[text]

[fracturedsoul]

So I guess we know now what happens when you sacrifice three corpses to the tower.

Everyone might just want to stay out of the tower in the arena until this is cleared up. If you go in, you wind up in a mirror boss fight with a shadow version of yourself.

If you leave and go back in, it keeps happening. I wound up fighting mine four times just to make sure. But on the plus side, if you beat it there's a chance it'll drop a memory charm. I got three of them, all from, like, alternate universe mes. I don't know if that's universal or not. Anyone else have data they'd like to submit?

[ Filtered to Jake English ]

Something I need to run by you, bro.


((OOC: After consulting with the mods: A memory charm definitely drops after the first fight; on each subsequent fight, there's a 50% chance of a charm dropping.))

Comments

[thehungman]

Shadow battles, here I come.

[fracturedsoul]

I'll be rooting for you. Be on your guard; mine was just as strong as me, and I assume it's the same for everyone else.

[thehungman]

No worries. I'm a pirate! I know how to cheat.

[fracturedsoul]

Cheat? I'm curious. Elaborate for me once you've succeeded.

[thehungman]

I'd love to, sweet thing, but that's the sort of information I only give out to people who buy me drinks.

[fracturedsoul]

Well, why didn't you just ask?

[thehungman]

[ friendship + 5 ]

Oh, I like you.

[fracturedsoul]

Then my work here is done. Want to meet in town later?

[thehungman]

The sooner I get drunk, the better.

[fracturedsoul]

Ok. Then get in touch as soon as you've beaten it, I guess?

[ Only good can come of sharing details about these various shadow fights with each other. ]

[thehungman]

Will do.

[fracturedsoul]

[ He'll just be patching up his wounds as he waits for her. Damn is he bruised up after fighting a shadow double of himself three times in a row. ]

[thehungman]

[ After an hour or so, Isabela sends him a message and enters the tavern, clothes caked in blood and baking powder, limbs sore and two memory charms sitting pretty in her pocket. She orders a drink with her own money and waits. ]

[fracturedsoul]

[ He heads there once he gets the text; though he hasn't met her before, it's not hard to pick out the woman covered in blood from all of the generic townsperson NPCs. He drops down onto a bar stool beside her, glances up at the menu to see how much he owes her, and drops a few raks down onto the counter in front of her. ]

You the lady I was talking to?

[thehungman]

That's me. Isabela's the name.

I think I remember you. You were the kid I fought who used a spoon, yes?

[fracturedsoul]

Oh yeah. I'm Dirk.

So how'd the shadow battle go?

[thehungman]

[ She smirks and takes out the two memory charms from her pocket. ]

Poor thing didn't stand a chance. She matched my skill as a duelist but had none of my rogue-ish talents.

[fracturedsoul]

She didn't? [ His eyebrows go up. Hm. ]

Did she say anything to you?

[thehungman]

She told me I hit like her grandmother, but only after I yelled that to her.

[fracturedsoul]

So she didn't berate you in her own words? Interesting.

[thehungman]

What did yours say to you?

[fracturedsoul]

Eh, a bunch of shit. Called me a dumb fuckup, and said some shit about a "her". Hella cagey boss fight dialogue, you know the kind.

[thehungman]

[ Giggles. ]

Oh, the whole "and then the cliche hero entered the demon tower to find his shadow taking the form of his insecurities and weaknesses!" Classic.

Can't say I've fought one of those before. But my friend -- she brings me to all the nice places -- brought me to The Fade once. A desire demon offered me a really big ship. How could I refuse?

I never got that ship. Bitch.

[fracturedsoul]

Really fucking cliche insecurities and weaknesses that I guess it just assumed anyone facing it was gonna have.

Wow, what a rip-off. Remind me never to make deals with demons.

[thehungman]

Don't you just hate predictable plot points?

[ She signals the bartender for another drink. ]

Now. Are we going to talk or are we going to teach you how to fight like a scoundrel?