[ENTER THE PALACE]

[warpweft]

[You find yourself with a sensation like floating in water.]

[Above, the sky is dark. You can occasionally see things shifting, like gusts of wind, or perhaps waves of water. Is it…even a sky above you? Or is it some kind of giant ocean? Whatever it is, you can’t make it out very well. All around you, you appear to be floating in what appears to be water. It looks like a great, wide ocean of…space in every direction around you, with stars and lights twinkling in the distance. It looks like water and feels like water, but it doesn’t make you wet. You can reach your hand into it and pull some out, the purple and violet water and the tiny points of light inside it will even rest in your hands if you cup them to carry it, but once you’re not trying to hold it anymore, it’ll flow off of you, not a single drop remaining behind. You feel something similar if you go underneath the surface. The “water” doesn’t touch your eyes, mouth or nose when give the chance, it merely drifts around you, allowing you to breathe and see unabated. And you can see for a great distance, the twinkling stars illuminating the ocean of space all around you. Though perhaps less dark and empty, it feels every bit as vast as the sky above. You feel like you could swim forever and never reach the edge.]

[It’s quiet, here, with little noise around you but the starry ocean’s waves crashing back into its surface. It’s peaceful. In another situation, it might even be comfortable.]

Comments

[voidhearts]

Hm.

[Insofar as you can read expressions on her face at all, it kinda looks like Zarya wants to say something about Sprezzatura assigning blame to herself, but....she doesn't.]

[Quest Obtained: The Hunter
The story of one who explored a palace and a hunter who taught them how to fight as a witch.]

Fighting inside this palace is different from fighting in your own world, or even from fighting inside the Edge of Reverie. There's no limit to how powerful you can become here, but there's still an incredible gap between you and that Nightmare, especially with the injury you suffered on your first encounter with her. Your only hope is to fight in the way that this palace will recognize.

You must fight as a witch.

[Beat.]

A different kind of witch.

[You get the slight feeling she has that speech queued up for everybody and just didn't think to change the end.]

[Step 1: Complete Zarya’s lessons.
Complete Zarya’s first five lessons to learn about how to fight as a witch.
Shadow Nessa: Oh, Zarya’s going to beat you up for a while, huh? This I gotta see — I mean, Zarya’s a great teacher, I’m sure she’ll go easy on you.]

[Basic Lessons:
- Lesson 01: Basic Spells
- Lesson 02: Powerful Spells & Downtime
- Lesson 03: Critical Damage
- Lesson 04: Shards & Facets
- Lesson 05: Defense]

[Advanced Lessons:
- Lesson 06: Invoke (locked: Unlock 1 Invoke-tier Spell)
- Lesson 07: Spark Elements (locked: Purchase "Empower your Spark")
- Lesson 08: Resonance (locked: complete a certain quest)
- Lesson 09: Final Exam (locked: complete all previous lessons)]

/2

[velluminous]

[ how did i walk straight into ANOTHER fight ]

[velluminous]

[ starts backing up around behind another gravestone ]

You want me to fight you.

[voidhearts]

Hm.

[Zarya holds up a small point of light in her hand. She tosses it at the ground. It bursts into a puff of smoke to reveal....


OH NO, IT'S ESMAU no wait. She's rooted to the ground. She's bobbing back and forth. It's a dummy. It's a dummy of Esmau holding a foam glaive. And, she has little devil horns drawn on her, Xs on her eyes and her tongue is sticking out, who made this? Did Zarya make this?]

I was planning to have you fight this.

[velluminous]

[ devil horns??? are you making fun of me? ]

What.

[voidhearts]

You'll practice on this to prepare to fight the real Esmau.

That is to say, the Nightmare-borne fabrication of Esmau residing in this palace.

[velluminous]

I am not spellcaster for fighting! She killed me—like that! So fast.

[ but her hand does stray towards her spell tome ]

[voidhearts]

She did.

And yet, you and the others must confront her, nonetheless.

So you must learn to be a witch that fights.

[Lesson 01: Basic Spells]

[She holds up another point of light and tosses it into Sprezzatura's tome. It's absorbed into the pages and Sprezzatura intrinsically gains knowledge of the spell, as if she's known it all along.

Name: Pulse Bolt
Description: A rapid-fire burst of three Spark Bolts all cast simultaneously. Weak on their own, perhaps, but extremely versatile and strongest, perhaps, as the beginning of something.
Tier: Basic
Spark: Vulcan
Range: Ranged
Effect:
Inflict low damage to 1 opponent 3 times.]

Try casting that spell on the dummy.

[velluminous]

[ her expression melts into something quite awestruck and naked, at first. she has only once before experienced the act of learning something in a heartbeat, of feeling as thought—of course! she has known it from the very beginning... and that was in Wei Wuxian's palace. it is disorienting to feel it again now.

and then, turning that spell over in her mind, she realizes: i do know this.

she tries to cast it on the dummy. ]

[voidhearts]

[Three bursts of magical energy flow from Sprezzatura's hand simultaneously, all of them striking the dummy head on. It wavers back and forth a bit as each bolt whacks its body. Your spells will hit their target 100% of the time. Missing is impossible.]

Good. Keep going. You can cast low-level spells like that multiple times successively, without interruption.

[You can cast three Basic spells per round. That may mean the same spell three times, three different spells one time, or any combination thereof.]

A low-level spell like that may seem weak, but its consistency makes it a valuable piece of any witch's spellbook. It can also be the first part in something bigger.

[The dummy has been bopped, but not significantly harm. It's always sticking its tongue out because that's the expression that was drawn on its face but right now it seems to be sticking its tongue out at you in taunting.]

[velluminous]

[ missing is impossible.

having had an already fucking abysmal day, she turns that thought over for a moment or two, then hurls some more at the Esmau dummy. three basic spells per round, you say? got it. ]

[voidhearts]

[Bonk bonk bonk. Bonk bonk bonk. It wiggles back and forth as the bolts repeatedly smack it in the head.]

You've gotten the hang of it. Good.

[She makes another orb of light in her hand. The last one was the size of a marble. This one is uh. The size of a basketball. She underhand tosses it at Sprezzatura's book. This one weighs kind of a lot, almost enough to make the book slide out of her hands, before it vanishes and gets absorbed into the pages as well.]

[Lesson 02: Powerful Spells & Downtime]

[Name: Explosive Bolt
Description: A large bolt with an unstable Void core that detonates on contact with….just about anything. Cast it, then plug your ears.
Tier: Powerful
Spark: Void
Range: Ranged
Effect:
Cast three basic spells to charge.
Inflict high damage to one opponent.
If cast on a Volatile opponent, increase the damage of Volatile detonation.]

Now try using that one.

[Zarya is....backing away from the dummy after she says that.]

[velluminous]

[ this is the face of a woman who has never particularly gone ham with explosive spells before

and today?

she kind of wants to.

the instant Zarya has backed up enough, she's letting fly, and maybe standing a little too close, herself. ]

[voidhearts]

[Zarya turns around and puts her hands up on the sides of her head. That must be where her ears are.]

[The bolt, large, purple and angrily crackling as soon as it leaves Sprezzatura's hands, flies towards the dummy and explodes on contact, kicking up smoke, dust, bits and gravestone and knocking the dummy itself into the air where it lands on the ground face down some dozen feet away with a dull THUD. Powerful Spells inflict much higher damage than Basic Spells and may have other powerful effects.]

Good. It worked.

[Zarya puts two fingers up to her...beak? And whistles. The dummy, facedown in the ground a distance away, vanishes and reappears nearby the two of them.]

Cast it again.

[But when Sprezzatura tries to cast the Explosive Bolt again, much as she might want to...! She won't be able to.]

[velluminous]

[ she's probably got a fine powdering of gravestone dust covering her now, which is fine. it adds to the unhinged aesthetic as she immediately moves to obey Zarya's instruction—such is the draw of new, interesting power— ]

I can't. Why can't—?

[voidhearts]

Exactly.

That spell is extremely powerful, as you just saw. But spells of that caliber cannot be cast without limit. They take significant time and effort to prepare. Nessa developed her own technique where she can partition off some of the time and effort each time she casts a weak spell, using some of the Spark she generates to charge the stronger spell. You've already duplicated this method. By casting the Pulse Bolt multiple times, you charged the Explosive Bolt.

[Casting your Basic Spells will charge your Powerful Spells! Check the effect text of your Powerful Spells to see the requirement to charge it. You can have four spells equipped to be taken into battle at one time.]

Carefully consider the strengths and weaknesses of each of your spells and how you will use your weaker spells to open up opportunities for your strongest spells. Timing is going to be paramount in your upcoming battle. If you are able to find a way to harm Esmau, it will likely be just a small window of opportunity. Build your spellbook to take the greatest advantage of that window.

[velluminous]

[ on the one hand, this is so interesting.

on the other... she feels a bubble of frustration. now? she has to learn an entire new system of magic now? ]

How do I fill out book? I do not have time for transcribing.

[voidhearts]

You'll find more spells in the shop. I believe Nessa's Shadow managed to convert some of your own techniques into spells.

I understand she is.

[How to put this diplomatically.]

An obnoxious bore. But she has gone to lengths to create a system that will allow you to become stronger as you explore the palace.

I would also recommend seeking out other witches within the palace. They may be able to help you learn their spells as well.

The greatest impact you will be able to make on your spellbook all at once is by empowering your Spark. The Spark is a the magical energy existing within all witches that allows them to cast magic. Nessa, for example, was born with a Void spark. Right now, due to your injury, yours is neutral. When you infuse it with the power to take on an element of its own, you'll gain access to a great deal more power. When you empower your Spark, I will be able to teach you about all the things it can do.

Unfortunately, nothing else in my basic lessons will give you anymore spells or the. [Sigh.] "Nessa Points" necessary to purchase any spells or empower your spark. If you wish, you can leave and pursue the goal of filling out your spellbook, come back and continue preparing for battle later.

[velluminous]

[ oh, Sprezzatura listens to the entirety of what the strix has to say, but once she's done, she speaks, and her voice is a touch sharp. ]

Quiet. She is nothing like "obnoxious bore". Who could ever be so interesting that you would think that of her in comparison?

[voidhearts]

Hm.

I feel a debt of gratitude to both versions of Nessa. They both allow me shelter within their body and see me as a companion, not a burden or the reason for their incarceration. But I feel particularly indebted to her younger self. When one of the Warden's manipulations made me use her body to attack her teammates, she forgave me. When she learned that the Warden planned to erase her consciousness, steal her body and give it to me, she did not hold it against me.

I find the way the Shadow carries on about her and pretends to be so wounded that people would befriend such a girl extremely grating.

[velluminous]

She has not been particularly sweet to me, either. But there must be reason for it. She was that girl, once.

[ does she feel as though the fondness everyone has for the younger her... speaks to liking her better then? before she was capable? a part of Sprezzatura's own heart goes out to that idea. after all, her parents seemed to like her quite a lot more before she started being smart about things.

but even then, they hadn't liked her much. ]

[voidhearts]

Hm.

Perhaps you have a point, witch.

[They are the same person after all, it's true. But that seems to be all Zarya's willing to concede for the moment. You get the feeling she still doesn't particularly care for Shadow Nessa. But...she's at least thinking about what Sprezzatura said.]

All things being made equal, I simply wish for what will make Nessa wake up. Whatever form she may take when she does.

I owe that to her.

[velluminous]

[ stiffly, ] Good. And I have name.

[voidhearts]

I felt it rude to use it when you never chose to give it to me.

Do you wish to continue my lessons? Or leave and pursue your spellbook?

/2

[velluminous]

[ this woman doesn't have manners of her own ]