Locking voting and will use this post for some rolls. I don't suggest trying to obsessively refresh the page or anything - I generally gradually roll while I write the update.
I say "metaphorical" because Alivaril has some really, really unpredictable dice tables. The "You Died" result could be 100 or 42 just as easily as it could be 1 with him. He also really likes making them.
Er. I tend to mark non-standard dice tables with NS; I sometimes forget, but I generally try to stick with that. The source of variance that you're thinking of is probably because rolls aren't player-centered: a 1 for the PC or an ally on a normal table is often some degree of bad, while a 1 for an enemy is often good for the PC. (EDIT 2: And then there are the rolls that precede/modify other rolls, as seen below.)
EDIT: Good grief, Blake is going to fulfill certain black cat stereotypes at this rate.
Do these stat increases show up in a tangible way to her? I mean, it says "x improves to rank y" but does she actually get a listing of these anywhere or is it more of a "I know how to do a thing now"?
Jade over in Ignition at minimum got the skill names, but I'm not actually sure if she had a quasi-RPG interface going/console log...
[] Hide your ears once more. "Permanent cat ears" still seems more problematic here than "lone female, etc."
She is apparently unique here, even if there are these takeover mage things. Best not to tempt fate until she has a do-not-touch-if-you-wish-to-live reputation.
[] Maintain your pace and put off mana practice until later. Your reserves are already more than halfway empty, and it'll let you arrive before sundown.
Probably best to save that. Plus there might be issues with others out after dark...
[] Walk around town and try to gauge the general mood of the whole area, not just the main path and market. You don't even know if they have slums yet.
It's important to get a better idea of this place. Especially any sorts of crime or rumors.
[] Focus on avoiding trouble while searching for job opportunities.
Rescuing the noble can wait until she has some idea of how to blend in and maybe some more starter funds.
Do these stat increases show up in a tangible way to her? I mean, it says "x improves to rank y" but does she actually get a listing of these anywhere or is it more of a "I know how to do a thing now"?
Jade over in Ignition at minimum got the skill names, but I'm not actually sure if she had a quasi-RPG interface going/console log...
"Tell you what," said Nero, pointedly ignoring Catello's knowing grin. "I'll give you one of our oldest Resonance Lacrima as an insect repellant, a filled waterskin, and a week of dry rations if you tell me what that black case is. I'm not demanding you reveal your magics or anything; it's just really been eating at me this entire conversation."
For future reference and the newer around here: Blake may occasionally override, alter, or interrupt votes in the middle of execution if circumstances prove sufficiently discouraging or unexpectedly impractical. Choices in implementation are not "Success or DEATH!"
Do these stat increases show up in a tangible way to her? I mean, it says "x improves to rank y" but does she actually get a listing of these anywhere or is it more of a "I know how to do a thing now"?
Jade over in Ignition at minimum got the skill names, but I'm not actually sure if she had a quasi-RPG interface going/console log...
They serve as useful QM references for some rare rolls and I'm trying to do a better job with maintaining the visible character sheet in this quest. "I know how to do a thing now" is a pretty good descriptor, though. Also something that I quote fairly often even though I can no longer find the original: "Numbers going up make my brain produce happy chemicals."
First version of the next chapter sent to betas. A large portion of it might be thrown out and redone depending on what they say.
Again, I'm fairly sure that's a canonical thing. It is at least somewhat random. Sure, it does seem to also target whatever the cursed person values most. But the activation seems rather random and spotty, even then.
Keyword there is semi. The "randomness" is a vehicle with which to heavily encourage circuitous mental patterns and drive the cursee mad, rather than the meat of the curse proper, and as such has known and easily avoidable triggers (since the whole point of the curse is to force you to engage in such avoidance and thereby go insane and start working against your own goals).
[x] Maintain your pace and put off mana practice until later. Your reserves are already more than halfway empty, and it'll let you arrive before sundown. [X] Focus on avoiding trouble while searching for job opportunities. -[x] If there are any relatively easy errands, complete them as you go along.
Blake took a deep breath and tried to start compiling the pros and cons of leaving her bow off. Obviously, going without the bow would attract more attention, but that might be a good thing at the moment. She would need to join a Guild to gain access to a better variety of higher paying missions, and Blake knew enough about job interviews to know that joining likely wasn't merely a matter of walking in the door. Developing a prior reputation could make the process significantly easier.
In contrast, drawing extra attention seemed unwise in an area with serious trafficking problems and a budding Dark Guild. She didn't even like attention. Having stares linger on her ears was bad, the thousand and one derogatory generic cat jokes were worse, and innuendo-laden sexual harassment felt simply awful. She didn't need to deal with half of that when humans thought she was one of them; hecklers weren't nearly as confident that the courts would take their side if a human huntress-trainee engaged in pointed retribution.
She didn't need to worry about underlying prejudice on the new plane. No, the issue was arguably worse. She wasn't… afraid of being abducted; that didn't feel like the right word. Fear was trying to regain control of her stunned self while a Schnee spider droid prepared to stomp on her, or being chased through the streets of Atlas by a glorified Schnee thug masquerading as a full-fledged Huntsman. Compared to that, what she felt was more akin to unease. It'd be a much scarier prospect if she couldn't simply planeswalk away from danger once she woke up again, but the fact of the matter was that she could. She would've already died beneath the train on her final mission if she hadn't spontaneously manifested that particular ability.
Blake rubbed at her face with both hands and shoved the memories away lest they continue to distract her from the choice at hand. Attempted abduction remained a possibility with or without concealing her ears; other people realizing that her traits were permanent would only add another risk factor to a preexisting pile. It might be better to think of Terzo's mocking laughter as the sort of thing she would need to deal with. It had been unpleasant, true, yet it seemed like a problem that would fade once humans started taking her more seriously.
Remnant's future proved to be the deciding factor in her choice. Blake had seldom considered becoming any sort of leader or icon, but the fact of the matter was that such a role would be necessary if she was to redirect the White Fang and Faunus onto a route more likely to provoke change. It was better for her to learn how to ignore the consequences of bare ears somewhere that they weren't a political statement. Moments of perceived weakness wouldn't be as problematic on a world without photography.
She left the bow in her pocket and moved to run down the main road to Pava.
Sure enough, it seemed as though the time estimates she'd been given truly were disproportionately pessimistic. It seemed as though the carts she was supposed to reference had been slowed by the rough dirt path leading to the main road. Honestly, the road in question was higher quality than she'd been expecting. Infrastructure had been one of the preferred targets of Grimm in ancient times; roads preceding the Great War tended to be little more than dirt grooves worn away by foot traffic. The main road leading into Pava, however, seemed to be made from flat stones atop an underlayer of crushed stone. It was wide enough for two carts to carefully pass each other and appeared to have notched drainage ditches around either side.
The more easily traversable terrain made little difference to Blake's overall speed; the decreased difficulty was cancelled out by the increase in living obstacles. The roads weren't crowded by any means, but Blake still regularly passed other travelers. It did provide a better reference for how long other people took, though. A rough estimate pegged her travel speed at about four or five times that of a normal person, or about six times that of the heavy produce-filled carts she often passed. Her clothes proved to be a bit more uncommon than she'd been hoping, though; she had yet to see anyone else wearing black, and garments were generally simple affairs of dull browns, reds, greens, and greys. The vibrant variety of Remnant was nowhere to be seen.
It was hard to tell if other travelers were also wearing Resonance Lacrima. The choice to cover themselves in cloth despite the warm weather seemed to hint toward them not. The road itself proved to be more magically interesting than the people she passed. White and Black weren't colors she expected to encounter outside a proper settlement, but the cobblestones seemed to ooze minimal quantities of both. There wasn't nearly enough for her to harness—not yet, anyway, and certainly not at speed—but it did somewhat alleviate her concerns regarding Black's origins. It also presented the possibility of harnessing mana from her surroundings rather than just herself.
Blake doubted it was a project she could pursue without both practice and improved mana control, but it was definitely something to keep in mind for the future.
(Ability Improved: Mana Sense [Rank 1 → 2])
(Ability Discovered: Tap Land [Rank 0])
Blake slowed to a walk and arrived at Pava as the sky was gradually beginning to darken and change color. The town itself provided perhaps the most familiar sight so far; the underpinnings could've been transplanted directly to Remnant without much change. Roads used stone, brick, and gravel instead of asphalt and concrete, the stench of sewage took the place of smog, and no building was taller than three stories, but all of those issues could be associated with less prosperous settlements back on Remnant. There was an almost gratifyingly familiar variety of clothing coloration and designs, although few outfits seemed as though they would involve delicacy or precision. Those with apparel that broke this rule tended to also wear mana-infused accessories, emanated more mana than the average citizen, or both.
Less normal was how the inhabitants reacted to Blake. It wasn't normal for humans on the opposite side of the road to give her a wide berth after little more than a glance. Further comparison indicated that other Wizards and upper-class individuals received much the same treatment without anyone batting an eye. Blake didn't much care for what that said about how the local justice system likely treated conflicts between the upper and lower classes.
She couldn't decide if she was angry or relieved that illiteracy seemed to be expected. Wooden signs for the primary street for smiths and craftsmen depicted a chair and an anvil, clothing and accessories were depicted by a needle and spinning wheel, and so on. The few market stalls that hadn't already closed for the night featured small placards with numbers beside each product, or carved images beside numbers for cooked-to-order food and drink. Blake had the feeling that such prices were deliberately highballed; haggling seemed to be expected.
"We both know you were about to close up shop and that the rest would go to waste. Two pieces."
"Giving it to mine own family is hardly a waste! You insult them with anything less than seven."
"I can walk one street over and get an entire loaf for that much. One small meat pastry can't be worth more than three."
Blake sneaked a quick glance and caught the stall-owner posing with one palm over where he probably thought his heart was.
"Isn't it? I raised poor Kiki from the moment she was hatched. My children and I loved her, you understand, but the Guild's new fees forced me to let her go. My poor daughter cried, Sir, and you're demanding that I undervalue the last thing she'll ever do for us?"
The stall owner seemed to notice her watching, and Blake quickly moved on. At least his prior words had highlighted yet another cultural difference. The townsfolk of Remnant hardly wanted to acknowledge where their food came from; just the thought of eating what was practically a family pet would've killed the sale and possibly the customer's appetite.
Despite what Nero had said about the commonality of lost-and-found jobs, Blake was having serious trouble finding any—which might be due to her reluctance to speak with people, she would admit, but having others instinctively shy away from her wasn't particularly encouraging. Plus, it seemed that she'd arrived just in time for most shops and families to be finishing their work for the day and going home for dinner; the streets were only getting emptier and emptier as night approached. The only job or announcement board she'd found seemed to assume that applicants could read, which was honestly a rather obnoxious contrast to the helpful imagery everywhere else. If there was anything like delivering letters, then she could probably finish it faster than anyone else willing to inexpensively do so.
Blake was guessing that the recurring hand signs before various businesses were meant to depict help wanted, but she would prefer to save those for a last resort. Unskilled labor would inevitably fail to pay for more than living expenses, and might only be paid on a weekly or monthly basis. An exception might be the service industry if and only if they believed in tips; Blake would never underestimate the ability of men to think that their money could buy them affection. All of the three inns and and four taverns she'd looked at seemed to need more help, though, and that didn't say good things about local working conditions.
At least her wandering had shown her some recurring trends. Homes trended toward White, businesses some degree of Black, taverns and seamstresses Red, mechanical craftsmen Blue, and little Green anywhere. The lone and loud three-story structure in town presented the mildly uncomfortable sensation of White and Red actively being eaten by encroaching Black. The fiery orange semicircle on the front of the building easily identified it as the headquarters of the newly-Dark Burning Briars Guild.
(Ability Improved: Mana Sense [Rank 2 → 3])
She was certain that her inspection was cursory, and she treated the guildhall like others had treated her. That apparently wasn't adequate for avoiding notice. The presence of even dwindling levels of foot traffic ensured that it took a street and direction change for her to realize several of the colored overtones bobbing nearby were outright following her. Rather than doing something as blatant as glancing behind herself, Blake stepped to the side and leaned, a nearby structure, and side-eyed whoever was stalking her.
The blond-haired man a few years her senior didn't feel like a Wizard to her rudimentary mana sense. The Burning Briars membership mark on the back of his right hand neatly underlined the unreliability of that particular warning. At least she could still detect the Resonance Lacrima around his neck, the separate Black and Blue auras somewhere near his waist, and the Blue against his back. He slowed to a stop and pretended to inspect the outdoor advertisement or description for a shop that Blake was sure had already closed, revealing that the Blue on his back was actually a full-fledged crossbow.
Wasn't Blue associated with mental and emotional effects, including forced sleep…? The impression wasn't one that she had any grounding for, but it felt right. Sound was a possibility, too, and she'd already been warned that she might be more vulnerable than normal to such magics.
Blake expected his presence to make her ongoing job hunt even harder. She wished she'd swallowed her pride and asked someone else to read off the one job board she'd spotted earlier. Perhaps he'd temporarily move on and give her a chance to lose him if she loitered long enough? If he didn't, then could she safely confront him? She felt that she could flee outside the worlds escape at will; what were the problems with that hypothesis?
First and foremost was obviously the fact that her brain skittered away from remembering the start of her first planeswalk. For whatever reason, she'd assumed that she could start another 'walk whenever she wanted, and assumed it would let her escape danger. She'd meant to aim for somewhere pleasant and peaceful when she entered the plane, and succeeded only in appearing in midair; she couldn't guarantee that she could return to this region if she left the plane. She felt unnaturally confident that there existed a solution to her aiming problem, but damned if she knew what it was supposed to be.
Blake bit down a hiss as another thought struck her. She might be wrong, but should still operate under the assumption that she could planeswalk without unique circumstances. The alternative was to never return to Remnant at all, and that was simply unacceptable. She'd fought for Faunus rights for as long as she remembered and had no intention of letting anything short of death stop her. For that matter, lichdom seemed like it might fit Black's themes, so even dying—no, that's just pointless hubris and baseless speculation.
So. Assume that she was able to planeswalk by default. What may stop her from leaving, or might make her hesitate? Exhaustion was one risk; when she was between worlds, the continuous drain on her Aura indicated that she'd court death by collapsing. By extension, being drugged into a half-conscious stupor could be just as large an issue. She was eerily certain that deciding to bring someone with her would be a death sentence for one or both of them. At least that thought held up under examination; she wouldn't be transporting just herself, but a whole extra person. An extra energy expenditure seemed reasonable.
That meant exhaustion and sedation were possibilities that could stop her outright, and allies—or other abductees, now that she thought about it—would make her reluctant to leave. Leaving her belongings behind was another problem, and might even be the most likely possibility until further notice. Attackers weren't exactly going to just leave her alone with Gambol Shroud after disabling her, and Blake's weapon wasn't something that she could readily replace. Some of the rescues she'd heard about indicated that she would be lucky to keep her clothes; even if they didn't lay a finger on her or gave her something else to wear, she knew well that it would be demeaning and terrifying for someone to seize control over her appearance. The Great War was fought over almost that same problem!
Weren't you just telling yourself that this wasn't scary?
She'd been seriously considering making a career out of fighting Grimm, the genocidal abominations wishing to kill every person on Remnant, and other people were what scared her? Not the scorpion Deathstalkers that could toss cars aside like trash, the even larger flying Nevermore, or the towering Ancients? At least she could escape from other people. Grimm would tear out her throat, the other new plane had superweapons that could unceremoniously kill her, and there was apparently an archdemon rampaging in a nearby country.
This really isn't helping me feel any better. Blake took a deep breath, rubbed at her face with both hands, and snuck a glance at the Wizard. The fucker had withdrawn a book and was reading it with every sign of interest. In the absence of her own literature to provide temporarily escape from reality, maybe she could keep pretending that everything was just fine and trick herself into believing that lie until it flipped to truth. Scary situation or not, Blake knew she could eventually become powerful enough to defend herself. She could become powerful enough to defend everybody—hello, Hubris! I'm not in the mood.
Blake shook her head and tried to temporarily suspend that train of thought line of inquiry. The fact of the matter was that she had a Wizard of unknown power and proficiency following her, and she wasn't confident in her ability to lose him in an unfamiliar town. The roads were only getting emptier as time went on; even making the attempt would burn valuable time.
It really was starting to feel as though this world was also out to get her. Could she transfer her bad luck to someone else? It felt like the sort of thing she should be able to do, but Blake hadn't the foggiest idea of how. Perhaps she should pursue that idea when she wasn't being pursued.
[] Confront your tail and demand that he stop stalking you. You doubt he'll take the hint, but it's worth a try.
[] See if your stalker follows if you walk out of town, and attack away from witnesses if he does persist.
-[] Steal his valuables if you win. Honestly, he would deserve it.
-[] If he's still in a state suitable for answering questions, then ask why he was following you.
[] Lose your tail.
-[] Avoid using Aura for physical enhancements. It'll make your task much more difficult, but at least it'll keep those abilities in reserve.
[] Write-in
If initially successful:
[] Leave town entirely. You'll take uncomfortable sleeping arrangements and tasteless dry food over potential hostility; an argument for self-defense would require you to wait until they actually attack.
-[] Inquire about the kidnapped young noblewoman before you leave. If you're going to skip town, you might as well do something productive with that time.
-[] Return the following day to resume your search, but with more actual talking to people. It should be safer once the streets are crowded again.
-[] Make a beeline for the Guild enthusiast group that you were referred to. Remaining unaffiliated really is proving problematic.
[] Stay in town. Leaving so soon would mean sleeping on the ground, and thus an even more unfavorable personal status for any future conflicts.
-[] Pursue a temporary job at some of the busier inns. It likely won't be pleasant, but it would at least get you room and board for the night.
[] Write-in
Voting will be locked for 2 hours after this first goes up.
Well, that's worrying. Anyone have thoughts on whether that guy's the kind of kidnapping folks we're to be worried about, or something more concerning?
Edit: Wait, why would roads be part black? Only know the basics of the mana system, could someone explain that real quick?
Well, that's worrying. Anyone have thoughts on whether that guy's the kind of kidnapping folks we're to be worried about, or something more concerning?
Edit: Wait, why would roads be part black? Only know the basics of the mana system, could someone explain that real quick?
Its possible that they're decaying, or the process of creating them (clearing away life) is core to their nature. You could generally expect an act to "clear a forest" to be either red or black (and there wouldn't be a road left if it was red)
Its possible that they're decaying, or the process of creating them (clearing away life) is core to their nature. You could generally expect an act to "clear a forest" to be either red or black (and there wouldn't be a road left if it was red)
Shame we can't just punch him out, disarm him, then drop him off at the guards and see if he is up to no good or just keeping an eye on a new face without going through the roundabout of leaving town.
Taking him out publically would make her well known, relatively speaking, which has upsides and downsides. it'd make her an enemy of a whole Dark Guild, but it'd also make it more likely a not-Dark Guild would seek her out for recruitment, solving the employment issue. It also would run against her nature as a sneaky ninja, though.
Shame we can't just punch him out, disarm him, then drop him off at the guards and see if he is up to no good or just keeping an eye on a new face without going through the roundabout of leaving town.
I would normally say that a write-in along those lines is part of why write-ins exist, but uh, that's still assault followed by basically turning herself in. Finding guards to ask about the guy would arguably be something to do instead of attacking him, or an action to perform after he attacked first.
...If she'd seen any guards, that is. She's not sure she has; if they're around, then finding them could take a while.
Blake doesn't currently believe that she has anywhere near enough practice interpreting her mana senses; she wouldn't have much of an advantage over the numerous people who already failed. She's shelved that for a possible future project.
Right. Blake's ears attracted a lot of attention, made it more difficult to gather information because of how wary normal people are of her, and immediately marked her as a rival wizard to the local dark guild. Said dark guild is now using mob intimidation tactics to encourage her to leave, and to be frank it's working. Potential abduction and mind-affecting magics are pretty good incentives to skip town.
Do you guys see why leaving the cat-ears uncovered in public is a bad idea, now?
For future reference, please refrain from "I told you so"ing; it tends to make people crabby and defensive, and frequently derails the thread. A minor phrasing change lets you say that you think it's causing problems without attacking anyone.
Yeah, not really feeling the confrontation options, even before factoring in Blake's personality and skills as a sneaky ninja type. With evening coming on, she's probably best served by finding a place to stay, and if that means getting a temp job waiting tables at a busy inn, well, that just means she's inconveniently in the public eye for a possible kidnapper to try any shenanigans. I'd say to proceed on that basis, I guess. Leading him out of town for a bushwhack seems jarringly out of character, but I'm mostly familiar with RWBY from other fanfic, so that may be a product of fandom whitewashing or later-timeline character development.
Would "confront him in a busy place surrounded by witnesses so he's hopefully less willing to straight up assault us" be the default here, or would we need to write that in?
Losing a tail should be particularly practical for Blake if she can break line of sight. Even if it's just turn into an alley and hop onto the roof while a clone acts relieved or out of breath. That gives her an idea of the tails intentions and a relatively easy out if they are hostile.
