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[ENTER THE PALACE]
[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.]
[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.]
no subject
I am no fighter! What am I meant to do, then?!
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[Zarya holds a hand out and if Sprezzatura takes it, she pulls her up.]
Being attacked unguarded like that by Esmau will be devastating. I, on the other hand, was holding back. Now, be on your guard and get ready for another.
[Zarya takes a couple steps back.]
When I attack, brace yourself as best you can. Stand and do your best to take it.
[She lunges forward again and swings the staff at Sprezzatura. When an opponent attacks, you can choose to Guard.]
no subject
she's about to say something to that effect, still dusting herself off from her stumble, when Zarya lunges again. and she instinctively makes to try to dance away, again. but she is, if nothing else, a fast learner—which means at the last second she plants her feet. normally, she would use Shield...
but Guard will have to do. ]
Stop that!
no subject
[Sprezzatura: 85/100 HP]
Guarding won't prevent you from being damaged, but it will mitigate the worst of it. If you have no better options, it can be best to just cut your losses and brace yourself for the incoming damage to prevent it from being much worse. There are also spells to make Guarding more effective, to the point where taking damage via Guardian becomes manageable over the course of a long fight.
Now. Try to take no damage at all. DODGE!
[That's the only warning she gets before Zarya thrusts the staff at her. When an enemy attacks, they roll to hit you successfully. By Dodging, you apply a penalty to this roll, making their attack less likely to hit you.]
no subject
W-Wait!
no subject
[Roll 1d20-4: 14-4=10, miss]
[Zarya's thrust zips right over that headstone just as Sprezzatura dives over it, missing her.]
Good. You're getting it.
Bear in mind, if you try to dodge and fail, you'll take full damage, obviously more than if you had chosen to Guard. It can be risky, but if it works, you'll take no damage at all.
Now.
[Zarya plants her stuff on the ground.]
Come here and try to attack me.
no subject
What with?
no subject
[That's mildly ominous.]
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not with her hands.
can she use another Spark Bolt from behind the safety of her gravestone? ]
no subject
[She does it lightly, at least.]
[Sprezzatura: 84/100 HP]
You can also attempt to parry an attack. Parrying fully neutralizes an incoming attack and responds with a counterattack. It's a great way to turn the tide of a battle in your favor, if you can pull it off.
Now, try to parry me.
[Zarya rears her staff back and swings again. You can attempt to Parry by rolling against your opponent's attack roll.]
no subject
Mammon!
[ tears in her eyes, she has to stop herself from instinctively bending to fetch her arcanabula. the only thing stopping her is that warning—"try to parry me". she will try to parry her. with... Mammon, her tail? ]
no subject
Zarya: 12
Sprezzatura: 6
Zarya knocks her tail out of the way with a foot and then clubs her with the staff again. At least she was kinda-sorta holding up again.
Sprezzatura: 81/100 HP]
Parrying can turn the tide of a battle in your favor, if you succeed. But it's even riskier than dodging. It requires you to set your feet and meet the opponent's attack head-on, so if you fail, you leave yourself completely open.
[If you attempt to Parry and succeed, you'll deflect your opponent's attack, taking no damage and immediately counterattack! But if you attempt to Parry and fail, you'll take full damage from the attack.]
It's risky. But against an opponent like Esmau, some riskiness will be unavoidable. You'll have to make a snap decision based on the scenario around you whether you want to Guard, Dodge or Parry.
no subject
Do you have to hit so hard?!
no subject
So, yes.
Yes I do.
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no subject
[She sounds so very sympathetic.]
There are one or two more things you should consider for your defense. Certain spells can aid your defense, depending on what kind of spell it is. Some spells require you to get close to use them, while others allow you to attack from a distance. Close-range spells can help with Guarding or Parrying, but ranged spells may make Dodging easier because of the distance involved. Bear in mind, Esmau is a vicious opponent and is extremely dangerous in close range herself. You will need to be on guard at all times if you get close to her.
[If the last spell you cast on your turn has a defense bonus, it will be applied to you until the start of your next turn. Spells will be either Melee or Ranged and will have a different bonus depending on which kind. Be careful, if you end your turn with a melee spell, you may leave yourself open to a Reaction Attack.]
It will be some time before we even figure out a way to practically apply any of this. As of right now, Esmau is still invincible, so the best way to deal with her if you see her in the halls of the palace will likely just be to run. But be careful - she's not above attacking your back if you give it to her. If you can, try to stun her first. If you can't, do what you must to get away, including taking damage if need be.
no subject
she bends, slowly, to pick up her spellbook. eyes on Zarya the entire time. ]
I know already. Her attacking my back is how I am here, in front of you.
no subject
I'm sorry.
Nessa made the choice that led to this situation. But that choice was forced upon her by the Warden's manipulation. I hate that it has hurt her this badly, for this long. And I know she hates that it has now started to hurt those she cares about.
[Her hands tighten on her staff as her frustration becomes to seep more visibly into her words.]
I hate the idea that she is to be erased and I am supposed to just take her body as if it's my own. That I would ever accept such an outcome.
I wish I could fight Esmau for her. Rather than merely trying to advise you how to do it. I wish I could fight the Warden in your stead, so that none of you were imprisoned in a realm where you can be damaged so badly by possessions and shadows and nightmares.
But, at this moment. This is all that I'm capable of.
/2
why do so many never seem to suffer so much as a whisper from what's possessing them? why is hers so terrible? ]
no subject
fuck. ]
...well. It will be enough.
no subject
That's enough for now.
[She reaches into her vest.]
Go explore the Palace. Expand your spellbook, empower your spark and help the others. Return to me when you're ready for the advanced lessons.
[She pulls her hand from her vest and opens it. A blue butterfly flies from her hand and circles around Sprezzatura, fluttering its wings a couple times.
You can tell the butterfly holds something within. It asks a question: You are being given the option to assist. Will you take it? But it is not a question for you. And no answer from you will reveal what the butterfly has within it. It's looking for someone else.
Nonetheless, you acquire Blue Butterfly.]
no subject
I will head to motel, then.
/2
Good luck.
[Zarya returns to her seat on one of the gravestones.]
no subject
- A gray serpent monster with the lower half of a snake and the upper half of a woman. This has four bells in front of it.
- A dog with three heads standing before a gate. This has one bell in front of it.
- Stone statues made out of people standing before a giant serpent. This has one bell in front of it.
- Eight tentacles reaching up from the ocean to wrap around a ship. This has one bell in front of it.]
no subject
this is... Echidna, Cerberus, Basilisk, Kraken. she dithers in the doorway for a few moments, simply eyeing up the murals and checking intermittently over her shoulder for a glaive she's just ambiently expecting to come at any moment.
Echidna, Cerberus, Basilisk, Kraken. ahhh.
a sense of compulsion comes over her. dings the Cerberus bell. ]
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