>>4026975
He storms out of a little building that sells lenses, slamming shut the door on the way out. The place is sandwiched between two respectably-sized shops, and there below a flimsy little sign with the name of the store is a sign even more flimsy and little. But, it is twice as loud and it informs you that you’re missing out on the hot new trend! For a small cost, you too can see someone’s beautiful, bare form without stripping them physically.

The slamming and shouting also apparently scares a feather out of your secret admirer, who takes off and disappears behind a rooftop nearby.


>No distractions. Stalker or not, you have somewhere to arrive early.

>Check out some lenses. Maybe you really are missing out on something.

>Follow the pigeon by the canals, wherever it went.

>Shout longingly for your secret admirer’s return.

>Climb the store to find the pigeon. It’s small. That means it’s meant for you to climb on, clearly.

>Other (Specify)

Hello! Sorry this took so long, but I have my personal nonsense sorted so I should be running this until some kind of conclusion.

Previous Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3845477/

If you find this alarmingly familiar, that’s because this takes place in the setting of Court of Swords. I’m not Ouro, obviously. With his blessing, I’m running this short quest whose story is separate from his own. You don’t need to read CoS as I’ll explain things as we go along but I think you should anyways. In any case, I’ll be “redoing” exposition very quickly to help out and to refresh memories.

Court of Swords Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=court+of+swords

>>4026975
>Check out some lenses. Maybe you really are missing out on something.

>>4026978
>>Check out some lenses. Maybe you really are missing out on something.

>Check out some lenses. Maybe you really are missing out on something.

There’s something about the sign that calls out to you. What if you wanted to see the beautiful, bare form of your secret admirer? You pull open the door and step in to find yourself in perfect room temperature. The cold morning fog is left behind and you almost want to stay in here for the entire day. The ceiling, walls, and counter are all marble melding with marble, the interior flush with inoffensive, pastel colors that just make it right. Just comfortable. You don’t ever have to leave. Not until closing time.

“Welcome to Il Rispeccio, how may I help you?” The owner of this establishment has a complexion as flawless as the building itself, framed by long black hair tied to a low ponytail. Two shelves line the adjacent walls and a little rotating stand is in the center of the room. There’s a mirror on the counter beside the woman. You try your best to not look at it.

A singular thought gets trapped in your mental filter briefly before it’s blurted out. “What was that all about?” you ask, pointing a thumb behind you.

“That,” she pauses for emphasis while placing her hands together, “Was miscommunication. I must inform you we are not reliable for any mental or visual damage while operating our products.”

You begin to peruse the lenses displayed on the spinning stand. “That’s not a way to attract new customers.”

“If you buy a hammer and discover it hurts to hit your hand with it, would you ask for a refund?” She doesn’t wait for an answer. “It’s ‘no’. The answer is no. Now can I help you with something? I have a new batch of translucent lenses, and I do recommend them. Perfectly legal. Perfectly stylish.”

“Let’s see. What else do you have?” While the counter has a variety of frames, the shelves display all sorts of glasses. The storekeep starts going off on and most of are novelty junk. But some? Some might be worth buying.


>Smoked. It dulls your eyes and perhaps even your mind. Even the soothing architecture of this building is weakened when looking through them.

>Transparent. As if the shadows cast by the invisible sun were never there at all. They don’t seem to be effective on anything that’s particularly thick or immalleable.

>Stained. The world is nothing but shapes and colors. By muting some and highlight others, you might be able to admire things you normally dismiss.

>”Do you have anything that can help me track birds?”

>”I actually just have poor eyesight. Do you have anything for that?”

>A place like this surely has hidden products. Ask for The Good Shit, presumably kept in The Back.

>Other (Specify)

>>4027192
>>Transparent. As if the shadows cast by the invisible sun were never there at all. They don’t seem to be effective on anything that’s particularly thick or immalleable.

>Transparent. As if the shadows cast by the invisible sun were never there at all. They don’t seem to be effective on anything that’s particularly thick or immalleable.

“The transparent ones, then.” The deliberation for the perfect frame doesn’t last long. The glasses themselves look indistinguishable from any normal corrective lenses. That is, until it’s held up into the light. It casts no shadow and focuses no light. You put on the lenses and turn to the mirror to see... the milky ceiling and the glass window that keeps the outside chill away. Ah. Right.

You tilt the lenses down with a hand and you take a dramatic moment to announce, “I have a problem. A condition, to be exact, one that stops me from appearing in mirrors.”

“Oh? Well, I can tell you look great with those on. They really fit you. They scream you.”

“I don’t think I can rely on someone who is trying to sell me these in the first place, but I’ll believe you.”

She takes a step back and motions for you to look her way. “Feel free to test it out.”

Her boldness stuns you. A quick check on her posture betrays nothing but confidence, and you decide to share her same level of comfort by obliging. You tilt them back up to find an undershirt with words weaved into it reading: “IT WORKS”

You take off the lenses to make sure she wasn’t wearing that the entire time, and sure enough, she has a blouse on. Four blouses in actuality she shows, pulling the layers out and counting them.

“I’ll take them.”

She flashes a smile and takes your coin.

You leave the establishment with the lenses in a small wooden box with a cloth interior, all jammed into your vest pocket. It looks awful and impressively unprofessional. You decide to then secure it around your cloth belt instead, having it hang by your side thanks to a series of ridiculous knots you’re not sure how to undo.

Up in the sky, the sun’s position neatly informs you that you should hurry. Mostly because you don’t have anything else to do here anymore, nor do you want to hang around and find out what’s awake at a time like this. And with your secret admirer is nowhere to be seen, your job calls, straight to the edge of the district.

1/2

>>4027326
It’s huge. It’s at the end of the city block and takes a good portion of it with sprawling marble walls and spotless columns. Quite possibly near the center of the residence is a large clearing. You can tell because a tree is peeking from the otherwise mundane roofline. And unless the d’Gemetto prefer their rooms without ceilings, it’s more likely they decided to place a part of the surrounding woodland inside actual, livable space.

You don’t know why. You just know that’s what they do. At least there aren’t arches everywhere.

With trepidation, you approach the servant waiting just outside the building. He’s so forgettable you’ve already forgotten what he looks like as soon as the doors swing open to reveal something visually uncomfortable. There’s a single staircase in the center of the foyer and a lack of giant water sculptures to tend to, but none of that is on your mind. It’s more about the person strutting down to greet you.

It’s two people sharing the same legs walking down, a stretch of white cloth wrapped around their lithe chests and obscuring the actual joining of their bodies. They look identical to one another: flawless olive skin with their faces picture perfect and framed by short black hair. Meticulously shaped. And when they reach the final steps, you hear a sound. It’s halfway between a squelch and a tear, and you have no idea where it came from.

But it’s too late. You can never un-hear it.

“Ah, you must be...” the one on the left starts to say. And stops. They obviously don’t know who you are. “My duelist! Welcome!” The one who apparently hired you tries to motion something, but it’s very clear it required two appendages and the other only rustles underneath the white cloth. “My name is Francesco d’Gemetto, and this is mia dolce metà, Giulia.” Who the fuck is he talking about? The person attached to him?

He speaks, except it doesn’t come out of his mouth, “Welcome to our home.” It’s very strange.

This is very clearly your turn to say something. Yet, the words are difficult to find because you’re engrossed by the lawyer-fuckery that has begun to approach you. What is happening? Is it going to meld with you? You don’t want to become someone else!

You force your mouth to open.


>Say nothing.

>Your name! ”I don’t know.”

>”Rossi. I’m Rossi. Yes, that’s me, nice to meet you. Both. Of you.”

>Whisper to Francesco, “Psst, hey... there’s something stuck to your side.”

>”What’s going on?! Are you okay?!”

>Put on the lenses.

>Other (Specify)

>>4027329
>>”Rossi. I’m Rossi. Yes, that’s me, nice to meet you. Both. Of you.”

>Put on the lenses.

>”Rossi. I’m Rossi. Yes, that’s me, nice to meet you. Both. Of you.”
>Put on the lenses.

You begin to move your mouth and your hands at the same time. It’s a task that requires tremendous coordination to pull off, and you manage it successfully as you put on your new lenses.

“Rossi. I’m Rossi. Yes, that’s me, nice to meet you.” The words come out stilted and broken as the “robes” vanish to reveal their bodies fused together as you’d expect it to be. “Both. Of you.” Smooth flesh seamlessly wraps over splitting ribs as a diamond-shaped gap underneath their twinning arms draws your attention. It shakes you to your knees. You’re intimate with the human form and this sight elicits something beyond morbid fascination. You want to know everything. Words are being said to you but they are lost.

>2d4 Composure destroyed.

>Rossi’s Composure: 2d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12

“Is everything okay?” Francesco asks you.

And you snap right back.

“Y-yes,” you answer, “So, what this about?” You don’t know who to look at. His wife, or at least who you think is his wife, is right there, and it takes great effort to not look at their incredibly smooth—

“Where do I start?” He rubs his chin before continuing. “Our pet python seems to have escaped and bitten one of our maids.”

Guila continues, “And it’s your fault.”

“We’ll find out soon enough! But the point is, it wasn’t my idea to obtain a pet python in the first place.”

His wife cuts in again. “Oh yes it is! Whose idea would it be?”

“Yours! It was definitely yours! I vividly recall you telling me how nice it would be to have a python like our neighbors’.”

“Please, that doesn’t mean I was actually going to do it. I may have said something along those lines but that hardly means anything. Take our poor maid, for example. Just because she’s screaming for death doesn’t mean she genuinely wants it. She’ll be over it in a few days. When the pain’s gone.”

“Unbelievable,” Francesco says, throwing up his hand. Guila begins to leave, taking reins of their collective legs to drag her husband away somewhere. “There you have it.”

“So if I got this correct,” you say, following them, “One of the maids challenged you to a duel?”

“What? No.” He’s awkwardly turning around, trying to face you while he walks down a hall. “You’re representing me, and I’m challenging my wife.”

“...Pardon?”

“We’re going to deal with that together. I only want to make it clear this is her fault.”

You slow down as it starts to sink in. Is this some kind of joke? What kind of frivolous reason is that?

In your confusion and disbelieve you almost don’t notice them slowly separating. The movement was minuscule but they’re definitely coming apart. Very slowly.


>”As long as I get paid.”

>”I’m not representing you for something this stupid.”

>”That’s all I needed to know.”

>”How is this going to prove anything?”

>”I want to see this snake.”

>Other (Specify)

>>4027453
>>”I want to see this snake.”
>Make sure it's not at fault
>”As long as I get paid.”

>>4027453
>>”I want to see this snake.”

>”I want to see this snake.”
>Make sure it's not at fault
>”As long as I get paid.”

“As long as I get paid.”

“Hm. You there.” He orders a servant to go fetch something.

“And can I see the snake? I want to make sure it’s not at fault.”

“...What do you mean?”

Guila tells you, “Why would it be Fiori’s fault? It’s a simple python.”

“Could it?” you ask, “Are you really sure it didn’t do it on purpose?”

They stop walking. Francesco asks, “What is the point of this?”

He gives you an odd stare and Guila’s brow furrows. You are under the scrutiny of beautiful people right now. Beautiful, rich, naked people. Maybe not naked, but they feel naked, which is all that matters. You feel yourself buckling down.

That is, until Guila tells the very nude servant up ahead to escort you. “Tell him when you’re done. My duelist is waiting. And don’t you dare do anything to her.”

You thank them and you’re led back around. The footsteps from your boots striking the floor echo in the foyer as you head up the stairs. The number of turns and corridors slip away but you arrive at your destination quickly. It’s a door that looks like any other door in the line of guest rooms, but you do notice that there’s quite the gap between this one and the next. When you open it, you find out why.

Fiori’s room is huge, about the twice size of your entire home, and it’s filled with an assortment of playthings. It’s overwhelming at first because there’s just so much crammed in here you don’t even know where to start. There’s one, two, three beds, all different sizes and all in different heights. There are marble sculptures here, sluggishly moving in repeated motions as to entertain something that isn’t there. Odd rows of painted wooden bars jut from the walls, calling you to climb on them for no reason other than you are able to.

And in the center of the cluttered space is a haphazard pile of furniture, forming a hideous column. A painting hangs dead center of the abomination, its height easily matching yours. It depicts a green python with white highlights, and the piece is titled “Fiori” in a painfully small font.

The servant remains outside as you step in.

You say, “Where is it?”

He replies, “She likes to hide sometimes.”

You’re not sure how you’re going to do this, considering you know little about snakes.


>Climb the bars. You can see better when you’re higher.

>Admire the painting. No doubt, it will come to you if you show it respect.

>Pace around the room while making noise. You might be able to scare it out.

>Fuck it. Just pocket something and leave.

>Drag the servant inside and demand he help you.

>Other (Specify)

>>4027760
>>Admire the painting. No doubt, it will come to you if you show it respect.
>Make sure it's not actually sitting in front of the painting, or in it.

>Admire the painting. No doubt, it will come to you if you show it respect.
>Make sure it's not actually sitting in front of the painting, or in it.

You make your way to the makeshift column until you are in front of the art piece. Just to be sure, you take off your lenses before putting it back on. The slithering snake is, thankfully, only acrylic. You watch it as it does nothing in particular, occasionally glancing below and around it to see if something decided to show itself.

Five minutes pass before you realize what you’re doing. This is stupid. Why are you looking for a snake? Why are you waiting for it? Why are you even here? You still don’t move. Actually, you’re kind of really getting into this. The painting’s hypnotic in a way. The slow sway of its body. The flickering of a tongue. You should sculpt a snake. A snake woman, to be exact, so people are actually interested. A naked snake woman. Very naked.

Your gallery’s going to be a hit. That’ll be the new hot trend. Watery snake tits.

One of the servants from before pokes their head through the doorway to call to you. “Signore, your payment in advance. As a sign of good faith.”

“Thank you.” You take it and check the contents of the purse. It’s not much considering who’s paying you, but you voice no such complaint. You start to go and get it, only to stop when you see something catch your eye. A pair of hazel eyes peer from through a gap in the postmodern furniture art, staring at you. It’s a person. She’s actually slightly below the painting, and to her, it probably looks like you’ve been watching her the entire time through two chaise lounges. To the servant, you ask him, “Can you leave it by the door?”

“Yes?”

You don’t break eye contact as you begin to circle around, trying to see how exactly she wiggled her way there. It will go forever unanswered as she hides inside like a freakish human spider, presenting her incredibly naked form to you. Fuck it, you’ve had enough. You take the lenses off to look up to find an incredibly naked person still spider-hiding on the column. Her long and wavy green hair drapes down as if to cover her mottled skin.

You put them back on and clear your throat. “Um, I’m looking for a snake. Fiori, I think is her name?”

She tries to speak at first but only hoarse scratching comes out. She tries again, this time the awful noise forming words. “She’s around here somewhere...”

“Uh, where? And who are you?”

“Don’t bother. You never saw me. I was never here.” The mysterious, naked woman shrinks back and vanishes.

“Wait, where is she? Don’t go.” You can’t physically stop her, and clearly you can’t do it by words either. She disappears, and try as you might to see into the mess, you can’t find her again.

But something slithers out from the side of the furniture. It’s a green python, and it lifts its head up to meet you.

“Huh,” you mutter. It matches the portrait perfectly.

1/2

>>4027885
>”Was it your fault?!”

>Grab it and lift it up.

>Make snake sounds at it.

>”I want some answers, now.”

>That’s all you needed to see. Time to leave.

>Other (Specify)

Going to stop here tonight. I'll continue tomorrow. Thanks for playing.

>>4027888
>take off and put on our lenses, muse how the snake and woman were similar.
>make sure to ask the lawyer if they turned a person into the snake.
>”Was it your fault?!”

>>4027888
>Ask the python if it took some of the maid's form.

>Muse similarities
>Ask questions
>Ask lawyer?

You take your lenses off for a second so you can study it. The color’s a bit duller, but that’s about it. You place them back on and very audibly elaborate on your suspicions.

“You sure look similar to that woman, don’t you?”

The snake says nothing. It doesn’t even do anything.

You continue with the line of interrogation. “Did you take some of the maid’s form? Identity theft is a crime if you didn’t know.” The soft grinding of stone as the sculptures move fills the room in a low, deafening hum. It’s not actually that loud, but with your perceived silence, it’s practically roaring. Fiori is the first to break the impromptu staring contest, opting to crawl back into the column of furniture. “Whoa, wait, where do you think you’re going?”

It continues until it nests itself in the leg of a sideways chair, head resting on it while gazing at you.

“Was it your fault?!”

It says nothing.

You’re not quite sure what you’re expecting here. It’s very clearly a snake. A python, you were led to believe. It is a python, right? You don’t know why, but something about it feels off, that specific phrase when thought. Something’s not right; it must have slipped past you. It could be that you’re just grasping straws, but this paper-thin story doesn’t make sense. Is it a snake pretending to be a human? Is it a human at all? What did the maid look like? What happened then?

None of these questions seem like they’ll be answered because you’re questioning a snake that has the cognitive ability of—to no one’s surprise—a snake. Unless they don’t. If there was a lawyer around here you could probably ask them, so you file that thought to the back of your mind.

The servant waiting by the door clears his throat. “Signore, are you done? You should head down soon.”


>Start spewing profanity at Fiori.

>You know exactly what’s wrong what you know. (Specify)

>Grab it and furiously shake it. Violence is universal.

>That’s all you needed to see. Time to leave.

>Other (Specify)

what happened to oro?

>>4029224
4chan has blanket eliminated aussies from the network

>>4028844
>Go see the maid, if possible

>Go see the maid, if possible

This is a bust. While thrashing the damn thing would certainly provoke a reaction, it probably isn’t the best course of action. You leave and take the coin from the servant waiting for you.

“Can I see the maid?”

Worry is all over his face. “I’m afraid not, Signore. We really must get going. This really has nothing to do with the duel.”

He’s probably right. Maybe you can satisfy your curiosity after the fact. Surely the right words can make anything happen. You acquiesce and follow the servant back down and through a hallway, into a circular courtyard. A large tree surrounded by trimmed grass is placed at the center, rising above and proving your earlier thought regarding the mansion’s roofline. A colonnade surrounds the space, and beside one of the pillars are the d’Gemettos lying down on a reclined chair while a glistening, naked man massages their back.

Francesco watches your entrance groans as the masseur works out a knot. “Rossi. How was it?”

“I’d like to see the maid, but I think I kept you waiting long enough.”

“That, you have. And I’m not so sure you do want to see her; necrosis has set in, you see. If you must, do it after this is over.”

Hm.

“Then, is there a lawyer nearby?”

“No. Does it really matter?”

“I guess it doesn’t,” you reply.

Guila raises a hand, and the other man moves to grab something. Only when he’s fully unhidden by the chair that you just notice how chiseled he is. His entire form ripples with muscle, not a single maligned vein or tendon in sight. It is a genuine work of art—a living statue. Everything about him is symmetrical and intentional. Everything. You tilt your glasses down out of morbid curiosity, only to find him topless. He does have breeches on, but you know he enjoys showing his physique off.

Francesco tells you, “The terms are that if I win, my wife fully acknowledges that this whole ordeal was her fault. There, do your thing.”

You nod in acknowledgment and glance for your opponent. “Where’s the other representative?”

The masseur pulls out a sabre lying behind a pillar, now approaching you. “Quintilio Carrozzi, a pleasure to meet you, Signore Rossi.” He’s a full head taller than you and much broader. Yet, he doesn’t radiate only strength. His movements are controlled, fine-tuned and precise.

“Likewise,” you manage to get out before surprise can take you.

He offers you something and you take it. It’s a small piece of parchment, displaying his name, the titles: “Masseur, Body Sculptor, Duelist”, and an address.

“If you need any of my services,” he explains, “I am always available.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you reply, pocketing it.

1/2

>>4029558
Quintilio explans, “As the challenged, I say we will have the duel at this very courtyard in 20 minutes.”

“Confident, hm?” you reply, “Why the wait at all?”

“Because,” he answers, “Signora d’Gemetto has allowed us the privilege.” On cue, a maid walks in with a platter with two glass bottles, filled with something. He takes one and gives you the other, nodding. “From the Court of Swords.”

“You’ve already seen my duels?” Of fucking course. The strange nature of this job meant that they were privy to your “identity”. And going by how Francesco didn’t even know your name, his wife clearly cared more about this than he did. This entire duel is a farce.

“Signore Rossi, I advise you to drink and not waste any more time.”

You smell it for any peculiarities before downing it, Francesco watching you.

Your vision swirls, and you are placed inside a duel. Multiple duels, in fact. It’s a collection of highlights, though you have doubts about how it was curated. It doesn’t matter. The first thing you notice is that he isn’t a pro. He isn’t even close to a Ring member, but you watch as he crushes one after the other with his overwhelming strength and finesse. He moves unexpectedly, rapidly reversing the momentum of a match of anyone who doesn’t take him seriously. And against weaker opponents, they’re unable to do anything while he slowly secures his victory. But everyone that comes prepared, you notice, easily dismantles him.

The time you’ve been given was short, but it’s enough to focus on one thing specifically.


>His explosive end to most fights.

>How he suddenly swings himself into a winning position.

>The way he exerts his physique onto his opponents.

>>4029562
>>How he suddenly swings himself into a winning position.

>>4029562
>How he suddenly swings himself into a winning position.

>How he suddenly swings himself into a winning position.

You focus on what you think is the most dangerous aspect of his style. It is, of course, how he can win against opponents he had no right beating. You can see it. The flicker of despair as his strike is parried. The falling of the opposing blade. And then, hope. Undefeatable, inextinguishable hope that returns twice as strong as his predictions ring true. A swift dodge and immediately the footwork that follows, preparing to finish it.

>Reforge: [FLOURISH]Destroy one of your Composure dice of your choosing. At the end of this round, generate two dice of the same size back into your Composure. Any effects from the old dice carry onto the new ones.

>Walking The Edge: [FLOURISH]Move the single lowest dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. This can work on your final Composure dice.

You don’t know how he leads to this, but you know how ridiculous it can be. The follow up seems to be just as dangerous and obtuse, but you don’t have time to break it all down. All you know is that it can explode though defenses that should be impervious otherwise.

When the effects of the water fade, you find Quintilio standing by the tree and waiting for you. This wouldn’t have been your first place in mind, but it’s likely the two want to watch from the comfort of their own home. Stretching a little, you stop in front of your opponent. At this distance, you truly feel the pressure. Not because you could lose the duel, but because you feel aesthetically-challenged in front of such a person.

You reveal your sabre. It’s fountain blue, just as it always were, slowly rising in brightness as it reaches its tip. The silver inlays close to the guard are marred with red hatching, unchanged since the last two battles. From Quintilio’s scabbard comes out a pure white length of steel, zigzag carvings visible in the sun’s reflection.

You ask, “Is this your side job?”

“Yes. Is it yours? I believe I’ve heard of you before.”

“Oh? No, this is for fun.”

Your swords touch, and at that very instant, you wonder.

Are you really going to say the terms Francesco gave? You’re the one representing him, after all.


>Yes. Yes, you are.

>Make Guilia give the injured maid five years of pay.

>Toss out the terms. There’s nothing really at stake anyway, right?

>Make Guilia perform the duties of the maid while she’s unable to work.

>Other (Specify)


Choose an ability, as you possess two.

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.

>>4029668
>>Yes. Yes, you are.
>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.

>>4029668
>Yes. Yes, you are.
>Add on that Guilia must honestly say what she thinks of the python in general.

>Yes. Yes, you are.
>Add on that Guilia must honestly say what she thinks of the python in general.

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.

The two blades slide down, and with it, you see into him as he sees into you.

>Rossi’s Composure: 2d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12

>Quintilio’s Composure: 3d4, ???

Not only is his beautiful, bare form for you to see, but he doesn’t seem to be as difficult as you imagined. Maybe ego isn’t as tough as his pectorals.

The two of you part and you are the first to spin around.

“Representing the challenger, I claim right to offense! Should I triumph, the challenged must admit to being at fault for the python’s actions! In addition, she must disclose her true feelings on the matter!”

You hear Guilia snort.

He follows. “Representing the challenged, I claim right to redress. If I win, the challenger must admit full responsibility of Fiori’s escape!”

What the fuck does that mean? Guilia hired a topless body sculptor to flex in a match, and Francesco hired some random nobody his friend recommended to him. This is all an elaborate show, and you and Quintilio are the performers. That’s what you’ve been really hired to do.

Bitterness begins to fill you. This wasn’t why you picked up dueling. Well, maybe it is, but you wanted something greater.

Yet here you are.

“See and be unseen!”

You See.

It’s all fake. Everything from the ground up is fake. The walls, columns, and trees lose their dimension and blacken. It’s all drifting haze that radiates and spirals around a point unidentifiable in space. None of it is real. Nothing except the brilliant radiance that covers it all.

You are Unseen.

Two duelists are there in this meaningless muck. One of them is crystal clear as his lenses. The purple and red refracted from his surroundings give him color, shape, and existence. The other is a cold grey, filled with sharp angles and edges. He defines the space around him; everything else is held in comparison. They’re living, breathing, walking art, and it’s clear who is more wanted.

*!

You return from ego death, but you feel little has changed. Your core is shaken, but that doesn’t mean it will break. You readjust the lenses. It’ll be too late to take it off now without being suspicious.

It doesn’t matter. All you have to do is look good. This must be a shining moment in your record. It will be loved.

Seeing your inaction, Quintilio rushes.

1/2

>>4029716
>Duel Rules: https://pastebin.com/6eTp737y

>Choose one of the following:

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

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>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.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

>>4029717
>>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>>4029717
>Invincible Rookie
If we get him to waste turns getting rid of our d4, that's already worth this one turn.

>>4029728
>>4029739
I really don't want to roll a coin for a queue, but I will if there isn't a concesus by tomorrow.

>>4029887
>roll a coin
Jesus fuck, I need some sleep.

>>4029717
>Invincible Rookie
He seems to be kind of a slow start so far, reliant on churning through his own d4 in comp before getting to the good shit as it was. Also it is quite possible mirror image now will grab some kind of Stance we don't care for.

Also, looking at it reforge could be a very good way to just dunk on Reforge, if we can predict correctly when it will happen, since if we do that the composure dice will be destroyed but none will be generated. I think we could be pretty well set up so far to deal with this so far.

>Invincible Rookie

He’s huge, and he’s barreling toward you. This is your first time going against someone so physically intimidating, but you know better than to panic. One foot back, you time your parry purely to knock his swing off-center. The furious sound of steel crashing against steel fills the air.

Quintilio’s slow. Slower than you expected, slower than seeing it through stolen eyes. He’s just... not that good?

>INVINCIBLE ROOKIE

He can’t do anything to you. He can only push you back, but none of his swings will ever draw blood. You keep waiting for something spectacular that never comes. Out of the blue, he overextends to cut your sword arm and you leap back.

His chest visibly expands as he takes in a deep breath. “I think I got a hang of this now.”

>Quintilio uses a Stance called Familiar Territory: Flourish!

>Familiar Territory: [STANCE]When you activate this Stance, declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. While this Stance is active, whenever an opponent uses a Technique of the declared category but before it would resolve, increase the sides of the single lowest dice in your Composure Pool by 1. Can only be active while you have d12s in your Composure Pool.

“...What?”

“Your hands,” he says, more of a grunt than anything, “They’re in terrible shape.”

“I don’t—“ His arcing sabre almost splits open your nose. You retreat again, completing the full circle around the tree-shaped shadow. You reply, “Cheap trick. And it comes with the job.”

“Your palms bleed often?”

“Wrong job.”

1/2

>>4030033
Quintilio Carrozzi
Composure Pool: 3d4, ???
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities: Unknown

Techniques:

>Familiar Territory: [STANCE]When you activate this Stance, declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. While this Stance is active, whenever an opponent uses a Technique of the declared category but before it would resolve, increase the sides of the single lowest dice in your Composure Pool by 1. Can only be active while you have d12s in your Composure Pool.

>Reforge: [FLOURISH]Destroy one of your Composure dice of your choosing. At the end of this round, generate two dice of the same size back into your Composure. Any effects from the old dice carry onto the new ones.

>Walking The Edge: [FLOURISH]Move the single lowest dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. This can work on your final Composure dice.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 2d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES (Choose Three)

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

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>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.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

Last post for today.

>>4030036
Interesting. Mirror would've been good too, but I was worried about a Maccio tier stance. Lead the blade could be in trouble once we start flourishing, but for now we should be good.

Right now I'm thinking either:
>Mirror, LTB, LTB
>Showing off, LTB, LTB
>Brute Strike, Brute Strike, Mirror
not in super thonking mode yet, though.

This stance isn't a big deal yet, just something we have to keep in the back of our mind o we don't look the fool leading against a die he isn't going to generate.

Mirror Image is kinda trashy right now without the ability that buff it, especially since chances are we are grabbing walking the edge which is mostly just worse then showing off, and would till not circumvent his stance. Grabbing Reforge could be interesting but would be hard. Currently I would very much suggest leveraging our superior tech gen before he can burn through his low comp dice and get into his groove.

>>4030036
>Showing Off
>Lead The Blade (d4)
>Showing Off

This seems like a very safe bet and could psyche him out of he doesn't already know we have Lead The Blade. Worst comes to worst we still gain an average 9 damage waiting to be used in our tech pool (2d1 and 2d6).

>>4030036
Rethinking this, I think going for the simple:

Showing Off x 3

Instead of this:>>4030168


Just ignore his stance for now and focus on tech gen since ours is much better right now. I quite doubt he is going to do anything to try and negate our Flourishes since he wants them to come for his Stance, and at worst he might rush out a Walking Edge - Brute strike (if he has it) - something, which could rattle us and stop the last Showing Off from happening, but would still be worse for him then us. If we do Showing Off x 3 we would have an average of 13.5 damage (3d1 and 3d6) in our tech pool at the beginning of next queue, which will put immense pressure on him and will let us do interesting mind games. I think this is a much better plan then trying to go fancy on predictions this early on when it isn't needed.

>>4030443
Just to green text it properly:
>Showing Off
>Showing Off
>Showing Off

>Showing Off
>Showing Off
>Showing Off

You are nothing but graceful as you lay into his defenses with a series of blows. Your sabre focus at his center, causing him to uncomfortably twist his body to meet your attack. You’re the one to take the lead on this fight!

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 1d1, 1d6

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 2d4, 1d5, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12

And instead of backing down, he forces himself to respond with a wild counterattack. He leaves himself open, but you’re not sure how you can possibly take advantage of it when he can just fall on you. Still, he’s getting sloppier by the second, and if he keeps it up, you’ll win in no time.

>Quintilio uses Walking The Edge!

>Quintilio’s Strike Pool: 1d4

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 1d4, 1d5, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12

You prepare for the next attack when Quintilio raises his arms. You’re stunned as you wait for something to happen.

And then he flexes. His muscles bulge and his free hand slaps his sword arm’s bicep. He bellows, “What’s with that sour face?! Lighten up! This is a duel, after all!”

>Quintilio uses a Trick called Hype Up!

>Hype Up: [TRICK]Increase the sides of all your Composure dice by 1. This cannot make a dice larger than a d20.

You were fucking joking! What is he doing at a time like this!? You lunge at him, your sabre diving at his exposed chest. And then, it fails to connect as his spine contorts and his entire musculature deforms in a horrific way. His upper chest heaves upwards and his hips shift to the side as his upper half spins, and with the sudden momentum, he reorients in a single motion with his sabre slashing down.

>Quintilio’s Ability, Sculpted Physique, has been revealed!

>Sculpted Physique: [ABILITY]When you activate a Stance, the dice required to keep the Stance active cannot have its size changed or be moved until the Stance is broken or the dice is destroyed.

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 1d5, 1d6, 1d9, 1d11, 1d12

With one hand on his hip, you entirely halt your momentum and push yourself away, unable to parry it with your sword. The surprise attack lops off a bit of your hair, but your body is just fine.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 2d1, 2d6

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 2d6, 1d9, 1d11, 1d12

You say, “Full of surprises, huh?”

“For your entertainment,” he replies before his upper body snaps forward.

1/2

>>4030767
The attack is quick as it is ridiculous—the end of his sabre rushes to meet you, his arm and back leg at a complete horizontal line before transitioning to a run. Just barely, you catch it, angling it so that it flies past your face. With your other hand, you quickly unhook your scabbard and jam it straight into his chest, forcing him back off while you steady your feet.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 3d1, 3d6

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 1d6, 1d7, 1d9, 1d11, 1d12

>Quintilio uses a Strike called Exaggerated Fleche!

>Exaggerated Fleche: [STRIKE]Deal damage to your opponent equal to the sides of the single highest dice in your Technique or Strike pool. Deal that same amount of damage to yourself.

>Quintilio’s Strike Pool: 1d4

>4 damage has destroyed 2d4 from Rossi’s Composure Pool!

>Rossi’s Composure: 2d6, 1d8, 1d12

>Invincible Rookie is broken!

>Rossi is Rattled! No Flourishes can be used until after the first move of the next queue.

But you can’t keep doing the same thing! Or at least, your body won’t listen. Your nerves are shouting for you to keep moving, to finish this before he can do that again. This doesn’t feel like a duel. This feels like wrangling a maniac swinging around a sharp stick.

>>4030770
Quintilio Carrozzi
Composure Pool: 1d6, 1d7, 1d9, 1d11, 1d12
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: 1d4

Abilities:

>Sculpted Physique: [ABILITY]When you activate a Stance, the dice required to keep the Stance active cannot have its size changed or be moved until the Stance is broken or the dice is destroyed.

Techniques:

>Familiar Territory: [STANCE]When you activate this Stance, declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. While this Stance is active, whenever an opponent uses a Technique of the declared category but before it would resolve, increase the sides of the single lowest dice in your Composure Pool by 1. Can only be active while you have d12s in your Composure Pool.

>Walking The Edge: [FLOURISH]Move the single lowest dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. This can work on your final Composure dice.

>Hype Up: [TRICK]Increase the sides of all your Composure dice by 1. This cannot make a dice larger than a d20.

>Exaggerated Fleche: [STRIKE]Deal damage to your opponent equal to the sides of the single highest dice in your Technique or Strike pool. Deal that same amount of damage to yourself.

>Reforge: [FLOURISH]Destroy one of your Composure dice of your choosing. At the end of this round, generate two dice of the same size back into your Composure. Any effects from the old dice carry onto the new ones.

Rossi
Composure Pool: 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: 3d1, 3d6
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES (Choose Three)

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

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>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.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

Damn, this guy doesn't even care. What a chad.

Question, even with his ability he can still use reforge to destroy his D12 and make it come back at the end of the round, right?

>>4030848
Yes, his ability doesn't stop things from destroying the dice.

>>4030854
I assume he's going to try and use reforge to be clever and survive our attack then. This is going to get interesting...

>>4030772
>Lead The Blade (d12)
>Focussed Blow
>Showing Off

If we attacked him in the first round of the queue we would have approximately 3/4 chance of breaking him with the dice we have. This is something that must be pressuring him to do something, since these are not good odds for him to ignore. I bet that he'll try and reforge his 1d12 in the first queue in order to effectively cancel out our attack, making it so even if we succeed with breaking he is left with 2d12's at the end of the round. This must not be allowed to happen. After that we attack, otherwise he has a chance of getting in a strike at the 3rd round that'll rattle us, and since his strike's damage is done in the first sentence compared to our strike which does it in the second sentence this would stop a strike in round 3 from happening. This must not be allowed to happen, since then he could keep getting clever with reforge, and the longer this match drags out the worse off we are. Lead the Blade, Strike the body, let us end this.

>>4030854
New question, if he reforged his only d12 dice would that rattle him?

>>4030892
It wouldn't. Rattle only happens through damage.

>>4030898
Alright, good to know. Then my plan is still valid.

>Lead The Blade: d12
>Focussed Blow
>Showing Off

This is it! He’s going to do that dumb fucking thing!

“You’re going to do that dumb fucking thing!” you say, right as he does the dumb fucking thing. He twists his arm in anticipation of a weighty strike, only to find you trapping his sabre on the outside.

>LEAD THE BLADE: d12

>Quintilio uses Reforge: d12!

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 1d6, 1d7, 1d9, 1d11

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 2d1, 1d3, 3d6
You’re waiting for the shock to spread all over his face, but it’s only very tiny. Very, very tiny, and very, very unsatisfying. Too bad, because you’re going to make it appear one way or another. Sliding along the length of his blade, you move to bleed him faster than he can return it!

>FOCUSSED BLOW

“What thing?” he asks, “This?”

>Quintilio uses Reforged: d11!

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 1d6, 1d7, 1d9

He drops his sword altogether and grabs your wrist, trying to wring you away while craning his neck!

>Roll 1d3, 3d6 for your damage. The 2d1 automatically adds 2 damage to the total.

Rolled 4, 2, 6 = 12 (3d6)

>>4030979
drat he predicted us

>Familiar Territory is broken!

>12+ damage has destroyed 1d6, 1d7, and 1d9 from Quintilio’s Composure!

>Quintilio’s Composure: BROKEN

You see him buckle as he tries desperately to gain control.

You ask, “Double-jointed?”

“You might even call it triple.”

>Reforge Composure dice regeneration: 2d11

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 2d11

And he succeeds, mostly because he’s absolutely fucking huge and you’re not. He easily throws you off to the side so he can clap and cheer. “Now that was a good one! You almost had me!” He picks his sabre up and starts coming at you again. “Almost.”

>Quintilio uses Hype Up!

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 2d12

Oh, you feel it. The verge of defeat. Your opponent is nothing but a mountain, a dawning inevitability that simply crushes everything in front of him.

Your only advantage is that you dueling with swords, not wrestling with your bodies, and it is an advantage you use desperately. He lashes out with a slow lunge, one that you evade by leaping through the courtyard tree. The bird that was hiding on its branches takes off before bursting into light and disappearing.

Quintilio hesitates before following through, only to be met with flashing steel a hair’s width away his stomach. He still continues, forcing you back and away from the billowing pillar of smoke.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 1d6

>>4031035
Quintilio Carrozzi
Composure Pool: 2d12
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: 1d4

Abilities:

>Sculpted Physique: [ABILITY]When you activate a Stance, the dice required to keep the Stance active cannot have its size changed or be moved until the Stance is broken or the dice is destroyed.

Techniques:

>Familiar Territory: [STANCE]When you activate this Stance, declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. While this Stance is active, whenever an opponent uses a Technique of the declared category but before it would resolve, increase the sides of the single lowest dice in your Composure Pool by 1. Can only be active while you have d12s in your Composure Pool.

>Walking The Edge: [FLOURISH]Move the single lowest dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. This can work on your final Composure dice.

>Hype Up: [TRICK]Increase the sides of all your Composure dice by 1. This cannot make a dice larger than a d20.

>Exaggerated Fleche: [STRIKE]Deal damage to your opponent equal to the sides of the single highest dice in your Technique or Strike pool. Deal that same amount of damage to yourself.

>Reforge: [FLOURISH]Destroy one of your Composure dice of your choosing. At the end of this round, generate two dice of the same size back into your Composure. Any effects from the old dice carry onto the new ones.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: 1d6
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES (Choose Three)

See above.

Drat. Didnt think he'd do it twice in a row.

Almost perfection. If I had gone for my original plan of attacking last we could have won. Drat Drat Drat. Can we even salvage this?

>>4031052
yes we can, but we need to be careful.


If we can mirror his stance we'd have a good shot.

>>4031053
I dont think he needs nor really wants his stance anymore. He can WtE - HU - EF and break us this queue.

>>4031040
Why didn't our Showing Off go off?

>>4031063
It did. You have a 1d6 in your Tech right now.

>>4031063
I think it did, we have 1d6 is our tech pool.

>>4031059
we can negate that entirely with LtB and he knows it.

>>4031065
Oh I was look at the wrong pool because I'm dumb.
Ehhh, I don't know lads if we Lead the blade or Mirror Image his Hype up we get to live or draw so that's nice.

Ok, how about this:
>Lead (d12)
>Mirror (try to catch hype)
>Showing Off

This should keep us safe from the one queue kill, and will give us the chance of nabbing hype which gives us some counter against his strike, if that is the only one he has. Potential failing is that he just got hit with lead and might be waiting for it, any other ideas?

>>4031081
Quite possibly. Any other predictions for potential queues he might put out, so we can pull out the underdog victory? We really, really need to get fancy now.

>>4031086
This is probably sensible as it stops us dying. It would be really dirty if he just hypes-Walks and hypes again.

>>4031086
What if he

>Ft (Trick)
>WtE
>Ef's

He'd get by our guard entirely with that.

these are all nasty options. He could potentially also try and reforge again, although then he runs the risk of losing his dice to lead. I suggest then having a leading the blade (d13) at the end of our queue, and then somehow getting fancy with our Mirror. A good mirror can really help us here.

>>4031100
>Mirror Ef
That would be big fuck but everything else is fine.

>>4031096
also actually no, his stance would stop him from getting dice bigger then d12, so he cant use it.

>>4031105
it's stop ONE of his d12, not the second

>>4031104
Oh yeah EF doesnt roll dice.

>>4031105
and actually he doesn't need to even boost his dice to wipe our comp with EF.

Hey Glass, would his ability stop all d12's from turning into d13's if his stance is up, or all but one of them?

>>4031112
Yes but he'll break his own.

>>4031112
No, but he needs to boost his own comp not to wipe himself out.

>>4031113
Well is says
>the dice
not the die so I assume all of the d12 would be frozen.

>>4031121
that was what I thought too.

>>4031121
>Ft raises one dic to d13
WTE siphons off his 12
EF

wipes us.

>>4031126
Read up on his ability, it suggest that this is not how this stance works.

>>4031086
This still feels like the safest remedy to me.

>>4031113
>>4031121
Single dice, sorry. Since only 1 dice is required to keep a Stance up.

>>4031126
If he has FT up and he raises his dice to d13 leaving behind a single d12, his ability makes him siphon the d13 into his Strike Pool instead.

>>4031131
"Safe", if it doesnt predict it well this will end very badly. Playing it safe might not be the best strat.

>>4031137
Oh shit yeah, although if we be rules lawyering wouldn't it just... not do anything then? Since the d13 would not be the lowest die? Neither the technique or Ability seem to let him "move up the chain" that way.

Ok, post more potential Queues he can use, and some key notes about them. I'll repost the first one I predicted:

WtE - HU - EF

Pros (for him): Could end the fight cleanly in one queue.

Cons: We have counters to it that we just almost fucked him with. While countering this with lead wont make him instantly lose it would still put him into a position pretty much as risky as ours with just a single d13 in his comp pool, which would be bad for him since he cant reforge it safely.

/

The more I think about it I think he is going to want to do a play with reforge. He needs to get more dice in his pool if we wants to do this safely.

HU - Reforge - WtE

Gets him at 2d12 in composure, a 1d12 in strike and sets him up well for next queue. Compared to reforging earlier this could be a way for him to avoid a round 1 Lead (d12) which he might be predicting.

>>4031163
replace d12's with d13's, I goofed. Everything else still aplies.

HU - Reforge - Reforge

Gets him more dice, but he's still stuck at equal comp dice which means can't break us and not himself until he juggles it some more.

HU - Reforge - HU

Same but less dice for him.

Reforge - HU - WtE

He risks losing comp die to a turn 1 Lead.

>>4031149
>>4031174
In all these cases Lead the Blade in first or second is good, yeah?

HU - HU - Reforge

Gets him to d14 before he reforged, which he may think makes him safe from Lead.

>>4031177
Honestly Lead the blade thrice might just be our best bet.

>Lead The Blade (d12)
>Lead The Blade (d13)
>Lead The Blade (d14)

Just chasing any potential Reforge in an attempt to get him to go down to a single comp die or better. If we manage that I actually think we've atleast Tied him, if not won.

>>4031188
This is not a foolproof plan, he could counter it, but then he'd pretty much need to predict that this is exactly what we will do. If we can get him down to a single comp die we will have won since we oils just span strike I think, as he would bleed if he tried to reforge. Maybe. Anyways that's my vote for now.
>>4031040

>>4031144
You're completely right. I went over my notes and apparently never got around to rewording it so it addresses this exact scenario. Well, this is his ability now.

>>4031192
I think this is the only vote. I can wait longer if you all need more time, otherwise I'll close it in a few.

>>4031200
Unless someone comes with any more insights, Im fine with it. I'm ready for either absolution or death.

Also, can I just take a moment to say that Reforge is an absolutely disgustingly good move.

>>4031220
Oh yes. I talked about it with Ouro before. It's comparable to Somber Premonition, and I personally think it's better. That said, there's are plenty of ways to make it useless.

Anyways, vote called. Writing.now.

>>4031229
We need Executioners Blade, it's a must have move desu. Damn regeners need to be put in their place (sorry Sofia, but I'm calling you out!)

>Lead The Blade: d12
>Lead The Blade: d13
>Lead The Blade: d14

Here it is. He’s going to do his fantastic, explosive finish, and the problem is that once he lands his footing, there’ll be nothing you can do to stop it. So all you have to do is never give him the chance.

>LEAD THE BLADE: d12

He tries to make space for himself with a wide slash. Tries. You catch it in the backswing, pushing his hand at an angle awkward enough for him to stumble back.

>Quintilio uses Walking The Edge!

>Quintilio’s Strike Pool: Empty

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 1d8

You grin you as you realized you figured it out! There’s nothing he can do! And seeing your elation, he laughs. “Yes! That’s the spirit. Nothing is better than when we are both enjoying ourselves.”

“Yeah, I can see you’re having a good time.”

His reply to that is pure muscle, pushing you back a good way so he can shake his hands. They’re likely feeling a little raw, with the way you’ve been handling him.

>LEAD THE BLADE: d13

>Quintilio uses Hype Up!

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 2d13

You can’t do much here, but you close the distance so you can make something work. He thinks the same, deciding to extend out once more into a straight line aimed right at your forehead. It’s much less impressive the second time around, seeing as you sidestep and allow him to run through the tree.

>LEAD THE BLADE: d14

>Quintilio uses Exaggerated Fleche!

>Quintilio’s Strike Pool: 1d4

>4 damage has destroyed no Composure dice.

After he turns on his heel to face you again, he grunts. “That’s new. This won’t work on you, hm?”

And then Quintilio starts barreling toward you with some strange ferocity.

Shit, he still has a trick up his sleeve, doesn’t he?

You gotta be shitting, he did try the first prediction move. Sigh.

>>4031268
Quintilio Carrozzi
Composure Pool: 2d12
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: 1d4

Abilities:

>Sculpted Physique: [ABILITY]When you activate a Stance, the dice required to keep the Stance active cannot have its size changed or be moved until the Stance is broken or the dice is destroyed.

Techniques:

>Familiar Territory: [STANCE]When you activate this Stance, declare either Strike, Flourish, Trick or Stance. While this Stance is active, whenever an opponent uses a Technique of the declared category but before it would resolve, increase the sides of the single lowest dice in your Composure Pool by 1. Can only be active while you have d12s in your Composure Pool.

>Walking The Edge: [FLOURISH]Move the single lowest dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. This can work on your final Composure dice.

>Hype Up: [TRICK]Increase the sides of all your Composure dice by 1. This cannot make a dice larger than a d20.

>Exaggerated Fleche: [STRIKE]Deal damage to your opponent equal to the sides of the single highest dice in your Technique or Strike pool. Deal that same amount of damage to yourself.

>Reforge: [FLOURISH]Destroy one of your Composure dice of your choosing. At the end of this round, generate two dice of the same size back into your Composure. Any effects from the old dice carry onto the new ones.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: 1d8
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES (Choose Three)

See above.

>>4031271
Ugh, another mistake. His Composure Pool should read 2d13

Alright, this isnt terrible though. We are still alive, and we are starting to shape his perception of this fight. Mirror is something he presumably doesnt know about, although im not sure what I want to even try mirroring at this point. Now He'll be focused on trying to crack the nut that is lead the blade, so it might be a good time to just say "fuck it" and go for broke?

>Showing Off
>Showing Off
>Focussed Blow

Would give us a <50% chance of breaking him, especially if he hypes which he has to do at some point.

>Showing Off x3

This would set us up for next queue pretty well, but if he sneaks in an WtE we're also going to be in a pretty bad situasion.

I feel like trying to do Lead play now is a bad idea since he has more options, however he might be distracted with trying to circumvent it, as his dialoge suggests, so it switching here is probably the best. Trying to mirror anything is going to be a gamble at best, and although we could maybe tie it with Hype spam IF we get it, I think chances are his last Technique is a more normal strike to break anything he can't break with his normal combo.

>>4031293
Im leaning towards the second, since IF he sneaks in a WtE we can still rattle him while he can't rattle us, which would let us double strike and bleed him which he wouldnt be able to do.

>>4031293
I mean he can still Walk->Hype->Flunge and wreck up butte text implies he’s not go8ng to do that. I’d try to slip a mirror in there somewhere just to see if we can be disruptive/aquire options.

We COULD also try and play the I know You know I know game and try and out-gambit him. Lead the Blade dX x3 is suprisingly good at shutting down A LOT of plays, which is why I voted for it. He still only has 2 dice in his comp pool, so trying to bleed them off with Lead is still possible.

>>4031306
Mirror isnt worth it now, it's a gamble that'll at best give us something kinda meh. Also I dont think he'll do that because that for psychological reasons, and together with what the text says. It could be misdirection but that would be kind of cruel and it would be a very specific gamble.

Alright, I got a plan. I think what he is going to do is either HU - WtE - Reforge or WtE - Reforge - HU. Both of these would be safe if we tried the same strat again, and in his eyes it might look like a win - win option. Either he gets the WtE in or he gets a reforge off, which will be safer for him. We could soft - counter this by doing something like:
>Showing Off
>Lead The Blade (d13)
>Lead The Blade (d14)

This is attempting to catch Reforge, so we break him and set us up next queue for victory. If he for some reason does Reforge first even though that would, if we redid our last strat, break him, we would atleast block the WtE, and have 2d8 in our tech pool, which means more pressure on him and us closer to victory, one way or another. This sounds like a good plan?

>>4031331
Sure
>>4031271

>>4031331
This would also counter a theoretical WtE - HU - Reforge, which he might want to do instead, since if it goes off without a hitch it would let him break us next turn instead, and if not he still has more dice, as said.

>>4031340
>>4031331
yeah, this should be a safe bet against anything but the most outrageous game ohicken the dueling world has seen yet. Im setting it as my final vote.

>>4031271

>Showing Off
>Lead The Blade: d13
>Lead The Blade: d14

You see it.

Well, you aren’t sure what you see.

Maybe lint or something from your vest got in your eye, but you sure as hell see it.

You don’t know what it is.

You just don’t know.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 1d6, 1d8

You parry his next swing as it came slow and obvious. He then grabs you by the wrist and squeezes. You groan in pain as you stretch up and plant your foot in his face, forcing him to let go.

>Quintilio uses a Strike called Crushing Grip!

>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 dice in your opponent’s Technique Pool.

>1d4 can’t destroy any Composure dice.

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 1d6

You fall back, perfectly balanced. You see his knees quiver for a moment, or maybe it was the fucking piece of lint. You squint really hard as you bet it all, lunging to reach his sabre before he can even bring it upright. And it lands.

Oh fuck, it lands.

>LEAD THE BLADE: d13

>Quintilio uses Reforge: d13

And for the first time, he starts to panic. His mouth agape, he tries to swipe you back with his free hand.

>Quintilio’s Composure Pool: 1d13

And he overestimates hard, putting his weight far too forward than his body can support. His spine twists again, his entire being trying to correct the mistake.

You don’t even have to focus, because with a single sweeping blow, you slam into the forte of his sabre and send it flying out and clattering on marble flooring.

>LEAD THE BLADE: d14

>Quintilio’s Composure: BROKEN

>Quintilio’s Strike Pool: 1d14

And there is nothing he can do as sneak in the finishing cut, slicing at the open palm he tries to protect his face with. Red flows out, and with that, you stand there, chest heaving while the Wake begins to crumble.

The colors of the courtyard return to as it should be, and Quintilio rubs the new scar on his hand. He says, “That’s going to be a tough one to iron out.” And then he offers you a hand. “Wonderful match, Signore Rossi. Perhaps we can have another sometime?”

You take it, nodding. “Thank you for the duel.”

There is no fucking lint in your eye now. You can see him as clear as day, and your mind begins to run over his chiseled, naked body. In an artistic sense, of course.

There’s plenty to admire, but that doesn’t mean you want to become every aspect of him. Just one, at least.

One is enough.

>He was enjoying himself in something as stressful as a duel. Why can’t you? (Composure dice: 1d8 into 1d10)

>He must maintain his body at any chance he can. What impressive dedication. (His Ability)

>His style was unconventional but powerful. You want a piece. (A Technique. Specify)

>Nothing. You are perfect as you are.

YAAAAA! VICTORY! HAHA!

>>4031376
Of course I made another mistake. He used Walking the Edge and there's supposed to be a 1d13 in his Strike Pool.

Crushing Grip or Reforge, that is the question. My brain is a bit mushy right now so im leaving it up to y'all to discuss it.

>>4031383
Not like it mattered though.

>>4031389
It's gonna be somewhat awkward to get it to work though, since we'll have to combine it with muddled reflection to get rid of the first d4's, and if we generate anything more then d4 we can't rattle. Also practically we would get a maximum of 2 uses out of it, and after that it's dead weight as we don't have hype or anything else to survive 12 damage from a potential d12 EF.

>>4031376
>>His style was unconventional but powerful. You want a piece. (A Technique. Specify)
Reforge

>>4031409
fair

>His style was unconventional but powerful. You want a piece. (Reforge)

Maybe his Dumb Fucking Thing wasn’t so dumb after all. You only called it that because it was utterly oppressive in the match, and now, you’ll know to share the love by having all of your other opponents experience the same thing. Your spirit can be tempered, even inside of a duel.

There’s applause as the d’Gemettos approach you. Separately, because it seems during the duel they’ve finally fully split up with a fanfare of disgusting squelches that went completely unnoticed in the heat of the fight. They still look identical to one another.

“Well done! Impressive work, both of you.” You have no idea who’s talking to you anymore. They have the same voice and neither have any speech quirks.

“Yes! Well done.”

You’re getting dizzy from this.

Very thankfully, the one on the left says, “Since it is my loss, I will admit that it was my idea, and it was my fault that our maid was bitten.” Oh, there we go, that’s Guilia. Now if she moves and you lose track of her, you’ll be confused again. “And as for the other, unexpected term,” she says, “I like Fiori. She’s cute, cuddly, and appears to dislike only maids. Fine by me.”


Her husband says, “That’s a relief to hear.”

You glance at Francesco, and out of the corner of your eye and past the frame, you notice that they’re still wearing loose cloth. Probably because they didn’t have time to change, but it’s different enough that you can tell them apart. You wish you could take these lenses off without seeming suspicious.

Quintilio smiles. “Glad it is all settled. Apologies for my performance, Signora d’Gemetto.”

She waves away the thought. “Think nothing of it.”


>”Can I see the maid now?”

>”I’d like to tell you two there’s a naked spider woman in Fiori’s room.”

>”Hey, I’d like to know what the fuck was going on with the two of you, thanks.”

>Invite the d’Gemettos to your upcoming gallery.

>Invite Quintilio to your upcoming gallery.

>Ask Quintilio to stop addressing you with Signore since it makes you feel like you aged a decade or two.

>Other (Specify)

>>4031462
>>”I’d like to tell you two there’s a naked spider woman in Fiori’s room.”

>Invite the d’Gemettos to your upcoming gallery.

>Invite Quintilio to your upcoming gallery.

>>4031462
I wasnt here last thread, someone tell me what the gallery is about.

>>4031462
>"What kind of python was it again? I thought I saw something distinctly un-snakelike in Fiori's room."

>>4031493
MC does water sculpting. His last good piece was a sexy water lady. He's thinking of trying to get cred at an actual pro gallery.

>>4031462
>Invite the d’Gemettos to your upcoming gallery.

>Invite Quintilio to your upcoming gallery.

>”Can I see the maid now?”

We don't talk about the naked spider lady, mkay?

>>4031490
>>4031495
>>4031503
I'm going to assume this counts as 2 votes for not mentioning the naked spider woman and 1 for telling them. And I think the write-in is close enough so I'll give it to you.

Vote called and writing now.

>Invite everyone to your gallery
>Questions

Carefully, you secure your scabbard around your cloth belt and sheath your—

Oh no. No, come on! While your sabre may have had silver inlays before, now there’s a new shade of grey, brighter and very matte. Why? Why does this keep happening? If your sabre wasn’t hideous before, it sure is now. It was like a child designed it. By fingerpainting.

You quickly put it away before anyone can ridicule you. And then you open your mouth. It stays there and you look like your brain oozed out of your skull and you’ve only now realized.

“Say, I’m a water sculptor by trade, and I have an upcoming gallery I’d love to invite all of you to,” you say, “If anyone’s interested and is free that evening, it would be amazing to have you as guests.”

Good shit, Rossi. Nailed it. Didn’t flub a word.

Quintilio nods. “It would be my pleasure.”

Francesco exchange looks with Guilia, and the latter says, “We’d love to. We’re actually thinking of getting a few water sculptures around the house instead of the old marble ones, so this is quite topical.”

Guila adds, “Yes! Oh, I wonder what kind of gallery it is.”

You do not say watery snake tits. You’ve invited actual rich, beautiful people to your gallery, and now will feature 100% less watery snake tits. There are no hanging tits in this mansion, and you believe there should be fewer hanging tits in your work in the future.

You give them the time and date, and as they take it and prepare to pleasantly ask you to leave, you ask Francesco, “Can I see the maid now?’

“Sure. She’s at a hospital in Somn. I can write it down...” The rest of his reply flies in one ear and out the other. Fuck that, you’re not going all the way there to satisfy some trifling curiosity.

“No, no need. One last question: What kind of python was it again? I thought I saw something distinctly un-snakelike in Fiori's room."

Guila answers for him. “We have no idea. We were told it’s a python. We’re not python experts. What exactly did you see?”

They aren’t responsible pet owners at all!

It’s about this time that it starts to click. Like a slow, shitty picture puzzle and just as unimportant. Your brain starts to crank into full capacity, probably starting to sweat at the endeavor.

1. They believe they purchased a python. Therefore, the person selling must have known it was a python.

2. It looks like a python to you, as far as you know.

3. It bit someone and poisoned them so badly they were sent to the hospital.

4. Pet pythons don’t bite to kill.

That last point would punch any python owners in the face, but you aren’t one and the d’Gemettos don’t even care! Therefore... there must be two snakes?

But you didn’t see two snakes. You saw a naked spider woman. A naked snake woman perhaps, one that can transform in any snake! And the maid must have found out and she was bitten so she would shut up! A naked spider woman with a snake license!

1/2

>>4031576
You stop right there.

What the fuck are you on? They were probably sold some deadly snake from the Lesser Realms that was passed off as harmless.

“Rossi? Is everything well?”

“Nothing,” you say, “Thank you for putting up with my curiosity. Signore, Signora, I really should get going.” You bid farewell.

Quintilio’s long left and you take your leave now, walking out the door and estate.

Along the way, you notice that your secret admirer has disappeared for good. Your walk home is a little sad thanks to it, but at least you have a gallery to look forward to. You feel like sculpting some clothed people. Very clothed. You’re kind of desensitized to the nude, not that sculpting helps at all with it. You finally take the lenses off and put it away in the box.

That was a shockingly useless purchase.

Thank you for playing. I'm going stop here for now, but I'll be back on Monday. Great job with the duel!

>>4031581
Thanks boss. See you then.

Three days later, you are in the pink, rectangular prism that is your living space. The sunlight striking the still, cold water you are shaping bounces off its curves an arcs. And with each step on the pedal, the obtuse arrangement of xylomechanical parts that is a flywheel sends the platform underneath the water pot spinning. The blank, still walls are lit by spinning eddies of light, even as your hands reach in.

Your hands touch the water. It drags up, smooth as it can be. Your finger runs around the side and squeezes down, pushing the shape up. You release your foot from the pedal. The wheel is still spinning. This is your 56th attempt at divining a masterpiece by inspiration of touch alone.

Each attempt is akin to a barbarian smashing two stones together to make a fire, and the only thing smoldering is your frustration. Your fingers twitch. The water loses its laminar properties, collapsing downward into another mistake.

You can’t even make a thumbnail sketch, much less a miniature model.

You stare out your open window, to the building across. The painting of a well-dressed man without a face dances to an inaudible rhythm. There must be nothing going on in his mind. It must be nice to be something less real.

What are you trying to make?

>Clothed watery snake tits.

>The human condition.

>Original Characters that are definitely not from a series of novels for young adults.

>A barbarian smashing two rocks together.

>A tableau depicting the endless struggles of the working class.

>Other (Specify)

>>4037036
>>A barbarian smashing two rocks together.

I was VERY tempted to go with clothed watery snake tits though.

>A barbarian smashing two rocks together.

When you were describing the futility of it all, you were being literal. But something doesn’t sit right with you. The pose is never fierce enough, and when it approaches it, it doesn’t become the right kind of fierce. How much desperation should such a person be expressing?

At one point, you felt as if you were creating a self-portrait sculpture. It wasn’t, of course, because you wouldn’t even know how to go about that. Maybe a self-portrait of your inner psyche. Do you have an inner psyche?

There’s nothing there. There’s nothing to model after. Only the thing sitting, his hands long wrinkled by the now stale, stagnant water.

This is it. You’re going to have a mental breakdown in your living room for no reason. Your short-lived life has accumulated to this very moment of purposelessness. There are no barbarians in this room banging rocks together. Not even symbolic representations of them. Only you.

And then there’s a knock on the door, causing you to bolt upright and wipe your hands on a towel. Okay, there’s no use lying. You have no towel. There are as many towels in this room as there are barbarians with rocks. You just wipe it on some dirty clothes you’ve yet to clean.

“Coming,” you shout, hurrying to the door before you can hear any impatient knocks following. You unlock it and swing it open, finding one Aria Bettini. She still has the same pale violet cloak, but her blouse and knee-breeches have a bit more color to them this time around, “Aria, what brings you here?”

She squints. “...That’s a good question,” she mumbles. Her empty stare is a little sharpened this time around.

“Does it have to do with the Ring membership?” you ask. You won against her last week, and you did so dazzlingly. You’ve actually forgotten about the thing since you queued so much stuff into your schedule. “I think you said I was going to get something around this time.”

“More like three days ago. What’s with you? I was waiting,” she replies, placing a hand on her hip. Her bundle of feathers seems to have grown by on, iridescent feather since last you saw her.

“Three...?”

“It doesn’t really matter. I’m here to get you.”

“Wait.” You pause, letting the unsaid assumption wash over you. It is lukewarm. “Does that mean I’m in?”

“I thought I said that already.” She smiles for you. “Congratulations. Now, let’s get going. I did say I was going to show you around the place.”


>You can’t go. You have a masterpiece to make.

>You’ll oblige. You hope it’s quick.

>You’re glad to find a distraction. You want a full tour.

>Other (Specify)

>>4037145
>>You’re glad to find a distraction. You want a full tour.
>I apologize, I was just trying to make a new masterpiece, and well, it's not going great. I get overly focused like that sometimes.
>Did you add another feather? What's it from, it's very iridescent.

>>4037155
Supportin'

>>4037145

Clearly getting involved back in dueling will help with our artists block. If the rocks are duelists, what is the Barbarian then? Sword Law? The City itself? Whomever is/was stalking us? The person who sent said person? We must know.

>You’re glad to find a distraction. You want a full tour.
>I apologize, I was just trying to make a new masterpiece, and well, it's not going great. I get overly focused like that sometimes.
>Did you add another feather? What's it from, it's very iridescent.

“Gladly, but first, let me get changed,” you tell her. After her wordless affirmation, you find yourself in noticeably water-free clothes and your old, trust, ugly-ass sword at your side. A burgundy patterned belt hangs down a bit to the side, providing the punctuation your vague fashion statement needs. Which is nothing. Your fashion is saying nothing.

As the two of you leave the district of Imago, Aria asks, “Why were you wet?”

“I was sculpting. I apologize, I was focused on trying to make a masterpiece for an upcoming gallery, and well, it’s not going great. It’s nothing new.”

“Oh, you’re a sculptor? I thought dueling was your full-time job.”

You scratch the back of your neck. “Income wasn’t very reliable.”

“Fair. So what’s this about a gallery?”

You are being rolled into this. Courtesy is powerful and you are obliged to say The Words. “Are you interested? I’ll be glad to see you there. I can formally give you an invite later.”

“I don’t really get that kind of thing, but sure! You can see me there then,” she tells you. She is leading you somewhere, and by the looks of it, that somewhere is in Aevum. You can see the drifting lotus petals make their way down these canals, an unwanted waste product that is forced upon its downstream neighbors. “But dueling is your full-time job now. You’ll be given assignments, and unless you have a genuine excuse, you won’t be able to decline them.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve done this before.”

“Oh?”

You can talk about your history with the Jester Ring now. You do not, obviously, because it is a shit idea. It is the shittiest idea to have ever been born inside your head. You swerve like the nearby gondolier trying to not hit the person leaping out in front of them.

“Did you win another duel? That’s quite the feather.”

She looks down and stops as she tries to figure out what the fuck you’re talking about. But yes, there is a new feather. “Oh that. I won a duel yesterday against some gutter duelist. I can’t really remember, but I do remember the little hummingbird I got it from! It was as cute as it was quick to vanish.” She goes on to describe the bird in excruciating detail.

Dead birds don’t disappear. If she killed it, she could’ve gotten even more feathers!

You do not say this out loud.

1/2

>>4037307
There is a rising half-ring in front of you, a slanted circular arrangement of hollow cylinders that grow in height as they surround a tall, off-white building. You know what it is, but you’ve never actually been here. The design has a purpose. It redirects the wind so that it is always blowing down when you’re approaching, and when you stand still, you can hear it whistling.

Little notches are found all over these towering structures, lotus flowers blooming and birds perched on perfectly sized spots. They are the color of the compound, and they come and go as they please. A large collection of mesh boxes sits on the rooftop of the building, far too high for you to make out any details.

Every Ring has its respective compounds, and this is one that belongs to the Birdwatchers. It’s also where the lawyers are. This is not a Ring-ground—it is noticeably less exciting than that.

You point out the obvious, “There’s a lot of bird droppings here. A lot.”

“That’s... probably because there’s a lot of birds here.”

The two of you proceed down the walkway into the front entrance, careful not to misstep into the surrounding water.

While the interior of the structure may look like any administrative building, the fact is that it has a strange kind of warmth that you don’t particularly want to depart from. This feeling holds even when you’re shown every god damn fucking door in the building.

Every. Door.

She doesn’t even care that the subject material is beyond dull. Here is the door to the complaint office. Here is where you obtain the forms for the complaint office. Here is the office where you go to when the forms for the complaint office are missing. Now you know where to go if you lost a sabre you borrowed from the Ring. You also know how much you have to pay. It’s a lot, much more than if you were to damage it.

Eventually, you make your way to a gymnasium of some kind, where the clattering of wooden swords tickles the primitive part of your brain. You start getting excited. It covers the entire width and length of the floor, the patterned tiles on the floor providing some kind of abstract layout in the case there is a need for it.

Aria explains, “This.”

Yes. This. She stops to think. Clearly she planned to say something, but she doesn’t remember.

It’s a very long pause.

It’s still going on.

Not stopping.

Is she okay?

Please say something.

She continues, “...is where you can train. There are a few keys in the closet in the back that lets you go to some other locations. Since you’re new, I think you need someone to escort you.” She checks your expression to see if you’re okay. “Do you want to stop here for a bit?”


>No, keep going. You are into the physical structure of bureaucracy. Very sexy.

>Swing wooden swords with Aria for a bit.

>Pick a fight with someone.

>See if there’s someone you can admire. This is not weird in any way.

>Check out the keys in the closet.

>Other (Specify)

>>4037308
>Swing wooden swords with Aria for a bit.

Too much sculpting, too little swinging. Time to bash some ro- ahem, swords together.

>>4037308
>>Swing wooden swords with Aria for a bit.

>Swing wooden swords with Aria for a bit.

You need to change it up. You need to switch your sculpting brain into sword brain, and when you switch it back at the end of the day, maybe you’ll find something fresh.

You ask Aria, “Do you want to spar with me for a little bit?”

She slow-blinks. “Not really, I’m a little tired,” she replies. Okay, guess you can just stand there and do nothing now. “I can teach you a trick or something if you want. I don’t really want to duel right now.”

“You’re willing to teach me something?”

“Sure, why not.”

You follow her and grab a wooden sword off a rack to the side. There’s an empty spot where someone had stopped lunging in and decide to do some exercises elsewhere with weights. You evenly space out your feet and raise the sword, and Aria stands there. Using her sword, she starts gesturing.

“So... you know what our style is like.”

“Um, I could really use a refresher.”

“Hmm...” She stands there for the longest minute before saying, “People say we’re kind of like the Fishermen, but that’s not true. I guess there’s a lot of patience to it, but we like to be quiet about it. Just single, explosive moments that take them by surprise.” Aria rubs her nose. “Alright, so that was a load of nonsense. I have no idea either.”

You lower your sword. “Are there instructors here?”

“Yeah. You’ll have to sign up and someone has to be free. No one’s going to force lessons onto you. That’s weird.”

“Are you an instructor or something? I noticed you were dueling applicants.”

She shrugs. “I still take on assignments, if that’s what you’re asking. I just volunteer for being an examiner when I’m bored. I guess I can be an instructor if I wanted; I’m high enough rank for it.”

Huh. The Ring seems incredibly lax. The Jester Ring had you bent over and running like a dog in comparison.

“Alright, enough of that. What are you going to teach me?”

“You already know what I can do. So... anything in particular you want? This might take a while."


>Learn one of Aria's Techniques. (Specify)

>Learn something new. You have no idea what she’s going to show you.

>You’d honestly rather duel her. See if you can convince her.

>Other (Specify)

Hmm, since she has Square-Wdged strike she also presumably has Executioner's Blade? Could we try to ask her for that even though we didn't see it in the duel? If that aint allowed Birdcatcher could be a kinda weird and interesting regen/ hail mary technique.

The mystery box is very tempting but I feel that it will only bring disappointment.

>>4037371
>>Learn something new. You have no idea what she’s going to show you.

eh, Fuck it, since Rossi doesn't actually need to win to learn Im sure some guy will chop off our head with Exe's Blade at one point and we'll be able to snag it then. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

>>4037371
>Learn something new. You have no idea what she’s going to show you.

>Learn something new. You have no idea what she’s going to show you.

“How about something new? Something I’ve never seen before.”

Aria purses her lips. “I don’t know what you can actually use. Our dueling style requires a lot of time and commitment to use properly,” she says, “Which is probably the reason why the recruitment rate is low compared to other Rings.”

Oh, you get it now. They specifically require personal Ring crests because any newcomer sloppily mimicking how a Birdwatcher would fight could ruin the Ring’s reputation. Maybe you can get around this. With a bit of effort, you can skip these steps without pissing off anyone.

Her eyes light up. “I got it.”

“Hm?”

Wordlessly, she raises her wooden sword. You get the hint and deflect it as it come down. No, wait, you try to deflect it, and instead what happens is she turns her wrist and forces your sword down to her crossguard. She locks your sword arm in place before lifting her foot and slamming it into your shin.

You spend the next two minutes clutching your leg on the floor.

You hiss, “You didn’t have to hit that hard.”

“Sorry. I wanted to show how effective it was.”

“What do you mean?! Anyone could’ve done that!”

Nodding, she replies, “I know. It’s a powerful technique. Underutilized.”

“It also has nothing to do with the style!”

She bends down and braces on her sword. “It’s okay; we can ease in. This can give you room to practice other Birdwatcher moves.”

You groan. “Fuuuck.”

>Rossi has learned a new Technique.

>Hammer Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed by this attack, your opponent is Rattled.

She offers you a hand.

>Take it.

>Fuck that, you can get up by yourself.

>Other (Specify)

>>4037452
>>Take it.

SQUEEEEEEEE!

I never should have doubted you Aria, you beautiful genius you.

>>4037452
>Take it.

>Take it.

You grab her hand, pulling yourself to your feet.

You practice this legendary technique multiple times, failing to land it every time except the last. And even then it was particularly soft. As it turns out, when you’re using it on someone who’s prepared to have their shin obliterated, they can just move their leg out of the way and thrash you.

Luckily, with Aria’s help, you manage to find a few more ways to incapacitate the opponent momentarily.

After being covered in sweat from the pain, you say, “Thanks, that was a good lesson. I owe you one.”

“No worries. I had fun,” she replies. Of course she did. She wasn’t on the receiving end on most of the blows. “We should get going now. I still need to show you the rest of the place.”

You agree as you hobble over to put away your sword.

****

You follow Aria out past the door and onto the rooftop. There is no wind here; everything blows around the surrounding structures. Instead, there are a lot of birds, so much so that you have a hard time finding a quantifier for it other than a “shitload”. They’re all the same species of pigeon, and you recognize them as your secret admirer. Secret no more, you realize.

While many are behind wooden cages secured with mesh, almost all of them are free to roam in and out and around. A small fence surrounds the edges of this little operation. A dozen people are up here cleaning or loading things onto little backpacks. On the collars are identical small white sigils, one displaying three feathers extending out of a small arc.

There is a genuine effort going on up here, and the busyness is astounding. You spot one pigeon returning and landing, allowing a handler to come up and check what they brought back.

“This,” Aria tells you, “Is our private messaging network.”

You look around in awe, surrounded by the fluttering of wings. “This seems expensive.” And unnecessary.

“The Ringmaster wanted something like this. It was his dream. I guess the Ring itself was kind of secondary—at least half of the member fees actually go toward this.” She starts walking and you don’t linger too far behind. “If you’re away, this is how we’ll contact you. They’re collared to ensure no one hurts them out without knowing they belong to someone. And if they do hurt one of our pigeons, they know who they’ll have to answer to.”

To the side of the building, you watch as someone trains a smaller, younger bird. It flies over a little obstacle course and a garden statue at the end. And going by the volume, it looks like they use the pigeons for other people too, people who want their secret, romantic letters delivered through the air.

1/2

>>4037522
You say, “One of them was following me before! But, it never approached me or gave me anything. That was why I didn’t receive the notice.”

“It might’ve if you worn your starting feather.”

That sounds stupid, carrying a single feather. What if it gets lost?

“...And I had a duel since then too. Do I even get another one for my crest?

Aria shrugs. “I don’t know. Sounds like a fringe case.”


>You deserve it. Find a clean feather lying around to take.

>You don’t need it. If you want to use their little trick, all you have to do is reconceptualize just what a crest is.

>Defer to a higher authority. Namely, the closest stranger on the rooftop.

>Other (Specify)

>>4037527
>>Defer to a higher authority. Namely, the closest stranger on the rooftop.

Hello kind stranger, please solve my issue for me.

>Defer to a higher authority. Namely, the closest stranger on the rooftop.

You survey the area. You can’t decide on your own, and if Aria doesn’t know, then you’ll have to ask the next best thing: the closest stranger on the rooftop.

You approach a man wearing a paper mask. “Pardon,” you say before quickly explain your situation all over again. Over the course of the explanation, you glean from his eyes that he does not care. He cares so little that you start to wonder halfway if you should keep talking at all.

When you finish, he takes a fallen white feather and hands it to you. “Take it.”

You do, and you walk back with newfound confidence in that if there’s any complaint about improper representation or anything of the sort, it would not be your fault. It would 100% be on the bird handler.

You put it away, and having done so, you completed the tour of the compound. Neither you nor Aria say anything until after a few flights of stairs.

Aria asks, “What do you think?”

“Impressive place. I wasn’t expecting what was on the rooftop,” you say, “So, what now?”

“You wait until your first assignment, and until then, feel free to use the compound’s services. Or you want to practice that move some more.”

“Uh, no thanks. I think I’m good with the shin-kicking for now.”

You look out a window to find the sky already turning orange. You spent a long while here, checking out the doors and whatnot. Aria helps you fill out one of the forms for receiving lessons on your off-time, and when all of that is done, you find yourself going in a different direction after exiting the building.

You tell Aria, “I’ll have them deliver you the gallery details, then.”

She waves goodbye. “And I’ll look forward to seeing you there,” she says, waving. “Ciao!”

You turn on your heel to head home. You’re physically and mentally exhausted now. Despite that, you have an inkling of what you’re going to do; you know what your masterpiece is missing!

The question is, will the Ring get in the way?


>Your first assignment is before the gallery. More time for inspiration to strike you.

>Your first assignment is after the gallery. You can go in without stress.

>>4037590
>>Your first assignment is before the gallery. More time for inspiration to strike you.

>Your first assignment is before the gallery. More time for inspiration to strike you.

The answer is yes, because as soon as you get home, you find a pigeon perched on the windowsill. It opened it by itself.

It studies you with suspicion, only alleviated when you show it your newly obtained feather. That was enough to let it trust you, and it tells you this by flying onto your table. Locking the door behind you, you drop your things down before approaching it.

With careful, slow movements, you take the little rolled up package from its back. When it notices that it's finished its delivery, it takes off.

You unfurl it and unfold the parchment, reading over the contents.

And... it’s so soon! It’s tomorrow, and you’re supposed to head to Somn. Strangely enough, the person requiring your services has no individual name, but instead, it’s a group. “Compagnia dei Nomi”, a strange name but you recognize it as a theatre troupe. You’ve never seen any of their stage plays, but you have heard of them.

Sighing, you fold it away for now. You grab the pot and empty it out, prepared to fetch some more water.

It’s a busy week. You’d better take it one step at a time.

I think this is a good point to stop for now, so I'll do that. I'll be back tomorrow.

When morning comes for the City, you are soaked in sweat. Sleep has eluded you, so you opted to spend the later part of the night moving through the canals. Your legs are on fire, but the sensations all melt away in a matter of minutes. Typical.

You stop by a fountain. It’s one you vaguely recognize but fail to truly pinpoint where you know it from, just like every other fountain. You could hardly get any sleep last night, but that wasn’t because of the duel on the horizon. A strange sense of dissatisfaction stirs inside you. You’re clueless as to what it’s all about, but it’s upsetting enough for you to be spending your time covering moving alleyways with the excuse of exercise.

This is your fifth fountain, and it is small. You seem to be searching for something, but that something never comes. You toss a coin into it and make a wish for success or something along those lines. You’re sure it’ll never happen. This isn’t the one.

The chilly wind cools you down a little.

There’s still time before the duel. You are once again representing the challenger. Or challengers, even, as it seems to be a group effort or something along those lines. They must have all pitched in on this, to ask for a duelist from the lowest rank of a Ring. If you can afford a Ring member to represent you, then you can try to aim for a good established one, at least.


>Head to the location early.

>Go back home and clean yourself up before you do so.

>You have time. You can look for some more fountains.

>Other (Specify)

>>4038786
>Go back home and clean yourself up before you do so.

Smelly duelists don't get the ladies, Rossi.

>Go back home and clean yourself up before you do so.

You have time, which means you can at least make yourself presentable. Everyone around you won’t be subjected to a biological hazard.

It takes you a while, you bathe and change, putting on a red coat with gold lining. You leave it unbuttoned, pinning your two feathers onto your right breast on the least trashy way you manage. You’re dressed better than you do on most days.

You hoped to match the kind of people who would hire Ring members, but you notice as soon as you arrive at the designated location that the theatre they’re going to present on is extremely modest. Even by Somn standards it’s small and unimpressive, the wooden overhang and floral flourishes on top being forgettable.

The person by the front doors stops you. He... she... um...

You’re looking at them, yes. You’re staring at their face. It’s inoffensive in every aspect and impressively forgettable. So much so that when your eyes leave their eyes, for example, you’d instantly fail to place. It’s so unnatural that your brain is reflexively freezing you, warning you of some abstract danger lurking nearby.

You say, “Hello? I’m looking for the Compagnia dei Nomi?”

“What’s it to you?” they reply, “It’s dangerous inside.”

You shift your belt to show him your sabre. “I’m their duelist.”

“Oh! You? Shit, you only got two of those things,” they say, pointing at your personal insignia.

“You get what you paid for. Now, let me in.”

“Sure, sure. Just be careful,” they reply, stepping to the side and opening the door.

“Thank you, and what’s so dangerous about a theatre?”

“Eh, ask someone inside. If it comes for you, you won’t miss it.”

If it comes for you? What a sign. You sigh and enter, finding two people moving stage equipment around out into the foyer. The interior is a drab brown and the floor is an old red carpet that has an abstract pattern all over. One of the doorways leading out of the foyer is noticeably damaged, cracked and torn at its sides. It’s as if something huge forced themselves through.

As you study the structural damage, someone walks up to you.

“Hey, you’re Rossi, right?”

You turn to see... um...

Well, you recognize them as the person who you just talked to, the one standing outside the door. That’s good, at least.

You answer, “Yes, that’s me. Are you...?”

“You can call me Comune. Me and my buddies hired you, but I’m the representative of the group, I guess. Self-appointed, since no one else wants to do it.”

“Well, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” you ask, looking back at the front doors, “Kind of—“

You shut up when you see the person who was standing outside the door still where you last saw them. You check if Comune is still in front of you, and they are. Your head is starting to hurt.

1/2

>>4039232
>”Is your twin standing outside, by any chance?”

>”So what’s the problem?”

>”I was told something here was dangerous, and I want to tell you handling it is outside of my job description.”

>”I don’t care what the fuck is going on, just tell me what you want and who to duel.”

>Other (Specify)

>>4039233
>”So what’s the problem?
>”Is your twin standing outside, by any chance?”

“Pleasure to meet you. So, what’s the problem?” you ask.

“You know how expensive cows are, right?” they ask. You nod. There just isn’t enough space to raise them in the City. Mammals are luxury products. “Since we needed one for a play we’re performing, we managed to get a taxidermist to get a preserved one for us.”

“That sounds disturbing.” That’s not exactly a profession that’s looked well upon.

“What could we do? We bought one, and it was just fine for a week. We left it in the storage room and when we came back, it was out of control! Just started tearing the place up and stealing everything. He must have sold us a defective product. Please, I need you to help set things straight!”

“Don’t worry, I’m here to help,” you reply, “And is that one of your troupe members outside?” You point to the doors.

“Oh, they are,” Comune replies

Before he can continue, you cut in. “Is that your twin, by any chance?”

“Twin?” They make a face of disgust. “No! Just coworkers. We’re just... We just have a bit of a condition, that’s all.”

“What a coincidence!” you say, “I also have a condition, one that stops me from appearing in reflections. What’s yours?”

“Reflections? That’s the strangest thing I’ve heard,” they reply, scratching their head. They take off their hat, the one that you just realized they’re wearing. You don’t know what it looks like when they put it back on. “We don’t have anything like that.” They cough. “I guess it’s fine to tell you. We’re just a bit tied together, you see. The High Court fucked us, so we’re not permitted a full identity. We’re a collective, and as soon as we work these community service hours off, we’ll be right back and individual.”

Oh. They’re criminals.

You ask, “Where’s the rest of the troupe?”

“Inside. Trying to contain the cow.”


>You’ll just wait for your opponent out here.

>You can wait in the foyer. In silence. Your head is hurting from trying to tell Comune apart from Comune.

>Head inside. You’ve never seen a cow before, and here’s your chance!

>Other (Specify)

>>4039261
>Head inside. You’ve never seen a cow before, and here’s your chance!

Inspiration! Maybe we could make a statue of such a fabled creature as the cow! Cowoman? Cowoman with tits? Woman with cowtits? The possibilities are endless.

Don't get involved with the cow though, we are a duelist, not some sort of cow-wrangler.

Welp, fucked up the spoilers. Oh well.

>Head inside. You’ve never seen a cow before, and here’s your chance!

Here it comes, inspiration! It has arrived on a silver platter.

“Where is it? I’d like to see it,” you say, trying to contain your excitement.

“Turn the corner there, go down the hall, first door on the right.” Comune tells you. Not the one you were just talking with, but the other one in the foyer helping them lift out the piece of equipment.

“Thank you, I’ll be right back.”

“Careful,” the other Comune warns.

You follow the directions as they were given to you, and sure enough at the end of the path are two Comunes by a metal door barred by a thick pipe running through the handles. One of them is sitting on a chair and the other is leaning on the wall. They look worried as something slams against the door. Repeatedly.

“Hey there,” you say, “I’m your duelist. Is that the cow?”

They examine you and exchange glances. One of them says, “Yeah? Are you here to deal with it?”

“No, I’m not a cow wrangler. I just wanted to see it.” These words are followed by a terrifying sound of wood and metal bending, muffled through the door.

“Tough luck; we’re not letting it get out.”

The other says, “Yeah. We were lucky to have it trapped in here in the first place.”


You ask, “What’s the room for?”

“Old costumes, shit like that. Shouldn’t cause much trouble.”

You approach them, trying to see if you can see anything through the sliver in the door. “Are you sure I can’t get a peek? Just a peek.”

“No.”

>Cut the doors open. You have a sabre; you can do whatever you want!

>”Are you sure? What if I tossed some coin your way?”

>”You physically cannot stop me from opening the door. Please open the door.”

>”At least tell me what it looks like.”

>”Yeah, well I didn’t want to see your dumb cow anyways.”

>Other (Specify)

>>4039300
>”At least tell me what it looks like.”

Someone will fuck up at some point, and we will be able to see the cow in all its majestic glory.

>“At least tell me what it looks like.”

“How the fuck should I know what it looks like?” they reply. “It’s been in there for like 10 minutes. It could be anything now.”

“What?”

“I don’t know! Fucking taxidermy.” It looks like Comune’s about to spit on the floor until they realize they’re not out in the canals.

“Can you at least tell me what it looked like the last you saw it?”

The other Comune replies, “Well, it was a cow. It was about this big and was kind of nice to pet. Soft hairs, but that could’ve been the preservatives. It was white and it had these black blotches all over, or maybe black with white blotches. And then it broke its neck, so it dragged itself around until it embedded a chair into itself as a brace.”

“It... broke its neck?”

“Yeah, you have to be careful with preserved animals. Or that’s what the fucker said anyways before selling us this defective piece of shit.”

“It is not defective,” someone says behind you, “You just didn’t know how to handle it.”

You spin around to see a man, a very familiar man, in fact. He has a boyish face and long, black hair tied into a low ponytail. He’s now in an elegant black, blue, and gold coat that that is a snug fit on his body. His wooden scabbard is plain as ever, and his belt displays the very insignia that told you to leave him be: a circle that breaks at the top into two short parallel lines.

It is the insignia of the Velvet Fold. That’s not actually their real name, but that is what everyone knows them by.

“Signore Rossi!” he says, “What a coincidence that I find you here. I didn’t give you my name last time, so I apologize. I’m Benedetto Fallone, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

The confidence he exudes is ridiculous. This is what he must be actually like in a duel.

You furrow your brow. “The fact that you know my name means...”

“Yes! After our little encounter by the Maia Accoppia, I went ahead and searched all of my duels to see if I did fight you. Of course, we didn’t. So then I searched for all of the duels that had someone looking like you! It was quite an interesting experience. And now, here we are. Funny. Things have a way of coming back around, no?”

He grins as he revels in your expression. You say, “Guess you found your friend then.”

“Yes! I’m representing him right now. I should let you know that my client is very much in the right. He is a licensed animal preservationist, and he has done nothing wrong. This is outright duel harassment.”


>”It is their right to challenge your client. I have no intentions of backing down.”

>”Shit, uh, sorry about that.”

>”Okay, but have you heard about the cow? I really want to see it.”

>”Can you... can you talk a little less?”

>Other (Specify)

>>4039354
>”Okay, but have you heard about the cow? I really want to see it.”

Don't care nerd, tell me about cows.

Gotta go sleep, have a good one.

>”Okay, but have you heard about the cow? I really want to see it.”

“Okay, but have you heard about the cow? I really want to see it.”

“Yes, I did hear about how these thugs ruined it,” he says.

Comune behind you shouts, “Hey, fuck you! We’re not thugs; we’re actors!”

Benedetto says unapologetically, “Sorry.”

Fun.

You point out, “It should be okay to enter, right? I haven’t heard any banging in a while. Maybe it fell asleep.”

Comune replies, “It’s a stuffed, preserved cow! It doesn’t sleep; it’s dead. We’re not opening the fucking door.”

A sudden, androgynous scream erupts from the foyer.

Benedetto spins around. “What was that?”

Comune replies, “That sounded like Comune!”

Also Comune adds, “It was them! Come on, let’s go!”

Everyone begins to take off, but you stay behind as you go to the door and pull at the bar, allowing you to ever so slightly open the door and look into the door. Rubble everywhere. Dust hangs in the air as strips of cloth decorate the interior. It’s a large room, and you can tell that the walls and floor have large scrape marks on them. You can’t see much more before Comune shouts, “What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Nothing,” you reply, catching up.

The four of you make it to the opposite hallway of the foyer in no time, and there lying on the wall is a certified dead body. You’ve never seen one before, but it is still. It is Comune. In their hands is their hat and a bundle of papers.

Their troupe members hurry over terrified as one of the theatre staff stands a good distance away. She is in a modest blouse and long skirt, and she is clearly unnerved at the corpse in front of you.

You don’t feel anything. It’s only surreal. You step closer to where everyone is huddled up and try to get a good look. Red humours spill out of him like a river, all from the precise incision on his neck. It was a clean, sharp cut. The entire rest of the hallway is covered in scratches and holes, as if something rock-hard scraped the walls. Similar marks are in the foyer, but you’re not sure how new they are.

Comune is shouting profanity while Comune joins them, the other two Comunes staring grimly. The theatre staff vomits into a corner.

Benedetto says, “This... is a murder mystery!”

Holy fuck, what is he saying?


>Pick up the papers. You should see what they’re about.

>”Nobody panic. We’ll all stay together. The cow won’t be able to get us all.”

>”It’s not a murder mystery, you ass. This is neither a murder or a mystery.”

>Stay silent. Benedetto knows what he’s doing.

>”Fuck, where are the constables?”

>Other (Specify)

>>4039374
Good night

>>4039425
>>Pick up the papers. You should see what they’re about.

>Pick up the papers. You should see what they’re about.

“What’s this?” you ask as you bend down to pick up the papers. Ignoring the bit of blood that got on there, you flip back to the first page to see that it is a screenplay.

It is titled “THE FOURTH ASCENDENT”. It appears to be an adaptation of a terribly written novella known for its romantic portrayal of animalistic royal struggles in the Lesser Realms.

Comune tells you, “That’s our script... the one we were going to perform next week. But now, without Comune...”

You begin to flip through the pages.

Comune: Where are you?

THE TREES RATTLE FURIOUSLY.

Comune: I hear you. Show yourself!

A PERSON STEPS OUT. THEY ARE UNIDENTIFIABLE SAVE FOR THE BROWN CLOAK.

Comune: Wait—

Also Comune: Reveal your face!

THEY PULL BACK THEIR HOOD TO REVEAL COMUNE.

Comune: No! Why have you come here! If they find you, they will have your theino!

THEY PULL OUT THEIR SWORD. IT FLICKERS IN THE FOG HALATION.

Comune: Because I can no longer live without seeing your shanrite! but I have ghilliped many seyrs to be by your side this dein!

Also Comune: How many seyrs?!

Also Also Comune: It is irrelevant! I’ve come to besath you! Frintil waeriths are just beyond. Please, I know your psilum sectups the same way as mine!

Also Also Also Comune: I won’t, I can’t! Step hernth before I elant for good!

COMUNE BEGINS TO REMOVE THEIR BREECHES.

You have absolutely no idea what is transpiring. Perhaps you should’ve read the source material first.

You flip the papers back as how you found it and say, “I think this has nothing to do with what happened.”

“Or does it?” Benedetto asks, “Who screamed, by the way?”

The theatre staff points to the body. “They did.”

Comune nods. “It’s true.”

Oh, fuck. You turned away for one moment and now you can’t tell them apart. You don’t know who was in the hallway with you and Benedetto and who was in the foyer.

You ask, “Where’s the cow?”

Comune replies, “Still in the room.”

Also Comune adds, “Why would it be anywhere else?”

Also, also Comune asks, “Fuck’s sake, why are you obsessed with the thing? This has nothing to do with it.”

“Or,” Benedetto chimes in, “It could be the cow’s fault! And perhaps the screenplay is completely related!”

“No.”


>”He’s right. We need to find the cow.”

>”The killer... could be one of us!”

>”Alright, I’m getting sick of this. Let’s just get this duel over with.”

>”Why don’t we get away from the body first? I don’t like standing here.”

>Other (Specify)

>>4039511
>>”Why don’t we get away from the body first? I don’t like standing here.”
>Also what's with those markings on the wall?

>”Why don’t we get away from the body first? I don’t like standing here.”
>”Also what's with those markings on the wall?”

”Why don’t we get away from the body first? I don’t like standing here,” you say, ”Also what's with those markings on the wall?” You look up and see a giant hole in the ceiling leading to the floor upstairs. “Holy fuck.”

Comune answers, “It was the cow. Before we trapped it in the room. I think.”

“Okay,” you say, “There is no way a cow can do something like that.”

Benedetto answers, “It’s rogue taxidermy. If it gets big enough, it can cause this amount of damage.”

“You can’t do this with a chair on its neck,” you reply.

“Then obviously there’s more than just a chair,” he shoots back.

The theatre staff whispers, “I agree with the part about stepping away. Please, let’s just get back into the foyer. Someone’s already gone to get the constables.”

Benedetto raises a hand, “Not too far; I’ll wait by the end of the hallway since it’s not too far. Otherwise, the cow might get to it.”

Her eyes widen. “Excuse me?”

“Rogue taxidermy likes collecting inanimate objects. This is only because it was exposed to too many things that it doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be. If I remember correctly, it’s because it starts identifying an increasing number of objects as itself.”

Comune scoffs, “Don’t be ridiculous. It can’t think. It’s just a fucking urchin at this point, and it’s all your client’s fault!”

Everyone manages to get out and away before a fight can break out, while Benedetto remains half in the hallway so he can keep an eye on the body.

You groan. “This has gotten out of hand. My first assignment, and it has to be this.”

Benedetto nods. “I understand. Luckily for you, I have no intention of dueling until this whole mystery is solved.”

Comune scoffs. “It’s not a fucking mystery, it was the cow.”

Also Comune replies, “I thought we agreed the cow was in the room.”

You say, ”I think the cow got out of the room. It was eerily silent before we left it.”

Comune says, “See? It’s here somewhere.”

Also Comune says, “Well I don’t hear any fucking cow noises anywhere around here.”

You... you’re itching to point fingers at someone!


>”The killer is one of you criminals, obviously.”

>”Yes, it was the cow. Case closed.”

>”Why don’t we leave this to the constables?”

>You have a theory on the murder weapon (Elaborate)

>Solve the case (Elaborate)

>Other (Specify)

Going to stop here, thanks for playing. I'll return tomorrow.

>>4039577
>>You have a theory on the murder weapon (Elaborate)
the papers themselves, a papercut done by the murderer.

>>4039591
Supportin'
>>4039577

>You have a theory on the murder weapon (Elaborate)

You have an idea!

“The murder weapon,” you begin to elaborate, “Must be the papers! It was a paper cut done by the murderer.”

Comune replies, “What the fuck are you going on about?”

Also Comune adds, “They probably just took it with them. Why would they leave it on the scene?”

Benedetto says, “But wait! Signore Rossi could be right! We don’t see any murder weapons around here, and an incision in such a spot would lead a spray that would’ve covered the murderer in red. But what if they used the script as cover, hm...”

The theatre staff says, “I’m... I’m just going to wait for the constables.”

He ignores her. “What’s the first thing to do a time like this? We establish alibis!”

Comune says, “Is this a game to you?! Someone just fucking died!”

“Precisely why we must handle this with extreme care. If we let down our guard, they may just get away. Or worse, there will be another victim!” Various gasps erupt from everyone. When you say various, you actually mean just one. It came from the theatre staff member.

Comune replies, “No there won’t. I’ll kick their shit in.”

“Fine, but where was everyone by the foyer before the victim’s death?”

The theatre staff stammers out, “I, I was in the booths! I didn’t see anyone since I underneath the counter removing bits of wall. This—I know, it sounds really suspicious, but it wasn’t me!”

Comune grunts. “I was outside. I didn’t see a thing.”

Also Comune says, “I told Benedetto where you went. I thought he might have gotten lost, so I went after him.”

Also, also Comune says, “And I was by the door with the cow.”

Also, also, also, also Comune nods. “Me too.”

Benedetto concludes, “So no one saw anything, and we have three possible suspects, hmm...”

The ceiling rumbles a little and quiets down.

You say, “I still think it was the script.” You stand there momentarily. “Wait, does this mean you don’t need me anymore? The representative for the troupe is dead.”

Comune says, “What? I’m the representative.”

Also Comune cuts in, “I thought I was.”


>”Can we talk about the duel now?”

>”Let’s just shut up and wait.”

>”We should search for other possible murder weapons. There won’t be any, which will prove it was the papers.”

>”You’re the killer!” Point at someone (Specify)

>”I’ve only known you all for ten minutes, but I already know the motive.” (Specify)

>Other (Specify)

Oh shiiiit, I bet there is a discrepancy somewhere in those statements. Time to wrack that brain and become Ace Detective Rossi.

>Also Comune says, “I told Benedetto where you went. I thought he might have gotten lost, so I went after him.”

We have met 4 Communes, 1 of them now dead and 3 of them still alive; the Commune standing outside, the two communes watching by the door and the one who originally claimed to be the representative of the group and who is now dead. Either that or we never have met the dead commune in person before and the Commune quoted above was the guy who claimed to be the representative to us. Either way Rossi did not see him following Benedetto, even though he claimed he did, which is very odd indeed!

>>4040477
>Other (Specify)
>Question the Comune who claimed to have followed Benedetto, we did not see such a Comune following Benedetto. Check in with Benedetto if he noticed such a theoretical Comune following him.

That Comune is a spy!

>>4040618
You met with all five, actually.

>Question the Comune who claimed to have followed Benedetto, we did not see such a Comune following Benedetto. Check in with Benedetto if he noticed such a theoretical Comune following him.

You try to count all the troupe members you met. Unless they can phase through walls, they probably really are only five. And, what’s most suspicious of all is that you haven’t seen a Comune following Benedetto. This is all very confusing, especially when they all look and sound indistinguishable from one another.

“Say...” You question the Comune who told you their strange “alibi”. “How come I didn’t see you behind Benedetto?”

“I was halfway down the hallway when I heard Comune scream,” they reply, “Obviously I ran the fuck back to see what was going on. I think Benedetto getting a little lost was less important.”

To give him credit, you were trying to see the cow inside the room.

Benedetto says, “You were behind me? I wasn’t lost; you probably tried to find me as soon as I saw Rossi. There was a corner so I doubt we could’ve seen each other. But that is suspicious. What a contrived excuse! Perhaps, you are the murderer all along—!”

It’s at this moment that something exploded through the ceiling, debris falling down and causing everyone to shout and cover their heads. In the shower of wood and stone, you see something gargantuan come crashing down onto the accused Comune, vanishing them as the length of the thing careens through the floor and into the basement. It’s all you can see through the dust when a heavy chunk of wood cracks down on your arm.

When the chaos is settled and everyone stopped screaming, you wave away the obscuring grey in front of your eyes to find a huge hole, right where Comune was. It’s as wide as you are tall.

“Shit,” you say.

Benedetto scratches his head. “Did I do that? No, that was an accident. I think it was too heavy and it fell through down below.”

Comune cries out, “No... not another one...”

Also Comune shouts, “We’re all going to die!”

The theatre staff runs for the door. “I’m getting out of here! I’m not staying one more minute inside this death trap!” You watch as she leaves, completely safe.

Benedetto gazes at the exit. “I forgot we could do that.”

Standing still in the foyer probably wasn’t a good idea.


>You want to see the cow. Jump!

>”Let’s just get out of here. It’s too dangerous.”

>”Benedetto, I think you were so spot on that Justice immediately descended on them.”

>”Okay, I take it back. It probably wasn’t them.”

>”Was... was that my fault?”

>Other (Specify)

>>4040661
>”Okay, I take it back. It probably wasn’t them.”
>Try to peer downn the hole and catch a glimpse of this mystical creature. Such unrefined brutality!

Cows, bringing the 'drama' back to all your clients being dramatically mauled to death right in front of you.

>>4040661
>We need to team up and put this bovine brigand down for good before some else gets hurt

>>4040661
>>”Okay, I take it back. It probably wasn’t them.”
>Pretty sure it's the cow killing people and then wanting to take the bodies.
>Anyone not a trained duelist get outside.

>”Okay, I take it back. It probably wasn’t them.”

>Talk about the cow.


“Okay, I take it back. It probably wasn’t them.”

Benedetto starts pacing around on top of what remains of the ceiling and the floor above. Broken pieces of furniture make it difficult for him to walk any more than a few steps in a circle. “There must be a solution to this mystery! How could such a murder have taken place?! And the murder weapon! Was it truly the script? Or no, it was literally the script! It was an adaptation of a romance novella, and Comune was terribly jealous of Comune for enacting the besathing scene with Comune.”

“Okay,” you say, “First of all, I don’t think they can tell each other apart themselves. That’s why the script lists the same person over and over again. Second of all, I want to see the cow. Actually, it might be the cow doing the killing.”

“Are you saying we should be the one to dismantle it?”

Comune nods, “Yes, you two get on that, while we get the fuck out of here.”

Also Comune pats the other in the back. “Agreed. Come on, let’s go!”

They shuffle outside to safety while you tell Benedetto, “I just want to see what it looks like. I guess we really might have to do it if we don’t want everyone still in this building to die.”

You peek into the hole, finding nothing but dust and darkness. There’s a terrifying sound of wood scraping on stone.

“Well, no. It’s in the basement now. It can’t climb up,” he says, right as something begins to climb up the hole. You step back as the foyer floor distorts, unable to hold the weight of rogue taxidermy. Benedetto’s behind you, backing up into an unscathed hallway.

The head of the cow pokes out. You recognize it from picture books, and it is very cute. It’s spot on, too. Except covered in dust. It rises even higher, propelled by the rest of its neck, splintering wood stitching together the white-black preserved hide in a crude manner. Tufts of blood-soaked cotton hang out and droop downward. And then, it shows the rest of its body.

Pebbles fused to hairs grind against each other and scrape across the floor, chipping more stone out and allowing it to stick against its side. The carpet attaches itself to the back of it, dressing it in a cloak but failing to hide its legs—they are of multi-colored fractured timber and marble, smashed together in long, twitching columns that thrash to find purchase. There’s a pair of them every half a meter, and it resembles a centipede more than anything.

It is a cow centipede. A cowtipede.

“A centicow,” you whisper.

“What?” Benedetto gives you a Look. You do not see the Look. You are busy admiring the preserved animal.

The upper half of Comune is sticking on the underbelly of the stitched-together beast. It hangs down in a grisly manner, muscles curling as bits of wood begin to meld with their bones. You try really hard not to look. It’s sickening.

1/2

>>4040729
You whisper back, “This is a little above my pay grade.”

Benedetto hisses, “It’s starting to consider itself a person too. We should go.”


>Run into the hallway!

>Run for the front door!

>Just cut through it. It doesn’t go after living things, right?

>Other (Specify)

>>4040733
>>Run into the hallway!

>>4040733
>Slowly back up towards the Hallway, unless it starts moving for us, then star the rapid retrograde advance.

Oh no, what terrible woe is in front of us. We have to make sure it isnt going to run into the street after the Comunes though, it would be unfortunate if all our clientele died.

>Hallway

You whisper, “Let’s back up, slowly.”

“Why are you whispering? It can’t hear us. It’s dead. It’s a dead cow.”

You glance at him and then at the giant abomination in front of you. “It looks kind of living to me.”

“Okay, but no one thinks urchins are real people.”

“Actually, I think the City does.”

The cow successfully grabs onto the booths with its first row of legs, allowing itself to pull itself farther and farther out. The walls of it crumble in the process, making it larger by the second.

Benedetto grabs your shoulder, “Signore Rossi, I don’t think this is the time for this.”

The wall that separates the hallway from the foyer starts to bend. That’s all you need to start running inside. Your boots kick through any collapsed ceiling as you bolt down the corridor, Benedetto right in front.

You shout, “Anywhere still here? You should probably get the fuck out of the building!”

No one replies, luckily, but you’re still running as Benedetto swings open the doors to the auditorium. It’s small and there are only two floors, all utterly dismantled as a giant cylindrical cavity blows through where the chairs and stage are. It’s very clear the cow has been through here, but you don’t stop because the cow is clearly obliterating the hallway behind you. More and more of the building starts to cave inwards toward the cow as if magnetized to it. It’s going to become the building.

Benedetto runs to the back door, only finding it blocked by a fallen column. “Signore Rossi!” he shouts, and you hurry over.

You watch as he tries to move it by hand, but you take your sword and hack through it. It gets stuck halfway.

You try to pull it back, but Benedetto realizes what a fucking idiot he’s being and takes out his own sabre. It’s hot pink, obnoxiously so, sapphire embedded in the forte in the shape of a rhombus at the end of a triangle. As he swings the blade back, you watch as the colors shimmer with the new angle of sight, showing a map of something engraved into its length. And then he thrusts it into the wall, drags it down, and kicks the chunk of it free.

“Come on!”

“Fuck, my sabre’s stuck!” You rip it back and the column splits, but your sword is kind of... fucked. It’s a little bent and the edge is dulled. You hardly have time to care as you escape with him. You land in the canal outside, watching constables surround the building. A man in a long, wrinkled cloak scratches his chin as he approaches it.

He mutters something to the constable beside him before writing something down on a piece of paper. There is a sound of something collapsing behind you. When you look, you find the cow has completely come apart, now scattered into cleanly separated fragments.

One of the uniformed men approaches you and Benedetto. “Are you two alright? Is anyone hurt?”

1/2

>>4040799
Questioning is finished after an hour. You walk away from the constable as you’re let free and approach the three remaining members of the Compagnia dei Nomi. Benedetto is waiting for you there with his arms crossed. Everyone seems relatively unscathed, only dirtied from the collapsed ceiling.

You say, “Do you still want that duel?”

“Yes! We have to now. Look at what the cow did! We can’t repay all that.”

Also Comune adds, “As the representative, I want our terms to be that La Ambra pay for all the damages done to the theatre! I won’t ask for anything about our troupe members; I know the constables will have that covered.

Benedetto looks like he doesn’t believe them, but he goes with it. “My terms are that the troupe pays for damage done to La Ambra’s reputation. Favorable for you, no? This thing is your fault.”

You ask, “I’m guessing La Ambra is your friend’s store?”

He nods, “It sure is.”

You feel like you should be a too shaken after the cow to discuss terms, but you’re not. You’re as calm as the canal waters.

Hm.

As the challenger, you ultimately have final say over the terms. You’ve also bent your sword back, so you should be good to go.


>You’re fine with these terms.

>You want more! Demand compensation for any injuries sustained because of the cow.

>You want less. Have La Ambra only recompense for any injuries sustained.

>Other (Specify)

>>4040804
>>You’re fine with these terms.

>>4040804
>>You’re fine with these terms.

This is fine. We are here to duel and look at cows, not renegotiate the terms for no reason.

Also, talking tactics this dude said went and watched a shit ton of duels with people who looked like us in an attempt to find our duels, presumably. So, he probably knows all the techniques we started with, aswell as the ability we started with, Muddled Reflection. I therefor suggest that when we duel we should use Grasping Straws and our two hot and new techniques instead. This should give us an edge if he has readied himself for a fight with out 'old self' as it were.

Enhanced learning, catches 'em off-guard every time.

>You’re fine with these terms.

“I have nothing to add,” you say.

“Shame we didn’t get to solve the murder,” Benedetto mumbles.

“There wasn’t anything to solve. We couldn’t even tell the victims apart from the suspects.”

“Listen,” he tells you, “I know an intellectual challenge when I see it, and that was a definite one. How were you not excited?”

“This conversation’s getting a little too fucked up for me. We can ask the constables after, yeah?”

“I’ll hold you to it, then,” he says, “So. As the challenged, I have the right to say when and where, and I say, right here, and now.”

“Wait, so soon?”

“Maybe a block or two down so we don’t distract the constables, but yes, now. Why, were you looking forward to watching my duels in the Court of Swords?” he grins. Oh. Oh fuck. He’s already seen your duels, so he should know most of what you can do.

“That backfired on me, huh?” And you had no way of knowing. Whoops. “Nothing I can do about it, though. Let’s do it.”

The two of you start making your way down the city block. A crowd has already gathered to check out the destruction, and now they’re following to see the duel that’s about to happen. You glance at his belt, and you are once more reminded that he is part of the Velvet Fold.

It is one of the oldest Rings still around, and every year, people wonder if they will continue. Their original name is derived from an ancient idiom, but it was so obnoxiously obtuse and long no one but the Ring members remember it. Instead, their new nickname is derived from two things: the original Ringmaster’s fondness of velvet, which is evident in their compound and Ring-ground, and the reason for their lengthy existence. Countless Rings have been swallowed up, each too small to survive on their own and deciding to accept the condition of mutual-dependency.

The Velvet Fold’s traditions are the only ones to remain, however. They are the most prominent Ring to uphold dueling as an art. Sword Law is a consequence of the City meeting the needs of the people. Everything is a byproduct. Their long history is a painful one, filled with sorrowful partings and sacrifices. But that is irrelevant. Such things are of the past, and you live in the present.

Your hair blows in the wind, and you try to brush it neat.

It’s time.

>>4040888
Choose your loadout; pick six Techniques and one Ability. You can choose to not bring an Ability by not voting for one.

ABILITIES

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES

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

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>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.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

>Reforge: [FLOURISH]Destroy one of your Composure dice of your choosing. At the end of this round, generate two dice of the same size back into your Composure. Any effects from the old dice carry onto the new ones.

>Hammer Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed by this attack, your opponent is Rattled.

>Ring’s Chosen: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. If you bear the insignia of a duelling Ring and there are no Obstacles present, generate an Obstacle that matches your Ring. At the end of the turn, if the Obstacle was created by this Technique, transform Ring’s Chosen into its Ring-specific form.

File: It is time.png (596 KB, 565x510)

596 KB PNG

>>4040888

>>4040890

Oooooh shiiiit, I forgot about Ring's Chosen! Darn, I need to think now.

>>4040890
>>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.

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

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Reforge: [FLOURISH]Destroy one of your Composure dice of your choosing. At the end of this round, generate two dice of the same size back into your Composure. Any effects from the old dice carry onto the new ones.

>Hammer Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If no Composure dice are destroyed by this attack, your opponent is Rattled.


>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>>4040911
Probably a safe bet, I kind of want to fuck around with turbulent winds, but we were warned that getting properly into bird style dueling was going to take some serious effort, so best to leave it alone for now. Supporting.

>>4040890

>Grasping Straws
>Focussed Blow
>Showing off
>Lead the Blade
>Reforge
>Hammer Blow
>Mirror Image

You stand facing one another as everyone makes room for the two of you.

Benedetto smiles. “A Birdwatcher now, no?”

You grin. “What gave it away?”

You draw your sabre, almost shameful at how terrible it looks in comparison it looks. But if Benedetto has any complaints, he doesn’t make them. Your swords kiss, and both of you see each other’s true selves.

>Rossi’s Composure: 4d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12

>Benedetto’s Composure: 2d6, ??????

Holy shit.

You don’t let the pressure show on your face as you spin around. Ten paces away, you are the first to turn back and speak.

“Representing the challenger, I claim right to offense! Should I triumph, the challenged must recompense for all damages done to the theatre!”

Benedetto follows. His voice is as booming as yours. “Representing the challenged, I claim right to redress! If I win, the challenger must recompense for the damages done to my client’s reputation!”

The crowd is getting massive. It’s larger than you’ve ever seen. This is it. This is it! Not that nonsense with the d’Gemettos. Only this. Your heart is fiercely pounding, adrenaline running through.

“See and be unseen!”

1/3