Regular bolt through the first two again, but hit the charging spearman with a power bolt and the collosal guy with an incendiary bolt. We want to break the guy's charge.

>>340410
if you can't use the shoot thought the demon trick to add an extra target try this

2pt normal into the north most target
3pt power into the south most target (the guy by the edge)
3pt incendiary on the demon closest to you.

>>340449
Four points for the regular, three for the power and two for the incendiary.

Hmm. 2 point Power on the spear guy, 3 point Power on the crossbow guy, and 4 point Fragment on the sword guy. Also move left a bit more.

Brom 2011/08/15(Mon)18:42 No. 340482 ID: 523c4c
File 131345897854.png - (13.90KB , 800x600 , 173.png )

>>340465
Reload. Aim. Fire. Total time .66 seconds. Not good. Wendat reevaluates. He's stressful. Regulate. Breathe deeply: release.
The first power shot sweeps the spearman's legs out from beneath him. Before he falls, however, he flings his spear like a javelin, and it speeds directly toward Wendat's face. The second power shot knocks the crossbowman off the side as easily as a breeze moves a leaf. It falls screaming to its death. The fragmentation bolt annihilates the swordsman. The big one coughs dark ichor onto the ground, but moves with surprising speed toward Wendat, taking long, crushing strides.

>>340482
Drop to a knee while reloading so that the spear misses.

Incendiary 4 on the big one
->Incendiary 2 on the now-disarmed spearman
->Power 4 on the big one.

Hopefully this will leave both of them on the ground and burnt, possibly to death.

>>340482
Update your kills tally.
Incendiary 4 on the spearman, Power 4 on the big guy, and Standard 2 on the spearman.

normal 2 to the in flight spear.
power 4 to the big guy
incendiary 4 to downed spear man.

Brom 2011/08/16(Tue)19:21 No. 340774 ID: 523c4c
File 131354769620.png - (14.68KB , 800x600 , 174.png )

Wendat knocks the spear off course with a standard bolt that sends it clattering to the ground next to him. The bolt ricochets off the spear in midair and plows into the heavy demon as a 4 point power bolt. It raises its shield to deflect and loses the shield as a result. It also loses the hand that was holding it. The bolt deflects one more time into the prone spearman, who bursts into flame as he desperately drags himself toward Wendat and his spear. Wendat ignores his pitiful screaming and the popping of his flesh in the fire. He's heard it before.

>>340774
4 point Power Bolt into the big one
->3 point Incendiary Bolt into the burning one to finish him off
->4 point Fragment Bolt into the big one

Hopefully that will finish them and allow us to proceed onward past this annoyance.

I would want to try to contact the others after finishing off these demons, but I guess we can't do that with the spells we have.

>>340776
Might be too close to him to use Fragment.

I say just go with Incendiary on the first one, and Power on the other two. Same numbers.

Brom 2011/08/17(Wed)00:21 No. 340833 ID: 523c4c
File 131356569332.png - (17.79KB , 800x600 , 175.png )

"How goes the battle, General Red? Is it the flawless tactical insertion you pictured? Is it all you wanted? I hope I am a good host to you. I have sugar cookies for you in the kitchen. Did you leave already? Then I will have to eat them all myself! They taste of dreams fallen short, and cinnamon!"

Reload. Re-aim. That spearman's screaming is growing annoying. Yet another headache for Wendat Huron.
>>340782
Wendat fires a 4-point incendiary bolt into the big one, causing him to burst screaming into flames. He keeps coming.
He hits the spearman with a 3-point power bolt to the head, snapping his neck and killing him instantly. Probably for the best.
He bounces the power bolt into a 4-pointer on the swordsman, who is bowled over sideways with a shoulderpad smashed in. But he recovers, and keeps coming. He winds up for a swing, holding his huge blade in both hands.

Hit him with another 4-point Power Bolt. Aim for the shoulder, to completely fuck up his swing. Goddamn, what a tough fucker.

Also, dodge.

Shoot one of the big guy's leg off with a power bolt, bounce off into the flaming corpse with whatever, then smash his face with a regular shot.

>>340833
Take a couple steps back (but not all the way to the edge!) to buy a bit of additional time to reload. Try to take out at least one of his legs so that charging will cease to be a problem. Hell, I'd go so far as to advise Power Shot against one leg->power shot into the other leg->standard shot through the rest of the body, if you can be that precise.

I am tempted to use a finisher, but that seems such a waste against an opponent we've already done so much damage to.

No this is what it's for. Use a finisher to blow that guy out of the water. No need to take risks.

Finishers aren't as good as spewing 12 point combos IMO. (Also we probably don't want to explode him right next to us.)

If you can do precise enough maneuvering, I say you
hit him in the upper leg with a power(4)
bounce it into a normal(4) through the lower part of his other leg
then bounce it off the ground into another normal(4) through his head.

>>340833
Straight up take his head off.

Brom 2011/08/21(Sun)16:52 No. 342154 ID: 523c4c
File 131397077084.png - (18.21KB , 800x600 , 176.png )

Wendat pulls back and pumps a powershot directly into the demon's leg, starting a combo. He broke it at the knee, he hears it snap, and the demon staggers backward, teeters, but now it [i]keeps moving[i], a combination of lurching, charging, and falling, the last few steps up to the mage, and shoulder-checks him hard enough to knock all the air out of his lungs. The bolt flies wide and the combo is lost.

Wendat lands at the edge of the cliff, all momentum lost and vision swimming. The demon is falling toward him, sword out and ready to bisect him even as it bites the dirt.

>>342154
Well, we're not going to be reloading our crossbow from this position. Move fast instead. Roll right a few feet so that it misses us, then scramble to get some distance. There's no way in hell that it can pursue in that condition... I hope.

Displace.

Brom 2011/08/21(Sun)18:05 No. 342164 ID: 523c4c
File 131397510450.png - (15.22KB , 800x600 , 177.png )

Wendat rolls to his left and feels the wind of the greatsword and its impact shake the ground. He scrambles to his feet and hustles away from the prone giant. He is not having a good time, anymore. His head is buzzing with frustration. The demon is crawling now on its broken leg, desperately attempting to reach him, howling as the fire starts to engulf it and its skin bubbles. At the moment Wendat feels nothing but contempt. How dare any of these scrap-metal mongers dare to lay a finger on a cyclopean mage?

>>342164
Tch. It's not moving at anything resembling a threatening speed. Take a moment to reload, breathe, and recover focus.

Then shoot it in the head.

Get some distance, then nail him with a standard bolt.

Put that slug out of its misery.

Brom 2011/08/22(Mon)18:22 No. 342352 ID: 523c4c
File 131406255905.png - (15.37KB , 800x600 , 178.png )

Wendat slaps a bolt into his crossbow and shoots the thing in the head. He doesn't even bother using any magic.

He is alone now, and it's quiet save for the crackle and pop of the dead demons. It smells like overdone beef.

Wendat doesn't know anymore. Does he go for one of the portals, and risk getting even more lost? Should he stay here and wait for someone, and take himself out of the action?

>>342352
Go through the nearest portal. Keep moving and you'll have a better chance of running into a friendly.

>>342352
This platform is floating somewhere with a view, right, not just in infinite empty space? Take a moment to look around. When uncertain, gather intel.

Also, does Wendat have any magical skills aside from his crossbow tricks which might be immediately usable?

Recenter yourself, take in your surroundings, and go through either of the portals. Keep fighting. Even if we have to kill every enemy in this stronghold, we'll get them all eventually.

Shouldn't you be able to see Random's battle from here?

Brom 2011/08/22(Mon)19:35 No. 342383 ID: 523c4c
File 131406692998.png - (29.38KB , 800x600 , 179.png )

Wendat looks around. He can see some other floating islands, and a thick cloud of black smoke rising from one of them confirms Random's prescence. He steels himself, and rushes through another portal

where an oversized dead demon slams into the wall directly to his left and slides down it in a crumpled heap. Its blood has been frozen into icicles and punches through its skin, and half its body appears to have been set on fire. Another lies under a heavy pillar of stone, crushed into a red paste on the floor. Two more are pinned behind a wall, their limbs still twitching. Everywhere the stone is slick with gore.
Wendat has walked into a killing field. He gapes. Around a dozen demons, four or five of them the big bruisers, lie in the blood-saturated corridor. In the middle stands Epraim, having just killed the last one.


"Howdy," says Epraim.

Note to self. NEVER PISS HIM OFF.

>>342383
"It appears I missed the party."

>>342383
...God damn.

>>342383
Teamwork time!

First of all, do you have a quick way to confirm that he isn't a disguise/illusion?

The next time you enter a portal, try physically holding onto each other in order to avoid being split up.

>>342393
i doubt the demons have access to illusions, though if you have a fast and safe way to check using it is a good habit to get into. holding onto each other is a good idea, your fighting style works best when you have someone else fighting at your side.

>>342383
"You sure know how to make a guy feel humbled."

Brom 2011/08/22(Mon)22:42 No. 342427 ID: 523c4c
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"Am I... late to the party, then?" asks Wendat, when he is sure his voice won't quiver.
"Reckon," says Epraim. "Ambush hallway. Must be a few of them circling round the portals somewhere."
"You, ah, certainly know how to make a man feel humbled, mate."
Suddenly Epraim is directly in front of him. He tries not to jump. "Huron." His voice is infected with an urgency Wendat has never heard before. "Don't tell nobody you saw this mess. Please?"
"Ooookay," says Wendat. "Okay. Shall we, uh," he gestures to the portal. "sally forth? Keeping physical contact to stay together?"

Epraim has re-joined the party. Choose your point-of-view character.

>>342427
Epraim because we are not really that good at being Wendat apparently.

Epraim. I still don't like Wendat after being in his head.

Brom 2011/08/22(Mon)23:57 No. 342431 ID: 523c4c
File 131408267190.png - (127.97KB , 800x600 , 181.png )

"You coming, mate?" asks Wendat. "Thank the spirits you showed up, by the by, because everything's been going a bit pear-shaped and it's good to see a friendly face around here for a change."

Epraim ain't been truthful to you, or his friends, and he is regretful about it, but he don't want to spread the truth around at all.

The truth is twofold:

One: Getlx is a much, much larger fish to fry than any of the other mages, bar Orpheo, thinks, and the small scale of this outing is just a smokescreen intended to keep the abyss from declaring out-and-out war on the Arcanopolis. Embedded in this group of low-level combat magi is a lethal vector and one of the only mages who can safely tackle Getlx on his own.

Two: Epraim is that mage, and he is, by varying estimations, the sixth most powerful mortal being who has ever walked on Eivr. He plain hates to admit it, and he plain don't like killing, but he is currently reckoned to be the single deadliest living evoker, one-on-one, in the Arcanopolis, and the third deadliest mage overall against groups. He no longer arena battles due to the attention it gives him, but when he did his record was a flawless 34-0. He is a walking personification of the fury of nature. He is the Archmagi's secret weapon, ace, trump card, straight flush, disguised as a student attending the battlemage's college. The other magi may fear they are weapons of mass destruction. Epraim knows it with a certainty that would make some other fellas out there slit their wrists. He knows it, Orpheo knows it, and the Council of Archmagi know it, but no one else knows it, and he'd prefer to keep it that way.

Which is why he needs to find a way to lose Wendat before he finds and personally kills Getlx, and he don't got much time. If any of the other mages find their way to the big fella, they could be in serious danger.

>>342431
Well. Sounds like the best choice is simply being direct here. Pin Wendat to the wall with something that he'll be able to break free of within in a minute or two and leaves his hands free. Man just a stone coffin for the feet or something. Then give Wendat an array of defenses that both trap him in this room, make him almost unassailable, and a free range of fire. Maybe a series of shells with murder holes? Give him a few hours to break out of that. Then go on alone and finish the mission.

>>342431
Whoa. Who are the two above you against groups?

Erm. I'm thinking you could get rid of him by making him stumble right before he goes into the portal. But... thinking about it... you have absolutely no guarantee that he'll go somewhere that doesn't involve Getlx. You and him have the same chance of getting to him by stepping through a portal. Your best bet is to go with him and then make him leave somehow if the portal sends you to Getlx.

Or peek through each one first. If it's Getlx then just shove him away or make him trip via earth manipulation so that you go in without him.

you could suggest that wendat stay on one of the floating islands and support random. tell Wendat his style isn't so good in closed quarters like this, and last you saw random needed someone to watch his back. if he says you need help just point out that an earth speclized elementalist in a stone room does not need much help.

>>342431
Ditching Wendat is pointless unless you somehow prevent him from moving forward and perhaps into Getlx on his own, and I don't see that happening without somehow tipping your hand- it'll be obvious if at some point you prevent him from moving forward towards the stated objective of this mission.

Better to move forward together with him and worry about keeping secrets later. I mean, listen to what he's already said- everything was going pear-shaped for him already. On his own, Wendat is going to be in a lot of trouble regardless.

Keep him with you, go through portals first, and if you run into Getlx shove Wendat back through the portal. The random portals should keep Wendat out of the way long enough for you to take Getlx out. You might be able to figure out a way to make the shove look accidental, too.

Also, can you sense any other passages or guards nearby through the earth? I don't see any reason to play Getlx's game with the portals if you can just walk through the walls to get him.

>safely tackle Getlx on his own
Does that mean that Getlx has powers that makes him more dangerous against groups than against individuals? Is he an illusionist or something? If not, I think you guys would generally be safer as a group than not.

>>342439
This. Forget all the oh-so-subtle random shove through a portal business, Wendat likes to have a mission, so give him one. Tell him one of the other students needs help, or that you saw something important that Orpheo needs to know about right away. Wendat's not likely to insist that you need help though, the evidence against that is splattered all over the walls.

So you're really going to tackle Getlx all on your own? That seems a bit risky... if that's the case, though, why not go on the assassination alone, rather than bringing all these students that can get in the way?