>>753027
This.

> More than two death sentences
> Dropped off at an orphanage FAR away
> Somehow tracked and followed despite the sheer number of geographical and political obstacles involved
Something tells me the court will be incapable of giving you "just a flogging". It seems your parents had some greater plan for you, but now they're @#$%ed. The court went as far as to use spy networks / hire immortal professionals / scry across national boarders just to find you, would they go that far for this trial if you didn't matter that much?

>>753014
... Opal, tape your ears down and consider sunglasses. That was terrifying.

>>753016
WHY.

> What do
Grab Opal's old equipment. All three of you get out of the church before the hunter makes it to the courtyard. You can decide on a squad assignment later.

>>753024
I gotta say, I'm interested in seeing how this court system works, if only for the possibility that a succesful defense involves throwing the prosecution through a window.

Grab a little bit of brimstone for that card if you ever want to do it in the future.

And honestly, a flogging will probably hurt comparably less than that dude stabbing his hand into your chest did(depending on how they do it). If they can link you killing the person supposed to collect you, then you will probably face a much worse punishment(and a much harder time of your parents defender getting you off). It's also likely that the defense will come to you to represent you if you are captured and brought there, and if the trial cannot commence til everyone is there, you are guaranteed to meet your parents there, so long as they have been brought in themselves.
I do agree with kome though that its unlikely that they went through all of this bullshit to just flog you though.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/10/17(Mon)00:21 No. 753353 ID: c745e1
File 147668886489.png - (35.81KB , 1200x1000 , 0092.png )

>why do you keep trying to get me to sing?
Ritz does have a good singing voice, she just doesn't like singing. it's a common thing for Zenlings. they can mimic a lot of instruments just by humming and almost

every Zenling is capable of carrying a tune.

Ritz tumbles back and lands hard on her tushy.

"HOW?" she gasps.

"Crawlers learn a lot of tricks, if they manage to live long enough..." she mutters, "so... you want me to kill someone?"

"I... I don't know." Ritz replies, "wouldn't it be easier for me to go quietly with this Grifter?"

"that's your call." Ruby nods, "I wouldn't suggest it. there are a few things about Armistice law that Opal seems to have forgotten. for one thing you need to understand that this Grifter is not your friend. Prosecutioners only get paid by the court if the defendant is punished. the Defenestrator is similarly only paid if the Defendant is found not guilty. if the Grifter is just a contracted mercenary, they can still be paid by the court for a corpse, it's just a reduced amount. if it's a Prosecutioner or Defenestrator that's Grifting, then they are honor bound to be forthcoming and truthful, but if it's a merc, they don't have that restriction."

Ritz looks down at the ground worriedly. she had hoped that talking with Opal would ease her mind, but if anything, she's more frightened of this Grifter.

"Opal... why are you dressed in armor?" Ritz asks, trying to change the subject.

"oh, well..." she laughs, embarrassed, "you wanted me to teach you how to use my old daggers, and well... I though putting on my old raiments might get me back into

my crawler mindset..."

Ritz nods. the room gets quiet for a few moments, then Ritz clears her throat.

"what do you know about my parents?"

Opal stares back for a few seconds, "I uh... I told you, they just left you here one night with nothing but a red ribbon and a scarf, that's all I know."

"Lying is a sin, Crimsonlace." Ruby says shortly, Ritz almost catches a smile forming as she says it. Opal shoots a look of pure hatred, then blinks away quickly.

"I don't know your mother, Falls-Like-Snow." Opal sighs, "I have met her, but I know very little about her. your father, I wish I didn't know him. his name is Red-

Feathers, and he used to Crawl with me years ago."

"what was he like?" Ritz asks.

"self centered, egotistical, and arrogant as hell." Ruby grunts, "but, he has a terrifying knack for being the last guy going to the gallows. this isn't the first

time Red-Feathers has faced the death penalty, likely not the last time, either."

"do you know anything about my mother?" Ritz asks Ruby, who leans against the wall in thought.

"yeah." she says, "I do."

Ritz waits for Ruby to continue, but she doesn't.

"ah, she was very young when you were born." Opal takes Ritz's attention back, "not much older than you are now. I believe she was a dancer."

"she was a prostitute." Ruby corrects.

"Yes." Opal grits her teeth angrily, "thank you, Ruby. your mother was a... woman of the night... that ran away with Red-Feathers. eventually you were born and they left you with me."

>>753353
Sounds like people you don't want to associate with. Nevertheless it sounds like getting rid of the Grifter is safer than just submitting, and apparently you have a good chance of getting off the hook if you can make it to court alive. So finding your Defenstrator sounds like a good plan. Or maybe we can convince the Grifter to stand down and allow you to get to court alive, with a big enough show of force? If they're just in it for the joy of killing that won't work though.

Tell Opal and Ruby that you're planning on getting a bunch more help, but for now... I think it's time to learn a few tricks you could use in combat. We've got time until the others arrive here.

wait, the snip we talked to earlier said he was looking for the bitch that is after us, any chance of that guy being the defenestrator. Because if so it looks like they went the merc route...fuck.

As for your folks... your dad sounds like a two bit asshole with the only reason we'd ever look for him is to kick him square in the balls... kinda surprised though he seems to have stuck with your mom as long as he has though. Honestly given the description we were given of him I'd figured he'd romancer her up just to get a free lay and then dump her. As how to feel about them though... well you were probably most likely an accident which I'm not going to lie hurts a bit but fuck those pricks, You've turned out great and they're in jail and fucked up so bad that the judge had to drag other people in to fix their fuck up.

But yeah speak of which, as for your hunter problem. I'm going to have to say your best option would be to either ditch your hunter or find some way to trick her into leaving. I mean if they're are two people looking for you and you happen to kill one of them the other guy is going to probably find out about it and come prepared... also speaking of the killing thing, would that land us in even deeper shit or what? I mean if you kill a cop who is trying to arrest you, you don't just walk free, in fact after doing so they tend to come after you in force.

Hmm. Question: is the Defenestrator actually our friend, either? Because, for instance, if they don't get paid unless we're acquitted, that may mean they'd make sure we went to court, even if it'd be a better idea if we just ran.

Also, is this whole thing legal here? The local laws are ok with foreign police coming in and abducting people?

>>753353
*sniff* "Does.....does that m-make me a bastard child?" :'-(

>>753353
So... my Dad was a jerk and my Mom was, at best, a girl in a bad situation.

...thank you for trying to protect me, Mother Opal. I get it. I wouldn't have pushed if I didn't have to, now.

>"so... you want me to kill someone?"
I heard these things are pretty hard to kill. You think we can? I'm not better disappearing or lying low? I don't really wanna get dragged off for some punishment I don't deserve, put I don't want to set a lot of people up to die on my account either.

So did they dump Ritz here cause they didn't want to deal with a child and knew Opal had retired but was still capable of kicking ass. or was it like "we didn't want you to be caught up in all this dangerous life styles" nonsense.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/10/24(Mon)04:40 No. 755044 ID: c745e1
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elsewhere, and hours before...

"come back to the convent when you find them, I'll wait there, ok?" Ritz pats Ysmir on the shoulder.

ok, I'll be there as quickly as I can." Ysmir says, and then darts off into the city.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/10/24(Mon)04:41 No. 755045 ID: c745e1
File 147730925924.png - (28.25KB , 1000x1000 , 0094.png )

Ysmir dashes into the thick of the city quickly. she finally slows to a halt in the town square.

"I need to find that snipe, and miss Kusaragi." she pants. she is unsure of herself. Sakura's scent is familiar to her, but it is very faint, and she always has trouble finding her when she wanders off. she sighs, she can't let Ritz down. she fingers the small iron bell, looking at it sadly.

Ysmir affixes it to her collar and gets ready to begin hunting down her quarry.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/10/24(Mon)04:41 No. 755046 ID: c745e1
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she closes her eyes and begins taking in the smells of the town around her. she can smell the honeyed hams the deli has just finished baking. she can smell the apple pie some aged baker has set on her windowsill. she smells the Ghost Water perfume of the Armada, wandering through the town on a hunt of her own. she can also smell the acrid fumes of the Fury's motorcycle. she can't get a good trace of Sakura, but she expected that. Sakura doesn't like crowds, she's probably somewhere quiet and lonely.

should Ysmir follow the fury, confront the Armada, or look for Sakura?

>>755046
focus on Sakura for now. The snipe is easy to track with his bike and all, if we can smell the Armada then we know she's still in town and as such will not find Ritz, and out of everyone Sakura is the person we trust the most and from what we know the most experienced person here so if anyone had an idea on how to get out of this situation she'd be who you'd place your bet on.

Look for Sakura, it's what Ritz asked you to do.

Ysmir! We're here from the future! Listen to us, something terrible will happen to Ritz in a few hours and the only way to stop it is to follow that pie.

>>755046
Go get Sakura!

Pie. Sakura. Give Sakura Pie.

Don't confront the Armada. Avoid her, if possible, in case she can track back to Ritz from you. The plan was to gather forces to deal with her, not go solo.

Start with Sakura, since she's the faintest, and the most reliable.

There may still be time to grab the fury after her, since the bike is easy to find. If you find the fury first, he might not wait for you to find Sakura before trying something.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/10/29(Sat)13:11 No. 755999 ID: c745e1
File 147777186814.png - (35.67KB , 1000x1000 , 0096.png )

it is a delicious pie. the most scrumptious pie Ysmir has ever smelled, but stealing is wrong! and that lady never gave Ysmir permission to take it! if Ysmir were to steal the pie, she would never be let into Elysium Fields, with all of her ancestor studs and bitches, and she couldn't do that. think of what her father would say!

she tries to move to a more quiet location, with fewer smells. behind the church, in the graveyard, she begins to get a whiff of sakura among the various smells of wet earth and corpse ash. the undertaker finds her actions questionable, but she is on a very important mission, so she will need to find him and apologize later.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/10/29(Sat)13:11 No. 756000 ID: c745e1
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once she catches a good trail she darts forward, sprinting into the light forest behind the church.

she finds sakura in a clearing, preparing for her supper.

"MISS KUSANAGI MISS KUSANAGI I'M SO SORRY I KNOW YOU TOLD ME NEVER TO INTERRUPT YOUR QUIET TIME BUT THIS IS AN EMERGENCY WE NEED TO GET GOING NOW WE NEED TO MOVE I'M SERIOUS I-"

she shoots a finger up, "take a breath."

Ysmir does so, "Miss Kusanagi, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Ritz needs-"

"what is that on your neck?" she looks down, "is that... oh no."

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/10/29(Sat)13:12 No. 756001 ID: c745e1
File 147777194217.png - (39.60KB , 1000x1000 , 0098.png )

"it's..." Ysmir hides the bell in her hands sadly, "Ritz wanted me to have it."

"did you at least tell her what that means?"

Ysmir looks down guiltily, "...maybe she knew already? I-I-I told her it was very important to me and-"

"Ysmir give it back to her, she didn't mean it like that." Sakura scolds, "she didn't give you a dowry, it's just a bell."

"m-maybe it is a dowry! you don't know!"

"yeah but probably not." Sakura counters, "and if this is all some misunderstanding, what then? do you remember when I gave you those bangles because you liked how they sounded? I had to tell you off later and you were so heartbroken you didn't eat for three days."

"well..." Ysmir squeaks.

"you fall in love too easily, Ysmir." Sakura sighs, "I'm frankly getting tired of watching you do this to yourself in every town we go to."

>>756001
No! Bad Ysmir! Quit getting distracted! Ritz is in danger!

Focus on the grifter! FOCUS ON THE GRIFTER!

>>756001
Try not to think about niave Ritz is and that there are probably lots of things she doesn't know about, dowries included.

My maybe-hopefully dowry isn't important right now! We have trouble. There's a fury in town, hunting Ritz.

>you fall in love too easily, Ysmir.
But I... Wait Wait Wait. No this isn't about me right now. Ritz is in trouble! An Armada showed up in town looking for her. She hasn't been caught yet but she sent me to find you since you we're hiding in town and that's we're the Armada was looking. What do we do?

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/11/24(Thu)07:15 No. 761117 ID: c745e1
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Ysmir shakes her head, "that's not important right now, miss Kusanagi! Ritz is in trouble!"

"yeah I already know that."

"she- you do?"

"of course." Sakura scoffs, "that 'Pyre' guy is bad news. I've been looking into him, and he's got a surprising amount of literature referencing him. he wrote a few books himself... about 300 years ago."

"oh... is 300 years a long time?"

"300 years ago all the Beastlings were one race and they walked on 4 legs."

"oh!" Ysmir beams, "I'm one of those right?"

"...yes." Sakura sighs, "you are one of those."

Ysmir smiles happily, but then she remembers she has a job to do. her ears fold down and she scrunches her eyebrows.

"Miss Kusanagi, there is a person looking for Ritz and she wants to bring her to Armistice to go to jail or something and her parents are there in jail and she told me to come find you!"

"ok I didn't know that."

"can you come up with a plan to save her and fix everything please miss Kusanagi?"

"yeah I suppose I could." she scratches her chin, "I expect she's hiding out in the church right now? I'll be up there as soon as I finish my tea. in the mean time you may want to go find this person from Armistice and distract them. if they are half as good at finding people as an average Grifter, they won't be far behind me."

"ok I can do that!" Ysmir nods, "I need to find an other guy first though, he might help!"

"it had better not be one of your Beastling friends." Sakura scolds, "last thing that poor convent needs is two fleabags running around."

Ysmir shakes her head sadly, "n-no I promise I won't bring anymore Beastlings. he's a snipe we met earlier."

"he better not charge us. we don't have much money."

>>761117
Shouldn't be a problem. He was after the bounty on the grifter so we can just let him take that for payment.

Your Ludeling instincts tell you to hug Sakura to thank her for her wisdom.

thank her for being so wise and just double check to make sure we're all going to met up at the church right? I mean Sakura did say that this Armistice broad is probably good at finding people and it wouldn't take much digging to find out that Scarlet came from the church, so it probably wouldn't hurt to make sure we're all going to met up at the church later instead of move the meet up spot somewhere else where the Armistice chick would have a harder time finding scarlet. Or I guess we could just sniff them out if we need to so not a big deal in the end I guess.

>"he better not charge us. we don't have much money."
That's easy. I approach offering to let him pay me to lead him to his target. Then let him negotiate down to nothing, or to no payment if he does what I say instead.

Thank Sakura for helping and figuring out the Pyre problem before you even knew it was a problem! She's smart.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/12/02(Fri)11:14 No. 763170 ID: c745e1
File 148070605233.png - (31.60KB , 1000x1000 , 0100.png )

"Thank you miss Kusanagi!" Ysmir wraps her massive arms around Sakura.

"ok OK! you're welcome Ysmir. get off of me already!"

"sorry." Ysmir backs off, "you're a lot smarter than I am and I'm glad you're here to help me so I don't make the wrong choices and mess everything up."

Sakura stares back at the Ludeling tiredly, "don't start with that shit again. I really don't have the patience for it."

Ysmir sighs, "I'm sorry. I won't let you or R... miss Ritz down, I promise!"

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/12/02(Fri)11:14 No. 763171 ID: c745e1
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Ysmir gets up and begins walking back to the center of town. she has to find the Snipe. picking up the scent of his acrid steed is no problem, and she follows it swiftly.

she hears him before she sees him. he's sitting in the center of town surrounded by a crowd of stunned locals, bragging about his mighty metal beast.

"faster than any horse, and louder than a Cacodaemon." he boasts, "there's nowhere to run from me when I got your scent."

he takes hold of a swooning Gargoyle, "how about taking a ride with the Ash Wrathracked?"

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/12/02(Fri)11:14 No. 763172 ID: c745e1
File 148070609178.png - (28.49KB , 1000x1000 , 0102.png )

"excuse me, mister Wrathracked?" Ysmir approaches.

"Woah mama!" he dashes away from the bodacious broad and toward the ludeling, "you couldn't get me off your mind, huh?"

Ysmir growls lowly, "...I need to talk to you, mister-"

"yeah I'm hard to get over, I know. I stick with girls, I'm like an itchy rash... bu-but in a sexy kind of way..."

Ysmir sighs angrilly. she really just wants to punch this guy, but Ritz told her to recruit him. how should she do this?

Assert your superior femininity to command Ash's full attention. Demand he take YOU on a ride - to the monastery, post haste.

>>763173
Haha, we could totally do that. Once we're on the motorcycle we could bring up the bounty on the Grifter and convince him to help with it.

Tell this idiot there's a sexy damsel in danger from an even sexier damsel, and you'd like him to work his charms on the sexier damsel, and if it doesn't work you're sure that you and the sexy damsel and your friend, the even MORE sexy damsel will reward him for his time.

Too easy.

>made her drop her tea
Rip.

>>763172
"I'm here to talk about your bounty, not about your itchy sex rash."

>>763207
Too complicated. Tell this idiot there's a sexy damsel in danger from an even sexier damsel, and you'd like him to collect a bounty on the second one. Advise him to follow you, and run off in the appropriate direction without waiting for him to acknowledge.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/12/07(Wed)15:01 No. 764332 ID: c745e1
File 148115166494.png - (27.19KB , 1000x1000 , 0103.png )

"ew." Ysmir winces, "please never mention your itchy sex rash again. I need your help. we found the bounty you're hunting, she's here in the city!"

"woah there, hairy mama," he retorts, "let's not talk about work right now. right now let's just focus on me tricking you into having sex with me."

"rrr... this is important!" Ysmir barks, "miss Ritz is getting hunted by that Armada you're chasing!"

"what Armada?" he asks.

"wha- HARVESS! the Armada you're Sniping!"

"Har- OH!" he slaps his forehead absent mindedly, "yeah, right, that Armada."

"yes, that Armada." Ysmir groans angrilly, "can you please give me some help?"

"sure thing, hot stuff." he grins, "whatcha need?"

"for one thing I'd like a ride to the Convent at the top of the hill." Ysmir says.

"ah. I think I get your meaning." he nods, "you want a ride on Lucifer."

Ysmir winces, "why would you name a motorcycle Lucifer?"

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2016/12/07(Wed)15:01 No. 764333 ID: c745e1
File 148115169811.png - (18.39KB , 1000x1000 , 0104.png )

"actually Lucifer's the name of my dick."

"Do you have to point it out to everyone because they'd never find it otherwise?"

Indicate you mean a ride on the motorcycle up the geological formation, not the singed ego.

...
...
...
"have you ever even been in a fight before?"

anyways this isn't worth it, leave, if he tries to follow just give him a fake place to met up like the opposite end of town and go back to the church, this was a no go.

I'd smack him, but I don't know if that would burn your hand or not.

>>764333
Slap him.

>>764333
Oh, has your dick failed you when you've trusted it before? Sad.

"If you dick betrayed you, why would you want to be reminded of that."

No, wait wait wait.

Remind him that the Covenant is full of sexy nuns that need rescuing. And that *urk* nothing gets you worked up like a good fight, or seeing a hero in action.

If that blatant play to his ego doesn't work, just steal the bike.

Okay, he just crossed a line in public. You may now grab him by the shoulders and roar in his face. Get his boob focus from your tits to the Armada's.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/01/18(Wed)19:41 No. 773202 ID: 683cf1
File 148479730732.png - (24.40KB , 1000x1000 , 0106.png )

"wow!" he exclaims, "what a hot bhabhi!"

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/01/18(Wed)19:42 No. 773203 ID: 683cf1
File 148479733652.png - (27.83KB , 1000x1000 , 0107.png )

he gets back up and continues imposing, "I like a woman who knows how to throw a haymaker."

"I know a lot more than that." Ysmir warns.

"groovy!" he beams, "you and I should try out some wrestling moves naked back at my place, whaddya say, hairy mama?"

Ysmir growls lowly and turns, "I know Miss Ritz told me to retrieve you but this is a waste of time!"

"wait wait!" Ash follows, "you said this uh... Ritz... needs my help? was that the babe you were walking with earlier?"

"yeah." Ysmir replies, "she's being hunted by your bounty."

"well I can't just leave a damsel in distress, can I?" he grins with machismo, "and you said she was shacked up at the top of the hill with all those spicy Guadian chicks... say no more! let's get rolling!"

>>773203
Okay. Time for a bike ride.

Only if he agrees to say no more either. Just... ugh.

i'm not jealous i'm not jealous

>let's get rolling!
If that's another sex thing I'm going to hit you again.

Ok, we got him for all the good that does us. Hopefully he proves to be somewhat useful but either way I have a feeling we're going to be hitting this guy a lot.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/03/17(Fri)09:59 No. 788132 ID: 5e2c69
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"if that's innuendo I'm gonna hit you again." Ysmir huffs.

"anything is innuendo if you're DTF." he retorts.

"well I'm not whatever that means!" Ysmir barks.

he mounts the bike, and then pats the seat, which Ysmir sits down on. he gets really serious.

"hands around my waist." he orders, "and hold on tight, safety first."

Ysmir complies, and in a moment, the beast roars to life. in this moment Ysmir realizes she is scared of Lucifer.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/03/17(Fri)10:01 No. 788133 ID: 5e2c69
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elsewhere, Ritz catches her breath hard, laying on the floor.

"what do you think, Ruby?" Opal wipes her brow.

"I'm impressed." she nods.

"really?" Ritz looks up hopefully.

"yeah." she crosses her arms, "you're the clumsiest Zenling I've ever seen. it's remarkable."

Ritz blows a raspberry at the Crawler while Opal stiffles a laugh.

"it's ok, Scarlet." Opal gives her a hand up, "you're doing just fine."

"these knives are too heavy." Ritz makes an excuse, "I need lighter weapons, I think."

"you need more muscles." Ruby counters, "bluesteel is barely heavier than iron."

"well, we could get you more reasonable weapons if you need them." Opal reasons.

"and a bib and bonnet, as well." Ruby scoffs, "those daggers are worth more than a house, if you can't fight with those, then you're hopeless."

"she's just not used to them." Opal sighs, "in time she can-"

"in time she'll be in Armistice rattling a cup against her cell's bars." Ruby interrupts.

Ritz sits against the wall, panting. Ruby stretches and leans on the wall next to her.

"I gave you the deal already." she states, "you pay me, and the Grifter dies."

"I don't have enough money." Ritz protests.

"I can get the payment later." she replies, "I owe Opal a favor, anyway."

"I don't know." Ritz shakes her head, "putting out a hit on someone doesn't feel right."

she relents. "the offer's on the table."

>Bluesteel daggers are too heavy
You could always try connecting them to chains and throw them around. Classic, right?

>Order a hit?
No. Too dangerous, you don't want Ruby to die because she underestimated an immortal.

If we're gonna try to kill the Grifter then it should be with a group of experienced hunters. Ruby can help and be paid for it eventually, but she shouldn't do so alone. Opal trusts Ruby so it doesn't sound like a bad thing to be in her debt.

It seems like Ritz isn't gonna be much help in the fight, though.

probably should go over all our options first then chose a plan of action. You know since we're probably going up against an immortal it's probably better to actually think this one through then rush in head first and just hope for the best.

>weapons are heavy and you're not used to them
Well, yeah. You're a newbie. You need practice and/or training.

>>788306
>probably should go over all our options first then chose a plan of action
That seems reasonable.

We can fight, with or without Ruby's help. (Does she really think she can take the grifter? These aren't minor things, after all).

We could run. All we have to do is stay ahead of it, and not leave a trail, right?

We could attempt to talk our way out. Prooooobably not a good idea to bet on.

We could burn the card. A bad idea. If we ever tap him, we want to know exactly what we're bargaining for, and we can't afford to negotiate from a position of weakness.

We could hand ourselves in and face the music. How bad would that be?

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/06(Thu)20:42 No. 813505 ID: 5e2c69
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"I don't want you to get hurt because of me." Ritz says, "this Grifter could be an immortal."

"I've killed immortals before." Ruby replies shortly.

"she could be more than you can handle." Ritz reasons

"doubt it."

"well... well Sakura and Ysmir can still help! three against one would be better than going in alone."

"I work better alone." she replies, "but if you're so adamant, I can let the other two tag along."

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/06(Thu)20:43 No. 813506 ID: 5e2c69
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"I'd hate to slow you down." Sakura enters, "I can just take Ysmir and hit the tavern while you go get scythed or whatever."

she glances at Opal and scoffs, "nice get up. real intimidating, ma'am."

Opal laughs nervously and excuses herself.

"Sakura, I'm glad you're here!" Ritz sighs, "this is ruby and she is going to-"

"-get slaughtered, I caught that part of the plan."

Ruby narrows her eye at the scrub, "this is your ace in the hole, Rosequartz? she looks like a fetishist hockey goalie."

"yeah and you look like you caught bird shit at a bad angle." Sakura quips, "anyway, Ysmir says you got an Armada problem. I sent her to fetch the Snipe."

"that gives us four, then." Ritz nods.

"five." Sakura counters, "I'm not getting into a brawl with an Armada for my health, you're going to help."

"I'm no good at fighting, though." Ritz argues, "I'd just get in the way."

"only one way to get good, princess."

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/06(Thu)20:44 No. 813507 ID: 5e2c69
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"miss Ritz, I brought the snipe!" Ysmir exclaims from the doorway, "I did good!"

"that's right." Ash enters behind Ysmir, "no one panic, Ash Rathwracked is here to save the day."

"thank you so much for helping me out!" Ritz says as she approaches the Fury.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/06(Thu)20:44 No. 813508 ID: 5e2c69
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Ash takes her in his arms, "no problem, little mama, no thanks are necessary."

"I- ah! t-there m-must be some way to repay you!" Ritz swoons.

"well come to think of it I-"

"say Ritz when are you turning 16?" Sakura interjects.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/06(Thu)20:45 No. 813509 ID: 5e2c69
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"I UH THINK WE CAN WORK OUT A PAYMENT PLAN."

So the snipe takes point, right? And by point I mean he gets to serve as the distraction. The rest of the group will attack first, to do what they can before Ruby steps in. Probably not for very long.

>>813509
Pffff HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! XD

He may be a perv, but it looks like he at least knows when someone's too young, they're off limits, so that's some good news at least!

One immortal-butchering strategy with extra lesbians, hold the sitcom!

>>813509
"Ow. No fair, I'm getting hurt before we even start the fight."

Ysmir: seethe.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/09(Sun)05:40 No. 814177 ID: 5e2c69
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"speaking of plans," Sakura says, picking Ritz up from the floor, "we don't have one."

"I was thinking we could just... I don't know, beat the Grifter up?" Ritz replies.

"brilliant." Sakura scoffs, "let's go do it right now. the planning phase is over, right? we're more than ready, you suppose?"

Ritz sticks her tongue out at the Scrub, "what's your plan?"

"get the Grifter following you down an alley, we flank them and gut them. standard pincer maneuver."

"Miss Kusanagi." Ysmir leans in, "she might be one of the Immortals. I don't know if getting close would be a good idea."

Sakura shrugs, "well I doubt an Immortal would care much about a few shuriken and a crossbow bolt, so unless we have a couple spellflingers in present company, I think meelee combat is our only option at this point."

"excuse me," Ash butts in, "but uh, Pyromancer extraordinaire over here."

"you're a mage?" Sakura sneers.

"sure am!" he grins, "what did you expect?"

"I don't know man, you got the whole body by zeus thing going on I expected more of a direct kind of combat from you."

"no way. these babies here," he flexes to emphasize, "are for the girls back home."

"...and for the girls on the road. and for the girls in town. these are for every girl."

"how generous." Sakura replies.

"go ahead, little mama, give 'em a feel. they're like steel anvils."

"I ain't gonna feel your fucking buttcheeks." Sakura winces, "but if we got a spellcaster, that definitely swings things in our favor. if we tweak things a bit... Ysmir and I could try the pincer and keep the Grifter busy, and while they're distracted, loverboy can plug her with some hellfire."

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/09(Sun)05:41 No. 814178 ID: 5e2c69
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"alternate plan." Ruby stands and presides over the group, "I take the Grifter out. if it's a mortal, I can do it in one hit. if it's Immortal, maybe three."

"you sound pretty confident, cyclops." Sakura chides.

"I've been in this line of work longer than any of you have been alive."

"and I've seen plenty of veteran Crawlers with their guts hanging out of their bellies," Sakura says, "I've cut open a couple of them, come to think of it."

"well, if I die, you won't have to pay me," Ruby smirks, "and then you can try your little..."

"Pincer maneuver." Sakura growls.

"yeah, that."

"alright, Ritz, what's the plan?" Sakura says, turning toward the Zenling.

"w-what? I have to decide?!"

"yeah." Sakura nods, "it's your problem, you gotta fix it."

Question: Does your plan rely on the element of surprise, Ruby?
If not, go with plan Sakura at first.

Okay, for the noobs in the party: what's the big difference between an Immortal Grifter and a non-Immortal Grifter?

>what do
Is there some reason Ruby's plan isn't compatible with a pincer maneuver?

Tactically, I'd lean more towards a plan that leverages numbers and puts the enemy at a disadvantage (ambushed, hemmed in, and surrounded) than one that relies on perfect performance by just one person. I mean yeah, maybe Ruby is that good, but we don't know how good the enemy is, so why not stack what we have?

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/10(Mon)18:31 No. 814675 ID: 5e2c69
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"can someone explain what an Immortal Armada is?" Ritz asks.

"think of it like this." Sakura explains, "if I were to try to kill you, how would I do it?"

"uh?"

"exactly. I got a lot of options." she replies, "I could cut your gut open, nick an artery, strangle, poison, so on. can't do that to an Immortal. only way to kill an Immortal is to destroy the heart or the brain. same goes with Daemons and Liches. remember the Cobalt from the forest? you shot him in the head and he was still kicking until Pyre lit him up."

"on top of that, Immortal Armada are usually nobles." Ruby cuts in, "meaning they have a lot of combat training. whatever fiend your group took care of in the forest last night may have been as hardy as this Immortal, but I doubt it had much skill with whatever power it was wielding."

"ok, so you're certain you could go head to head with one alone?" Ritz asks Ruby.

"I've done it before." she replies.

"that's not reassuring."

she shrugs.

"if we did Sakura's flanking maneuver, that would make it a lot safer for you to get in, wouldn't it?" Ritz reasons.

"at the cost of your own safety, yes." she replies.

"I would feel better if we all took a bit of risk instead of you trying to do it yourself."

"very well. you're the one paying me." Ruby stretches and yawns, "so if we're doing this tonight, we need to get moving soon. sun will be setting soon. otherwise, I'll be waiting for your orders in the morning."

[i] should the party hurry to battle tonight? are there any last minute changes to the plan? or should the group get their rest and go after the Grifter in the morning?

Strike while the iron is hot. Surprise is valuable.

Let's hurry and get it done tonight.

>>814675
Whatever we do, Ritz is gonna have to be extra careful not to be held hostage. That's just about the only thing that would stop Ruby, I reckon.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/20(Thu)09:33 No. 817127 ID: 5e2c69
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"no time like the present... I guess."

the party sets out quickly after gathering their equipment. they walk down the path to town as the last rays of light give way to a dim moonshine. after a while, Ruby taps Ash on the shoulder.

"you and me, we're flanking. let's go." she says shortly.

"hey slow down there, Wonder Woman." Sakura crosses her arms, "since when was this your plan?"

"you want this plan to work?" Ruby smirks, "you put the power players behind the enemy. you and Ysmir can distract the Grifter. unless you're incapable?"

"what the FUCK did you say?"

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/20(Thu)09:34 No. 817128 ID: 5e2c69
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Ysmir hugs Sakura from behind firmly, "Miss Sakura, we can keep a better eye on Ritz- er... Miss Rits, and the Grifter that way."

"...fine." she mutters, "Ritz, we'll be waiting near the tavern, just get the Grifter on your tail and duck between it and the apothecary, got it?"

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/20(Thu)09:34 No. 817129 ID: 5e2c69
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"yeah. of course." Ritz nods. the two groups move away from her into town. the moon is high now, and the lights of lanterns and candles in the windows of homes begin to dim.

"guess it's time to go hunting..." Ritz says. it sounded pretty badass in her head, but her cracking whispering voice turned it into something almost comical.

>>817129
Here's to (hopefully) not getting killed!

Buck up. You've got a group of otherwise seemingly competent adventuring types interested in sticking their necks out on your behalf- they must see something in you.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/21(Fri)09:38 No. 817288 ID: 5e2c69
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>You've got a group of otherwise seemingly competent adventuring types interested in sticking their necks out on your behalf- they must see something in you.
hopefully Ritz will start seeing it in herself...

"alright... just got to find the Grifter... and not get arrested, or killed." Ritz sighs, "I can do this. this will be easy. piece of cake. no problemo."

she walks through the darkened city streets, jumping at every sound and skittering rat that she comes across.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/07/21(Fri)09:38 No. 817289 ID: 5e2c69
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after some time wandering around, she spots the Grifter. she's sat by the fountain in the center of town... doing...

what the hell is she doing? she's bent over something, fiddling with it, and her weapon is out of her reach!

what should Ritz do?

be cool, act nonchalant

>>817289
Don't fall for it! That's obviously a trap to try and trick you into thinking that you can sneak attack them!

There's a very good chance that they already know you're behind them, so keep an eye on them and walk around them. Start making your way over to the ambush spot between the tavern and the apothecary.

>>817289
Yeah this is a trap. She either has a second weapon concealed there or she's still plenty dangerous unarmed. Stick with the plan and move towards the ambush point. She will probably start following you.

If this is a trap, then your best bet is to snipe from a distance. Shooting an immortal with years to master parrying bolts with a knife wouldn't be very effective, but I doubt her scythe has that kind of training, let alone intelligence.

Shoot the Scythe, get it out of her reach! If she can't use her crowd control main, that makes your ambush entire levels easier!

>>817322
Like you said, she's an immortal that's had years to master whatever skills she needs for her job. Which means she has a counter to what you want to do. So let's not do that.

>her weapon is out of her reach!
It's also glowing.

Don't trust that she's really unarmed. The appearance of vulnerability in an open space is probably to draw you out.

>what do
Gasp in surprise and fear- you don't even have to wholly fake that. Then start backing towards the ally and start to run as soon as she moves.

The idea is to try and act like someone who didn't want to encounter her, starts trying to move away quietly, then panics. If she thinks you're incompetent or careless, she's more likely to pursue than if you're obvious about it.

>>817360
Well if we're doing that, then shooting the crossbow at her would also help.

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/08/29(Tue)09:34 No. 825879 ID: 5e2c69
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Ritz slowly lowers herself down and grabs a pebble from the street. the Grifter is still turned around... messing with something... Ritz begins to hear her muttering under her breath. no, not muttering. humming? a small yellow glow emanates from in front of the Grifter. is she casting a spell?

Sports Drink with Electrolytes 2017/08/29(Tue)09:36 No. 825880 ID: 5e2c69
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Ritz hurls the pebble. the Grifter stops and raises her head as the rock collides with the stone fountain.

"is someone there?" she says, turning to face Ritz. her face is hidden under the hefty red hood. she gasps lightly when she sees Ritz in the dim light of the moon.

"ah... Rose Quartz?" she rises slowly, "I need to talk to you. it's about your parents. we're friends... sort of. and-and... ah, they're very worried about you... they just want to see you..."

she starts to move toward Ritz, and Ritz sees what the Grifter was fiddling with. long streaks of blood run down her arm from some wound. Ritz backs away, and the Grifter show her palms to her.

"unarmed, see?" she says, "I just want to talk."

In what universe does unarmed constitute harmless? Not one with magic, that's for sure.
Insult her while backpedaling. How dare she spit on your parents' name or somesuch, you bet those cuts came from shaving her beard this morning, etc.

>is she casting a spell?
Probably. One advantage of immortality is a lot of time to learn things.

>long streaks of blood run down her arm from some wound
Well, I guess if she's really immortal, that wouldn't hinder her. I wonder if someone really got a hit in on her and she hasn't bothered to deal with it, or if she did that herself and it's supposed to unsettle you, or make you underestimate her (or try to help her).

>"unarmed, see?" she says, "I just want to talk."
"Then talk from over there, stay back."

Keep your distance, as soon as she starts to close again, or says or does something else to spook you, run and lead her into the trap.

>I need to talk to you. it's about your parents. we're friends... sort of. and-and... ah, they're very worried about you... they just want to see you...
Almost certainly lying. Although I would be very darkly amused if we ended up murdering an actual messenger over bad or incomplete intel.

>>825880
Tell her to not get any closer if she just wants to talk.
If she moves one more step, run for it.

>>825884
>Although I would be very darkly amused if we ended up murdering an actual messenger over bad or incomplete intel.
We know that's not true because of the end of the last thread. She's here because of the sins of the father etc.

"... Why are you ripping your arm off?"

>>825890
For that matter, she can talk while sitting down on the ground, or laying on her back. If this message is so important, she ought to be willing to endure a momentary inconvenience to make the recipient more comfortable and willing to listen, right?