KalinaQuest: Reflection (Bleach AU Quest)

[X] Moment of Perfect Mind (Grade 1, you can use a concentrate skill roll in place of a will save)
[X] Action Before Thought (Grade 2, you can use a concentrate skill roll in place of a reflex save)

[X] Bakudo Grade 1.
- [X] Bakudo 02: Tamashii Maki No Uchigawa (Creates a sight-obscuring veil).
- [X] Bakudo 06: Kaisatsuguchi (Mage armour).
- [X] Bakudo 09: Geki (Locks the caster and target in place, unable to move).
- [X] Bakudo 10: Hōrin (Creates a length of gold rope that can move to trap people on its own and set up telepathic links with the trapped target).
- [X] Bakudo 16: Denkieidō Shīrudo (Like 08, but instead of the stun trick, you can blow it up to electrocute at target at close range).

Okay, I think it works. Mostly defence, but also a bit of containment.
 
[X] Moment of Perfect Mind (Grade 1, you can use a concentrate skill roll in place of a will save)
[X] Action Before Thought (Grade 2, you can use a concentrate skill roll in place of a reflex save)

[X] Bakudo Grade 1.
 
Yeah, I think this looks good.

[X] Moment of Perfect Mind (Grade 1, you can use a concentrate skill roll in place of a will save)
[X] Action Before Thought (Grade 2, you can use a concentrate skill roll in place of a reflex save)

[X] Bakudo Grade 1.
- [X] Bakudo 02: Tamashii Maki No Uchigawa (Creates a sight-obscuring veil).
- [X] Bakudo 06: Kaisatsuguchi (Mage armour).
- [X] Bakudo 09: Geki (Locks the caster and target in place, unable to move).
- [X] Bakudo 10: Hōrin (Creates a length of gold rope that can move to trap people on its own and set up telepathic links with the trapped target).
- [X] Bakudo 16: Denkieidō Shīrudo (Like 08, but instead of the stun trick, you can blow it up to electrocute at target at close range).
 
Act 0.4: Threat, Part 6

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

You had done it.

You went to a training room to confirm. Once you were sure you were alone, you raised a finger and paused, trying to figure out the best way of testing this.

Breathing in, you draw reiatsu into your core in the way that had been causing you so much trouble before. You shaped it, impressing your will upon it as you chanted.

"Behold the mist veil, that conceals those virtuous souls, from the sight of foes, Bakudo number two: Tamashii Maki No Uchigawa."

The full chant was kind of long but the spiritual veil wobbled into sight as you pushed the reiatsu out into the environment around you.

You'd done it. You'd learned Kido before your last year. Well before your last year even. You were a prodigy.

…You might be able to give chant shortening a chance too. It would limit you but…

Stepping out of your already created veil, you pondered. Kaisatsuguchi would last too long for proper tests. How about Denkieidō Shīrudo?

"Hark! Thunder and flash, A shield of heavenly force, shall protect my form, Bakudo number sixteen: Denkieidō Shīrudo."

You pushed extra reiatsu into the spell as you chanted. More than the spell needed but it created a shield that was stronger than the basic one. This sort of spell required concentration to hold though.

The crackling electric shield was powerful, but it drew from your reiatsu to keep it stable. You let it drop after a few seconds of test then tried again, this time the goal was to skip the incantation.

Spellcraft check: 12+13

You wave your hand.

"Bakudo sixteen!"

The shield was still generated but it felt much weaker and wasn't crackling with power. It probably wouldn't work as a way to counter attacks as well.

You'd need a target for your other spells. You should probably talk to a teacher first though, just to make sure you were training safely.

You found the Kido teacher and showed him. He was shocked when you showed your ability. It took him a few moments to recover but congratulated you. He agreed to arrange to allow you into some of his classes if you'd like.

With that done, he told you to hold off on further practice till you were in class so for now you just headed to your common room, smiling to yourself as you went.

Most of your friends were out in the town today. It was the weekend right now after all. You could wander about to see if you could find them or you could just wait here for now?

Eh, the city felt better. While you did want praise from friends in a safe place like the common room at managing to do what was seen as impossible, it would take a while for them to come back and you didn't really just want to sit on your own for that long.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asz4uhWRFEA

There seemed to be a strange atmosphere in the city today. There weren't nearly as many people on the streets as normal. That didn't mean there weren't crowds of pedestrians milling about but there were less than normal.

Where could your friends be on this day off?

You headed all the way down to the city gates where you saw quite the odd sight. There were more guards on the gate than normal, it was still open but everyone coming in was being checked.

You headed over to one of the guards and spoke to them.

"Sir?"

He looked over as you spoke.

"Yes," He saw your uniform "squire?"

"I wanted to know if anything had happened, the gate seems better guarded than it does normally."

The guard nodded "It's just standard procedure, nothing to worry about. It's about the outskirts, they've been making more of a fuss and we want to make sure no problematic elements get in at this delicate time."

"...Is that likely?" You ask, worried. "I thought the only people making a fuss were either near the surface or on the other side of the core?"

The guard shrugged, "You never know."

True enough, but now you were worried too. It was like being told there was a powerful hollow on the loose on the surface and then seeing people be worried it could attack here even though it was all the way over there.

At least it wasn't meant to be a full rebellion, just a few rabble rousers.

Now then… where to look next?

[ ] Back to the academy, someone might have already come back
[ ] You could try the city gardens
[ ] Maybe a shopping street could have some of them.
[ ] Other (Write in if you want to go somewhere else and who would be there.)

So, Kido. There are three ways to cast it right now:
Normal, Boosted and Shortened. Boosted costs more reiatsu but generally gain a lot of bonuses from it while Shortened allows you to cast as a standard action (Normally it's a full action) at the cost of the spell being far weaker.
Feel free to ask more questions about it. I'll create a threadmarked info page with your spells and blade arts on it later.
 
Kido Notes
Just so you have extra info on all of your spells.

NameNormal effectsQuick-cast effectsBoosted effects
Bakudo 02: Tamashii Maki No UchigawaCosts 25 reiatsu. Creates veil covering a 20ft burst. All melee attacks made within the veil have a 20% chance to miss. Any ranged attack either within the veil or targetting someone within from outside have a 50% chance to miss. Duration is 1 minute/levelNormal cost, normal effects, duration is divided by 3.Costs +20 reiatsu. Can be cast on a specific target to have the veil move with them. Good for making a ranged enemy less effective.
Bakudo 06: KaisatsuguchiCosts 25 Reiatsu. Gives +2 armour mod to defence for 1 hour per level.Normal cost, normal effects, duration is divided by 3.Costs +var reiatsu. For each 20 reiatsu spent to boost this Kido it gives +1 armour for the duration. No cap.
Example: 125 reiatsu spent gives +7 mod for 1 hour per level.
Bakudo 09: GekiCosts 25 Reiatsu. Target must make a reflex saving throw to avoid your gaze. If they fail, they're locked in place until either they win an opposed Will check or you run out of reiatsu. You can't move either during this spell. Maintaining the kido requires 13 reiatsu every 6 seconds (per turn)Normal cost, Halves the reflex DC to avoid your gaze. Normal maintain cost.Cost: +Var. For each 20 reiatsu spent, increase the reflex save's DC by 2. Normal maintain cost.
Bakudo 10: HōrinCosts 75 reiatsu.
The caster creates a line of golden rope that shoots from their fingertips.
The user can direct the rope of light towards their target and can steer it to avoid obstacles. They can also set up the rope as a trip-wire or trap.
Anyone who touches the rope is
snared and the rope wraps about them so long as they stay within range of the caster/rope's location.
This rope does not impair movement or actions of the caster and is as strong as a length of fine steel chain and can be used
to pull targets. Targets connected by the rope can communicate through it like a telepathic bond.
A creature that is ensnared by the
rope is entangled and immobile for as long as they remain bound in the rope. A victim is allowed to attempt to escape from the rope every 1d4 rounds. This is done by making a Will save. On a success the rope slackens enough to allow movement. Asecond successful Will save completely disengages the victim from the rope. A victim is always considered willing to be moved with the rope.
The caster generates an additional
rope for every 4 levels they possess, up to a maximum of 4 as level 13.
It lasts for one minute/level
Normal cost. DC to resist the rope is halved, duration is divided by 3. Normal costCost: +30 reiatsu. The rope sheds bright light like a torch.
Bakudo 16: Denkieidō ShīrudoCosts 75 Reiatsu. Creates a shield that gives you +2 defence. The bonus is also applied against incorporial touch attacks.
At any time as a free action you can detonate the shield so it does 1d6 electric damage to all targets within a 5ft burst of you, including yourself. Lasts as long as you pay the maintaince cost of 38 reiatsu per turn or until one minute/level has passed.
Same cost. Effect is the same, damage from the explosion is halved, max duration is divided by 3.Cost +30 reiatsu (And plus 15 per turn). When a creature misses an attack against you while the shield is deployed they take 1d6 electric damage + 1d6 for each 4 they missed you by.
Example: If their attack was 20 and your defence was 28, they'd take 3d6 damage.
Bakudo 07: SankakuCosts 75 Reiatsu.
This spell creates a shimmering,
magical field around the touched creature
that averts attacks. The spell grants the
subject a +1 deflection bonus to defense,
with an additional +1 to the bonus for every
4 levels you have (max +5)
It lasts for one minute/level
Normal cost, effects act as if your level were divided by 3, duration is divided by 3.Cost +30 reiatsu. For each time you pay the cost, you can give someone else the shield too.
Bakudo 11: Suna no Naka ni KakuCosts 75 Reiatsu.
You draw a glowing crimson line in
the ground. Creatures in the area of effect,
begin to glow with a faint reddish outline,
while this spell persists you may attempt a
number of additional attacks of opportunity
per round equal to your spellcasting ability
score modifier against these marked
creatures, although this does not allow you
to make more than one attack against a
single creature per action.
It lasts for one round/level
Normal cost, normal effects, duration is divided by 3.Cost: +30 reiatsu. For each time you pay the cost you can make 1 more AoO above what this spell would normally allow.
Bakudo 20: Yokuatsu-teki TaikutsuCost: 150 Reiatsu
You fill your target with boredom.The target loses all interest in its currenttask and must make a Will save against the spell's effect in order to perform its next action. If the target fails, it takes no action that round. The boredom lasts until the duration expires or the target breaks thespell's effect with a successful Will save.
Normal cost. DC to resist the spell is halved, duration is divided by 3.Cost: +40 Reiatsu. A target that fails the save is so bored they leave the combat entirely (Gives half EXP, though that might change depending on the situation)
Bakudo 24: Taiyō o OsoreruCost: 150 Reiatsu
Each target that fails its saving throwgains light blindness, Creatures with lightblindness are blinded for 1 round if exposed to bright light, such as sunlight or a spell of level 2 or higher that emits light or similar light source. Such creatures are then dazzled as long as they remain in areas of bright light.If you cast this spell in the presence of bright light, any target that fails its saveis blinded immediately, and dazzled starting at the beginning of its first turn.
Normal cost. DC to resist the spell is halved, duration is divided by 3.Cost: +40 Reiatsu. The duration of this spell becomes days/level instead of rounds/level
Bakudo 26: KyokkōCost: 150 Reiatsu
The caster uses their powers to bendlight around the chosen object in a veil that conceals it from sight, but also distorts any Reiatsu.The target is invisible until he attacks another creature. In addition, the target gains a +10 circumstance bonus to suppress their Reiatsu thanks to the cloak's effect.
Duration:
Concentration up to 1
minute/caster level
Normal cost, normal effects, duration is divided by 3.Cost: +40 Reiatsu. The spell also perfectly conceals your reiatsu instead of just giving a bonus.
Bakudo 28: Tekase Zetsuboo ShimasuCost: 150 Reiatsu
The spellcaster draws upon the targets own self-doubt and worries to restrict their actions and slow their movement. If the victim fails their save,then they suffer a -4 penalty on all attack,damage, and all saves.
Can be cast on large groups at the same time
Normal cost. DC to resist the spell is halved, duration is divided by 3.Cost: +40 Reiatsu. for each time it's paid, the penalty increases by 1
Bakudo 14: Shin'ikiCost: 75 Reiatsu
Any opponent attempting to strike orotherwise directly attack the warded creature, even with a targeted spell, mustattempt a Will save. If the attackersucceeds, the opponent can make theattack normally and is unaffected by that casting of this spell.If the save fails, the opponent can't follow through with the attack, that part of its action is lost, and it can't directly attack the warded creature for the duration of the spell. Those not attempting to attack the subject remain unaffected. This spell doesnot prevent the warded creature from being attacked or affected by area of effect spells. The subject cannot attack without breaking the spell but may use non-attack spells or otherwise act.
Concentration spell.
Normal cost. DC to resist the spell is halved, duration is divided by 3.For every extra 30 Reiatsu spenton this spell, you may increase the spells save Dc by +1.
Bakudo 17: ShikonomitateCost: 75 Reiatsu
A magical field appears around you,glowing with a chaotic blast of multicolored hues. This field deflects incoming arrows,rays, and other ranged attacks. Each ranged shot directed at you for which the attacker must make an attack roll has a 20% miss chance (similar to the effects ofconcealment). Other attacks that simply work at a distance are not affected.
Normal cost, normal effects, duration is divided by 3.For every extra 30 Reiatsu spenton this spell, you may increase the misschance by 1%.
Bakudo 19: Nami ShīrudoCost: 75
You create a rushing torrent of water
in the rough outline of a shield. The water
protects you from one physical or fire
attacks, granting you Dr/Electric and fire
resistance equal to half the casters level
(minimum 1) on that attack. Once the spell
has reduced the damage of one attack
against you, it is discharged. Only lasts 1 round
Normal cost, DR becomes caster level divided by 6.For every extra 30 Reiatsu spenton this spell, you may have the shieldremain for an extra round before it breaks
Bakudo 01: SaiCost: 25
The caster points at their target,
causing their arms to be locked behind
their back by a rush of force.
The target is unable to make use of
their arms until they break free of the
bindings, though they can still perform any
action that does not require use of their
arms.
To break the binds the target must
make either an escape artist check (Dc 10+the casters level) or strength check (Dc 5 + the casters level), the target may make this
save when the spell is cast, then again
each subsequent round as a move action.
Normal Cost, Duration is greatly reduced and it's relatively easier to break freeFor every extra 20 Reiatsu spent
on this spell, the caster may target an
additional foe with this spell. The save dc
and duration is divided equally (rounding
up) between each victim
Bakudo 03: Han no Shokei ShimasuCost: 25
The spellcaster brings her hands
together and bows her head in solemn
judgement. The act completed, they raise
their blade to mark the guilty, who is then
enshrouded in a malevolent red light.
The target may make a will save. If
they fail, then they become illuminated.
They glow with as much light as a torch,
and thus cannot benefit from abilities such
as invisibility, blink, or other similar effects,
nor can they hide.
Normal Cost, Reduced range and durationFor every extra 20 Reiatsu spent
on this spell, you may target 1 additional
creature or object.
Bakudo 21: SekientonCost: 150
The Spellcaster raises their hand,
and a sphere of red mist forms in it. They
then throw this orb to the ground at their
feet, where it explodes into a cloud of
blinding smoke. It is stationary once
created. The Mist obscures all sight,
including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A
creature further than 5 feet away has total
concealment. The caster always knows
where the smoke ends.
A moderate wind (11+ mph), such
as from a gust of wind spell, disperses the
fog in 4 rounds. A strong wind (21+ mph)
disperses the fog in 1 round. A fireball,
flame strike, or similar spell burns away the
fog in the explosive or fiery spell's area. A
wall of fire burns away the fog in the area
into which it deals damage.
Burst is smaller and doesn't last as longFor an extra 40 Reiatsu spent on
this spell, you may prime the cloud with
Reiatsu so that in 3 rounds the cloud
explodes dealing 1d6 +1d6 per the casters
level (Max of 5d6) fire damage to every
creature caught in the cloud.
Bakudo 30: Shitotsu SansenCost: 225
Forming a triangle with one's finger,
the spellcaster shoots three beams of light
that pin the target to one place on a
surface, slamming into his or her body in
three places in a shape of an equilateral
triangle.
The subject must succeed on a
reflex save or become trapped and held in
place by the beams of light and pushed
away from the caster to the maximum
range of the spell, or until they hit another
creature or object that could reasonably
stop them. If they hit an object, the creature
suffers 1d6 bludgeoning damage for each
10ft they moved, to a minimum of 1d6.
A trapped creature must pass either
a strength check (Dc 10+ caster level), or
an escape artist Check (Dc 15 + caster
level) to escape, either of which take a
standard action. The binds can also be
damaged; they have a resilience of 1/2 the
casters level (minimum 3) and 20 hit points
Much easier to escape and it neither pushes back as far or lasts as long.For every extra 50 Reiatsu spent
on this spell, you may increase the Dc to
escape by +1.
Bakudo 31: Yokote Tsukamaidori WanaCost: 225
This spell creates an invisible magic
field that does not stop weapons (whether
manufactured or natural) from moving
toward you but impedes their motion when
they are retracted. When you are hit with a melee attack, you must attempt a grapple
check using your caster level against your
opponent's Escape Artist check. If you
succeed, your opponent's weapon or body
part becomes caught in the field. If your
check fails, your opponent may retract its
weapon.
If your opponent's melee weapon
becomes trapped in the field, the opponent
may release the weapon and move away
from you. If your opponent attacked with a
part of its body (such as a fist, a horn, a tail,
etc.) or attacked with a weapon but refuses
to release it, your opponent gains the
grappled condition. Because you are not
using any part of your body to maintain
control over your opponent, you do not gain
the grappled condition.
Once an opponent's weapon is
snared, you may attempt a new grapple
check using your level against the ensnared
opponent's Escape Artist check on each of
your subsequent turns to maintain the
grapple. This is a standard action, during
which you may make any of the usual
grappling actions, but if you choose to pin
the opponent, you gain the grappled
condition as well. On your opponent's turn,
it may try to retract its weapon or limb by
attempting an Escape Artist check, the DC
of which is equal to the spell's saving throw.
While blade snare is active, you may
make melee attacks and cast spells as
normal, though you may not make ranged
weapon attacks; the magical field thwarts
such attacks.
You may not snare more than one
limb or weapon in the field at a time. If you
already have an opponent's weapon or limb
stuck in the field and you are hit by a
second melee attack, you must choose
which weapon or limb to snare. The other
limb or weapon becomes unaffected by the
spell.
Doesn't last as long, easier to escape, etc.For every extra 50 Reiatsu
spent on this spell, you may add another
weapon to the maximum number of
weapons you may capture at once.
Bakudo 32: Kaze no KoaCost: 225
You shroud a creature in a whirling
screen of strong, howling winds.
The subject cannot be checked or
blown away by strong winds or windstorms
of lesser strength (whether natural or
magically created), and ranged shots made
against the subject take a -4 penalty.
Other creatures of size medium or
less must succeed on a Fortitude save to
successfully make touch attacks or weapon
attacks made against the subject while in
melee. A failure knocks the attacker prone
and pushes it 5 feet away from the subject
+5ft per level of the caster. This movement
can pass through the squares of other
creatures without affecting them and does
not provoke attacks of opportunity, but the
creature takes 3d6 points of nonlethal
damage, plus 1d6 if the creature strikes a
solid object that blocks its movement.
Reduced duration and knockback distanceFor every extra 50 Reiatsu spenton this spell, you may increase the size ofthe creature that is affected by the winds
Bakudo 35: Mahō JubanCost: 225
You imbue a suit of armor or a shield
with an enhancement bonus of +1 per four
caster levels (maximum +5 at 20th level).
An outfit of regular clothing counts
as armor that grants no defense bonus for
the purpose of this spell.
Reduced DurationFor every extra 50 Reiatsu spent
on this spell, you may increase the
Enhancement bonus granted by this spell
by +1.
Bakudo 37: TsuriboshiCost: 225
The practitioner creates an orb of
spiritual energy, which erupts in a number
of springs that latch on to the surrounding
area, creating a web or net that is used
primarily to catch.
When cast, it creates a net of The net is a solid object made of
light and provides a stable footing for
creatures to stand on. Due to the design of
the net, the caster may decide if creatures
falling onto it suffer falling damage. The
caster can also decide what can pass
through the net, and what cannot.
The net has a resilience equal to
caster level (minimum of 3, maximum of
10) and 20 hp. Due to the springy design of
the net, its resilience is doubled against
bludgeoning damage. When casting the
spell, the caster can choose to sacrifice
area to increase the resistance, at a rate of
5 hp and 1 resilience per 5 feet sacrificed.
The caster is automatically aware of
every creature touching the net if the net
falls on a creature, it functions like a web
spell, except the net retains its normal
resilience and hp.
The web is much weaker and the duration is reducedFor an extra 50 Reiatsu spent on
this spell, whenever another creature
touches the Webbing created by Bakudo 37
you may decide if they treat the area as
difficult terrain that reduces the creatures
speed to 5ft a turn.
spiritual energy with a total area of 5ft per
level vertically or horizontally. At least two
sides of the net must be in contact with a
solid object, or the net will fall uselessly to
the ground (see below)
Bakudo 38: HakufukuCost: 225 (And it's a touch spell)
The spellcaster makes eye contact
with a creature it can see as the illusion of
purple cherry blossoms begin to fall around
them, the victim must make a will save or
their vision begins to blur and become
unfocused, gains a 25% miss chance
against anything beyond 5 ft.
The second round the target must
make a Will save or their consciousness
becomes muddled, disoriented, and
confused. The creature may only take 1
action or movement action on their next
turn. If the creature takes a move action
they move in sporadic ways similar to the
confusion status This is done by the
creature rolling 1d8, this determines the
path the creature must move in this round.
Count around the character going
clockwise, with one being the direction the
Spellcaster is in.
On the third round, the target must
make one last Will save. If the target fails it
blacks out and becomes incapacitated for
1d6 hours, later awakening with an unclear
memory of what occurred.
note: If the creature passes any of the will
saves at any point the spell immediately
ends.
The will save is weaker? That's really the only downside.For every extra 50 Reiatsu spent
on this spell, you may skip one round of the
spell starting with round one and ending on
round three. (Ex. You may spend 50 Reiatsu
to skip round one allowing for only round 2
and three to occur or you pay 150 extra
Reiatsu to have round three immediately
take effect.)
Bakudo 39: EnkōsenCost: 225
The practitioner raises their hand or
weapon before them, twirling it round as a
sparks of dull yellow light form. This
becomes a circular shield that dulls an
enemy's strikes, protecting the user.
This spell creates a shield of energy
that protects the user. Pick a direction, the
shield increases the users defense by their
caster level (maximum 10), and grants
concealment +5% per caster level
(maximum 50%) from all attacks from that
direction
The shield is also designed to
neutralize energy-based attacks of the
same intensity or less. The shield protects
from level 3 or lower Kido from the chosen
direction. It also negates 5d6 damage from
an area effect (line/cone/burst), and any
secondary effects. If the effect is entirely
negated, then it's progression stops past
the caster (though a burst/cone will
continue spreading, save for a direct line
from the user to the shield will be
unaffected) if the shield is used to block an
attack like this, it does not provide the
defense/concealment bonus this turn as its
energy is used negating the area attack
Special: This spell can be cast incantation
less as an attack of opportunity. It counts
as using the Full Round action for the next
turn unless this spell has Eishohaki on it, in
which the spell consumes the normal
action time granted by Eishohaki.
For every extra 50 Reiatsu spent
on this spell, you may produce another
barrier around yourself granting you the
same benefits as the primary shield. You
may do this until each direction is covered

As a quick reminder, you cannot boost and quick cast on the same cast. Boosting requires the full incantation.
 
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Oh, pretty good spells. I especially like the enhanced version of 06 - the duration should help with the cost if you cast this spell early and restore Reiryoko before the battle.

[X] You could try the city gardens.
 
Oh boy it's the Imperial Liberation Front! Uh, I mean, terrorists? No Idea, nothing to see here, move along.

[X] You could try the city gardens.
 
Oh boy it's the Imperial Liberation Front! Uh, I mean, terrorists? No Idea, nothing to see here, move along.
What? Mysterious rebels getting involved in the capital, whatever could you be refering to?

I do promise there is not a C situation going on though.

I also promised that I planned this arc long before I realised I was just making Dwarf/Bleach/Cold Steel the quest. All of these arcs were planned before I made the CS connection though so that isn't really special. The fact that I can make parallels is fun though.

I'll admit the reason I'm not leaning more into it is that finding a reason to give Gaians mechs was near-impossible.
 
Act 0.4: Threat, Part 7

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-EZsZHZOV0

Well, you could imagine Helenria being at the city's gardens as that's where you had met her before.

As you walked down the street, you still didn't see that many people about. You could understand the guards on the gate but… why were so many people hiding? There didn't seem to be any specific reason for it.

That wasn't to say there were none. There were still quite a few people around but they were looking scared too.

Okay, you were getting to the bottom of this. You walked up to a man who seemed to be walking quickly away from the market and you asked him to stop.

"What's got you so worried, what's gotten everyone so worried?" You were blunt about it.

The man shivered, trying to avoid your eyes, "Oh… umm. It's nothing. Can I be on my way?"

Well, that was quite the evasive answer.

"Sir, please. The atmosphere is worrying me too."


The man shivered again and glanced at your uniform. After a moment he took a breath and explained.

"It's just that people have been going missing recently. Not in large numbers but it's become noticeable to the rest of us."

Kidnapping? In the capital?
"But why are you worried now?" You asked "It's the middle of the day."

He shook his head "See, it's not at night, not normally anyway. People leave the house to do normal things in the middle of the day and they never go home. Everyone's been trying to stay home."

Hmm. The extra guards on the gates were likely not just to stop attacks then, they were also there to make sure no one was smuggled out of the capital. This feels like something you should have been told about. Did the academy not know about it?

You thanked him and told him to get home soon before continuing on.

When you finally got to the garden, you saw it wasn't actually just Helenria who was there. Mariannerie and Endymad were there too.

They were all sitting around a table talking.They were looking serious.

"Can I join?" You asked.

Helenria blinked and nodded and you took another chair.

"Have you felt what's going on today?" Your friend asked you immediately. "Everything's off."

You explained to them what you'd heard about the kidnapping and Endymad agreed with you.

"From how you're telling the man's story, this would have had to have been going on for a while. Why hadn't we heard about it?"

"No one from the academy has been targeted?" Mariannerie theorised "That, and no nobles have been targeted, that's the only way this works in my head. They think we're not likely to be targeted."

Even so, the idea of Gaians being kidnapped rubbed you the wrong way. Especially after what happened to your old teacher.

With that said, what did you want to do? You could leave this alone, you'd be shocked if the royal guards weren't already looking into this.

"We should look into this." Helenria noted "It's our obligation as nobles to help the citizens."

You shrugged "Where should we start though? Interviewing people? They're already terrified.

Mariannerie held a hand up "Well, how about this? We try to pick up some leads like this was a normal task on one of the previous year's field trips."

Helenria nodded at that "Yes! That would do. We could go to a Game hall and ask around."

Endymad shrugged "Alternatively, we could just ask the guards at the Academy, if they're keeping it from us to prevent worry then they'll know some things at least."

Both were options that could work…

[ ] Go to a game hall to ask around.
[ ] Ask around back at the Academy
[ ] Another idea of where the investigation could start (Write in)
[ ] Leave the matter and get on with other things (Well, it will be solved without you, right?)

The strange feeling that you'd felt approaching for the last few weeks was almost here.

Now, I should have done more foreshadowing. But part of the problem with that is that I only figured out exactly how I wanted this arc to go about an hour ago. Part of my logic had been faulty and I'd had to rework that bit.
I knew the "Cause" of this arc ahead of time, but I'm changing the exact means of the "Effect" so that the logic wasn't as bad. That did mean that I hadn't done the foreshadowing I should have done.
IE: I hadn't come up with the kidnapping thing until writing this chapter. The previous idea of why people were hiding didn't work properly. I could add new foreshadowing in previous chapters now, but I'm worried you all might see that as cheating.

And overall, this specific chapter feels lower quality than previous ones. Sorry about that.
 
[X] Go to a game hall to ask around.

Speaking of suspects... There are Quincys who have done this once before. There is that story in the ruins that we stumbled upon. And then there are these rebels...
 
I think, going to the game hall is a good enough place to start. I don't really have any ideas for write ins at the moment anyway. It's all very interesting that things are coming to ahead now though, it shows that the empire isn't really anywhere near as unified as the nobles and the folks who live in capital want to believe. I'm not sure who's behind the kidnapping though, could be the 'rebels' could be someone else who finds the 'rebels' activities as a convenient distraction. Could be the Quincy, but I feel like they would have better luck preying on smaller towns than they would going straight into the heart of Gaian territory.

[X] Go to a game hall to ask around.
 
Act 0.4: Threat, Part 8

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-EZsZHZOV0

The game hall would be the best place to start your own investigation. It was a place you could see how the common folk though- and how strange that was to say when you were one of those same common folk.

As you were heading there, you shivered.

"Are you okay?" Mariannerie asked.

You nodded "Yeah, I was just thinking about last year. There isn't any chance that this is Quincies, is there?"

Your friend smiled "No, not this far down. You were only in danger that time because you were in their domain. Down here? There's no chance it's them. They wouldn't come unless they were ready to declare war on everyone who they fought in their last war."

"It's more likely to be the rebels." Endymad agreed with his sister "There's no need to worry about the Quincys in this case."

…How did that not relieve your worry in any way?

Regardless, you made it to the game hall. It was the middle of the day but the building's sign said "closed."

Even so, you stepped forward to knock on the door.

Pausing, you waited to see if it would be answered.

Glancing at the others, you raised your voice.

"Hello? Is anyone home?"


You heard nothing from inside at first, but then you caught the sound of the lock turning inside.

The door, cracked open, you could see the chain was set though so it wouldn't open any further.

"Who… who are you?"

A young boy was standing in the crack that allowed the light from inside into the game hall.

…Strictly speaking, children were allowed in game halls, it's just their betting limit was tiny. In human money it would be around a euro to be spent over the whole evening.

However, this child likely hadn't been there to play.

You bent down to speak with him.

"Hello, I'm from the Imperial Terra Knight Academy." You told him "Are your parents in by any chance?"

The boy shook his head "No-" He went to close the door but you stopped it, holding it open to the point the chain would allow.

"They're not in? Are they missing?"

The boy didn't answer at first but then he nodded "They haven't come home."

…ah. You'd been trying to find people to talk to about this who knew someone who vanished. But this wasn't really what you'd expected.

"When did they leave?"

"My dad left two days ago." The boy said "He was going out to buy some supplies. When he didn't come back, my Mum left to look for him last night."

Okay. What could you get out of this?

"We'll find your parents." You promised him "Do you know which store he was going to buy from?"

The boy did know as it happened. As this was a game hall in the capital city, they could afford to stock alcohol. Both that were made in the empire and a few precious bottles of alcohol from the surface. His father had been going to a merchant who sold the latter when he vanished.

Said merchant was still in town and would likely be staying that way with the current disappearances so you were able to go to talk to him.

Gather information: 1+7
Endymad's gather information: 20+10

After trying and failing to find the merchant, Endymad took over and found him in five minutes. Honestly, you weren't even mad. That was just impressive.

Said merchant seemed a little annoyed that he couldn't leave but he was still running his store even if he had nearly run out of alcohol to sell.

When you asked him about the family, he nodded.

"I know the man, he normally buys things whenever I come to the capital. I haven't seen him yet on this trip. I saw his wife though, she was asking about him too. Sorry, I don't know where either of them are now."

So, that line kind of went cold.

The husband left the game hall and vanished before ever making it to the merchant. The wife did make it to the merchant but then never made it home.

The walk between the game hall and the merchant's stall wasn't far. It was maybe a ten minute walk there and a ten minute walk back. Surely someone must have seen them?

Group gather information.
Kalina's assist roll: 2+7, fail
Helenria's assist roll: 6+7, pass
Mariannerie's assist roll: 19+9, pass
final roll: 9+10+4 (Assistance)

Three hours later, you'd finally managed to find some sightings. Some people had seen the husband walking towards the shop and some people had seen the wife entering and then leaving the shop. More than that though, the wife had been seen walking home but she'd apparently stopped, looked into a particular alley and rushed inside. No one had seen her leave that alley.

Okay, you think you had something here. You get directions to the alley in question. It seemed like a normal enough alley. It sat between a post office and a shop that sold small meals.

"Okay." You nod to everyone else, "This happened last night, let's find some clues."

Search.
Endymad's roll: 2+6
Helenria's roll: 10+4
Mariannerie's roll: 18+7
Kalina's roll: 5+9

Mariannerie was the one to find a clue in the end. A strange dusty rag that looked very out of place somehow.

Group investigation.
Endymad's assist roll: 5+0, fail
Helenria's assist roll: 1+0, fail
Mariannerie's assist roll: 3+0, fail
Kalina's final roll: 14+13

No one else could figure it out but when you picked it up, it felt oddly moist. You'd taken a class in investigative skills but it seems none of the others remembered it well.

"This is…Chloroform?"

You held it away from your mouth when you picked up the slight whiff of it.

The others had heard of that at least. Endymad's mind snapping right to the same point that yours had.

"Then yes, this is a fairly clear-cut kidnapping."

You nod "We can assume the husband was kidnapped in the same way but…"

Okay, sequence of events. The wife looked in this alley then rushed inside. Chloroform wasn't quick so someone would have needed to grab her while she was being sedated.

So… why had she rushed into the alley?


…Nothing jumped immediately to mind there.

You had a lead though, Chloroform was not that easy to source down in the empire. You could check with chemists, if they sold Chloroform to anyone within the last week, you'd have a good lead on who was responsible.


You shivered as you came out of the alley. You glanced around and caught a few of the very few pedestrians on the path throwing glances your way. They all dashed away when they noticed you'd seen them though.

Suspicious.

Okay, what lead did you want to focus on?

[ ] Find a chemist to ask about the Chloroform.
[ ] Chase down some of the fleeing pedestrians.
[ ] Other (Write in, there are a few other potential leads buried in the text that you could call out.)

And there we go, back on to a chapter that feels good.
The fact that you're the only person in your little team with investigation skills is a little funny but together you all can find answers.
I would also enjoy hearing your theories as they currently stand.
 
[ ] Chase down some of the fleeing pedestrians.
There are many reasons why this is probably a bad idea, though since we have Mariannerie and Endymad with us it's probably not the worst one. I'm more inclined to go to the Chemist, though that line of thinking might be a bust. What do you all think?
 
There are many reasons why this is probably a bad idea, though since we have Mariannerie and Endymad with us it's probably not the worst one. I'm more inclined to go to the Chemist, though that line of thinking might be a bust. What do you all think?
I should note: I meant "Chase down" in an active but not aggressive way.
You're not madly dashing after them to cause a scene. They're fast walking away from you, you'd be fast walking after them.
 
[X] Chase down some of the fleeing pedestrians.

Since they are running away, it is obvious that they are guilty!

Well, or rather the point is that the alchemist most likely will not go anywhere.
 
Why do you think it wouldn't work? You just got a clue after all and I pointed out there aren't a lot of ways it could be obtained.

...What I meant was that even if we spend some time on a false lead, the alchemist will most likely still be in the shop, unlike those who are trying to escape from the Investigation Team.
 
...What I meant was that even if we spend some time on a false lead, the alchemist will most likely still be in the shop, unlike those who are trying to escape from the Investigation Team.
True, the only thing we'd be losing at that point would be time. Fine, let's chase down some fast walking pedestrians, we just need to make sure we don't look sus, because it might appear that way to the casual observer, maybe.

[X] Chase down some of the fleeing pedestrians.
-[X] If time remains afterwards, visit the chemist to ask for information regarding the chemical on the cloth.
 
[X] Chase down some of the fleeing pedestrians.
-[X] If time remains afterwards, visit the chemist to ask for information regarding the chemical on the cloth.
 
Act 0.4: Threat, Part 9

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

With a nod towards the fleeing Gaians, you point one out specifically.

"After him, slowly."

You tried to keep to a calm pace as you followed the Gaian. This wasn't specifically any real kind of shadowing or chasing. He knew you were there but he wasn't dashing away either, likely he didn't want to cause a panic.

When he'd get to an alley, he'd glance back to see if you were still there and then he'd head inside quickly to go to the street on the other side. You followed him into the alleys and caught sight of him watching the exits you were coming through.

There were others too, people who'd notice you and look away before leaving. They definitely knew something.

Helenria was the first to point out something important.

"He's not trying to lose us. Think he's leading us into a trap."

"Possibly." You agree. You had expected the same, this would have been some sort of slow chase. But he was actually stopping whenever you lost sight of him, waiting to see if you caught up.

"If it is a trap," Endymad noted "We'll be ready for it."

He ended up leading you all half-way across the city before finally entering another game hall.

Well then, to proceed? Of course. You couldn't lose sight of him, what if there was a back exit?

You all headed in.

The gaian you'd been following had sat down at a table with two others, a man and a woman. There was also another pair of gaians at another table and then there was the owner.


No one in here felt particularly strong. They seemed to be in every way normal citizens, their reiatsu less than one percent of yours.

The previously mentioned owner trotted up to you.

"Greetings sir and madams. Do you want a table?"



"Yes." You nodded. The propriator sat you at a table near the group the man you had been tailing had joined.

You had thought that would allow you to overhear what they were talking about but they weren't saying anything, not really. Just some small talk.

Right, something was very wrong here. The jaws of the trap felt like they'd spring at any moment.


For a game hall, this place didn't offer many games. As that thought crossed your mind, you realised it felt really off.

This wasn't a game hall at all. That was just the cover. And kind of a poor cover really, this should be the kind of thing that's easy to fake. Yet they didn't even make an effort. You needed answers.

Okay, time to be blunt. You nodded to Endymad and together you stood up, leaving the other two sitting calmly as you headed over to the table with your target.

"Hello, I hope you don't mind but there's something we want to ask you."

You gave them a smile as you sat at their table.

"Earlier, you-" to which you nodded at the target "-spotted us and then lured us here. Do you mind explaining why?"


The man in question snorted.

"Why on earth would you think that? I just felt it was strange that you were following me."

Hmm… how far was it safe to push this? Endymad took over, trying to ask the same question in a different way.

Your aid another: 7+11
His diplomacy: 18+10+2 (Aided)

"I assure you, we just hoped you had some information. Most other people seem scared of the world in general right now. You, though, felt cautious of us."

The man chuckled at that "Nice observation. Well then, go on, why?"

Running means you're guilty. Not of any specific thing but that action meant he felt that he had something to hide. However, he lured you in.

Given that… Either he was part of the group responsible trying to clear up loose ends or he had seen it happen and wanted to avoid being silenced himself.

"The kidnapping." You spoke up "You've witnessed it happening."

A statement that should be true, regardless of the nature of his knowledge.

"Indeed." The man agreed. Before you were able to say anything else though, you heard a loud click and the sound of metal scraping against metal. You spun to look.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ebstIU1y8

The game hall's owner had just locked the door.

You and your team stood up hurriedly, kicking your chairs in your haste. The others, the owner, the three at this table and the two at the other table all stood with a slow leisure.

Strictly speaking, they might have done this because they thought you were in on it, but this was much more likely to be related to the case directly. You were in a room with some of the kidnappers.

You all drew your spears and you demanded "Surrender, you're too weak to fight us. Should you give up, we promise to do our best to get you a fair trial."


Slowly, the man you had been tailing raised his hands. He was smiling though. You didn't have enough here to take them all into custody.

You heard a small sound like gulping from near the door and spun to see the owner, standing there with the same kind of self-satisfied smile.

"Unlock the door."

"Afraid I can't, madam. I just ate the key."

…What?

With a chuckle coming from all around the room, all the patrons including the man you'd been tailing moved to draw. Were they knights? Did they possess spears?

No, what they drew out weren't anything you could call a Gaian Spear. They were blades made with some kind of dark metal that seemed to draw in light around it.

What… on earth were these people.

"Don't worry." One of the patrons at the other table said "We don't want to damage you."

Right, you were freaked out. What was your plan?

[ ] Fight them all (Using what strategy, write in)
[ ] Try to escape (Get past them, break the door down and flee)
[ ] Step back, try to talk them down. (They only drew when you did, maybe you could get everyone to calm down?)
[ ] Other (Write in)

Originally I was going to start with a chase scene, but honestly these guys would let you catch them so I didn't feel a need.
I tried to build a creepy atmosphere throughout the chapter, what do you think of it?
And what do you think in general? I wanted these guys to give a "WTF?" kind of feeling.
I had a bit of formatting that didn't copy over properly, ah well. No real loss.
 
Sorry for the delay, these are certainly some very... interesting people. The shadow blades remind me of things that we've seen in the mural, and the way that the text size changes slightly when they're speaking suggests a slight distortion in their voice, that's probably subtle, almost unnoticeable?

Metroid Music, especially Prime 2, is always good for setting up that slightly unsettling atmosphere without going over the top, so good choice there.

What's the door made out of? Wood, stone, metal? How difficult would it be to bust it down without our orbs? Can our Orbs of Light burn through the door material? I assume that if we did use them they would burn through the material and we'd really only need to send through the spot where the doors latch.

For numbers, there are seven of them and three of us. I don't really want to know what happens if anyone gets cut by one of those weapons, and this is a chance to try and gain some information. Here's my idea:

[X] Plan: What under the Earth??
- [X] Other (Write in)
-- [X] lower weapons, but stay on guard, subtly shift so that you and the others are in a more defensible position, maybe get ready to kick the table over to provide a temporary barrier if needed.
-- [X] Talk, try to get some information out of them:
--- [X] Why are you kidnapping civilians? Where are you taking them? (Start with the obvious questions)
--- [X] Those swords... just what are they? And what are you? (Try to get to the heart of the matter, so to speak)
--- [X] Is there a way that we can all peacefully walk away from this? (The negotiation question)
--- [X] Other questions that my fellow voters are definitely going to help me come up with.
-- [X] Battle plan, when Negotiations inevitably break down:
--- [X] One of you kicks over the table.
--- [X] Activate defensive aura (+1 Defense all allies), Cast Bakudo No. 6 with 65 Reiatsu (+4 defense, five hours),
--- [X] Summon Orbs, cast Bakudo No. 10 to try and ensnare 2 enemy combatants
--- [X] Try to get over to the door and use an orb to burn through the latch so the door should open
 
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