Side One, Ep.2 "Double Dog Dare"

[SeverinR]

Shan Mai will charge in with Sanpogiri,

The blades make contact, but not cutting to deep.

Shan Mai calls back to the others,
"Could anyone grabs some water or water soaked cloth and have them ready?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

As Shan Mai cuts each of the men in the front row, they reel back in pain. Bottles fly up in the air.

((Agility check needed from Shan Mai!))

 

[Noma Galway]

My voice stabilizes and I release the spell to hit the one closest to the windows. I can't help the nun any better than by doing that.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

To Mariya's surprise, it is not only the man she struck who drops his bottle. Three more are started by the thunder. The spell seems more powerful than it should have been!

((I forgot to color the names, but Mariya and Shan Mai are on adrenaline surges. I played with the effect a bit, so magic users and archers can benefit. The short version: you get better damage, but as a result of better die rolls during the adrenaline surge:

Weak: 1-7
Norm: 8-14
Str.: 15-18
Max.: 19-20

Also, only two men on the bottom row have not dropped their bottles.

If you picture your characters seeing the battle in slow-mo, there are three bottles twirling in the air, and another four dropping straight down as the lightning flashes.))

 

[Ruby]

Fenella

I swing the sword again. Oops!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

((@Ruby, please roll again for agility to prevent Fenella from getting fried...

Fenella missed, but the check is needed if someone else strikes her opponent.))

 

[Ruby]

Fenella


I swing the sword again. It feels powerful. Yes! That's more like it!

((Agility check))

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Addison takes a good look in the window as Hanako, Diana and Beatrice enter the window.

"Perhaps I can help them." She aims her grappler gun at the roof's edge.

…but the gun malfunctions. "Gods dammit."

She walks to the window.

 

[Reaver]

REAVER

I attack the wine-carrying dregs, swinging my naginata in a wide arc so that I can hit as many as I can:

PALE JACKAL

I'm sick of these scumbags, been too lucky...dodgin' my attacks... Not this time! I'm going all Flying Rage Monkey on them!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Shan Mai, Mariya and PJ each strike multiple enemies. All of them drop their bottles. All nine bottles burst the winos' feet. Fenella leaps to safety. PJ charges past his defeated opponents, away from the blast. As for the samurai, they are close to the flames! Reaver and Shan Mai hear the woos as the world glows orange…

((@Severin, Reaver, roll 12+ to avoid getting burned.))


Riff and Jeisera see Diana, Beatrice and Addy follow Hanako through the window, which will likely be consumed by the flames in seconds…

((@JRF, you can decide whether your characters stay here or go into the window.))


As Diana enters the window, she sees Hanako scowling at a woman. Both refer to each other as "sister," but no other words can be heard over the roar of the flames.

((@Ireth, I'll PM you.))


JJ stands with a barrel in his hands, not entirely sure what to do with it now that all of the enemies are dead. "There must be more inside… otherwise, I should maybe… put this back down."

 

[JRFLynn]

Jeisera

The action happened so fast, fire splashed the concrete and was making its way up the tavern's wall. "Blazing Furgles!" Fire. I hate, hate, HATE fire! Like before at the festival, I choke and shudder at the sight. Can't let this get the best of me, though. The others are risking all and I need to bust my bum too! For them, I'll walk through fire!

That's when I see Sis, waving stupidly at me as if this were all fun and games! A weight flies off me seeing she's okay, but the meddler can't stay here! "Riff! Go through the window before yer wings get singed off!"

Riff

"Okay, okay!" I say, surprised by the fierceness in her voice. Hasn't seen me all day, must be angry... The carnage was simply frightful! Those strange wine-bibbers had gone crazy and blown themselves up! Shaking my head, hoping the others would be okay, I hastily clambered through the broken window and plop in a room full of stark-naked ladies. Flabbergasted I hide behind Addy and cover my eyes.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Jei and Riff get inside only to see that the flames are on both sides of the walls. A curtain of fire separates those inside from those outside.

((Yeah, I realize the art implies you can easily go around from the alley to prevent the party from splitting onto two maps. Bear with me…))

 

[Reaver]

Master Rubi's voice echoes in my mind: "Don't forget the five D's of dodging fire: Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive and... Dodge."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Inside the Brothel

As Jei and Riff enter the room, they see several young women hastily untangling their limbs. They bolt through secret door, held open by a women clad in dark leather.

Addison has an odd smirk as Riff averts her eyes. "I ain't sure what to make o' this either," she says.

Hanako doesn't seem at all pleased with the woman Diana noticed she referred to as 'sister.'

"This is not worship, Emma."

Emma Bison is technically clothed, but she covers up herself with a plain cloak. "It's survival," she says.

Addison's grin grows a little more crooked as she scoffs.

Hanako goes on. "It is playing odd games of lust. They entertain men. They entertain you. They are not free, Emma."

"Then invite my flock to your island where women running it do not allow these dumps to exist. I train these girls in their art so the men won't—" Emma sees Beatrice, who has remained silent on the matter so far. "They follow our goddess, and I'm the only one who doesn't mistreat them. My vow only keeps me from men, but what I do is not—" Again, she pauses uncomfortably. She notices Riff's lack of comfort, and one of the ladies with Hanako is a shield maiden, as is the child. "Why'd you bring a kid here?"

As the last nude runner escapes, a pillar collapses, blocking the way out. Emma dives to safety. As Hanako helps her up, Emma says, "I hate it when that happens."

Addison fires her grappler gun. She sighs as the hook plunges into the ceiling. "Well, it would've worked had there been a hole up there."

Emma surrounds herself in purple flame and soars through the air, and through the roof.

"That helps," says Addison. She motions Beatrice to go first, then Diana and Jeisera. When she sees Riff can't fly, Addy says, "I'd've sent you up sooner, but I thought you could use the wings. Well… climb up, kid. We're still all ladies, but the ones without clothes made it out, so you can look now."

 

[JRFLynn]

Riff

"Wew, they are? Good! I didn't want them to feel embarrassed! I should know..." Taking hold of the rope, my cheeks flush thinking of what happened at the dojo. Even with a roof for a hat, it was pretty humiliating being gawked at!

Pretty clumsy with my hands, Addy had to yank me up by the back of my vine-outfit. I felt like a troublesome kitten as my useless wings flapped in vain.

 

[Ireth]

Diana

I recognize Emma Bison from our meeting at Brown's Steakhouse, and incline my head in greeting. I read her lips as she and Hanako exchange words, but do not reply. My sword is still in my hand, in case we meet more enemies. I only sheathe it when I need to climb up the rope. I sigh in relief when I make it to the roof, but do not let myself relax too much. What's in store for us now?

Vincent

As the winos fall to their own flaming bottles, I let my spell fizzle out. Diana's thoughts reach me from inside the building, letting me know she and the others are safe. I'm not surprised to see Emma Bison there, but I am surprised by her words to Hanako. It's none of my business, however. I'm just glad to see she's not hurt.

I look around the alley, hoping no more enemies arrive from any direction. It seems we're destined for another late night, just like last night aboard the Oyster.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

On the Roof

Emma stands before the rest of the women. Her eyes are fixed on Beatrice. "You do not understand, child..."

Beatrice says, "I feel sorry for them."

"Then you do understand." To Hanako, she goes on, "I paid for their time so they would not have to have men tonight. I was able to spare all but three, and all three told me the same tale—the men fell asleep within minutes. All spoke of a safe place: a garden with plants of silver and gold. At night the sky is a sea of stars, by day, a vast dark land crosses the sky. Jillian fears she will bear a demon if her client planted his seed in her… she says the man sprouted a yellow eye on his forehead. It saw her, but the rest of the man remained asleep."

Hanako watches Addison lift a large fairy by the seat of her leafy outfit. She turns to Emma. "If you want to save them, you know who you must to kill."

"Brown? He's too powerful."

"Destroy a demon. Then you will think a man is nothing."

Addison says to Emma, "I'll admit to being intrigued by your style, sis, but the yellow-eyes are under a demon's control because the demon found a weakness. Maybe we need to kill the demon's mortal form to save'em, if saving's an option." She turns to Riff and whispers, "I ain't never thought o' meself as a religious type, but after seeing naked prayer time, I think o' meself as a proper Maiden and Gardener's girl."



((Still working on the map, but you can assume those on the roof are moving away from where the flames are. Those below see the flames on the burning bodies begin to die down. Those on the roof are carrying all of the berries, but if Vincent and Mariya want to, they can sing Song of Sacrifice once before I force more enemies on you.

Note that Song of Sacrifice doesn't hurt the singers if there are multiple singers in the same turn. Technically, you lose a heart from your own song and gain a heart form the other spell-singer.))

 

[Ireth]

Diana

I read Emma's lips, and horror coils through me, followed by pity for Jillian. Even the fear of bearing a demon would be horrific if it were not reality. Gods willing, it won't be. I pray the Father will protect her.

After Addison speaks, I raise my hands and sign, trusting Bee to translate for me. Killing a demon's mortal form is one thing, but we need to find that mortal first. Have we any idea of where to start looking?

Vincent

I sigh as the flames consuming the winos start to die down. Turning to Mariya, I say, "I think a Song of Sacrifice would do us some good. Will you sing with me?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Rooftop

Addy replies to Bee's words. "If you don't know, me little Lady, I don't…"

Hanako says, "Awesome Warrior! Child-Goddess speaks for Silent Shield." Her right fist meets her left palm. She bows to Diana. "I am not good with names, but you may call me Hanako. I am fighting nun of Child-Goddess and Naked-Goddess. To answer what you ask, Yellow-Eye Demon will look for Child-Goddess. Now that we are on rooftop, maybe Yellow-Eye must to find us sooner."

Emma replies, "Well, Sister, if you want to pick a fight with a demon, that's your business. Me? I'll stick with you, but I'd rather get the children away from the flame and the demons."

"Children? There is just one, and she…"

Emma gestures toward Riff. "Your winged friend saw something she wasn't ready for. Welcome to the human world, fairy. Be glad you weren't in this dump yesterday."

 

[JRFLynn]

Riff

"Eh?," I ponder, scratching my short mop at this Emma lady's sense of humor. There's fire and death in every direction. May as well be hotter than a demon's temper, and gruesome as an ogre's armpits. "Erm, how could it get much worse?"

Jeisera

"Ah Riff, don't be a jinx!" There's just some things you can't explain to pixies, specially the cloistered ones. Come to think of it, I'm not an expert on the subject either...being a free spirit type of gal—one that would sooner shoot a bozo for eyeing me funny—I can't see how nice ladies get tangled in that sort of mess. Sure enough, everyone's got their demons. However, talk of demon seed and what not is pretty disturbing, way too much for my boggled brain to fathom. "Believe me, she's glad."