition.
(You have endurance, too. She was lying about something when she said she could whittle you down. The time frame? The possibility? "Until you can't stand up?" Test that.)
[ ] All or nothing.
(She seems to just shapeshift wounds back into unmarred flesh. But it seems to need conscious effort. If you drop all attempts at defense and just hit her hard enough, hard enough to knock her down, she might not bounce back. This is risky, but if it pays off, you'll win then and there.)
[ ] Write-in.
(Think of another tactic.)
Character Sheet Unlocked: Linette (Under "Turbulence Office")
Character Sheet Unlocked: Nearl, the Radiant Knight (Under "Rhodes Island")
Status of Self and Allies:
You: You took some blows. One to your arm. You're not any close to exhausted, though. You can keep doing this.
Linette, Mirrored Knight
- Enemy Type: Specialist
- HP: S
- ATK: A
- ASPD: B
- DEF: B
- RES: C
- Condition: Unknown. She has taken hits.
Nearl's Note: I have to find out her secret- that's the key to winning that fight. She can't shapeshift forever, can she? But take care. She is versatile- while the holes in her skills are a dangerous vulnerability, she covers for them incredibly well. The sheer variety of forms she must have gathered through the years… it isn't limited in storage- if it was, she wouldn't have kept the skills of my uncle fifteen years ago. I very much doubt she planned to utilize them to shake me from the very beginning.
thenew
#1 Masters of the Bazaar Fan
- Location
- My Lodgings
DvulikiuGolod
You are gold, I am gold... Are we all gold?
[X] Keep your distance.
- Location
- United States
Well, I suppose we should establish which character we actually want to win, thinking about it. Should we pick the best option for Nearl, or try to sabotage her? I personally think we ought to try our best here. Both because that's simply the default option, and because Nearl's thing is imparting her ideals in dramatic fights. It doesn't sound like Linette is in a good place right now, and being free of the City means that she ought to be free of its black nihilism. Kazimierz may be similar to the City, but it's not the same. Not yet. And if that's to remain the case, people like Nearl need to win.
- Location
- New Carollton, Maryland
...who would the Rat King see the Rat King as?
kaillll
Judgment Upon You
himself.
anyway.
I suggset that we make Nearl win.
so, Linette, one who takes a moment in time and mimics it to perfection.
K Corp juice is a tool to make people go back into a correct state, she is likely not hurt at all and is only a bit tired because she needs to recorrect herself again and again for the goo to turn, if Neral can keep going and keep poking Linette, she can, in someway, make Linette fails recorrect herself into others? by making her mind think "I am not that.' ? maybe? but also the goo is not going back...I think...but that might kill her, by using up the goo.
- Location
- United States
Alright, let's talk strategy.
Linette's all about deception, even if she's been more honest here than ever before. Figuring out what her strategy is and what cards she still has up her sleeve may well be impossible, but we can still infer from her actions what she wants Nearl to do.
Two significant clues stick out to me. At first, she was provoking Nearl and trying to get her to slip up, and it's through that trick Linette's gotten her one big hit in the fight so far. In general combat, Nearl does seem to have the advantage. Linette's pulling out all kinds of tricks - she's taken on the appearance and abilities of two color fixes as well as two of the most skilled combatants in Arknights: Mylnar and Degenbrecher. But they've failed to give her an edge over Margaret, who has noted the weaknesses of Linette's copying ability and how she compensates for it. How many more people can she realistically still have to show? If there's another trick, it probably won't be an even more unexpected form.
So, what should be our response? What's she trying to do? Is Linette actually tireless, or is she trying to bluff Nearl into throwing away a possible advantage by committing too early?
Nevertheless, basic strategy dictates that against a foe like this, we ought to leverage Nearl's more specialized advantage to its fullest while not letting the opponent our more glaring weaknesses. Let's look at the proposed options, then.
... Hmm. I need to think about this. No reason to rush into a decision. Let's reread the update and see if any new clues become apparent the second time over.
Linette's all about deception, even if she's been more honest here than ever before. Figuring out what her strategy is and what cards she still has up her sleeve may well be impossible, but we can still infer from her actions what she wants Nearl to do.
Two significant clues stick out to me. At first, she was provoking Nearl and trying to get her to slip up, and it's through that trick Linette's gotten her one big hit in the fight so far. In general combat, Nearl does seem to have the advantage. Linette's pulling out all kinds of tricks - she's taken on the appearance and abilities of two color fixes as well as two of the most skilled combatants in Arknights: Mylnar and Degenbrecher. But they've failed to give her an edge over Margaret, who has noted the weaknesses of Linette's copying ability and how she compensates for it. How many more people can she realistically still have to show? If there's another trick, it probably won't be an even more unexpected form.
This is the crux of the matter, then. Linette claims that the endurance game will end in her win.
Nearl isn't untouched, but she's not anywhere close to gassed.
So, what should be our response? What's she trying to do? Is Linette actually tireless, or is she trying to bluff Nearl into throwing away a possible advantage by committing too early?
Winning this fight relies on figuring out her gimmick, as the Radiant Knight has observed. Linette has an absolutely enormous toolbag of skills and powers to pick from, but lacks the raw power of their original users. A Jack of All Trades, in other words, although I'd caution folks from believing she's a Master of None.
Nevertheless, basic strategy dictates that against a foe like this, we ought to leverage Nearl's more specialized advantage to its fullest while not letting the opponent our more glaring weaknesses. Let's look at the proposed options, then.
This one assumes that Linette's weakness is a lack of ranged ability, which might make sense - she forms weapons from her own body, which means any projectiles would involve losing mass. But that doesn't mean she's not capable of mobility or otherwise making up for this issue somehow, so I'm not sure this is the ticket we're looking for.
This is the opposite - assuming that because she's shifted back to her 'original' form, that means she's vulnerable, and now's the time to press the advantage. I'm not so sure - Linette's style seems all about being unpredictable and baiting out moves from her opponents. Committing to such an uncertain possibility feels like a good way to give her exactly what she wants.
... This one, I'm not so sure about. Margaret can't know this, but Linette's been on Terra for fifteen years and knew Mylnar, it's unlikely she'd be surprised by the Nearl family special, or Arts in general. But it's true she's from the City, and possibly vulnerable to a properly indigenous style.
This is betting on the idea that Linette is completely lying and actually vulnerable to a war of endurance. However, if this isn't the case, it's the exact wrong move to make and would put us in a much worse position next turn.
... This feels like bait. It could work. I think just overwhelming her regeneration and transformation with pure pressure is a viable way to beat her. But Linette has to have a plan for this, and if she's prepared, it's leaving Nearl extremely vulnerable to retaliation.
... Hmm. I need to think about this. No reason to rush into a decision. Let's reread the update and see if any new clues become apparent the second time over.