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It is said everywhere, from trade-chatter in the Unfree Cities in the east to the Hoppalon Archipelagos in the west, that all rivers in the world share the same source. This is demonstrably untrue but nevertheless, if you know the right way, you can follow any river deeper and deeper inland up towards a single point. And rising there higher than any mountain, atop an aquatic plateau whose edges are perpetual waterfalls, is the city. It stands between the bickering central nations but obeys, respects and recognises none of them.
It has a name, Aquitae Cogituum, but this name barely matters as its citizens simply call it the City. For only rarely would they ever see another. And why would they? It is the grandest city in all the world. It sits close to the heart of all things, above the Font and is both above and separate from all the Lesser Realms. To the city, the matters of the world outside...don’t.

Down below, prophets dream of walking its streets and wars are fought and kings slain for their meagrest treasure. For here it is said that all magic is born. This is something only said by those of the Lesser Realms of course, as it is a statement that would only invite scorn above. Magic is a foreign word. The people of the city above have no word for magic in the same sense that fish would have no word for water. Of course you could say that a fish doesn’t have a word for anything but in the city it just might.

It is the City of Dreams, the City of Reflections and the City of Revelation. It is also, rather more relevantly, the City of Duels.
>>
>>3295084
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OuroQM
Ask: https://ask.fm/OuroQM

Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Court%20of%20Swords%20Quest
>>
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>>3295084
The sun dawns on a new day, sunlight creeping through the streets of the City and stealing the cold away. You’re already awake of course, that’s nothing new to you. But you typically wake up before dawn so that you can have your morning jog, something that you try to keep to most days of the week. You’ve been slacking on it a little lately but only because of...certain circumstances.
But this ain’t jogging! It’s nothing nowhere as fun as that!

The sunlight spreading over the ‘abandoned’ street in the middle of Apokalypsis finds you not sleeping or training but sweeping. Your name is Sofia Pseudonym and you are a duellist by trade. A public defender in specifics and a fighter for those who can’t defend themselves. You are, or at least you try to be, a champion of justice. But that’s not everything you are. Like it or not, you’re also a tyrant, your cursed birthright shackling the hearts of everyone you know. Of everyone you don’t know either.
But whether you’re a champion or a tyrant, neither of them are supposed to be doing this right now!

Your hair tied up in a hasty ponytail, still dressed in what you fell asleep in, the champion of justice and unwitting tyrant slowly sweeps out the street. You had protested this part, of course. What was the point of sweeping the street itself? It’s not like you own it!
But Adriana had just nodded and said something about public duty to the community. And that if you didn’t do it, nobody will. After all it was something Adriana normally did but instead the relevant body was still lying in bed.
You could have fought her over it. And it’s not like you were afraid of her using that card, the Drunkard Fortunato, on you or anything. You...actually sort of enjoy it. You chose not to fight her over it because you know it’s the right thing to do. This is something you need to do. It is, in a way, a sort of training on its own. Training not for duels but for life.

There. That’s a good enough job, considering that it’s fucking pavement. Maybe it’s not perfect but it’s just going to get dusty tomorrow as well. You know that this is about the level Adriana is expecting from you too, so she’ll be fine with it. You lean the broom against the wall and relax for a moment, letting the dawn wash over you.

Are you done?


>This is fine. Not perfect but fine. You’ll still have time for early morning training.

>Actually, you can be a bit sloppier than this. Adriana will probably accept it. And that’ll leave you more time for what you actually WANT to do, which is train.

>This isn’t good enough. There’s grime here that no broom can touch. But you can scrub these cobblestones clean. Not even Adriana does that!

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3295087

>Actually, you can be a bit sloppier than this. Adriana will probably accept it. And that’ll leave you more time for what you actually WANT to do, which is train.

We can't slack off our training. I'd hate to be a crappy duelist because we haven't been keeping up our conditioning.
>>
>>3295087
>This is fine. Not perfect but fine. You’ll still have time for early morning training.
>>
>>3295087
>This isn’t good enough. There’s grime here that no broom can touch. But you can scrub these cobblestones clean. Not even Adriana does that!
Hey guys, remember that time in the last thread where I pointed out that we'll never be a better person in the long run because rather than pick the choices leading to that, we'd do literally anything else because it was more interesting?

I'm glad we're off to a strong start on that with these two choices to do minimum or less effort, ditch our responsibility and get back to training for super fun duels.
>>
>>3295087
>>This isn’t good enough. There’s grime here that no broom can touch. But you can scrub these cobblestones clean. Not even Adriana does that!
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3295094
>I'd hate to be a crappy duelist because we haven't been keeping up our conditioning.
Our strengths in dueling is mostly based on predicting our opponents, aka what information we have on our opponents. Better to build up some good girl points now so we can spend more time learning about our opponents later.

Other then that, nice to see another thread, too bad I'll have to go to bed right now, don't screw the pooch too badly while I'm gone y'all.
>>
>>3295211
No, I'm crashing and burning this thread while you sleep.
>>
>>3295215
I knew I shouldn't have trusted Ouro's players, Ouro's players were right about you!
>>
Apologies for the delay. Some people wanted to talk.

>This isn’t good enough. There’s grime here that no broom can touch. But you can scrub these cobblestones clean. Not even Adriana does that!

What are you thinking? This street isn’t clean yet! Sweeping only gets rid of what’s built up recently and there’s built-up grime and caked dust here that ignores the broom’s touch. Even Adriana hasn’t bothered to give the street a good and thorough scrubbing and really, why would she? Nobody needs to do that. Nobody’s expecting that of you. It’s going to take hours.
But you want to do it. Not for any concrete goal like training would have. You want to do it because you know you aren expected to do it. You want to make Adriana happy.

So with that in mind you go back into the house and draw up a bucket of water from the well that goes through the floor and into the infinite water that the City is built upon. A little soap and a hard-bristled scrubbing brush later, you’re ready!

You weren’t ready.

You’d be the first to admit that you’re very fit. You exercise every day to fight in duels and you’ve toned your body for fits of incredible and explosive power and speed. But scrubbing a pavement? That uses muscles in ways you’ve never even tried. It’s not just some menial task. It’s an endurance contest, one staged between frail flesh and unyielding stone.

Hours pass, the sunlight grows stronger and you don’t give up. You don’t give up even when your hands start to blister. You don’t give up when it feels like you’ve worn right through your knees to the point that the pavement is digging into the bone itself. Even as the rising heat works you into a lather of sweat, you keep on going.

And you are rewarded, eventually, by feeling the gentle pressure of a boot upon your kneeling back. You don’t turn around.
“Good morning, Adriana.”

“Good morning.”
She pats you on the head. You don’t even have Sabino’s stolen wish activated right now but Adriana has forced you into that state enough times now that patting and tousling your hair has seemed to have become a habit of hers.
For the past few days, by your own demand, Adriana has been your master. She’s given you an induction into the domestic life and, after you ordered her not to hold back, has been using your own trophy to discipline someone who is effectively un-disciplinable. It’s all for your own good. You asked this of her.

Your load lightens as she withdraws her foot.
“I’ve just spent a most relaxing hour. It feels good to only have to worry about taking care of the baby, doing the shopping, cleaning three of the houses and getting everything ready. Thank you, Sofia.”

Even with you doing the work of one her bodies, she still does eight times what you do. But you guess it counts as relaxing for her.
“No worries.”

1/2
>>
>>3295248

She kneels down beside you and you look her in the eye. It’s a dizzying feeling to match eyes with her, knowing what you know. But you fought hard for the right to do so and to stay with her so you’ll do it every moment you can.
“Do you need any help with this? I can spare a few bodies.”


>”Yes, thanks.”

>”Thanks but no thanks. You don’t need to bother yourself with this work. Leave it to me.”

>”Actually, can you finish all of it. I’ve delayed on my training for over an hour already.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3295251
>”Thanks but no thanks. You don’t need to bother yourself with this work. Leave it to me.”
>>
>>3295251
>”Yes, thanks.”
>Other (Specify)
How about just one body? It doesn't need to get finished today, and it's a good excuse to spend time working together.
>>
>>3295251
>>”Yes, thanks.”
>But I doubt this'd get done in any decent timeframe, this requires more labor than any of us can give including you.
>>
>>3295251
>>”Yes, thanks.”

After this we'll have a light lunch and train.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”Yes, thanks.”

You’ve already swallowed your pride. So what’s the harm in accepting help, willingly given? You shrug off the pain and discomfort and give her your biggest smile.
“Yes, thank you! But you only have to spare one body. We can do more of this tomorrow.”

“But you’re doing such a good job already!”

Hah. She probably doesn’t mean that. You’ve been down on your aching knees working on this patch for ag-
Adriana’s hand brushes up against your chin, propping your head up to look at her.

“I meant what I meant. Now, let me show you how it’s done.”

That’s another effect of having that damn card around, you suppose. She’s becoming a lot more assertive or at least, assertive in the ways that someone like you can be asserted upon. She drops to her knees beside you and pries the scrubbing brush out of your hand for her own use.
“Go get another one.”

“Y-yeah, sure.”

It’s annoying but for some reason, you can’t help but feel happy about it.

****

You spend another hour scrubbing with Adriana before another one of her bodies comes with a tray of cold water and tea. Water for the heat, tea for the taste. Sitting on the edge of the sidewalk with your feet in the gutter beside her, you drink both. You’re tired and aching but just like training, there’s a virtuous feeling that lies on the other side beneath it all. You can see the mark you’ve made upon the street today. You’ve done a good job.

‘I agree,” Adriana says simply, still sipping from her cup. It’s good tea too, something you haven’t had a lot lately. Over these past few days, Adriana has insisted that you brew the tea for you and her yourself and you aren’t good at it all. You suspect she’s been making her own when you’re not around.

“I think I’ve missed out on my training today,” you say. “At the very least, I won’t be able to do my jog. It’s nearly noon.”

“Really?,” Adriana asks. “I think you can still do it, jog and all. In fact, I think you definitely should. It’s for your own good.”

“I-”

“Go do your training, please. And make sure you don’t miss out on any of it.”

“Go out jogging, dressed like this, when everyone’s up and about?”

“What are they going to say? You’ll enjoy it.”

“Hey. Just because we’ve got this deal going on now doesn’t mean you get to dictate what I do and don’t enjoy.”

“No comment.”

Somehow you wind up going for a jog anyway. It’s not too bad. You know it’s for your own good. And after that, before you can bathe or rest or anything else, you commit to finishing your training in what is almost the noonday heat with Adriana watching on approvingly with a bucket of water on hand the entire time.

1/2
>>
>>3295397

****

You collapse onto a chair, fresh out of the bath and just changed. Your hair’s still wet and as you try to towel it dry, Adriana plucks the towel from your hands and starts doing it for you. You can’t see any of her other bodies around right now, probably because she knows that speaking with multiple mouths discomforts you.
“How are you feeling?”

“Better. Thanks for being so harsh with me.”

“Oh good. That reminds me actually.”
She drops a book into your lap. Looking down you see the word THREM.
“I got this from your house. Along with a lot of your other books.”

“You went back there?”

“Well,” she says, twirling a strand of hair, “you said you weren’t leaving. And I think it’s not fair on you to not have everything you need here. So I was thinking about moving some of your stuff to my house. Seems fair?”

“Yeah.”

“But,” she says, taking a slightly stern tone. Probably the sternest tone possible for anyone to take with you. “Your set of rooms is certainly interesting.”

Oof. Yeah, she must have seen it. Your home is an absolute mess.

“So here’s what you’re going to be doing for today, sweetie.”
She passes you back the scrubbing brush and the bucket.
“Can you clean that place up? I’m sure you’d do it easily.”


>Agree. These are life skills you need to learn and without her pushing you, you’d never choose to do it.

>Disagree. You still have things you want to do today!
>>
>>3295401
>Agree. These are life skills you need to learn and without her pushing you, you’d never choose to do it.

Bleh, but she's right. Sofia won't get out her manchild years otherwise.
>>
>Agree. These are life skills you need to learn and without her pushing you, you’d never choose to do it.
I have my doubts we're cleaning the pigpen of a sty which is Sofia's apartment "easily".
>>
>>3295401
See: >>3295416
Forgot to link.
>>
>>3295401
>>Disagree. You still have things you want to do today!
Are we seriously letting Adrianna dictate our entire day to us. We didn't do that much training today. Just jogging. I mean, she's used to cleaning all the time, but we are a duelist.

Also, I want to see the punishment she'll inevitable use on us
>>
>>3295401
>>Disagree.
>Tired, hurting and frankly I've exhausted myself. If I keep it up my body is going to go too far the other way and I'll get muscle cramps. That can and will cost my a duel.
>While I appreciate the fervor, this is going too far the other way.
>>
>>3295401
>>Agree. These are life skills you need to learn and without her pushing you, you’d never choose to do it.

>>3295428
She got the rest of her routine done.

>And after that, before you can bathe or rest or anything else, you commit to finishing your training in what is almost the noonday heat
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
Day 54

My trash has somehow managed to create L-dimensional space. I've cleaned over a kilometer of roomspace and still it does not end.
>>
>Agree. These are life skills you need to learn and without her pushing you, you’d never choose to do it.

For a moment you want to snap at her, to tell her that she doesn’t own your life. But what good would that do. This is something you need to learn and you doubt you’ll choose to do it on your own accord. And besides, you’ve snapped at her before. All she has to do is use the card she confiscated off of you.
And you’re fine with that. Like you said, this is something you want to do. You just need to be shown that you want it.
“Will I have your help?”

“Of course. I’ll spare a body.”

“Then we won’t have any trouble!”

****

You face significant trouble. You and Adriana spend the rest of the day clearing through your old quarters, a seemingly insurmountable task. At first you’re embarrassed because of it and that doesn’t really stop. You just learn to live with it. Just like you learned to live with this squalor. What was wrong with you?

And you’ve got Adriana by your side, helping you. The two of you work together and wind up hideous sweaty messes together too. You take off your coat and as you watch surreptitiously, Adriana unbuttons the top of her dress just enough to let the air in and make things interesting.

“I know you’re staring.”

“Of course you do, you can see yourself through my eyes. Is that a problem?”

“No.”

****

By the time night falls, your old room might as well be a different world. Much of your clothes, books and games have vanished, taken away by other bodies to your new house with Adriana. What’s left has been packed up and you’ve begun scrubbing the floor to remove the old bird-shit.
“I like the bird,” you say a little defensively. “One of them turned out to be a hot guy.”

“Hrmph.”
Adriana picks up one of the books still stacked out under your bed.
“Imma d’Ambrosio,” she reads. “What are all these?”

Oh no! That’s your private stash. Surely Adriana has seen your predilection for romance novels now but the Imma series, well, that’s an old guilty pleasure. Something you liked a lot more back when you were younger.
“Just a book,” you say. “You know the author, actually. Remember Romina? It was from when we first met.”

“Oh. So these books are quite important to you then?”
She startings leafing through one.
“If nothing else Sofia, cleaning out all these books has given me a good look into your...tastes.”


>Take the book off of her and talk about literally anything else.

>”Oh, it is what it is. They aren’t anything special to me now though.”

>”Are you really reading a book in my bed while I’m scrubbing the floor?”

>Tell her about your history with them.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3295607
>Tell her about your history with them.
>>
>>3295607
>Imma felt relatable when I was younger, given her circumstances were similar to mine.
>As for the other books, some people try to distance themselves from something they think they will never experience other read it for vicarious pleasure.
>”Are you really reading a book in my bed while I’m scrubbing the floor?”
>>
>>3295607
>>”Are you really reading a book in my bed while I’m scrubbing the floor?”
>>Tell her about your history with them.

Sofia pretty much made do with puzzles all the times. Or games.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3295607
>Tell her about your history with them.
>keep cleaning
>>
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>”Are you really reading a book in my bed while I’m scrubbing the floor?”
>Talk about books.

You crawl over, still scrubbing the floor.
“Are you seriously sitting on my bed and reading a book while I’m scrubbing the floor?”

“Oh? It’s not my room, you know. And you’re good enough to clean on your own for a while.”

“I just thin-”
You stop talking as Adriana swivels along your bed and, without asking, uses your back as a footstool.
“Hey!”

Adriana just sighs.
“I know you like it.”

“I like a lot of things. That doesn’t mean I like it all one way all the time.”
That said, you keep scrubbing.

“So what about these books?,” Adriana eventually says.

“Why don’t you just tell me, since you know what I like so much?”

“Because it always sounds better in your voice, Sofia.”

“Sweet-talking gets you nowhere,” you say, mollified all the same. “I really liked that series when I was younger. It’s about a cursed noblewoman right, left with an awful birthright by her judicial godmother.”

“You identified them.”

“...At a time when I really needed to,” you say. “Life wasn’t great back then. Looking back on it now, the books are pretty...juvenile? But I really got into them at the time. I even wrote my own!”
That last part slips out without really intending to.

“Oh? Do tell.”

“You are not to laugh.”

“I won’t.”

You give up and let her know about the secret chapter you wrote when you were younger, the one you promptly buried. It was all about Imma’s faithful and ever-loyal maid Tamara, who in your mind at least, seemed to love her mistress much more than the endless parade of once-per-book hunks. You’d been annoyed that the author hadn’t even seemed to think of this as a possibility...so you’d written it yourself.

“I think that’s very sweet of you,” she says. “You must have been a great writer.”

You really weren’t. But it makes you feel good all the same.
“The pages are probably still buried somewhere. I was going through some realisations about myself at the time.”

“Uhuh. Though Sofia...a question does invite itself into my mind now. Imma is a lot like you, correct?”

“Sort of. Enough that it made me love her. Though now in hindsight she seems like a bit of a brat. Her life wasn’t that bad.”

“Everyone has their own troubles. But yes, with this character who you thought of as yourself, you desired her to get together with her maid?”

“Oi,” you say, looking up at her. As much of her you can see from down here anyway. “Don’t go projecting stuff I wrote into my real life. You and I are different.”

“Of course, of course. It’s just a little detail that I thought was...cute.”

You keep on scrubbing.

1/2
>>
>>3295856

****

Eventually, you are forced to abandon the job for the night. Adriana takes you back home, your new home. With her. While you’ve been gone, she’s been busy with her other bodies getting all your various stuff in and set up. Now it actually feels like you live here!

You didn’t want any tea afterwards but Adriana did so here you are, brewing up a pot as best as you can. It’s a little better than it was yesterday.

“Say,” Adriana says from the table. “When was your tournament again?”


>”Tomorrow.” It’s going to be a big day.

>”Not for a few days.” You’ll have plenty of time for stuff in between.

>”Next week.” You’ve got plenty of time.
>>
>>3295860
>”Not for a few days.” You’ll have plenty of time for stuff in between.
>>
>>3295860

>”Not for a few days.” You’ll have plenty of time for stuff in between.
>>
>>3295860
>”Tomorrow.” It’s going to be a big day.
Can't have meltdowns if there's no time for them.
>>
>>3295860
>>”Not for a few days.” You’ll have plenty of time for stuff in between.


Not a fan of the 180 Adrianna took. A little help is fine but her dictating to us and abusing the Sabino card so much it permanently rubbing off on both of us is not cool.
>>
>>3295860
>”Next week.” You’ve got plenty of time.
>>
>>3295916
Sofia (and by extension you) can stop this whenever she/you wants. Adriana was asked to take a stricter hand with you.
As for 180, I dunno, maybe it is and I'm not doing it right. But in my mind at least, Adriana has always had somewhat of a controlling side.
>>
>>3295930
Given how anons seem to be desperate for romance, Adrianna could have Sofia lick her feet and anons would do it happily.

Damn near happened in Snake Catcher.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”Not for a few days.” You’ll have plenty of time for stuff in between.

“Not for a few days,” you say, setting the teapot down on the table and passing her a cup. You got a cup for yourself as well, though you don’t intend to drink much. “We’ve got plenty of time. Fuck, I might even get a job before now and then. That’d be unlucky though.”

“More than enough time to scrub the whole street then,” Adriana says, giving you a brief smile.

“Yeesh. I guess.”

“Are you alright, Sofia?”

“I don’t need to answer that, you can tell. I’m just tired.”

“It’s just that scrubbing the street was your idea. You volunteered.”

“It’s fine,” you grouse. “Like I said, I’m just tired. Been doing hard work all day.”

Adriana reaches across the table and pats you on the shoulder.
“Is this all bit too much too fast? You asked me to be strict with you and to put my foot down but it’s all by your choice. You don’t have to do anything I say, card or no card. If you don’t like this we can stop any time you want.”


>”No it’s fine. It’s a new experience.” For a few more days anyway.

>”I’m fine doing chores. But if I want you to step on me, I’ll say so. Don’t go doing that without me telling you. And you can get your own tea.”

>”And I’m stopping it now. I’ve learned what I need to do, you can take over all the heavy lifting from you. You’re alright with that, right?”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3296037
>”I’m fine doing chores. But if I want you to step on me, I’ll say so. Don’t go doing that without me telling you. And you can get your own tea.”
>>
>>3296037
>>”I’m fine doing chores. But if I want you to step on me, I’ll say so. Don’t go doing that without me telling you.
>endurance is good, but maybe I should look into actually winning the duels.
>>
>>3296037
>”I’m fine doing chores. But if I want you to step on me, I’ll say so. Don’t go doing that without me telling you. Also the tea isn’t going to be drinkable at this rate so you might want to get your own.
>and that noon time workout was a mistake I really should not repeat. Bad for me.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3296109
>Also the tea isn’t going to be drinkable at this rate

>>3295860
>It’s a little better than it was yesterday.

Progress
>>
>”I’m fine doing chores. But if I want you to step on me, I’ll say so. Don’t go doing that without me telling you. And you can get your own tea.”


You shrug.
“I’m fine doing chores. But if I want you step on me, I’ll say so. Don’t go doing that without me telling you. And that training regime today? Not great. You don’t do that at noon, even if it is fun that you told me to do so. And also you can get your own tea, I’m no good at at.”

Adriana puts the cup down. Had she just been drinking it to be polite?
“I’ve been getting it for myself anyway. I only asked you to make it so you’d get an appreciation for what it’s like.”
The translation for that is probably ‘And now you can actually get it for yourself rather than calling for me every time’.

“Hah. I’m sure that’s the only reason.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You’ve quite obviously been enjoying yourself.”

“Is that bad?”
She reaches into her dress and pulls out the card, Fortunato.

“I-I-”

“It’s fine. Here, you’ve earned this.”
She tosses you the card.

You catch the card out of the air and just stare at it for a moment.
“Eh?”

“It was the only thing I had to motivate you. But I think you’re ready now. I trust you to keep up what we’ve been doing without needing pressure. So you can have it back.”

You flick the card between your fingers and smile.
“And what if I choose now to disobey?”

Adriana just shrugs.
“It’s all been your idea. Do what you want with it. But remember that I know what you want. And I’m still willing to hold you to what you want for yourself.”

You grab hold of her hand across the table and give it a gentle squeeze.
“That’s all I want.”

“Now then, shall we get some sleep?”

“Do you mean sleep or ‘sleep’?”

She just smiles.


>Sleep.

>’Sleep’.

>”Actually I’ve got somewhere I want to be tonight. I’ll see you later.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3296190
>’Sleep’.
>>
>>3296190
>’Sleep’.
What did they mean by this? You know, considering Adriana's condition.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>’Sleep’.

Of course you can’t do that together, you think, as Adriana leads you up the stairs. That would be suicide. And you don’t do anything that takes too long, lest her self-control begin to slip. But you can be together for a few minutes. And while anything you do to Adriana will lessen that timer dramatically, the same is not quite true in reverse.

“So how’s Lazario?,” you ask, as Adriana unbuttons your tunic.

“Fine. I just got him to finally sleep a few minutes ago.

“You know, maybe I should help you out with that instead of scrubbing the street. I’m barely a part of his life.”

“If you wish.”

*****

You wake in the early morning, surrounded by Adriana. She’s sleeping on your left and right and like always, you are trapped in their warmth like a boat in the ocean. As you sit up both bodies reach out sleepily and grab hold of you.
“So…”

“...soon?”

“Are you alright? You’re not about to overload, are you?”

Both of her bodies open their eyes at the exact same time. She’s not as asleep as she was acting, which makes sense. When one of her bodies wake they all do.
“Not for…”

“...a while.”

“Mmm. But you know this doesn’t end well. And I have stuff to do.”
Don’t you? But what could it hurt to tarry a little while longer.


>You’ve got scrubbing to do! Adriana entrusted this task with you.

>You want to visit someone.

>You want to use the Phlegmatic Flask. The time is fast approaching after all.

>”Come on, you know I have a lot of work. You don’t need me to entertain yourself.”

>You can sleep in for a bit longer.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3296302
>>You’ve got scrubbing to do! Adriana entrusted this task with you.
>>
>>3296302
>You’ve got scrubbing to do! Adriana entrusted this task with you.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>You’ve got scrubbing to do! Adriana entrusted this task with you.

Hold on! What if this is a test? It’s not like Adriana to try and sleep in after all. She’s happiest when she’s doing something. Didn’t you promise her last night that you can regulate yourself now? That you could do it without being asked or ordered?
That’s right! You’re not going to make yourself a liar so easily.

And so the sun rises on you once again, out in the street, on your knees and scrubbing. Sofia Pseudonym, champion of justice, curse-borne tyrant and aspiring domestic master. You’ve got nothing to prove but yourself. In fact, it occurs to you, that just about anyone can say pretty words and do fun things. Getting up before dawn to spend hours scrubbing the pavement of a street isn’t particularly heroic or glamorous but it’s stronger than a lot of things that fit the bill for either of the former.

You eventually become aware of Adriana watching you from the doorway. From three doorways in fact.

“Do you…”

“...want any…”

“...help?”

“Pfft,” you say. “Don’t fuss yourself on my account. I’ll stop when it gets too hot.”

The other two bodies walk back inside, leaving just the one standing in front of you.
“Then come over here and do this part,” she says. It’s not a request. “It’ll be in the shade for a good few hours yet.”

You comply.
“I would have thought of that in a few more moments anyway,” you say. You’d meant to say that you wouldn’t have thought of that but you know how your birthright is.

“I know,” Adriana says and leaves it cryptic whether she is replying to said or unsaid words. “Do you want some tea later?”

“I’ll make my own!”

*****

An hour or so later, you reach into the bucket of water and find something floating in there. When you pull it out, it’s as if it was never wet at all. A scroll.
“Oh come on!”

“I’ve got a bath drawn up,” Adriana says, the first thing she says when you stomp back into the house. “Go have one.”

“Right,” you say, doing as she tells you. “That’s something I can do myself though.”

“You’re going to clean out the tub once you get back from your duel.”

“Oh. That’s fair then.”

****

Adriana has your duelling outfit ready for you when you emerge from the bath and you take it from her gratefully.
“Now, no peeking.”

“If you say so.”

“And no using my own eyes to look at me either!”

“I can’t actually do that Sofia.”

“I just wish it had been a better time,” you say, shrugging your coat on. “How do my legs look like in these shorts by the way?”

“Fantastic and you know it. You also knew that answer. And what time would have been better?”

1/2
>>
>>3296391

“I dunno. Never? At least the tourney’s not for a few days. I’ll have time for this and still be ready for it. But still...just being called up like this is always such a hassle. I can’t plan for anything!.”

“But you’d never give the job up.”

You look at her as if she was crazy.
“Of course not! For starters, if it wasn’t for this job I never wouldda met you. But more importantly, there’s nothing better I can do with my time than this. I might complain but I know it is.”

You inspect the scroll again, looking for the time. You’ve still got time, no doubt due to getting ready much quicker than usual.


>Go right away. There’s never any harm in being early.

>Wait for proper appointment. You want to spend more time with Adriana.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3296394
>Go right away. There’s never any harm in being early.
>>
>>3296394
>Go right away. There’s never any harm in being early.
>>
>Go right away. There’s never any harm in being early.

Lifestyle BDSM Femdom is cool and all, but I'm pretty ready to do some swording by this point.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3296394
>Go right away. There’s never any harm in being early.
>>
>>3295943
Some of us enjoy that, you know
>>
I return from my slumber.
>>
>Anons upholding the tradition of arriving early
Good work, lads. I'm proud of you all.
>>
>Go right away. There’s never any harm in being early.

You’re lucky in that the location is quite close, within Apokalypsis itself. You’re unlucky in that the location is quite close, within Apokalypsis itself. Fortunate that you won’t have to walk far. Unfortunate that your client and the issue they’re entangled in are all going to be the kind of people who live in this madcap district.
Wait, doesn’t that include you now? You technically live in this district too now. You’re practically a fascina!

You keep to the sides of the canals as you walk, evading past the usual bothers, commotions and harassments of Apokalypsis street life. There’s always something going on. The crossroads up ahead is abuzz with activity, blocked off by a pile of seething urchins constantly falling apart and remelding into larger, more menacing forms. Knowing this district, someone probably let them loose to find enlightenment in their cannibalistic apotheosis.

“Hey,” you say, tapping an onlooker on the shoulder. He turns to reveal an angular chunk of red quartz sticking instead of an eye. “What’s going on here?”

“We are distilling them,” he says. “One of them will emerge supreme in the end, with all the others a part of its vortic consciousness. Within it will twist a single grain of Truth.”

“Neat. Nice to see that I was completely right. Have fun.”
You’ve never fought on an urchin’s behalf before and might never, considering that you have no idea if they could ever possibly count as a citizen or even a person. But if they do, you’ll probably wind up representing one anyway.
And with that in mind, you approach your destination with your fingers crossed for only an acceptable amount of weirdness.

Your client’s home doesn’t look as if it will live up to this modest expectation however. It’s a twisted tower at least three stories too and yet thin enough that none of the stories can hold much room at all. It actually reminds you of Vespa’s place a little! But something about the twisting makes you feel vaguely ill. Is that...is that hostile architecture?
That has to be illegal, right?

It’s also none of your business.

You knock on the door and as it opens, you say “Buongiorno! I’m looking for a Signorina Fulvia Rocchi-”

“You came!”
You are nearly bowled off your feet as a young woman, or young-ish anyway, tries to bodily tackle you in what could only be called a ‘hug’ in the way that a violent murder that could be called a ruckus.

“Excuse me,” you say slowly, aware that it would he bad form to physically harm your client. “Could you please let go? Thank you. Are you Signorina Fulvia Rocchi?”

1/2
>>
>>3296635

“Currently. Come in, come in. Mi casa etc etc.”
She is a sprightly woman, barely more than five feet tall, her dull brown hair tied in a messy braid that goes down to her waist. She’s wearing a bright red and baggy man’s tunic belted across her waist and beneath that, a long plaid dress. She gives the impression that she is faintly vibrating at all times.

“My name is Sofia Pseudonym and I’m your public defender.”
Despite offering to come in, she hasn’t budged from the doorway.
“Can you uh, get out of the way?”

“Oh dear. I do forget myself sometimes, I really do! Come in, come in. Mi casa etc etc.”
She bounces inside.
You follow her and find yourself standing in what looks to be the bottom landing in a spiral staircase so wide that it takes up the entirety of the tower’s space. This single stair-room is the whole of it. Much of it has been messily converted into living space, furniture giving the impression of having grown around the stairs like a fungus.
“Oh and…,” she says. “Watch yourself when you look up. It gives some people vertigo.”

You look up.

Nearly half a minute later, you tear your gaze back down to stare at Fulvia.
“Well,” you say, “It’s not the worst it could be. Bigger on the inside, eh?”

“But only vertically.”

“I’ve seen it before, just not to this...extent. How far does it go?”

“They say it’s a thousand stories high. I’ve never been all the way up but I’ve been told such by some of the higher tenants or the explorers. Not that I don’t explore that is but what I’m looking for is mostly in the first few hundred I think.”

“Huh.”
It had been dizzying. The stairwell goes up seemingly forever. Up high in the distance you can see what looks like clotheslines stretched across it.

“It’s a Valentini,” she says, as if that explains everything. “You know, Saturnino d’Valentini? Fantastic architect, even if his ideals were too radical for his time. When I heard that the bottom two floors of the Thousandfold Stair were available for rent, I simply had to come live here!”


>”I’ve never heard of him. What did he do?”

>”So what’s all this about? Why do you need a public defender?”

>”Can we have this talk literally anywhere else?”

>"You aren't planning on shrinking me and trapping me in a bottle or anything, are you? Anything weird like that I should know of ahead of time?"

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3296643
>”I’ve never heard of him. What did he do?”
Can't resist that sweet, sweet worldbuilding. It's not like we're running out of time to gather info anyways.
>>
>>3296643
>”So what’s all this about? Why do you need a public defender?”
Is he the bloody stupid johnson of Ouroworld?
>>
>>3296643
>”I’ve never heard of him. What did he do?”
>>
Vote called, writing
>>
We Should negotiate with Adriana foto exchanging housechores foto training or extra duels to win the tournament. I mean, we would be subjecting us to a training from hell directed by our former master and getting into extra duels to get good techniques (like Gloriana's Gain some distance, which has treat synergy with Still Waters) and It would be all for the good of the city, since we are going to give the prize to the lawyer.

If we dont win the tournament, dozens of lives could be ruined by the Handprints, so surely this is a good deal.
>>
>”I’ve never heard of him. What did he do?”

“Can’t say I’ve ever heard of him. What did he do?”

“What?”
Fulvia drags the word longer than is strictly necessary.
“You’ve never heard of the Saturnino d’Valentini? Th-”

“No I haven’t. Who was he?”

“He’s an architect! Or was, anyway. And he did a lot of designs. And most importantly, he designed for the sake of art! The use of it as an artpiece is more valuable than mere function!”

“Oh, I see. Hence stuff like a thousand story tall spiral staircase that doesn’t actually go anywhere?”

“Yeah!”
She says it fully sincerely, apparently unaware of all the problems with this.
“Let me tell you, it gets pretty wild up there once you get a few dozen floors up. There are whole tribes of people up there that haven’t touched the street outside for years.”

“So you decided to live in a big staircase because you’re an architecture fan?”
Architecture is a dangerous and mystical field but there are worse things to be fascinated with, you suppose. And yes, you’re pretty sure she’s some sort of fascina. If she isn’t, she’s damn close.

“Oh no, this is a lesser hobby. I first heard about Saturnino through my true one pride and joy, fountain-watching. He made quite a few fountains, you know? You probably haven’t heard of them however, most of them were dismantled for public safety reasons. But still!”

Speaking of dangerous hobbies! Motherfucking fountain watchers. As Sabino learned to his own peril, it doesn’t pay to look deep into the network of fountains that channel both the water, the coin and the power of the City. A lot of them are man-made but just as many have no record of ever being built. As far as esoteric structures go, fountains are the pinnacle. They’re not something an architect should mess around with and try to build.
“I see.”

“There are a few fountains that he’s really famous for. One is the Lethe Pit. Do you know of it? Probably not, probably not, it’s not something the government would tell you! They say that he built a dark fountain whose waters dissolve people. And when it does, nobody in the world remembers that you existed. But of course the lawyers hushed it up and hid it away deep beneath the High Court. They use it to unmake people.”

You sigh and hold your hand to your forehead.
“The High Court doesn’t need a fountain to make it so that somebody never existed. They can do that just fine themselves. Also...I’ve seen the High Court and it literally floats above the City. It doesn’t have a deep beneath it to hide anything.”

Fulvia just taps her forehead knowingly.
“Architecture. Anyway, the other d’Valentino fountain to be really well known is the Wishing Well. Have you heard of it?”

1/2
>>
>>3296862

“You mean that old story?”
Of course your know of it. Everyone knows that fountains can grant wishes. It’s just that some are more reliable than other and most of them only ever grant one specific form of wish. Like the June Moneta, where all wishing-coins deposited in other fountains eventually flow to, only answers the wishes of public servants desiring a salary. You’ve thrown a hundred wishes for love into the fountain by your old home. You’ve wished upon the Court of Swords on many an occasion, for knowledge if nothing else. And of course, back when you were younger, you drank of the Sangadonna and it drunk back. And so many more beside that. You know how fountains work.
And that’s why the Wishing Well can’t exist. A fountain that always grants any wish, all for the usual price of a single coin...Something like that can’t exist in the world as it is. If the world is real, the Wishing Well isn’t.

“It’s linked to Saturnino, I just know it!”

“I mean,” you say, “If such a fountain really exists, people would know about it.”

“That’s a fair point. But still, I know it’s real. And I know it’s here.”


“Eh?”

“As you climb these stairs, you can find little fountains carved into the walls. I have reason that one of them is the Wishing Well itself, the one that Saturnino wrote about. He saw it in his dreams. It was as if he was carving something that already existed, it just needed to be shaped. I’ve got it narrowed down to a general section of the Thousandfold Stair but...searching is long and hard. I can’t go up there myself these days and the seekers I’ve hired are slow. I mean, makes sense! It’s a tricky business, testing fountains!”


>”Does this relate to the duel in any way?”

>”Seekers? Who?”

>You want to believe that such a thing exists. “Could you tell me more. What writings do you have?”

>”Why can’t you go up now?”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3296864
>This is very interesting miss, but I am here to do my job. What did you need a public defendant for?
>>
>"-a dark fountain whose waters dissolve people. And when it does, nobody in the world remembers that you existed."
Getting some strong chekhov's gun vibes with this and the repeated mentions of the wishing well. Also could this somehow be related to our last fight, considering nobody seemed to know the handprint duelist?
>>
>>3296864
>”Does this relate to the duel in any way?”
>>
>>3296852
We shouldn't negotiate shit.
We asked Adriana to help us pressure ourselves into personal growth, but ultimately the decision on what to do is ours. If we decide training is more important, we do it.
>>
>>3296864
>”Why can’t you go up now?”
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”Does this relate to the duel in any way?”

You raise a hand, trying to stem the tide of words. You get the feeling that Fulvia can talk for quite some time on this subject if you let her. But you’re on the clock here and you need to keep things moving.
“Right, right, I understand. But what does this have to do with the duel I’ll be fighting for you?”
You hope that it’s relevant in some way at the very least.

“A lot, a lot, I promise you.”
Fulvia bounces around the room, a motion that would be a lot more annoying to look at if it wasn’t for the effect it had with her proportions.
“I’m being falsely accused to stop my search! It’s all Luisa’s fault!”

“Luisa? Is the challenger?”

“Yes, yes, yes. You could call her a roommate of mine. She lives on the second floor and she’s asleep right now. She’ll be here soon enough, soon enough. Luisa Ardizzone is trying to get me evicted because she knows that my seekers are close to finding the Well and she wants to steal it from me! If she gets her way, I’ll be out on the street and she’ll be able to use my research to claim the Well for herself!”

“...Is that really her motivation?”

“Listen! This is serious. The Wishing Well can define reality! My battle of intrigues and clash of wits with Luisa over the years have been a struggle for the fate of the universe itself! But now, at my moment of victory, I am on the precipice of defeat. We cannot permit her victory in this, the most important battle the world could ever have!”

“A fight for the sake of the world itself...fought between two random women...who live in a stairway...over a stairway.”

“Well where else would it be fought? You’re not going to find anything important out in the open.”

“Right.”
You’re not sure what would be worse. That you’ve got this fake business on your lap when you could have been on Adriana’s instead or...that it’s actually real and everything is awful and reality is a soap bubble. Great. You love it. And yet, nevertheless, you must fight.
“So why is Luisa asleep right now? She’s going to have be here soon for the negotiations.”

“She’ll wake up when they start,” Fulvia says with absolute confidence. “We’re going to be taking turns.”

“Eh?”

“Well we can’t very well be in the same place, can we? And if possible, can we do the negotiations out in the street? I don’t trust her in my part of the stair. We had to start going to sleep on different floors just to prevent us from fucking with one another’s stuff.”

“Alright there’s something here you’ve forgotten to tell me. Something very important.”

1/2
>>
>>3296974

“Really? I don’t think I’ve saiiiiiiiiid-”
Her voice trails off, deepening into slurred nonsense as she just stands there, staring blankly into space. A moment later she refocusses and takes a step back, moving much more slowly and sensibly. Even her posture is different, far more straight-backed than she had been before, though she’s still a very small woman so it doesn’t make a lot of difference.
“Who are you?”
The voice is the same but something is immediately off about it. The diction and tone are different.

“Oh I think I get it. Signorina Luisa Ardizzone, I assume.”
Oh please no.

“What, are you Fulvia’s duellist? We do seem to be in her room after all.”

“Yes. I’m a public defender.”

“That’s what I thought. Yes, I’m Luisa. The original owner of this body.”

“Neat. Cool. Very cool. Fantastic. What a great case. Glad we can all have a normal time.”
You almost want to scream.


>”So what the fuck is going on?”

>”I’m not sure if I’m supposed to talk to you if you’re the opposing client. Might work differently here.”

>”What do you mean the original?”

>Go outside and rethink your life for a few minutes.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3296975
>>”What do you mean the original?”
>>
I have to ask Ouro... Is the number of weird cases that we happen to get normal for a public defender? Or is it just us since the City has an interest in us doing the equivalent of X-Files because we'll take the case seriously more than anyone else?
>>
>>3296975
>”What do you mean the original?”
>>
>>3296975
>”So I assume you hired a duelist?"
>Could I ask why YOU are currently living in this stairway-building?
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”What do you mean the original?”

“So,” you eventually say, after recollecting yourself. “What do you mean the original? Can you fill me in on your side of the story?”

“Sure. I mean exactly what I mean. This thing that she’s been flouncing around is my body, the one I was born in. And for the longest time, it was just me. Which was nice.”

“So what happened?”

Luisa looks a little embarrassed.
“I got caught. I used to be a smuggler, boating all sorts of stuff out to the Lesser Realms. Had a lot of business with the Soissfolk, not that I expect that term means anything to you.”

“You’d be surprised. So you dragged up to High Court?”
Smuggling is somewhat of a gray area. It’s not outright banned under High Law due to principles and the fear of what such a City-defining law would do trade but it’s certainly frowned upon. Some things aren’t supposed to leave the City.

“Yeah and let me tell you, they weren’t happy with me wasting their time. I got community service. Specifically, I got drafted into being a prison.”

“We don’t have prisons.”

“Whatever you want to call it then. Say, do you have anything to smoke? Fulvia refuses to let me touch the stuff ever since she moved in.”

“I’m afraid not. So this Fulvia girl, she’s a prisoner?”

“More or less. She was found guilty of ‘esoteric crimes’, whatever that means and got consigned to be mostly non-existent. But she’s apparently been a good girl since then and they’ve gradually been allowing more and more to re-exist.”

“I think I get it. I know a woman who only exists at certain hours of the day from a similar sentence. But she also got her entire identity replaced as well.”

“As far as I can tell Fulvia didn’t get that last bit. She’s still the same person as she was from when she committed a crime that is apparently impossible to describe with words. There’s just...less of her. And yeah, after she worked her way up on good behaviour, she was permitted to re-exist almost entirely. Just without her body. And that’s where my community service comes in. If she lasts five years in my body without any black marks she gets to move on up to whatever the next stage of her rehabilitation is. I hope she’s reborn as a baby or something. I can punch a baby.”

“I take it there’s no love lost?”

“You could say that. I’m a very private person. Or at least...I was. I think they chose this community service knowing that. And I’m so sick of it. But now I’ve got her. I’ve finally got a way to throw her out that doesn’t violate my sentence.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

If she looked embarrassed before, she now looks outright humiliated.
“Do...do I have to say it?”

“She’s my client. I’d like to know all the details.”

1/2
>>
>>3297020

“Fine,” she says and looks confused at how readily she agrees with you. But, unknowing of your curse, she has no choice but to believe that it’s her own choice.
“When I woke up last week, I found that she had been...halfway...through the act...of masturbation.”

“Oh. Well...that’s awkward.”
What the fuck else can you say to that?

“It’s worse than that, it’s a violation! It’s not her body to touch! And it’s against the rules. She’s supposed to respect the body while she’s in here, not molest me while I’m unconscious. I’ve figured she’s been doing it for ages but this was the first confirmation. Problem is...it’s pretty hard to prove. I can’t get her thrown out in High Court under breach of contract. Or at least, I might but if it doesn’t work I could just get punished more for wasting their time. But it is an accurate basis for me to challenge her! She’s disrespected and broken her tenancy contract and it’s time for her to be evicted!”
She scrunches up her face.
“If this works, I’m not breaking the terms of my own sentence. I can finally be rid of her and...her touch. And all my duellist has to do is fight you and lose. Wait, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s a problem. I don’t really lose duels. And no matter your story, Fulvia is my client. I have to fight for her as best as I can.”

“I...respect that decision.”
You very much doubt that was what she intended to say.

“So you don’t want to have her evicted so that you can claim her fountain research for you own and unlock the Wishing Well/”

“What? What the fuck does that even mean?”

“It’s what she told me.”

“She’s also nuts.”

So who do you believe? They both can’t be telling the truth. For all you know, none of this might be true.


>”So uh, how is it? Sharing a body?”

>”Where is the duellist you hired?”

>”You wouldn’t happen to know Giuseppina, would you?” This sounds a little like her.

>”I’d like to talk to Fulvia please.” You need to check in with her story of events.

>”So why are YOU in this place?”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3297021
>”So why are YOU in this place?”
>”You wouldn’t happen to know Giuseppina, would you?” This sounds a little like her.
>>
>>3297021
>”So why are YOU in this place?”
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
Welp, it is another episode of 'fighting for someone who most likely is in the wrong'. Welp, sucks to be this lady because as Sofia said, we ain't gonna be in the business of losing (hopefully).
>>
Sorry for the delays today by the way. I've come down with a summer cold.
>>
>”So why are YOU in this place?”

Yes, there’s a few things in Luisa’s story that doesn’t make sense to you. And while it’s not your job to get to the bottom of it, you’d rather know everything before hand. For your peace of mind if nothing else.
“So why are you here?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I understand why Fulvia would choose to live here. She strikes me as a little obsessed. But why would you agree?”

Luisa’s face freezes for a moment before it cracks into a massive smile.
“Oh dear, that’s true. Alright. Maybe I have a little interest in this Wishing Well nonsense. But my story is still true. Ask any lawyer if you want. The truth is...when Fulvia left me a note asking me to move, I was hoping that it would cause her to show her true colours.”

“What, hoping for a repeat of whatever she did before?”

“Exactly. I’ve been basically daring her to do something criminal regarding the fountains. Then I can get my body back. But that’s not happening. So I’ve got to catch her with this instead. I can’t ask you to understand but trust me, I’m sick of sharing my flesh with another. Particularly someone so handsy.”

“Right. So how do you afford a duellist? I’m assuming that Fulvia asked for a public defender because she couldn’t afford a pro with whatever money you two had left. So how can you afford one when she can’t?”

“You’re right. But I’m lucky. I found someone who was willing to do the work pro bono.”

“Is that my queue?”
The voice echoes down the stairwell. You briefly look up and regret it. It’s not a vista that gets easier on the eyes. But as you do look up, you see someone jump from the stairs several rotations up above you, a shadow against the ethereal light streaming down the central spiral. You don’t see how but they land right in front of you, collapsing atop one of Fulvia’s broken couches.
“Hey there, Sophie! It’s been a while!”

Only one person calls you Sophie. You groan.
“Really? Back again?”

“Back by unpopular demand,” Gloriana says. She looks a little different as she rises from the couch. She’s wearing a pair of smoked glass spectacles not unlike those of Vespa’s that hide her eyes completely and she’s traded out the green streaks in her hair for neon blue but really, when you get down to it, she’s still exactly the same as she ever was. Her rediculous excuse for a duelling outfit is the same, her painted sword is the same cheap piece of shit as ever and she’s still the same pathetic excuse for a duellist.

“I thought we were over this,” you say. “I thought we’d made up. We had a talk and everything.”

1/3
>>
>>3297092

“We did. This is just business. I heard she needed a duellist willing to work for loose change and I happened to be in the area already so I figured, why not. I’m always happy to lend my skills to challengers who are in need. Think of me as a public offender.”

“That doesn’t mean what you think it does.”
You turn to Luisa, doing your best not to give Gloriana the satisfaction of checking her out.
“I’m afraid you’ve been tricked, Luisa. This woman preys on people like you for, as far as I can tell, her own amusement. She’ll deliberately sabotage your terms and she won’t even fight well. The last time we fought I had her on the ropes in an instant.”

“The last time we fought...was that before or after you were practically setting up your home address in my tits? Oh, don’t give me that look Sophie. It was an eye-opening experience for both of us.”

“Uh,” Luisa says. “What is she-”

“It doesn’t matter,” you say hastily.

“Not until we get a repeat performance anyway,” Gloriana says. “But hey Sophie, I see you’ve been busy.”
She reaches down into her ribbon-tied vest and pulls out a certain booklet. The fake Sofia winks back at you for all to see.
“I have to say, the artist did a wonderful job. Really captures your essence.”

You are just going to ignore that and hope against hope that Gloriana does too.
“Come on Gloriana. I really want to like you. I thought we connected. And you’re still messing around with the duels like they’re just a game? If you want to fight me again, that’s fine. But you should have given this lady a chance to hire a legit duellist.”

“Like I said,” Gloriana says slowly. “It’s been a while. And you’re not the only one who can change.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I have to admit it,” she says, her hand toying with the ribbon at the top of her vest. “I really am just a piece of trash compared to you. That’ll always be true. But even so, that last fight really got me good! Being toyed with so effortlessly, as if...well, you know what….it sparked something. It made me feel subhuman. So let me tell you Sophie, I’ve been hard at all sorts of work. And all for the impossible dream of one day beating you.”
She pokes out her tongue.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be so soon though. Say, do you still have that lock of my hair?”

“What if I do? And I don’t care what you’ve been doing, Gloriana. Do you really think you can beat me?”

“Of course not. I’m just a changeling child. I’m not a magic princess like you. And I thought I was fine with that. I didn’t care how many times I lost.”
And with that, she makes a gesture at her scarred legs.
“I know you were looking anyway. But now...that loss couldn’t be laughed off. And now I actually want to show you all my new tricks.”

2/3
>>
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>>3297093

>”You’ve been training? With what?”

>”Just in the area, huh? I don’t believe you.”

>”Well...I’m happy for you. I mean that sincerely. It’s about time you started to show some real spirit.”

>”Just for the record, I’m in a relationship now. There won’t be a repeat of...that stuff.”

>”Can we all just forget about La Ressagna Mensile already?”

>”Do you want to do another round of drinks after I beat you?”

>You’d like to speak to Fulvia.

>Fine then. Get negotiations going.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3297097
>”Well...I’m happy for you. I mean that sincerely. It’s about time you started to show some real spirit.”

>”Do you want to do another round of drinks after I beat you?”

>"Man that sword still is and always will be an abomination. (Booklet)
>>
>>3297093
>”Well...I’m happy for you. I mean that sincerely. It’s about time you started to show some real spirit.”
Oh fuckings boy, Gloriana redemption arc incoming, Im scared lads.
>>
>>3297093
Oh it's this bitch again.
God, I'd be more happy to see Terenzi than her.

>”You’ve been training? With what?”
>Ignore the booklet and any reference to it.
>>
>>3297097
>”Well...I’m happy for you. I mean that sincerely. It’s about time you started to show some real spirit.”
Praise be to Gloriana!
>>
>>3297097
Also going to support
>”Do you want to do another round of drinks after I beat you?”
>>
Also, in case Im gone for the relevant vote, no reason to wait with the duel if she's changed anyways. I doubt we'll find out her new tricks before the duel, so we might aswell get it over with so we have time to do other things.
>>
>>3297097
>”Well...I’m happy for you. I mean that sincerely. It’s about time you started to show some real spirit.”

>You’d like to speak to Fulvia.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
I’m staying up because my cold is making it very hard to sleep properly.

>”Well...I’m happy for you. I mean that sincerely. It’s about time you started to show some real spirit.”

You doubt she means to sound as nice as your curse is making her right now. Her real meaning is probably something along the lines of ‘I can’t wait to crush you’ and you’ve got no problem with that. How much stronger could she have possibly gotten?
“I’m happy for you, Gloriana and I mean that sincerely. It’s about time you started to show some real spirit.”

“Oh don’t get me wrong. I’m still an absolute piece of shit who thinks that the duels are a joke. I’ve just switched up my tactics, is all. Done all sorts of things to do it too. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll have my big chance to show off in the duel itself.”

“Right. As long as you’re actually trying to win, you can use any method you want.”
You have to wonder what kind of methods she’s been using however. It’s been some time but not that long and the way she phrases it makes it sound like she’s been through more than just training.
“So what kind of tricks are we talking here?”

“Desperate for the good, huh? Not just yet.”
You grit your teeth as she continues. Whatever she’s changed, being around her is still like having sandpaper applied to your nerves. She could say anything and it’d probably still work.
“But I know you’re about to be a busy girl, Sophie. Attending the upcoming invitational and everything!”

“How do you know about that?”

“My master told me. He’s a part of it too.”

“You have a master? Since when?”

“Since you kicked my arse, of course! But don’t worry, I’m not the kind of gal to ape a style. I just picked up a few pointers and used that as a base...along with some other things...to make my own stupendously unique display. It’s just as my own style as the first only I’ve built it off what you’ve shown me.”

“What other things?”

Gloriana just chuckles infuriatingly and, looking right at you, lowers her odd spectacles for a moment. You get a glimpse just behind them and her eyes are...well, for a moment you think they’re gone. But no they’re there but the sclera has gone completely ink-black. Tiny yellow irises glint in the darkness.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m still getting used to it so you’ll have to be patient. But my duel with you will be an excellent unveiling. And then you’ll beat me into the ground like you always do.”

“Pfft. It’s going to take more than just some freaky looking eyes to get anything on me, capiche?”
That said, they’re freaking you out a little. Training under a master is obviously just the tip of an ominous pyramid. What did she do to herself?

1/2
>>
>>3297155

>”Then let’s start. You ready to negotiate?”

>”I’d like to talk to my client first.”

>”It wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with how you just happened to be in the area, would it?”

>Walk up to her and inspect the eyes close up.

>”I hope you didn’t trade away anything important for those.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3297157
>”I hope you didn’t trade away anything important for those.”
>>
>>3297157
>”I’d like to talk to my client first.”
>>
>>3297157
>>Walk up to her and inspect the eyes close up.
>>”I hope you didn’t trade away anything important for those.”
>>
>>3297157
>Walk up to her and inspect the eyes close up.
>>
>>3297157
>Walk up to her and inspect the eyes close up.
>”I hope you didn’t trade away anything important for those.”
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>Walk up to her and inspect the eyes close up.
>”I hope you didn’t trade away anything important for those.”

You can’t help it! Your curiosity gets the better of you. Ignoring your would-be clients, you walk across the room to Gloriana and, craning your head up in order to do so, look her right in the eyes.
“I hope you didn’t trade away anything important for those.”

“Hold on,” Gloriana says, taking a single step back. “Where are you? How close did you get just now?”

“What?”
Ignoring her, you look into her eyes. They’re pure black and the bright yellow irises aren’t just far smaller than normal, they’re also angular. Diamond-shaped. As you watch they seem to flicker for a moment, shrinking in and then dilating back.

The moment they do, Gloriana tilts her head down enough to train them both on you.
“Ah, there you are. You got me confused for a second there, Sophie. It’s why I need to wear these glasses.”

You really are very close right now, the top of your head almost grazing up against her chin. Shit. You’d forgotten just how much taller than you she is. Nine inches is an awful lot when you’re this close. But all that is to the side right now as you try and make sense out of what she’d just said.
“So...something’s wrong with them then? For a moment there it seemed like you couldn’t see me.”

“Hah, sort of!”

“Well then...now I just feel bad for you. What’s the point of them if they’re that easy to fool?”

“...Oh, I’m not the one being fooled right now.”
And with those words she shoves you away fairly easily, sending you stumbling back.
“Anyway, what are we waiting for Sophie? We’re both here. Let’s begin the negotiations!”

“Name your terms.”

“Should I win, your client is being lawfully evicted from my client’s head. Where she goes from there is up to the High Courts but wherever it is, it’s no longer my client’s concern! That’s all.”

“Huh. You’re not even going to slip in a clause that screws over your client?”

“Nah. Like I said, I’m keen to get to the fighting. I haven’t lost my sense of fun though, don’t you worry.”

“Well obviously when I win my client will get to stay in the body. But to match your terms…”


>”Your client will be the one evicted, for trying to force through a frivolous duel. She’ll have to find a new body!”

>”Your client will be charged by the High Court as if they had attempted to illegally break the terms of their sentence!”

>”Your client will cede a much bigger share of the body’s time to my client, effectively giving her almost total control of the body!”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3297200
>"Your client will give up all attempts to look for the Wishing Well"
If Luisa does have ulterior motives, this should block her. If she doesn't, she's screwed enough as it is.
>>
>>3297200
>>”Your client will be charged by the High Court as if they had attempted to illegally break the terms of their sentence!”
>>
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Well I was hoping to spend this period of insomnia actually getting a lot of quest work done or at least get to the loadout vote before I fell asleep but if the vote's a 1-1 tie the vote's a 1-1 tie. It's 4:30 am and I'm going to bed.

Vote will remain open until I wake.
>>
>>3297200
>"Your client will give up all attempts to look for the Wishing Well"
>>
It hurts too much to sleep. Vote called and writing.
>>
>"Your client will give up all attempts to look for the Wishing Well"

“...your client will give up all attempts to look for the Wishing Well.”
There. Not an ideal set of terms but you now have your doubts about Fulvia and you don’t want to punish Luisa for just trying to escape her shitty situation. This way, if Luisa really does ulterior motives she’ll be stopped but she won’t be punished for it. And you’re sure as hell not giving Fulvia a permanent lease on this body!

“Really?,” Gloriana asks, staring down at you. “You’re not going to ask for more than that?”

“No, that’s all this needs. And with this, the negotiations are over.”

“Good choice,” she says, forced to agree. “So when are you going to call it for? We’ve got the whole day ahead of us.”

You pace the room, wondering if you’ve made the right decision in being so lenient on Luisa. But in the end you’re stopped by a hand on your shoulder. It’s Luisa, the slightly taller woman favouring you with an uncertain smile.

“...Thanks,” she says. “I know you could have been a lot harsher.”

“It’s no big deal. Just because I’m going to do my best to fight for Fulvia doesn’t mean I don’t have a sense of justice. And as for the time? That’s easy. We’re going to have the duel…”


>”Right now!”

>”Tonight!” Should give you some time to prepare, though you doubt you’ll learn anything.

>”Tomorrow morning!” Should give you even more time to kill between now and the duel.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3297356
>”Right now!”
>>
>>3297356
>”Right now!”
More time to get over our inevitable defeat.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
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>”Right now!”

“We’ll have the duel right now!”

Gloriana pulls her scabbard free from her side, fingers drumming across the hilt.
“No preparation then?”

“Since when I have ever needed to prepare for a fight with you?”

“As always you lay me low,” she says, towering over you. “I can only assume that someone as smart and perceptive as you has figured out what’s going on.”

“Pardon?”

Her smile slowly widens.
“What I’ve done to you. Oh well, not that it matters. I’m sure you’ll triumph no matter what Sophie!”

What the fuck is she talking about? Is she just trying to throw you off? But whatever it is, it probably doesn’t matter. You’ve grown so much since you last dumpstered her. No matter what she’s got, you’ll be ready.


>Choose your loadout! You may select one Ability and six Techniques from the following list:

ABILITIES

>Professional Provocateur: [ABILITY]At the end of each round, if you have successfully performed a Trick and have not lost any Composure dice, the single lowest die in your opponent’s Technique Pool is moved to their Strike Pool. If there are no dice in your opponent’s Technique Pool, the lowest die in their Composure Pool is moved to their Technique Pool instead.

>Test Your Luck: [ABILITY]You’re a pro at games of chance and other such swindles, no matter how well they’re performed. Once per thread you may either reroll a single dice or automatically succeed at a game of chance.

>Phlegmatic Flask: [ABILITY]You are shielded by apathy. At the end of each full queue, move your single lowest Technique dice into your Composure Pool.

Helpless Beauty: [ABILITY]You can’t help but be timid and vulnerable in a way that attracts all sorts of possessive attention that you can’t deny. It also means they let their guard down around you. When your Composure is Broken by an opponent’s attack, a retaliatory strike is made against that opponent with Strike dice equal to the Strike you just took. This retaliation cannot bleed the opponent and doesn’t trigger the effects of anything that counts attacks.
>>
>>3297414
TECHNIQUES

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]Move the highest value die from your Technique Pool to your Composure Pool.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.

>Unassailable Rookie: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, all dice that your opponent rolls out of their Strike Pool take a -1 penalty to their final result. Can only be active while you have a d4 in your Composure Pool.

>Underhanded Deflection: [TRICK]Lower the sides of all the dice currently in your opponent’s Technique pool by 1.

>Crushing Grip: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed as a result of this, whether through damage or through an ability, destroy the single highest value die in your opponent’s Technique Pool.

>Circle Guard: [TRICK]Your opponent cannot siphon dice into their Strike Pool this round. If they attempt to, destroy the single lowest die in their Technique Pool. This Technique cannot be used if your Technique Pool is empty.

>Skin Unthorned: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, any Strike pool targeting you cannot roll d4s. They remain in the Strike Pool unrolled. Can only be active while you have a d6 in your Composure Pool.

>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Damage from this Technique is dealt first to your opponent’s Strike Pool, treating the dice within as if they were Composure dice for the purposes of destruction. The difference between the highest dice value in the Strike Pool and the damage rolled is then dealt to the Technique Pool in the same fashion. And if the damage continues to overflow, the remainder is inflicted upon the Composure Pool in the same way.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.
>>
Ooooh shiiiiet
>>
>>3297414
>Helpless Beauty: [ABILITY]
>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]
>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]
>Elegance: [FLOURISH]
>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]

and then two more...
Underhanded Deflection and Still waters might go well together, although Flashing Steel could also work with Still Waters well....
>>
>>3297451
Meh, tired of doing math in my head, let's try something a bit new and funky.
>Helpless Beauty: [ABILITY]
>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]
>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]
>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]
>Elegance: [FLOURISH]
>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]
>Still Waters[STANCE]:

Flashing steel for getting rid of the strike dice still water blocks incase we can't manage to take out Gloriana for whatever reason. Helpless beauty because it's the ultimate trap card. The rest is obvious.
>>
>>3297416
I'm too sleepy to vote responsibly, so I won't. Don't let me down, anons.

Regarding Gloriana's eyes, her height advantage is mentioned every time in connection to them. I think Gloriana might be employing some sort of a perspective trick.
Case in point:
>she’s still a very small woman
>It’s Luisa, the slightly taller woman favouring you with an uncertain smile.
Gloriana has shrunk us and we didn't even notice.

Also, Happy Birthday, Ouro.
>>
>>3297522
Us being shrunk again is a definite possibility, anons voting to study her eyes walked right into an obvious trap by the seems of things. Let's see how it affects the duel and work it out from there, nothing we can do about it now.
>>
>>3297522
>>3297529
Also yeah, adding on to my vote
>>3297510
>Realise she's shrunk you... damnit!
>>
>>3297416
>Helpless Beauty: [ABILITY]You can’t help but be timid and vulnerable in a way that attracts all sorts of possessive attention that you can’t deny. It also means they let their guard down around you. When your Composure is Broken by an opponent’s attack, a retaliatory strike is made against that opponent with Strike dice equal to the Strike you just took. This retaliation cannot bleed the opponent and doesn’t trigger the effects of anything that counts attacks.
>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.
>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.
>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.
>Underhanded Deflection: [TRICK]Lower the sides of all the dice currently in your opponent’s Technique pool by 1.
>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.


Flashing Steel is kinda niche and it only does limited damage to dice pools. Grtitted Teeth is good but I was thinking using Ud to try and whittle dice down to make Still waters work.
>>
>>3297570
Helpless beauty is an ability, you have 1 more technique slot open so you can easily put in gritted teeth.
Also gritted teeth is monumentally important for us and should never be left out anyways.
>>
>>3297570
Also, underhand doesn't actually work well with still waters at all. Still Waters make it so their dice stays in the strike pool, underhanded deflection can only target dice in the tech pool.
>>
I would have liked to hace more time to prepare. We beat the fisherman by obssesively preparing and anticipating his movements, not by fighting him inmediately. This was pretty stpid anons, especially agaisnt an opponent that has been preparing SPECIFICALLY to kick our arse
>>
>>3297414
We can play dirty too

>Uncap the bottle of the Phlegatic flask and splash her in the face with it. With some luck, she will absorb some of it.
>>
>>3297610
Prepare how, exactly. How many duels do you think she has been in showing off her moves specifically meant for us? We already know her old moves, we wouldn't get to know her new moves anyways. I guess we could have gone on a wild goose chase and attempted to find out who her master was, but I doubt we would in time.
>>
>>3297600
yeah but it can reduce the tech dice so they end up fubar'd.

>>3297570
Also meant to include Crushing Grip.
>>
>>3297625
>Professional Provocateur: [ABILITY]At the end of each round, if you have successfully performed a Trick and have not lost any Composure dice, the single lowest dice in your opponent’s Technique Pool is moved to their Strike Pool. If there are no dice in your opponent’s Technique Pool, the lowest dice in their Composure Pool is moved to their Technique Pool instead.)

>Gain Some Distance: [TRICK]Destroy all dice in your opponent’s Strike Pool. If it was already empty, generate a d4 in your Composure Pool and your opponent is prevented from siphoning dice to their Strike Pool this round. You must then activate a valid Stance in this same action. You cannot use this Technique if you already have a Stance active.

>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Damage from this Technique is dealt first to your opponent’s Strike Pool, treating the dice within as if they were Composure dice for the purposes of destruction. The difference between the highest dice value in the Strike Pool and the damage rolled is then dealt to the Technique Pool in the same fashion. And if the damage continues to overflow, the remainder is inflicted upon the Composure Pool in the same way.

>Unassailable Rookie: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, all dice that your opponent rolls out of their Strike Pool take a -1 penalty to their final result. Can only be active while you have a d4 in your Composure Pool.

>Underhanded Deflection: [TRICK]Lower the sides of all the dice currently in your opponent’s Technique pool by 1.

>Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.
>>
>>3297631
She also had Crushing Grip.
>>
>>3297627
When has crushing grip ever helped us against Gloriana? I really, really wouldn't drop gritted teeth for crushing grip since that torpedoes our amazing ability to come back from broken.

For the first point sure, it can do that, but Still Waters hardly is the perfect defense. The moment you pop it it's just a delaying tool, there is gonna a time where they'll be able to use all the dice we trapped in strike pool, and if we haven't killed her by then, which I'm afraid her new special moves might prevent us from do, she'll be able to use them, and we will be fucked. Flashing Steel lets us clear out those dice if we can't, for whatever reason kill her, and that could be a real lifesaver all things considering.
>>
>>3297631
>
>>3297636
noted

>Crushing Grip: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed as a result of this, whether through damage or through an ability, destroy the single highest value die in your opponent’s Technique Pool.
>>
>>3297631
Thanks for posting her old techs.
>>
Also, Gloriana probably doesn't have tempered counting coup so she wouldn't be unbleedable while using it. Probably.
>>
>>3297570
Gritted Teeth+Helpless Beauty+Tempered Countin Coup = Murder Shield

Besides, she will fuck up with our Compusture die, in order to delay this as much as she can. It was how she won the first time we met her. Gritted Teeth is a great Tool agaisnt that.

Anons, how about the trick with the bottle? Instead of just doing that, we could try to use helpless beauty to make her defenses fall and offer her a drink, slipping a bit of the mixture there to throw her off. >>3297619
>>
>>3297653
GT, tCC, HB is indeed an amazing combo.

Also I would honestly drop any attempts to slip her drugs, I seriously doubt it'll work anyways and it will make us look like a right proper tit if we try, which is Glorianas schtick not ours. Even if it does work I doubt the effect will be anything but negligible at best.
>>
Honestly I'd rather drop Elegance then drop gritted teeth at this point. (I would rather not drop either, but seriously don't fuckings dump gritted teeth it's our get out of BROKEN free card)
>>
>>3297676
OKay, and what about the using our Luck ability to do the same deal we did with the maste of the Rose Ring? Anyone who wins on a coinflip, gets the first move unpposed. I doubt Gloriana will honor her part of the deal, but this will allow to get an extra technique out of her, even if we lose.
>>
>>3297682
I mean, we can give it a try, but Gloriana already hinted heavily at knowing about our Monkey Paw thingy, so I doubt she'll just give us her secret technique for free like that. Wouldn't hurt being a cheeky cunt and trying anyways, but it's a pipe dream.
>>
>>3297685
Err, Monkey Sight.
>>
Actually, thinking about it, how bad would it be dropping elegance? Until we start losing composure it will only generate d4's, and Gloriana pops d4's easily while rarely touching our composure pool... Then we could grab something else like Underhanded Deflection or Crushing Grip(why tho?) or something else I guess.
>>
>>3297707
if she's going to go after us to win she'll need to pop those d4s, and frankly unless her comp has gotten even higher we stand to be able to pop her with 2 elegances that connect. Elegance is great because it's a super ramp.
>>
>>3297726
If she's really going after us to win she'll be breaking us, not popping our d4's in composure. Getting two elegances and then trying to snipe her composure is a valid tactic though...

However, think how much mindfuck we could get by dropping elegance for something else. Chances are she's somehow build to counter us in some way, and elegance is definitely one of our core moves. If we drop it for something else that could change up the game entirely. So, if we have something like:

HB [ABILITY]

FB
FS
tCC
GT
UD
SW

This might allow us to just fuck Glorianas groove up real bad. SW to screw with her gimping potential, FS to get rid of the dice trapped in her strike pool, UH deflection I guess to gimp her even more, although honestly we'd need 2Underhandee deflections in a row to get d6s under the d4 limit and 4 UD in a row to properly gimp d8s, so I'm still iffy on that....
What would crushing grip then.... an ability to take away her d8's which she rarely keeps around for long enough anyways...

Hmmm... Honestly nah, I'd rather keep elegance for that cheeky snipe as you mentioned. I'm standing by my original proposal.
>>
Oh FUCK dudes I just noticed something. We can totally use Glorianas professional provocateur against her by using it to bleed off our own composure!
>>
>>3297776
Alright, if we use my build here:
>>3297510
>Helpless Beauty: [ABILITY]
>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]
>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]
>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]
>Elegance: [FLOURISH]
>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]
>Still Waters[STANCE]:

We can use Still Waters and Flashing Steel to gimp Gloriana and bleed off our own tech pool until the end of the round, and when provocateur procs we won't have any dice in our tech pool, and the lowest die in our composure pool will be siphoned off to our tech pool. After just 2 rounds of that Still Waters will be blocking d6's too, and Elegance will give a d6 for predictions instead of d4's. After just 1 more round of that still waters will be blocking d8's too, which is the max she would be able to generate unless she upgraded her flourishes. After that we pretty much have her in the bag as we can just counting coup / elegance up without fear of her doing ANYTHING to us until we unleash the perfect attack at the last moment and wreck her.

Unless she's changed majorly, which she seems to have hinted no at since she says she'll still be her same infuriating gimping self this will be perfect. Even better, we're both using her own ability against her AND her own style against her, and instead of just fighting to a standstill we'll actually be building up to a victory. This could be a bigger slap in the face for her then our last fight was.

So, anons... You with me?
>>
As long as we take helpless beauty I'm happy. Mostly for the flavor text and interactions, but also because it completely shits on flashing steel. Her strike that has to go through all our pools to touch our composure is immediately reapplied directly to her own composure.
>>
>>3297800
You sound like an autist, but hopefully not the one from two threads ago. Sure, I'll second your list and give you the benefit of the doubt.
>>
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>>3297854
>You sound like an autist
>This entire combat system
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>>3297854
>>3297857
Thanks for the vote of confidence, and yes, I'm not that guy. I just had a flash of brilliance (autism).
>>
>>3297800
>>3297416

I have no idea what sort of techs Gloriana has replaced. I was hoping we would have some time to prepare against her. She probably has changed quite a few of her techniques if she's gotten serious.
I don't quite see why we need two strikes but I'll go with this.
>>
I'm awake! Calling the vote now and writing.
>>
>Helpless Beauty: [ABILITY]
>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]
>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]
>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]
>Elegance: [FLOURISH]
>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]
>Still Waters[STANCE]:

Making sure Gloriana is watching you, you pull out the weighted ribbon that you took off of her in the last battle and tie it around your waist.
“Hey, remember this? Do you think I’ll take another one?”

“Hm. Hey Sophie, how tall are you again?”

“What? Come on, you know as well as I do that I’m five foot.”
Something’s weird. Was...was that always the case? It was, wasn’t it? If you were a pro instead of a public defender, you’d be one of the shortest professional duellists in history.

“Oh right. Yeah. And yet you fight so well despite that.”


“Shut it.”
After a moment’s thought, you take Marzio’s red tasselled belt as well and wear it like a sash. If you wore it like a belt it would have nearly encircled you twice over. There’s just one more trophy that you need but to wear it against Gloriana...you’re not envying this.

You pin the Drunkard card upon your lapel. There. Let her assume what she wants of you. You’ll catch her in this trap.
“I hope you’re ready to los-”

The rest of your comment is muffled as Gloriana strides over and, without missing a beat, wraps her arm around your shoulder and shoves your face into her bosom. She toys idly with your hair while you struggle uselessly.
“It’s already Sophie. You’re going to be practically living in here soon enough. And...were you always so cute?”

You glare up at her, looking her right in her black eyes as her pupils contract and dilate. Even if you weren’t being subdued by Sabino’s ability, you probably wouldn’t be able to break free. Not when your head barely comes up to her chest.
“Whoops,” she says. “I can’t really control it. Sorry.”

She pushes you away and Luisa catches you before you can fall, your head bumping into her chin as you do. You can feel her breasts pushing into your shoulders and the back of your neck as she holds you up.
“Don’t worry darling. I’ve got you.”

“C-can you let go of me? Please?”

She does eventually, leaving a lingering touch on the side of your cheek. Blushing furiously, you draw your sword and do your best to look intimidating.
“Let’s get this started already.”

“Has anyone ever told you incredibly adorable you are?”
That’s all Gloriana has to say.

But even that’s enough to send you into a stutter, your face burning even harder.
“S-shut up. Now get outside and fight me.”

And so you and Gloriana take it outside, your opponent patting you on the head in the process.
“You know, after all this is over I might take you home and keep you. Is that okay?”

“N-no!”
You chose to wear the card. You’ll just have to deal.

1/3
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>>3298200
The two of you stand together for a moment in the canal outside, a small crowd already gathering. It must look very silly, you think, considering that she’s over a foot taller than you. Like a child challenging an adult. But you’ve dealt with that your whole life, haven’t you? ….Haven’t you?
“...Something’s wrong.”

The two of you kiss blades, your beautiful sabre running across the side of Gloriana’s grotesque neon-green monstrosity. She’s...She’s just the same as ever.

>Sofia’s Composure: 3d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12

>Gloriana’s Composure: 5d4, 1d10

“Is something the matter?,” Gloriana whispers, leaning over you. “Whatever could it be?”


“I-I….Wait am I fucking 4’6?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. You’re the master duellist here after all.”

“I thought I was 5’0. W-wait!”
And just like that, you see through everything. False assumptions are ripped from your mind and evaporate and the height gap between you and her rapidly closes from fifteen inches to nine to just three. You stare her in the eye.
“How did you fool me into that?”
Somehow...she made you think you were six inches shorter than you really were. And then, after that, a whole foot!

Gloriana just winks and runs a finger down the side of your face.
“It was your fault really, for confusing my perspective like that. But you’ll see more of it in this fight, don’t you worry.”

The two of you walk apart and though your back is turned, you can hear Gloriana speak.

“Representing the challenger, I claim right to offense! Should I win, which I won’t, the challenged must leave my client’s body and find legal residence elsewhere! If she fails to comply, she will be punished under High Law!”

You swivel right after she’s finished.
“Representing the challenged, I claim right to redress! When I win, the challenger must give up all attempts to uncover the Wishing Well! Failure to comply will be punished under High Law!”
That draws a reaction from the crowd. They must be wondering why you’re duelling over a mythical object.

Gloriana dances giddily from one foot to the other.
“Alright Sophie, let’s do this!”

Both of you raise your blades and, as you stare deep into your own reflection, you watch it close its eyes.
“See and be Unseen!”

You See.

The world evaporates, people and buildings rising into clouds of dark black vapor that freezes in a perpetual ascension towards the boiling sky. The water beneath is a flat plane of glass through which the terrible right above is reflected. And there, behind you, is the tower. An endless dark tower rising all the way up to that which cannot be seen. The only true building in a City of shadows.

You are Unseen.

2/3
>>
>>3298211

Two people stand there alone on the glass plane, surrounded by the smoky remains of mere mortal folk. Two women. One woman is red, a wretched figure soaked in burgundy essence that constantly drips into the glass below. Her head is broken open like clay at the top and stars spill out. The other woman is a much more heroic figure, a vibrant blue-skinned creature with green undertones to her skin and hair. Her eyes are portals into the howling void.
You would...you think you are the second girl. She seems about righ-

*!

Fuck off! As if you’re Gloriana! You revert to Sofia, to the You that you cannot forget more than temporarily.
“That little perspective trick won’t work on me anymore, Gloriana!”
It reminds you a lot of what Giuseppina once showed you with her invisibility. How she could reach out and touch people or interfere with them and, if their minds weren’t elevated, their own minds would come up with reasons to explain it away. She could pull a ribbon from a woman’s hair and that woman would just think that she must have forgotten to wear one today. Oronzo could do something similar but much less effectively and he needed a tool to do so. But you, you can see through both of them. And you can see through Gloriana’s trick too if need be.
“I’ll see right through it.”

“Just like you saw through that bottle thing, right?”
Gloriana cackles, her tongue finally somewhat unchained now that you’re in the Wake. She pulls off her glasses and without even looking, tosses them into the distance! They phase through what remains of a building and vanish.
“It’s not your perspective that matters, you cute little thing! So see through whatever you like!”

“What are those eyes supposed to be, anyway? And don’t tell me that they’re a technique your master taught you!”
Bullshit. You’re the only person who can learn like that.

“My master? Oh. I only learned one technique from that bozo. These things? I worked for them. Ever since our last fight...our last experience before that. It woke something in me. I wanted to be able to force my perspective on the world too!”
She shrugs.
“It’s a bit hit and miss normally. I didn’t even mean to diminish you, I just lost track of perspective and thought you were closer than you were. You know how closer objects look smaller? But here in the Wake they’re another thing entirely shortstuff!”

You hastily check yourself. You’re still 5’6.

“Had you worried for a moment there, didn’t I?”

“Ugh. Shut up.”

She probably won’t. That’s why you’re going to shut her up personally with this.
>>
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>>3298217
It's time for the opening blow! Choose one Technique.

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]Move the highest value die from your Technique Pool to your Composure Pool.

>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Damage from this Technique is dealt first to your opponent’s Strike Pool, treating the dice within as if they were Composure dice for the purposes of destruction. The difference between the highest dice value in the Strike Pool and the damage rolled is then dealt to the Technique Pool in the same fashion. And if the damage continues to overflow, the remainder is inflicted upon the Composure Pool in the same way.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.
>>
>>3298227
>>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

I guess we should get started with this.
>>
>>3298227
>>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.
>>
Here are my predictions: We CCx4 and Gloriana does something, and then we FB and win. It's a flawless plan, and Ouro should close the vote before the elegancefags come back.
>>
>>3298227
>Elegance: Flourish

I don't want to show her TCC yet, she doesn't know about the can't lose portion. I think.

Also I hope this perfect waifu wasn't shaken too badly by our last fight. I hope she didn't do anything drastic to herself. Even if she can't win the Sophiabowl anymore she deserves true happiness.
>>
>>3298251
Didn't elegance do very well last time because we predicted her perfectly?
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3298272
I think maybe that's because we knew her moves. That might have something to do with it. Just a guess, I don't really know.
>>
>>3298266
Gloriana is our best frenemy. Not truly a friend, and not truly an enemy.
She's sort of like an annoying cousin who annoys the fuck out of us... and Sofia always ends up taking the bait.
>>
>>3298277
She said she only learned one new move. I'm guessing she has a new ability to go with the eyes.
>>
>>3298294
Then I'll be an elegancechad when we see it.
>>
>Tempered Counting Coup

Stepping forward, you unsling your coat and ready it for its usual use. You’ll whip it into her face and when she’s distracted, you’ll gain the advantage!

You step forward and at the same time...Gloriana lowers her sabre.

“Eh?”

>TEMPERED COUNTING COUP

>Gloriana uses a Flourish called Open Guard!

>Open Guard: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. If you have a Stance active, deactivate it and generate a d8 instead. This does not count as breaking your Stance for the purposes of effects.

You flick the edge of your coat up at her but she’s already stepping back and as she does so, she swivels and lashes out with a kick! Her boot knocks your coat out of the air and almost flicks it right back at you!

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 1d4

>Gloriana’s Technique Pool: 1d4

“There you go sweet thing,” she stays, still holding the high kick pose for unnecessarily long as you stumble back. “You looked so curious I decided to show you the little thing I picked up from my master.”

“Should have figured. It was too graceful for you.”

“Aw, don’t be mean! You seem stronger too Sofia, you don’t have to be jealous. But everything else you’re going to see from this point out is a Gloriana Morello original.”
She licks her lips.

Well, at least you know your card is still working. If all else fails you can use the helpless attractiveness that you learned from Sabino to turn the tides. And is that really all she has? It doesn’t seem that bad.

>Duel Status: https://pastebin.com/Y3kbwCx0
>>
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>>3298305
Choose three options for the first queue!

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]Move the highest value die from your Technique Pool to your Composure Pool.

>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Damage from this Technique is dealt first to your opponent’s Strike Pool, treating the dice within as if they were Composure dice for the purposes of destruction. The difference between the highest dice value in the Strike Pool and the damage rolled is then dealt to the Technique Pool in the same fashion. And if the damage continues to overflow, the remainder is inflicted upon the Composure Pool in the same way.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.
>>
>>3298294
So you think she switched out Professional Provocateur for the eyes then?
If that's the case, then one of the techs have been replaced.
Gain Some Distance, Crushing Grip, Flashing Steel, Unassailable Rookie, Underhanded deflection, counting coup.

I think she got rid of crushing grip and replaced it with something. But we won't know until we're further along.
>>
>>3298312
Ooooh nooooooo

Now we'll be still in gain some distance and open guard hell

it synergizes well!

also I told you guys we shoulda gone with elegance: flourish. I had that gut feeling.


>Elegance: Trick
>TCC
>Elegance: Flourish

>>3298315
I'd have dropped UD. Sucks, especially without the PP synergy.

>>3298287
Gloriana is a PERFECT WOMAN and the knowledge that she isn't real drives me to tears every night.
>>
>>3298312
>Elegance: Trick
>TCC
>TCC
If she dropped underhanded deflection for open guard, then she'll be going for gain some distance
she gains a d4. Then stance, which open guard will take advantage of gaining a d8.
>>
>>3298312
>Elegance Trick
>Elegance Strike
>Tcc
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3298312
Last minute vote swap to autism man >>3298338
. He's got his head screwed in right.

>Elegance: Trick
>TCC
>TCC
>>
>>3298338
My thinking exactly
Except I see no reason why she wouldn't use open guard at the end of the round to prep gfd next round, hence Elegance 2 at the end.
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>>3298362
>>3298363
bro...
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>>3298363
Alright then. The vote is called for this.
>>
>>3298363
Who knows, I might be terribly wrong... like with Alba. Conking out for a bit, waking up 10 minutes all confused and exhausted... and then going "hey, let's take this totally unknown combo that some anon suggested even though I had written down what to do and not to do".
>>
>>3298376
That reminds me, we should probably use the template we had used to reason out what need to do.
>action
>action
>action

>vs. Gloriana x3 action
explanation why

In any case, it's late. I'm going to bed.
>>
>Elegance: Trick
>Tempered Counting Coup
>Tempered Counting Coup

You know exactly what she’s going to do. Those new moves of hers gave the whole game away! She’s going to jump back and disengage, taking advantage of her new fluidity to reject and assume her defensive stances over and over as convenient for her.
Does she even know how obvious it is? So in that case, you’ll feint a slash to make her gain some distance and then close the distance immediately after! You can see it laid out clear in your head. She’s going to do that. And it’ll end with you in a position of hopeless advantage over her.

You feint and just as predicted, Gloriana disenages and leaps back!

>Gloriana uses Gain Some Distance!

>Gain Some Distance: [TRICK]Destroy all dice in your opponent’s Strike Pool. If it was already empty, generate a d4 in your Composure Pool and your opponent is prevented from siphoning dice to their Strike Pool this round. You must then activate a valid Stance in this same action. You cannot use this Technique if you already have a Stance active.

>Gloriana’s Composure: 6d4, 1d10

Gloriana jumps back but as she dances across the glass floor, she doesn’t assume the stance you’ve seen her take many times before. Instead she just holds her sabre out ahead of her and locks you in her gaze! Her tiny yellow irises swell until they’re filling most of her eyes with burning diamonds. It’s like staring into a pair of lanterns!

And as you take your first step forward to close the distance as you planned, you feel everything around you grow just a little more elastic.
“It is done,” Gloriana says, her voice breathy and excited. “So help me, I’ve gone and done it.”

>Gloriana chooses a Stance named Warped Perspectives!

>Warped Perspectives: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, at the end of each round, if a duellist chose a Trick they gain a stack of Big. If a duellist chose a Flourish, they gain a stack of Small. Big and Small stacks cancel each other out. For every stack of Big a duellist has, they have an effective +1 to the sides of all dice in all their dicepools. For every stack of Small a duellist has, they have an effective -1 to the sides of all dice in all their dicepools. Dice are still treated as their original sizes for the purposes of effects that target or require dice. Whether this Stance is active or not, stacks of either status are completely cleared by using a Strike. Is only active while you have a d4 in your Composure.

What’s going on? The ground seems to slip under your feet for a moment but you don’t let that slow you down. So maybe her stance is a little odd and her eyes are creepy, so what? She’s still doing exactly as you predicted!
You close the distance and…

>ELEGANCE: Trick

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 2d4

>Elegance Prediction Bonus: 1d4

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 3d4

1/4
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>>3298498
And we're fucked.
>>
>>3298498

>At the end of the round, Sofia gains 1 stack of Small for choosing a Flourish!

>At the end of the round, Gloriana gains 1 stack of Big for choosing a Trick!

...and you nearly run right into Gloriana’s kneecaps.

“Wait what?”
You jump back, doing your best to disengage from the towering girl! Your head is barely level with the hem of her skirt. And above it all, her eyes continue to burn like fire.

“Do you get it now, Sophie? I’ve changed the rules of the world! So now you’re a little less than 3 feet and I’m a 11 and a half! Didn’t you learn from before? Running up to me like that just makes you smaller.”

“I...I…”

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 3d3 (1 Small)
>Sofia’s Composure: 3d3, 1d5, 1d7, 1d11 (1 Small)

>Gloriana’s Technique Pool: 1d5 (1 Big)
>Gloriana’s Composure: 6d5, 1d11 (1 Big)

“Thanks for giving me the idea last time we met, with all your cute little wriggling!”

Still in shock, you take another step back but not quick enough. Gloriana kicks, your head being a little too low for her sword, and her steel-plated sole takes you right in the chest! The force of the blow sends you flying back like a doll, bouncing and skidding across the glass.
“But don’t worry,” Gloriana calls out. “It doesn’t work entirely like it should. If this had been in reality, one kick should basically kill someone like you. But in the Wake...it’s hard to say but I think you can still fight despite being all small and cute. You just can’t fight very well.”

>Gloriana’s ability, Professional Provocateur, activates!

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 2d3 (1 Small)
>Sofia’s Strike Pool: 1d3 (1 Small)

You rise to your feet and gaze up at the monster before you. You’re not going to give up. You’re not going to lose!

And then Gloriana is there in front of you again, her strides covering the distance of four of yours. She’s not even bothering to lift her sabre, her intent clearly showing that she no longer considers you worthy it. Instead she’s pulling a weighted ribbon free from the top of her vest!

“Yoohoo~”

>Gloriana is using a Trick called Smothering Submission!

>Smothering Submission: [TRICK]If your opponent is at least one increment smaller than you, lower the sides of all the dice currently in your opponent’s Technique pool by 1. Additionally, if an opponent is at least four increments smaller than you, negate their Technique this turn. At the end of this round, if your opponent is at least ten increments smaller than you, destroy all dice in their Composure Pool.

You raise your arm to guard just in time, stopping the ribbon from slapping you across the face! But even so, the corded metal inside is now heavy enough to send an awful pain crashing right up through your shoulder!
“Augh!”
Tears rise up unbidden.

2/4
>>
>>3298502
>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 2d2 (1 Small)

>TEMPERED COUNTING COUP

You throw your coat up at her face to block her vision and she doesn’t even bother to stop it, letting it drape across her face.
“Oh dear. Is that really it, Sophie?”

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 2d2, 1d5 (1 Small)

And as you watch, the distance between the two of you grows as she doubles in size once more and you diminish even further. You’re now standing in between her ankles and looking up gives you a decidedly unwanted view.
Above, Gloriana peels your coat off her face. It’s smaller than a handkerchief to her.

>At the end of the round, Sofia gains 1 Small for using a Flourish!

>At the end of the round, Gloriana gains 1 Big for using a Trick!

“Oh noooo,” Gloriana says. “Come on Sophie. I told you that I’d trained up a new style to beat your usual tricks against me and...and you go for the standard stuff anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be my rival?”

>Gloriana’s ability, Professional Provocateur, activates!

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 2d1, 1d4 (2 Small)
>Sofia’s Strike Pool: 1d1, 1d2 (2 Small)
>Sofia’s Composure: 3d2, 1d4, 1d6, 1d10 (2 Small)

Gloriana looms over you, an impassable wall.

>Gloriana’s Technique Pool: 1d6 (2 Big)
>Gloriana’s Composure: 6d6, 1d12 (2 Big)

You’ve got to do something! You can still fight!

>Gloriana uses Smothering Submission!

She sinks down to her knees, still far larger than you and twirls her ribbon across the ground. It sweeps you off your feet and as you struggle to your feet, a pair of giant fingers close around your leg and lift you into the air. The world spins out around you as Gloriana rises with you helplessly trapped. Her shining eyes meet yours and, perhaps a little bit too late, you think that perhaps you don’t want to appear helplessly seductive right now.
“Hey Sophie...don’t feel too bad. It’s going to be just like old times.”

And just like that, she drops you down the top of her vest. And you find yourself, once more, in a very familiar predicament, trapped between two walls of flesh that each weigh more than your entire body. Your sword-arm is pinned to your side!
‘What do you think?,” Gloriana asks, her volume and the warmth of her body drowning out all other information. “You made such an impression on me last time! Why not a repeat?”

You are starting to regret using Sabino’s wish for this. You’ve only made her worse.

You try to escape or at least, to wriggle into a position where your arm is free. But what’s the point?

>TEMPERED COUNTING COUP

>Smothering Submission negates Tempered Counting Coup due to at least four increments of size difference!

Just as you thought. You’re helpless.

>At the end of the round, Sofia gains 1 Small for choosing a Flourish!

>At the end of the round, Gloriana gains 1 Big for choosing a Trick!

3/4
>>
>>3298506

And then, what had felt like an impossible prison of flesh swells and grows further and the only thing you can do is slide deeper down. Are you still getting smaller? This makes what happened with the bottle look like a joke!
You reach out with your free arm as you sink but in the end darkness closes over you.

“What’s wrong?”
You feel her voice through the medium of flesh more than you hear at this point. Every word, every breath, sends you tossing and turning.
“I thought you enjoyed this. Better luck next time?"

>Gloriana’s ability, Professional Provocateur, activates!

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 1d0, 1d3 (3 Small)
>Sofia’s Strike Pool: 2d0, 1d1 (3 Small)
>Sofia’s Composure: 3d1, 1d3, 1d5, 1d9 (3 Small)

>Gloriana’s Technique Pool: 1d7 (3 Big)
>Gloriana’s Composure: 6d7, 1d13 (3 Big)


You have trouble thinking for a moment, the massive drumbeat of Gloriana’s heartbeat drowning out coherent thought.
Anger boils inside you but what can you do? You’re helpless. So it’s nothing but an empty frustration that turns to poison inside your gut. Why is this happening? It’s not fair!

It’s just not fair.
>>
Duel status: https://pastebin.com/P65LpyZC

Choose three options for the next queue!

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]Move the highest value die from your Technique Pool to your Composure Pool.

>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Damage from this Technique is dealt first to your opponent’s Strike Pool, treating the dice within as if they were Composure dice for the purposes of destruction. The difference between the highest dice value in the Strike Pool and the damage rolled is then dealt to the Technique Pool in the same fashion. And if the damage continues to overflow, the remainder is inflicted upon the Composure Pool in the same way.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.
>>
>>3298513
Well we lose automatically now.

If we had crushing grip we might stand a chance, but without it to clear effects? We autolose. Especially since small and big will affect Helpless beauty.
>>
>>3298519
>FS
>FS
>TCC
To not instantly lose. But yeah, we lost.
>>
>>3298521
Them's the breaks, I guess don't pick the wrong loadout based on no knowledge next time nerd! :^)
>>
>>3298529
It is what it is. Though Gloriana did more or less mention that she'd trained to stop the old method/loadout that beat her.

>>3298521
Not entirely. After Gloriana Strikes once, she loses all of her Stacks.
>>
Oh shoot, I didn't expect a whole new moveset designed just to counter us. That's dedication.

>>3298519
I thought dice couldn't be reduced below 1, was that just underhanded deflection?
Shit, she can just smother us every round and win.

Actually I want GTx3 this round.
>GTx3
>>
>>3298519
I honestly have no idea how we're going to counter this.

We picked the exact wrong set up for this duel.


>>3298529
Fuck off I picked a set up that would have worked but got told it was bad cause it did not make us invulnerable.

>>3298528
Why FS twice? The second one does NOTHING. We'd have spent all our dice on the first to no effect.

>>3298538
and we'd still have nth degree of small stacks on us making helpless's return useless. Assuming she does not just spam trick to autokill us.

>>3298541
Won't help. She's just going to build stack and smash us anyways and we'll have no dice to counter. Worse she can null TCC so this battle is over. Especially we picked a trick we need tech dice to use instead of UD.


honestly Ouro should just save his time and call the match. If she plays smart we literally cannot win here.
>>
>>3298548
>Smothering Submission: [TRICK]If your opponent is at least one increment smaller than you, lower the sides of all the dice currently in your opponent’s Technique pool by 1. Additionally, if an opponent is at least four increments smaller than you, negate their Technique this turn. At the end of this round, if your opponent is at least ten increments smaller than you, destroy all dice in their Composure Pool.

FS or FB doesn't matter. It's to reset our Composure dice size.
>>
Yeah for the record, Warped Perspectives works off what Techniques you *choose*, not what Techniques you use. So if it's negated it still counts for the purposes of status stacks.

That applies to Strikes as well, I just miswrote it.
>>
>>3298553
and the double reset won't do shit.

She's going to keep spamming Submission and null or strike anyways. She has us stunlocked. She's going to keep us stunlocked. Trick takes priority so she can keep spamming trick until we lose. This is basically the same shit The Rose Ring mistress did.


She's going to trick 4 more times, keeping us stunlocked and win. oh nvm.

>>3298556
It only clears ours not hers yeah?

So she'll still have 4 big on us or more.

Would we lose tech dice to comp if a GT got negated?
>>
>>3298541

And then she just uses Open Guard to stance break, and we sit there gritting our teeth like an idiot while she builds up dice for a full queue, failing to gain any size because her stance is broken?

And remember, size is a lot more of a swing on offense than on defense. +X gets applied to every single die you roll on attack, but effectively only applies once to comp dice because of how they break.

To be honest, if she's making a read on us and planning to go for dice generation this queue, assuming we'll sit around tricking like a moron...

We should probably get our TCCs in this round. We have a d8 and a d10 coming up the pipeline. I seriously doubt she'll just keep sizing up on us.

Regardless though, spamming Gritted Teeth is also bad because until we clear out these Smalls, it's just gonna be running on the treadmill. Gritted Teeth clears one Small, while a FB or FS clears three.

But yeah, I think that she's expecting us to Trick Grind this round, and it's gonna just get us nowhere. We should be working on Dice Gen this round.

TCC/TCC/FB might even be an option. It'd at least break her d4s in comp and set her back a bit. Then it'd just be a matter of hoping we can get her to PP a dice into our Strike so she HAS to use flashing steel before she GSDs again? It's not 100% clear why she'd be dumb enough to do that I guess, but I think that trick grinding this turn is just a trap.
>>
>>3298562
>It only clears ours not hers yeah?

Correct.

>Would we lose tech dice to comp if a GT got negated?
No.
>>
>>3298519
>Fs to her Smother
>Elegance Flourish to her Open Guard
>FB to her FS
>>
>>3298564
But if she keeps spamming SS she kills us with those plans
>>
Hey guys, I know this looks sloppy but I'm administering a mid-duel patch after I realised that Gloriana technically has a hard-lock that is impossible to escape from. One where she just slowly jiggles you to death until Professional Provocateur runs you out of Composure dice.

I'm fine with Gloriana winning but this is an interaction she's not supposed to have.

So with this in mind, from now on, Smothering Submission now needs 6 increments of size difference to negate a Technique.
Gloriana was just using it stronger than normal in the first round because it's still so fresh and untested for her!
>>
>>3298592
We have 6 increments of difference anyway now, so it's moot.
>>
>>3298592
I think you made her too strong Boss. She could wipe just about anyone with how she is now.
>>
>>3298592
To elaborate on how I think that.

She can literally spam one move to make a death spiral with her PP and stance. It goes into a stunlock REALLY fast if she catches someone trying to build dice with flourishes. And from there she can spam trick and win easily. She continuously makes herself harder and harder to harm by trick spamming while her opponent is either nulled or pisses away their dice trying to futilely harm her. With GSD she can even keep setting it up. ad nauseum until she autowins and no one can stop her.
>>
>>3298599

But a strike will clear 3 of those, so even if she grows again the gap will only be 4.

The biggest problem is that Gritted Teeth is the WORST trick for this loadout. With any other trick, we could let her generate tech/strike dice for us with PP while tricking to match her growth, since Big is stronger as an offensive bonus than as a defensive bonus. It's the downside to her build, it potentially empowers her opponent to blow her out with a big strike by accelerating their dice while they Big up to multiply that roll.

We just happened to pick a trick that stalls out PP. Which is... unfortunate, and is probably going to lose us the duel at this point.

>>3298607
With a more informed loadout, we could just use her trick against her and blow her out, in all likelihood. She doesn't seem OP, we just got quagmired in the opening queue because we dueled immediately and had no data on what she could do.

At least nothing important is at stake.

Don't forget how Gloriana seemed unbeatable in our first duel, but then in our second duel we crunched her almost instantly. She's a gimmick duelist, and we got cheesed again. Live and learn.
>>
>>3298621
In essence she only needs
GSD, her stance and SS and she will beat ANYONE not explicitly specced to beat her like she did us.

>>3298623
Issue is if she spammed trick we'd need to do so as well or else our dice would just do nothing. and she will always take the lead on that. Moreover we literally cannot build dice and keep pace with her, only one or the other and by the time we build enough dice to break her, she'll have gotten to big she won't fall to it.
>>
>>3298519
>FS
>Elegance: Trick
>GT

This is expecting her to go for more tricks. Elegance gives us 2 dice, GT consumes one, so this way we at least slow down size ddifference increase while genning Tech. Hopefully we can gen enough to destroy her d4s

If she strikes, the better - HB will proc and hopefully break her d4s, and we have enough tools to come back from broken.
>>
Note for next time we fight Gloriana: Load Crushing Grip and Underhanded Deflection instead of Flashing Steel and Gritted Teeth. We'd be in a strong position to blow her out immediately if we could queue both of those this round.
>>
>>3298627
The only way she's really beatable is if someone gets a dice gen tech that starts off with a d6 or even d8 and builds. D4 starts means we won't get it big enough to do anything with how slow elegance and CC are.


>>3298628
What do you expect from her queu? Run us through your reasoning?

>>3298631
I did and got told it's bad cause we'd not be invulnerable...
>>
For the record, I don't think Gloriana is at all unbeatable for anyone who knows about her beforehand. You guys couldn't have known and wound up in the worst case scenario, that of a triple Flourish queue running into right into it.

Will write when the tie is broken.
>>
>>3298632
>What do you expect from her queu? Run us through your reasoning?

I expect trick spam or a big strike somewhere.
>>
>>3298638
Ok.

That's vague and half assed. Literally no one has explained what the expect her to do this turn except me. Give us a turn by turn of your expected queu for her. That's the only way we'll stand a chance of beating her, not vague what ifs.
>>
>>3298632

Well you made a smarter vote than the anons who won, then. The real problem right now is that we can't trick or strike without siphoning away our dice.

If we could just build up our Big with trick while letting her PP give us dice for the Big to buff, or if we could clear Small (and destroy HER d4 composure/tech dice) with Crushing Grip, without blowing our whole tech pool, we'd be in a much better situation here.

Silent Waters and Helpless Beauty won't help us if she just gets big enough to stunlock us and drain our Composure to 0 with PP.

So basically our Loadout is exactly the worst one we could've picked for this particular fight. We had no way of knowing that, but I do think people are overestimating her a bit. She's not generally that strong, her build is just totally cheesy as all hell.
>>
>>3298654
We use a strike to clear our small (which we can do since she negates our technique's effects but not the strike clearing itself.)

I kinda expect her to get one more SS in and then Open guard and smack us for a lot of hits.


Circle guard would also work to deal with her big stacks if we have a tech die.
>>
>>3298628

Backing this
>>
>>3298674
Why?
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>I fuckings fell asleep.

Ah tits, sorry mates. I wasn't there to work my masterful plan, my bad. Let's see if we can't fix this dumpster dire then.
>>
>>3298692
Votes over. We've probably already lost.
>>
Also Christ anons, we need to prepare for the helpless beauty turnaround.
>>
>>3298696

If she smothers us to death, helpless beauty will not be of any use. The final ability of Smother doesn't have any strike dice to return to Gloriana.

We need to force her to strike hard so we can break her with the retaliation and immediately strike for the kill.

It's the only unanticipated move we have.
>>
Should've gone Gritted Teeth x3 and hoped that she didn't kill us until round 3 which she may not. HOWEVER, if all goes well helpless beauty should turn this around all the same. God damnit... Why did t you GT x3 we have helpless beauty...
>>
>>3298713
FS clears the small stacks faster.
GT x3 would not remove the smalls nearly as fast.
>>
>>3298710
We literally can grind her to a standstill on that front using gritted teeths. We DONT have to have it activate, we have to choose it. All that is. This fight is already torpedoes until we can proceed helpless. Let's NOT fight a losing battle here.
>>
But I'm glad you got a use out of her flashing steel anyways. Let's see how fucked we are at the end of this round and consider if we're able to reverse the perspective trick fast.
>>
What would happen if there is a draw? Aka we not bleed eachother the same turn? Would there be a rematch?
>>
>>3298725
If, not 'not', auto correct fuck.
>>
>>3298716
no we can't GT are limited, we need tech dice for GT.
>>
Ah wait, stacks clear with strikes. Nevermind some of the stuff I said then. Lemme rethink this situation with a tea I'm hand.
>>
>Flashing Steel
>Elegance: Trick
>Gritted Teeth

How did Gloriana get so strong? Right now, in the darkness of your own head, Gloriana is somehow even bigger than she already is. You can’t beat her. Nobody can. She’s awakened to a duelling technique that can break the world. Your thoughts flash briefly to a future filled with Ringleader Glorianas, tournament champion Glorianas and you nowhere to be seen.

And with that in mind, you finally free your sword-arm. The bigger the bitch, the more they can bleed.

>FLASHING STEEL

>Gloriana uses Open Guard!


>Sofia rolls 3d0, 1d1 and 1d3 for damage! It cannot harm Gloriana’s lowest Technique dice of d7.

>Gloriana’s Technique Pool: 1d7, 1d11 (3 Big)

>Open Guard cancels Warped Perspective! Flourishes and Tricks will no longer gain either duellists stacks of Big or Small but currently existing stacks stay and continue to have effect! Strikes still break all stacks upon the duellist who chooses Strike.

>At the end of the round, Sofia loses 3 Small for choosing a Strike!

>Sofia’s Composure: 3d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12

As you try to drive your sabre into the flesh around you, Gloriana makes a noise that, if you had both been the same size, might have been a squeak. And though you can’t possibly see her face, at that moment, she steps back and closes her eyes.

Your face rams into the side of her breast as you suddenly snap back to your proper size and shape, Gloriana’s perspective no longer ruling you. You burst free from her vest and ...and find yourself very high up in the air. You’re returned to your normal size. But Gloriana is still 46 feet tall.

“Fuck.”

You fall to the ground and roll, glass rippling beneath you as flop across it like a drowning fish. But because it’s the Wake, nothing breaks and you don’t bleed. You roll to your feet as above you, Gloriana slowly raises her massive foot.
“Well, you’re a bit bigger now but not really enough. How do you feel about being stepped on? Some people would pay for this privilege!”

“Can’t we just duel? Like...with our swords? You know? Swing them around? Instead of being an unwilling participant in your fucking sex fetish?”

Gloriana laughs.
“Well, aren’t you plucky? And no.”

The boot comes down…

>ELEGANCE: Trick

>Gloriana uses Condescending Poke!

>Condescending Poke: [STRIKE]If you have a stack of Big, siphon the single highest dice in your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Repeat this process for every stack of Big you currently possess. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to deal damage. If you are at least one increment larger than your opponent, the damage from this attack treats their Composure dice as if they had no stacks of Big. For every Composure dice that your opponent would lose from this attack’s damage, retain it and instead give them one stack of Small. If this would have destroyed your opponent’s last Composure dice, you do not lose any stacks of Big this turn.

1./2
>>
>>3298746

And just as you dodge the falling foot, she squats down to her knees once again and tries to slam a finger right down upon your back!
"Whoopsy daisy!"

>Roll 1d7 and 1d11 for Gloriana’s attack!
>>
Rolled 2 (1d11)

>>3298748
Nat 11

Let's end this
>>
Rolled 7 (1d7)

>>3298748
and we fell for it again watch her get 18 dice
>>
Noted.
>>
Alright, I think we can do this. I wonder how she has upgraded her strike, if she has at all. This will be a lot more dangerous if her strike is better then flashing steel. Otherwise we should be careful not to get wiped out on the 1st or 2rd turn in a round. We need to build up a size difference for when she attacks, of she attacks, and then survive our recovery.
>>
Fuckings Christ in a handbasket, we're saved! Thank you: >>3298749
>>
We lived. But now it's time for real nigga hours dueling for the Americlaps and barely awake euros.

We all know how that goes.
>>
Hmmm, shit, her Main shtick is still gonna be stacking small on us. At least we can clear that with a strike. I wonder if she's trying to finish us off after this.
>>
Damnit, I really would have hoped for this to shave off her dice, we really , really can't let her get ahead in the size department.
>>
>>3298733
We can totally use GT without any Tech dice, it just won't move any dice then.
>>
>>3298769
correction, our composure dice.
>>
Alright lads, here's how im feeling this. Any attempts by us to gather enough dice for an attack wont work. We need to play her game, and force her to build up an attack that breaks us, and doesnt bleed size. If we try to do anything else we're just asking for her to squish us. This is a weapons race from now on, Goodspeed lads.
>>
>2, 7
>9 damage
>9 damage would destroy five of Sofia’s Composure dice but instead it does not. Instead Sofia will gain 5 stacks of Small.

Her finger isn’t quite as long as you are but it’s damn close. It strikes you in the back and then, beneath its weight, drives you back down into the watery glass. She’s not even trying to crush you or anything! She’s just...keeping her finger there to hold you down. It’s humiliating.

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 1d4

Needless to say, you weren’t expecting this.

>Elegance Prediction Bonus: N/A

>At the end of the round, Gloriana loses 3 Big stacks due to choosing a Strike!

“Bugger,” you hear Gloriana say as she lifts her finger off of you. “I’ve shrunk back down to normal. That’s the problem with these eyes you see. At some point you have to blink.”

Aha! Seizing your chance, you leap back up and...stare up Gloriana’s skirt, which is itself bafflingly high up. You’re about as tall as the heel on her boot. Sure...maybe she went back to normal. But now you’re fucking two inches high!

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 1d0 (5 Small)
>Sofia’s Composure: 3d0, 1d1, 1d3, 1d7 (5 Small)

“Where are you Sophie? Where did you go?”

On the plus side, at least she can’t see you down here! You’ll have to try and take advantage of that!

>GRITTED TEETH

>Gloriana uses Gain Some Distance!

You’re out of it right now, your mind is reeling. You need to psyche yourself back into shape. And so, just as the giant Gloriana leaps backwards, you grit your teeth, ball your fists and focus on being as big as possible! Size doesn’t matter! You’re going to win! Your nerve isn’t going to break!

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: Empty
>Sofia’s Composure: 4d0, 1d1, 1d3, 1d7 (5 Small)

And just as you do that, Gloriana lands a few feet away, her eyes blazing like stars in the sky!

>Gloriana re-activates Warped Perspective!

>At the end of turn, Sofia gains 1 stack of Big due to choosing a Trick. It negates a Small stack!

>At the end of turn, Gloriana gains 1 stack of Big due to choosing a Trick!

>Sofia’s Composure: 4d0, 1d2, 1d4, 1d8 (4 Small)

>Gloriana’s Composure: 6d5, 1d11 (1 Big)

“Ah! There you are, my little cutie-pie! Are you ready for another fun time?”
>>
>>3298780
Duel Status: https://pastebin.com/JZ55verr

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]Move the highest value die from your Technique Pool to your Composure Pool.

>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Damage from this Technique is dealt first to your opponent’s Strike Pool, treating the dice within as if they were Composure dice for the purposes of destruction. The difference between the highest dice value in the Strike Pool and the damage rolled is then dealt to the Technique Pool in the same fashion. And if the damage continues to overflow, the remainder is inflicted upon the Composure Pool in the same way.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.
>>
Count with me anons, does she even have another strike except CP?
>>
>>3298785
She might, she still has 1 unrevealed move.
>>
>>3298780
>Flashing Steel
>Gritted Teeth
>Gritted Teeth

We NEED to start building up our size stacks pronto. She lives off of having a big size difference, and she'll just squish any dice we generate anyways. We cant play our game, we must play hers. She'll start generating some dice somehow and that should let us close the distance in that regard. Now its all going to be about that size stack race.

Also fuck Captcha
>>
>>3298786
I'd be suprised if she doesnt have a proper way to kill us, as backup. She might have flashing steel.
>>
>>3298789
Flashing steel is kinda a shit way to kill us

>>3298784
She has no real way to build dice right now and we’re no threat so I expect her first turn to be
>Open Gaurd
Which gives her a d9.
She’ll likely expect us to clear small again so likely do a GSD for perspective.
Likely expects us to Elegance it
Then she’ll smother to attempt to have her d6 not broken by our 3d3

So I say Elegance Flourish
Elegance Trick
FS or FB
>>
>>3298784
Okay, let's think.
Gloriana's ways of defeating us are:
1. Get 10 size difference then strike
2. Destroy our Comp with a strike that she might not even have, then strike again.

Her ways of gettign size difference are:
1. Using tricks
2. Expecting us to use flourishes
3. Getting a lot of tech and using CP

Gloriana's only way of genning tech so far is Open Guard.
>>
>>3298801
What's the purpose of this though?
If we get both Elegances we'll have 4d4 and 2 Small, so 4d2. Then FB simply destroys them.

Also breaking her d4s isn't too useful because GSD will generate a d4 for her.
>>
>>3298801
Lets not play the flourish game. Gloriana is still somewhat meh on building up tech as >>3298802 says, but she gets stronger the bigger the size difference. She already GSD and cant do that. We NEED to clear out size now because there is no reason to do so otherwise. Our attack doesnt have to do anything to clear out the stacks, we just have to declare it.
>>
>>3298805
We’re at 4 small she is at 1 big. We’d get FB mulled and clear small so she’d have 4d4 against her d8

>>3298809
The reason is she is expecting us too. If we do exactly as she expects we will lose. We need to predict her predictions and then subvert them. That’s how Sofia wins.

Playing her game gets us stuck in the death loop
>>
So, here's my gameplan for this fight. Playing the flourish game is a no go, we need to start gaining size. As we gain size we'll become more difficult to kill, and we become a greater threat to her. If we end the round without any dice in our tech pool, she'll siphon the lowest comp dice off us which is actually fantastic for us, so the longer this game goes on the stronger we become. We just need to make sure that her poke doesnt manage to "break" our last comp dice, and continue this charade until we get strong enough to beat her. Im standing by my original suggestion:
>>3298787
>>
>>3298813
No, you're not subverting anything by doing elegance. It has always been our shtick. We can easily win this, but we CANT start generating dice YET. Seriously, if there is a veto option im vetoing your suggestion as it gets us fuckings nowhere fast anyways. We Must attack first round to clear our small stacks and then we need to start doing tricks to gain large stacks, there is no other option.
>>
>>3298819
As I understand it, the anon's plan relies on Gloriana using SS in the third round. If he's right, our FB will get nullified but will still clear the Small stacks.
>>
>>3298815

Remember that if we aren't the same size or larger than Gloriana, Poke ignores our stacks of Big.

I think the macro plan will be to provoke another Poke that isn't enough to kill us, and still ending up with a small pile of Big. We need to get ahead of her on BIg stacks. The moment we do, she's stuck with whatever her last move is
>>
As I've said before, and as was my gameplan when I first suggested the build we're using now, we can use prof provocateur against her. We need to drag this out until we become more powerful, if we can manage to gain more size stacks then her while at the same time bleed off our lower composure we will win. We need to bide for time, not do futile attempts at attacks now.
>>
Okay, anons, since It seems a lot of people here have difficulty catching on, I Will hace to spell It out. You are all morons.

Why is that, you might wonder?

>Getting into a duel without knowing the kit of the opponent

The only possible way we have to win matches again tricky loadouts is to anticipate every possible movement, that is, letting the autists here have all the time and info they need to crunch the numbers. Our strength bases itself on countering, not duelling.

>Fighting against an opponent which has prepared to counter US.

Dont give that shit we could not prepare against It. Those eyes Should be instantly recognizable and our curse would be a great help at interrogating Gloriana's máster.

>Not playing dirty.

The trick of the coin would have given US a technique. Putting the black bile in her drink Should have throw her off. Not doing any of that, agaisnt Gloria a if all people is suicide.

Our only chance here is to prevent her Flashing Steel to force a draw with our ability.
>>
>>3298823
We can’t though at best we match her. Even if we cleared small now we’d be behind and gt spam doesn’t help when she open guard. In short matching her stacks is futile.

>>3298819
You either anticipate your enemy or lose. Blinding scrabbling in a game of catch up is what she wants. This quest is based on Sofia putting together the puzzles of people’s style anticipating them and then beating them.


>>3298825
Once the duel started we could not do any of that sadly.
>>
Take into account Gloriana needs two strikes to kill US. Having a d0 in Composture avoids bleed.
>>
>>3298820
That's a gamble and a half. We can win this without doing such a large risk. Also even so since she'd have built up size stacks at that point that probably wouldnt be able to kill her anyways.
>>3298823
Yes, which is why we need to start building up size stacks. We have to play for time here, not try and end things fast. When she starts generating tech dice we'll be able to close the distance on that front, which means her poke wont be dangerous, just annoying.

Trust me lads, nothing good will come out of just falling into Gloriana's hands like this by attempting to 'predict her' with elegance and shit, her abilities NEED her to be larger then us, lets NOT give it to her.
>>
>>3298828
Your blind obsession with anticipating the opponent is gonna lose us this duel. We win duels by analysing, elegance isnt some magic move that wins us the duel if we use it a couple of times correctly.

Gloriana has set the rules with her Stance, we need to follow them. Elegance is fuckings useless until we can change the current circumstances.
>>
>>3298831
I agree, this is a big gamble.
I'll support your vote.

>>3298780
>FS
>GT
>GT
>>
>>3298828
For example, since our size stacks currently make it so we have d0's in our composure, you know what extra dice we'll get if we succesfully predict her moves with Elegance?

d0's. the extra dice we gain will be a d0 inmodified by size. Even if we clear our size stacks it will still be a fuckings d0. Elegance is useless at the moment.
>>
>>3298842
I'm not sure it works like that. The spirit of the size effect seems to be to apply the size modifier after all other effects, so we should get d4s reduced by Small, not d0s
>>
>>3298835
You’re literally playing how she expects us too my friend. I did analyze even put up the moves I thought she’d likely do.
>>
>>3298848
Maybe, even so it still gets us behind the stack race. The thing is, as long as she doesn't have more big stacks then usz she literally can't fuckings win. As long as she has more big stacks then us she's gonna be massivly advantaged. By she's trapped herself in her own game, we just need to work with what we have and bide our time.

Currently, if she attempts to Flourish and then Attack, she'll give us back the 2 stack lead she has on us, meaning if we do my suggestion, and then follow up everything after with Gritted Teeth we'll be equal in size when she strikes. That means that, at best, she'll bleed off 3 big stacks while losing ALL her own big stacks. She's just trapped herself without even knowing it, we just need to literally Grit our teeth and get ready for the long haul, we've already won this.
>>
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Sorry guys, I need to rest for an hour so. Still have a cold and all.
>>
So, to follow up what I said about us having already won, lemme just show you WHY we've alraedy won unless we do something monumentally stupid. If we do my suggestion, which is:
FS
GT
GT

The strike will clear out the small stacks, and at the end of the round we'll have 2 big stacks. If she does a trick every turn this round, something like:
SS
SS
SS

She'll have 4 big stacks. This means she has a 2 stack lead on us. However, this is actually just barely enough for us to win. For her to actually attack us, she still needs to do:
1 Flourish
1 Strike
That means that if we do GT those two turns, we'll have reached an equal ammount of size stacks. Her attack then may, at the absolute worse, reduce our size by 3. However at the same time she would then lose ALL her own size die, which means we suddenly have a size advantage. Lets assume then, that for this round we do my suggestion, and in the next round we do GTx3,

FS vs SS
GT vs SS
GT vs SS
We have 2 big stacks compared to her 4
next round.
GT vs OG
GT vs CP

Her attack would be a 1d12, which wouldnt be able to faux-break our own new highest composure dice, which would be 1d16. If she rolls perfectly she'll get 12 damage, and faux-break 3 tiers of composure, reducing our size by 3 but at the same time clearing all her own size stacks. Then we'll be at 1 big stack, and she will be at zero. From then on out we have a massive advantage over her, and the best part is, no matter what point she chooses to strike, she will never be able to "break" our last composure dice, even if she rolls perfectly. We literally can't lose if we just shut up and do Gritted Teeth, she has trapped herself in her own moveset.
>>
With the assumption that she can still pull out a new technique....

Okay, predicting what she's going to do at this stage is quite tricky. First of all, Condescending Poke is fucking killer for Sofia's specific Composure Pool, and is incentive for her to never actually Strike in the conventional way. Low odds of the last tech being a strike.

>Set A
>Condescending Poke
>Condescending Poke
>Smothering Submission
If we don't reset size, 0 damage moves will very quickly bring Sofia down into the microscopic and broken.

>Set A safe
>C Poke
>Smother
>Smother
The safer(from gloriana's POV) moveset. Only way to counter is to strike immediately.

>Set B
>Open Guard
>GSD
>Open Guard
Gets her 2d8, with a total of Big 2. That sets her up with a lot of options next queue to C poke for Small 6 or more, and we're both lacking in tech build and too busy striking to counter that.

>Set B offense
>Open Guard
>Poke
>Smother
This mainly punishes a lack of strikes. If the damage lines up, Sofia can end up broken. It's effectively the same as Set A.


Blech. I'm not interested in digging deeper. I will point out though, that PP works AGAINST C Poke and WITH GT: her win condition hinges on spamming C Pokes faster than we can react and smothering before we can reset. More low value composure die in Sofia's pool makes that a looooot more likely to happen. GT with care.
>>
>>3298871
Anon, you seem to be mistaken somewhere. She can't use CP without tech dice.
>>
>>3298874
Yes she can. C Poke only needs Big stacks to siphon tech die. As it still possesses the

>Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to deal damage.

Line, it is still effective for 0 damage attacks.
>>
>>3298868

Small correction, at worst we lose 6 stacks, but that still will leave us in the same position we are in now, not better nor worse, which is fine. And that is worst case scenario.

also to take away some of >>3298871
concerns, GT wont increase our composure if we have no dice in our tech pool, which we wont have if we don't generate dice. We seriously CANT do any flourishes, it will only screw us further.
>>
My guesses for the last Technique are as follows:

>stuffing more low-value composure die into the enemy's pool
>Making size penalties to dice permanent but resetting Small stacks
>A way to reduce Big stacks quickly
>A way to punish being Bigger than her
>Generating very many, very small tech dice.
>>
>>3298876
Which means we need to get rid of our small stacks pronto, which is why we do FS (could be any strike desu) at once. After that she wont be able to do anything without generating tech dice.
>>
>>3298887
Yes, that was included in the mockups I made?

Basically, be wary of consecutive Pokes, because she can gamble on reaching Small 4 and suddenly you're screwed.
>>
>>3298891
We can clear our own stacks with an attack if that becomes a problem. If she plays perfectly and we play perfectly this will turn into one hell of a slog, although hopefully she is gonna expect us to try and generate dice somehow somewhere, and therefor screw up just a tiny bit letting us build up size.
>>
>>3298876
What will 0 damage attacks achieve?
>>
>>3298899
they break d0 composure dice

>>3298898
>if that becomes a problem
I don't think you understand.

The main point of the warning is that she can
>C Poke
>C Poke
>Smother

At any point that she has enough tech die and Big/small differences. You can't react to that after the fact, so remember that it is one of her win con queues.
>>
>>3298905
Sure, I heed your warning. It doesn't change what I think will be the best course of action.
>>
>>3298905
She can't do it right now though, so it didn't become a problem just yet.
>>
Vote called for FS, GT, GT.

For the record, 0 damage Pokes do work that way against d0s but get blown the fuck out by selecting a Strike.
>>
>>3298917
That was what I was thinking too.
>>
>Flashing Steel
>Gritted Teeth
>Gritted Teeth

That’s it! You can win! Gloriana isn’t as insurmountable as her vast size would make her appear. You’ve figured out how her eyes work and you know they aren’t infallible. You know how to make them work for your benefit!

The moment you feel the light of those burning eyes fix upon you, you have to make distance. So-

>Gloriana uses Smothering Submission!

Kneeling down, she snatches you out of the air and dangles you up in front of her face! But she does so just a little too late. You raise your sabre in your free hand and go straight for her giant eyes, each one as large as you.
It doesn’t reach her, of course. But it does make her blink.

>FLASHING STEEL
>0 damage.

>At the end of the round, Sofia loses 4 Small stacks due to choosing a Strike!

>At the end of the round, Gloriana gains 1 Big stack due to choosing a Trick!

The moment the howling eyes shut, you focus and suddenly you are back to being you, grabbing hold of Gloriana’s shoulders as you dangle over twenty feet in the air! Grabbind hold of her collar and planting your feet on her bosom, you lunge in with your sabre and she meets your strike with hers, her sword twice as long as your entire body.

The force of the parry alone sends you flying away from her but this time you’re ready and you land on your feet, skidding across the glass. Your arms are aching with the force of it all and as you slip back in en-guarde, Gloriana just laughs.

“Congratulations. You’re back to knee-height.”

>Gloriana’s ability, Professional Provocateur, activates!

>Sofia’s Composure: 3d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12
>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 1d4

>Gloriana’s Composure: 5d6, 1d12 (2 Big)

“Maybe so,” your weary tone at odds with the new energy flooding you. “But I’ve made you use your sabre!”

The giant duellist looks down at her sword. You’re right. It’s the first swing she’s made with it all duel.
“Don’t be so proud,” she snaps.

“Bring it!”

And she does. Bursting forward with four times your speed, she strikes the street in half with a downward slice! And as you evade it, broken glass flying everywhere, her off-hand snakes through the confusion and slams you into the ground!

>GRITTED TEETH

>Gloriana uses Smothering Submission!

>Gritted Teeth moves Sofia’s sole Technique dice back into her Composure at the same time as Smothering Submission reduces it!

>At the end of turn, Gloriana gains 1 stack of Big due to choosing a Trick!

>At the end of turn, Sofia gains 1 stack of Big due to choosing a Trick!

“Look at me,” you grunt as you grab hold of her hand with both of yours and, with the whole force of your body behind it, bend a finger backwards. “Look at me with those dumbass eyes and tell me that I’m not as big as you!”

Gloriana shakes you off and as you land, you narrowly dodge a savage low kick.
“What’s wrong, Sophie? Just let it happen. I know you want it.”

1/2
>>
>>3298978

>Gloriana’s ability, Professional Provocateur, activates!

>Sofia’s Composure: 3d5, 1d7, 1d9, 1d13 (1 Big)
>Sofia’s Technique PooL: 1d4 (1 Big)

Gloriana backs off, knowing that you’re not fast enough to follow her anymore and as she does, she springs right back at you in a sliding tackle! The 46 foot girl fills the smoky street as she pretty much slams herself into you chest-first.
And all you can do is dig your feet in, grit your teeth, and endure it. You’ll match her size for size, see if you don’t!

>GRITTED TEETH

>Gloriana uses Smothering Submission!

>At the end of turn, Gloriana gains 1 stack of Big due to choosing a Trick!

>At the end of turn, Sofia gains 1 stack of Big due to choosing a Trick!

By the time you disentangle yourself from her clutching arms, you’re 22 feet tall. Unfortunately...she’s 92 feet tall. Even sitting up on her knees she’s much bigger than you.
You’ve done little more than preserve the size difference, even if you are now four times your normal size.

Gloriana takes advantage of her grotesque reach to make a casual swing at you, her sabre phasing through half a dozen smokey buildings that aren’t as big as it to reach you! You dodge to the side and try to close the distance but before you can you just run right into her off-hand again!
The resulting slap sends you reeling back as Gloriana gets back up to her feet.
“So what was the point of all this, huh? Huh?”

>Gloriana’s ability, Professional Provocateur, activates!

>Sofia’s Composure: 3d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d14 (2 Big)
>Sofia’s Technique PooL: 1d4 (2 Big)

>Gloriana’s Composure: 6d8, 1d14 (4 Big)

“Is your plan just to bite my knees all day until I give up? Because this goes nowhere. All growing bigger is doing for you is making sure that you stay at, well, the scale of a cute little stuffed animal. Is that what you want to be? Because if so there are a lot easier ways to go about it."
>>
>>3298980
Duel Status: https://pastebin.com/JHaCDV6k

Select your next queue. Please choose 3:

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]Move the highest value die from your Technique Pool to your Composure Pool.

>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Damage from this Technique is dealt first to your opponent’s Strike Pool, treating the dice within as if they were Composure dice for the purposes of destruction. The difference between the highest dice value in the Strike Pool and the damage rolled is then dealt to the Technique Pool in the same fashion. And if the damage continues to overflow, the remainder is inflicted upon the Composure Pool in the same way.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.
>>
>>3298982
So, anyone got any smart ideas? Otherwise I'm sticking to my guns and say we do
GT
GT
GT

I have already done my analysis of the situasion, at worst she does what I say she does
OG
CP
probably GSD
which would, at worst reduce our stack by 6. If that happens we'll end this round with 1 small stack and with her at 1 big stack, which means we tie, effectivly. So at worst we get a tie. If we roll well we might zoom past her instead. Sounds good?
>>
>>3298992
actually we'll come out very, very slightly ahead, since we'll be able to then clear out our lowest composure with a strike before continuing with gritted teeth, which means next time this repeats she can, at best, take away 5 stacks. It's time to fuckings slog, lads.
>>
>>3298992
If we stick to GT, we can probably stall forever, but Gloriana also can. I don't know what to do.
>>
>>3299009
Well, if that happens Gloriana will probably take her 'win' and give us our 'win', like she usually does. It sucks, but less so then getting squashed methinks. However, if she doesn't attack this round she'll start being worse and worse off on her squashing us potential. If she continues stalling now with SSx3 like we do GTx3 the best she can do is have this stall forever. However, Im fairly certain she wanted this to be the time she beat us, as she just almost did, and she probably won't be happy just stalling. Iff it really does turn into an infinite GT vs SS I think she'll concede in the end. Because we sure as hell aint gonna.
>>
>>3298982
Guys, this is great. Lets start with a Still Waters. That way, event if she strike us, It leave a turno yo bleed her.

Look at It this way:

1-She strikes on first turn, we activate Still Waters. Hopefully, we both end up with no Como dice. Now we are invulnerable and she cannot do anything about It.

2-She strikes on secondary or third place, essentially wasting a move and giving US more breathing room.

She has got enough Tech dice to either end this match or humilliate us further with her Strike.
>>
>>3299015
Sorry bud, still waters wouldnt work, she can generate a d12 vs our lowest composure of d6.
>>
>>3299018
The point is, It will work flawlessly when she Destroy all our comp dice, hopefully with all of hers gone because of our ability.

We Destroy eachothers dice, but we can begin next turn with a strike and she cant. We bleed her for It.
>>
>>3299032
Wait a second. Ouro, would SW be effective if we hace no dice in our Como pool?

Perhaps we could mix a GT there to avoid her Next strikes.
>>
>>3299032
Her attack wont destroy our comp dice, it will add small stacks to us. If she manages to reach our last composure with her damage she also won't lose any of her big stacks either, which means she has won at this point. She's gonna break our composure by squashing us with SS, not any damaging strike, Helpless beauty is useless.
>>
>>3299040
>would SW be effective if we hace no dice in our Como pool?
no, then Still waters is fucking useless
>>
Since nobody seems to raising any alternative votes, I'm going to call the vote here and write.
>>
>Gritted Teeth
>Gritted Teeth
>Gritted Teeth

“You know,” Gloriana says conversationally as she steps from one street to another. “You’ve not done much else except just try and take it. And while I think it’s real cute of you, I...don’t think it’s all that useful.”

“Just try it!”
You gird yourself, ready to take any sort of attack from the massive girl.

>GRITTED TEETH

>Sofia’s Composure: 1d4, 3d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d14 (2 Big)

“Hah. If you insist.”

You still aren’t used to how fast she is when she really wants to be. She runs up to you, dashing through buildings and crowds in the process and then, without breaking her stride, kicks at you as if she was kicking a ball!
You catch her boot with your sabre, your blade scratching up against the plate of metal covering its underside. But as you do, Gloriana moves forward fluidly, using her raised foot to push your sword to the side!

Her boot slams into the ground before you can recover from just the strain of intercepting the blow and so, before you can move to guard in any way, she pivots and kicks down with her other foot instead!
The sole of her boot’s not as big as your entire body but it’s closer than you’d like. The force rattles every bone in your body and sends you bouncing across what feels like half the District.

>Gloriana uses Open Guard!

>Open Guard cancels Warped Perspectives! Flourishes and Tricks will no longer gain either duellists stacks of Big or Small but currently existing stacks stay and continue to have effect! Strikes still break all stacks upon the duellist who chooses Strike.

When Gloriana looks up, her eyes have gone dark once more.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but it’s really hard to bleed someone with blunt force in the Wake. Can’t break bones either. But on the other hand, if you’re going to keep yourself at this scale, kicking you around is a lot easier than trying to stab you. Stops me from having to bend!”

>Gloriana Technique Pool: 1d12 (4 Big)

“Shut up,” you hiss, doubled over in pain.

“Endurance is overrated. So what exactly are you going to do about this? Are you going to run away? I run faster. Are you going to stab me? My sword’s a lot bigger. Are you going to grow? Can’t! I’m keeping my eyes on the straight and narrow. And if you try to grab me I’m just going to grab you back and drop-kick you. So how about it?”
Gloriana leans theatrically up against the infinite tower, the only structure that’s solid.

“Fuck off!”

“Hard way it is!”
She kicks off the tower and sprints straight towards you with her sabre angled ahead of her! You dodge the vertical slash ahead of time, knowing that it’s the only sabre angle that’ll even hit you from her vantage point but in the process of doing so, her off-hand slaps you out of the air and sends you rolling through a crowd of shadows. You whir through the little people, scattering them into wisps.

1/2
>>
>>3299079
>GRITTED TEETH

>Gloriana uses Open Guard!

>Gloriana’s Technique Pool: 1d8, 1d12 (4 Big)

By the time you get back up, she’s already standing over you and you just narrowly evade the foot dropping down right where you were lying! She isn’t even trying to guard herself from any counter-attack and why would she? Your reach is still so small that she can evade you simply by taking a step back.
And that’s just what she does, two quick steps completely nullifying your desperate thrust. And as she does, the weighted ribbon that’s been wrapped around her arm whirls out and knocks you off your feet!

You feel the sting across your entire body.

>GRITTED TEETH

>Gloriana uses Open Guard!

>Gloriana’s Technique Pool: 2d8, 1d12 (4 Big)

You’re still lying on your back, the glass sea beneath you cracked and dented from Gloriana’s steps, when Gloriana catches up to you this time. She doesn’t try and do anything. She doesn’t grab you. She doesn’t even try to stab you.
Instead she simply stands above you and raises a foot, casting you into shadow.

“Last chance, Sophie. I had to surrender our first duel. Surrender this one.”
>>
>>3299082
Duel Status: https://pastebin.com/xSTci8ix

Choose three Techniques for the next queue:

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]Move the highest value die from your Technique Pool to your Composure Pool.

>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Damage from this Technique is dealt first to your opponent’s Strike Pool, treating the dice within as if they were Composure dice for the purposes of destruction. The difference between the highest dice value in the Strike Pool and the damage rolled is then dealt to the Technique Pool in the same fashion. And if the damage continues to overflow, the remainder is inflicted upon the Composure Pool in the same way.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.

Alternatively you may take Gloriana's advice and choose to take a leaf from her book:
>Surrender
>>
>>3299082
Huh.
So Open Guard still counts the stance as present even if it was deactivated.
>>
>>3299085
Welp, I realised this was a possibily after the vote was called. Im sorry lads.
>>
>>3299085
If she strikes us our ability will proc and likely break her. That's what we want.
What we don't want is to get hit by her followup strike.
>>
>>3299085
>Surrender
I don't want to drag this out like our first match, especially if we're the ones on the losing side. Credit where it's due, Gloriana came back trained specifically to kick our ass and the first queue was soulcrushingly right into her trap.

What an amazing girl, let's get drinks.
>>
>>3299087
It's allright, she's playing into our hands now. We only need to capitalize on it correctly.
>>
>>3299091
We are not on the losing side, anon. With her last queue, Gloriana has significantly endangered her position.
I implore you to reconsider.
>>
>>3299086
Nah. She's generating d4s, they just count as d8s because she's that big.
>>
>>3299085
>"You also asked for a break last time, so I'm gonna ask for one now."
If that doesn't work
>Surrender
I'm not too mad about losing this one, she really gave us a tussle.

>>3299092
Our ability isn't gonna proc my guy, this has already been established. We're screwed either way at this point.
>>
>>3299096
Damn, I've forgotten her strike doesn't destroy dice.
>>
>>3299096
She could still use a Flashing Steel or something like that. She is porbably keeping it for the big finale.
>>
>>3295856
>“I just thin-”
>You stop talking as Adriana swivels along your bed and, without asking, uses your back as a footstool.
>“Hey!”
>Adriana just sighs.
>“I know you like it.”
I like being bullied by Gloriana more.
>>
Alright lads, we did an ok showing I think, hard to win against someone who literally built themselves to counter us. Lets humor her for now, get her drunk and then use our lucky coin to nab an ability from her anyways like scheming little tyrant we are.
>>
>>3299100
Wait, fuck. She doesn´t. In that case:

>Surrender

We can count this as a moral victory. She ended up taking duels seriously, after all.

>>3299085
>>
>>3299091
>>3299102
Can you knock it off? Gloriana is an annoying bitch. Does she have some slight reason to be? Yeah but so does Sofia and we get from anons is how utterly horrible she is instead. Hell there are other people that don’t like Adrianna and wanted another romantic partner, but you don’t see them listing after others to the point it’s a shitpost. Knock it off.


>>3299105
I doubt she’ll fall for it and if we try she’ll likely try to rape us.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3299085
I don't want to surrender.

Her killstrike has to be CP SS CP, but it only works once she has size advantage of 10. Right now it's 2, and the most she can obtain in a queue is 7 from CP and 1 from SS to sum to exactly 10. The probability of this is 65%, and if she fails she loses her Big, so she might dedicate the next queue to tech genning with 3xOG.

I vote for:
>Elegance: Flourish
>FB: lose the Small stacks we got from possible CP on the first round
>TCC

She can't bleed us earlier than the 3rd round, and if she tries TCC will stop her. She'll also lose her Big stacks, so we might have a win chance.
>>
>>3299107
I'm sorry you don't like Thing, anon. I like Thing. It's kind of petty to ask people to not like Thing because you don't like Thing, but you do you.
>>
>>3299108
Fuck.
>>
>>3299110
I don’t care if you like the Thing. I just ask. You don’t go on about it to the point of shitposting.
>>3299111
Anons already gave up.


Besides a 65% was all we needed to beat her last time and we more or less got stuck in her death spiral for being tards.
>>
So, when we beat her at something stupid like the coin trick, what technique should we pick? We have time to discuss anyways.
>>
>>3299115
Dude she already knows about Monkey Sight. If we try she’ll likely either defer or use the opportunity to try and sexually assault us or even rape us.

Ouro isn’t going to allow us to get more techs just because.
>>
>>3299115
We must do it as part of a duel. Blame idiotic anons for that. We are not getting any of her techniques.
>>
>>3299117
>>3299120
Ouro has never been stinty on tech's? Also I seriously doubt Gloriana will be very mean spirited off her victory high. Lets not let any dislike of Gloriana get in the way of nabbing techniques like a we're a kid stealing candy.
>>
>>3299123
To nab techniques from her, we would need to start another duel with her.
>>
Oh wow, I just woke up. Gloriana trained really hard to just defeat us after all.
I'm still a little mad when the vote went for going in without the preliminary prep to figure out her skill base but my Elegance Trick, tcc, tcc was a real bad combo to start with in hindsight.
I knew there something odd about having two strikes, FB and FS but I couldn't really think of an alternative at the time.
I thought maybe getting rid of FS with something else like Crushing Grip or something else but I couldn't think of a justification for choosing it since we had no info to go for Gloriana.
>>
>Surrender

Maybe it’s time to take a leaf from Gloriana’s book. Before, you know, she crushes you with it or something. What are you even really losing here? Your pride? Everyone loses duels, you’ve gotten over that. And to be honest, you don’t particularly care for your client this time around. Maybe Gloriana winning is for the best.

“Alright,” you call out weakly, your body a knot of pain. “I’m down to surrender.”


“Oh, good. Hey do you reckon this duel will become your most viewed at the Court? Or do you think that duel with the Fisherman when you grew big tits will stay the most popular?”

You stare into the abyss.
“That’s my most popular duel?”

“Better believe it. You’ve built up quite a following.”

“Actually nevermind, crush me. I’m ready to die.”
You silently thank the Wake for relaxing the curse enough to let you express the sudden weariness that now bites into your soul.

The ground shakes as Gloriana sits down beside you. She gently runs a finger through your hair and you stiffen up before you remember the card. Of course. She’s still, as she herself would put it, under your spell. Fat lot of good that did.
“So,” she says. “You’ve got to bleed yourself, you know. The Wake doesn’t hear our words. I could cut you but...I think that might be bad considering the current circumstances. Best to do it yourself.”

“Right.”
You grab hold of your sabre and hold the edge to an arm. You’ve never done this before.

“I’d lend you my knife but I’m pretty sure it’s not smaller than your sword.”

“Thanks anyway.”
You feel oddly at peace.


>Bleed yourself.

>”Actually, could I get a short break? I gave you one remember. Then we can keep on fighting!” That’s the chance you need to change your trophies!

>Stab her in the wrist now when her guard is down! You can bleed her right here and now!

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3299125
False. We nabbed an ability from Sabino with a card game. We can steal pretty much anything with any stupid competative game.
>>
>>3299127

>”Actually, could I get a short break? I gave you one remember. Then we can keep on fighting!” That’s the chance you need to change your trophies!
I doubt she'll go for it, we did surrender in the vote earlier. She has all the advantages, and has accepted our surrender. She's not going to like us going back on our word. I know I wouldn't personally.
But I hate the idea of surrendering, I wish I had been awake to vote for a fight. And now I have to go out to work.
>>
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>>3299127
>Bleed yourself.

Games over. Dice would stay the same anyways. Soooooooo breaking would still be a loss for us.
>>
>>3299127
>Bleed yourself.
I was the one suggesting asking for a break in the first place, but it is too late now. I'd rather challenge her later and beat her then.
>>
>>3299127
>Bleed yourself.
>>
>>3299128
abilities, not techniques

We already have Professional Provocateur, that´s the only one we can steal I believe. Duel techniques are set apart from abilities.

>>3299127

>Remove Fortunato. "Mind if we stay here and just talk for a bit? That was a good duel "

I don´t really remember if people could shit on us while on duel. But anyway, this is a good scenario to talk a bit and relax. She really got us good with that duel.
>>
>>3299140
We specifically had the option to move on to his techniques. We also got skin unthorned from that Ring lady even though we far from won our duel with her. There is no arbitrary rule on what kind of challenges lets us steal techniques.
>>
Here, let me clear this up. I generally don't allow for duelling Techniques/Abilities to be obtained in non-Duel situations. However there are two exceptions to this rule:

1)The contest is related to a duel.

or

2)The Technique/Ability in question has applications and effects outside of duels. Sabino's Helpless Beauty, for example.

Anyway, vote called.
>>
By the way, you still could have potentially won off Helpless Beauty but it was a bit of a longshot.
>>
>>3299127
>”Actually, could I get a short break? I gave you one remember. Then we can keep on fighting!” That’s the chance you need to change your trophies!
>>
>>3299142
ah, I see. thanks for clearing it up then.
>>
>>3299141
See
>>3299142
We only got skin untgorned because the coin flip was part of the exhibition.

>>3299144
Not really. As doesn’t SS null it completely with its wincon?
>>
>>3299148
Gloriana had another Strike that would have been a more reliable finsiher and she didn't know about Helpless Beauty or even that Sabino existed. Like I said, a bit of a longshot.
>>
>>3299148
She probably has a damaging attack hidden away like I suspected.
>>
>>3299149
I told you, anons. I told you.
>>
Meh, I'm fine with keeping Hidden Beauty a secret. Reminder that we have a tournament coming up that, you know, actually matters.
>>
Also, she did use her eyes to do some kind of perspective trick before the duel started, so the chance is high we can nab her stance anyways outside of the duel. Its worth a try atleast.
>>
>>3299154
I wonder if Juicy will be proud of us if we develop funky eyes.
>>
>>3299157
We develop a lot of things.
I feel like after we're done fighting all these super weird and powerful duelists we're gonna meet some totally standard, capable duelist and totally destroy him or her with all the weird nicknacks we picked up.
>>
>Bleed yourself.

You dig the tip of the blade into your arm, just enough to draw a thin line of blood. Holding the arm up, you let the drops start to fall into the glass ocean.
“That’s that then.”

Gloriana claps you on the back hard enough to slam your face into the ground and then, as you slowly get back up, she pumps her arm enthusiastically back and forth.
“Fuck yes! Finally!”

You sigh.
“Not looking forward to explaining this to my client though.”

“Oh, same.”

“What do you have to explain to your client?”

“Not to my client, to your client.”

“Eh?”

“Don’t worry about your little head about it now, the Wake is starting to crack. Want to get drinks after all this?”

“Like we did last time?”

“Like last time. Sans your godmother though.”


>Agree. What do you have to lose?

>Disagree. You’d really rather not spend more time with Gloriana.
>>
>>3299161
I don't really care about the duels, but if Gloriana's eyes are like our godmother's, that might be an interesting trait to relate over.
>>
>>3299162
>Agree. What do you have to lose?
>>
>>3299162
>Agree. What do you have to lose?
Lets not be a bad sport.
>>
>>3299162
>Agree. No way we are going home without defeating her at something
>>
>>3299162
>Disagree. You’d really rather not spend more time with Gloriana.
I don't want to see her a second more than necessary.
>>
>>3299162
>>Disagree. You’d really rather not spend more time with Gloriana.
>>
>>3299162
Agree
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
BOY WOULDN'T BRUTE STRIKE HAVE BEEN A GREAT TECHNIQUE TO HAVE KEPT?

lol I love Brute Strike, it's always useful and we never keep it
>>
>>3299209
It’d not have helped here either. We’d have just bled our comp dice uselessly. Crushing grip woulda have been loads better. Brute is bottom bin material.
>>
>>3298978
>“Maybe so,” your weary tone at odds with the new energy flooding you. “But I’ve made you use your sabre!”
HELPLESS BEAUTY IS ANIME PROTAGONIST JUICE IN A CAN
>>
>>3299212
How dare you!

Seriously though, it would have been better than Flashing Steel, because Condescending Poke gets weaker the fewer low Comp Dice we have and Professional Provocateur would have started to give us big dice.

Good game, too bad I missed it. While i suspect Monkey Grasp only works on comtests, I think we can try to justify this as a moral victory, we made her try to actually win and she succeeded! She's a good rival.
>>
Flashing Steel was indeed useless this time, in my defense I was preparing for a totally different fight then the one we got.
>>
>Agree. What do you have to lose?

What do you have to do lose? Despite her...everything, you don’t dislike Gloriana. And knowing what she told you that one night, well, you can feel a little sympathetic. And today she actually fought her duel like she was supposed to do!
“Sure. I’ve got nothing better going on today.”

“Great! Now uh, I think you might have to watch your step for a moment. Be very careful.”

“What do you mea-oh.”
The Wake fades and the City reasserts yourself. You are suddenly standing in a street-canal, Gloriana sitting behind you. And that would be fine. Except you’re still twenty-two feet tall! The onlookers crowding around barely come up to your knees! And behind you is a ninety-two foot Gloriana, awkwardly sitting in such a way that she blocks up the entire street.
“This doesn’t go away when the duel ends?”
You unclip the card from your lapel at the first opportunity.

“Not as such, no. This is my first duel with this, Sophie! I don’t know how it works!”

“Well...can you at least stand up so we’re not blocking the whole canal?”

“But then everyone will be able to see up my skirt!”
She says it all with a tone of mock outrage.

“Gloriana, I cannot believe you actually care about that. That skirt with your fighting style is a very definite choice.”

“Haha, yeah. They would have all gotten a look while the duel was going on anyway.”

“Is this another fetish that I’ve been an unwitting party to enabling?”

“No, I just don’t give a shit. It’s not like you haven’t seen up there too.”

“I’ve seen up there every fucking time I’ve met you. At this point I think it’s sexier when I don’t.”

“Ah, hold on, there we go. It just took a little while to kick in.”

A few minutes later, the two of you are back to normal and making your way down the street. You’ve wound up quite a distance from the Thousandfold Stair itself. The two of you attract constant glances as you do so, everyone in the neighborhood having seen your rather large fight.
There’s also another issue, in that Gloriana threw her glasses away dramatically at the start of the duel and now she can’t find them again. So instead she’s got her eyes shut while you gently guide her down the street.
“I’m such an idiot. Garbage.”

“Can’t you see with those eyes?”

“Of course I can. But I ain’t got no depth perception anymore and, well, it’s a little hard to control sometimes. You walked up to me and you were five foot tall by the time you were finished.”

“What do you mean you haven’t got depth perception anymore?”

“Unless I have my special glasses on or I’m in the Wake, I can’t see distance. Or at least, it’s really hard. Everything is the same distance, just weirdly bigger or smaller.”

“That’s a pretty significant downside.”

“The price for my awesome power. You could have beaten me though.”

“I could’ve.”

1/2
>>
>>3299240

>Just lead her back to the tower.

>Ask her for a demonstration. Can she do it to you again? Or something else that won’t be harmed?

>Ask how she got them.

>...”Was it worth it?”

>Ask her more about her master.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3299242
>Ask how she got them.
>...”Was it worth it?”
>>
>>3299242
>Ask how she got them.
>...”Was it worth it?”
>Also remove card if we have not
>>
>>3299242
>Lead her to the tower
>Ask how she got them.
>...”Was it worth it?”
"Any way to reverse it back to normal? I'm just saying that there may be a day where you hang up dueling, but are stuck with those eyes still."
>Ask her more about her master.
>>
>>3299249
Support

Might I suggest:

>You should clip your glasses to your attire, it´s what I do for my trophies. Or at least buy a spare
>>
>>3299246
You already have. Second paragraph.
>>
>>3299249
>>3299254
Supporting these anons.
>>
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Sorry guys. I must enter the sleep realm for now. I will also be busy tomorrow so I won't get anything done until tomorrow night most likely.

Until then, this vote remains open. I hope you had fun!
>>
So what are we going to do about Ouro's obvious giantess fetish bros?
>>
>>3299295
Promote it? I am more of a skinning kind of guy, but this is fine
>>
>>3299231
>I think we can try to justify this as a moral victory, we made her try to actually win
I don't recall this being a victory condition.
>>
>>3299242
>>Ask her for a demonstration. Can she do it to you again? Or something else that won’t be harmed?
I don't want to ask her if it was worth it. It's such a downer question. Let her enjoy her victory!
>>
>>3299242
>>Ask her for a demonstration. Can she do it to you again? Or something else that won’t be harmed?
>>
>>3299321
Remember our first duel? We were enraged that she wasn't taking duelling seriously, and now after we beat her, she does.
>>
>>3299242
> Ask her for a demonstration. Can she use them on you again? And for the love of the gods keep Helpless Beauty active.

>Ask if she's planning on winning duels from now on with her new powerful kit. Maybe even going pro?

>Ask if there's any hidden convenience with those eyes. Growing herself to walk anywhere in record time? Shrinking herself when washing up to cut down on shampoo usage? Endless possibilities.

>Ask if continued use and familiarity with them will let her control them better. Reduce the misfires? Regain depth perception?
>>
>>3299254
>>3299331
Yeah. Strike was it worth it. It is a bad question.
>>
>>3299242
>Ask her more about her master.
>Specifically voting against keeping Helpless Beauty active regardless of other choices.
>>
Whatever happens Im vetoing keep Helpless Beauty active. Sofia ain't no thot.
>>
>>3299242
Changing from >>3299331 to >>3299362
>>
>>3299242
It's pretty hilarious watching anons to declare Sofia to basically have been Gloriana's mentor.
No, anons. You have simply lost.

>Ask how she got them.
>Ask her more about her master.
>Do not activate Helpless Beauty
>>
>>3299335
Does she though? Or did she take beating us seriously, and nothing else?
>>
Hi Ouro! I just want to thank you for writing such an awesome quest! I love reading it! <3
>>
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>>3299295
We should encourage it.

>>3299242
>>3299362
Seconding
>>
>>3299602
One step at a time. This is a definite improvement from her not taking dueling seriously at all just troll and bully desperate people.
Hopefully afterwards she'll extend the same serious into stop insulting and denigrating herself.
>>
>>3299254
>>3299242
Well I support this. we mind as well make conversation as we're walking
>>
I'm back! It was a long day. Vote called and writing.
>>
>Ask how she got them.
>Ask a bunch of other stuff.

“How did you get them? I assume you didn’t just wake up one day and decide that your eyes now defined perspective.”

“Hah, no. This was a lot of hard work and more importantly, a lot of fucked up experimentation. And it’s all thanks to you, Sofia! You beating me last time didn’t just make me determined to win, the stuff leading up to it also made me realise something about myself.”

“You have a fetish, I get it.”

“That bottling was a really good trick. I wanted that power and I wanted it better. And I knew I wasn’t going to just learn because I wanted it. Maybe you could do that but not me. But fortunately, I have some small amount of money. And so I decided to become a fascina.”

“You’re a fascina? You?”

“In action, not in thought. I don’t give a shit about their wanker philosophies or mental nonsense. But I knew I had to get closer. So I’ve been doing a lot of mind-expanding junk with humours, alternative law and even architecture. But not a single one helped until I got in touch with your godmother.”

“Giuseppina?”

“You were so kind to introduce us last time we fought. She told me that she could make me like her.”

“In what way?”

“Mad. Or not really. She said some real bullshit about ‘ascension psychosis’ and the indifference between perception and reality. But in the end, it just took a lot of treatment. I’ve still got my old eyes in a jar somewhere.”

“Can you just pop them in and out?”

“Nope! If I do, I might die! But like I said, that’s just the price for power.”

“Huh.”
Giuseppina, huh? Why would she do that? Is she conspiring against you somehow? Or did she just really hit it off with Gloriana that much? It doesn’t make sense to you but you also don’t find it unbelievable that she’d do something like that. That sounds like your godmother alright.
“So what have you been doing to train them?”

“I get high a lot. I think about a lot of weird problems. And anywhere with a serious case of architecture is a great spot for me to try and hone it. That’s what I was doing at the Thousandfold Stair. Remember when I said I had something to say to your client? That’s because she hired me to be one of her seekers looking for that fountain. I was trying to find something that’d let me see better.”

“Wait. So you’re currently being employed by both of them?”

“It’s a long story. Neither knows that I’m being paid by the other either.”

1/2
>>
>>3302003

“So why do you need to close your eyes, exactly? Not having depth perception seems bad but it won’t stop you from walking.”

“It won’t. But then I’ll be doing weird things to everything I look at. Listen Sophie, outside of the Wake it’s all about distance. With these eyes everything looks like they’re the same distance to me, they’re just bigger or smaller. And when I focus on something, they stay the same perceived size no matter how close or far I get.”

You snap your fingers in sudden realisation, nearly letting her fall in the process.
“Oh! Okay, I understand what you did to me now. I walked up to you and anything that gets closer to you gets smaller. But it works in the reverse, right?”

“Right.”

“Still, that’s a neat skill to have. Are you planning to take this new spirit to duels with anyone else? I think you could genuinely go pro!”

“Really? But I’m a trash-heap!”

“You are. But you can be a very big heap of trash when you want to be. At some point that has to be worth more than anything else.”

“...Maybe I’ll consider it,” she admits. “But how would I deal with losing?”

“Eh? You lose all the time.”

“Yeah, as a joke. Every time it happens I can just tell myself that I wasn’t really trying. I was fighting to lose. It doesn’t matter. But if I keep trying to win now...what excuse will I have for when I lose?”

“Then don’t lose.”

“Once again, your insight is incredible.”

You don’t know how to answer her question. In truth, you’re not sure if you’ve figured it out yourself.
“Just remember that there’s always another fight.”
With that said, you attempt to change the subject.
“So...there must be a lot of practical uses for your eyes outside of the Wake, right? What have you been using them for?”

“Not a lot. My father’s maids are all two feet tall now, does that count?”

“Maybe. But I meant more like, you could get big so you could walk everywhere quick. Or you could shrink yourself while bathing and you’d only have to use a tiny amount of water, soap and shampoo!”

“Holy shit, I never even thought of that. Sofia you’re a genius!”

“Tell me something I don’t know!”

“But I don’t think I need to save money on soap.”

“Well there’s gotta be something you can do with them. How about you give me another demonstration?”

“Sure. What do you want?”


>Ask her to target you. No point involving anyone else.

>Find a rock or something.

>Using a bystander is fine. They won’t notice and she can shift them back later.

>Actually, this probably isn’t a good idea.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3302005
>Buy a hankerchief and turn it into a large blanket
>>
>>3302005
Seconding >>3302012
>>
>>3302012
Also

>Buy a small doll which has detachable clothes. Something fancy

>Enlarge the doll. Ditch the doll and wear the enlarged dress.
>>
>>3302005
>Ask her to target you. No point involving anyone else.
>>
>>3302005
Ideas just keep coming holy shit. Add to>>3302012
>>3302016

>Buy a small quantity of very good and expensive food and liquor. Like a shot and some appetizers. Enlarge and have a feast in the middle of the street.

Also, since we are a new and responsable Sophia

>You should probably get your maids to their usual size.

>Also, since you are thinking of going pro, but continue to want to be regarded as scum, why don´t you join the public defendants? You would be both trash and righteous at the same time.
>>
>>3302026
Seconding this
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
That reminds me, we should see our godmother and say hello. Tell her how things are going and stuff. She'd probably like a social call
>>
>>3302103
I concur, even if it scares me a bit
>>
>>3302126
As other thing we should probably do:

>Visit our master. See if he hasttaken up the idea of mass training.

>Ask the lawyer if we can recruit more duellists to the tournament. Like, ask Sabino and Gloriana if they can give you the prize if they win. Tell them it is for the good of the City and have the lawyer confirm their words. Don´t tell them about the Handprints. Ask the fisherman tooo, as we will need all the help we can get.
>>
>>3299718
>Hi Ouro! I just want to thank you for writing such an awesome quest! I love reading it! <3
Yes this.
>>
Test
>>
Aw shit, I was supposed to post this update before I fell asleep for the night but I just lost consciousness. Whoops.

>Demonstrate the eyes!

You stop for a moment, the blind Gloriana still leaning on your shoulder. Ideas are suddenly racing into your head!
“Oh, I can think of a few things. Do you have a moment?”

“It’s not like we’re going anywhere.”

“Right.”
Shuffling across the street, you briefly leave Gloriana outside a needlework shop. You aren’t in there long, returning it with a single handkerchief.
“You can only ‘focus’ on one thing at a time, right?”

“Yes. Anything else gives me a headache and leaves me blind for a little bit.”

“That’s good. Well, not the blindness bit. But it means you can look at this handkerchief in my hand and not at me or anyone else.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because this is going to be cool, is what! Open your eyes.”

Gloriana slowly opens her eyes and once more, you are practically entranced by the tiny diamond-irises dancing amidst the darkness. Right now, they’re fixed on the handkerchief in your hand.
You just stand there, fixed in place, while Gloriana slowly backs away. And the further away she gets, the more the handkerchief grows. It creeps across your arm in slow motion, covering your hand entirely, then your wrist, then your arm.

By the time she stops, the handkerchief is the size of a small blanket. You shake it free and tie it around your waist.
“There! Isn’t this cool?”
And nobody around you even bats an eye.

“I wish I could get a better look at it,” Gloriana grumbles as she screws her eyes shut. “Is it good?”

“It’s pretty snug! Do you mind if we experiment with a few more things?”

*****

You stand opposite a delicate porcelain doll, one that resembles an elegant young beauty in a black gown. Only the doll isn’t so elegant anymore because it’s six feet tall. Gloriana had had to walk quite a far way back for that one!
“This is kind of freaky up close.”

“I can always make you doll-sized instead of the doll you-sized,” Gloriana suggests.

“Hah! Maybe later.”

“You should try to wear her dress now that it’s you-sized.”

“What and get changed in public? Not of all us get off people staring up our skirts, you know!”

*****

“Okay, try this one.”
Before your eyes, the glass of wine and the little slice of cheesecake grow until the glass is a little taller than you knees.
“Now we’ve got a proper feast!”

“Can you even drink from that glass anymore?”

“I could if I tried hard enough!”

****

Gloriana stumbles, very lightly buzzed from the wine that the two of you had shared.
“Hold on,” you tell her. “We had some detours but we’re nearly back. And keep your eyes shut.”

“It’s a small price,” she says, repeating herself. "Get it? It's a small price! I bet the maids would laugh."

1/2
>>
>>3302512

“That reminds me, what were you saying about your maids earlier?”

“What, that they’re tiny?”

“Yeah.”
You don’t know anyone employed by Gloriana’s father. But considering their connections, they probably aren’t good people. But even so! This seems a little unfair.
“Could you put them back to their proper size when you see them again? As a favour to me?”

“I probably should, hey? But they’re a lot cuter this way.”

“You definitely should. But here we are, we’re finally back to where we started.”
An unforeseen downside of Gloriana’s new style is that however the fight goes, you almost certainly exit the Wake a long distance from where you entered.
The Thousandfold Stair’s stunted exterior looms ahead of you, a far cry from the sky-scraping behemoth you saw in the Wake.
“Say, are you going to be alright to talk to your client without these glasses? Something might happen.”

“I can just keep my eyes shut the whole time!”


>Search for the fallen glasses first. Take as long as you need.

>Take Gloriana in to tell Luisa. You don’t really mind.

>You can look for them while Gloriana talks to her client.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3302516
>>Search for the fallen glasses first. Take as long as you need.
>As someone who has an always active boon that is not the norm? it's a much better idea not to tempt fate.
>>
>>3302516
>Search for the fallen glasses first. Take as long as you need.
>>
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Dozing off again for a moment. Won't be that long.
>>
>>3302516
>>Search for the fallen glasses first. Take as long as you need.
>>
>>3302516
>Search for the fallen glasses first. Take as long as you need.
>>
>>3302516
>Find the glasses

Not like we mind putting this off as long as possible.
>>
>>3302579
Some of us do mind.
>>
>>3302580
I meant in character, having to fess up to our client that we lost.
>>
>>3302516
>>Other (Specify)
Do you want to cover your eyes with some cloth just in case? You can even whip it off your head dramatically if you need to use your powers.
>>
>>3302516

>Search for the glasses. Ask people.

Shame my last write-in didnt pass:>>3302026
>>
I'm awake or at least, I'm trying to be. Vote called and writing.
>>
I feel impressively bad.

>Search for the fallen glasses first. Take as long as you need.

“How about we don’t tempt fate, huh? Let me find your glasses first. Here, I’ll just put you somewhere out of the way and you can keep your eyes closed.”

“It was a really dumb idea to have thrown them away just to be dramatic, huh?”

“Think of it as a learning experience.”

“I have learned nothing.”

*****

It takes about ten minutes of searching and asking people to find her glasses. You can’t find them on the street and just as you were about to consider that they may have fallen into the canal and were lost, you ask the right person. Turns out that Gloriana had thrown them through a wall and they’d clattered right into a man’s house. He seemed reluctant to part with such a unique souvenir of what, you must admit, must have been a memorable duel for everyone spectating. But you are who you are and he can’t tell you no.

“Brilliant,” Gloriana says, peeking around through the thick black lenses. “Everything looks real again!”

“Do you own any spares?”

“Yeah but I didn’t bring them with me. Another dumb mistake.”


As you talk, another voice cuts into the conversation.
“Have you two just been standing out here the entire time?”
It’s Luisa and you can tell it’s her by her expression and general lack of vibration. The short woman is standing in the doorway, her hands clasped together.
“How did it go? I tried to watch but-”

“I won!,” Gloriana says. “But only because Sophie was gracious enough to let me.”

“It’s true. Gloriana deserved that win so I decided to give it to her. Congratulations! You just got your body back!”
You don’t like saying this but Gloriana led off with it and it’s easy way to get around your curse. You fought as hard as you could. The idea that you wouldn’t, that you’d just surrender because you didn’t like your client is...it’s not comfortable. It’s not something you’d actually do. But it is true that you don’t feel too bad losing either.

“Oh,” Luisa says and right in front of the both of you, starts to gently cry. “Thank you! Thank you both so much! Is it really true?”

“You made the right choice hiring Gloriana,” you tell her. “She did you proud.”

“I just wish I could rub it in her face!,” Luisa says. “But I can’t because of well, you know.”


>”Well, our job here is done. Let’s get those drinks.”

>”So what are you going to do about all this fountain bullshit?”

>”If It’s possible, I’d like to wait around to speak to my client. I owe her that much.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3302843
>”So what are you going to do about all this fountain bullshit?”
>>
>>3302843
>I have learned nothing
So best

>"So what are you going to do about all this fountain bullshit?"
>>
>>3302843
>>”So what are you going to do about all this fountain bullshit?”
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”So what are you going to do about all this fountain bullshit?”

“Have fun with that,” you say, not particularly eager to face your client. If you can get out of here without having to talk to Fulvia, that might be for the best. Looking around, you almost step on her scattered notes on Saturnino d’Valentini.
“That reminds me. Are you going to do anything with all this fountain bullshit she’s collected? Her quest for the one true Wishing Well or whatever?”

Luisa taps her chin slightly.
“It does seem like a waste, doesn’t it? She was so certain that it was in here somewhere, she’d even narrowed it down. But fortunately...she was a compulsive note-taker. And these are my notes now. So I think I’ll get by.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well it won’t hurt to look, will it? The worst case scenario is that I waste a few days deconfirming her theory. The best case scenario is that I find this ‘Wishing Well’. I might as well give it a try!”

Gloriana perks her head up instantly.
“Have I mention that in addition to being a very cheap public offender, I also have experience searching for fountains in architecturally improbable stairways? I’m just saying.”

“That’s very specific.”

“It is! But I’m willing to get on board with this. We can start now if you want.”

“Hold on,” you say quickly. “Aren’t the two of us going out for drinks now?”

Gloriana’s mouth snaps closed and screws up into a frown. She doesn’t say anything and you know she can’t. Anything she says will just turn into an agreement to come with you.


>”Come on. You can help her with this later.”

>”Actually, you and I can do that later. Go on.”

>”So can I go fountain-watching with you instead? Maybe I have a wish of my own.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3302985
>”So can I go fountain-watching with you instead? Maybe I have a wish of my own.”

Fuck it I'm game. Let's go exploring.
>>
>>3302985
>>>”So can I go fountain-watching with you instead? Maybe I have a wish of my own.”
>>
>>3302985
>>”So can I go fountain-watching with you instead? Maybe I have a wish of my own.”

I have this... friend, who might need to make wish to undo another wish...
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”So can I go fountain-watching with you instead? Maybe I have a wish of my own.”

This sucks! You really wanted to go hang out with Gloriana after the duel and not just to spend time with her and talk some more. You also wanted to get her into another contest to try and steal her eyes! Or perhaps, some other assets. So if you can’t hang out with her at a bar, you’ll just settle for hanging out with her in a thousand-floor staircase that goes nowhere and is filled with dire fountains of mysterious import!
“Well then,” you say, sparing Gloriana from having to speak. “I guess I’ll come with you! Could you do with one more fountain-watcher?”
They’re not going to say no.

“Sure,” Gloriana says. ‘No reason to fight over it, if we actually find the stupid thing we can all have a wish!”

“Hold on,” Luisa says, raising her voice. “I never said I was letting you-”

“I beg your pardon?,” Gloriana asks, raising a hand to her ear theatrically. “So you’re not going to let Sophie do what she wants?”

“She can. I’d let her do anything.”

“Then we’re good! But say…”
Gloriana turns and, looking over her glasses, gives you a serious case of side-eye. The black eyes and the tiny spark within just enhances it.
“What wish have you got, Sofia? You seem like a girl who has it all.”

“I do, don’t I? But even I can have a wish in my heart.”

“Right, so what is it?”


>”I don’t have to tell you.”

>”It’s not for me. It’s to undo a wish someone else made.”

>”To undo my curse, obviously!”

>”It’s uh, physical.”

>’I’m perfect. But I could be perfecter.”

>”I want to give it to my girlfriend. She has a condition.”

>"I don't know. I just want to spend time with you."

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3303161
Ouro if we find this do we have to use it right now or can we come back?

Cause while I'd like to help Sabino or Adriana I'd like their permission first.
>>
>>3303161
>Several.
>Like, I've got quite a few friends who could do with a literal wish, but I could also get something for me too.
>There's undoing a DIFFERENT wish, removing curses, fundamentally altering someone's state of existence....
>>
>>3303168
This +
>”I want to give it to my girlfriend. She has a condition.”
>>
>>3303168
You don't have to use it right away.
>>
>>3303187
In that case

>>3303161
>”I want to give it to my girlfriend. She has a condition.”
>”It’s not for me. It’s to undo a wish someone else made.”

In order of priority.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
Sorry for being so slow btw. Still feeling that flu biting my bones.

>Several

“The wish isn’t necessarily for me. I already have enough. I have a lot of other people who need it. You don’t know them. You don’t know them but I’ve got a friend who made an unwise wish before and I’d like to undo that before I gave anything to myself. Or I could give it to my girlfriend. She has a condition.”
That’s right. Your life is just fine these days. Why would you help yourself when you can help other people?


Gloriana tilts her head back.
“You have a girlfriend?”

“Oh right, you weren’t there for that were you? I’ll have to introduce you someday.”

She looks like she’s pondering something.
“Oh well. Nothing to do with me. It’s just surprising. People always have another facet to them. So Luisa, any objections?”
Gloriana knows full well that she won’t be able to.

“I guess not.”

“If we find it, we’ll tell you,” you reassure her. “Now, shall we get started?”

“And miss out on talking to Fulvia?,” Gloriana asks innocently.

“Somehow I think I’ll live. You lead the way since you’ve got experience and all.”

“Seems fair. Now, I hope you’re ready for one real fuck of a climb!”

“I thought Fulvia narrowed it down to somewhere quite low down!”

“She did. It’s still an unreasonable amount of stairs.”

***

It is, in fact, an unreasonable amount of stairs. The wide stairway continues up forever, a curling expanse of shallow white steps. And it is cluttered every step of the way. Every new curve around the spiral takes you into someone’s else ramshackle home. Wary of the swords by your side and recognising Gloriana, they stay out of your way as you keep on heading up.
“How many of these people actually pay rent do you think?”

Gloriana pauses for a moment to think it through.
“Down here they probably all do. But once we get a bit higher, it’s probably something one in ten. And even higher? Sophie, there are people up there who have been [i[born[/i] up there. They’ve never been down. They’ve never known a ground that wasn’t a step. And even higher than that...well, at some point I’m not sure if it’s even the City anymore.”

“That’s impossible. The law goes all the way up and all the way down.”

“Pfft. If it doesn’t go high enough to touch rich people, I think the Thousandfold Stair can outpace it. And did you see it in the Wake? It just went up forever.”

“Reminded me of the Magisterium,” you say, continuing to climb. “It’s a building that lives in the Wake too.”

“Makes me wonder what it’s actually for, huh?”

“Hm?”

“Maybe it’s just because of all my training with these crazy folk but...when I see this place, I see a ladder. It’s hooked up to something Above. I don’t think he made it for art’s sake. Or maybe he did and he just fucked up really bad.”

1/3
>>
>>3303666

“It’s not all that hard to raise yourself,” you say. “We do every time we duel. The hard part is coming back.”

“Just like this stair, actually! People have set up whole lives in here just because it’d be too much trouble to come down. Plus I think there’s something about the air pressure. Anyway, I hope you’re ready to climb a lot more steps.”

“Luckily we’re duellists. Legs are our specialty!”

“Don’t I know it.”

*****

Shortly up ahead, the stairway is blocked off with a length of chain from banister to wall. Past this point, you start encountering the people Gloriana spoke off. You keep your hand on the hilt of your sabre and they let you pass though they watch with big glistening eyes.
They are pale things, their skins never touched by any light save the ethereal glow filtering down from the Thousandfold Stair’s ceiling. They live at a perpetual slant, their body having never come into a contact with anything approaching a straight line. Their eyes are wide and unblinking and their fingers are triple-jointed.

And as far as you can tell, they don’t walk. Every single one of them you’ve seen has either been lying down or if they needed to move, has been crawling low to the ground with their fingers and toes clutching at the stairs beneath them. Most of them also don’t seem to cut their hair, leaving them shrouded in cloaks of greasy strands.
“They’d never survive down there,” Gloriana says quietly. “They can only live here.”

“And the Stair is filled with them?”

“Oh yeah. These ones, these are the ones who came back down. I don’t know why.”

“Can they talk?”

“Yes but they’re very quiet. I think we freak them out as much as they do us. Don’t worry, me and them already figured stuff out the first time I came up.”

You pass a dozen makeshift settlements, tents and shelters and bags scattered around in mixed groups, some of the people looking just like you and Gloriana and the others being...stairdwellers.
“What do they eat?,” you hiss.

“Moths. I understand that once you get higher, you get very big fats fluttering around. Some people catch them and trade them up and down the Stair. I’ve had one, they’re kind of dry.”

“And they just drink from the fountains?”
So far there has been a small fountain set into the wall every few rotations. Gloriana has just waved you away from them each time.

“The ones they know are safe, yeah.”

Eventually, Gloriana asks you to stop. It must have been after almost an hour’s climb up from the bottom. A fountain is set into the wall, carved into its own little niche. For such a small thing, it still manages to be unique from every other fountain set into the Stair, each one their own little piece of art. A ...woman is sitting atop it, hunched and pale. Her head jerks up as you approach, an eye peering out through a veil of hair.

2/3
>>
>>3303668

“Buzz off,” Gloriana says. “We’re checking this one.”
She taps a finger on the hilt of her sword.

The woman says nothing but, as you watch dumbfounded, she crawls up the wall backwards, her fingers and toes splayed across the curved surface like a gecko. From there she slips between the gap of the stair above you and the outer wall and vanishes.
“I...I mean...they’re people. I shouldn’t be creeped out. I’m sure it’s a hard life.”

Gloriana shrugs.
“I used to think like you on my first trip up here. Now? I think it’s kinda hot.”
You stare at her.
“I’m just saying!”

“Great. Is this an unchecked fountain?”

“You bet it is.”

“How do we test it?”

“There’s a long way and a short way. The long way involves me testing the water and us just camping out and waiting a while.”

“And the short way?”

“You toss a coin in and see what happens.”

“Me?”


>Toss a coin in.

>Make her do it.

>The long way seems safest.

>You’d like to go back down actually.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3303675
>>The long way seems safest.
>That unwise wish? Yeah it's a doozy at best. Let's NOT go off half cocked? I don't need my birthright to be even stronger or more binding.
>>
>>3303675
>The long way seems safest.
Sabino is good example of not fucking with Wishing Wells without knowledge going in.
>>
>>3303675
>Toss a coin in

LIVE ON THE EDGE

NOTHING BAD EVER HAPPENS TO THE PSEUDONYMS
>>
>>3303675
>>The long way seems safest.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>The long way seems safest.

“I’m not going to be your test subject. Do it the long way or not at all.”

Gloriana sighs.
“Why are you always right? Here, you might as well get comfortable because this is going to take a while.”
She pulls out a little stick from her pack and starts dipping it in the water.

“What’s the stick for?”
You unroll the giant handkerchief you have tied around your waist and lie across it as best you can, keeping it all one wide and shallow stair. The stone around the thick cotton is hard but the ‘blanket’ shields it enough and you’re tired enough from your duel that it is not at all unwelcome.

“It changes colour depending on the fountain. The brighter it gets, the uh, I’m not entirely sure how it works but I think brightness correlates to how ‘deep’ it is. Fulvia gave them to me. If it gets super bright, we should have our one!”

“And how long does it take?”

“About thirty minutes.”
Gloriana withdraws from the fountain, leaving the stick sitting in the middle of the water as if it was solid. She sits down next to you on the handkerchief, though there’s barely enough room for the both of you. You are acutely aware of her proximity though you’re not sure why it bothers you. You were stuffed down her vest just earlier today!
“So we’ve got some time to kill.”

“What did you do before?”

“I just read through the dead man’s notes. d’Valentino or whatever his name was.”

“And you could understand them?”

“Not even slightly. But I promise you they’re entertaining.”


>Take her up on the offer and peruse the notes.

>Pass the time with a game of some sort instead. Now’s your chance to take a trophy!

>Talk to Gloriana about duelling.

>Play around with her eyes a little more.

>Wear the Drunkard card again. It can’t hurt, can it?

>Talk about the tournament.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3303865
>Take her up on the offer and peruse the notes.
>>
>>3303865
>Take her up on the offer and peruse the notes.
>Talk about the tournament.
>>
>>3303865
>>Wear the Drunkard card again. It can’t hurt, can it?
C'moooon
>>
>>3303865
>>Take her up on the offer and peruse the notes.
>>Pass the time with a game of some sort instead. Now’s your chance to take a trophy!
>>
>>3303865
Adding this to Drunkard >>3303927
>>Pass the time with a game of some sort instead. Now’s your chance to take a trophy!
>>
File: advancedflaking.png (11 KB, 636x405)
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Sorry guys, I need to rest for a few hours. Still feeling sick from this bug.
>>
>>3303865
>Talk about duelling and the tournament while playing a card game

Card conversations are the best
>>
>>3303865
>Pass the time with a game of some sort instead. Now’s your chance to take a trophy!
>>
Alright I'm feeling better and will be awake for a few hours more. Vote called and writing.
>>
>Pass the time with a game of some sort instead. Now’s your chance to take a trophy!

You sit there restlessly, watching the little metal rod bob gently in the water.
“Checking the notes might be fun but...you know what? Do you have a deck of cards or like? I’d like to play a game.”

Gloriana flashes you a knowing grin.
“Do you now? Well I guess I have no choice but to consent. So...does it work the same way it does for duels?”

Oh, so she’s figured you out after all.
“Yes,” you say, matching her grin with your own. “So what have you got?”

“I’ve got an Auction deck, it’s good for fleecing rubes.”

“Chester? I’m down. I’m pretty good at it myself, you know.”

“So what happens? Do you have to win?”

“Yes. So you know that it’s a foregone conclusion.”

Gloriana shrugs as she starts shuffling the painted cards.
“Well then...I can’t dispute that. But I’ll be trying my best all the same.”

So that’s it. She knows how you learn and take trophies. And instead of refusing completely, she’s intending to face you head-on and beat you down once again. Well, let her. Auction has a fair amount of variance in it and because of that, you have a trump card that she doesn’t have any way of knowing about.


>Use your once per thread Test Your Luck to automatically win.

>Play her on her own terms.
>>
>>3304356
>Use your once per thread Test Your Luck to automatically win.
>>
I'm off to sleep. Will resume the session in the morning.
>>
>>3304356
>>Play her on her own terms.
>>
>>3304356
>Play her on her own terms
>>
>>3304356
>Use your once per thread Test Your Luck to automatically win.
>>
>>3304356
>Play her on her own terms
She knows how we do it and rather than be mad about the fact we just steal techniques, she's still giving us the opportunity to do it. I don't wanna cheat her.
>>
>>3304356
Could we hold on the use of our power until it is clear we are going to lose? Use it oly when we need to pull a win out of our ass.

That´s my vote if we can. If not

>Use Test your Luck

We are probably going to use Helpless Beauty for our ability again in the next duel, if we have one.
>>
Alright duel bois if we do get a Tech which one do you want?

>t. Lazy brainlet that doesn't want to analyze
>>
>>3305009
GSD is the only choice. The rest are either working off the size change system or are inferior to things we already have.
>>
>>3305009
>Alright duel bois if we do get a Tech which one do you want?
Going Bust.
>>
>>3305070
Just because Ouro offered it to us four times doesn't mean you should be as thirsty as him.
>>
>>3305090
>Just because Ouro offered it to us four times doesn't mean you should be as thirsty as him.
Hey, it's not my fault that Sophia won't accept boobs that she hasn't won fairly!
>>
>>3305094
Are you trying to say Sofia's boobs aren't perfect like they are now?
>>
>>3305096
Given that we're observers from above the wake, yes.
>>
>>3305101
You're right, they should be smaller.
>>
>>3305096
>Are you trying to say Sofia's boobs aren't perfect like they are now?
I'm just saying that she's strong enough to violently annex more boob.
>>
>>3305112
That's how tyrants think.
>>
>>3305105
How will she ever be a big tiddy goth gf like that?
>>
>>3305125
She will never be your GF anyway, anon.
Or goth.
>>
>>3305115
>That's how tyrants think.

>Down below, prophets dream of walking its streets and wars are fought and kings slain for their meagrest boobs.
>>
>>3305129
Our eventual life partner deserves only the best.
>>
>>3305138
Like I said, smaller.
>>
>>3305142
You're wrong about that and about Sophia never being goth. We lose another few duels in a row and those wrists are going to start looking like Gloriana's legs.
>>
>>3305153
Fantastic and perfect in every way?
>>
>>3305153
That's emo though. Sofia is plenty emo.
>>
>>3305153
Even though our wrists may be crossed by a thousand scars, our tummy will remain free from the taint of the blade.
>>
>>3305162
Yes

>>3305163
There's a difference?
>>
>>3305179
>There's a difference?
Yes. Gothic loli is stylish, emo loli is ridiculous.
>>
>>3305196
>loli
And suddenly the motive behind not taking Going Bust is revealed.
>>
>>3305209
The gothic lolita style looks great on busts of all sizes. The true motive lies elsewhere.
>>
>>3305196
>>3305209
Sabino is the only loli we have access to, we could win it off of him.
>>
>>3305218
We might win trapness instead and that's not what we're after.
>>
>>3305219
...I could be convinced.
>>
>>3305221
Anon, no.
>>
>>3305222
I'll take trap over loli
>>
>>3305228
If Sofia becomes a trap there won't be yuri anymore, so I win either way.
>>
>>3305232
Become a trap, break up with Adriana, get together with Maccio or Sabino. I like your style, anon.
>>
>>3305249
...You know, I could go for trap!Sophia x Sabino. >>3305232 has good ideas.
>>
>>3305252
Yaoi trap pairings are objectively the best. All the aesthetic benefits of yuri with none of the anti-/u/ nerds screeching.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

I'm awake and this is a tie. I'm going to roll it off. Evens for Test Your Luck, odds for not.
>>
>Play her on her turns.

You can see her challenge and you accept it. You don’t need any special ability to beat her in what is, mostly, a game of luck. She can try her best to scupper you, you’ll win all the same. You want her to know that you’ve beaten her.

You start dealing out the cards, watching Gloriana’s cards to make sure she doesn’t do anything tricksy with the cards she picks up.
“So what are you going to do now?,” you ask.

“Play cards?”

“No I mean with your new duelling style? I think you can easily go pro now. There’s certainly been a lot of duellists that I’ve fought that I think would be hard-pressed to stop you.”

“You reckon? I was thinking that it’d be too easy to counter once they know what’s coming.”

It’s true, she relied on surprise to get you stuck into a very nasty (and very conflicting) trap.
“Even so, I still think it’s very strong. Especially with that style of movement you learned from your master. Without that it might have just been a gimmick but I think you’re legitimately strong, Gloriana.”

She sighs.
“Does this mean I have to try now?”

“I’d like you to.”

“Well fuck,” she mutters, picking up her starting hand. “Now I have to.”

“It’s a shame that the Invitational is starting in a few days, if you’d entered that I think you’d do well. I’m in after all.”

“Really? Then you might meet my ‘master’ after all. He’s also in the bracket.”

“So if I beat him I’ve beaten you by proxy?”

“I didn’t learn that much from him. I’m an original duellist through and through. That’s why I’m so awful at it.”
You really can’t tell how sincere she ever is about her own self-depreciation. You get the feeling sometimes that she only does it to annoy people, particularly you.

“Whatever. Let’s play.”

“Guess it’s time for me to lose.”

>For the sake of the thread, several rounds of Auction are abstracted into a dice game. You must choose a number between 5 and 9 and try to use two dice to win with it. Some numbers will cause you to lose. Some numbers will prolong the game. It’s awfully random but that’s card games for you! Poker this ain’t.

>Choose a bid:


>5: Rolling a 5 wins. 2, 3, 11 and 12 lose. Anything else gives you an extra chance.

>6: Rolling a 6 or a 12 wins. 2, 3 and 11 lose. Anything else gives you an extra chance.

>7: Rolling a 7 or an 11 wins. 2, 3 and 12 lose. Anything else gives you an extra chance.

>8: Rolling an 8 or a 12 wins. 2, 3 and 11 lose. Anything else gives you an extra chance.

>9: Rolling a 9 wins. 2, 3, 11 and 12 lose. Anything else gives you an extra chance.
>>
>>3305504
>7: Rolling a 7 or an 11 wins. 2, 3 and 12 lose. Anything else gives you an extra chance.
>>
>>3305504
>7

I really want to invert our birthright now, just to see how Gloriana deals with having to say she's better than us.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>7: Rolling a 7 or an 11 wins. 2, 3 and 12 lose. Anything else gives you an extra chance.

The game lasts for several bids. You win the first one with a Founder’s Row and the second one with a well-placed bluff. You were quickly establishing your dominance. But then Gloriana steals the third bid from right out underneath you despite you using a Fortunato to spy on her hand. But that’s fine, right? You’re still one ahead!

Then she wins the fourth bid as well and this time it’s not even close. All you can do is helplessly reveal the Chester at the end of the game and watch as it negates the effects of all your scoring cards. Gloriana just nods sympathetically. It’s worse than her laughing at you.

“I’m a bit rusty,” she has the gall to say afterwards. “But I think I’m getting the hang of it again!”

You choose the bid. It’s for 7. You’re not going to lose this one. You’re not going to use your lucky coin. With the hand you’ve got, all you have to do is draw the right card and you’ll have yet another Founder’s Row!
It’s always been your preferred strategy in Auction due to how hard it is to complete and now, if all goes well, you’re going to style on her with it twice in a single game. You just need her not to draw it instead of you. Simple, right?

>Roll 1d6. The first two shall be totalled.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>3305550
>>
Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>3305550
The flavor text implies 50% chance, so not too bad?

Nat 6 plz
>>
File: 1521043337498.gif (615 KB, 141x141)
615 KB
615 KB GIF
>>3305584
>>
>7

Within five minutes, you’re laying down a hand with all four Founders once more. It doesn’t matter how close she came to the bid. A Founder’s Row is the best hand in the game.
“Ready to give up?”

“Well, nothing I can do about that. Well played.”

“...I was hoping you’d be angrier about it.”

Gloriana raises an eyebrow.
“What kind of person would get angry over a game?”

“Haha...yeah. I guess that would be pretty silly, wouldn’t it?”
And with that done, you lean over the scattered cards.
“And now I claim my winnings.”

“What if I don’t let you?”

“What?”

“What if I just stop you from taking anything? How does that impact you?”

“A-are you actually going to do that?”

She laughs.
“Of course not. Why would anyone refuse you anything?”

Grumbling, you reach over and take your prize.


>A card, ruining her deck by making it incomplete.

>Another of her ribbons.

>Her glasses.

>Another lock of her hair, this time blue instead of green.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3305553
>>3305584
Right off the bat...
>>
>>3305632
>>A card, ruining her deck by making it incomplete.
>>
>>3305632
>Another lock of her hair, this time blue instead of green.
>>
>>3305632
>Another of her ribbons.
>>
>>3305632
>Another ribbon
Easiest to keep track of, and hopefully the least inconvenient for her considering she let us do this.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3305632
Ribbon.
>>
>Ribbon.

You grab hold of the front of her vest, feeling the fabric scrunch beneath your fingers. It’s an awkward place to touch but is it really, anymore? You spent a reasonable amount of the entire last duel jammed in there against your will. Gloriana’s vest is practically your second address.

“I thought you said you were in a relationship.”

“Don’t make this weirder than it has to be.”
You better not think too hard about this while Adriana is around.

You pull her uppermost ribbon free, the same one she’d been using to whip you during the duel. You try not to focus so much on the effect this has on her vest, of pulling the top halves just far enough apart that you can see the extremely familiar cleav-

“You can stare as long as you want. I’m not going to tell you no.”

“I’m not staring!”

“Naturally.”


>Mafia Princess: You aren’t a member of the mafia but you do have a number of connections. You can seek them out whenever you want and they have to hear you out.

>Overblown Appearance: You know how to dress and act in a certain way that lets you play down, emphasize or disguise a certain aspect of your physical form. People’s impressions of you might be quite different from who you truly are.

>Object of Obsession: Whether you are loved or hated, you aren’t ignored. Nobody can ignore you. Everyone must have an opinion of you.

>Fascina Scholar: You have received a half-hearted induction and raised your consciousness. Now you can’t help but see the ways that everything interlocks together and to know so much symbological meaning that nothing means anything.

>Ascended Gaze: Your eyes ignore depth and perspective and, with a little practice, define that of others. Your perspective is the only truth. You have the same eyes as Gloriana and the same effects, including learning the Warped Perspectives Stance.
>>
>>3305721
>Overblown Appearance: You know how to dress and act in a certain way that lets you play down, emphasize or disguise a certain aspect of your physical form. People’s impressions of you might be quite different from who you truly are.
Trap status acquired!
>>
>>3305721
>>Mafia Princess: You aren’t a member of the mafia but you do have a number of connections. You can seek them out whenever you want and they have to hear you out.

this would be helpful to investigate those fucking Hands and Thirteen.
>>
>>3305721
>Fascina Scholar

I have a hunch this is going to turn out to be the most useful.
>>
>>3305721
>>Ascended Gaze: Your eyes ignore depth and perspective and, with a little practice, define that of others. Your perspective is the only truth. You have the same eyes as Gloriana and the same effects, including learning the Warped Perspectives Stance.
Aw yeah
>>
>>3305750
Bro we get the drawbacks too, no depth perception and no fancy glasses
>>
>>3305721
>Ascended Gaze: Your eyes ignore depth and perspective and, with a little practice, define that of others. Your perspective is the only truth. You have the same eyes as Gloriana and the same effects, including learning the Warped Perspectives Stance.

>>3305771
The drawbacks that we can just take off whenever.
>>
>>3305771
Can't we just take it off like with helpless beauty?
>>
>>3305721
>>Mafia Princess: You aren’t a member of the mafia but you do have a number of connections. You can seek them out whenever you want and they have to hear you out.

The stance sucks with our kit. It cripples us while we have nothing to take advantage of size difference. Worse case, we go up against a duelist with tricks that can get dice in their technique pool.
>>
>>3305782
Yeah, but it's not going to be useable outside duels, and inside duels we don't have the other moves that play off size difference.
>>
>>3305721
>Ascended Gaze: Your eyes ignore depth and perspective and, with a little practice, define that of others. Your perspective is the only truth. You have the same eyes as Gloriana and the same effects, including learning the Warped Perspectives Stance.

>>3305796
She used it outside duels in this thread.
>>
Bros no more giantess fetish please
>>
>>3305830
It's what Ouro would have wanted
>>
Vote called and writing.
>>
>Ascended Gaze: Your eyes ignore depth and perspective and, with a little practice, define that of others. Your perspective is the only truth. You have the same eyes as Gloriana and the same effects, including learning the Warped Perspectives Stance.

You think briefly on what you want to learn from her but in the end, you have to go with the obvious. She has crazy eyes! Wouldn’t you want eyes like that? And you can ignore the downsides as much as you want because they only have to be active for as long as you wear the ribbon.
And while you don’t really have the fighting style that Gloriana based around it, that doesn’t mean you can’t use it outside of a duel.

“Are you happy with that?” she asks.

“I’m always happy,” you say, lying.

“So what did you ‘take’?”

“I think you can guess.”

She grins.
“I think I can too. But just be warned, they won’t work on me. Anyone who can see through it is going to remember what they’re supposed to be and it’ll come undone.”

“Maybe it’s not meant for you. Maybe it’s not meant for anyone. Maybe I learned how you did it because of just how useful it is. I mean, look at this!”
You pat the giant handkerchief the two of you are sitting on.

“Sure. Now give me a moment, I’ve got to check the fountain again. It’s been enough time.”
She gets up and though you can’t see what she’s doing with the little stick, she sighs.
“This isn’t the one.”

“How many more of them are there? In the area Fulvia specified that is.”

“Beats me. But we don’t have much climbing left to before we reach the end of it. She was probably just wrong anyway.”

“But all the same, you’re going to check.”

“Well of course!”

Together, the two of you resume your long climb up the Thousandfold Stair.


>Toss a coin into the mystery fountain before you go. It might not be the Wishing Well but maybe it does something all the same?

>Test out your new trophy.

>Just walk and talk with Gloriana. There’s no need for anything else right now.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3305937
>>Toss a coin into the mystery fountain before you go. It might not be the Wishing Well but maybe it does something all the same?
>>
>>3305937
>Just walk and talk with Gloriana. There’s no need for anything else right now.
>>
>>3305937
>Just walk and talk with Gloriana. There’s no need for anything else right now.
>>
>>3305937
>Just walk and talk with Gloriana. There’s no need for anything else right now.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>Just walk and talk with Gloriana. There’s no need for anything else right now.

You stuff the ribbon into your handbag and keep walking, following Gloriana up the endless stairs. She turns just in time to see you do it though she remains walking, passing up the stairs backwards.
‘How many of my ribbons do you have now?”

“Two but you keep replacing them.”

“Oh, would you rather I don’t?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“I’m just saying Sophie, you seem to have a vested interest in de-ribboning me.”

“Why do you have them anyway? Is it just to be mean?”

“Pretty much! I bet it’s real humiliating to get stung by one of these! They’re threaded all the way through with metal wires so you can swing some real force with them if you know how to do it.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed the weight. So isn’t it heavy to wear a whole bunch of them at once?”

“Oh it’s incredibly heavy. Why do I think I’m so insistent on taking them off and using them during the duel itself?”

“Because you like making everything you touch a disgrace?”

“That too. But they’re like a type of training, aren’t they? The more I wear them, the stronger my core becomes! And by making them an essential part of my duelling vest, I can’t chicken out and take them off until I get changed.”

‘I’m not sure how well that works…”

“And they’re not the only application of it. Check this out!”
She stops on the stair above you and lifting her leg, all but shoves the sole of her boot in your face. You slap it away.

“Quit it.”

“Got sheets of solid metal across the soles. But of course you know that. You spent a fair amount of our last duel getting well acquainted with them.”

And you’ve been kicked by them in other duels before. It always fucking hurts. Gloriana is always painful, even when you win.

“Luckily they’re blunt force so they don’t do much in the Wake,” she says. “I wouldn’t want to break your ribs or nothing. Do you know what they’re made out of? Coin.”

“Pardon?”

“Specifically, coin from the Court of Swords. You can take a guess, right?”

“You can’t be serious.”
Every year the coins at the bottom of the Court of Swords are collected and melted down, poured into a single fearsome ally from which the most impressive and powerful duelling sabres are made. And she wants to tell you that she obtained some for her boots?

“Deadly serious. How else would I be parry swords with them? I had Daddy buy some.”

“No,” you say. “I refuse to believe it. That’s...that’s…”
It’s offensive, is what it is.

“Oh I guess you’re right. But whatever they’re made with, they’re as heavy as steel. It’s not easy to walk a mile in my shoes!”


It never occurred to you just how much effort and time Gloriana must put into being an embarrassment. No wonder she learned a new style so quickly.

1/2
>>
>>3306252
“You still seem pretty agile in the Wake.”
And right now too. She looks like she’s climbing these stairs as easily as you are.

“Yeah! So guess what I’d be like if I took them off. I’d be super fast, right?”

“Are you not?”

She scrunches up her face.
“...No. Sure, I did all my duel training in these boots as well and the reason I did them was because I had that same idea. That if I just trained in weighted shoes I’d be really fast when I took them off! But in reality, all the practice in these heavy boots only made me good at duelling in these boots. If I wasn’t wearing these and had to duel, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. My balance would be all off.”

“Is that how that works?”

“Just think about it. If I had my boots off and did one of my usual lunges, in the way I’m used to doing them, I’ll go way faster than I expected! I’d overshoot and get myself stabbed right away or fall over like a doofus.”

You nod. It makes sense. Restraint and control are just as important as speed and power.
“So what were in those notes anyway? I didn’t get the chance to read them.”

“A lot of nonsense. Or stuff that seems nonsense anyway. The reason that I found them entertaining was that this architect was apparently also a huge deviant.”

“In what way?”

“By which I mean the dude was mad for sex. He couldn’t stop talking about it. It was a little embarrassing even for me. Made his notes very interesting though.”

“Really? If he was, it didn’t come off through his architecture.”

“We’re climbing up the inside of what might be the biggest phallic object in the City.”

“Oh hush. Not everything is a dick.”

“Right, right. So now that I’ve spoiled them for you, do you still want to read them when we find our next fountain?”


>...Yes.

>Actually, you want to take something else from Gloriana.

>You might do a little exploring while you wait. Maybe chat with the locals?

>You’ll be testing your new skills.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3306256
>...Yes.
Now I'm even more curious
>>
>>3306256
>...Yes.
>>
>>3306256
>...Yes.
Sophia is canonically the thirstiest citizen of all time.
>>
>>3306256
>>Other (Specify)
Reading it isn't going to make me a massive weirdo, is it?
>>
>>3306256
>I might peruse them, just because. Probably won't take more a few glances unless I notice something more noteworthy than an architect's fetish ramblings.
>Speaking off, could the fountain he made be related to that sort of stuff?
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>...Yes.

“...Yes. Yes I do.”

“So you’re interested?

“It’s not because of what you said though. I’m interested in what he had to say about this place.”

“Of course.”

Up ahead, the two of you run into another settlement, a scattered group of both ordinary people and stairdwellers from further up. Here too are the clotheslines that you saw from the ground floor, stretching out across the drop from one banister to another. You see what might just be a child climb across it.
“These guys all seem pretty agile,” you say. “Why can’t they survive outside?”


“They can’t walk,” Gloriana says. “I mean, imagine a baby in this place. Would you ever learn to walk when all the ground is stairs? I think their balance is permanently off. They’ve never even so much as touched a flat surface.”

“At least none of them bother us.”
And it’s true. They just let you pass.

“This isn’t the kind of place where you can get by bothering people for no reason. Nobody can spare the energy.”

You can’t even imagine what it must be like to have spent your entire life in here, to have known nothing but. But you don’t bother trying to say that because it won’t come out that way. Instead you just settle for trying your best not to stare.

“Plus we have swords,” Gloriana adds. “They’ve got nothing like these babies, just scraps of whatever their ancestors brought inside. So they can’t compete with us.”

That doesn’t really make you feel better. After all this fountain business is over, you should do something to help these people. But what?

******

“Heads up,” Gloriana says, her voice rising a bit. “Fountain up ahead.”

“Good, I’m thirsty as fuck.”

“And I think it might be the one.”

“How so?”

“Oh, a few clues. Have a look for yourself.”

You catch up to Gloriana and then step past her, approaching the fountain. At first it doesn’t look hugely different from the previous one, though this one is flanked by two statues of...rather busty ladies. But that aside, what is there to see?
And then you catch sight of the inscription carved in the stone above it.

See and be Unseen

Hear and be Unheard

Taste and be Untasted

Touch and be Untouched

Think and be Unthought

Know and be Unknown

Be and Be Not

“That’s part of the incantation,” Gloriana says, using another foreign word. “Do you reckon this is the full version.”

You step closer until you’re standing before it, feeling vaguely queasy for some reason.
“Yes. And it’s ego death.”

“Then why are you drinking from it?”

“What?,” you say, kneeling over the basin. “I’m not drin-”
Water dribbles from your mouth as you speak. It’s clear and crisp and bone-achingly cold.
“Uh.”

1/2
>>
>>3306554

Gloriana steps closer, trying to pull you away from it.
“Hold on, let me j-”
The rest of her sentence is drowned out as she shoves a handful of water into her mouth.
“Fuck.”

“I didn’t even notice I was doing it,” you say.

“You’re still doing it!”

The two of you stare at one another, both of you kneeling, both of you spacing out your questions in between taking deep draughts. Gloriana sighs and drinks some more.
“I think this fountain might be bad news.”

“I agree,” you say but only after taking another drink. “It’s like a compulsion.”

“We should stop.”

‘Yes.”

“Agreed.”

“Gloriana?”

“Yes?”

“I can’t help but notice that we aren’t stopping.”

Gloriana doesn’t reply. Instead she shoves you away, sending you collapsing to the next stair down. “Hey!,” you shout but then a bolt of understanding strikes you. Grabbing hold of Gloriana’s scarred leg, you pull her down one step and away from the fountain.
“I get it. You have to be standing right in front of it.”

“Yeah.”
Gloriana is sweating and not all of it is from the climb.
“Maybe...maybe we should skip this one.”


>”No. As long as we keep our distance while we’re resting it should be fine. It LOOKS like the Wishing Well!”

>”Maybe we should just take the risk and drop a coin in so we can test it quick.”

>”Agreed.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3306557
>”Agreed.”
>>
>>3306557
>>>”Maybe we should just take the risk and drop a coin in so we can test it quick.”
>>
>>3306557
>"Maybe we should take the risk and drop a coin in to check, this one seems special. Probably should note that this one should never be approached alone."
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>"Maybe we should take the risk and drop a coin in to check, this one seems special. Probably should note that this one should never be approached alone."

“I agree but what if it actually is the Wishing Well? That inscription has to be important.”
And yet you don’t much enjoy the idea of having to sit next for it so long. Who knows what all this drinking has already done to you?

“There’s only one way to test it without the dowsing rod,” Gloriana says darkly.

“I know,” you say, taking a coin out of your handbag. Like all coins, it is foreign origin, a silver-coloured plating worn off to reveal brown streaks and a barely decipherable picture of a face. Nonsense words are inscribed into the rim.
“I’ll do it myself!”

And with that you flip the coin up so that it falls gracefully into the fountain, breaking the water’s surface and sinking gently down to join the coins in the depths below.

You wish...What is your wish? What do you wish for?”

>Wish (Specify)
>>
>>3306654
>Wish (Specify)
That the abomination of a 'sword' on the booklet looks like an actual sword.

Something simple to test if this thing works.
>>
>>3306654
That we find success in our love life.
>>
>>3306674
Don't be vague when it comes to dubious wishing wells man.
>>
>>3306680
Alright.

>>3306654
That we become the best at sex.
>>
>>3306654
We'd probably die or something if we wished to see and be unseen. or get snapped into the Wake.

>>3306685
>That we become the best at sex.
You know, he probably would have wished for this too.

Seriously, Ouro, I don't know what to wish for here. Too dangerous.

>>3306654
>Unending food

Useful for us and for the tower dwellers.
>>
File: sleepsnake.png (156 KB, 458x498)
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156 KB PNG
I am going to take brief rest for an hour or so. Vote will remain open until I wake.
>>
>>3306719
I'm probably going to crash too. I look forward to seeing whatever monkey's paw you come up with.
>>
>>3306657
This is a good wish. The others have the posiblity of turning into disaster
>>
>>3306654
>>3306657
This
"That the Sword on the booklet of (exact publication and date of publishment)'s cover looked like the sword I have on my person right now.
>>
I'm back. Vote called and writing.
>>
>Change the sword!

You close your eyes for a moment and focus on that awful sword from the booklet. The rest of the illustration...you can live with it if you have to. But that sword remains an abomination! It should look normal, like the one you have. Just change that one aspect and you’d be happy!

“Sophie, look!”
You open your eyes. The water in the fountain is glowing, a faint pearlescent light limning the edges of the basin and rising into the air.
“I think it’s real! It’s granting it. What did you wish for?”

“I know you still have that picture of me,” you say. “Can you pull it out?”

“Sure?”
She retrieves the folded up piece of paper from her vest and unfolds it. The Sofia within is asleep, her already skimpy clothes arranged in a very fashionable but revealing state. And beside her is that fucking sword, unchanged and worse than ever for the fact that you had been given hope.
“How do you like it?”

“Fuck,” you say. “It’s just as fantastic as ever!”

“Did you wish to change it?”

“Yes but I can’t say why. And it didn’t happen.”

“But the fountain glowed when you made a wish!”

“And yet it went ungranted.”

Gloriana rummages around in her vest pocket for a moment before pulling out a coin.
“I might as well give it a try. Here we go!”
She tosses it in and at first there’s no response. But then the moment she mumbles something under breath, the fountain lights up once more!

And yet she shakes her head.
“Nothing.”

“Is there something wrong with it, do you reckon?”

“Maybe it broke. Or it never worked accurately to begin with.”

“Or maybe,” you say, “there’s some detail we’re missing.”


>Ask for the notes. Perhaps you’ll find your answer there.

>Maybe you have to make a specific kind of wish?

>Do you need to be drinking from it?

>Like it or not, you may need Fulvia’s help.

>”What did you wish for?”

>It's worth giving it the proper testing now. Just to make sure.

>Give up and move on.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3306853
>Ask for the notes. Perhaps you’ll find your answer there.
>>
>>3306853
>Check the notes and check your sword.
Lol, Gloriana kept a picture of us.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3306853
>Ask for the notes. Perhaps you’ll find your answer there.
>It's worth giving it the proper testing now. Just to make sure.
Maybe we can do a perspective trick with the tester. If one of us changes the tester's size, maybe the other can interpret it as changing the distance to the tester, and this way we can put it into the fountain from afar.

Or maybe we can just throw it it like that coin.
>>
>Ask for the notes. Perhaps you’ll find your answer there.

“Could I have a look at the notes? Maybe I’ll see something that you missed.”
You unsheathe your sword as you say this, just to make sure that it hasn’t been changed itself. But it’s the same as it ever was.

“Sure, that seems likely. You’re a lot smarter than I am.”

Catching the little paperback notebook, you flip through it rapidly. Is it possible that the Wishing Well is just impossible? You were thinking about that before as well. Reality itself cannot be defined by some mechanism. The world is grander than the reflection in a fountain’s basin. It seems to you that the world and the Wishing Well cannot both exist.
And if it was true, why has nobody used it for anything obvious? Everyone hears about supposed fountain wishes all the time but, conveniently, they’re never for anything big that everyone would notice. Sabino is the biggest ‘success story’, if you could call it that, that you’ve ever heard of.

“You weren’t kidding about these notes, huh?”

“Enjoying yourself?”

You lean up against the wall.
“Maybe just a little.”
It’s making it very hard to pay attention to any of the actual content. If anything, Gloriana had been underestimating just how much of a pervert d’Valentino had been. Barely a page goes by without some sort of sexual reference or anecdote and huge amount of page-space is devoted to lewd art penned by the man himself.
“He certainly is openminded!”

“Try page 39.”

You flip through the pages a little faster.
“Why would I-oh. Oh my.”

“I know right!”

“He really was something else, huh? This is absurd. How am I supposed to find a clue in this?”

“Maybe it was a code?,” Gloriana suggests. “He fills his notes up with this to hide the real truths.”

“I’d like to believe that. But I think he just thought about this stuff a lot.”

“Probably a virgin. Though if he is, he’s got a lot of knowing.”

“I don’t think some of these are possible.”
You try for a few minutes more but find yourself at an impasse. The only reference to this particular fountain that you can find is a brief sketch of the two women flanking it and even those might just be references to other sculptures.

“I think this has to be the Wishing Well,” Gloriana says. “None of the other fountains have inscriptions like these, none of them light up. But if it is, I don’t get it. I guess it doesn’t work anymore or maybe it never really did. I don’t think using my eyes on it would accomplish anything either.”

“Why would it?”

“I don’t know! I’m just spitballin’!”

1/2
>>
>>3306923
>You think you understand now. At the very least, it’s worth a try. (Specify your answer)

>Give up.

>Maybe it is a code! You and Gloriana need to comb through every page together with extreme scrutiny.

>Get outside help.

>Try the full test. You might be able to get the dowsing rod in if you try hard enough.

>Maybe you need to make a wish in specific circumstances? Or a specific kind of wish?

>Maybe you need to be in the Wake?

>What would Saturnino d’Valentino do, if he were in your place?

>Maybe all the water needs to be drunk?

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3306925
>You think you understand now. At the very least, it’s worth a try. (Specify your answer)
>Maybe you need to make a wish in specific circumstances? Or a specific kind of wish?
>>3306685
THE. BEST.

The whole tower is phallic, getting near the fountain made us thirsty, all of his notes are lewd.
>>
>>3306925
>>What would Saturnino d’Valentino do, if he were in your place?
Touch and be Untouched sounds a bit perverted.


Clues: The incantation, the fact that Gloriana and Sophia couldn't stop drinking. Busty ladies.
>>
>>3306923
>Given the statues which are near the Fountain and the fact that the builder was a sexual maniac, you think perhaps it is somewhat related to breasts? Like if you need to to be busty if you want your wish to come true or it can only give wishes relating to tits.

>Alternatively, it could only grant wishes relating those who have drunk its water. Let´s test it.

>Toss a coin and wish for Gloriana to have a little more chest. Just enough to be noticiable. Toss another and wish the same for yourself if that doesn´t work out.

We have the advantage of knowing Ouro is a fetish-obssesed maniac, so this should be the most logical answer from an in-character and meta stand point.
>>
>>3306925
If my patrician vote is not backed by the righteous and just in this world, then I will support >>3306935 and their dream to make Gloriana have glorious Glorianas.
>>
>>3306935
On second though. Share all this with Gloriana before doing anything. Ask her if she wants to potentiall have bigger breasts and tell her that we only have one duelling outit, so as to stop her from experimenting on us.
>>
>>3306949
>we only have one duelling outit
...was this on purpose?
>>
>>3306954
I am confused anon. Please explain. Does being an English Second Language speaker serve as a excuse here or does it look like am I actually provoking Gloriana to expand our breasts?
>>
>>3306956
out-tit
>>
>>3306971
....
Ouro, could you insert that Freudian slip into the actual post?

Good sight there my friend.
>>
>>3306925
>What would Saturnino d’Valentino do, if he were in your place?
>Maybe you need to make a wish in specific circumstances? Or a specific kind of wish?
>You think you understand now. At the very least, it’s worth a try.
It likely only allows to wish for breast expansion
>>
I have returned. Calling the vote for uh, this option.
>>
>A specific kind of wish.

And there suddenly right before your eyes, it all falls into place. The creator’s proclivities, the statues, everything. And when you think about it, would he really have approved of your last wish? What would someone like that make a wishing well for?

“I think I have an idea,” you say, staring at the statues. “What if it really is a Wishing Well but it only grants wishes related to uh, breasts?”

“What?”

“Think about it! We already know that this guy was horny as fuck and, as far as I can tell, never stopped. So what if his Wishing Well, something shaped by his desires, was the same?”
Can art truly be separated from the artist?

Gloriana’s expression changes, no doubt realising that your stupid idea is surprisingly plausible.
“But...but that wouldn’t be a Wishing Well! If all it did was make boobs bigger than it’d just be like any other fountain!”

“I’ve never heard of a fountain that does that.”

“What I mean is that a fountain that you can put a coin into and get a specific effect isn’t unusual. It’s just what fountains are. A boob fountain would be the same thing as the Poultry Well except that it hands out tits instead of chickens. That’s not a Wishing Well. A Wishing Well that only answers one very specific use is a pretty useless Wishing Well!”
She pauses and then gives you a mischievous grin.
“Still. There’s no harm in trying, is there?”

“Hold on a moment,” you say. “You might be right. Maybe it’s wider than that. Maybe… it only accepts salacious wishes? It was made by a very lewd man so maybe you have to be in that mindset before it can grant that power! So only a wish of lewd intent.”

“So as long as it’s a sexy wish it’s fine? That’s pretty wild, Sofia.”

“Yeah. It is. And now I’m not sure if I actually trust you anywhere near it.”

“What?”

“Would you trust you with this fountain?”

“No.”

“And besides, your vest can be adjusted. Mine cannot and I only have one duelling outit- I mean, outfit. So, uh, I think it makes very logical sense that it happen to you.”
You have no ulterior motive whatsoever.

“You’re so rational, Sophie.”

“Thanks!”
And with these new parameters in mind, you toss another coin into the fountain before Gloriana can!


>Wish (Specify)
>>
>>3307020
>I wish Gloriana´s tits would grow a bit. Enough to be noticiable by both of us. No more than an inch more in bust.
>>
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>>3307020
>Wish for smooth, shiny, sexy hair.
>>
>>3307028
Don´t know if that is lewd enough
>>
>>3307035
You wouldn't want to touch the fluffy head?
>>
>>3307020
Wish that your bust would notably expand without you recriving any damage to your clothing or increasing the likelihood of such.
>>
>>3307039
Yeah, but that´s not dirty enough on its own own. I would support combining the two options, giving Gloriana a slightly bigger bust and magnificent hair.
>>
We still currently seem to have a tie so I'll let this vote run out a little longer.
>>
>+Gloriana's boobs because we're faster.
I blame Gloriana, she's a bad influence on us.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3307052
Why the hell would you wish hair on Gloriana?
>>
>Gloriana!

Smirking, you close your eyes and wish for the first thing that jumps into your head. And there’s certainly been two things that have been occupying your attention for a lot of today. So that’s that then. Your wish is for Gloriana to have a slightly larger bust. Not massively so but enough to be noticeable. At least an inch further out.
And why not? It’s all in good fun, right?

And even if you asked Gloriana for permission, she’d have to say yes anyway.

“What did you do, Sophie?”

“If you’re going to shove me down there every duel now, I might as well have some fun with it!”

“What?”

You open your eyes. The fountain is lit up by the force of your wish and Gloriana is clutching her chest. She slowly lets her hands withdraw and with them gone, you see...that her bust is the same as you always remember it being. It’s impressive for sure, bigger than you’d expect for someone with a duellist’s physique, but it’s not more so than they ever were.
“Oh. I don’t think it worked.”

“That’s fine. I was big enough already. So that’s not how the fountain works?”

Fuck. You really thought that’s how it was going to work. You had gone and gotten all excited over nothing.
“An honest mistake that anyone would have made. Even I can do them from time to time.”

Gloriana sits back down, arching her back.
“And your first thought was try to mess with my tits?”

“And what’s so bad about that?”

“Nothing.”
But she has to say that.
“I think I might be rubbing off on you.”

“It was just something to try.”
So if that wasn’t it, what is it?

Gloriana shrugs, a motion you follow with some interest.
“Maybe he just screwed it up. We’ve made three wishes now and none of them have worked. I guess this whole thing was just a, aha, a bust.”

You don’t get it. You feel like there’s something important you’re missing. But what other answer can there be? You already knew that wishing wells and the world itself cannot co-exist. Reality is more than a coin in a puddle.
So is that it then?

>Give up. Gloriana’s right.

>Make another wish!

>”I don’t know why I’m so disappointed.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3307079
>Wish for the negative of something. I wish this ribbon didn't grow longer.
>Wish from inside the Wake
>Can you remember what the water tasted like?
>>
>>3307079
>Maybe the fountain is a way to enter the Wake without dueling

>Or maybe we should be saying the full text when we throw the coin. Which might also send us into ego death.
>>
>>3307079
>This well retcons reality so that we remember things always being so. Just like we didn't notice Gloriana changing our size at first.
>>
>>3307079
Last few theories
>You have to say the wish out loud.
>The wish has to be about yourself
>It only works for someone without an Ability
>>
>>3307079
If the well is meta, then only a meta test can detect it.
>Wish Gloriana was a hot guy
This should reach the lewdness threshold while being hard to hide in a post.
>>
>>3307079
>Two persons have to maje the wish.
>>
>>3307079
>The fountain is flanked by two women. Maybe we both have to make the same wish at the same time?
>>
Now that the tie is broken, vote called and writing.
>>
>>3307161
You're still awake? Isn't it like 2 am for you?
>>
>>3307167
Only 1.
>>
>Two people.

“No,” you say to yourself. “The thread I was onto felt too real for it to just be a mistake! There has to be some other detail we’re missing!”

“Like what?”

You stare at the statues again.
“Like two, you say. Two people. Aren’t these statues specifically in the notes? Maybe they mean something?”

“And there I was thinking that they were included because he jerked off to them.”

“I mean...true. But if none of these wishes are working, what harm is there in two people making the same wish at once?”

“So we both grab a coin and go for it at the same time?”

“I don’t see why not. What’s the harm?”

Gloriana nods but she’s not too fast about it. It’s clear to you that she’s given up on this fountain.
“And what shall we wish for?”

“You’re leaving that to me?”

“Well we have to agree on it anyway. So by default, whatever wish you want is the only one we can agree on. Since you’re so smart and all.”


>The exact same wish as before, obviously.

>The same wish but for you instead.

>Another wish that still counts as lewd. You still feel that that qualification is needed.

>Another wish of any kind.

>Give up. This is pointless.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3307180
>The exact same wish as before, obviously.
>>
>>3307180
>>3306930
WE. WISH. TO. BE. THE. BEST.
>>
>>3307180
>Another wish

That both of us are impervious to mental intrusion. Take that handprint.
>>
>>3307180
>>Give up. This is pointless.
Lol, we've got no clue.
>>
>>3307180
>We'll wish for what you wished for. Uh, what was it?
>>
>>3307180
The booklet sword wish again.

Guys it needs to be something we can see immediate results on
>>
>>3307205
I have a feeling we'll only get one before it relocates itself or something. We can test the mind wish later woth Adriana and it would be the most useful.
>>
>>3307189
I think the requirement is some sort of access control, which is why we haven't seen city changing wishes. Two people at once fits, and my next idea is to wish from inside the wake.
>>
>>3307180
>Another wish that still counts as lewd
If we confirm this we can test non-lewd wishes next.

I still insist that the fountain retcons our memories. Gloriana wasn't that busty.
>>
>>3307189
>>3307205
>It’s impressive for sure, bigger than you’d expect for someone with a duellist’s physique, but it’s not more so than they ever were.

>Gloriana shrugs, a motion you follow with some interest.

We have always known exactly how big Gloriana is. Namely she and Sofia were the same size, and Sofia's bust has never been "too big for a duellist's physique". The wish worked fine. It's deceptive narration, the same way Sofia's birthrite tricks people into thinking they think positively of her, the same way Orion justified himself being a jackass for "good" reasons, the same way Cennen weaseled out of personal responsibility for being the root of at least half his own problems.

It can only grant lewd wishes, this isn't difficult to understand. Likely the whole reason it can grant these wishes it because their confirmation is made to be retroactive, so that people effectively never realize a wish was made.

now say it with me:
BE. THE. BEST.
>>
>>3307218
>>3307180
Good point. Before we do anything Sofia and Gloriana should compare bust sizes
>>
>>3307225
>>3307218
>tfw I've been saying this all this time
>>
>>3307228
In my defense I just woke up and haven't had any coffee.

I shouldn't be looking at wishing well puzzles this early
>>
>>3307218
False, Gloriana has always been bigger than us. If not, why was taking Going Bust from her ever an option? If we were the same size there'd be nothing to take.
>>
>>3307230
Go ctrl+F Going Bust in the archives the come back and tell me you're not a dumbass.

SUPPORT THE BEST. LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS.
>>
>>3307235
Being the best in sex isn't immediately verifiable.
No, not even if we fuck Gloriana here and now you. That's not how statistics work.
>>
>>3307238
I do not need immediate verification, I need to be THE BEST. I doubt we're going to be given all the time we want to just doodle around this fountain making silly wishes before we get ushered along by something.

Either we become THE BEST or we pass it up forever wishing for diddly squat and less trying to confirm something.
>>
>>3307235
Can't look.at the archives right now, but I'm certain Gloriana was described as more stacked than us in the past when we first got shrunk down and stuffed down her shirt.
>>
>>3307180
>>The same wish but for you instead
>>
>>3307246
It was a rhetorical question, I checked first and then taunted you to back up a claim I knew you couldn't in order to provoke you into doing so to make a similar comeback.Typically just asking people to check their sources does work nearly as often as accompanying it with an insult to motivate them. So it was nothing personal and I'm sorry if it made your day less enjoyable.

Gloriana has never been more stacked than Sofia. If we got shrunk and stuffed down there then obviously she'll look bigger. I am 100% verifiably certain than Sofia and Gloriana were the same size and Gloriana just showed it off more to get reactions.

SUPPORT. THE. BEST.
>>
>>3307255
Give me 12 hours and I'll either have a quote and link proving you wrong or an embarrassed admission.
>>
>>3307255
You don't think THE BEST is way too open interpretation and you aren't going to get Monkey Paw'd?
>>
>>3307294
I've been very specific twice now about being THE BEST at sex. I don't really care if you try to lawyer speak it up, but I doubt someone who went through all the effort to make this massive tower and an actual working wish fountain for lewd things is going to monkey paw it.

Similarly, if Ouro were going to monkey paw it then how it's worded wouldn't prevent the monkey pawing any. Worrying about whether or not it would get corrupted in translation somehow just means you don't wish for anything, thus wasting it.

So in conclusion I've considered these things and I have a dream.

I wanna be THE BEST, like no one ever was. As detailed in all previous votes for this.
>>
>>3307300
If we were the best at sex we'd never be able to fuck Adriana again.
>>
>>3307317
Explain your reasoning, because I am drawing a blank.
>>
>>3307319
I think he's saying if Sofia was too good Adriana would lose control which is moot cause Sofia can't actually do anything to Adriana as it stands now. Adriana does most of the 'work'
apparently in that regard cause if she received Sofia would be at risk.

At least I think that's what Ouro implied.
>>
>>3307322
Yeah, we can't do anything anyway. And we won't be able to do anything with her at all until we have mind protection, which means we'd never be in danger no matter how good or bad we were.

So in conclusion I wish to be THE BEST.
>>
>>3307324
Or you could vote for mind protection, like I suggested.
>>
>>3307332
Anon that's a stupid idea, and I'm going to level with you why.

This well seems to only grant lewd wishes and half the other anons here are skeptical even of that without verification. Voting to be THE BEST at sex is 100% lewd and thus would be granted if our theory is correct, thus needing verification of its veracity is unnecessary.

Wishing for mind protection is not lewd, and even if it were framed to be for lewd purposes, I remain skeptical the fountain would accept us trying to squirrel out mind protection like that. There would be no way to verify it except trying. But if we tried and it did not work, there would be no second try.

In conclusion, we should become THE BEST.
>>
>>3307180
Be the best at sex
>>
>>3307337
Swiss cheese has less holes than that argument and I know you know that
>>
>>3307347
The ting is, if we ask for mind protection for lewds, I am afraid it will turn a permanent thing. That is not a good idea as it would fuck up all the communication problems we resolved with Adriana.

Given that we know a way to get an ability that affords us mind protection for a limited time (while drunk) and can be deactivated at will by removing the throphy, I would say wishing to be the best at sex is a good choice, as it net us a good benefit even if we might never know it.

tl;dr: permanent mind protection will fuck us up. Temporary mind protection is not lewd enough, as it has practical benefits outside sex.
>>
I think we're skipping something here, Sophia may have nailed in on the line "Wishing wells and the world cannot coexist."

Think about the Wake: Duelists remove themselves from the physical to fight in the noumenon, watched by the city.

I've said this before: I believe that our influence (and Ouro's, for how much it could be referred to as influence) in COS is codified into the rules of the world. When Duelists become aWake; they are mantling our position in a limited respect.

Which is why her line is important: There is no such thing as a wishing well in Aquitae Cogituum: The font of truth does not exist inclusive of the world it radiates.

The inscription refers to being something outside the Noumena: An objective being which can meddle in the universe from the outside: Something that lives beyond the source.

Ideas:

The Fountain is a "Wishing Well"; but it does not exist in our world: A wish might be made in the Wake, if you could safely approach the fountain without having your identity destroyed by an overwhelming presence so great, it extends into the real world (And perhaps into Apokalypsis as well: When was this tower made?)

This well is a wishing well that is entirely devoted to wishes on the city; which for an Architect, is frankly useless. It doesn't do any of the "fun" things he wanted it to do, so he moved on.

Finally; and what I believe is the most likely explanation (Because damn you Ouro): It's a wishing well. The well is the thing that is wishing.

What does a fountain wish? It wishes to be drank from, it wishes for coins and it wishes to be wished upon.

It is a very happy fountain right now.
>>
>>3307431
Hah, I like that last one.

I agree about the Wake possibility, it's one of the ones above.
>>
>>3307431
>It's a wishing well. The well is the thing that is wishing.
>What does a fountain wish? It wishes to be drank from, it wishes for coins and it wishes to be wished upon.
>It is a very happy fountain right now.
That's hilarious and I hope you're correct.
>>
>>3307180
>>Give up. This is pointless.
>>
>>3307180
>Another wish that still counts as lewd. You still feel that that qualification is needed.
>>
I'm awake! Give me a moment to count this vote.
>>
Okay, the vote's currently tied in three different directions.
>>
>>3307180

>Another wish that still counts as lewd.

I'm inclined to believe it's doing something and we're just struggling to perceive it, like when Gloriana first used her eyes on us.
>>
Alright, vote called and writing.
>>
>>3307180
>>The exact same wish as before, obviously.

Also, if this fails, then let's go into the wake. Maybe we can toss a coin in there instead.
>>
>>3307932
Maybe we should just stick whatever Gloriana uses to test the well in there and just wait to see if this is the right one? Might be a clearer answer than just spitballing.
>>
>Another wish that still counts as lewd. You still feel that that qualification is needed.

Gloriana flips her coin idly.
“Hey, here’s an idea Sophie. What if the well itself is doing the wishing. What do you think a well wants? People to drink from it, people to wish upon it and people to keep giving it coins. Right now we’ve been doing all three!”


You frown.
“I don’t want to think about the implications of that so I’m not going to! Now, get ready. We have to toss our coins in at more or less the same time and with the same wish.”

“And what wish is that?”

“Uh…”
You still think it has to be something lewd. You’re not ready to abandon that theory! So maybe not the same wish you made before but still, it has to be something along those lines. And if this doesn’t work? Fuck it. Maybe you’ll give up.

Your wish concerns…


>Gloriana.

>Yourself.

>Both of you.

>Someone who isn’t here.

>A group of people.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3307944
>>A group of people.
A better quality of life for the tower dwellers? A steady foodsupply and waste disposal thingy?
>>
>>3307944
>Yourself.
Slightly bigger tits. Let's just get this over with so we can move on. Write down Sofia's current size and then do the wish. Then compare.

>>3307950
Needs to be lewd
>>
>>3307963
I'm pretty sure the wishing well is, as another earlier anon stated, wishing for it's desired to be filled. Drank from, coins, etc.
If we walk away, maybe the wishing well will get mad and wish for us to dump all our money into it since it wants it all to annoy us.
>>
>>3307944
>A group of people.
Give all the women of the City the ability to eat whatever they like and never get fat.
>>
>>3307944
>Yourself
If this is the route we're going let's ask for super glossy hair that never tangles.
>>
>>3307944
>>3307950

Or actually,
>A group of people.
Make all the tower dwellers healthy and sexy.
It's lewd and it's for the common good, win-win.
>>
>>3307999
Support
>>
>>3307999
I'll switch to this too
>>
Vote called and writing.
>>
>A group of people.

“Let’s wish that the stairdwellers are all healthy and sexy! Or something. That’s good for them, right?”
And it should still count as being lewd, a requirement that you still believe is necessary

“I didn’t realise you were into them.”
If you recall correctly, Gloriana already was. Blegh.

“I want to help them out. I barely understand how they manage to live in this place but even if I never get it, at least we might be able to make them healthier and happier.”

“That won’t make them walk upright.”

“I’m not sure they need to. Now, with me, on the count of three. One...two....three!”

The two of you toss your coins into the fountain and it glows twice in quick succession. And then the two of you just stand there.
“You know,” Gloriana says, “it occurs to me that we can’t actually tell from here if this one worked or not.”

“Not until we find some more stairdwellers and I think they’re avoiding us.”

“Will we able to tell? I mean, they already have perfectly healthy lives here. How do you get healthier than that. And I still think that that crawling thing they do can be pretty hot.”

You flush. You wouldn’t say it but you’ve always thought so too. It was a source of constant distraction while the two of you were passing through the encampments.
“So even if it worked, we can’t tell from here.”

Gloriana sighs.
“I’m ready to give up. I think this well is fucking with us.”

“How many more wells did Fulvia suspect were in this segment?”

“At least one more. If you want to do that, we’ll have to jump the step so we don’t get stuck drinking from this weird-ass thing again.”

“Yeah. We never figured out why it does that, did we?”

“It could be anything. But for the record, I don’t think the other fountains will yield anything. The inscription makes this obviously the Wishing Well. Or at least his attempt at it. But I guess making them is just impossible.”

You’re starting to get a little irked. You got your hopes up and for what? A fountain that just glows when you chuck coins into its basin? But it makes sense. Any actual wishing well would turn reality into just a game. It’s probably for the best.


>”We should check out the last fountain anyway, before we leave.”

>Go back down. You’ve spent a large segment of your day here already.

>”Try the dowsing rod test. We’ll just have to figure out a way to put it in without drinking.”

>Advance another theory on how you can totally get a wish out of this fucking thing.

>Make another wish anyway just because. Maybe it just has a 1 in 10 success rate?

>”If a well changes reality and we’re part of reality, how are we supposed to notice if it happens or not? We’re part of what is changed.”

>”Can we rest a bit before we move on?”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3308079
>”We should check out the last fountain anyway, before we leave.”

And on the way
>”If a well changes reality and we’re part of reality, how are we supposed to notice if it happens or not? We’re part of what is changed.”
>>
>>3308088

We seem to now have out-of-character confirmation that this thing is making changes, and people just can't remember them. It would seem like a significant waste to just walk away now.
>>
>>3308079
>Try one more time, from inside the Wake.
>>
>>3308079
>Try one more time, from inside the Wake.
>>
>>3308079
>>”We should check out the last fountain anyway, before we leave.”
>>
>>3308079
>”If a well changes reality and we’re part of reality, how are we supposed to notice if it happens or not? We’re part of what is changed.”

Let´s try wishing for simple articles that we don´t have, until the idiots of a reality finally realize the truth.

Also:

>Push the rod into the fountain with the sword
>>
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Alright fuckers my time is up. I won´t be able to use a computer and especially 4chan for two weeks in total. That means not being here to bring this thread down with my naivety, occasional spell mistakes (see) and desire to see Sophia grow into a less horrible person and see justice done along the way. For that, I have made this delicious pasta, for all of you to spam at the beginning of each CoS thread in order to avoid both new and oldfags from repeating the mistakes of the pasts. Treat this as the disertation of a fagot who couldn´t get his mouth shut. Nothing here is absolute. But, taking into account our less than stellar track record, I feel it is valuable advice for the main problem we continue to face each thread. Our obfuscating stupidity. Let´s start with the difficult part.
>>
>>3308149
+(see >>3306971)
>>
No, but for real, the Wake incantation is listed here for a reason. We should experiment with it before we leave.

It's time to d-d-d-duel.
>>
>>3308157
I feel in the case of Gloriana, it was overconfidence that led to our loss. Anons had voted to go in without any research on our opponent. We continued to act as though she was the same old Gloriana even though we knew something had changed about her.
As for the fisherman, that was more of a case of spending the day researching up on him.
For Alba, we went in without knowing but figured out her tactics within the first round. But unfortunately the grind wore me out. We had four votes, 2 of which were unanimous. Then forced to go for a fifth vote of the same combo again.
>>
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>>3308149
>Duelling

There is a reason why the Israeli army uses autists to analyze satellite images. Autism wins battles. That´s an objective fact. Life is too complicated to understand. That´s why most people, like the idiots they are will only try to concern themselves with the easier, more instinctive parts of it. Hot coffe burns your throat, traffic gets worse at seven o´clock and a wide array of things that enable us to achieve a comfortable enough life. What do autists do? Rather than wide, they go deep. Going back to the satellite image, where we would only see a mess of poorly rendered pixels, they would see a Hamas guy wearing a orange cap and with the AK ready to roll. Such capacities can be turned towards a great number of applications, such as painting, engineering, fishing, the reproductive cycle of the river trout population of Arkansas or, in this case, Ouro´s duelling system.

Yeah, I realice autism is a spectrum yada yada yada. More on that later

When in the first thread of our quest anons choose our duelling style, they asked for something with relied on prediction to best opponents. They couldn´t have imagined how right they were. Remember the fight with the Fisherman? You know why we won against him but lost the very next duel when our oppoent then was clearly inferior?

Information. By knowing each and every move of that guy, we could use all the time we ha duntil the match to analyze his moves and synergy and put forward a coherent strategy to win. There were rounds where we basically PREDICTED the guy´s next moves and subsequently beat his ass. That all happened because all the autists had the time to discuss his kit and ask Ouro the pertinent questions about the interactions between moves. As Sun Tzu famously said: “give your autists time to think and they will win your battles for you”

Of course, that win wasn´t only due to the autists. I for exampe, am notoriously bad at Ouro´s system, but still feel like I contributed to the victory. Why?

BECAUSE I PUT MY TRUKKING SOUL INTO IT, MAGGOT
>>
>>3308091

No. It's not changing anything. It's redefining.

The definiton is being changed.

Gloriana didn't get bustier: The overton window for bustiness got shifted so that Gloriana is outside of it.

The stair people are no less creepy; they're just now sexy and healthy too... by definition, not by physical change.

Which is why it did nothing to the sword. We asked the well to make the sword normal.

We enforced the normality of our sword as a duelist's weapon and thereby enhanced the ridiculousness of the harlequin Sofia's blade.

The last test I want is to wish for contradictory things, recording each one. both together (To see if it's an absolute effect that changes) or separately (To see if it simply changes your individual opinion on things)
>>
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>>3308170
I tried to steer the conversation towards useful discussion, posted both our opponent´s kit and our wide array of techniques to not make people go archive delving to find it and interested myself on the HOW behdin all the queues which were being put forward, so as to make their creators explain them and enable people to value an explanation before voting. Enabling work for those more gifted than you and occasionally trying to interject to make sure people stay on track is a way o participate on duels that people all across the autism spectrum can contribute.

What happened the very next duel, when we had no info to our opponent and accepted the duel knowing full well that it was a set up? We didn´t do our homework. I will admit that I didn´t expected the Handprint to be involved, but taking into account we knew we hadn´t made friends among them, it was a fool move. About the duel itself, I would rather not speak. People running around like decapitated chickens and making bad decisions in what little time we had available between the rounds. I will admit part of the blame, since I didn´t really comprehend the kit behind the duellist and didn´t really get what answers I collected. But that´s only a excuse to do it better next time.

For all the good it did, I put up Gloriana´s list of old techniques before the duel. Also, I don´t know if this is more my preference or not, but I feel is better for us to get strong standalone techniques (such as Taunt) rather than bits and pieces of other people´s kit which won´t be useful until we manage to win agasint them another time.

Tl;dr: Helping the peope crunching the number have an easier and longer time doing it makes those people deliver a victory
>>
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>>3308177
I am not gonna be as extensive when talking about what happens between duels, as that is certainly more controversial and depend more on the whims of the anons. But there are things that have to be said.

>Personal

Sophia is a walking bag of communication and attitude problems that would make Komi-san look like a chump. We have been helped a bit with Adriana, which might the person who better comprehends us I think this our best romantic partner for that reason, but I may be biased since I find their whole routine incredibly hot but we still have a long way to go, as Word of God has established.

We have been a pampered piece of ass that cares not for the wishes of others. We need to be very conscious of what we say in order to let people take some intiative of their own in a conversation with us. Things like talking about hypothetical persons and asking people on their opinion of what would be the best for us are ways, which, allow us to circunvent the curse. This might take much more effort on the part of the players, since it would mean coming up with different write-ins from the ones offered and waiting and checking the vote to see if more interesting options have arisen.

Example:

Rather than: Do you want to come drinking with me?

Say this: What would you think would be beter for me, exploring the Tower with you or going alone to drink?

That way, since they can lie to us, they can communicate their preferences without actually uttering a Pale Word.

To end all this, trying to do good things and making an effort to make people´s lives better should be one of the focus of our options and write-ins, in order to make it into an habit and finally become the person we want to become.
>>
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>>3308149
>>3308170
>>3308177
>>3308188
There it is, two hours of my life I am never getting back.

Feel free to spam it. And for the love of God, help the autists deliver and be a person you cna be proud of

See you all in two weeks
>>
>>3308192
Thanks for archive digging and posting techniques. Come back soon.
>>
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The vote is still a tie and I have stuff I've got to do today so I'm going to leave it open until I return. I'll back by tonight.
>>
>>3308285
Aaah no! I'll change to checking out the last fountain.
>>
>>3308091
You absolute pool noodle, we had that information. It was spelled out already in >>3307218 and >>3307091

We were so close to becoming THE BEST and then people voted to make crawlers sexy.
>>
>>3308079
>>Try one more time, from inside the Wake.
>>
>>3308079
>”If a well changes reality and we’re part of reality, how are we supposed to notice if it happens or not? We’re part of what is changed.”
>>
I'm back! Vote called, writing.
>>
>We should check out the last fountain anyway, before we leave.
>”If a well changes reality and we’re part of reality, how are we supposed to notice if it happens or not? We’re part of what is changed.”

“Well,” you say, making a point of stepping over the step with the fountain on it to avoid being ensnared, “we should at least check out the last fountain before we leave. Maybe that’ll be the actual Wishing Well.”

“I doubt it,” Gloriana says, following up after you. “I think that is the Wishing Well, it just doesn’t work.”

And you were so certain of the lewd wishes idea too! It just felt so right. There’s silence for a few more steps before you speak again.
“Say, if a Well changes reality and we’re part of reality, how would we be able to tell? We’re part of what is changed.”

“I don’t follow.”

“I mean, what if that was the Wishing Well but all our wishes were so effective that it made them so they’ve always happened?”

“Then what’s the point? Okay, maybe in some previous reality nobody can remember, I had a smaller chest. What would it be, around your size? And maybe there was a time when the stair-folk weren’t sexy. But neither of us remember those times so it’s unknowable. So what’s the point of a wish that doesn’t seem to change anything?”

“But maybe there are still some wishes worth making.”

“And we’ll never know it. If that’s true you could make that wish about my tits three more times and functionally no difference would be made.”

“So should I go back and do that then?”

“If you want to waste the coin.”
And with that, she catches up to you.
“Thanks for taking my ribbon by the way. I love being forced to show cleavage for the entirety of our remaining trip.”

“The worst thing about you Gloriana is that I can’t tell if that’s even the curse or if you’re being honest.”
You try not to look and fail.

“If your theory about the Well is true, you’ve only made me stronger.”
There’s a long silence for the next few minutes as the two of you just focus on climbing. It isn’t an awkward one, it would take a lot to be awkward with Gloriana in comparison to past events, it is simply a silence of conversation that has petered out.

“So, Sophie, what’s up with you having a girlfriend?”

“Oh, she’s just someone I know,” you say lamely. “I don’t think she’d like you though.”

“Do you pay her as much attention as you do me?”

Fuck. Wait. That can’t be true, can it?
“Of course I do. She’s very nice.”

“Good to hear. But you’re not the kind of person to even contemplate infidelity. And that’s great because I’d hate to be an accessory to that kind of thing.”

1/2
>>
>>3309528

You look straight ahead.
“Yeah.”

“For the record, I was standing on your face before I knew you were in a committed relationship.”

Okay she’s definitely just tormenting you now.
“I don’t believe you actually care.”

“Well if you say so Sophie. I’d still like to meet her one day.”


>”Maybe later”. An indefinite later

>”Come visit tonight if you want.”

>”No.”

>”How attached are you to your current sense of self?”

>”And risk you two working together? No thanks.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3309532
>”Maybe later”. An indefinite later
>>
>>3309532
>>”Maybe later”. An indefinite later
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”Maybe later”. An indefinite later

“Yeah maybe later,” you say. An indefinite later. Perhaps a never later. You don’t know what you’re scared of more, Gloriana and Adriana hating each other or the two of them becoming friends and teaming up on you. The last thing you want is them swapping tips! ...Or is what you want most?
You drive that thought from your head with extreme prejudice.
“Why are you so curious though?”

“I’m just interested in what kind of person could possibly be good enough for someone like you.”
She’s not afflicted by the curse. She’s just trying to fuck with you.

“Well you can keep wondering.”

“Aw!”

“What about you? Anyone in your life?”

“Funnily enough, I met a cute guy yesterday. He stopped me in the street.”

“For what?”

“He was a constable who thought I was a prostitute and wanted to see my license and then to run me out of the District. He’s three feet tall now.”

“You can’t do that to a constable, Gloriana, it’s probably some sort of assault!”
Does she...does she just do that to people now? And considering that you’ve now learned her perspective, can you?

“It’s not assault if they don’t know it’s happened to them, Sophie! And it wears off after a few days so as long as nobody capable of seeing properly tells him, he’ll never even know. Plus you should have seen the look on his face after he came over, all angry and manly, ready to toss me out and realised that he was trying to start shit with someone almost twice his height! He wound up apologising to me.”

“You really shouldn’t do that to people just because you can.”
That said, you’ve certainly abused your own birthright in the past.

“It’s not harmful. You shouldn’t knock it until you try it, Sophie. You’ve never even seen cute until you have a maid taking a sleep in your lap.”

“That’s not cute, that’s just you having a fetish.”

“True,” she says, entirely unphased. “A fetish I never would have realised if it wasn’t for you and that maniac with the bottles.”
She pauses for almost a minute.
“And is it really any different than making wishes about other people’s bodies to a potential Wishing Well? My perspectives are temporary.”

You have no answer to that that doesn’t feel frustratingly hypocritical.

*****

As predicted, the last fountain in the area Fulvia gave to Gloriana is a bust. The two of you sit by it for roughly ten minutes before the rod gives its verdict. You have no idea what it was but according to Gloriana, it was garbage.
And so with that, the two of you are beginning the long descent back down. And before long, you’re passing back by the Well that the two of you wasted so many wishes on.

“I guess this was meant to be the Well,” she says, jumping over the step of the fountain itself. You tear your eyes away from her legs as she keeps talking.
“But if it ever worked, it stopped long ago.”

1/2
>>
>>3309766

But then she stops and looking back, gives you a mischievous grin.
“But if your idea is true, it works but it’s impossible to know the difference.”

“Yes, so?”

She pulls a coin out of her pocket.
“I could make a wish about you right now and you’d never know what it was. And if you’re right, whatever it is, it’ll be normal to both of us. Are you willing to take that existential risk to your identity?”

“Are...are you playing chicken with reality itself?”

“Who knows? I mean, this is just a broken fountain right? It doesn’t do anything. So there’s no reason to be scared, right?”
She lifts the coin as if to throw it. And for some reason the idea of it makes your blood run cold.


>”No, wait! Stop! Please?”

>Just grab the coin out of her hand.

>”Oh come on. We both know that fountain doesn’t do anything.”

>”Would you really do that to me?”

>Make your own wish first!

>”Why do something as boring and predictable as a wish about me?”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3309770
>Make your own wish first!
Wish that Gloriana had no coin in her hand.
>>
>>3309770
>>>”Why do something as boring and predictable as a wish about me?”
>>
>>3309770
>>”No, wait! Stop! Please?”
>>
Oh, right. The tie.
>>3309801
I'll switch to this.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
Although I'd like to add that she probably has more than one coin, wish that she doesn't have any coins on her person right now instead.
>>
>Make your own wish first!

There’s only one option. Gloriana can’t wish if you make your own wish first! Grabbing a coin from your handbag and pulling it free, you raise your hand and peg the coin past Gloriana and into the basin so hard that water goes spraying up the water!

“Hey easy,I was just joking!”
But it’s too late. You’ve already made your wish. You wished that Gloriana had no coins on her. And yet...here she is, still standing before you, a coin in hand. She cackles, throwing back her head as the fountain glows behind her.
“Wow! What did you wish for?”

You had panicked.
“I wished that you wouldn’t have any coins in the fountain. But I guess that did nothing. Unless...I don’t suppose you now happen to have never brought any coin with you?”

Gloriana shakes her head.
“Sorry. It was a great theory while it lasted though. Nobody could have made a better one. So there you have it, it’s nonfunctional. Let’s go.”

She keeps walking past the would-be Wishing Well and you, a few steps behind, follow her awkwardly. You skip the step to make sure you don’t fall victim to its thirst but...is that thirst really all the Well does? You had that theory of retroactive reality but Gloriana still has coin to spare.
Were you just wrong the whole time?


>You suppose so. Follow Gloriana.

>Quickly drop another coin in as you pass before she notices.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3310103
>>You suppose so. Follow Gloriana.
Kinda just want to move on now.

Something something missed opportunity something something
>>
>>3310103
>Take the coin you just threw

See and be Unseen
Throw and..... unthrow?
>>
>>3310119
You'd get trapped drinking the water
>>
>>3310123
Jump into the fountain to avoid the step!

speaking of which

>>3310103
>spit into the fountain
>>
>>3310103
>>You suppose so. Follow Gloriana.
If it's the lewd rule then I don't care about making wishes. If it's something I'm missing between the boobs and the booklet/coins then I'm too brainlet to figure it out.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>You suppose so. Follow Gloriana.

You guess you were. At first you were willing to entertain fanciful ideas about the nature of reality but you have to learn to abandon the unknowable. Some puzzles don’t have an answer. And you are, you realise, secretly glad that this is true. A Wishing Well that actually worked would be a light that coexisted within the shadow it itself cast. Nothing would be worth anything.

Very little of consequence happens on your way down, save for dodging the corpse of a low-flying mouth as it plunges down the empty column that runs all the way up the Thousandfold Stair. You pass through the same stairdweller camps and you keep your gaze down on the floor as you pass. Looking at them makes you feel uncomfortable and not in the way you’d think. Gloriana was right about them.

Luisa is absent by the time you finally reach the bottom, the two of you sweating heavily from your long climb up and back. The sun has moved in the sky and noon is now long gone. Adriana is no doubt wondering where you are.

Gloriana slumps down by the sidewalk outside the Stair, her head in her hands.
“What a disappointment,” she groans. “We spent all the time up there and for what?”

“We had some fun,” you say, thinking of several things. “I got to learn how to do your eyes!”

“And you’ll use them responsibly, no doubt.”

“I’m always responsible.”

“So now what? Do you still want those drinks?”


>Sure, why not? What’s the harm?

>”I really should talk to my client at some point.”

>”I’ve got another friend I’d like to see.”

>”I’m going home. Adriana’s expecting me.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3310236
>Ask what she would have wished for
>”I really should talk to my client at some point.”
>>
>>3310236
>”I really should talk to my client at some point.”
Speaking of being responsible

>"We can still get drinks afterwards if you're willing to wait around. Otherwise raincheck?
>>
>>3310236
>”I’m going home. Adriana’s expecting me.”
>>
So, I'm late but my theory is the fountain only granted unverifiable wishes. Either that or it only changed perceptions.
>>
>>3310236
>>>”I’m going home. Adriana’s expecting me.”
>>
I'm gonna go to sleep. Session will resume when I wake, vote will remain open until then.
>>
>>3310236
>"Sure!"
>>
>>3310236
>>3310256
This. We try to be a responsible duelist.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”I really should talk to my client at some point.”

“I’m going to stay here,” you say. “I really should talk to my client at some point.”
No matter who Fulvia is or what they’ve done, you fought your best for her and lost. She deserves your acknowledgement of that at the very least.

“Sure,” Gloriana says. “At least you know that she can’t get mad at you, huh?”

“That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.”

“But everything’s easy for you, isn’t it Sophie?”

“Yes,” you’re forced to admit. “But-...nevermind. It was nice seeing you again, Gloriana.”

“The same to you. Though of course, any time you choose to light up the cesspit that is my life is welcome. I’ll be watching the tournament!”

“You better be ready to see me win the whole thing!”
Fuck.

*****

“I’m not happy,” Fulvia says, the woman in Luisa’s body still faintly vibrating despite her sullen mood. “I’m not fucking happy with this at all!”

“I can imagine. But nothing bad’s happening to you, you’re still going to be on your rehabilitation or whatever. You’ll just be put in someone else’s body.”

“How am I supposed to live my life without changing clothes or masturbating? It’s my body too, I’m not touching her!”

You shrug.
“So you admit to it, then?”

Fulvia just throws up her hands and paces around the little room.
“I bet that bitch is just dying, dying to get hands on the Wishing Well!”

“Oh you don’t have to worry about that. We found the Well and it doesn’t work. You can wish on it as much as you like, nothing will happen.”

“Hah,” she says sourly. “Hah. Hah. Hah. I hope you didn’t make too many valid wishes then. History was for me to change.”

“Eh?”

“Do you want to know how Wishing Wells work? I am, of course, an expert on the subject.”


>”Sure.”

>”No thanks. I’ve had enough of that thing.”

>”Who ARE you, Fulvia? What did you do?”

>”By the way, the seeker you hired got hired by Luisa as her duellist.”

>”If they were actually real, they’d be something nobody should have.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3310910
>”Sure.”
>>
>>3310910

>”If they were actually real, they’d be something nobody should have.”

>"But also please tell me."
>>
>>3310910
>>”Sure.”
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
Sorry for the delay, my cold is trying to do a runback.

>”Sure.”

You don’t want to act too desperate but even if you can’t admit it, that fucking Well got under your skin.
“Sure. You can tell me if you want. Please.”

“It’s simple. I knew this all along but I suppose not many others did. It’s how it’s remained hidden for so long. You see, you see, you see...any wishes you make will apply to the past. To something that can define reality, time doesn’t exist. A painting doesn’t know when it’s been edited, does it? So if you made a wish, you’ve jammed another piece into the puzzle but to all concerned, it’s still the same puzzle it’s always been.”

“So the wishes I made happened in the past? But wait, that can’t be right. I wished for Gloriana to have no coins and she still had them!”

“You’ve met Gloriana? Oh well no matter. And perhaps the Well has other restrictions I know not. But that’s how it works! And now….it’s out of my hands.”

“I’m pretty sure it did nothing,” you say, trying not to think about the wishes you made. And besides, if a Well could do that wouldn’t it basically be a honorary Dreamer? That doesn’t make sense.
“The City is sturdier than that.”

“The City is sturdy,” Fulvia says. “But there’s a loophole that something like a Wishing Well to extort. Call it royal prerogative.”

“What? We’ve never had royals. That’s for barbarians.”

“But we almost did. This is a secret history, Sofia, it’s something people would get upset at me for talking about. But there are so many histories that don’t exist anymore. I’m technically one of them since I got erased. When they removed me, they removed my past. Nobody remembers who I am and what I did anymore. It’s the same for the King.”

“What king?”

“It happened in the Founding, you know. You know? Back with the five Founders-”

“Hold on,” you say. “There were four Founders.”

“Now there are. But once in a time before time there were five. But the fifth one was a traitor! When they were writing the documents that would become both the City’s constitution, founding law and blueprint, he added a clause intending to make himself King. King of the City. He would, in himself, become an ‘anchor’ all by himself.”

“Anchor?”

“The pillars of the City. I know they exist somewhere!”

Oh, the Dreamers, got it. You’re surprised that she doesn’t know about them properly.
“Go on then.”
This all just sounds like a wild conspiracy theory anyway.

“The other Founders discovered his plans before the City was finished and they struck him from the records. Now he never was. But I believe that the loophole he left was never closed. And that’s what I think the Well exploits. There’s a hole in the City, a blank space where it’s possible to write over.”

“Who are you, Fulvia?”

1/2
>>
>>3311093
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m not going to get another chance.”

“Oh, don’t be so melodramatic. You’re just going to get relocated to another body.”

“No.”
She stops moving.
“I’ve violated the terms of my parole. They’re going to really tighten down on my existence privileges. I’ll be surprised if they ever let me remember who I am again.”
She gives you a stiff little curtsy.
“Thank you for your service.”

And that’s the last you ever saw of her.

******

You spend a few minutes sitting outside, thinking about wishes and duels. What it means to have your client’s fate in your hands. And also about the fact that you may or may not have used a terrifying power over everything to give Gloriana a bigger bust.
But you can’t believe that, can you? As a self-styled expert on the matter, they look the same as they always have! And Fulvia is nuts. You can’t take anything she said at face value. But for a moment, just a moment, you might have let her let you believe her.

But now what?

>Go home to Adriana.

>Go see a friend.

>Find a place to test out your new ribbon.

>Other (specify)
>>
>>3311099
>>Go home to Adriana.
>>
>>3311099
>Go home to Adriana.
>>
>>3311099
>Go home to Adriana.
>>
I do feel bad for our client. Just because we think she's a nut and didn't like her doesn't mean we should halfass in defending her.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3311126
We played to win, just chose the wrong loadout.
>>
>>3311383
We voted to fight immediately without doing any preliminary research. That is not playing to win in my opinion.
>>
>>3311396
She hadn't fought anyone else with the eyes so there was nothing in the records. We could have tracked down the master but, she probably wouldn't have divulged his name. Who by the way only gave her one tech, the rest she trained for.

So no records and no leads.
>>
>>3311406

We acted wrongly by engaging immediately. The fact that we could not have figured it out does not gives us leave not to try.

At the very least, we would have reconsidered our plan because if she's stance cycling, that means she's probably using a different stance.
>>
>>3311406
If she trained, there must be a partner of some sort.
Her master might have figured out something and can be paid to tell us what he or she knew.
>>
>Go home to Adriana.

It’s time to stop thinking about such nonsense. Even if it did work that way, how would you ever know? This is a mind trap and no small one at that. You should instead focus on the real. And right now, what’s real is Adriana No doubt she’s been worrying about you. You’ve been gone for far longer than any duel should have taken.

You walk back home through Apokalypsis, the manic nature of the fascina streets quickly becoming second nature to you. And there, in the middle of it all, a little off from the canals, is a dusty little street that nobody knows.

A door slams open the moment you step in, eying the much cleaner pavement. Adriana rushes out and, before you can so much as greet her, she wraps you in her embrace.
“Hey hey, easy,” you say, wrapping your arms around her and returning the favor. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she says, kissing your cheek and making you feel as if you were hovering just slightly above the ground. “Nothing strange happened, did it?”

“It’s always strange. But it was nothing dire. I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“It’s my fault for being so worried. But after your duel with that creature-”

You pull away, trying not to think of certain things.
“It all turned out fine. So now-”

“Now you’ll be cleaning out the washtub,” Adriana says firmly, cutting you off just as you had interrupted her.

“Huh?”

She pats you on the head.
“You promised, remember? I’ve kept it dirty just for you. Now get on up and get busy.”
She takes her hand off her head but only so that she can slap you on the butt. You jump a little, face flushing.
“We can talk as we do it.”


>Agree!

>”Can’t you clean it yourself? I’m very tired.”

>That’s it! These last few days have been...entertaining but it’s about time you remind her who wears the pants around here.

>”There’s something I’ve got to talk to you about.” She’s going to find out about all this sooner or later.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3311428
What's the last option referencing?
>>
>>3311428
>>”There’s something I’ve got to talk to you about.” She’s going to find out about all this sooner or later.
We can recite that weird poem we saw on the fountain.
>>
>>3311435
Just the whole Gloriana thing. Not that Sofia did anything wrong there but she thought stuff and thoughts aren't safe from Adriana.
>>
>>3311428
>That’s it! These last few days have been...entertaining but it’s about time you remind her who wears the pants around here.

Can this not be quest where we're literally scrubbing dirt off the street

>>3311435
I dunno, wishing well was a bust (as far as Sophia knows) so it's not like we made any huge discovery.
>>
>>3311440
>>3311428

Oh yes, before I forget
>Other (Specify)
Pick adriana and fireman carry her. We have to do some spanking for her. It is time to bully her! Turnabout is fairplay!
>>
>>3311442
We just have to not think about it really hard.
>>
>>3311454
That's why we bully her! If we bully her, we won't think about anything else!
>>
File: 1443993363617.png (435 KB, 750x564)
435 KB
435 KB PNG
>>3311444
>>3311454
>>
>>3311442
Ah

>>3311428
>Agree!
>”There’s something I’ve got to talk to you about.” She’s going to find out about all this sooner or later.

Better to ease her into the Gloriana now before they meet. Our weird friend/rival that we consistently mess with and get messed with.
>>
>>3311428
going to support >>3311450 and >>3311472
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>Agree!
>”There’s something I’ve got to talk to you about.” She’s going to find out about all this sooner or later.

“Sure, if you’re willing to give me some help.”

Adriana nods and pulls you inside. None of her other bodies are present but as she locks eyes with you, you find your conscience rebelling. You need to tell her. If nothing else, do it because she’s going to learn the truth anyway. To Adriana, your thoughts are just as accountable as your actions.

“It’s okay,” Adriana says, clutching you tight. “You can tell me anything.”

“So...I met up with Gloriana again. And during that duel we sort of had a repeat incident.”
You don’t want to think about it in Adriana’s presence but just not thinking about it makes you think about it. It’s like somebody telling you not to think about big pink crocodiles. It just happens!

Adriana chuckles.
“An apt description. And is that all? That wasn’t your choice.”

“Yeah but I hung out with her after.”
And during that time, you couldn’t help but look at her. And think about her. And now Adriana can see all that too. In your head you were unfaithful. And while it might just be in your head, that isn’t private. The contents of your skull no longer belong to only you.

Adriana smiles at this acknowledgement.
“It’s fine. You recognised the wrong and felt bad about it. A thought is harmless when you do that. How could I ever get angry about that?”
She takes you by the hand and leads you up the stairs to the bathtub.
‘We can clean this together, if you’d like.”

“I’m...I’m very tired, Adriana. The duel was a lot and so was what came after.”
You don’t particularly want to do this. But isn’t buckling up and doing things you don’t want to do part of why you gave Adriana this power over you in the first place? And definitely not because you find it exciting?

“You said you’d do it, Sofia.”

You did say that. Well, not really. She told you that you were going to do it and you just went along with it, having been spent the last few days in a haze of doing what you were told.


>Acquiesce. This is good for you.

>”Nah.” Go lie down somewhere. You’ve got the card, what’s she going to do about it.

>Bully her back. It’s about time she learned who wears the pants around here. And it’s you, because she refuses to wear them.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3311683
>Acquiesce. This is good for you.
>Think loudly about ways you can bully her back to recooperate.
>>
>>3311683

>Acquiesce. This is good for you.
>>
>>3311683
>Acquiesce. This is good for you.
>Shrink the tub and scrub it off in the sink. Easy.
>>
>>3311711
Wouldn't that mess up the plumbing?
>>
>>3311768
Maybe we can use a mirror to grow ourselves and the cleaning tools?
>>
>>3311768
The tub is a wooden tub that you fill with water. Plumbing isn't involved.

Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3311907
Oh then I'll second the shrink
>>
>Acquiesce. This is good for you.

“Yeah I did, didn’t I? But check it out, Adriana! I have a way to make all of this much easier.”
Taking a few steps back from the tub, you pull one of Gloriana’s ribbons out from your handbag and pretend you don’t notice Adriana’s reaction to you having it.
“I learned a new trick.”

You tie it around your head like a blindfold, covering your eyes with the surprisingly heavy and uncomfortable ribbon. And then you open your eyes and it’s as if they aren’t covered at all. You can see everything!
Except...it’s like everything is flat. Adriana, the the tub and the rest of the room are like a flat mosiac, all overlaid with no perception of depth and distance. If Adriana asked you how far away she was, you wouldn’t be able to say. And when you focus on the tub, you feel as if your eyes have grabbed it.

With that in mind, you walk closer and with every step, the tub doesn’t grow bigger in your vision at all. No, it stays the same size it appeared to be, no matter the distance. So the closer you get…
You take off the makeshift blindfold and the tub is now a good bit smaller. You’d really have to squeeze to get into it now! But it’s still too big for the sink. So with that in mind, you back up again and this time stand even further away, going as far back as the hallway will allow and still keep the tub in your vision. The further away you stand before closing, the more the effect.

Adriana looks confused. She’s broken her view of you so right now she has no particular insight into your head.
“What are you doing?”


>Tell her about the eyes.

>”Nothing.” See how long it takes her to realise what’s up with the tub. You need to do some tests.

>”Hey uh...can you stand inside the tub for a moment. I want to try something. It’ll be fun.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3312029
>”Hey uh...can you stand inside the tub for a moment. I want to try something. It’ll be fun.”
>>
>>3312029
>”Hey uh...can you stand inside the tub for a moment. I want to try something. It’ll be fun.”
>>
>>3312029
>”Hey uh...can you stand inside the tub for a moment. I want to try something. It’ll be fun.”

Have her face away too so she can't see us and read our mind to know what's up.
>>
>>3312029
>>”Hey uh...can you stand inside the tub for a moment. I want to try something. It’ll be fun.”
>>
>>3312032
>>3312043
>>3312059
>>3312076

I'm alright with this prank as long as we explain it immediately.
>>
>>3312103
Lets give her a chance to figure it out
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”Hey uh...can you stand inside the tub for a moment. I want to try something. It’ll be fun.”

Maybe it’s possible to scrub the tub like Adriana asked and get back at her at the same time! Then you can have some fun with her. You can, in fact, have your cake and eat it too!
“Hey Adriana, can you stand inside the tub for a moment? I want to try something. It’ll be fun.”

“Okay?”
She stands in the tub, apparently not even noticing that it’s a bit tighter than it used to be. She also turns to look at you but you forestall that with another request.

“And can you face the other direction? It’s important that you don’t see.”

Adriana smiles as she turns around.
“Is it a surprise?”

“Yep!”
And with that, you put the blindfold on and start to walk towards her and the tub. And just as before, both the tub and Adriana stay the same size as you approach. Your perspective crowds out petty things like distance.

“Can I turn around yet?”

You take the blindfold off and look down. The little wooden tub is sitting by your feet, fully half the size it was before. At this point you could just about cram it into the sink and give it a proper scrubbing. But more importantly, standing inside it is Adriana. She’s the same as she ever was except now she’s about two inches shy of being three feet tall. Her head is level with your hips.
And though she’s shorter, everything else got smaller as well. You could probably pick her up and carry her with ease.

And as she turns around and looks up at you with a face that is now surprisingly adorable, you realise another truth. She can’t look you in the eye anymore. Not if you don’t let her.
“Well,” she says, her voice at a somewhat higher pitch. “What is it? Where’s the surprise?”

“Oh you’ll figure it eventually,” you sat, leaning down a little to pat her on the head.

She crosses her arms and tries to look stern. She fails entirely.
“You’ve still got some cleaning to do.”


>”Hold on, it didn’t work right.” Do it a little more.

>”Wasn't it time for YOUR bath, Adriana? Here, let me help.”

>Just go wash up the tub already. Adriana can help if she can reach the sink.

>”Or what? What are you going to do to me again?”

>Pick her up and give her a piggyback ride.

>Tell her the truth. The moment she realises she’ll revert back but it was still cute for a moment.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3312187
>”Wasn't it time for YOUR bath, Adriana? Here, let me help.”
I'd have liked to make her small enough to stick on our shoulder, but drawing this out for too long will ruin the joke.
>>
>>3312187
>”Wasn't it time for YOUR bath, Adriana? Here, let me help.”

hhehehehehe
>>
>>3312187
>”Wasn't it time for YOUR bath, Adriana? Here, let me help.”
So once a person realises the trick can they still be affected by it?
>>
>>3312187
>Just go wash up the tub already. Adriana can help if she can reach the sink.
>>
>>3312213
I think every time they realize it happened they pop back to normal, but are vulnerable to future instances.
>>
>>3312213
Yeah though it depends at how good they are at 'seeing properly'. Someone with a lot of exposure to the Wake will see through it fairly quickly. A lawyer will never be fooled by it for a moment, etc.
Adriana doesn't really have those options but the moment she looks into Sofia's head she'll 'see'.

That said, knowing about it isn't really a defence.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”Wasn't it time for YOUR bath, Adriana? Here, let me help.”

You just smile. She’s so cute when she’s trying to be bossy. And the way she’s just standing there as if nothing’s changed, still waiting on her surprise….it’s adorable! And now that she’s too short to have eye contact with you without permission, all fear of her has vanished.
You’ve always been at least a little scared of Adriana, even after she became your girlfriend. But it’s impossible to feel intimidated by this.
“Wasn’t it time for your bath, Adriana? Here, let me help.”

“I was going to do it l-eep!”
She squeaks a little as you pick her up, a hand under each armpit. Just as you suspected, she’s rather light.
“It can be now!”

“Atta girl.”
Setting her down, you run a hand down the gentle swell of her chest and then, locating a button, pull her dress open.

****

You sit on the ground, your legs wrapped around the miniature bathtub. The tub is filled with soapy water but to tell the truth, what it’s mostly filled with is Adriana. It’s just a little bit too cramped for her to do much but sit there with her knees pulled up to her chest.
“I can wash myself,” she protests but, you notice, doesn’t sound too upset about it.

“I’m sure you can,” you say soothingly, running your hands down her soapy body. “But aren’t I supposed to be helping you out?”

“You-....you shouldn’t touch me,” she says, her breathing growing louder. “I don’t want to accidentally hurt you!”

“You? Hurt me?,” you laugh in her face. “Just don’t make the connection then. I don’t think you can even if you wanted to. What if I just stood up, huh? Besides...I won’t go too far. I’m just making sure you’re clean.”

She pouts and your heart melts.

****

You leave Adriana to get dressed, taking the little tub with you down to the sink. Now that it’s this small it’s a cinch to just give it a good wash.

“Do you need…”

“...any help?”

You turn around to see two of Adriana’s bodies standing behind you. They must have both come in from the other houses. And more importantly, both of them are as small as the Adriana whom you just gave a very dedicated scrubbing.
You didn’t even think about that! And it’s even more adorable with two of them.

“Sure,” you say casually. “If you can reach.”

She can’t. She starts to look troubled by this so you distract her by giving one of her bodies a piggyback ride, hiking her dress up and wrapping her little legs around your neck.

“I still don’t…,” the Adriana sitting on your shoulders says.

“...get it,” the Adriana staring up at you says.

“What was…”

“...the surprise?”

It’s so unusual to have Adriana not know what’s going through your head on a regular basis. And somehow, she still has no idea!


>You should probably tell her.

>Tease her some more first. It’s all harmless.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3312451
>Tease her some more first. It’s all harmless.
This is good. Gloriana gives the best presents.
>>
>>3312451
>You should probably tell her.
>>
>>3312451
>You should probably tell her.
Is she going to have a meltdown
>>
>>3312451
>Tease her some more first. It’s all harmless.
>"It only really makes sense in retrospect."
>>
>>3312451
>>Tease her some more first. It’s all harmless.

But seriously after this explain.
>>
>>3312451
>You should probably tell her.
>>
>>3312451

>Tease her some more first. It’s all harmless.

Now that I remember she needs eye contact, aren't bedroom shenanigans a go if one of us just wears a blindfold?
>>
Vote called, writing.

>>3312672
Not quite. It gets worse the more emotional Adriana gets. If she REALLY wanted to see inside Sofia's head she could even without eye contact. She just has to look at her.
But with eye-contact she sees into you as passive effect, no effort on her part needed.


...I don't think I ever specified this. My bad!

Vote called and writing.
>>
>Tease her some more first. It’s all harmless.

So what’s the harm in teasing her a little more first? It’s not like anyone’s being hurt. In substance and in function, none of this is all that different from the times Adriana used the Drunkard card to bully you. Only in this case she doesn’t even realise that she’s being bullied. Does that make it better or worse?
Either way you think, keeping your grip on her little legs as you piggyback her around the house, it’s too cute not to indulge in it a little more.

Is this how Gloriana feels all the time?

Adriana chuckles as she nearly slides off your back.
“Please put…”

“...me down,” she chides, her tone still playful.

“Or what? Anyway, do you want to help me with some sweeping too?”
Making sure that the body on top of your shoulders stays balanced, you hand a broom to the body standing in front of you. She holds it awkwardly, the broom itself almost twice her height.
“What’s wrong? Can you show me how to do it right?”

“O-of course,” she says but you don’t miss the flicker of doubt. She’s starting to figure out that something is wrong. How else would she remember sweeping with a broom that she can’t possibly use.

All the same, you pull the Adriana off your shoulders and let her sit in your lap as you sit down at the table and watch the body with the broom attempt a cursory sweep. It’s very cute, watching both the body with broom struggle to sweep even the smallest of areas and feeling the warmth of the body in your lap. She’s so small, so fragile. You rest a hand on her head and as you do, she leans back into you and snuggles up against your torso.
Wait, what had Gloriana said again?

“It’s not harmful. You shouldn’t knock it until you try it, Sophie. You’ve never even seen cute until you have a maid taking a sleep in your lap.”
Are...are you really taking a leaf out of her book? You’re not sure how you feel about that. But on the other hand, this is incredibly charming and not a little bit satisfying too. There’s something about seeing your former taskmaster reduced to such a helpless state.

“Sofia…,” the body in your lap says.

“...I’m trying to get changed…”
The Adriana that’s sweeping drops the broom with a clatter, cringing at the noise.

“...why are all my dresses…”

“...too big for me?”

“Uh,” you say. Fuck. Of course, she’s upstairs as well and she’s trying to get dressed! And meanwhile down here, she’s staring at the broom and then down at her hands and then back to the broom. Even the one snuggled up in your lap is turning restlessly.

And then just like that, you suddenly find your lap occupied by a woman two inches taller than you. The Adriana that had just been sweeping jerks bolt upright, normal sized once more.

1/2
>>
>>3312788

“Hey!...”

“...what was…”

“...that supposed to be?”

You’d take this as cue to leave but….Adriana doesn’t actually get out of your lap, despite her rapid size change. If anything she actually sits back, trapping you between her back and the chair! She covers her mouth as she does so and as you sit there, suddenly pinned, you feel the Adriana tap you on the shoulder. The body that had been sweeping has come up behind you and has bent over the back of the chair, piercing you with her gaze.
“Having fun?,” she says, her tone as sweet as sugar.


>”Yes. Yes I am.” It’s no different than what she’s done to you.

>Do your best to mentally apologize.

>”If this is your revenge, I am thoroughly enjoying it.”

>”Was it unpleasant?” You know it wasn’t.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3312791
>>”Yes. Yes I am.” It’s no different than what she’s done to you.

Explanation time. God, we need to put on Maccio's glasses and draw her being tiny and cute
>>
>>3312791
>”Yes. Yes I am.” It’s no different than what she’s done to you.
We are unrepentant! Having tiny Adriana on our lap was worth it! UNLIMITED TINY ADRIANAS.
>>
>>3312791
>”Was it unpleasant?” You know it wasn’t.
>>
>>3312791
>”Yes. Yes I am.” It’s no different than what she’s done to you.
>”If this is your revenge, I am thoroughly enjoying it.”
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>”Yes. Yes I am.” It’s no different than what she’s done to you.

You don’t care what she sees within you right now. You are unrepentant. You will never regret the experience you just had.
“Yes. Yes, I am. And let me just say, if this is an attempt to punish me, I am enjoying every second of it.”

She flushes, no doubt reliving your memories of the last few minutes.
“This ‘Gloriana’ you were talking about just seems to grow trickier and trickier.”

“She is, isn’t she? But let me ask you something,” you say, wrapping your arms around the waist of the Adriana sitting in your lap.
“Did you enjoy it? Be honest now. Did you like your bath?”

She blushes.
“I-”

“Did you like getting to sit on my shoulders? Or in my lap?”

“You are incorrigible.”

“Is that a yes?”

“You know it’s a yes!”
The body behind you wraps her arms around your neck in what is half a hug and half a chokehold.
“What am I going to do with you, Sofia? You’re just so…”
And yet she sounds happy.
“That’s because I am. But don’t think that this will go unanswered!”

“Oh?”

“I’ll make sure to do something extra nice for you later, alright? It’ll make you feel just as good.”

You look up at her, sweat beading on your forehead. You’re not entirely sure because of the curse but...you think Adriana just gave you a declaration of war.

Adriana just nods, the body sitting on your lap squirming in a most distracting way.
“Just you wait. I’ll think of something.”

“Does it involve stepping on me again?”

“Would you like it to?”

“No comment.”

Outside, the sun is getting low in the sky. Inside, you and Adriana are, against all odds, finding your common ground. The chores were a good idea.

“Are you ever going to return the tub to normal?”
The Adriana on your lap starts to slide off.

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll wind up being just the right size for it.”
You pull her back on. That’s the good thing about dating someone with nine bodies. You can keep her all to yourself and she’s still eight times more capable than you.

“The tournament’s tomorrow.”

“And I’ll be ready for it.”

But that’s tomorrow. This is tonight. And this night belongs to you.


>Spend it at home with Adriana.

>Go out with Adriana.

>Visit a friend.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3313088
>Spend it at home with Adriana.
Kiss her. If she needs time to 'cool down' from lethal mode afterwards so be it.
>>
>>3313088
>>Spend it at home with Adriana.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>Spend it at home with Adriana.

“Now come here.”
You grab hold of the body on your lap and twist her around until she’s facing you, her dress hiked up past her knees. You look up at her for a moment, savoring it, and then pull her in for a kiss. It lasts for only a moment, barely more than a brush upon the lips but that moment sets your mind on fire.
Adriana initiates the next one and it lasts much longer. You hold her close as her second body joins in, leaning in behind you to trace half a dozen gentle kisses down the side of your neck.

You feel...elated. As if you were buoyed up from the world on a soft and wonderful cloud. She surrounds you, encompasses you. The very essence of you is clutched within her hands and for the first time, the thought of this incredible fragility brings you a wild joy instead of fear. She could snuff you out and you wouldn’t care. Here you are, duellist and Wake veteran yet, right now, ego-death seems like a small price to pay. You would do it.

And then Adriana is breaking away, both of her bodies breathing heavily but neither as much as you. You just lie back, the memory of her weight upon you and the feel of her lips still so vivid that she might as well still been there.
“Excuse…”

“...Me,” she says.

“Going so soon?,” you manage to say. You feel as if your breath had been stolen from your lungs with the kiss.

“Too close,” she says, her other body clasping her hands over her mouth. “I need to cool down.”

And all you can do is chuckle. Would imminent ego-death always feel so sweet.

*****

It doesn’t take too long for Adriana to center herself and become less lethal. She looks bashful when she shows herself next, the body from upstairs descending to join you at the table.
“I overflowed,” she says.

“I bet you did.”

“I meant emotionally. I contaminated you.”

“And it felt incredible!”

It does mean, however, that you should probably choose a less dangerous activity to follow this up with.


>Use Maccio’s glasses to paint a picture of her when she was small.

>Clean up together. Maybe you’re into it, alright?

>Go outside and look at the stars.

>Use the eyes again.

>Wear the Drunkard card.

>Read a book together.

>Get some late night training done. You know she likes to watch.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3313218
>>Read a book together.
>>
>>3313218
>Use Maccio’s glasses to paint a picture of her when she was small.
>>
>>3313218
>Try entering the Wake together
whatcouldgowrong.jpg
>>
>>3313218
>>Use Maccio’s glasses to paint a picture of her when she was small.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>Use Maccio’s glasses to paint a picture of her when she was small.

You push the table to the side to give you room to set up your easel, one of Adriana’s bodies sitting on the chair in front of it. She’s also in the kitchen, brewing up a pot of tea and moving so lightly that she’s practically hovering an inch above the ground. You can understand the feeling.
“How much do you know about painting, Adriana?”

“I’ve never tried it. I’m sure I could learn quickly however.”

You’re sure she could too. With nine bodies to practice with, there’s very little gap between Adriana developing an interest in a skill and becoming competent at it. For example, as you just recently learned, she’s a profoundly good kisser. You’re not sure who she would have practiced that with however.

The body sitting in front of you gives you a coy look.
“With myself, naturally.”

Oh right. That little detail. You’ve never asked Adriana about how she handled...that, that thing that everyone does. But you guess that settles it. It must be a decidedly more involved process for her than most. And while you try your best not to let that idea distract you, you try to keep talking about painting.
“Well I won’t be able to teach you. I’m just borrowing someone else’s eyes.”
You slide on Maccio’s old spectacles again and let out a pleased little sigh. There’s so much beauty in the woman in front of you that you wouldn’t even be able to appreciate without an artistic eye.

“That’s not true,” she says, no doubt in response to your appreciative thought. “There are many people more beautiful than I.”

Maybe so. But to you? Tonight? This is probably just the residue of Adriana’s euphoric overflow speaking but if it is, you hope it never fades.
“I’ve yet to actually paint a proper portrait but I’m sure my first try will capture it perfectly.”
And that’s not even the curse. You like Maccio’s portraits and you can paint as well as he.
“And right now...I want to immortalize your charming little self from earlier. Then we can hang it up on the wall and be reminded of that moment. Is that okay?”

“It’s an embarrassing moment.”

“And?”

“And nothing. Nobody’s ever painted a picture of me before.”

“Really?”

“People don’t paint staff as a rule, Sofia. They don’t paint spies either.”

“True, true. But they do paint girlfriends.”

“And I know you’ll do it right,” she says, a touch of sternness returning to her voice. “I might have you do it later as well, as a service.”

“S-service?”
She suddenly has a card in one hand. The Drunkard, Fortunato!
“When did you-”

“When we were kissing. Don’t worry about it.”

“If you insist.”

1/2
>>
>>3313516

And there it is. You’ve got your paint, you’ve got your brushes and your easel, all supplied by Adriana. You’ve got your subject and you’re inspiration and you’ve got tea coming and, only now, do you have your incentive to succeed.
But how are you going to go about painting this correctly? You want to paint the Adriana you remember from earlier, using this Adriana as a model. Can you do that well enough with a model that doesn’t quite match?


>Yes. Don’t think so little of Maccio’s skill!

>Maybe you should use the ribbon to make the model match the subject. You know, for accuracy.

>”Actually...how free are you right now? I’d like to paint ALL of you.”

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3313520
>>>Yes. Don’t think so little of Maccio’s skill!
>>
>>3313520
>Yes. Don’t think so little of Maccio’s skill!
Let's start with a single figure portrait.
>>
>>3313520
>Actually...how free are you right now? I’d like to paint ALL of you.”
A small armada of Adriana doing housework. What an enigmatic painting.
>>
>>3313520
>>Yes. Don’t think so little of Maccio’s skill!
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3313088
Okay, I'll stop complaining about Adriana. This was very fun.
>>
>Yes. Don’t think so little of Maccio’s skill!

As entertaining as the idea might be, you’re not going to repeat the same trick in the same night. And neither are you going to go with the idea of painting all of her. No, you’re going with your original idea and though Adriana isn’t a perfect model for that, you’re sure in your ability to adjust that. You have a great deal of respect for Maccio’s skill after all.

“Does it have to be me like that?,” Adriana asks. “People are just going to ask why I look so small.”

“Yes,” you say brusquely. “That was the idea I had and it’s funny and cute.”

She doesn’t answer at first, she just flips the card back and forth in her hand.
“People don’t usually call me cute. I don’t have the demeanour for it.”

“Yeah well they say the point of a portrait is to draw out the essence of the subject, not just base reality. Anyone can look at you and say ‘oh she’s sexy’ or ‘she’s calm’ or ‘she’s intimidating’. If I did a portrait about that I wouldn’t be telling anyone anything new! So no, you’re cute and you’ll be cuter still once I’m done.”
You accept the tea that another of her bodies is offering, Adriana walking out afterwards to leave you alone with Adriana.
“I think it’s a portrait of you that only I could paint.”

*****

You set aside your paints. Adriana’s long since gotten up from her chair and, despite your objections, has moved over to watch you paint. For just a quick figure portrait you don’t actually need the model to stay in the same pose for that long.
The trick is to paint Adriana as she is but to paint the world around her as seen only through the lens of your imagination.

“So what do you think?”
You sit off to a side to reveal your work. It’s Adriana with a wistful little smile on her face, her bare feet dangling in the air off the edge of a chair that is much too big for her. Her hair is unbound and her hands are clasped together serenely in her lap.

“It’s breathtaking. But my hair doesn’t look that good.”

“Maybe it does to me. You should wear it down more often.”

She catches a strand of your own hair and before you can protest, undoes your own ponytail. The message is clear.
“That’s not hypocritical,” you say. “It’s practical for duels!”

And so it goes. And so it went. You ended up hanging the hasty but well-made portrait in your bedroom, now newly filled with junk carried in from your old. This really is home now, huh? Your old home is now nothing but an empty shell and one you’ll not be paying any further rent on.
Home sweet home.

Adriana sees you off for the night with a rather chaste kiss on the cheek. You don’t push your luck.

******

Once you wake up in the morning, you wish you had. It had started well enough.

1/2
>>
>>3313705

“Hey Adriana,” you say sleepily as you walk down the hallway in your underclothes. “No cleaning today please. I’ve got to be good for the tourney.”

“Of course,” she says sweetly. “I’ve already got hot water in the bath”

Oh, that’s a luxury and one you take full advantage of without really questioning why. Why wouldn’t she do this for you? It is only after you finally get out and see the clothes she’s laid out while you were soaking that you understand the true nature of her trap.
She warned you last night, that a war was coming. And this is her first strike.

“Adriana!,” you call out, still toweling yourself dry. “I believe you have made a mistake.”

Adriana gives you what can only be called a knowing smirk.
“No? I’ve laid out your clothes for the day, Sofia. It’s what you’ll wear when you’re not duelling. Your usual duelling outfit is also ready.”

“Right right. Good to see that my duelling outfit is the same. But this?”
You make a gesture at the casual clothes.
“This is a skirt, Adriana.”
You don’t do skirts.

Adriana just smiles and for some reason you find yourself a little flustered. Just the thought of wearing this thing out in public, being forced to because Adriana told you too, it’s humiliating. So why doesn’t the idea feel bad?
“I think you’ll find that all your other clothes are being washed. By me. In a house across the street. And I think you’ll look cute in it.”
>”Well...if you think it’s cute!” Agree. It’s just one day.

>You’re just going to wear your duelling outfit for the whole day. It’s what you used to do after all. It’s called integrity.

>Pretend to be fine with it but plot to steal back your pants as soon as possible. Before the tourney begins.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3313708
>>”Well...if you think it’s cute!” Agree. It’s just one day.
"When did you get these?"
>>
>>3313708
>>”Well...if you think it’s cute!” Agree. It’s just one day.
>>
>>3313708
>See if you can hide the saber somewhere in the outfit. May as well disguise as a notDuelist and do some research. Or something.
>>
>>3313708
Hey Ouro, go lighter on your fetishes.
>>
>>3313708
>You’re just going to wear your duelling outfit for the whole day. It’s what you used to do after all. It’s called integrity.
It's not that I think Sofia wouldn't be cute in a skirt, I just think this particular fetish is shit.
>>
I'm amused that throughout the content of this thread, this thing was what hit your buttons but I get it.

Anyway, vote called and writing.
>>
>>3313766
It was more of a last straw.
>>
>>3313776
Fair!
>>
>”Well...if you think it’s cute!” Agree. It’s just one day.

“Well, when you put it that way.”
It won’t actually be that embarrassing. You’ve certainly done worse to people. And she says that she thinks you’ll look cute. So why not? What could go wrong?
“If you think that this’ll slow me down,” you say, “you’ve just made a grave miscalculation.”

“Why would I think that?,” Adriana says, her tone innocent enough that it almost makes you doubt yourself.

But you’re going to do her one better. You’re going to show her that you’re not affected by this! Just because you always wear trousers doesn’t mean that you can’t put on a skirt every now and again. Not everything has to be an absolute fucking issue.
The skirt in question is a rather modest one and it is exactly your shade of blue, just like your coat and your sword. You turn side to side awkwardly in and watch it swish around your shins.
“Where did you find this, eh?”

“It was at the market a few days ago. I happened to come across it and saw that it matched.”

“Well that’s thoughtful. But I’m not going to duel in this.”
Not even if she tells you to! Probably.

*****

The two of you walk across the canal mostly unnoticed, just two more faces in the morning crowds. You keep hold of Adriana’s hand as you do. It’s just one of her bodies with you of course.
“So,” she says as you walk. “Why is it called the Invitational?”

“Because you have to be invited.”

“But yo-”

“Oronzo took care of it like he said. There’s a lot of different ways to be ‘invited’.
Being out in public in a skirt isn’t as bad as you’d initially been wildly imagining. It’s a little more freeing for your legs and, well, that’s it. Nobody seems to care! Looking back, you’re not sure why you thought they would.
“That said, it’s maybe not as high skilled as you imagine. Most of the Court Invitationals are less about choosing winners and more about exhibition. It’s a career after all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Can’t you just see it all in my head?”

“But I like your voice.”

“Hah, okay. Invitationals are mostly for up-and-comers in the professional scene who need the advertisement. Anyone with a good record or a genuine master duellist doesn’t have any real purpose to showing up to most of them. In fact it’s considered a little bit bad form if they do. They’ve got their own Invitationals and they’re way more popular.”

“So how do they know who to invite?”

“People who get a good word put in for them or you know, people who pay. Like I said, the ‘invitation’ is a bit of a formality. One is held about once a month anyway.”

“Do you think there’ll be any duellists you know?”

1/2
>>
>>3313836
“Probably not. There are only sixteen competitors each time, you know. Twelve that got the titular invitations and four who worked their way up through the monthly preliminary grinds. To tell the truth Adriana, if I didn’t have an invitation I’d never bother to try and qualify through the preliminaries. This stuff is useless for public defenders.”

“So the odd of seeing someone you met or fought before is statistically unlikely,” Adriana says, a little quieter this time.

“Yes. Uh, why?”

You’ve rounded the corner and are facing the tournament grounds themselves, a square full of wide but shallow-bottomed fountains. Each one is a miniature duelling ring. The square is filled with people, most of them crowded around the judge’s bench and the temporary bleachers that get dragged out every month.
When you were first learning, you used to come spectate at these all the time. But later on the idea of using your sword for a pointless fight lost its glamour to you. You became a duellist to help people after all. You’re not fighting to show off.

Adriana just points. You follow the path of her finger through the crowds and see a man walking towards the two of you.
“And yet here they are.”

You squint. Who is it?


>Sabino Manfredi

>Signore Terenzi.

>Ormanno d’Rosarre.
>>
>>3313841

>Ormanno d’Rosarre.
Maybe he wants to get into the Wake specifically to insult us rather than win. Maccio did mention he was sore about losing
>>
>>3313841
>>Ormanno d’Rosarre.
>>
I'm gonna go to sleep, leaving this vote open until I wake. Good night everybody!
>>
>>3313841
>Signore Terenzi

I actually really liked Terenzi and thought he was a stand up guy.
>>
>>3313836
>The skirt was shin-length
Sofia has the weirdest hangups

>>3313841
>Signore Terenzi.
REVENGE
>>
>>3313841
>Ormanno d’Rosarre
>>
>>3313853
>>3313841
change to Terenzi. We haven't beaten him a duel yet have we.
Also I wonder if he's stupid enough to hit on Adriana
>>
>>3313841
>>Signore Terenzi.
>>
File: freeshrugs.jpg (104 KB, 449x642)
104 KB
104 KB JPG
Surprised you guys want to deal with faggot again instead of potentially getting more insight into Maccio's problems.
>>
I am awake once more. Vote called and writing.
>>
>>3315078
We've also never dueled Ormanno. He's a professional. You really want to go up against a mystery opponent who is guaranteed to be skilled in place of someone we've seen every move from?
>>
>Signore Terenzi.

“Oh great,” you say, your face settling into a scowl. “I didn’t want to see this arsehole. Wait. How do you know about him, Adriana? You weren’t there for that.”

“I’ve used the Court to watch all of your duels.”

“Oh? I didn’t realise you were so dedicated…”
You must never duel Gloriana ever again.

“Good morning ladies.”
And there he is, standing right in front of you and fuck his legs look as good as ever. His leggings remain impressively tight and of course he’s doing that thing where he crosses his arms and makes the lines of muscle stand out even more…
The only thing that you dislike more about Terenzi than what he did to you is how fucking hot he still is.
“It’s nice to see you again, Signorina Pseudonym.”

“Fancy meeting you here,” you say, trying not to grit your teeth.

“That skirt looks very fetching on you.”

Oh no. You can’t stop yourself from going at least a little bit red. The skirt turned out to not be all that embarrassing in practice but in front of Terenzi? You want to die.

Adriana just sighs and you remember too late that she has front row seats to all this nonsense going on in your head right now. Please be forgiving, Adriana! It’s not your fault that he has legs that won’t quit! You look over at her guiltily but the former housemaid is just shaking her head.
“Get lost,” she says. “Sofia’s not for you.”

“Oho?”
Terenzi looks more amused by this than anything.
“And who are you? Sofia is her own woman. She’s not for anyone.”

“Wrong.”
Adriana throws her arm around your shoulder as if declaring her territory.
“And the only thing she wants from you is to beat you into the ground in her rematch.”

“Adriana...I can talk for myself,”
You clear your throat.

Terenzi just nods, still smiling. If he hates you for what you tried to do to him after the duel, he can give no sign.
“And what is it that you have to say?”


>”Get fucked.”

>”To you? Nothing.”

>”I don’t believe the two of you have been formally introduced. This is Adriana. She’s with me.”

>”So are we going to fight or what?”

>”Thanks for the permanent scar. It really makes me feel good in the morning.

>You should be nice. Be nice.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3315242
>”So are we going to fight or what?”
>>
>>3315242

>"Rather bold of you after our last duel: You know this is an exhibition right? Behave yourself, or I'll scar something that never heals."

Internally; we're not putting an unnecessary mark on Terenzi, reputation or physical. That validates his philosophy.

If we can bleed him without the blade touching his skin, that would be ideal.
>>
>>3315242
>>"Rather bold of you after our last duel: You know this is an exhibition right? Behave yourself, or I'll scar something that never heals."
>>
>>3315242
>”I don’t believe the two of you have been formally introduced. This is Adriana. She’s with me.”

To be fair he got a perfect double call on our two techniques in a row to set up his execution. Anyone would have gone through with it, we can't blame him for that.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3315332

Yes, we can. The fact that his fighting style is designed to flamboyantly scar his opponent does not excuse it, any more than Albero drawing strength from causing pain.

His skill is as evident as his moral failings.
>>
>>3315440
Sabino has the same technique, and tried to use it against us, you gonna hate on him too?
>>
>"Rather bold of you after our last duel: You know this is an exhibition right? Behave yourself, or I'll scar something that never heals."

You just groan, rolling your eyes. Adriana is still clinging to you and you’re not going to do anything about that.
“Pretty bold of you after our last duel, Terenzi. You know this is an exhibition right? So behave yourself or I’ll scar something that never heals.”
Terenzi once put his mark on your body. It’s still there. You won’t do the same to him. You’ll do something much worse.

His smile doesn’t change.
“Looking forward to it, Signorina. But alas, we are on two opposite sides of the bracket. Should the two of us meet in this tourney at all, it will be in the finals.”

“You’ve already seen the bracket?”

“It’s already up. And it looks like you have the first match.”

“What?”
You grab Adriana’s hand and drag her off, leaving Terenzi behind without saying so much as another word to him.

You push your way through the crowd surrounding the judge’s bench and sure enough, you’re first up. Listed as up against you is a ‘Cornelio Turati’, a name you’ve never even heard of. It does say here that he got into the tourney through the preliminaries though so he’s already worked hard just to get here.
So it’s unfortunate that, whoever he is, you’re going to knock him out in the very first round.

“I didn’t know I was first,” you whine. “The first match is in a few hours! We don’t have much time!”

“Sssh,” she says, patting you on the head. “It’s going to be alright.”


>Get busy learning as much about this Cornelio as you can.

>See if you can find the man himself before the match.

>Spend an unwise amount of time dallying with Adriana. You shouldn’t but...

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3315501
>>Get busy learning as much about this Cornelio as you can.
>>
>>3315452

Yes. And I analyzed it back in that thread.

Sabino needs Executioner's Strike to handle regenerating composure enemies. It's meant to allow him to finish a fight where he could be soft locked against a broken opponent.

Terenzi has built his kit around it, which is also not necessarily wrong, but he made the wrong decision in his final strike.

Ouro was correct that Sophia could no longer win in the next queue with her moveset, but that's an issue of gameplay segregation: If Ouro permitted Sophia to act in the next queue normally, Terenzi would have had a decent chance of being broken before he finished us because he insisted on using a slow strike.

Terenzi did not only mark us unnecessarily, he chose to do so inviting damage: His ego did not only mark us, but opened himself to risk.

That's very different than Sabino; who reserves Executioner's Strike to finish the job when a death by thousand cuts is impossible.
>>
>>3315511
I guess this means we'll be dueling in a skirt...
>>
>>3315501
>Get busy learning as much about this Cornelio as you can.

>>3315515
He's got 2 moves for it out of 6. He built up the required stacks to use it, and for all he knew we could have started that round with gritted teeth.
>>
>>3315501
>Get busy learning as much about this Cornelio as you can.
And Adriana can get some shorts or something, unless she wants everyone to see her girlfriend's panties.
>>
>>3315501
>Get busy learning as much about this Cornelio as you can.

>>3315527
Doesn't take *that* long to change.
>>
>>3315556
We'll have to ask Adriana to go home and get us our hotpants.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3315533

Yes. We theoretically could have used gritted teeth, which means he would have been able to break us ad-infinitum, since Executioner's strike already functions once Sophia has been broken.

In another world, we could have also had Helpless Beauty, and he would have lost on the priority of Executioner's strike.

He chose to fuck around for two additional phases. I can and will judge him as a narcissist for it.
>>
>Get busy learning as much about this Cornelio as you can.

You gently pry yourself out of Adriana’s grip.
“Could you go back and get my duelling outfit, please? I don’t want to really duel in this skirt.”

“I’m picking them up now,” she says, not moving. After all, she hardly has to go home. She’s already at home.

“Right,” you say, scanning the crowd. People are selling bottles of water on the outskirts and you know enough to recognise that they’re from the Court of Swords itself. They’re selling the past duels of all the competitors. Perfect.

It doesn’t take too long to find someone selling the bottled duels of Cornelio Turati and, with Adriana watching over you, you spend the next few hours sculling them and settling into the resulting hallucinations.
The duels blur together in your mind, becoming a series of patterns that untangle themselves in your head.

Cornelio is a very unusual duellist. He seems primarily focussed on footwork, of constantly adjusting and recomposing his stance. He can put up a very oppressive offence when he wants to, dictating his opponents next move. And you’ve spotted several times where he should have been touched by his opponent but instead he just dances right by them as if he was water himself .The entire style is ramshackle and yet it all flows together.

>Unfortunately you don’t have the time for a complete read on your opponent. Instead choose TWO of the following options:

>Focus on his footwork, the very base of his fighting technique.

>Focus on his control, the way he can make his opponents move to his wishes.

>Focus on how slippery he can be and his odd untouchability.

>Focus on the power of his strikes.
>>
>>3315657
>>Focus on his control, the way he can make his opponents move to his wishes.

>Focus on how slippery he can be and his odd untouchability.
>>
>>3315657

>Footwork
>Control
>>
>>3315657
>>Focus on his footwork, the very base of his fighting technique.
>Focus on how slippery he can be and his odd untouchability.
>>
>>3315657
>>Focus on his footwork, the very base of his fighting technique.
>>Focus on his control, the way he can make his opponents move to his wishes.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>Focus on his footwork, the very base of his fighting technique.
>Focus on his control, the way he can make his opponents move to his wishes.

You’re most concerned with how he enables all this nonsense in the first place. His footwork is the root of everything and across most of his duels, you never see him knocked off-balance. He just keeps on moving and while his attacks are simple, the way he uses his feet to utterly manipulate the duel is not. It’s almost like a dance.

>Fluid Footwork: [STANCE]When you first activate this Stance, you may also select a dice in your Composure Pool of your choice and change it to any value, provided that the value matches a value of dice needed for a Stance in your moveset. You may have any number of Stances active at once. If a special effect would deactivate a Stance while you have multiple up, deactivate one of your choice. Can only be active while you have d12s in your Composure Pool.

>Open Guard: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. If you have a Stance active, deactivate it and generate a d8 instead. This does not count as breaking your Stance for the purposes of effects.

>Third Eye Staring: [STANCE]If your opponent uses a move in the same category as the move they performed last, add a d4 into your Technique Pool. Can only be active while you have d6s in your Composure Pool.

>Hero of Justice: [STANCE]If an opponent uses a Trick, automatically negate it. Can only be active while you have d20s in your Composure Pool.

Well...it’s certainly a unique duelling style. But now you’ve seen most of it and can react accordingly. How are you going to fight this?

>Choose your loadout! You may select one Ability and six Techniques from the following list:

ABILITIES

>Professional Provocateur: [ABILITY]At the end of each round, if you have successfully performed a Trick and have not lost any Composure dice, the single lowest die in your opponent’s Technique Pool is moved to their Strike Pool. If there are no dice in your opponent’s Technique Pool, the lowest die in their Composure Pool is moved to their Technique Pool instead.

>Test Your Luck: [ABILITY]You’re a pro at games of chance and other such swindles, no matter how well they’re performed. Once per thread you may either reroll a single dice or automatically succeed at a game of chance.

>Phlegmatic Flask: [ABILITY]You are shielded by apathy. At the end of each full queue, move your single lowest Technique dice into your Composure Pool.

>Helpless Beauty: [ABILITY]You can’t help but be timid and vulnerable in a way that attracts all sorts of possessive attention that you can’t deny. It also means they let their guard down around you. When your Composure is Broken by an opponent’s attack, a retaliatory strike is made against that opponent with Strike dice equal to the Strike you just took. This retaliation cannot bleed the opponent and doesn’t trigger the effects of anything that counts attacks.
>>
>>3315827
TECHNIQUES

TECHNIQUES

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Gritted Teeth: [TRICK]Move the highest value die from your Technique Pool to your Composure Pool.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.

>Unassailable Rookie: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, all dice that your opponent rolls out of their Strike Pool take a -1 penalty to their final result. Can only be active while you have a d4 in your Composure Pool.

>Underhanded Deflection: [TRICK]Lower the sides of all the dice currently in your opponent’s Technique pool by 1.

>Crushing Grip: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed as a result of this, whether through damage or through an ability, destroy the single highest value die in your opponent’s Technique Pool.

>Circle Guard: [TRICK]Your opponent cannot siphon dice into their Strike Pool this round. If they attempt to, destroy the single lowest die in their Technique Pool. This Technique cannot be used if your Technique Pool is empty.

>Skin Unthorned: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, any Strike pool targeting you cannot roll d4s. They remain in the Strike Pool unrolled. Can only be active while you have a d6 in your Composure Pool.

>Flashing Steel: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Damage from this Technique is dealt first to your opponent’s Strike Pool, treating the dice within as if they were Composure dice for the purposes of destruction. The difference between the highest dice value in the Strike Pool and the damage rolled is then dealt to the Technique Pool in the same fashion. And if the damage continues to overflow, the remainder is inflicted upon the Composure Pool in the same way.

1/2
>>
>>3315830

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Warped Perspectives: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, at the end of each round, if a duellist chose a Trick they gain a stack of Big. If a duellist chose a Flourish, they gain a stack of Small. Big and Small stacks cancel each other out. For every stack of Big a duellist has, they have an effective +1 to the sides of all dice in all their dicepools. For every stack of Small a duellist has, they have an effective -1 to the sides of all dice in all their dicepools. Dice are still treated as their original sizes for the purposes of effects that target or require dice. Whether this Stance is active or not, stacks of either status are completely cleared by using a Strike. Is only active while you have a d4 in your Composure.
>>
>>3315830
I'm not sure what to choose for the fifth and sixth tech

>Professional Provocateur: [ABILITY].

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]
>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]
>Crushing Grip: [STRIKE]
>Gritted Teeth [TRICK]
>>
>>3315872
Why are you taking a trick when he has a stance that can stop all tricks?
>>
>>3315877
He has 3 stances, I don't think he's going to just stick with that one stance all throughout the match.
>>
>>3315830
>Phlegmatic Flask
>TCC
>FB
>Elegance
>CG
>SU
>SW

>>3315885
He has a stance that lets him put up multiple stances. Are you even reading the fucking post?
>>
>>3315890
I missed that part. I read too quickly.
>>
Here are the duel rules if anyone needs a refresher by the way: https://pastebin.com/6eTp737y
>>
>>3315830
Oh shit that hero of justice. He can use that to convert a comp die to a d20. fuck. Maybe we can beat him in the first round or two? Seems like he'd need time to set it up unless he starts with a d20 in comp.


Ok so I can think of 2 loadouts:

>Helpless Beauty
>Still Waters
>Gritted Teeth
>Elegance
>TCC
>Focused Blow
>Brute Strike

Brute Strike/get hit to shed comp dice until we can get Still Waters up with the d12. He builds up enough dice that Helpless Beauty wrecks him too, then we stab right after when he doesn't expect it to bleed.

>Pro Prov
>FB
>TCC
>Elegance
>Warped Perspectives
>GT
>Underhanded Deflection

He may have a stance that negates the effects of tricks, but PP and WP should both get triggered just by selecting them, giving us big stacks and leeching his dice. He doesn't have many tricks, if any, so he can't also get big stacks, his flourishes are going to be sacrifices, and the dice leech will mess up his stances. Anyone want to give feedback on either strategy?
>>
>>3315925
I think the first one is too slow and HB won't break a d20. I think the second one might work if we bring Crushing Grip instead of UD to free our own Small stacks. I do think the second one is completely ruined if he has Crushing Grip or anything like it along with a half-decent flourish.

Personally, I think TCC and Phlegmatic Flask is unkillable. We simply build enough dice through TCC that we have enough to break a d20, then at the start of the next queue, we are free to Strike with a Composure dice padding the way. Very slow, but it'll beat any duelist that doesn't have a counter to Flourish/Technique spamming.
>>
>>3315949
Is there a reason why you choose to have two stances? Still water and Skin Unthorned seems rather redundant.
>>
>>3315959
I don't really know what kind of dice he's generating and we haven't seen his flourishes. Covering our bases, I guess. If you only want to take 1, I'll vote for SW if we do PF and TCC, SU if we do something else.
>>
>>3315949
Crushing Grip is a Strike though, not a Trick. That's a best case scenario for us, since he'd need an actual Strike to remove Composure and would therefore have no Tricks.

I hear you on that combo, but it's disgusting and boring and it also assumes he doesn't have Circle Guard or some technique to block a Strike.
>>
>>3315977
Yes, Crushing Grip is a Strike that can be used to flush Small stacks without destroying our technique dice.
>>
>>3315985
Wouldn't do much to our growing big stacks, and PP would leech his comp dice to tech, and tech dice to strike, so CG would expend those actually. But whatever. I'll back >>3315890 if you swap out SU for Circle Guard. We'll make do.
>>
>>3316006
Oh, I see what you mean now.
>>
>>General Loadouts
>Focussed Blow, duh
>Either Brute Strike or Crushing Grip, both serve mostly the same function and aren't worth overlap
>Skin Unthorned and/or Still Waters, just disabling d4 is plenty but there's room to do more
>TCC and/or Elegance

>>Warped Loadout
>Focussed Blow
>Crushing Grip
>Circle Guard
>Warped Perspectives
>Elegance, dice number over dice size

>>Tempered Milk
>Helpless Beauty, we don't need to break d20 with this, just all the other dice so breaking d20 rattles
>Focussed Blow
>TCC
>Skin Unthorned

>>Tempered Cheese
>Phleg flask
>Focussed Blow
>TCC
>Skin Unthorned

Given how Hero of Justice nerfs PP, Test your Luck becomes the solid choice in most general builds.
>>
So four set ups have been recommended
>>3315890
>Phlegmatic Flask
>TCC
>FB
>Elegance
>CG
>SU
>SW

vs
>>3316006
>Phlegmatic Flask
>TCC
>FB
>Elegance
>CG
>circle guard (swapped out SU)
>SW

vs
>>3315925
>Pro Prov
>FB
>TCC
>Elegance
>Warped Perspectives
>GT
>Underhanded Deflection

vs
>>3315925
>Helpless Beauty
>Still Waters
>Gritted Teeth
>Elegance
>TCC
>Focused Blow
>Brute Strike
>>
>>3316071
>>Phlegmatic Flask
>>TCC
>>FB
>>Elegance
>>CG
>>circle guard (swapped out SU)
>>SW
>>
>>3315830
I'll support
>Phlegmatic Flask
>TCC
>FB
>Elegance
>CG
>circle guard (swapped out SU)
>SW
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>Phlegmatic Flask
>>TCC
>>FB
>>Elegance
>>CG
>>Circle Guard
>>SW

It takes you a few minutes afterwards to get ready and to get dressed, Adriana bringing your usual duelling outfit just in time. But that’s not all you’re wearing. You’ve got Maccio’s old doublet padded in beneath your coat as an inner layer, Signore Albero’s empty scabbard hangs on your belt opposite your own and, slightly above that, Marzio’s tasselled red belt is looped around your waist.
Yeah, you’re wearing two belts. So what?

But there’s one more step you’re going to take for this opponent. You pull a flask out of your pocket, the one Leonarda gave you. You pull the cap off and take an appreciative sniff of the contents. Pure phlegm all the way down. This will act as ballast for your mental state, strengthen your nerve by dampening all emotions. And you can get it replaced by Leonards whenever you want.

You tip your head back and drink it down, the sluggish semi-fluid filling your mouth and throat. It’s faintly warm. You...hope that that’s just from leaving the bottle out in the sun.

>Phlegmatic Flask: [ABILITY]You are shielded by apathy. At the end of each full queue, move your single lowest Technique dice into your Composure Pool.

It takes a moment but then...the edge of the world grows dull around you. It’s not dramatic. The colours don’t fade. Everything is as it is. But you just find it really hard to care. You’re here to fight a duel, aren’t you? How boring.
You thought your opponent had seemed interesting but now that you’ve seen his style, he’s just as dull as the rest.

Adriana grabs hold of your hand as you walk out. It’s unnecessary.
“Are you ready?”

“Yes,” you say, shaking her off. “Please don’t touch me when you don’t have to.”

‘Right. That’s the flask, isn’t it?”

You don’t bother responding, walking through the crowd up to the closest fountain. The fountain is a wide and shallow basin, a small mockery of the Court of Swords itself. This shall be your arena. Great. You find it hard to get excited.

You find it even harder to care about your opponent, who looks like an idiot. He strides in at the other side of the water as the bleachers begin to fill, his arms dangling loosely by his sides. He’s young, probably at the same age as you and he’s wearing very simple clothes, a loose leather tunic tucked into a pair of plain trousers tied around his waist and ankles. His face is big and broad, an idiot grin affixed upon it at all times.
“Good morning, Signorina Pseudonym! My name is-”

“Cornelio Turati. I know.”

“...Right. I fought my way through the preliminaries to-”

“That’s nice. It’s a shame that you’re about to get knocked right back into them.”

“Well, I’ve been tr-”

1/2
>>
>>3316501

Listen. If you can’t get the hint, just shut up. I don’t care about you. I don’t care about this duel. I’m just going to win and then maybe next round won’t be so boring.”
You draw your sabre and kiss to it his, sliding the edge past one another. His sabre has a black forte with a design etched in white. You find it hard to care about it so you don’t.
“I don’t need you to explain your fancy foot tricks either. Let’s just get this over with.”

>Sofia’s Composure: 3d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12
>Cornelio’s Composure: 2d6, ????

Pathetic. Is he really planning to try and beat you with his homegrown hodgepodge of a duelling style? Whatever. Let’s just get this over with. You’ll grind out this match through whatever means necessary.

There’s no ceremony, the two of you just stand apart while the judges invoke the words for the Invitational. You don’t bother listening to them, you already know the basics. It’s all just a matter of

See

and be

Unseen.

The world warps and contorts into a flustering display of rainbow light, buildings and crowds drifting away to become shadows in the background as the water beneath gives rise to a hundred different shades that paint the world like a neon kaleidoscope. And above, where it cannot be seen, the source of no light at all.

There are two people here. One is gray,a barely feminine figure drenched in a thin ooze. The other is a man with almost as much light inside him as there is without. He bounces back and forth on the balls of his feet, a living constellation.

*!

Your third eye opens and you return to yourself. And as you do, all possible wonder for the Wake around you fades. Why should you care? You’ve seen it so many times before.

“Let’s have a good match, alright? I want to see your best techniques, Sofia!”

He’s saying something. You don’t bother to waste words. You just advance.
>>
>>3316502

It's time for your opening strike! Choose one Technique:

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.

>Crushing Grip: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed as a result of this, whether through damage or through an ability, destroy the single highest value die in your opponent’s Technique Pool.

>Circle Guard: [TRICK]Your opponent cannot siphon dice into their Strike Pool this round. If they attempt to, destroy the single lowest die in their Technique Pool. This Technique cannot be used if your Technique Pool is empty.
>>
>>3316506
oh no we're a jerk now

>Elegance: Stance
>>
>>3316506

So either he will do a flourish, or just jump straight into a stance to set himself up for multiple stances. I think it'll be Fluid Footwork

>Elegance: Stance

When it becomes time to do the queue, he can do third eye stance to begin generating a bunch of d4s in his tech pool since we'll be using a bunch of flourishes to build up our dice.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>Elegance: Stance

You already know what he’s going to do as you approach, feet crossing one another across the neon water. He’s going to get into his corny sword-fighting stance and try to run circles around you. There’s nothing else that makes sense. Well, you’ll let him.

>ELEGANCE: STANCE

He disenages the moment you get close, resolutely staying out of your reach. But you already know exactly where he’s going! You feign another thrust and then shrug off your coat, whipping it out ahead of you! He might be out of sword-range but you’ve still got this.

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 1d4

He bounces back a little further and then tries to step into your reach and past it, stepping fluidly in to flank you.

>Cornelio uses a Stance called Fluid Footwork!

>Fluid Footwork: [STANCE]When you first activate this Stance, you may also select a dice in your Composure Pool of your choice and change it to any value, provided that the value matches a value of dice needed for a Stance in your moveset. You may have any number of Stances active at once. If a special effect would deactivate a Stance while you have multiple up, deactivate one of your choice. Can only be active while you have d12s in your Composure Pool.

>Cornelio changes a d6 into a d20!

>Cornelio’s Composure: 1d6, ????, 1d20

You suppose he thinks he’s strong. But you already know exactly where he’s going and your descending sabre is waiting for him. He fends you off but not before you force him back, gaining momentum at the cost of his. It’s all going just as you anticipated.

>Sofia’s Elegance Bonus: 1d4

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 2d4

You’d think someone with such a strange way of fighting would be more interesting. You don’t bother to say anything as you drive him back. What would be the point?

>At the end of the queue, Phlegmatic Flask activates!

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 1d4

>Sofia’s Composure: 4d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12

You can’t really be bothered to give this fight your all.

>Duel Status: https://pastebin.com/FmvapnFx
>>
>>3316654
It's time for a new queue. Choose Techniques from the following list:

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.

>Crushing Grip: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed as a result of this, whether through damage or through an ability, destroy the single highest value die in your opponent’s Technique Pool.

>Circle Guard: [TRICK]Your opponent cannot siphon dice into their Strike Pool this round. If they attempt to, destroy the single lowest die in their Technique Pool. This Technique cannot be used if your Technique Pool is empty.
>>
>>3316654
I guess, we'll do
>Elegance: Stance
>FB
>TCC

I've chose FB to destroy his d6 as soon as possible since I really don't want him to generate d4s passively.

Cornelio I feel will do
Third Eye Staring to get some d4s off us.
Then he'll go for Hero of Justice stance
Then he'll go for a trick/flourish from his unknown move list. one of which is a strike. I think he has a trick that activates his ability personally. We'll see soon enough

I'm always open to criticism. I'm very tired right now.
>>
>>3316658
>>3316671
Sounds good
>>
>>3316679
Actually, I forgot about our ability... our d4 from TCC is going to get swallowed up.
I supposed we could go for Crushing grip instead
that way we're at least going to have two chances to destroy his d6
If FB succeeds in our first blow, that means his d4 generated by his stance will be wrecked and set him back to nothing
>>
>>3316671
>>3316658

>>Elegance: Stance
>>FB
>>CG

FB destroys his d6, if not, then CG.
And we don't have to lose a d4 tech from our ability

Cornelio
Third Eye Staring to get some d4s off us.
Then he'll go for Hero of Justice stance
Then he'll go for a trick/flourish from his unknown move list. one of which is a strike. I think he has a trick that activates his ability personally. We'll see soon enough
>>
>>Setup 1
>Third Eye Staring/Hero of Justice
>the other one
>Open Guard

>>Aggressive
>Hero
>Open Guard
>Third Eye

It's possible one of his other moves is a flourish, though.
>>
>>3316768
If he does open guard and cancels Fluid Footwork, he cannot have more than 1 stance.
So I discarded the idea he'd use open guard until the very end.
>>
>>3316768
sorry I posted before I can explain my logic further
>>Setup 1
>Third Eye Staring/Hero of Justice
>the other one
>Open Guard or unknown trick/flourish

I don't know if he has an ability or not. But we still have 2 unknowns with this guy.
1 strike is a given, he cannot win without it.

That leaves
1 flourish/trick/strike
1 ability (if he has one, he might not)

Rounding him out for the standard 6 techs, 1 ability.

Either his ability relies on a trick/flourish or having all 3 stances active to activate

If so,
I want to elegance stance, focus blow and then crushing grip
I don't like being passive in the face of the unknown.
>>
I think we can all agree that the first move will be stance, it's more a question of how the other 2 moves will resolve

>>3316777
Hero of Justice has already completed it's primary purpose: providing a d20.

It's secondary purpose is to prevent tricks. BUT, that does not necessarily require that he has it up. By revealing it in the first queue and immediately removing it for a d8, he intends to pressure us into sometimes using tricks and wasting turns.

Plus, 1d8+1d4 is not bad.

>>3316671
>>3316793

>>6 or more damage
Third Eye is broken, and Hero is either kept or prevented via Rattle. Open Guard is either forced to remove Fluid(giving him a chance to create another d6 for third eye), he uses another a different Flourish and it probably passes through, or he goes for an early strike.

>>no damage
Both stances go through, and he's entrenched. A solid one or two tech die ahead of us, pushing us to put up some defenses next queue.

CC would start us on that killshot, while Grip(I almost thought you meant Circle Guard to prevent Third Eye from generating dice) would eliminate any potential d8.
>>
>>3316658
Voting for
>Elegance: Stance
>FB
>Grip
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3316821
I see your logic but I think my queue should be fine too.
A elegance to get 2d4, now we have 3d4.
Attack, hope that it destroys his d6
If that doesn't work, hope that our crushing grip will be enough.

I didn't go for a TCC or another elegance because we have the Flask. It takes a tech die and moves it to our composure.

A TCC would mean the d4 generated is gone. IF we do elegance but screw up in our prediction, the d4 is gone.

The Flask makes it hard to build dice up in our tech pool. I'm hoping he doesn't go for your stated aggressive opening. Because that would be pretty bad.
>>
>Elegance: Stance
>Focussed Blow
>Crushing Grip

This is pointless. Seriously, you already know what he’s going to do. So why can’t you skip this whole boring fight and just get to the end already? Take now for example. He’s going to pull out more of his funky dance moves and then be surprised as you follow him regardless and split his head clean open.
Observe.

>ELEGANCE: Stance

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 2d4

For every step he takes, you reciprocate. You’re not going to lose him. You’re not going to let him confuse you. You’re just going to match him and then, once his little dance is over, you’ll be in the perfect position.

>Cornelio uses a Stance called Third Eye Staring!’

>Third Eye Staring: [STANCE]If your opponent uses a move in the same category as the move they performed last, add a d4 into your Technique Pool. Can only be active while you have d6s in your Composure Pool.

That’s a familiar defensive stance. It’s also exactly what you suspected.

>Elegance Prediction Bonus: 1d4

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 3d4

“So!,” Cornelio shouts, taking a quick step forward and, no doubt assuming that you’ve been bamboozled by his erratic movements, leans forward for a quick lunge.
“How do you feel about me now?”

You catch the debole of his sabre on the forte of yours, maintaining leverage and thus lifting it up and to the side. From there it’s easy to grab hold of his sabre by the blade, your free hand gripping the forte. You can’t yank it from his hands but you can keep it trapped.
“You’re just a gimmick.”

And for that brief moment where you have him locked in place, you bring your sabre down upon his head.

>FOCUSSED BLOW

>Roll 3d4 for Sofia’s attack! And try not to do all three by yourself!
>>
Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>3316885
I'm so exhausted. I don't think I can keep posting soon.
>>
Rolled 4 (1d4)

>>3316885
YOU CANT TELL ME WHAT TO DO

But I'll do it because it sounds like fun
>>
Rolled 3 (1d4)

>>3316885
>>
Rolled 4 (1d4)

>>3316885
Ooph 3 people three rolls
Also work tomorrow need sleepy
>>
>8
probably no Rattle, so Hero is up. Now either he pulls out another move, or we crush that d8.
>>
>>3316900
>>3316890
Sunday night dueling. I hope all your planning is going to looked at by the changing of the guard.
>>
Alright, noted. 8 damage.
>>
>8 damage

>8 damage destroys 1d6!

>Cornelio’s Composure: 2d10, ??, 1d20

>Third Eye Staring has been broken!

>Cornelio has been Rattled! The Technique he was choosing this turn has been negated, as will any Techniques of the same type in the same queue!

He pulls himself free as your sword whistles past his head, catching a strand of blonde hair as it does so. But you don’t give up. You take another step and make another slash and keep him off-balance. You do it again and again and again and you simply don’t give him the opportunity to do the fancy footwork he loves so much.

>Cornelio is Rattled! Hero of Justice has been interrupted.

You don’t care about what he does next. It doesn’t matter. Nothing about him does.

>CRUSHING GRIP

On your fourth swing, he catches your sabre on his and slides to the side but you don’t stop moving. Anticipating this, you reach out with your off-hand and grab his sword-arm by the wrist! He stumbles away and you turn the grip into a shove, pushing him away from you and nearly sending him to the ground.

>Cornelio has dice in his Technique Pool to destroy!

>Cornelio attempts to use a Stance called Blade Against Blade! But he is Rattled!

By the time you pull your sword back into the en garde position, it should be obvious to everyone just who’s in charge here. That’s the thing about gimmicks. If they take you by surprise, you could be in trouble. But here in a place like this? Against a duellist like you?
You’re going to dismantle this nitwit.

>Duel status: https://pastebin.com/Xajvbt0d
>>
>>3316936
Choose 3 Techniques from the following list:

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.

>Crushing Grip: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed as a result of this, whether through damage or through an ability, destroy the single highest value die in your opponent’s Technique Pool.

>Circle Guard: [TRICK]Your opponent cannot siphon dice into their Strike Pool this round. If they attempt to, destroy the single lowest die in their Technique Pool. This Technique cannot be used if your Technique Pool is empty.
>>
>>3316939

bwuh, he had 4 stances?
Whut.
Four stances, 1 strike, 1 flourish...
And maybe one ability?
What does blade against blade even do?!
>>
>>3316948
He didn't get a chance to use it so it wasn't revealed!
>>
I'm giggling. FOUR stances!?

Blade Against Blade is probably a d10 or d12 stance, the name brings to mind some sort of attrition or maybe composure generation to shore up his pool.

>>Obvious
>Stance
>Stance
>Open or Stance

>>Fakeout
>Open
>Open
>Fluid
>>
>>3316939
I'm so tired.
I can barely think

TCC, TCC, FB

Cornelio:
Stance: Hero or Blade Against Blade
Open Guard: I think he will cancel a stance to get a d8.
Stance or strike (why strike, because why not, a d8 that hits the average 4 damage will rattle us and he might want revenge)

Even if he does
Stance Stance Open/stance
or Open Open Stance/strike

I think our queue is fine?
>>
>>3316970
>>3316939
Ah wait, I forgot, Focus Blow completely killed our strike pool.

So it has to be
TCC, TCC, TCC
or we try to do our best and predict things with Elegance. I'm too tired to think of elegance predictions.


Cornelio
The guy has 2d10, 2d12 (or at least d12 and d??), d20 as his composure

He needs to generate tech die somehow. I wonder if he'll take the crazy risk of
Open Guard (get d8 tech)
Stance: Fluid Footing (get d6 composure>
Stance: Third eye

or
Open Guard (d8)
Open Guard (d4)
Stance: Fluid Footing (convert d6 from a d10)

Or
Stance: Hero or Blade Against Blade
Open Guard (d8)
Open Guard (d8)

Or my suggestion
Stance: Hero or Blade Against Blade
Open Guard (d8)
Stance: Hero or Blade Against blade
>>
Guys. If you're too tired to think, /stop dueling/. This is how we fucked up the fight against Alba.
>>
>>3316936
>Elegance Flourish
>Elegance Stance
>Elegance Stance
>>
>>3316939
>Elegance: Stance
>Elegance: Stance
>Elegance: Flourish

I think Blade Against Blade is the thing that allows him to evade strikes as we've seen in the Court, so he'll want to have it up before going along with tech generation. The same for HoJ, it's also a defensive stance. Then he'll start to gen tech with OGs

>>3317027

FF only transfroms a die the FIRST time it's activated, so no shenanigans there.
>>
>>3317124
open stance on it let's him reset a FF

he can change an extra d10 to a d6 to get third eye
>>
>>3317127
>When you FIRST activate this Stance, you may also select a dice in your Composure Pool of your choice and change it to any value
First. Not each time.
>>
>>3317130
AS you can do it when you activate the stance every time. Just not do it after.

So if he open guard resets? He can get that d6 set.
>>
>>3317136
"you can do it when you activate the stance every time" would be "When you activate this Stance". "First" is there for a reason.
>>
>>3317136
Actually, we'd better ask Ouro

>>3316962
Could you please clarify whether "When you first activate this Stance" means the first activation in a duel, or every activation?
>>
Every activation.
>>
>>3316939
Then changing >>3317124 to
>Elegance Flourish
>Elegance Stance
>Elegance Stance
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>Elegance Flourish
>Elegance Stance
>Elegance Stance

Maybe his gimmick has a strong result but it also means that there’s more or less only one way he can fight. Figure out that path and you can always have a boot ready to trip him up. You were like that once. It’s all a matter of conditioning your opponent. Now that you’ve shown him the value of his footwork, he’s going to abandon it and try to regain momentum, much like Gloriana did.
Unlike Gloriana, he is not nearly 100 feet tall. And you’re ready for him.

>ELEGANCE: Flourish

>Cornelio uses a Flourish called Open Guard!

>Open Guard: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. If you have a Stance active, deactivate it and generate a d8 instead. This does not count as breaking your Stance for the purposes of effects.

>Open Guard cancels Fluid Footwork!

He darts to the side and you match him step for step, coat still wrapped around your off-hand. You untangle it and, with a flick of your wrist, fling it into his sword-arm the moment he tries to advance on you. It...doesn’t daunt him as much as you expected, despite your perfect prediction.

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 1d4

>Cornelia’s Technique Pool: 1d8

>Elegance Prediction Bonus: 1d4

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 2d4

And now that he’s no longer quite as staggered, he’s going to try and take the advantage with his little dance. He’s going to go for the left and when he does, you’ll make a thrust and if he stops it, you’ll kick him in the leg. Even if he leans down and pull the distance, that should leave one foot for you to stamp on while you’re retracting your sabre.

>ELEGANCE: Stance.

He goes to the left and you move before he does, thrusting forward and trying to catch him in the chest with the tip.

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 3d4

He pulls the distance and as he does, you stamp on his outstretched foot. Boring.

>Cornelio activates Fluid Footwork!

>Cornelio changes a d10 into a d20!

>Cornelio’s Composure: 1d10, ??, 2d20

>Elegance Prediction Bonus: 1d4

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 4d4

That said, even though you pulled off the exchange exactly as you envisioned, he’s still moving. Still darting around as if it means anything. And the way he’s changing stances isn’t quite the way you were expecting.
Even so, he’s about to shift into the position he attempted before. The moment he does, you’re going to close the distance until you’re uncomfortably close, forcing him out of it in order to defend himself. You will retain the advantage.

>ELEGANCE: Stance

>Cornelio uses Open Guard!

You close...and so does he. You pull back at the last moment and only just barely parry his sabre as he makes a high vertical slash down upon your head! You fail to trap him in your forte and he slides free without issue. But that...that wasn’t supposed to happen.
How did he get so fast?

1/2
>>
>>3317189
>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 5d4

>Cornelio’s Technique Pool: 2d8

“Do you like that?,” he says jovially. “You’re real strong signorina so don’t mind me if I drop the ‘gimmick’ for a moment!”

He advances, driving you three more steps back. And it is in this exchange that you see how he took you by surprise. He’s completely abandoned the ‘dance’ you had been mocking. And in its place is pure speed.

>Elegance Prediction Bonus: N/A

“I really don’t want to be spooked like that again!,” he says, apparently unconcerned with your clear disdain. “And I’ve had some time to see how you fight and you’re just plain metamorphic! I’m guessing you saw how I fight too and so you didn’t bring anything that I’d need to heroically stop…”


You retreat from the onslaught, holding your ground as best you can.

“...so there’s no need for me try and be a hero at all!”

>Phlegmatic Flask activates!

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 4d4

>Sofia’s Composure: 5d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12

This is just a minor setback. He’ll have to try a lot more than that to make you actually care about this duel.

>Duel Status: https://pastebin.com/jNLDtHV8
>>
>>3317191
Choose 3 Techniques from the following list:

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.

>Crushing Grip: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed as a result of this, whether through damage or through an ability, destroy the single highest value die in your opponent’s Technique Pool.

>Circle Guard: [TRICK]Your opponent cannot siphon dice into their Strike Pool this round. If they attempt to, destroy the single lowest die in their Technique Pool. This Technique cannot be used if your Technique Pool is empty.
>>
To beat a d20 with a 95% probability we need 10d4
On the other hand, with 6d4 we have a 90% probability to break his d12s and disable FF and 3ES forever. I think we should be gunning for 6d4.

2d8 isn't too dangerous yet but we should be wary anyway. Good thing he thinks we brought no tricks because CG is a trick.

Vote in a bit.
>>
he's....turning everything to d20 so he can't be rattled? I suppose that's better than nothing if ALL he plans to do is Open Stance spam.

>>Killshot
>Fluid
>Open
>Strike
3d8 is pretty reliable at 70% for breaking d12. It's also pretty crap against Phleg if he has no other plans.

>>Fakeout
>Open
>Fluid
>Open
same goal, trading speed to slow down elegance. 3d8+1d4 is 85% to break 12.

>>Turtle
>Open
>Blade
>Fluid
Assuming Blade is a defensive stance, this puts him in a better position to survive any of Sofia's attacks.

>>Aggressive
>Strike
>Strike
>Blade/Fluid
23% chance to win is still something, and there's nothing Grip can do about it. Except we have Circle.
>>
>>3317192
On the other hand, wasting 6 dice to break a stance that doesn't seem to do anything useful for him? Maybe we should go for 10d4.

I think he will go for FF OG Strike, so I propose
>El: Stance
>Crushing Grip
>El: Strike

CrG will protect us from the attack, and we won't tip our hand with Circle Guard.
If he goes FF OG FF or OG FF OG for more chances, we're still pretty well off and have CiG at the ready to block his strike next queue.

>>3317198
OG BAB FF is impossible since he needs FF up to use several stances simultaneously. Also I think he switched to tech genning and won't waste time putting up more stances.
>>
>>3317202
uhhh

>>3317192
does FF's "you can use multiple stances" need to be active before you pick a second stance?

But either way, the difference is just switching the two around.
>>
>>3317218
Yes.
>>
>>3317202
>>vs Killshot
>2d4
>remove 1d8
>2d4, get hit for 2d8
23% chance to get broken and come back with 1d4 composure. We'll have 7d4 tech die, not quite enough to win, but veeeery close.

>>vs. Fakeout
>d4
>remove d8
>d4
We'll be 5d4, he'll be 2d8+1d4. He's definitely in the lead with this exchange. 50% or 75% chance to win next queue without Phleg activating.

>>vs Turtle
>d4
>remove d8
>d4
not much to say here. We'll be 5d4 and he'll be 1d8+1d4 with 2 stances up, but the effectiveness is all dependent on Blade.

>>vs Aggressive
>d4, get hit
>nothing, get hit
>d4
23% chance to lose outright, and just like the others, we only come out with 5d4.
>>
>>3317192
If he thinks we don't have a trick and not trying to psyche us out, I'm guessing he's going to strike this queue. Also he knows we have crushing grip to destroy a d8 of his tech if he doesn't strike quickly, he will lose out

Cir Guard
Still Water
Cir Guard

Cornelio (will not use stance Hero I hope, can't use third eye)
I personally think he'll go for a strike, the question is if he'll super aggressive about it or not.
I don't know when he'll strike but it will be at the beginning or the end.

If he does aggressive
>strike
stopped by circle guard, d8 destroyed
>Strike
Still water unfortunately will only take effect after he hits us
>Fluid or Open
Circle guard is useless

If he does Killshot
>Fluid
Circle Guard is useless
>open
Our Still Water Activates and will maintain the next round
>Strike
Circle Guard works, gets rid of his d8


Now I have to go to work. Good luck everyone.
>>
>>3317202
Also this is good too, if you guys don't want to tip our hands with circle guard
My own is just an alternative to look at.
EL stance
Crushing Grip
El Strike seems fine
>>
>>3317237

After he realizes we have circle guard, he'll be forced to use Hero in the next round since he knows we can null his attacks
He'll have to Stance Hero in the first or second action of the queue.
This forces him to waste a move that he could use to garner tech.
>>
>>3317237
>>vs Killshot
>wasted
>Stance activated, maintained
>Circle proc
Sofia at 3d4, Cornelio at 2d8. We basically trade 1d4 for Still Waters.

>>vs Fakeout
>reked
He gets his 3d8+1d4, and Still Waters is broken.

>>vs Turtle
>same
He's 2d8+1d4, with both stances up.

>>vs Aggressive
>Guarded
>Still Water, get hit with 1d8
>wasted
While it's impossible for us to lose any composure that matters, Phleg puts another d4 in there so Elegance doesn't get any buffs.
>>
>>3317259
Instead stance then,
Cir Guard
Elegance: Flourish
Circle Guard

I'm aiming to force him to waste one of his moves in the third round to guard against circle guard
If he is forced use Stance Hero, he has only 2 moves to use in the queue
>>
>>3317262
>>>Killshot
>>Fluid
>>Open
>>Strike

Cir Guard, El: Fl, Cir Guard

Rd 3 makes him realize we have a trick. He has to get Hero up.
So in Rd 3, he goes Fluid (change one of his unknown or d10 into something), Hero, Open (gets rid of Fluid)

>>>Fakeout
>>Open
>>Fluid
>>Open

Cir Guard, El: Fl, Cir Guard

3rd round still forces him to put his guard up with Stance Hero

>>>Turtle
>>Open
>>Blade
>>Fluid

Cir Guard, El: Fl, Cir Guard (worst move in light of turtling)

He know knows in 3rd rd he must now go for Hero sometime in the 3rd rd.
Hero, strike, strike

>>>Aggressive
>>Strike
>>Strike
>>Blade/Fluid
>23% chance to win is still something, and there's nothing Grip can do about it. Except we have Circle.

Cir Guard, El: Fl, Cir Guard

He still has to get hero. If he chose blade/Fluid, he is forced to do Hero in one of his moves in the 3rd rd
>>
How close are you guys to picking an option?
>>
>>3317308
I thought there would be more voters choosing
If you want I'll vote with
>El: Stance
>Crushing Grip
>El: Strike

That way we can proceed. Though I hate to be the tie breaker again and screw things over like with alba
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3317198
>Circle
>TCC
>TCC

>>vs Killshot
4d4+1d6, basically relying on Phleg to save our ass. On the other hand, he's stuck for quite some time before he can strike again. He might even leave himself vulnerable to Still Waters if he Open spams.

>>vs Fakeout, Turtle
He gets ground back while we get little.

>>vs Aggressive
Dice nullified, and we're on our way to a killshot.


>TCC
>TCC
>TCC
The same as the former, but close to a kill. Vulnerable to Aggressive.


>Elegance: Flourish
>Grip
>Grip
Take it nice and slow, taking advantage of Grip's turn efficiency. 2nd Grip is wasted on Killshot and both Grips are gone on Aggressive though.
>>
>Elegance: Stance
>Crushing Grip
>Elegance: Strike

He presses you hard but when your feet are nearly at the edge of the neon water, you slap his incoming sabre to the side. It’s a risky move, requiring you to strike the forte of a moving blade with your open palm but you are unshakable. Your nerve is only growing stronger as the duel goes on.

And now, with his attack stalled, he will fall back onto what he knows best. His footwork. Then let him try. You’ll catch his retreat with a quick advance that starts before he even begins to withdraw and stymie it. After that, should he prevent you from slicing him open, you’ll make use of your off-hand and try to cause him some pain.

>ELEGANCE: Stance

>Cornelio uses Open Guard!

You step forward and nearly walk right into his sabre. He has not retreated. You were wrong. And yet, this does not shake you. You whip your own sword up for a quick high parry and for just a moment, the two of you are locked together.

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 5d4

>Cornelio’s Technique Pool: 1d4, 2d8

>Elegance Prediction Bonus: N/A

As long as you stay calm, you can turn any situation in your favour. The two of you disengage but you only feign it, rocking back into a squat as if to pull distance but then reversing it and, with aching muscles, propel yourself forward to catch up to his own disengage.
There. You might have made a mistake but you’re still in the right position for what you had aimed to do. Pain.

>CRUSHING GRIP

Just as you thought, he stops your slash with a parry, the debole of your blade scraping down the forte of his and striking the guard. This gives him an excellent opportunity to lever your sword away from you and he does so. Just as expected. After that last surprise you were hoping for something a little less boring.
Unfortunately for him, you didn’t stop advancing when he parried. Only your sabre stopped. You keep moving forward, rushing into his blade with an iron nerve. By the time he’s twisted your sword-arm to the side you’re less than a foot away from him. You don’t try anything fancy. You just extend your off-hand into his chest, stiffen your arm and ram right into him.

“Yowch!”

>Cornelio’s Technique Pool: 1d4, 1d8.

You stop yourself as your shove sends him staggering back, pulling your hand back just in time to avoid it being sliced off. You don’t even blink. You take a few quick steps forward, criss-crossing your back foot with your front one in a tight pattern, ready to take advantage of his disarray to gut him.

>Cornelio uses a Stance called Blade Against Blade!

>Blade Against Blade: [STANCE]While this Stance is active, all abilities of either combatant have no effect. Your own dice pools cannot be altered by an opponent save through damage. Can only be active while you have d10s in your Composure Pool.

1/2
>>
>>3317347

You gasp involuntarily as he meets your attack with his own, swords interlocking once more for just a moment. The edges of the world have sharpened and the phlegm in your system might as well not exist! Here there is only sabre against sabre, steel wielded by meat wielded by will. Everything extraneous is excised, cut free from the duel as if by the swords themselves.

And then that moment of clarity vanishes, withdrawn as quickly as it came as Cornelio abandons the stance to kick you in the knee.

>Cornelio uses Open Guard!

>ELEGANCE: Strike

Your protective apathy returns but a little too late for you to win this exchange, Cornelio forcing you to retreat once more. Your own counterattack attempt is trivial in comparison.

>Cornelio’s Technique Pool: 1d4, 2d8

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 6d4

You made a small error. As a result, you have not yet won. But you still have not even the slightest hint of doubt in your mind. It’s so hard to take any of this seriously. So why bother?

>Elegance Prediction Bonus: N/A

>Phlegmatic Flask activates!

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 5d4

>Sofia’s Composure: 6d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12

You sigh. Back to the grind. Maybe you’ll find something actually fun after this is over.

>Duel Status: https://pastebin.com/ZN5rx01w
>>
>>3317349
Choose 3 Techniques from the following list:

>Tempered Counting Coup: [FLOURISH]Sofia cannot be defeated during this turn. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d10 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Still Waters[STANCE]: When an opponent attempts a Strike, ignore all dice equal to or lower than the lowest value dice in your Composure pool; these dice remain in the opponent's strike pool. This stance is broken when the opponent makes no strikes in a queue.

>Elegance: [FLOURISH] Declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. When your opponent makes their next move, if it is the same category of move as declared, generate a die of equal value to the lowest value dice in your Composure Pool.

>Crushing Grip: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed as a result of this, whether through damage or through an ability, destroy the single highest value die in your opponent’s Technique Pool.

>Circle Guard: [TRICK]Your opponent cannot siphon dice into their Strike Pool this round. If they attempt to, destroy the single lowest die in their Technique Pool. This Technique cannot be used if your Technique Pool is empty.
>>
>>3317352
2d8+1d4 has 50% probability to break d12

I don't have time to make plans right now, unfortunately.
>>
>>3317352
If we strike, we could potentially get rid of his d10

>Elg Fl (d4 and maybe an extra d4. Now we have 6d4 or 7d4 if we predicted right)
>FB (we get rid of his d10, and maybe his d12. this leaves just his d20)
>FB

From then on, he can only generate d8s with his hero stance.

Or

>FB or Crush G if you want to take the risk
>TCC (d4 generated)
>TCC (d4 and d6 generated, sofia has 2d4 and d6. Our ability grabs a d4)


Cornelio
He didn't take fluid, will he strike? If he does open guard, he get a d8
So either he will strike or do an open guard as his first move.
I think he knows he needs to open guard to build his dice up

So either
Strike (just a d4 + d8)
Open Guard (d8)
Stance

or
Open Guard (d8) (d4, 2d8)
Strike
stance
>>
>>3317362
>>3317372
>>3317352

I must not be awake.

So, I guess he will strike

>Cir Guard
>Elg Str (get a d4, and maybe another d4)
>FB

Or
>TCC (he wipes out a bunch of our composure with a potential to break us)
>TCC
>FB

Cornelio:
>Strike (d4+2d8) Our guard blocks him, knocks him down to a d4 and d8)
>Strike (d4 + d8)
>Stance: Fluid or hero or Blade

I think he knows he's in desperate straits and needs to do a hail mary before we crushing guard him.
>>
Blade Against Blade is cool, but not really what he needs right now.

His possible actions are....actually similar the same as the last, except Blade is more of an offensive move as putting it on the last action nullifies Phlegm.

>>3317372
He can still FF if his d10 breaks.

>>Execute
>Open Guard
>Strike
>Blade
2d8+2d4 has a 74% chance of 12, and Blade will leave us broken at the end of the queue.

>>Aggressive
>Strike
>Strike
>Fluid
50% win con. Blade serves no purpose here, so Fluid readies a stance to be broken and reallocates a composure incase he needs a shiny new d10

>>Fakeout
>Stance
>Open
>Stance
While Blade would put pressure, as mentioned in Execution it's better served elsewhere. Still, he's going to be ready for heck of a strike.
>>
>>3317383
We need to guard against Execute. If he breaks us, as long as he has Blade up, even with TCC he only has to spam Strike to kill us eventually.
>>
>>3317383
>Circle
>Elegance Strike
>Elegance Stance

>>vs Execute
we fucked bro. Or we luck out and HE'S fucked.

>>Aggressive
2d8, so 23% chance we break even if we intended for this queue in the first place. Still, not a bad position even if we break, with 9d4(or 10 if he really uses Blade instead)

>>vs Fakeout
>Waste
>d4
>2d4
8d4 or 9d4, but he's definitely going for an aggressive. We're basically doing a damage trade next queue, and leaning heavily on tempered to win.

By the way, reminder that if we strike without generating tech die after, Phlegm won't recharge us from broken.
>>
>>3317383
Hm, will he attack or not, we've already dinged him with Crushing Grip and got rid of his d8 twice now. He would be wary in my opinion

>FB (hope it rattles him with our 5d4? or gets rid of his composure dice that he can no longer stance blade or even Fluid if we do really well?)
>TCC
>Elg Stance


Cornelio
Starts with Open Guard or Strike
If he strikes us, he might get us with a rattle even break us
Or if he open guard to build up, we're still fine
In any case, a strike will either rattle him since we get rid of his d10. Or if we do too well, he will lose d12 as well.

if he strikes again or for real, our TCC will protect us from dying if we've been broken.

But blade will block our generation of a d4. But if our FB did well, without a d10 in composure (if we don't roll badly) he can't do that stance
We then regen a d4
>>
>>3317411
How about
Circle
Circle
Elg stance?
>>
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I'm going to sleep. This duel and the the end of the thread itself, shall be finished up in the morning.
Vote will remain open until I wake. Good night everyone.
>>
>>3317435
Good night, I'm hoping there's be more people awake to vote

So
>Circle
>Elegance Strike
>Elegance Stance

or
>Circle
>Circle
>Elegance Stance
What do you think are the odds Cornelio will go instead
>Open
>Strike 3d4 + 2d8
>Strike 3d4 + 2d8
>>
>>3317442
>>Open
>>Strike 3d4 + 2d8
>>Strike 3d4 + 2d8
functionally the same as Execute. Since he doesn't know about Circle and Tempered, Blade is objectively better since he can still kill a broken Sofia next queue and he's in a better position if it "fails".
>>
I think we can narrow it down to
1. ATTACK
2. DEFEND

If we decide to ATTACK!
>FB (hope it rattles him with our 5d4? or gets rid of his composure dice that he can no longer stance blade or even Fluid if we do really well?)
>TCC
>Elg Stance (d4, if successful another d4)

If no blade stance because we got rid of his stance, we get a d4.

vs
>>Execute
>Open Guard (hope to break his d10 or d12)
>Strike (hope we don't get broken)
>Blade (if we roll well, he can't stance)


vs
>>Aggressive
>Strike (he might rattle or break us)
>Strike (tcc saves us if we are broken)
>Fluid (if we roll well, no d12 so no stance)

vs
>>Fakeout
>Stance (hit him well with a rattle or get rid of his d12. Can't take a stance, but if we fail this'll hurt)
>Open (without a stance he gets a d4, with a stance d8. 3d4+2d8 vs 2d4 + 3d8)
>Stance (if we rattled him or took away his composure, he can't select it unless it's hero)

vs
>>Strange queue
>Open (our strike may rattle him, take up to a d12 or do nothing due to bad roll)
>Strike 3d4 + 2d8 (possibly broken, if so then the next strike will bleed us)
>Strike 3d4 + 2d8 (if broken, his strike bleeds us)

Option 2
DEFEND
If we
>Circle
>Circle
>Elegance Stance

vs
>Execute
We live and a potential 2d4

vs
>Aggressive
We do even better, and a potential 2d4

vs
>Fake out
We wasted the first two, but gain 2d4

vs
>Strange Queue
>Open
>Strike 3d4 + 2d8
>Strike

Well, our 2nd circle guard will get rid of his d8. He still has 3d4 + 1d8
The last strike might rattle us or break us. But our ability will kick in with a d4
>>
>>3317352
>CG
>TCC
>TCC
>>
>>3317507
CG may be Crushing Grip or Circle Guard. Please elaborate.
>>
>>3317512
Oooph
Crushing Grip
>>
>>3317490
Circle Guard destroys the lowest tech die, not the highest.
>>
>>3317435
Shouldn’t we have 6d4 in tech due to his stance canceling our ability?
>>3317352
FB. If we kill his d12 he can’t shut down flask. Which means we can just lock him down with tcc and strike at the beginning of every turn as flask regens us.

>FB
>Tcc
>Tcc
>>
>>3317525
>Shouldn’t we have 6d4 in tech due to his stance canceling our ability?
He deactivated that stance in the third action

If we kill his d12 he can’t shut down flask. Which means we can just lock him down with tcc
This is true, but 5d4 only give us 65% probability of breaking d12. We need at least one more
>>
>>3317529
Actually, it's a d10 for Blade Against Blade to prevent our ability
>>
>>3317546
>https://pastebin.com/ZN5rx01w
>Blade Against Blade: [STANCE]While this Stance is active, all abilities of either combatant have no effect. Your own dice pools cannot be altered by an opponent save through damage. Can only be active while you have d10s in your Composure Pool.
>>
>>3317546
If we destroy his d10 he'll just create another one with FF. We need t odestroy d12 to shut down FF as well
>>
>>3317554
Do we have another round to spare to build up? what do you think his and our 4th round choices will be?

If we use Circle Guard, he will know that we have it. That'll definitely make him use Stance Hero

So
Attack (Sofia) vs Attack (cornelio)
Hope to get of d12 and hope that cornelio doesn't kill us by breaking us.

round 4, we lose. Or he didn't quite manage to break us and we suceeded in destroying his composure. So we'll need to start doing lots of crushing grip and tech generation

Attack (sofia) vs Fakeout (Cornelio)
We're hoping that we get that d12, or else he is ready for one heck of an attack

rd 4, we need to circle guard


or
Defend (sofia) vs Attack (cornelio)
I think circle circle El: Stance or Circle El: Str El: Stance

Hopefully we aren't broken, if we are sucks to be us.
He knows in rd 4 of our trick circle guard. He will need to generate tech dice and can't really stop us from striking

Defend (sofia) vs Fakeout (cornelio)
we're up by a d4.
He knows we have circle guard and our impressive pile of d4s. He'll want to strike but he knows he also needs hero of justice.
He needs to have chosen Fluid Footing. But if he choose Blade Against Blade, he needs to open guard and set up his Hero of justice. Too late, 3rd round stance choice will be important.
>>
At 5d4:
>88% chance to deal 10 damage, likely causing an FF into a new d10
>65% chance to deal 12 damage, leaving him with only Hero/Open spam, which we hard counter with Crushing Grip
>>
I'm too tired to propose a queue, but note that since he knows about our ability, he will either strike twice this queue, set up Blade and strike (in any order), or not strike at all.

If he's going to strike though, there's no point in setting up blade since a second strike instead will give him victory. Based on this, I think he'll either go OG Strike Strike, or spam OG to outpace our potential Grips.

He could go Strike Strike X, but this gives him a 50% probability of victory, and if he fails he's seriously fucked since we'd be far ahead in tech.
>>
>>3317720
So then
How about
>Crushing grip
>TCC
>FB

If Cornelio does
>Execute (Open, strike, stance)
We take away a d8, leaving him 3d4 and a d8
he strikes, but we do tcc to inc our tech to 6d4
We strike, if our strike removes a d12 and d10, He cannot stance. Blade and Fluid takes no effect

>Aggressive (strike, strike, stance)
We fail to crush, he hits us with 3d4 +2d8. If he breaks us, then we have a problem
TCC will save us, our tech is 6d4
Strike, we remove his d10 and d12. He can no longer do a stance of either blade or fluid

>Fakeout (Stance, open, stance)
Crush removes a d8, since he opens with a stance
He gains a d8 again due to Open Guard, has 3d4 +2d8. We gain a d4 to tech to 6d4
Strike and try to remove d12 and d10. He can no longer do a stance.

>Strange (Open, strike, strike)
Crush removes a d8. but he still gains a d4 due to open guard. He has 4d4 +d8
TCC, he strikes. We gain a d4. If we don't break, we'll be fine. If we do break, the game over.
We strike, he strikes. We need to remove his d12 and d10 so he can't stance outside of Hero.


Another weird combo is Stillwater, yes I know it's just a d4 blocked but
stillwater, TCC, FB

If Cornelio does
>Execute (Open, strike, stance)
We have still water up. He gains a d4. But we can negate d4s. This means he can only strike with 2d8
he strikes but does not break us barring high rolls, but we do tcc to inc our tech to 6d4
We strike, if our strike removes a d12 and d10, He cannot stance. Blade and Fluid takes no effect.
Still water continues to next queue and our ability does move tech to composure.

>Aggressive (strike, strike, stance)
He hits us with 3d4 +2d8. If he breaks us, then we have a problem. But if not still water is now in effect
Still water will save us, our tech is 5d4
Strike, we remove his d10 and d12. He can no longer do a stance of either blade and/or fluid. But even better, without any tech our still water protects us from any attack he might have. A d8 and d4 he gathers can't do anything in the next queue
Still water continues to next queue and our ability does move tech to composure.

>Fakeout (Stance, open, stance)
Stance in effect, but so is his.
He gains a d8 again due to Open Guard, has 3d4 +2d8. We gain a d4 to tech to 6d4
Strike and try to remove d12 and d10. He can no longer do a stance. And our still water is gone.

>Strange (Open, strike, strike)
Still water. but he still gains a d4 due to open guard. He has 4d4 +2d8
TCC, he strikes. We gain a d4 but he hits us with 2d8. If we don't break, we'll be fine. If we do break, the game over.
We strike, he strikes. We need to remove his d12 and d10 so he can't stance outside of Hero.
Still water continues to next queue and our ability does move tech to composure.
>>
>>3317839
Let me correct a typo
Still continues to next queue, and our ability does not move tech to composure since it is empty.
>>
>>3317839
I would strongly advise against placing FB last, because it empties our tech, and if we were broken during this queue somehow Phlegm has nothing to restore our Comp with.
>>
>>3317974
Let us say we don't strike. He has a d10, d12, d20.
This means we are going to be hit up to twice in a row
>Crush, TCC, TCC

Cornelio
>execute (open, strike, stance)
We get rid of a d8, but he get a d4. 2d4+d8
Strikes, we gain a d4 but he might break us by wiping out our composure.
Stance: Blade, we don't get a d4 to our composure to get unbroken (unless he decided to stances Hero or Fluid)

Round 4 to infinity, he starts with no tech dice but that doesn't matter. He just needs to bleed us. He can use Stance: Blade at the end of each round to prevent us from gaining any composure. It becomes a game of chicken, forcing us to intuit when one or the other will try to risk striking us to bleed
TCC, TCC, strike vs Strike, strike, Stance: Blade (we break his composure)
TCC, TCC, strike vs strike, strike, strike (cornelio wins, he bleeds us)

Unless he messes up and chooses one of the other stances Hero or Fluid

>Aggressive (strike, strike, stance)
Strike us with a 1d4 +2d8. IF we break, we are back in the same situation.
TCC saves us for this round, he cannot bleed us if we're broken
TCC for more dice but stance: Blade prevents us from gaining any composure (unless he decided to stances Hero or Fluid)


Round 4 is the same game of chicken if we were broken earlier. He has no tech dice but it doesn't matter. Unless he messes up and chooses one of the other stances Hero or Fluid

>Fake Out (stance, open, stance)
We get rid of a d8. His stance is active
TCC, gain a d4 and then he gains a d8. He has 1d4+2d8
TCC, gain d6, he gets into a stance. So long as it's not Stance Hero we can use circle guard. If not then we'll have to TCC it.

Round 4. We have the dice, and he has dice. Who will strike first?
He strikes, we strike. Both are broken.
TCC to gain a d4. He can strike or break stance if he still has hero
TCC, we have another dice. He'll probably not be able to use stance blade to prevent us regaining composure

>Strange (open, strike, strike)
We get rid of a d8, but he get a d4. 2d4+d8
TCC for a d4 but he strikes. We might be broken or rattled, though it seems unlikely.
TCC. He strikes, we don't bleed. The our round ends with us regaining composure.

Round 4 We're in a good situation. He's tech is 0
>>
>>3317507
>>3317352
I guess I'll switch to FB, TCC, TCC

Even if it's just a 65%, we have a chance of getting rid of his d12.
Even if we fail, we have a high chance of taking out his d10 composure and rattle him.
>>
>>3318157
If we fail to get rid of his d12 though we've basically wasted everything we had and didn't improve our situation. He'll have Blade back up in 2 turns.
>>
>>3318167
Then what is the queue you want to suggest?
Suggest something, you've been up with me but you won't vote for something.
There is no choice here without some sort of risk. I find it exasperating that you state you're tired and can't propose a queue but yet will stay up to make comments on proposed moves for 4 hours since announcing said exhaustion.

I have written out a variety possible combinations. All of them with some merits and demerits. Yet I can only choose one out of many proposed combinations. If you know a absolutely risk free queue, then write it out and convince me or the board.
>>
>>3318197
I understand your exasperation, but I don't trust myself to produce a good queue.

If you want my gut feeling, I think he'll go OG strike strike. CrG TCC TCC is fine in this case. But I have been wrong before.

By the way, I noticed that you think he'll have to put up Blade at the end of each queue. This is wrong, Blade doesn't go down while he has a d10

>>3317352
Actually, I'll go and vote for
>Cr Grip
>TCC
>TCC
>>
>>3318241
Our strike should be able to wipe out a 1d10.
Cornelio has Composure: 1d10, ??, 2d20

5d4 has an 88% chance of doing that. If not, we had some very bad rolls.
Without a d10 he cannot Stance Blade
Thus cannot prevent us from getting a d4 tech moved to our composure.
If he goes for Stance: Fluid or Stance: Hero at the end of the Round 3 Queue, we're still okay in getting a composure

Let us say we strike at the beginning and got rid of the d10. He is now rattled.
If he choose Stance, he can't continue to use it in rd 3.
If he choose strike, he can't strike.
If he choose flourish, he can't flourish.

The only marginally risk free combo I've seen even if I don't think it'll work all to well
is
Circle Guard (hey we stopped aggressive combo but whoops on fakeout)
Circle Guard (He we stopped execute combo but oops on fakeout)
El: Stance

Then in rd 4, Cornelio realizes we have circle guard and he needs to get his Stance Hero of Justice up and running. But if in Round 3 he doesn't stance Fluid and keep it, he's in trouble from the start of Round 4.

This covers Cornelio's attacks in the beginning of the queue, and we'll be ahead by a d4 in our Tech pool.
>>
Alright I'm awake! And right now it looks like a tie between FB, TCC, TCC and CG, TCC, TCC.
>>
>>3318295
And by CG I mean Crushing Grip.
>>
>>3318241
I don't care if you think you can't make a good queue.
If we do badly, that's just how it goes. Will it suck if we lose, of course it will. A group of random strangers of varying levels of expertise can't be omniscient or perfect, but so long as we can use whatever logic you have to make a decision and vote for it, you're already miles ahead of annoying self satisfied lurkers who can't summon the intestinal fortitude to put their stupidity or intelligence on the line to vote in an anonymous posting board.

I'm one of those voter types who'd rather vote and get it wrong than be one of those types who proclaim how they just knew what was the best possible combo for a situation but couldn't be bothered to vote for it and just complain when others make the wrong decision.
>>
>>3318278
Let's see. Suppose we choose FB TCC TCC. If we destroy d12 we've basically won.
If not and he attacks, we might be broken but he can't use Blade. Next queue he'll use FF to get a d10 then put up Blade. The queue after that he'll try to break us again. We'll have only a d4 in Comp then so he won't need much tech.
What if he didn't attack though? This means he has a ton of tech while we have nothing.
tl/dr FB TCC TCC will get us through to the next queue but we might be very fucked after that.
CG TCC TCC at least has less chance to leave us broken - 50% at max, and that's if he chooses a risky option.
>>
>>3318335
What about knowing the right decision, voting for it, then losing that vote and being proved right retroactively?
>>
>>3318339
If you know the right decision then please put it forward
Meanwhile I'm finally going to sleep.
>>
>>3318339
That would suck, very very hard.
But the denizens of 4chan /qst/ are not the sort that can be easily convinced through rhetorical appeal or good sense. Words on a screen lack that extra oomph of charisma and personal appeal.
Also, this is the internet, maybe it's just a random poster who wants to make things worse for those playing. It's impossible to tell.
>>
>>3318338
See that's a convincing argument.
I'm mulling over it
>>
>>3318295
>>3318157
Let's go for less risk then.
CG, TCC, TCC
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>Crushing Grip
>Tempered Counting Coup
>Tempered Counting Coup

You halt your retreat and, since it worked the last time, attempt a repeat of the previous grab. You’ll feint his sword away from his core and then, while he’s distracted, you’ll grab his wrist. You know just where to dig your fingers in too.

>CRUSHING GRIP

You go in for the feint and he ignores it, stepping forward and slashing at your side as he passes with a quick fleche. A desperate move.

>Cornelio uses Focussed Blow!

>Roll 1d4 and 2d8 for Cornelio’s attack.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>3318392
I'll roll one since he's an NPC.
>>
Rolled 6 (1d8)

>>3318392
Ouch, guess it's a double tap strike thing. Hope we survive
>>
Rolled 8 (1d8)

>>3318392
What a hero.
>>
>>3318412
>>3318413
>>3318414
Ah, we broke, that's unfortunate.
15
>>
Oh god I knew it.
>>
Time to spectate. Terazi is probably laughing his ass off. On the inside of course
>>
Noted, writing.
>>
>>3318437
Look it's okay, you at least voted. That is miles ahead out of the rest. There are 68 posters, and only 4 out of them voted.
It is exhausting to try and convince that one guy to throw in his opinion. At least he did but I'm not sure how he's going to feel that when he reads about this.
I hope it doesn't discourage him or you.
>>
>>3318454
48 unique IPs, not voters. I know my IP has changed at least six times.
>>
>>3318454
1000% discouraged. Time to pull a Confetto and bail.
>>
>>3318459
In other words, less than 10%.
That's crazy.
>>
>15 damage

>15 damages destroys 6d4, 1d6, 1d8 and 1d12!

>Sofia’s Composure: BROKEN

You pull back your arm just in time to block, his sabre stopped by your own less than inch from your side. His fleche continues past you and you turn, ready to stop any further attack but...but why are your hands shaking?
The humours coursing through you hasn’t changed but your nerve has been broken all the same. Panic digs its icy fingers in even through the dullness of the world.

This duel is no longer boring. But that’s come too late for you.

>TEMPERED COUNTING COUP

“Get away from me!,” you call, your voice trembling. Your wild strike pushes him away but he’s not even trying to take you out yet. It’s a futile movement.

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 6d4

>Cornelio uses Fluid Footwork!

>Cornelio changes a d20 into a d6!

>Cornelio’s Composure: 1d6, 1d10, ?, 1d20

But you have to keep trying. Even if your perfect world is falling apart beneath you. You’ll be fine. You can’t lose a boring duel, right?

>TEMPERED COUNTING COUP.

>Sofia’s Technique Pool: 6d4, 1d6

He parries your blade with his own and once more, cuts away the rest of the world.

>Cornelio uses Blade Against Blade!

And there, in that pure contest of swordplay, you realise that nothing you do is going to matter now.

>Phlegmatic Flask cannot activate!

>Sofia’s Composure: BROKEN

Everything floods back into focus and you lose your cool! Fuck! You’ve fucked up. It only took that little clash to see that you’ve got no hope left to win. What are you going to do? The moment you drop your defense is the moment you lose.
In a match up of purely sword against sword, you cannot win.


>Drag it out. Maybe he’ll make a mistake.

>Surrender.
>>
>>3318477
>Surrender

At least take a swing at him next queue, instead of pricking ourselves again.
>>
>>3318477
>Surrender.
Taken out in round 1 of the tournament after talking shit.
>>
>>3318477
>>Surrender.
we're done.
>>
Vote called, writing.

By the way guys, I never made much of a practice of this but would you like a sort of 'duel autopsy' feature on losing duels?
>>
>>3318529
It would be cool if we had a coach who could walk us through it in character, but I guess the birthright prevents that.
>>
>>3318477

>Drag it out. Maybe he’ll make a mistake.

Guys, with TCC we literally can't lose. Just wait for him to do something goofy/showy. It's in his nature. We can absolutely outlast him on a personality level.

If you're not ACTUALLY sunk, don't just give up. Gloriana was making mistakes and we gave up against her anyway, for some reason.

I don't want both our duels this thread to end in early surrenders. That's lame as hell.
>>
>>3318537
What mistake is he possibly going to make? How are we going to predict it? We're stuck using TCC forever. He isn't about to announce that he won't bleed us next queue. Even if he did, it would be a bluff. We gambled with better than 50% odds that he'd either go for more dice or not reach our D12, and we lost.
>>
>Surrender.

“Well,” you say, suddenly feeling very tired as every ache and pain makes itself known all at once, “I guess you win this one.”
And then you push yourself into motion once more, your sabre blurring out towards his face!

And then you stop, your sabre but an inch away from his throat. The tip of his sabre has plunged through your breast and you can feel the sticky warmth of your own blood. Red mixes with gray. And as the Wake around you begins to fade, you reach through your vocabulary to find something appropriate to vocalise your disappointment.
“Nuts.”

Reality comes back and you fall to your knees, staring down at your reflection on the water. You look like shit. But the phlegmatic flask still has a hold of you and so you don’t quite feel like shit at the very least. But you lost! That happened. And now the plan Oronzo and Adriana were hoping you’d pull off is a bust.
Knocked out in the very first round.

You hope Terenzi isn’t watching but you know he is.

And then someone grabs you by the hand and pulls you to your feet. You look up, bewildered, into the smiling face of Cornelio Turati.
“Good duel!”

“It was?”

“Wasn’t it? You were such a strong opponent! And a scary one too! So thanks for the duel!”
He’s standing right next to you and yet he’s still all but shouting. You’re not sure what to make of this.


>Just walk away.

>”I made a mistake. That’s all it was.”

>”I let you win.”

>Congratulate him on his victory.

>”Where did you even learn how to do that?” There’s no harm in being enthusiastic.

>Other (Specify)
>>
>>3318561
>>Congratulate him on his victory.
>>”Where did you even learn how to do that?” There’s no harm in being enthusiastic.
>>
>>3318561
>Congratulate him on his victory

Wish we could also apologize for being a jerk in the duel, he seems like a super swell guy.
>>
>>3318571
I mean we could point out that our demeanor in the duel was due to flask. Just a statement, no apologizing.
>>
>>3318535
Well just as a sort of minor duel autopsy, Cornelio had to Strike when he did. Open Guard can't actually outpace Crushing Grip and even though BAB can't stop Crushing Grip, this would require at least another queue of setting up. So he had to attack this round, even though it only had about a 50% chance of breaking you, because he might not ever get the chance to do so again.
In addition, pretty much the only way Sofia could lose the duel is to Blade Against Blade, since she has TCC and Phleg Flask combo-ing with one another. So the safest thing she could do was to attempt to break his d10 and d12 so that he could never use BAB again. After that point it wouldn't really matter how much dice he has in his Tech pool compared to you.

Going for a Crushing Grip isn't only weak to a Strike, which is the obvious response someone will have when they're afraid of losing dice to Grip, it also doesn't remove the Comp dice he needs for Blade Against Blade. This then presents the chance that, if his attack Breaks you, your only means of composure regeneration is then shut down. It's too late to try and break BAB Stance after you've already been Broken because then you just get bled in return.
Blade Against Blade was his only counter to your TCC/Phleg Flask regen loop and so, since it's his only way of winning, something should have probably been done about it.

This isn't intended to make you guys feel bad for voting or not voting or anything. I don't want that. It's just an explanation of the loss.
>>
>>3318594
>even though BAB can't stop Crushing Grip
Whoops. That should be CAN not CAN'T. But like I said, using BAB so that Open Guard can keep on keeping on without getting Grip-drained requires him to set up multiple Stances.
>>
>>3318597
He had sufficient composure dice for those multiple stances though. Even though I had a strong feeling he was gonna strike right then, I didn't want to circle guard and leave ourselves screwed if he instead queued two OGs and then another strike.
>>
Vote called, writing.
>>
>>3318594
Ouro this is emblematic of the quest. We’re going to keep fucking up like this. Unless we have absolute knowledge of thier skills we stand no chance. Even the we’re likely to lose. At this point you may as well cut out the entire duel assume we lose and save everyone time. Not trying to be mean but we suck at this. And all it takes us one bad queu for us too lose and we make those a lot.
>>
>>3318651
I have faith in us. We technically still have a positive record at 6-5.
>>
>>3318651
Famalam then the quest ends. The duels *ARE* the quest or at least is enough of it that without them there is no quest.
>>
>>3318656
2 of our opponents were not duelists
4 of our wins against foes ham strung by design.
The old man we beat was barely viable and by everything Ouro wrote well past his prime.
We’ve had exactly one win against a peer opponent and we knew all his shit and even then barely won.

>>3318658
The duels are things most people leave the quest for until it’s back to slice of life. They’re cause an increasing amount of audience drop and no one even liked them anymore as shown by the fact there’s a massive vote drop off.
>>
>Congratulate him on his victory

What are you going to be, mad about it? It’s not his fault. He fought to win and he won. And it’s not like you cared about this tournament for its own sake. What’s got you down is the failure of the plan to draw out Alba but Cornelio has nothing to do with that.
So you let it slide right off your back. It’s surprisingly easy to do so.

“Congratulations!,” you say, shaking his hand. “I hope you do well in your second round!”
You’re not going to say anything about his or your performance because you know your curse would interfere. Neither can you apologise for your earlier rudeness. But all the same, you can explain yourself a little bit.
“You even managed to break my trance.”

“Trance?”

“I was dosed up on phlegmatic humours before the match. Health issues,” you say, lying a little bit. “That’s why I didn’t have much to say.”

“So you normally act different?”

“Who can say?”
You give him a shrug and walk off. There, you’ve congratulated him. You’ve been a good loser. But right now you’ve got more urgent matters to attend to.

*****

Five minutes later you are in a mostly-unoccupied alleyway just down from the tourney grounds. You’ve propped yourself up against the wall and are vomiting up the massive wad of phlegm that had formed a plug within your chest. Big greasy lumps pool around your feet.

And as you do so, someone reaches down and pulls your hair back away from your face. You look up to see Adriana’s worried face.
“I’m fine,” you say. “Just a little kickback from using the flask like that.”

“That’s not what I’m concerned about.”

She’s worried about you. And should she be? ...Maybe. But despite it all, you can’t help but feel alright.
“It’s a little frustrating,” you admit. “But there are other ways to find Alba. It’d be no point getting mad.”

She stares at you and you know that your words don’t matter. Not to her. She sees the real Sofia even when you cannot. And whatever she sees...gives life to a little smile on her face. There had been a time when Adriana smiling had been a treasured, uncommon event. But now you see it almost every day. But even so, to you it’s still worth just as much.
“That’s what I thought,” she said, running her hands through your hair even as she keeps it out of the way. “You’ll be alright.”

“Of course I will,” you say, straightening yourself up. “You really think I’m going to get screwed up after that? Everyone fails. You know I’m strong.”

“I sure do.”
And with those words, she sweeps you off your feet into a bridal carry. And then, with no small amount of strain, she starts to walk off down the alleyway.

1/2
>>
>>3318677

“Okay no, put me down, put me down!”

Adriana does so, almost dropping you. When you look up she’s leaning up against the wall breathing heavily.
“I had...I had thought that to be easier than it was.”

“You should have put me across your shoulder. That’s way less effort.”

“But that’s not romantic!”

“Pfft. You already held my hair back when I was spewing up phlegm. As far as I’m concerned that’s the most romantic thing there is.”

“If you insist.”

So Alba gets away for another day. So what? She’s someone else’s problem now. Probably Oronzo’s. She should never have been yours in the first place. Right now, you’ve got a lot better things to worry about.
>>
And that's the end of the thread, folks! It's just been archived. I hope you all enjoyed it and that you'll be here for the next one, possibly next week. Keep track of my Twitter for further information.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OuroQM
Ask: https://ask.fm/OuroQM
Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Court%20of%20Swords%20Quest

In other news, the duelling discord for discussion of well, the duelling system continues to exist. Now that the thread is over, it will shortly be reopened.
https://discord.gg/65cuye

Have a good week.
>>
>>3318671
To be fair, we were hamstrung by design for our last two losses as well. Gloriana reworked her whole kit to stomp us, and this guy had a stance to counter the no lose combo we brought to the duel. We would have swung and smashed him way sooner if apathy wasn't leeching our tech dice.
>>
>>3318698
Thanks for running
>>
>>3318700
Nah. We could and should have won this easily. Anons were too scared and going for “guaranteed” win again. Which fucked us.

>>3318698
Thanks for running
>>
>>3318614
Yes but it would have taken him multiple turns to both set up BAB and then other Stances so that he could Open Guard without dropping BAB and getting Gripped.

>>3318651
I'm not going to.

>>3318671
>The duels are things most people leave the quest for until it’s back to slice of life. They’re cause an increasing amount of audience drop and no one even liked them anymore as shown by the fact there’s a massive vote drop off.

If this was true then I'd just stop running entirely. I'm not going to do that though.

>>3318700
Your opponent having a Stance that stops you from using an infinite regen loop is not hamstringing you. Please understand.
>>
>>3318727
>If this was true then I'd just stop running entirely. I'm not going to do that though.

But it is. You have a noticeable drop off in votes and participants whenever a duel starts. Cuts the turn out in half or more.

I’m not trying to get this quest killed. And lord knows you’re one of the few quest masters than writes original material that is actually very good. But there’s a disconnect here between you and most of your readers and players. Which is ...... not good.


Granted I could have come off less abrasive. But still the issue only seems to be growing and anons are more and more likely to quit than actually do anything.
>>
>>3318745
Listening to people in the discord, I get the impression that a lot of the people who follow the quest stopped voting in duels because it was hard to get people to agree. This coincides with how we have less and less people being hyper aggressive during the duels about what queues to pick, but also seems to coincide with us having less and less people in general.

So not a problem with the duels themselves, I don't think.
>>
>>3318757
issue is we're ultimately making no headway at all and shooting ourselves in the foot to boot. Apathy is not the answer.
>>
>>3318745
>But it is. You have a noticeable drop off in votes and participants whenever a duel starts. Cuts the turn out in half or more.

I can only speak for me, but I literally cannot play more than the first maybe two updates of a duel. Due to timezones I need to sleep for a good chunk of the beginning/middle of the duel. Then when I wake up I have to wageslave for the next 6-8 hours. I can vote at work for normal votes or hell even combat in other quests, but for this system? There is no way in hell I'm going to pause doing my job to stare at my phone to analyze and predict queues for a good 20-30 minutes. I'd get fired. And by the time I get back from the work the duel is over. So shit sucks but that's how it's going to be when you have a system that requires a lot of investment to actually win in it.
>>
Well, first, I never managed to witness a full duel. Most of the time, skills queue is already picked, we are a few turns in, I'm not sure what was the strategy of my predecessors, there's a lot of informations disseminated in the thread about our opponent. I'm never sure what is our opponent strategy and how rational he is and badically feel way less competent than the people that are arguing with statistics and their perfect queue to win that might be completely retarded as far as I know. Most of the time those strategy are long term loop spaming the same combo until we win or someone screw up the queue

I also feel a lot of time like we're underpowered. I can't remember an opponent that had less HP than us. Only trash duelist are on par with us and we still manage to loose. It make me feel like Sophia is a really bad duellist. Interesting from a story perspective, but not that motivating for combats.
>>
>>3318784
Sofia actually has some good skills just no one is putting them together well enough I guess.
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>>3318790
The entire duel system is based on predicting your opponents and planning a queue ahead. Sofia in turn requires even more of that than a normal duelist. Given anons play by percentages instead of reading the enemy. We're Going to lose every time. As the "safest" bet is always build to doomstack and swing, which has never fucking won.
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>>3318698
Thanks for running

>>3318727
Maybe I'm getting too meta iny planning but if he knew we were expecting a strike then it might be worth it for him to instead go through those extra steps instead of letting us stop it.

And hamstring is a strong word, but when we chose that kit specifically for that combo which is hard to deal with, a move that deals with it is pretty significant.

>>3318745
I for one am here mainly for the duels.

>>3318790
The issue might be that they don't go well together. We have the strongest techniques from our defeated opponents, but they have no synergy with each other. Meanwhile our opponents have movesets that fit each other, their abilities, and even their composure dice.
>>
>>3318784
>I can't remember an opponent that had less HP than us.
Multiple times actually. Lately most opponents have had the same amount of health as Sofia, since it's harder to go higher than a d12. Catalina had a d14 but that's about it.

In fact, Sofia can have way more 'health' than basically anyone.
>>
>>3318454
Welp.
In my defense, I thought Cornelio doesn't know about TCC. Also, he ignored Crushing Grip once already.
I still feel bad.
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>>3318790
There are only two types of people reading this quest. People who can admit they have no idea what they're doing, and people who can't.
>>
>>3319723
He didn't need to know about TCC, only that Blade counters Phleg. Tempered Cheese only works with Gritted Teeth, which if we had brought would only work until the HERO comes out.
>>
Personally, the timing of this quest really kills people. It happens during work hours for North America.
And worse, it happened on a weekday. Of course people aren't going to post if they're at work. It takes 30 minutes or more to analyze your choice of action.
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>>3320653
>It takes 30 minutes or more to analyze your choice of action.
Maybe if you suck
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>>3320653
I post at work. Maybe that means I only take a minute to consider strategy but I still post.
>>
>>3320670
>>3320676
These responses do a good job of explaining why Sofia always loses unless the deck is heavily stacked in her favor.
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>>3320718
Ok, because ouro definitely analyzes Sofia's queues for hours and plans for the most efficient way of beating her. You just suck
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>>3320724
He's saying snap decision making is not a good thing. especially in a quest where it's fucked us 5 times.
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>>3320732
Remember all the times that people analyzed the queue overnight and then lost, I do too.
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>>3320724
Doesn't seem like you're any better.
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>>3320743
Yeah make an excuse why you don't suck and then say "no u" when you get called out
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>>3320757
You might want to check IDs
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>>3320757
Your claim that other people must suck if they take more than a minute to think might have some merit if there was a record of successes from snap decisions that you could point to as evidence. But there is no such record of successes, only a consistent string of loses.

On top of that, the attitude that taking time to think means the person doing the thinking is inferior and thus wrong is a reason why some people don't even bother getting involved anymore. Even if by some miracle an anon were to come up with a way to win, it simply gets ignored and outvoted by people who believe that their own snap decisions are superior to those that are more thought out. There's no point to strategizing if people believe that taking time to strategize is evidence that the person is bad and should be ignored.
>>
In any case, I implore players to vote. Be courageous, you're not losing anything truly important than maybe a bit of your ego if you choose wrongly after making serious effort to think over the choices that are available in a duel. 4 voters out of 48 is an extremely small pool.
>>
>>3323838
If you hadn't shamed me into voting we might have won, so maybe it's worth it to let the people who aren't sure they got it stay quiet.
>>
>>3323838
What if I have no ego left to lose?

>>3324667
Does winning matter that much though? The whole point of this lighter tone is that we can lose with impunity.
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>>3324971
The whole point of taking part in a quest is to have fun, and losing is not fun for me. So yes, it matters.
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>>3325115
You find it more fun to not vote and read about winning than voting and losing? Weird.
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>>3325156
It's not fun, but making a losing vote is even more unfun.
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>>3324667
Then why did you bother to criticize certain suggested queues I presented to you? It's clear you had an opinion and that you had the ability to come to a decision of some sort. Not voting means you'll never learn to duel or participate since it means taking a risk.
>>
>>3325928
I criticized the things I was sure were bad, like striking in the last round. This was something I was confident in, so I voiced my opinion.



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