KalinaQuest: Reflection (Bleach AU Quest)

boyboy180 · Apr 27, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVP_nCK0tXU

In the next week, studies were the same as ever. After classes though, you made sure to look into a lot of different ways of getting stronger.

On the first day, you followed up on what Meginheri had told you about and went to talk to Sigubert.

As ever, you found him in the library. A majority of the books on his desk were still about history. He was still looking into wars and rebellions from human history.

He sighed when he saw you.

"What, again?"

Rude, but you pushed past that.

"I'm not looking to distract you for too long, I just want to ask some questions."

Diplomacy check: 11+7

He sighed, put a bookmark in the book he was reading, and nodded.

"Go on then."

"Two things." You held up two fingers and counted the first question off by lowering one of them "First, I want some more spearplay advice."

Sigubert's head fell and he sighed "Get better, practice, learn your range. There is no miraculous path-"

"And second." You stopped him as he was saying that "I wanted to ask you about Blade Arts."

Sigubert paused and looked at you again "When did you hear that term?"

"A Terra Knight that was acting as a guard for the princess's tea party over the weekend mentioned them and said you'd be able to help me."

"But who…" Sigubert trailed off and then scowled "Him, of course. But why would he…" As he trailed off again, it looked like he was in deep thought. You gave him some time before he just nodded.

"Very well, Blade Arts. Even they aren't some easily obtained trick. If it was even possible for first years to develop them…"

"You would have?" You tried.

He sighed and nodded.

"Right, theory first. Anyone should be able to use Blade Arts. All it requires is a good grip on some lore- There's a collection of basic stances that can be practised to help you direct your reiatsu down the right paths. I know them, but even I can't actually make use of the actual techniques yet."

Well, that was another thing you'd have to learn.

"How could I learn these stances?"

"Get someone to teach you?" He suggested, waving his hand around in the air.

You tilted your head "Like you?"

"Please." He scoffed, "I'm too busy trying to actually reach the point at which I can even perform the basics of Blade Arts."

Hmm.

"Okay, then what sort of things can Blade Arts do?"

"They allow you to channel reiatsu through your fighting moves. I've seen my father focus on an opponent, figure out their weak points and pierce that weak point in a matter of seconds."

"That's… not the most flashy?" You note.

Sigubert rolled his eyes "But it's effective. If you want 'flashy' though…"

He pondered for a few seconds to try and find a good example…

"When fighting multiple opponents, he can dance between them, defeating each in a single stroke."

…Still not flashy but you didn't want to push him anymore.

It seemed to just be some sort of fancy fighting style. Still, it could give you an edge. You'd need to practise the stances first though.

After you were done talking to him though, you moved on with the day.

The next day was devoted to a sparring match. You had asked Dio to join you for a practice match after lessons were done.

As always, this was to be full contact. There was a nurse nearby to prevent serious damage from the fight.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1tI_idiwnQ

The fight began when you both stepped into the ring.

Initiative:
Hesiodio: 19+6
Kalina: 15+8

He struck first, running up and jabbing at you with his spear.

Attack: 5+6
Defence: 20+8

But your dodge was perfect, it left him open for a quick palm strike.

Touch attack: 18+4
Defence: 14+4
Fortitude save: 13+4, fail.
Damage: 2d6+3, 9

Dio grunted as he was hit by the impact of your spiritual pressure. As he swung back towards you, he noted:

"You know, it's weird you're allowed to do that when we're not allowed to empower our spears?"

Attack: 7+6
Defence: 6+8

"True." You remark as you sidestep his slash and draw out your spear to aim at him "But at the same time, I'm grateful at least."

Attack: 4+3
Defence: 17+6

"…Because it gives me an edge that I'm surely lacking."

He stepped out of the way of your strike as you spoke.

"Then what about this idea-"

Dio's Attack: 7+6
Kalina's Defence: 9+8

"How about allowing me to channel my reiatsu too?"

Kalina's Attack: 4+3
Dio's Defence: 17+6

"Well…" It would be more fair but it would likely mean that you lost your edge over him.

Dio's Attack: 10+6
Kalina's Defence: 6+8
Damage:1d6+2, 5

"Fine, but only if I can too." You made the offer as you swung in.

"Sure!"

Your spear was filled with your spiritual pressure, guiding it to your intended target.

Kalina's Attack: 8+3+4 (Reiatsu)
Dio's Defence: 15+6

Your reiatsu was wasted though as he evaded that blow as well.

You had more reiatsu to spend but it would have made you tired to use it.

Dio didn't seem to be holding back though.

Dio's Attack: 4+6+4 (reiatsu)
Kalina's Defence: 2+8
Damage:1d6+2+7 (Reiatsu), 14

The hit was heavy. You spat ichor onto the ground as you fell back.

Dio stumbled as he finished attacking. He'd just exhausted all of his reiatsu. That gave you an opening

Kalina's Attack: 13+3
Dio's Defence: 9+6
Damage: 1d6+1, 3

He stumbled towards you and tried to strike.

Dio's Attack: 2+3
Kalina's Defence: 14+8

Repelling his clumsy attack, you struck again.

Kalina's Attack: 17+3
Dio's Defence: 6+6
Damage: 1d6+1, 5

He panted and grounded himself before you heard a rumbling sound.

"Haaa…"

Dio breathed out and power surged within him again. His second wind then?

It was a technique that took a little time to perform and left you open but restored your reiatsu a little. It was too stressful to do multiple times per battle so it was something like a recovery move to get back into the fight after being exhausted by reitasu drain.

It did mean he'd be able to come at you full force again in a second.

Kalina's Attack: 3+3
Dio's Defence: 9+6

But he stopped your strike and replied with one of his own.

Dio's Attack: 17+6+4 (reiatsu)
Kalina's Defence: 3+8
Damage:1d6+2+7 (Reiatsu), 9

You spat ichor again as he put all of the reiatsu he'd just recovered into a single strike.

He stumbled again though, now you might have the opening you needed!

Kalina's Attack: 1+3
Dio's Defence: 9+6

But no, you misplaced your spear and he got the chance to lay into you, weakened as he was.

Dio's Attack: 17+3
Kalina's Defence: 15+8

Dio's Attack: 13+3
Kalina's Defence: 4+8
Damage: 1d6-1, 3

And to your poor luck, that strike was enough to knock you down and call the fight.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OjvDHvDX2A

After the nurse healed you, you and Dio helped each other to the barracks. Your wounds still smarted and Dio was still weak from pouring all of the reiatsu out of his body.

After lessons on wednesday, you took to the library again, though not for Sigubert this time. You were looking for information on Kido.

"Aren't you a bit young for Kido?" The librarian asked when you asked them where the books were.

"Yes." You admitted bluntly.

The librarian raised her eyebrow but nodded "Well, it's never too early to start learning."

She directed you to an area of the library filled with both tomes and scrolls. You eventually picked out a book that was supposedly about the basics of Kido and began reading.

The first chapter was mostly about the difference between reiatsu and reiryoku. The force of spiritual power vs the actual power that made it up.

When you drove waves of reiatsu into a target with your deadly touch, what you were technically doing was controlling your reiatsu in such a way that your reiryoku became a wave of destructive force.

Apparently, the reason that most textbooks referred to the power you held as reiatsu and not reiryoku was simply because it was easier to measure the waves of reiatsu a person held. That said, there were apparently techniques that allowed you to use reiatsu at quantities far higher than your reiryoku should allow. Those would be interesting in the future though.

Regardless, you skipped ahead to the chapters on Kido and began reading.

"There are three branches of Kido practised by Terra Knights; First is Hado- destructive spells that use various elements to damage targets- then there was Bakudo- defensive and sealing spells- and lastly there was Reido- healing and supportive spells."

Okay then… Hado was the most interesting for you. It gave you an offensive option.

In your reading, you did see that Reido wasn't what the nurses used though. That was a separate technique mentioned in one of the other books you found called "Reiatsu healing." The idea of that technique was basically the reverse of your deadly touch.

But… that technique was far more advanced than your touch. It required delicate manipulation of your reiryoku to use properly. It was likely a last year or postgraduate lesson like Kido.

Could you learn Kido early? Probably not. There were specific notes here about why it took so long to learn. The unique abilities that Terra Knights could develop developed using resources that Shinigami could use to develop their reiatsu control. In other words…

"Because of our natural abilities, it takes us longer to learn to direct the flows of energy properly."

You sighed as you closed the book. There goes that plan. Even a natural savant wouldn't be able to use Kido. It wasn't a matter of becoming skilled enough, it was a matter of being experienced enough.

You did take the time to find some books on basic kido techniques. Well, scrolls. You found a collection of scrolls that detailed the most Basic Kido spells.

Bakudo 01: Sai, Bakudo 02: Tamashii Maki No Uchigawa, Bakudo 03: Han no Shokei Shimasu.

Hado 01: Sho, Hado 02: Itami, Hado 03: Yaburimasu.

Reido 01: Tairei, Reido 02: Shukufuku, Reido 03: Shukufuku Kamiwaza No Dageki Oo.

There were diagrams in each scroll that you could barely understand. Proper flow of power, proper incantations and proper intention was apparently key when using these sorts of spells.

Regardless, your week was half done. You had been told though that there would be an extra session on Saturday.

Apparently, after the attack last weekend there had been a decision to give the students more experience. A field trip was being worked on.

A chance to test what you'd learned in a real environment. A way to push yourself. Hopefully it would be enough to let you reach a new height.

In the meantime though, you had three more days. Two weekdays and a weekend before that session on Saturday evening.

[ ] {Talk} Write in (With who and about what?)
[ ] {Spar} Write in (Who do you want to ask for a spar?)
[ ] {Extracurricular} Write in (After regular lessons have finished, what sort of things do you study)

Magic system research and the first honest fight you almost didn't lose.
…*Sigh*
You were close to a win there, if Kalina had been more willing to invest her reiatsu, she might have been able to deal a winning attack.
The problem is that while you had about three times as much reiatsu as Dio, you were both wary of using it and you'd already expended a large amount on the deadly touch.
But yes, on the magic systems. Kido is what it is in canon. Proper magic spells. Generally Kido spells 1-20 are based off cantrips and first level DnD 3e spells if they aren't based on canon Bleach Kido.
Blade Arts on the other hand… Well, if I said "The book of nine swords," Does that help?
Anyway, since @Dragonmaster150 pointed out that the theme of this was similar to Trails of Cold steel, I've decided to use music from the first cold steel game for academy events.
In short: Cold Steel 1 music: Academy, Okami music: The rest of Gaian society.
I mean it fits, Cold Steel 1's setting is loosely based on "Germany as seen by the Japanese" while Gaians are "European Japanese."

boyboy180 · May 1, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK4a14JbjMI

You spent Thursday's afterschool time with Helen. When you had asked if she wanted to chat, she'd apparently been very excited.

You now sat in the common room with her as she poured tea.

It was a tea party. Not one to the scale of the princess's but something calmer.

A pot of tea and a plate of tea biscuits.

You mostly chatted about the lessons you'd had that week. Training was still going well even if you were still one of the worst fighters in class. Kryako and Myrshai were bad too but at least Kryako was strong. She was also the only noble that hadn't awakened her unique ability yet.

Myrshai's problem was a little stranger. He was great at the theory of fighting but he'd freeze up when combat actually started which always let his opponent get the first hit in.

Since these matches were typically to the first strike, that was the main reason for his lack of wins.

Moving away from fighting to subjects you were actually doing well in, your reiatsu control was excellent. Either the best or just part of the top three.

The last subject you discussed was the etiquette classes. While most of the nobles were scoring above you, you had the best marks among any of the commoners in your class.

Once your tea party was done, you helped Helen clear it away and moved on.

On Friday, You continued your library research after the day's lessons had finished

Sigubert had told you more about Blade arts and you were here to look for books about them too.

Another question for the librarian then.

It went much the same as last time. She had no problem with you studying this kind of thing.

There was only a small shelf of books here compared to the two large shelves that had been given to Kido but you were able to start reading at least.

You looked for the closest thing that existed to a beginner's book and began leafing through it when you found it.

Theory first.

Like with Kido's three branches, Blade arts also had branches. Only in this case it was nine. Well, nine with an asterisk. Nine official styles and rumours of other, incomplete styles.

First was "Kōya-fū" or Desert Wind. Apparently it was the first invented. History lists its inventor as being called "The brass swordmaster." It was a free-flowing style that used a dribble of power to do things like lighting the held weapon on fire for empowered strikes.

Next was "Sunao reikon" or Devoted Spirit. Its most basic concept was one of defence and ripostes but it also held a lot of power when it came to certain ideals. The classic story told was apparently a strike that could strike down any evil its user encounters.

After that was "Kongōseki seishin" Or Diamond Mind. It should be noted that while these books did list the original Japanese name for each style, they would quickly move just to using the Gaian's native language once the translation had been explained. Diamond Mind was a style for those who were able to use their cunning and the battlefield against their foes. It was said that for practitioners, time in battle flowed slower.

"Tetsu seishin," Iron Heart was the next. Apparently it was based on pure weapon skill and expert weapon control. It… might be possible to learn while you were practising your weapon skill… maybe. It would still eat up a lot of focus.

After it was "Yūhi" or setting sun. Honestly from what you were reading it sounded like an armed (and reiatsu empowered) version of one of the martial arts you were trying to learn in class. What was that one called again? Judo?

"Yami-te." Shadow hand was next. Terra Knights were not above learning the techniques of assassins. A knight is what his lord requires of him. Shadow hand was that sort of style. An assassin's style that strikes from stealth with shadowy energy.

Now you finally got to a style that had been invented by the Gaians. This book didn't list its Japanese name, only that in your native language it was called "Stone Dragon." It was based on Iron Heart but instead of drawing just from your weapon, you also gain great power, offensively and defensively, from the earth itself. One of its drawbacks was therefore that you could only use it while standing on the ground.

The next one wasn't natively Japanese either, but chinese. "Lǎohǔ zhǎo" or Tiger Claw was a brutal style that channels its user's feral nature to deal devastating attacks that only got stronger as the fight drew out more and more of their bloodlust. Not a nice style but a powerful one.

And finally was the newest style. White Raven was its name in your language but it was unique for having a name originating from many others. It seemed no single group could hold the credit for creating it. It was a style that not only boosted yourself but gave morale to your allies too. The style of one who leads others into battle.

Even with how little you actually read, you still felt tired for the day so you went to rest.

There weren't any lessons on Saturday so you were able to get right back into research. This time it was on Kido again.

You found the scroll on the most basic Hado spell, Hado number 01: Sho.

While you shouldn't be able to cast it, you wanted to investigate it at least as from your light reading before, it had sounded similar in some ways to your deadly touch.

It was meant to be one of the most simple spells in Kido so why…?

You looked at the symbols on the parchment that showed proper reiatsu flow, pronunciations, etc. Everything that you had seen last time.

Even for a spell that should be just a single step further than what you already had.

Starting at the basics though, what was the incantation?

"Push back, repel the vile wrongdoer! Hado number one: Sho."

Nothing happened when you whispered it of course. You hadn't been doing anything to your reiatsu to perform spellcasting.

Even so you imagined the next steps. You imagined the beam firing out of your extended finger and striking a target before the target was flung away.

There were other ways to use the spell of course. While the incantation called for a target to be pushed away, it could also be used to lift a target into the air or to pull them towards you.

There were so many ways that you could use that sort of thing but you had no way to move your reaistu in the right way yet. Trying to do it anyway just made you feel tired without accomplishing anything.

Well… you tried at least.

Your first guess had been wrong. Sho wasn't a technique like your deadly touch.

A quick check showed that Hado 02: Itami had some similarities… a lot of similarities actually. Requiring contact with your target, sending a destructive wave into them, The main difference was that the waves were organised in a different way… and far more limited.

The quantity of reiatsu that each strike contained was less than your strikes would use up. But you could put more reiatsu in at once.

Hmm… how to explain it.

Cups of water. If you wanted to get someone wet(hurt someone) and Itami was equivalent to throwing a cup of water at them, you could throw three cups in the time that Itami could throw one. Deadly touch was less efficient and each single cup you threw wouldn't get them as wet as Itami, the fact that you threw three while it only threw one made it not that useful for you.

…Hmm. Itami did have a way of allowing you to use it on multiple people at once as long as you were within touching range of both of them. That might be an upgrade? Also if you could strike quickly enough to touch and let go of them within a small window, you could strike them multiple times as if you were striking multiple people… it would be more difficult though.

After you were done though, there was the session late today that you had to go to.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8ytwwfPlzU

Your class gathered in your classroom and sat in your normal chairs as your teacher, followed by two other knights, stepped into the class.

The knights were members of the Guard and the Intelligence units. They were here to tell you about the field trip.

To explain a bit about Terra Knights quickly, once graduated there were three (four) main paths they could take. The Guard protected the capital and the surrounding territories. The Army protected every territory the Guard didn't and the Intelligence unit investigated more serious disturbances. They were also the only unit cleared for full above ground activities. The fourth path was to go freelance. Lordless Knights were also called Adventurers but they weren't well respected. They normally acted as defence forces too but only for specific areas they could maintain. That said, they could also go above ground, though they had a lot of limitations on what they could do up there.

The Intelligence Knight explained that two weeks ago, a hollow infestation had cropped up nearby. When it was determined they weren't blocking a main road, clearing them out had been delayed.

When it had become clear that the classes needed a field trip that could give them experience, it had been pointed out that those hollows shouldn't be that strong without much to feed on.

And so it was determined to send the class. They will arrange transport so all you need to focus on is tracking down when in their territory they are and defeat them.

Did you have any questions for them?
[ ] Write in (Any sort of question you want, you can even ask multiple questions.)
[ ] Nothing.

Wow Magic Exposition. I threw in Itami as you did miss the mark on Sho slightly. To put Itami in more game terms. Deadly touch can cost anywhere between 0 and 90 reiatsu. For each 30 reiatsu, it deals 1d6 damage (so 3d6 at full cost). Itami on the other hand only costs 25 reiatsu but does 1d8+Caster level damage which can't be increased as easily. The two are much the same apart from that.
And there were the nine blade styles too. Sorry for my horrible google translate skills with some of them.
Lastly, the field tip. Ask any questions you feel need to be asked. Multiple can be asked as I said in the vote.

boyboy180 · May 2, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwHjrdU0DhM

You raised your hand.

"Do any of the hollows appear to have special abilities?"

The Intelligence agent looked happy to be asked as he opened his mouth "I was wondering if anyone would ask, but before that, I see some of you are already confused."

Frisob looked embarrassed to be called out but he nodded.

"I only know stories of hollows. I don't really know what they are."

The agents went over a brief description.

Gaian's are living gods, that means that it is possible for them to die. When a Gaian dies, they leave a plus, much as a human would. Certain things are carried over into death though, The power of a Gaian isn't lessened by death.

As with normal pluses, various stimuli could trigger hollowfication depending on the situation.

"-And as this student asked," they got back around to your question "Hollows typically have unique appearances and abilities. Though there are often various families that you can say a hollow is in. Beastial, Avian, Biped, etc. In this case we're dealing with hollows that all closely resemble the basic template of the tsuchigumo family of hollows. A family rare among human pluses but relatively common among Gaians."

The agent took a piece of chalk and drew a quick picture. First a humanoid body, then four spindly spider legs that emerged from the middle of their back.

"The basic idea of the tsuchigumo family is the evolution of spider-like traits. Now, can any of you tell me why these traits are so useful below ground?"

Knowledge Tactics: 18+0

…You couldn't remember specifically.

Sigubert's hand shot up though and he gave a clear answer.

"Unlike us, Hollows can't innately see in a pitch black environment. They need to spin webs to detect prey, otherwise a Gaian could just put out their lantern or simply travel without one."

The agent nodded, seeming to enjoy acting as a teacher.

"Exactly correct young man. So keep that in mind when you're hunting. If you're not touching their web, they can't see you. Other than that they often develop poison sacks or the dexterity to use their spare legs as weapons. If they can do that, be careful as they'll hack you apart in a few seconds if they get the chance."

A very morbid thing to say to students.

"The guard will be on watch nearby." The guardsman said "In an emergency, we will be able to support you. But keep in mind that it will take time for us to reach you."

"Anything else?" The agent mused "We don't know enough about the hollows individually. We don't believe that any are Menos-class. They can burrow through earth like all Gaian-born Hollows can though. They could use that to escape from you. Attacking you would be hard though as they are still blind while tunnelling."

He eventually shook his head "There's nothing else I believe. Next question?"

Seoihilda asked the next question you were planning on asking.

"How many hollows are there?"

"Three." The agent answered "Our scout reports were sure. Due to that, it would likely be best if your class were to split into teams of four while hunting."

"On that subject," Adamus spoke without waiting "How is the command structure going to work? Those teams you mentioned, will we be on our own to decide them?"

"Within reason." The guardsman confirmed "This is meant to be a mission to test you, you will have access to communicators to call us in emergencies but this is meant to be a simulation of a normal hollow extermination mission. Granted, for tsuchigumo this young, one full knight would likely be enough for all of them, not three teams of four. The same concepts matter though. Expect no outside help. The most you'll get is emergency medical evacs."

…Wow. This was sounding quite threatening actually.

The fact that it would be up to all of you to determine teams was something though.

While the hunt would begin tomorrow, you had tonight to decide on teams.

When you finally got to the boards with name tags and teams arrange, the teams were laid out as so:

Team A	Team B	Team C
Endymad	Adamus	Sigubert
Mariannerie	Myrshai	Seoihilda
Helenria	Tuilendra	[]
[]	[]	[]

The following hadn't picked their team yet and so had their name tag currently unused and hanging at the bottom of the board
Kalina, Hesiodio, Kryako, Frisob

What would you try to do?
[ ] Join Team A
[ ] Join Team B
[ ] Join Team C

Additionally, you may:
[ ] {Suggest} Write in (Who do you think should take which empty spot, it will be random if you don't have any input.)
[ ] {Chat} Write in (With who and about what)
These are just to flesh out the next chapter.

Wow, this is a lot later than I had planned. Either way, most of the info is covered in this chapter. Suggesting and Chatting gives me more to say next chapter. I can already predict which choice you are likely to chose for yourself but I'm just wandering about the other options.
I think it hasn't come up before but Gaians have Darkvision out to 60ft. They still use light sources for ranges beyond 60ft of course.

boyboy180 · May 8, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7J0q0dex8I

Team A- or in other words you wanted to join the noble team.

Though you hadn't spoken much with Endymad before, he was quite friendly. He trusted Mariannerie's ability to read people and had no problem with you tagging along.

You didn't have any impact on other people's team choices so eventually it was decided with a short lottery.

Team A, as previously mentioned was Endymad, Mariannerie, Helenria and you.
Team B was Adamus, Myrshai, Tuilendra and Kryako
Team C was Sigubert, Seoihilda, Hesiodio and Frisob.

Honestly, no one really said anything about being unhappy with their team.

Adamus wasn't strictly disliked by the class, they just thought he was a jerk. So his team would work with him well enough.

And Team C included those people that really hadn't wanted to be with Adamus anyway so they would work together well too.

You didn't really want to get involved in Team A's chat at all. The others didn't take it as rudeness as you were mostly looking around at the other teams.

When the day came, you all woke up early and made your way to the courtyard.where the transport was waiting.

Something that should be noted: Gaian society had very few animals. While the word "carriage" was used for their main source of a noble's transport, the words "rickshaw" or "palanquin" could work just as well. What typically pulled you around were strong servants.

So when you saw what the transport was today, you were surprised.

"Are those…"

You looked at the strange six-legged "Horses" that were at the front of the carriage.

"Summons." You heard Sigubert finish your statement. Did he have much experience with them?

A semi-common form that a Gaian's innate powers could take. Summons weren't typically "alive" in a meaningful way. It was an expression of your soul in a physical form. They were also risky to use. If a summon was killed, it cripples a Gaian just as much, or even worse, than their spear being shattered.

"One of our knights has the ability to summon a lot of really weak creatures." The guard member with you said.

"Since they have trouble using them in combat, and the summons have near limitless range, he volunteered them as beasts of burden on our missions."

Well… okay then?

There were three carriages and each team loaded into one.

Each of the carriages began plodding along, pulled by their equine beasts. Each carriage had a handler to guide the animalistic summons.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTwMTMZKa3E

Eventually you left the city and entered the tunnels. The journey to the area the tsuchigumo hollows took about two hours.

Finally the carts came to a stop and the intelligence agent explained the last part of the mission.

"As we don't want any of the hollows to escape, one of the teams will be getting off here to start from this entrance. The other two carriages will keep going to the other entrances."

"We'll do it." Endymad volunteered.

Well… okay then. You didn't really have an argument as long as you stayed safe.

The intelligence agent nodded.

"Very well then, team A's cart will remain here with its guards so you have someone to call in an emergency. You are not to enter the tunnels until you are told so the other teams can get into position. Is that understood?"

"Crystal." Endymad nodded.

As the other two carts trundled on, Team A began discussing what plans they'd use. Who would lead the way, who'd act as the rear guard. That sort of thing.

Endymad wanted to lead the way and have you three play rearguard. He'd keep his eyes peeled for hollows and if you found one, he'd attack it while the rest of you flanked.

Mariannerie had a different idea though, They'd move in a square, You in the back to watch out for sneak attacks with the other three in front. Did she not trust you on the front line?

Helenria was still deciding, she'd probably be the tiebreaker if you're not. She was fine in the rearguard as her innate abilities would apparently help mark your way while moving through the caves. If you opted to not vote, she'd probably end up picking Endymad's plan.

So what sort of plan did you want?

[ ] Endymad's Plan.
[ ] Mariannerie's Plan.
[ ] Your own Plan (It would have to fit in with what Helenria wants in order to get chosen)

I think you all misunderstood what the chat option was for in the last vote. It wasn't chatting while on the mission, it was chatting in regards to getting to know your team better. So you missed that opportunity a bit.
Either way, now's just a matter of how you intend to explore the tunnels. If you're making your own plan, you're allowed to make it more or less complicated than the other plans. If you pick one of the existing plans, you are also allowed to expand on it but you can't change anything already established.
Helenria won't vote for Endymad if you vote for Mariannerie. She won't want to create a tie. Put simply, this is all up to you.

boyboy180 · May 11, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTwMTMZKa3E

With your vote for Mariannerie's Plan, the choice was made.

When you finally got the signal to advance, you didn't take the lamp from the cart with you. This was a mission to be undertaken in total darkness.

It was due to the information in the briefing. You'd be able to sense better than the hollows in a pitch-black environment. Your eyes could pick out targets even in the absence of light.

You were in the back of the party with the other three fanned out in front of you. You all kept your footsteps quiet as you advanced slowly through the tunnels.

All communication had to be kept to a whisper. And loud noises would carry throughout this network and warn the hollows about the attack.

And all the time, you kept an eye out behind you.

Spot check: 1+5

But you never saw anything coming.

The spiders were trappers, they wove webs to sense you coming, they'd never be able to stalk you through the tunnels.

So you kept your attention ahead with everyone else.

Finally, Endymad's hand went up and you all came to a stop. He'd seen spider webs.

The hollows were near, total silence and careful movement must be maintained.

The spun webs were on the floor, none on the walls or ceiling. It was natural in a way. What was there to catch that ran along the walls or ceiling?

Gaians walked along the floor.

Endymad summoned his weapon as he approached. His spear appeared and yet quickly shifted, becoming a sword instead. Not just a sword, the sort of weapon a human would call a rapier. Instead of being a thin piece of metal though, it had a cutting blade on one edge and he used that edge to cut at a piece of the webbing.

When nothing happened, he nodded to the rest of you and he advanced onto the webbing.

It wasn't sticky when you stepped on it. Maybe that's how he knew it was safe?

You continued through the caves for a short while. Whenever you got to a new web, all of you studied it for signs that it was occupied before Endymad checked it with a quick sword slash.

Move silently: 9+4
???'s listen check: 20+8

As you all moved, there came a skittering noise from ahead of you.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma3kLsKSbac

Oh. You'd been heard.

"N… N… Nu?"

The hollow's voice was a clicking mess. The sanity of the gaian that created it had long since fallen to feral madness.

On the web ahead of you, the spider stood ready. Four spindle-thin legs sat on top of the web it was using to see.

You certainly could have been more careful with your movement though.

Initiative rolls:
Kalina: 18+8 (Priority from higher initiative bonus)
Endymad: 19+7
Tsuchigumo: 7+10
Helenria: 8+7
Mariannerie: 5+8

You had an instant to move first so you glanced around to make sure you grasped the full situation.

You were standing at the back of this little diamond shape. The other three were all within about 10 feet and remaining in formation for now. You were personally standing at the center of the web.

The edge of the web you were on was fifteen feet ahead of you, ten feet ahead of Endymad who was between you and the edge.

The Tsuchigumo was on the next web across which also had a radius of fifteen feet. The spider at the center of that web had heard you but couldn't see any of you yet. It was likely going to advance though.

All in all, you were thirty feet from the Tsuchigumo. That was a short enough distance to cross and attack if you wanted.

Any suggestions you passed onto others could be heard. A feral hollow wouldn't be able to react to what you said to go against your plans but there were two problems. Talking would give away your location even better and there was a slight chance that the hollow was still sane enough to get the basics of whatever you said.

So, what were you going to do?

[ ] Write in (The combat plan)

Fun fact, as of this point I haven't actually finished creating Endymad''s character sheet. I've known for a while what innate powers I wanted to give him but I had to start working on his sheet as I was writing the chapter so I could get his initiative.
On another point though, you've got your first hollow to fight.
This is a difficult encounter. In Pathfinder terms, this sort of encounter is very difficult. A deadly encounter. Of course, this system has a higher power level per character level than base PF or DnD but still… Use your advantages well in your plans.
First: It can't see you unless you step onto its web. (That said, you are all limited to melee)
Second: Your team has control of the action economy.
Third: The enemy is insane. (They won't be making their moves with any sort of overarching plan. They'll act in ways that will give you openings)
Good luck.
(If you're wondering why I made such a hard enemy for you, defeating it gives enough EXP for you to level up. The sooner you get to level 2, the sooner you can get abilities to make you better at fighting. If you all want, I can weaken it slightly but then you won't get a level from it.)

boyboy180 · May 16, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma3kLsKSbac

"Helenria, get it's attention, the rest of us can flank." You explained the plan in as short a form as you could. Anything more complicated would require updates and that would give away positions.

With the moment you had to act first, you also activated your defensive aura. Better safe than sorry.

Endymad took a moment to provide an aura of his own too. It was strange feeling the effect of another's reiatsu aura. It felt like the prince was standing by your side, allowing your spear to hit harder.

Your defensive aura combined with his offensive aura would helpfully make the fight go a little better.

The Tsuchigumo moved before Helenria managed to get into position. It-

Insanity check: 31

It just stayed at the center of its web chittering.

Well, that was good. Maybe its mind was failing to process the instructions you'd spoken quickly.

Well, Helenria could act now at least. She stepped onto the spiderweb which caused it to bounce slightly and snap the hollow to attention.

Instead of stepping forward to attack though, she flicked her spear which caused it to change form into that of a greataxe.

Huh, so were her powers similar to the prince's?

She stood her ground though, waiting for the hollow to approach her.

As she did so, Mariannerie began moving to the side, she couldn't move pass the web without stepping on it but she could get ready to flank in advance. You did much the same but for the other side while Endymad continued to cover Helenria's back.

This time though-

Insanity check: 18

The Tsuchigumo rushed towards Helenria, running on its spindly legs. Those legs looked so weak, you might be able to break them off with a well-placed strike.

When it got close, it lashed out a claw on its more human hands.

Tsuchigumo attack roll: 15+11
Helenria's parry: 9+8+1 (Defensive aura)
Damage: 2d8+11. 14

She grunted in pain as you saw a dribble of ichor fall from the wound.

You knew with certainty that she wouldn't be able to take two of those in a row. It was time to move in and flank.

Helenria herself couldn't attack. Her axe was out of position thanks to the parry.

Mariannerie on the other hand could do something, she rushed in and stabbed her healing spear at Helenria.

Damage to healing: 2d6+4+1 (Power aura), 12

You joined her, running across the spiderweb to flank the spider. Your touch could have done the most damage but you held off for now. You didn't want to be left tired right now.

Kalina's spear attack: 10+3+2 (flanking)
Tsuchigumo's defence: 14+13

But your spear failed to hit anything valuable. The spider was big, big enough that you couldn't accurately judge where its softest spots would be.

Endymad stepped up besides you though and swung too.

Endymad's blade attack: 11+9+2 (flanking)
Tsuchigumo's defence: 12+13

But he couldn't quite connect either.

The Tsuchigumo's spider legs rose up and briefly you feared that it would spear all four of you through at the same time. It froze though and chittered, glancing between all of you. Yes! It had given you another opening to exploit.

With a smile, Helenria brought down her axe on it.

Helenria's axe attack: 17+8
Tsuchigumo's defence: 2+13
Damage: 2d12+4+1 (Power aura), 10

Mariannerie then took the time to poke her to full health.

Damage to healing: 2d6+4+1 (Power aura), 14

With your turn come again, you continued trying to jab at the spider to get in a lucky hit.

Kalina's spear attack: 11+3+2 (flanking)
Tsuchigumo's defence: 18+13

As did Endymad-

Endymad's blade attack: 19+9+2 (flanking)
Tsuchigumo's defence: 13+13
Damage: 2d8+4+1 (Power aura), 8

But, just as you were all starting to get hits in-

Insanity roll: 20

It was like an explosion. That's how mighty the attack was.

Tsuchigumo's full attack.
Claw attack vs Endymad: 15+11
Endymad's parry: 12+9+1 (Defensive aura)
Damage: 2d8+11, 19

The first heavy blow struck Endymad. He was still standing but ichor flowed from the wound.

Spider leg attack vs Endymad: 14+6
Endymad's defence: 11+5+1 (Defensive aura)
Damage: 2d8+6, 13

Endymad was battered down, his life flowing and dying the ground below the web a golden colour.

Spider leg attack vs Helenria: 9+6
Helenria's parry: 8+8+1 (Defensive aura)

Helenria was the next target. While she parried the first-

Spider leg attack vs Mariannerie: 12+6
Mariannerie's defence: 10+6+1 (Defensive aura)
Damage: 2d8+6, 13

No- Mariannerie was its next target. And it still had one more leg to use.

Spider leg attack vs Mariannerie: 11+6
Mariannerie's defence: 10+6+1 (Defensive aura)+ 3 (Action dice)

She barely dodged away from that last leg but it seems the hollow had one more trick up its metaphorical sleeves.

Spider bite attack vs Helenria: 3+6
Helenria's defence: 1+5+1 (Defensive aura)
Damage: 2d8+6, 12

She stumbled as she tried to dodge and the fangs dug in.

Heleria took one point of constitution damage from poison.

Well… that was a mess. And one you needed to react to quickly.

Helenria brought her axe down on the spider again, filling it with Reiatsu to power up the strike.

Helenria's reiatsu infused power attack: 13+4+12
Hollow's defence 15+13
Damage: 2d12+12, 15

Mariannerie meanwhile went over to try and help her brother.

Damage to healing: 2d6+4, 8

There, Endymad was healed back to fighting state. That said, he was still bleeding and on the floor. He'd need to stand up before he could attack. That would likely prompt an attack from the spider as he was still right next to all the fighting.

Was there something you could do? Some strategy that would give you the upper hand? Or should you all fall back off the web to recover. The spider wouldn't be able to see you once you left the web after all.

[ ] Battle plan (Write in)
[ ] Fall back.

And yes, that's the spider's trick. All of its spider legs are secondary weapons That means that a full attack can hit six targets total.
I have left clues in this chapter that could help though, if you don't see them, your team will discuss them if you fall back.
But, if you see an option, you could go all in on it. You still don't know if the spider will be able to move this turn.
That said, it will get the chance to move before the girls (other than Kalina) get to move again.

boyboy180 · May 25, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma3kLsKSbac

There was only one thing you felt confident in doing this time.

"Fall back! Withdraw!"

As you yelled, you moved as violently as you could. You needed to get off the web while distracting the spider from Endymad.

Opportunity attack: 10+11
Kalina's Defence: 3+9
Damage: 2d8+11, 21

You screamed as claws cut into your back but you kept moving. You had distracted the spider.

As Endymad stood shakily and withdrew off the web, you sighed in relief even as ichor trickled down your back from the throbbing wound.

Insanity roll: 49

Luckily the Tsuchigumo froze up for a moment after attacking and both of the other girls were able to withdraw too.

That was it then for the fight. This wasn't a victory though. Now you need to make plans.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEw4ZBOy8JE

You gathered a short distance down the tunnels, far enough off the spiderweb that there was no way that the hollow was still following.

Mariannerie began using her spear to heal everyone's injuries.

Once she was done, she leaned back on the wall of the tunnel and sighed.

"I hope this is the toughest of the spiders."

"...Why?" Helenria asked with a sigh.

Mariannerie shrugged "They don't have healers. If any of them got too badly hurt…"

Then they wouldn't be able to escape.

Yes. You could see what she meant.

"So then." Endymad nodded with a sigh "We're going back, how do we win?"

"First thing's first." Helenria focused as she spoke and you felt Reiatsu surge inside her. A quick trick to recover strength after battle. It did mean she wouldn't have access to it later though.

No one else had used reiatsu so it then came down to planning.

"As far as I can see," Helenria noted "There are two things we need to worry about. The Hollow's extra legs that allow him to target all of us at the same time and the web he can use to see us."

"If only we had a source of fire." Mariannerie lamented, "I'd like to watch its web burn."

…Well. That was violent. You couldn't really disagree though.

"Fire would mean a light source though." Her brother reminded her "And a burning web would be too. It could just see us and come after us like that."

"But the legs are something we can deal with though." Endymad noted "We could cut them off. One good swing each."

True, but that required everyone to get their leg on the first try. That would likely require reiatsu empowered blows.

"Just to check;" You began "What are all of your unique powers? Exactly, I mean."

Helenria raised her hand first "I can shift my spear into a Greataxe and I can also use it to create vegetation around me. It doesn't really do anything though. It will probably get better later."

So the greataxe was the main advantage there, it hits way harder than your spear. If any weapon could remove a limb, it would be hers.

Mariannerie was next, though you knew hers well "I can heal people and create a wall, the wall can be moved through but I can make it hurt or heal someone when they do so."

The walls could be used to heal too then?

"Wait, do you need to set if the wall heals someone when you create it or…?"

She shook her head "I decide when someone passes through it."

Then maybe you could do something like a fighting retreat? Lead it through walls that healed you and hurt it?

You'd need to find a way to get it off its web to do that. It wouldn't run blindly at you. And it would be blind without its web.

Lastly you turned to prince Endymad who sighed.

"I can make my spear change to my fencing blade as you've seen, it hits slightly harder and I find it easier to hit vital points with it."

That was certainly interesting but it sounded like there was more.

"It's also… special. Explaining why is hard but it can improve itself so it can damage very hard materials with greater ease. It wouldn't help me to not bounce off its shell though."

The hollow moved around fast enough that its armour could be used to deflect blows entirely. It'd knock the prince's blade away as he was striking but before he made impact.

"Why didn't you use it in the last fight though?" You asked.

The prince looked away as he explained "When I'm using the improvement, my sword glows very softly. It would give away my location if I used it. Not any of yours though. The light isn't bright enough to reach anyone other than me."

And then there was you. You had no unique abilities but you did have your reiatsu abilities, some of which went underutilised in that fight.

Apart from just your deadly palm, you also had the ability to soul crush.

You had felt that the Tsuchigumo had more reiatsu than you, but if you could throw all of your reiatsu against him at the same time, it might force the hollow to exhaust itself trying to resist you. It would almost certainly take you out of the fight though. You'd be badly stunned from the push back.

It was still an option though.

Taking all of this into account, it was time to work on the strategy more directly.

[ [ Hit and Run (The more physical members attack the hollow in waves, running back for healing when they're hurt. The hollow shouldn't have access to healing either so this would just make victory a matter of time)
[ ] All-in crush (Hold back and soul crush the hollow as Helenria and Endymad cut off limbs while the princess heals them)
[ ] Other (Write in, I really encourage you to get creative here.)

I've given you a lot of options here, feel free to ask me questions if you want clarification on a point.
While I have given you two example plans, each is incomplete in some way. I encourage you to come up with your own battle plan for this
And yes, the hollow won't heal between fights. Whatever you got it down to before is what it will still have next time you encounter it.

boyboy180 · May 30, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEw4ZBOy8JE

As you walked back the way you came, it wasn't in a diamond any more. Helenria and Endymad were standing side by side at the front, Princess Mariannerie was behind them, her spear at the ready.

And behind all three of them was you, ready to give absolutely everything you had to crush the Hollow with your spiritual pressure.

You got back to where you'd last fought the hollow, but it wasn't there anymore. The web was dry and flaky instead of just slightly tacky like it was before. The Tsuchigumo must prefer fresh webs.

With some hand signals you'd practised while making the plans, Endymad signalled for you all to go forward again.

You held your breath as you came to a tunnel with a sharp incline.

It was what, 15ft? A 20ft flash step should allow you to clear it at least.

Flash steps:
Yours: 1+4
Mariannerie: 18+8
Helenria: 15+7
Endymad: 15+7

Everyone except you made it up in a quick step. You stumbled during your step and fell to the floor after making it 10 feet up.

Tumble roll: 18+0

You breathe out slowly as you rolled with the impact of the ground. You'd got out of it unscathed.

…well, Mariannerie could have healed you anyway but…

The others weren't looking your way anymore. They had their weapons ready, staring deeper into the tunnel. Ah.

If you'd failed there, it would have alerted the Tsuchigumo who was likely just ahead.

Flash Step: 11+4

On your second attempt, you make it up.

The Tsuchigumo wasn't literally "Just there." But it was paying careful attention. It would hear you coming, it was just a matter of how ready it was.

You were thirty feet from the edge of the web. It was just a matter of rushing in quickly.

Let's go!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma3kLsKSbac

Initiative rolls:
Tsuchigumo: 10+11
Endymad: 13+7
Helenria: 7+7
Yours: 3+8
Mariannerie: 2+8

Insanity roll: 63

As fast as its six legs could carry it, it fled. Scampering away much faster than any of you were capable of running.

…

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Oce8jFf4Q

"After it!" Endymad roared.

You all sprinted after it as it fled.

Insanity roll: 52

It was still greatly ahead of you as you chased.

Insanity roll: 94

…"It's coming back this way!" Endymad called as he heard the skittering.

He charged forward into range, his sword wasn't glowing yet but his aura had been active since climbing the cliff face.

Endymad's attack roll: 9+9+2 (Charge)
Hollow's Defence roll: 19+13-2 (Blinded)

But the attack failed to hit anything important on the hollow's large body.

Helenria charged too and flanked the hollow.

Helenria's attack roll: 3+8+2 (Charge)+2 (Flank)
Hollow's Defence roll: 16+13-2 (Blinded)

But an unlucky angle prevented her axe from doing more than clipping the hollow.

It was time to slow it down then.

Soul Crush.
1+6+32 (reiatsu)+21 (All three action dice being added)
Hollow's pushback: 6+10+14 (All three of their action dice)
Result: Victory by 30, -8 on all of their actions for the next 30 rounds/3 minutes

That was… it then?

You felt like fainting, you had just pushed out everything you had in one massive burst. The spider shuddered severely.

You had made sure to approach first so your aura could help them but now all you could do is hope.

Insanity roll: 11

The hollow quickly shot out webbing from its… well. Its arse. Its ass. Its butt. It wasn't a Spinneret, the Tsuchigumo was too human for it to be as simple as that.

It could now see through its Tremorsense and it used the chance to strike at Endymad.

Hollow's claw attack: 14+11-8(Sould crush)+8 (Spending reiatsu)
Endymad's defence: 18+5+1 (Your aura)
Damage: 2d8+11, 19

A powerful hit! Endymad staggered slightly before steadying himself and pausing, delaying his attack until after Helenria

Helenria's Sunder Attack-

Hollow's AoO: 18+11-8 (Soul Crush)
Helenria's Defense: 13+5+1 (from your aura)+6 (action dice)

Sunder continued: Helenria's attack: 17+8+6(reiatsu)
Hollow's defence: 20+6-8(soul crush)+6 (Limb sunder)+4 (Size)
(AFAIK, Sunder rolls aren't attacks so 20 isn't an automatic victory)
Damage: 2d12+4+1 (Endymad's aura), 17

One of the legs was cut off in a beautiful spray of hollow blood.

Then Endymad took the lead again, Helenria had baited the hollow's only counter attack so now:

Endymad's Sunder Attack-
Endymad's attack: 16+9+6(reiatsu)
Hollow's defence: 2+6-8(soul crush)+6 (Limb sunder)+4 (Size)
Damage: 2d8+4+1d10 (Action dice)+1 (Endymad's aura), 20

There, another leg is gone!

As you watched all of this, you took a breath, recovering your reiatsu. That would bring you back to full strength. Soul crushes couldn't be stacked though so you'd have to use this power more offensively.

Mariannerie closed out the turn by running to heal her brother.

Damage: 2d6+4+1 (Endymad's aura), 10

Insanity Check: 5

There was a pause, as if the spider monster was confused. Then it stabbed itself with one of its legs.

…What?

Damage: 2d8+6, 16

Blood spilled out of the wounds but its eyes looked clear now. It wasn't suddenly sane, but it now had control over it's faculties. The pain of losing limbs must have shaken it awake from the madness.

Nevertheless, the team continued.

Helenria took the first blow again as they sundered limbs.

Helenria's Sunder Attack-

Hollow's AoO: 11+11-8 (Soul Crush)
Helenria's Defence: 16+5+1 (from your aura)

Sunder continued: Helenria's attack: 2+8+5(reiatsu)+7 (Last two action dice)
Hollow's defence: 14+6-8(soul crush)+6 (Limb sunder)+4 (Size)
Damage: 2d12+4+1 (Endymad's aura), 7

Damn, she hadn't severed the leg!

Endymad stepped in for her though, targeting the same leg.

Endymad's Sunder Attack-
Endymad's attack: 17+9+6(reiatsu)
Hollow's defence: 4+6-8(soul crush)+6 (Limb sunder)+4 (Size)
Damage: 2d8+4+1 (Endymad's aura), 9

There, with their combined work, they were able to break off the third leg. Only one spindle-thin leg remained.

It was down to your move again then.

To hold back or to dive in… There was no hope of you taking the last limb yourself so your best bet if you did want to go in would be to try and hit the hollow directly. Either with a reiatsu-empowered spear strike or simply using your deadly touch.

Going in though opened you up to the hollow's full attack. He may have lost a lot of legs but he still had his claws and his bite, not to mention the last remaining leg.

And so your decision would be…

[ ] Stay back here (No chance of getting hurt, your aura can still reach them all from here)
[ ] Go in and use a deadly touch (With as much reiatsu as you can push into it)
[ ] Go in with an empowered spear strike (Much like your soul crush, you could dedicate all your reiatsu to this. You might even do some actual damage with it. It would leave you exhausted and near defenceless after the attack though)
[ ] Other (Write in your plan)

Well this is going… well?
So, the hollow won't be making insanity rolls anymore. It's going to be fighting with intelligence from now on. That's bad.
Either way, I won't be able to write the next segment of this story for over a week, even if you vote quickly. Scheduling issues. I'll be back within two weeks though. In theory.
I should still be available to answer questions though. In theory.

boyboy180 · Jun 12, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma3kLsKSbac

Okay, you had a plan. One that was risky but could work very well.

You ran in. Instead of holding back, you went in and stretched out your hand.

The hollow was distracted. Now was the best chance for this!

Kalina's touch attack: 19+4+2 (Flank)
Hollow's defence: 4+11-8 (Soul crush)

There! Your hand made contact. Now all you needed to do was send through the destructive waves of power!

Damage: 3d6+3, 13

Again, fatigue filled you. The hit looked quite effective though. The hollow developed some kind of "Bruise" on it. On a living creature, you might have compared it to internal bleeding. The injury was hard to see though as it was coloured very similarly to its skin.

You were still overestimating your power though. It wasn't nearly enough to kill the hollow.

Luckily, Mariannerie was still here for the team though.

Damage: 2d6+4+1 (Endymad's aura), 14

She fully healed Endymad just as the hollow struck.

Its remaining leg, its claws and its fang all lashed out.

Hollow Full attack:
Claw: 7+11-8 (Soul crush) +8 (Reiatsu)
Endymad's defence: 10+5+1 (Aura)
Damage: 2d8+11, 17

It was a good thing that Endymad had been healed. It was possible that without it, he may have been killed.

Leg: 8+6-8 (Soul crush) +8 (Reiatsu)
Helenria defence: 20+5+1 (Aura)

Helenria knocked the attack away easily.

You then reacted, realising the bite was for you then.

Bite: 3+6-8 (Soul crush) +8 (Reiatsu)
Kalina's defence: 7+9+1 (Aura)

You were able to defend against the strike too though and after you did, you noticed something.

Was the hollow getting tired?

Helenria quickly moved, aiming to hack off the last leg.

Helenria's Sunder Attack-

Hollow's AoO: 17+10-8 (Soul Crush)
Helenria's Defence: 8+5+1 (from your aura)
Damage: 2d8+10, 12

Even though she was damaged, Helenria fought through the pain and struck.

Sunder continued: Helenria's attack: 9+8
Hollow's defence: 2+5-8(soul crush)+6 (Limb sunder)+4 (Size)
Damage: 2d12+4+1 (Endymad's aura), 12

There! The last leg was off. The spider was now standing on the web only with its human-like legs. Plus, you were sure now that it was fatigued. It wasn't attacking or blocking as fast as before.

Endymad had seen this too and struck forward with a thrust.

Endymad's attack
His attack: 19+9
Crit confirm: 20+9
Hollow's defence: 9+12
Damage: 2d8+4 (x3 from crit): 33

There was a moment where you thought the hollow had blocked. But then there was a flash of light.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPCFUPKi43E

The hollow fell, its mask cracking, you took the time to break it completely, sending it off.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wif3MEdRaPA

You felt stronger all of a sudden. As if the weeks of training had finally paid off.

The one lesson that you think has made the most impact is:

[ ] How hard real combat is (Gives the Blooded feat which lets you earn more HP per level)
[ ] How many subjects you still need to practise (Gives the Talented feat, giving you training in three skills of your choice.)
[ ] Other (Write in, I'll tell you what feat that lesson would give you, keep in mind that you're still too low level to learn Kido)

Woo! You won! And you levelled up. A great first chapter back from the break.
I'm giving you a lot of options here.
Blooded is the "Default" Option. It's a fairly simple choice. By default in this system, CON isn't added to HP on level up. With Blooded, it is.
Talented is all about skills of course and I've never given you the actual list before. Well, here's a shortened version, leaving off the skills you already have and any I think you wouldn't have studied:

Unarmed Strike, Weapon Attack, Ranged Shot, Fortitude Save, Flash Step. (All of these are "Base skills" that help with combat. It should be easy to guess what each does)
Balance, Climb, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Hide, Investigate, Jump, Knowledge (Various including "Gaian lands", "Tactics", "History", "Theology" and various scientific disciplines), Listen, Martial Lore (The skill you need to learn to learn Blade Magic), Move Silently, Navigate, Profession, Read/Write Language, Ride, Search, Sense Motive (Also used to sense reiatsu), Speak Language, Spot, Survival and Tumble.

Both Blooded and Talented are required to get the prestige class of "Terra Knight" but that's still a long way off and there are other ways to get Talented. If you did pick it though, I'd want you to include in your vote the skills you wanted to learn.

After that there is the write in option. I'll be honest, I mostly put this here because after the break, I lost track of what else you'd been studying. This is basically just so you can point out something you were practising that doesn't fall into the topic of "Just being more skilled."

boyboy180 · Jun 15, 2023

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3-ojrsg1cY

You shifted your spear around. You had a better idea of the grip now. Those notes on Blade Arts had helped too.

Everyone else seemed impressed as they calmed down too. Most of them looked to have gotten a good learning experience from this.

But with your hollow defeated. Team A had completed the task successfully.

You began heading back through the tunnels. You were all much more upbeat now that you'd proven yourselves in a way.

Getting back to your carriage, you stood by on watch until the other carriages got there to confirm for certain that none would escape through your tunnel.

With all the teams back together, the Member of the Guard stepped forward.

"Congratulations everyone, you've just completed your first clearing operation. I believe I mentioned before that once you were finished training, these sorts of Hollows wouldn't be an issue for you anymore. Well, these hollows were slightly stronger than we'd expected but not quite far enough to make me change my statement from before. When you're fully trained, I expect that each of you would be able to defeat one of those spiders alone."

It was kind of impressive in a way. You'd only managed to defeat your spider through teamwork, so the idea that when your training was complete, you'd be able to handle them alone was something to look forward to.

After a bit more of a speech on how good a job you all did today, you headed back. Lessons would start again soon after all.

And it was back to normal on Monday.

You were stronger, more skilled than a normal first year student would be at least. With that, you wondered if you were now "Strong enough."

Strong enough to defeat Adamus.

You then decided. You'd challenge him at the end of this week. You wanted to spar in classes first with more friendly faces. And you'd want to talk to your friends too.

Indeed. You had big plans for this week. (Pick four)

[ ] {Talk} Write in (With who and about what?)
[ ] {Spar} Write in (Who do you want to ask for a spar?)
[ ] {Extracurricular} Write in (After regular lessons have finished, what sort of things do you study)

A bit short but at least we're coming up on the end of the first arc.
The rematch with Adamus will be the "Final boss" of this arc.
The four choices you're making are basically "Everything you'll look into before the fight starts." It won't provide anywhere near enough help to level you up again but it might help in some other ways.
Reminder: Talking is for boosting relationship values, Sparing is for experience (And for practice as it will give you a good feeling for what your rolls are at now that you've levelled) and Extracurricular is for knowledge about the setting.
I'll update your character sheet in a moment.

KalinaQuest: Reflection (Bleach AU Quest)

Recent threadmarks

Recent threadmarks

Recent threadmarks

Recent threadmarks

boyboy180

boyboy180

boyboy180

boyboy180

boyboy180

boyboy180

boyboy180

boyboy180

boyboy180

boyboy180

Recent threadmarks

Recent threadmarks

Recent threadmarks

Recent threadmarks