You didn't miss too much last time. We went to the School of the Phoenix Storm, received some information about the world's past, and beat the shit out of a lot of dudes. We did a bit of shopping to replenish our supplies, since we're staying for the Gold Tournament in two months.

UPDATED! Here's a list of techniques that you know and can learn later on: http://pastebin.com/QrrNkwWn
Feel free to reference it whenever.

Inventory: 5 wooden shurikens, 2 doses of Heaven Berries,195 gp, a pendant of Ward Fear, 1 emerald gem

Before we get too far into this, what do you guys think of the way I've been beginning of these quests so far?

ffffffffucking trip.

>>18884308
it's fine?

we training for that tournament?

>>18884368
That's not the only thing we're doing, but yeah, it's in our schedule.

It’s nearly time.

Tomorrow is the day I’ve been training and studying for my whole life: My final test as a Fist of Shadow. I don’t know what it is, but Sifu insists that I’m ready, and I believe him. I’ve done nothing but break my body, hone my mind, and focus my philosophies for almost eighteen years. As I sit in the meadow, meditating like I always do, I feel the warm rays of the sun on my face. The sun… What other places does it grace? What’s beyond this forest? Gah, I can’t wait to get this over with and start travelling with Sifu.

Oh, speaking of which, it looks like he’s finally woken up from his midday nap. That’s weird… he usually follows it up with a nice meal, why’s he leaving the house? Dammit, he wants to talk to me. No doubt about tomorrow. I told him not to worry about me; I can take what he dishes out!

“Shun.”

I leap to my feet, waiting to hear what he has to say. “I know you’re excited tomorrow, but before you get too worked up about it, I have a few questions for you.” What? What could he possibly need to ask me that couldn’t wait until after the test…? “Calm down, Shun, this won’t take long.” Did I look confused or something? Dammit, I really need to work on my facial expressions. But that can wait for when I meet people other than Sifu! “It’s just some hypothetical scenarios, is all. You worry too much.”

“You’re one to talk.” Gah, I can feel a stupid grin growing on my face, and he’s sprouting one to match my own. He claps his hand on my shoulder.

“Well, you had to get it from somewhere, right?” He chuckles. I’m going to miss this, I think. This simple life with my father. We have comfort, we have our style, we have each other… who could ever want anything more? “Anyway, first scenario: You’ve compromised a hostage situation, and there’s a man in front of you who is threatening to kill a woman if he doesn’t get what he wants. What do you do?”

Hmm. Seems fairly straightforward. “I try and talk him away from the hostage to make sure she’s safe. Then I send a shadow knife through his eyes.” Stonefaced, Sifu nods at my words. He can be really difficult to read when he wants to be, the old man. “Barring that, I skip to the knife. A man who holds innocents hostage cannot be trusted to live.”

Still nodding Sifu asks, “Second scenario: Somehow, I’ve been immobilized, and someone threatens to kill me if you don’t kill him. However, if you do, he sets off a delayed magical bomb that will kill thousands of innocents. What then, my son?” That’s… not something I’d rather think about. But it’s a possibility. A possibility that I have to be ready for. But it still takes me a minute to spit it out.

“I’m sorry Sifu, but the needs of many outweigh the needs of one.” Again, he nods. No facial expression, no twitch, nothing. It’s kind of unnerving.

“Last one, Shun. Then we eat!” Always hungry, that one is. He hardly does anything, why is he always so damn hungry!? “You are offered great power, power beyond your wildest dreams, power to do whatever you wanted… at the expense of just one innocent life. What-“

“I strike the demon down where he stands. Nothing that would make such a heinous offer to me deserves to live. Power that is not earned is the quickest way to corruption.” There is no other way.

His thick eyebrows lift, and a smile of complete serenity shines on his face. I’ve… never seen him look like that. Was it something I said? Waving me off, he silently walks back to the house. Silently.

Except for the soft sobs.

Ugh. You wake up from yet another dream. What was it about…? Eh, oh well. You’ve got business to take care of.

Donning your new dark blue outfit, you do your regular stretches and meditation in your room. It’s a great way to wake up, and incredibly relaxing to boot. You’ll have to thank Sifu for instilling this habit into you when you see him. When you’re done, you walk down the wooden hallway to the main part of the inn, where Ingrid waits at the bar, tending to a few early risers such as yourself. You greet each other and, shelling out a couple of coins, you order some fruit to start your day. The red, star shaped one is particularly sweet. Yum! While you eat, you go over what you need to do before the tournament starts: At some point you need to head to the Starry Seas, just to see if Sifu is there. It’s only three day’s ride away. But you also really, really need to find out who the hell put out the hit on your father. It’ll be the last mistake they make.

Or will it? You’re not sure. Maybe you’re just angry. Either way, you’ve got to start somewhere.

>>18884452
Well, we could go look for a horse, and listen out for any rumours or if anyone has something against someone like Sifu.

did the hitmen give us a specific name or something?

>>18884531
They never met anyone in particular, the axeman just said that they got the job in Terec.

>>18884544
Hey hey hey, we could see try to find where people put bounties up.
That might have info.

So, is that the plan? Or are you going to go and find a horse?

>>18884587
Well, I'd say bounties first. It's the one, the changes of which are more important.

sounds like a plan, maybe even do a few bounty jobs while we're there?

>>18884308
It's good.

Damn, I was just going out for some errands. Well, I'll be back in about 2 hours. Till then!

>>18884618
If we find good ones, sure why not

>>18884308
Oh, I should probably say. I like it.

>>18884673
>that .gif

HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGG

>>18884673
p-please tell me what anime this is from... th-thank you....

>>18884680
:3

>>18884692
Can't say I remember, but I recall something about Boku no Pico or whatever it is. You know, that one.

>>18884692
Inu x Boku SS

A burning desire for knowledge smolders inside of you, setting your limbs on fire. You *need* to know who shattered your life and why. Punishment… can be dished out after that.

“Ingrid, do you happen to know where I can take up some bounties?” Bright brown eyes and an even brighter smile turn to you.

She sticks her tongue out a little in contemplation. “Hmmm. Bounties, you say? I think the bounty office is about five or six blocks east of the gate near here. Going out to wrestle some criminals in the name of the law?”

“Something like that.” You say as you walk out into the streets, dark cloak billowing behind you. The streets are fairly empty this morning, still bathed in the light of the candles, too early for the Shard to illuminate the streets. Your light footsteps echo through the cobbled streets, wholly focused on your goal.

The bounty office isn’t quite what you expected. Although you don’t know what you were hoping for, it definitely wasn’t the small wooden shack with a grated window. A small notice board’s got a few wanted posters up on it. A man in casual clothes is dozing off in the shack.

>>18884718
Ask him if he knows who put bounties on who, and if we can get that information.

You walk up to the window. “Hello, sir.”

No response. “Sir?”

He’s still asleep. Maybe you get up too early. Lightly rapping on the grating, the man stirs from his slumber and moves his wide-brimmed cap up so he can see you.

He grumbles, “Good morning… sir. How can I help you on this fine… early… EARLY… morning?” You ignore his passive-aggressiveness.

“Yes, I was wondering if you could tell me who put out the bounty on a certain individual.”

He sleepily blinks at you, “Sorry, but that’s strictly confidential. If we just went around telling who wanted to capture who, that would be very dangerous for the people who make the bounties, don’t you think?” Well, dammit. He’s right.

“Well, can you give me information about current bounties?” He slowly nods. “Do you have anything on a man named Tong? Red hair, gold eyes, probably hasn’t been seen around here in a long time?” Raising a finger, the man dives underneath his desk and you hear the rustling of papers. After a couple of minutes, he comes back up, shaking his head.

Looks like this particular bounty isn’t entirely legal.

>>18884852
Well that's interesting.
Well, we're here. May as well look at what's on the table for some dolla.

While you’re here, it couldn’t hurt to check out the bounties. “Who do you need… bountied?” The man points towards the notice board.

Three bounties. The first: Jakob the Silver Tongue. Wanted for seducing one too many wives. 5000 gold alive, 2000 dead. Second: Tracker Johnny. Purported leader of the Manhunters. 10,000 gold alive, 4000 dead. Last: Jameson. Stole a Shard from the Daedalus Workshops. 10,000 gold alive, 4000 dead, an extra 10,000 if you bring the Shard he stole.

A nice selection.

>>18884996
A thought, right:
If we get well known enough as a bounty collector, that guy might approach us. I mean he has to get them from somewhere, right?
So, I feel we should do many bounties.
May as well start at the easy ones, get some more experience and stuff. Expensive-r ones are probably tough.
So, I vote for taking the Jakob bounty.

>>18885020
Are you the only one here?

>>18885062
I dunno, but it seems that way. Am I?
If so, it's just you and me now, Student~
:3

i like that, lets go after the shard guy

>>18885020
>>18885124

Starting off with Jakob, or are you going for gold?

>>18885124
Oh hey, someone.
I would advise against going for the toughest guy straight away. We have no experience with bounties, going for the softest first seems like a good way to get some.

lets go with johnny, i feel bad for jakoba

he didn't do anything bad...

>>18885165
He's fucked a lot of wives, man.
That shit ain't cool.

>>18885165
He broke the law, he needs punishment.
Facilitating this will get us money.
I don't see any problem with this.

Still needing consensus.

>>18885172
How secure is the workshop? If Jameson was able to sneak in and get it, then he must be as stealthy as us. I say we go after the silver tongue. Although why do I feel like that title is more then just his charisma?

>>18885225
Jakob.
If the other guy doesn't respond within a minute, we go for him.
TIME STARTS NOW

>>18885226
You've never been to the workshops, you have no idea.

>>18885165
Jakob

Johnny

Jameson

So..J names are bad?

>>18885234
>>18885225
TIIIIIIIIME UP
JAKOB IT IS, LET'S ROCK

5000 gold for wrangling an adulterer? Doesn’t sound too bad. You inform the man behind the window that you want to officially track Jakob.

“Alrighty, take these.” He slips a stack of papers to you through a slit in the window. “Bounty papers. They give you a bit of leeway with the law to help your investigation. But don’t go around doing stupid shit, we can’t help you there.” Fair enough. “Since you look pretty new at this, let me give you a tip: start off by questioning the man who made the bounty. Name’s Nash Johansson. Spends a lot of time at the Golden Dragon.” You thank him for the bounty.

Time for some hunting.

adultry is against the law?

wow, still, not like he raped the wives

johnny sounds like a scum bag though

>>18885243
Never trust a man with a J in his name.

>>18885268
TOO SLOW
AW YEAH
And yes it is.

>>18885268
Shun doesn't know if it is, but it's just his job to find him. Surely the authorities of Terec will handle everything properly from there.

>>18885265
Let's head off to the Golden Dragon then.
We have a man to find.

>>18885265
To the Gold Dragon!

Also are any of the wives mentioned in the papers? If the gold dragon doesnt help us, we can talk to them.

The Gold Dragon’s the only place you’ve got a lead on. You head back towards the main street leading from the gate, streets slowly filling up with people starting their day, Shard warmly shining from the cerulean skies.

The Gold Dragon looks every bit as opulent as its name would suggest. The only building made of marble, it stands erect, with its namesake statue beckoning visitors in. Grabbing the curvy golden door handle, you swing the marble door open, greeted by a light scent of fragrant candles. The clientele here look a little better off than the ruffians over at Ingrid’s Inn (yourself excluded, of course). A chandelier hangs from the ceiling, bathing the room in light. A few well-dressed people sit at marble tables with glass cups, chatting the morning away. A man stands behind the marble counter of the bar, clad in a white vest and slacks. His neatly trimmed beard taunts you. You can’t grow facial hair that nice…

>>18885366
To the nicely bearded bartender.

But if Jakob is well known, the barkeep may like him. We should be subtle.

>>18885415
What would you like to ask him?

>>18885435
"Serving anything special today?" Buying something always loosens their tongue abit. If I was a barkeep I would get annoyed extremly quick with everyone coming for information and not buying anything.

After that strike up a conversation, rumors, gossip, hell we might learn interesting tidbits of information. Finally we ask about Jakob. Tell the barkeep, a woman paid us to deliver him a message and she told us he frequented this bar.

Walking over to the bar, you sit on a cushioned stool. “Excuse me sir, are you serving anything special today?”

“This morning’s special is the lily tea, sir. Only three gold for a cup.” Three gold?! That’s robbery! But, it might loosen his tongue a bit if you just swallowed your greed for a moment. Placing three coins on the table, the bartender takes it and begins to pour a steaming brown liquid into a glass cup. You blow on it and take a sip. Mmm. It’s actually pretty good. Nice and sweet. “Would sir like some cream for his tea?” You shake your head and sip some more, enjoying the waves of flavor.

If you’ve got something to ask, now would be the time.

It's kind of funny. I know at least 5 people participate in these threads, but it's never at the same time.

>>18885553
"Sir? A woman asked me to deliver a message to someone named Jakob. She insisted Id find him here and the message was quite...romantic. Would you know where he is by chance?"

hmmm

ask for your old friend jakobe?

also, how do we find the guy thats paying for the bounty?

if we find the guy, he is just going to serve jail time, right? they're not going to kill him?

>>18885621
There's probably a reason he's worth more alive than dead.

>>18885592

I'm so fucking tired of this woman's feet in my face ever single fucking time

>>18885652
Ah.
Well, have a picture of Shun's new outfit.

Time for some good old fashioned deceit. "Sir? A woman asked me to deliver a message to someone named Jakob. She insisted I’d find him here and the message was quite...romantic. Would you know where he is by chance?" The bartender’s neat eyebrows crease.

“Jakob? Jakob the Silver Tongued?” The bartender spits at the ground in disgust. “That manwhore? No, sir, I don’t know where he is, why else would I have put a bounty on his head?” This must be Nash Johannson. That’s good.

>>18885652
haha, i actually love that picture

nice, found the guy on our first try, tell em we're the bounty hunter after jakobe

>>18885668
"Mister Johannson? Oh. Then sorry for the pretense. I am going after the bounty. Could you tell me more about this man? What he looks like, what he wears, his social status. Anything you feel that would help me pin point him."

“What a coincidence, I’m a bounty hunter who’s looking for Jakob. I was told to speak to a Nash Johansson.”

“I appreciate your efforts to lure him out of hiding, sir, but your deception is unwanted here. I surmise that you’ve come to me for information regarding Jakob?” You nod, sipping some more sweet tea. “Well, he has always been known for being… unsavory. A little loose, if you will. We were actually friends once, compatriots in the service industry. I would supply the guests with exquisite food and drink, and Jakob would weave tales of beauty on his lute.” Nash closes his eyes and looks away. “Imagine my surprise when I found my friend in my bed with my beautiful wife.”

“That’s rough.”

“You have no idea. I chased him out of my residence, and called for a bounty the next day.” That’s interesting, really, but…

“Could you tell me more about this man? What he looks like, what he wears, his social status. Anything you feel that would help me pin point him." You take another sip of the tea, your hand jittering a bit.

“To be blunt, the man is beautiful. Well styled hair, fair, delicate features, about your height. He usually dressed in finery, but I would not be surprised if he left it behind. He’s been avoiding me, but he might not know about the bounty. He’s not a bright lad, and therefore I doubt you’d find him near here. But he is a patron of the arts; a lover of beauty.” A dark look crosses his face. “A lover of beauty indeed.”

Helpful info, but you're not sure if that's enough to go off of. It might be, though.

>>18885804
"What about your wife? She may still be in contact with Jakob. Could I speak with her?"

damn, can we talk to his wife? ask for his adress and see her

also we can probably find him in some artsy places or something

You’ve got to get more info if you’re to find this guy. "What about your wife? She may still be in contact with Jakob. Could I speak with her?"

Nash’s eye twitches a little. “She isn’t, sir. Trust me.” Your stare makes him continue, “But if you must talk to her, she’s a waitress here. She begins working in a couple of hours.”

being a patron of arts, i thought we might find him in .... an art gallery or something or wherever musicans hang out. well, wait for the waitress i guess. oh, ask about jakobes former lovers and friends. we can track him with that i bet

>>18885878
"I don't mean to offend sir, merely looking at all possible angles. I will go look for Jakob, could you get me a list of his usual places? Any, other friends or relatives?" If we can't find anything we will return. "And please refrain from telling your wife about me. She may tip off Jakob, she may or may not be involved but she is a suspect." We should also hit the streets. Ask for someone of Jakob's apperance.

You grill Nash for more info. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Other friends? Former lovers?”

Nash sniffs. “Not personally, no, but you’d be hard pressed not to find a woman he hasn’t… loved. I don’t think anyone will fuss over his imprisonment.” You try not to think about that part.

"I’ll go look for Jakob, could you get me a list of his usual places? Any other friends or relatives?" Nash shakes his head, saying he never really asked too much about Jakob’s personal life, although Jakob did invite him to the museum from time to time. Bingo. That’s the perfect place to start. You ask for directions, and say, “If I can't find anything I’ll return. And please refrain from telling your wife about me. She may tip off Jakob, she may or may not be involved but she is a suspect." Nash nods and wishes you good luck.

Luck is for the unskilled. Cloak swishing, you hit the busy streets yet again. You walk and walk, eyes peeled for anyone matching Jakob’s description. No such luck. You head deeper into the city, and soon the wooden buildings shift to marble, the people become more fashionable, the rabble less loud. Standing in front of a massive building lined with statues of what must be famous people, you find yourself at the museum. People are lined up to pay for entrance. If you felt the need, you could probably find another way in.

>>18886057
Take a quick circle around the building, get a grasp of how big it is and how easy it'd be to sneak in. If there's a decent risk of getting caught we'll pay normally, also see if people going in are given chits of some kind that they can use to confirm payment. It's better to pay than cause a commotion by a security guard noticing that we don't have one of those.

>>18886057
Yes. Let us stand in line and wait, hours on end. Then pay to go see some paintings and maybe some carved rock.

...

Lets sneak in.

You circle the building, keeping an eye out for an entry point. There’s a few large open windows looking into the museum, but they’re far too obvious. However, a building this large would need some ventilation shafts. Probably on the roof, but you’d have to climb up there. Heading back to the front, you see that patrons are getting some sort of ticket when they enter. Probably to make sure people don’t sneak in through the windows. You get the feeling that you should just pay up.

Standing in line, you eventually come up to the cashier’s booth. “Welcome to the Terec Historical Museum, sir. It’ll be 75 gold to get in.” Seventy five gold?! Do they think you’re made of money?

>>18886176
Jesus these guys are expensive.

We have two options it seems, sneak in and pickpocket a ticket or pay like a normal citizen.

I'd rather not risk causing a commotion during our first bounty and risk screwing it all up so pay the man.

>>18886176
Wait. If we want to apprehend someone we need equipment to make him immobile. Rope, shackles, net, etc.

>>18886176
Ask him if a man known as Jacob visited this place recently. Whatever he answers, leave and find another way in.

>>18886310
You bought rope yesterday.

>>18886310
Cant we just tie him up with his own shadow?

>>18886342
You could try.

So are we sneaking in, or paying the entrance fee?

>>18886334
I see

>>18886342
We'd like to keep our talents as secret as possible, besides I think rope is going to be more reliable.


>>18886360
Sneak in. Steal a ticket from one of the visitors.
Simple..

just pay, the money we get is more than enough to make up for the loss and if theres some misunderstanding and we don't get paid jakobe or the bartender can reimburse us for our trouble

>>18886398
I agree with this guy.

Fine, you’ll just make up the lost money with the bounty. You cough up the gold and get a ticket. Heading into the museum, you’re greeted by a guard and a massive statue of High Master Blaine, carved from solid obsidian, it looks like. Its gaze upon you makes you… uneasy, just like the real Blaine did. You get a mild headache just looking at it.

Referring to a map, it looks like there are three main sections to the museum: The historical area, the musical area, and the art area. He could be in any one of those, assuming he’s here at all.

>>18886416
Music first.
Ask a guard person if Jakob comes in at any regular time.
If we need to, explain we heard he's good at music and would like to hear.

>>18886416
Start with the art area, it seems the most likely place to find him. Walk around looking like a normal museum goer, but paying less attention to the paintings and more to the people around us. We can appreciate the art itself when we're not trying to hunt someone down.

>>18886398
>>18886406

There's no guarantee that we will finish this job or that the museum will give us a lead.
Eh, too late anyway, lets roll with it

>>18886433
>>18886435

YOU'RE TEARING ME APART, ANON

>>18886416
He was a lute player, so he may be in the musical area. I say we hit that up and then the art and finally the historical area.

art first

>>18886452
I DID NAAT HIT HER
I DID NAAT
That silliness aside, art section is less likely to contain a musician.
Still, art section after.

>>18886475
lute first

Jakob was a musician. He’ll no doubt be in the musician’s area. Before you get going, though, you ask a guard if they’ve seen a fair, beautiful man recently. It turns out that yes, he came here about half an hour ago. Looks like this bounty will be easier than you thought.

Heading under the golden archway, you enter the musical area of the museum, the soft playing of a harp caressing your ears. It’s a beautifully melancholy song. Looking around, you find the source: A beautiful man on a stool, fingers nimbly strumming the strings. His wavy blonde hair frames his delicate face nicely, his eyes closed in complete, serene concentration. A small crowd surrounds him, listening to him play while talking amongst themselves. It looks like that’s Jakob. He isn’t even trying to hide.

>>18886529
Well, watch. Wait 'til he stops. Follow him.

>>18886529
Go to the back of the crowd. Whispering ask the viewers what the name of the player is.
If it is confirmed to be Jacob. We stalk him.

>>18886529
Loiter around the area, jumping him while he has a adoring crowd seems to be a somewhat iffy proposition. Once he stops and heads elsewhere follow him and look for a good opportunity to take him down.

>>18886552
Yeah that.
Gotta identify properly.

>>18886571
>super slow

You can’t just go around wrangling innocent men. Sliding up to the crowd, you mingle for a bit, letting yourself take in the music. Although you’ve never heard anything so gentle, so beautiful, you can’t get distracted. You whisper to the woman next to you, asking who is that wonderful harp player? Sweetly smiling, she confirms that it is, in fact, Jakob.

You spend the next couple of hours loitering around, waiting for him to leave. In the meantime, you educate yourself on the different musical styles and artists of Terec throughout the years. Drums, stringed instruments, woodwind, magical whistles… it’s a vast world, a world you had no clue about. It makes you wonder just how limited your experiences have really been. Before long, you hear the music stop. Turning, the crowd claps as Jakob bows, thanking them for their time and their ears. One of the women in the crowd seems smitten, as she leaves with him, heading for the exit of the museum.

Time for action.

>>18886660
Oh boy.
Yeah, follow him, subtle style.

>>18886660

Follow them but don't get seen. This includes being thrid-party aware. It's no good if a innocent bystander sees us shadow someone (excuse my lame pun) and gets alarmed / calls guards

>>18886660
If he notices us (highly doubtful) we should pretend to be a fan who wants an autograph or something.

Also. A joke.

What did the bard say to the rogue, after he stole his stuff?
'Your a lyre, you took my lute!'

You trail him for the rest of the day, sticking to rooftops and shadows. In your experience, you find that people rarely look up, especially when they’re as carefree as Jakob. You also don’t have to worry about looking too suspicious since there’s nobody up here.

It looks like he’s turned this into a spontaneous date. The couple ends up at a little restaurant, made of marble just like the rest of this affluent district. They order their food and wine, and make small talk, with Jakob occasionally leaning over and whispering something into the giggling girl’s ear. Master of romance, no doubt. It’s boring watching two people talk about nothing, but you’ve got to remain alert. When they’re nearly done with the wine bottle, Jakob excuses himself and heads to the restroom.

Hmm.

>>18886734
Well, it may look creepy, but follow him inside, then >>18886712 , but replace if with when, that is if there's a third party.
If not, or when they've gone, just tie him up straight away and parade him out of there.

>>18886734
Well, an opening is an opening. Although catching someone while their in the can, isnt exactly my idea of a prime catch.

But how are we going to get him out without attracting attention? Any windows to the bathroom?

>>18886763
We have a bounty on him. Surely, we can just walk him out.
Aren't bounties... legal?

>>18886760
>>18886763

Um, guys, I don't know if you remember, but you've got bounty papers.

>>18886777
Well yeah, but someone else might not understand, and could RUIN EVERYTHING.
And he probably won't come easily himself, I dunno. Why risk it?

What if he somehow manages to give us the slips? I have a feeling he isn't going to be leaving without his "date" so how about we wait until he finishes at the restraunt and keep following him?

>>18886816
If we tie him up he hasn't got much chance, really.
If we do it well and fast.

>>18886826
>>18886816
As for his date thing, why does that matter at all?
If we do a good job, he has no choice.

>>18886734
Seems like a good place to strike.
Sneak up to him and use the pressure technique we used before to knock him out.

>>18886816

Forgetit. Let's hit to the restroom. If there's someone in there who looks like trouble we could play the " fan hoping to get an autograp" part until its safe to subdue him.

Slipping from the rooftop, you sneak into the restroom unnoticed. Jakob is at the sink, washing his hands, completely oblivious. You sneak up behind him and aim for a pressure point…!

(Attack roll = 7+2 for sneak attack = 9!)

Smashing into his neck, he goes down without a fight. You quickly tie him up in rope before he can wake up. Hefting him onto your shoulders, you leave the restroom, causing a stir. His date, and more concerningly, the staff, are outraged, but when you produce your bounty papers, there’s not really much they can do to stop you. It occurs to you that you probably could’ve done this earlier, but it’s no big deal.

On the trek back to the bounty office, Jakob stirs.

“Wha… what?! Who are you?!” he starts to thrash around, but you’ve got the upper body strength to keep him steady. “Why am I tied up?!”

Do you even bother answering?

>>18886953
I'm a man who needs money, there is a bounty on you. You can work out the rest.

>>18886953
NOPE.
Apply finger to the pressure point on the neck and knock him out again.

>>18886972
I support this one

dude we should definetly talk to him!

for all we know, the bartenders whore wife tried to seduce him and he is the one taking the fall on this

>>18886986
So?
We get paid.

>>18886986
Who cares?

Who cares what he has to say? You deftly press the pressure point again, putting him back to sleep.

You end up back at the wooden shack of the bounty office, and you dump Jakob in front of it. Explaining to the officer that you’ve come to collect, he passes you a big bag of gold, and calls a guard to come take Jakob. You’re now 5000 gold richer. This bounty business isn’t so bad…

We'l just turn him in to the officials. It's their buissness to see that he has a fair trial and it's not our problem if they fail to do so. The less Jacob knows the better. Knock him out but be sure to not kill him. As a trained assasin that's probably not too hard.

>>18887044
Dayum, that was lucrative and easy.
How's time doing?

>>18886996
>>18887007
when did shun turn into a money greedy bastard?!

>>18887056
It's about midday.

>>18887057
Well, look at it this way.
The guy clearly has an easy way with women.
He clearly has no trouble getting what he wants from them.
It's extremely doubtful that he's anything but guilty of adultery.

>>18887044
Sweet.
SWEET.

Anyway, is there a bank or something? We should find a place to store all this DOSH.

>>18887044

Lets do this:
Second: Tracker Johnny. Purported leader of the Manhunters. 10,000 gold alive, 4000 dead.

Ask the Bounty guy for leads.

>>18887074
Of course there's a bank! It's probably over in the richer district, if you're interested.

>>18887070
Besides that, there is, I hope some sort of court system in place. So, if he's innocent, it'll be so found.

>>18887080
Yeah. We are interested.
Lets get information on the two other bounties and choose one of them.

goodbye jakobe, sorry we couldn't help you out.
we usually do but that money was soo sweet.
good luck, you're gonna need it

You’re not quite done yet. Putting your arm on the counter, you ask, “So what about the other two bounties?”

The man behind the glass, more awake now, replies, “Well, there’s Tracker Johnny. We’ve got it on good authority that he’s the leader of the Manhunters, some rogue bounty hunters that go after anyone for the right price. As you can imagine, that’s rather illegal. But the bastard’s gone missing, nobody’s seen him in weeks. But we’ve still caught a couple of Manhunters, so if he’s not here, then his troupe certainly is. As for Jameson, well, he was a kid that worked over in the Daedalus Workshops. Never was too stable. One day he just up and left, though. Took one of their Shards with him, and they weren’t too pleased about that. I don’t know where the hell he could’ve gone.”

Hmm. Either one of thing would bring in a lot of money for you, and these sound a little more dangerous than finding a harmless bard. You might actually get to fight something this round. It’s just a matter of which one you decide to go after first.

>>18887044
+5 renegade points

>>18887169

Lets deposit some of our excess gold and go after the Manhunter. Is there any reward for catching members of his troupe?

“Would I get a bonus for Manhunters I bring in?”

The officer puts a hand on his fuzzy chin. “Yeah, sure. But they’re not what we’re worried about. 500 gold for each one you bring to us alive. 200 dead.”

You can work with that.

>>18887210

Ask for any leads where we should continue with our investigation.

>>18887210
No manhunter escapes the manhunter...hunter.

You decide to keep this meeting brief. “Any leads?”


He rubs his chin. Rub. Rub rub. Rub. “Just one. The guards’ve got one of ‘em held in captivity. I’d interrogate him.” Interrogation? Excellent. “So I take it you’re going after Johnny?” You nod, and he slips you some more bounty papers while you give him the old ones. “Happy hunting.”

Oh, it will be.

man hunters

>>18887300
This is going to be a job we can feel good about. Also we might get to go Predator on some poor saps, good fun.

Ask for some privacy in the interrogation, we can call upon some of Sifu's old lessons in being scary as hell.

Wanna head to a bank first? Or is your room back at Ingrid's safe enough?

>>18887348

Lets deposit some gold at the bank first and then head to whereever this cronie is being held.

>>18887348
The bank, 5000 is a lot of dosh, it'd be risky to just keep it around. We'll keep some around as spending money but most of it should be stored safely.

Before you leave to get to work on your next bounty, a thought occurs to you: You’re carrying a lot of money. You should probably store that someplace safe.

Asking the officer if there’s a place where you could do such a thing, he responds, “Yeah, it’s this thing called a ‘bank’. They hold onto money for you.” His sarcasm isn’t appreciated. “It’s next to the Daedalus Workshops. Just follow the smoke.” The smoke? Looking around at the sky, yes, there is a plume of smoke rising from another sector of the city. Thanking the officer, you head for the rising smog.

The Shard directly overhead beats you with heat as you walk to the workshops, passing hordes of people going about their daily business. As you draw closer to your destination, the air gets a little foggier, just barely so, but it’s noticeable. You turn the corner where the bank should be… wow. So those are the Daedalus Workshops.

A massive complex spanning several blocks, rising into the smog above, looms, made entirely out of steel. Workers in leather aprons busy about outside, running from building to building with various carts. Machines, the likes of which you’ve never imagined, are being pushed around. You have no idea what they can do, but they’re certainly impressive. Carts, powered by some sort of brick, move on their own around the wide streets. You can almost feel the heat radiating from the workshops. Next to it is a small marble building, the words “BANK OF ICARUS” carved into the top. Looks like you’ve found it. Heading inside, you wait in line to meet someone at the front, hidden behind glass. After a short while, you find yourself at the front of the line.

A bespectacled man in a dark vest greets you. “Hello, sir. What transaction do you need to make today?”

>>18887510

We would like to start a bank account and deposit some money. Will there be some fees involved (depositing and withdraeing) on our part and shall we get any intrest for our savings?

Captcha: Sell

>>18887567
>Banking Quest

How much do you wanna deposit?

>>18887590
4000, leaving a bit over 1000 for expenses, I'd rather not run out of cash and have to come here during something important.

You open an account without event and deposit 4000 gold into it. 1000 gold should be enough for anything you need to do for a while. Thanking the banker, you exit the building into the dusky smog outside.

It's time to begin the hunt.

TIME FOR WORK.
You guys know the drill, I'll be back in about 7 hours to continue this.

Also, man this was boring to write. Could you guys be a little less sensible in the future? This is a quest thread, after all.

>>18887908

Hopefully the next bounty will be a bit more complex so we can have some fun? After all catching an audultor who didn't even know there was a bounty on his head was pretty straight forward.

And sorry bout that banking stuff. Guess I'm just a bit used to micromanaging :'D

>>18888040
Oh yes, yes there will be fun.

>>18888050

How long do you plan to run the quest after work? I live in a different timezone. Its 1 am here. By the time you get back from work I'll probably be finishing with my nights sleep and heading off to practice.

>>18888050
I'll keep going, then go to sleep and resume tomorrow morning.

>>18888100

Heh. My face when I got "septs" in another quest thread. This shit doesn't happen to me.

We're live! Hopefully the night crowd is a bit more active (and reckless) than the afternoon boys.

>>18891800
I was just going to bed.
Goddammit.
How long will this sitting go on for?

>>18891810
I've got 3 or 4 hours in me.
if you don't have plans tomorrow, stay up. And if you do, cancel them, because shit is about to get good.

>>18891823
Hngnhngnangnhnga
It's 5AM, goddammit
I don't have to be up until like, two, but I have classes during the week and aaaaaaaa
I will try to stay for a while

In the smog of night, you stalk to the location where the captive Manhunter is said to be. He’s being held by the guards, and he has the information you need. So you walk, you walk through the dim haze of the night streets, you walk past the citizens going to sleep, you walk to your little pig, the pig who’ll squeal in just the right way once you get your hands on him.

He won’t just sell out his gang like that. He may fancy himself a bounty hunter, but that’s what he and his friends are. A gang. And you don’t have a problem with breaking a few bones when it comes to them. The streets are nearly silent now, silent except for the soft pitter-patter of your footsteps. Silent except for the breeze blowing through the darkness. Dark, billowing clouds are forming in the sky.

It’s going to rain tonight.

You’re here. A guardhouse, the one you were told to go to. A single man is stationed outside, his normally pristine armor marred by the depth of the night. Walking up to him, you ask him if there is a Manhunter here.

“On what grounds do you need to-“He stops when you pull out your papers. You know the deal by now. Nodding, he opens the door for you. Walking inside, the guards direct you to a jail cell holding the criminal. The pig. He’s the only one here. You command the guards to leave you two alone and let you do your work.

This is going to be good.

do we get to meet jakobe again later?
or the bartenders whore?

The man is dressed in rags, stripped of his normal bounty hunting outfit, no doubt. His face is weathered and stubbly, exhausted by his captivity. His blonde hair drapes his face, unkempt and filthy. He lies slumped in the corner of his cell, drained of energy. You approach his cell. You can feel the torchlight dancing around your features, shadows obscuring them. He notices you.

“Oi, whaddyew want?” he says fearfully.

Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot. What’s your move?

>>18891988
>whore
Come on, now.

>>18891995
Hello. I have come for answers. You will give them to me.

>>18892003
sorry?

>>18892011
That's so bland! Go nuts, man!

>>18892028
It's calm, matter of fact, and reasonable-sounding. I mean, it might not be terrifying in and of itself, but the implication is that he has no choice in the matter, we will get him to tell us somehow.
Feel free to wait for someone else, that's just how I like to do things I guess.

whatever you say, show him your hand, front and back, then materialize a shadow knive and advance on him

>>18892061
>shadows
I thought we already talked about hiding our abilities for now. Could we not just place our hands in a semi-reassuring, semi-threatening way on his shoulders?

>>18892091
You're on the other side of the bars.

>>18892099
Oh, I forgot about that.
HOW DO WE INTERROGATE HIM NOW

>>18892118
Hey, it's your interrogation.

>>18892124
Alright, this being the case I guess shadows are workable. We'll know if he tells anyone, anyway, and can warn as much if he somehow would tell anyone.
So yeah, do the shadows thing with the blades and the stuff, make them look as painful as we can.

>>18892091
well it was said he was superstitious so i kind of hoped nobody would believe him.
i guess we could also tell people that we did a cool slight of hand and tricked the guy. tell 'em we shot it out of our sleeves and grabbed it.

>>18892173
How would he tell anyone anyway? He's sort of in jail.

Also, is anyone except me, nogrammar, and Student here?

Obscuring your face, you growl, “I have come for answers.” You raise your arm out of the shadows and clench it into a fist, shadows piercing the air, forming a sharp, narrow blade. “You *will* give them to me.” He blinks at you, fear glinting in his eyes as he slowly stumbles to his feet.

“You ain’t a guard, y-you can’t scare me!” Oh, how he should be afraid.

>>18892186
"...Is that so?"
Throw shadows at someplace close to him that shows our TRUE POWAAH, but don't hit him, yet.
Await reaction.

>>18892214
i like this one.
maybe we can interrogate him without actually entering his cell. although when we're done we might want to press that knock out pressure point so everyone will believe he had a nightmare

>>18892182
nogrammar?
i'm sure more people will show up as the quest goes on

>>18892277
Nogrammar being you
On account of you having no capital letters

“Is that so?” You throw the shadow blade at the man, nicking his arm and poofing on the far brick wall. Wide eyed, he looks at his wound, then to you, then back at the wound. Stumbling into the corner, he yells.

“What the hell are you!?” Your blank face contorts into a twisted grin. Good. You’ve got him right where you want him.

>>18892289
"A man with questions. You have the answers I seek. Do I need to explain further?"

Leering through the shadows, you say in a deep voice, "A man with questions. You have the answers I seek.” You pause as you command forth another shadow knife. “Do I need to explain further?” Eyes wide, they dart from your face to your knife.

“Y-you can’t hurt me. You’re just tryin’ to scare me.” He gathers up a smidgen of courage and yells out, “I ain’t telling you nothing!”

>>18892371
"Do you really want me to show you just how much I /can/ hurt you? You will not enjoy the experience."
[If yes]: Throw a blade, stab his shin.
[If no]: "I thought not. Now, are you prepared to answer my questions?"

You had hoped he’d say that. "Do you really want me to show you just how much I *can* hurt you?” The shadow knife grows wickedly, “You will not enjoy the experience." He squints at you.

“You ain’t gonna do shi-“Cut short by the dark blade embedded in his leg, he falls down, screams echoing throughout the empty room. You stay silent. “Fuck! You fucker! What the fuck!? Guards, help! Help!” His calls go unheeded. You saw to that.

>>18892454
"We're all alone here. The only way for you to get help is to help yourself, by way of answering my previously mentioned questions. Will you do that, now, or do I need to continue to... persuade... you?"

Growling, you say, “We're all alone here. The only way for you to get help is to help yourself, by way of answering my previously mentioned questions. Will you do that, now, or do I need to continue to...” you conjure up another shadow blade and continue, “persuade... you?" He gasps for air as the gash in his shin pours out blood.

He spits on the ground, “Fuck… you. Fuck you! Whatever you do to me, they’ll… they’ll do a million times worse!” A million? Seems exaggerated. He underestimates how much you can hurt him.

maybe try using your own shadow somehow?

cover him up and blind him in it?

>>18892590
You can go inside the cell, if you just ask a guard for the key.

lets ask a guard for keys. while we're out lets grab some booze to

>>18892649
Erm... why the booze?

to get the guy drunk and make this easier.

hell, it'll completely explain why the guy goes ranting about shadows later

>>18892692
So let me get this straight. You want to force feed a convict alcohol while he's in his cell, when you're the only one besides the guards who has visited him?

... i thought the guards would be cool with it?
would they not? is this torture session a secret?
oh shit

i got it!
bribe them

>>18892758
Eh, fuck it, you can do pretty much whatever to this guy. He won't be missed.

Did the other guy fall asleep?

>>18892771
Whoa, whoa whoa. I just got off of work.

Goddamn. Torture? We're better then this.

Lets use the man's shadow to bind the wound.

"You want protection? I can bring all those men in. And for your cooperation, you will be set free." We dont know if its true, but hey worth a shot. "I will find them eventually. You will just gain from it, this way."

>>18892882
meh, i'm ok with this i guess, might still want to get him drunk though

sooo, we ever gonna see jakobe or the bitch he banged?

>>18892908
Uh, you could visit him, I guess.

yes!

lets do that after this bounty

You’ve showed him how much you can hurt him. It’s time to show him your sympathetic side. Waving your hand, his shadow creeps around his leg, stopping the flow of blood. "You want protection? I can bring all those men in. And for your cooperation, you will be set free." You make a note to ask the guards if this can be arranged later. You don’t know for sure, but it might get him talking. "I will find them eventually. You’ll just gain from it this way."

Amazed, he looks at your makeshift bandages. “R-really?” Fearful blue eyes meet your steely gaze.

“Really.”

He snaps, telling you everything you wanted to hear. Unfortunately, this one’s just a grunt, and all he knows is the location of one of the Manhunter safehouses in the city. It’s located deep into the Icarian District, wedged between two nondescript buildings, entrance lit by a purple flame. That’s all you needed to know. Before you leave, he asks you if you really will protect him.

Will you?

>>18892908
Getting him drunk may have worked....if we hadnt stabbed him in the leg.

As for others? Eh it may be nice to hear about them in the future. Our actions may coming back to hinder or help us. But until then we move on.

Also I am calling you nogram.

of coarse we will

off to the safe house!

>>18892964
"I am a man of my word." Tell the guard that the man talked and see if he benefits. And let him know the man has sustained an injury and should be checked upon.

>>18892980
Please have female bouncers. =P

You nod your head at his question, saying,” I am a man of my word" as you leave the dimly lit dungeon. Informing the guards that he spoke and that he should be protected from danger, that you’re off to collect your bounty and that the man downstairs has a bit of a gash in him, you hit the dark streets yet again.

Nothing makes you feel as safe as the darkness. It protects you, it obscures you, it caresses you. It is both your cloak and your dagger, and you’ve spent your whole life lurking in the shadows. The black cover of the night comforts you like a mother comforts her son. It’s nearly pitch black now, the dark clouds looming overhead smothering any bit of light that may have peeked over the horizon. When you feel the first few cold drops, you flip your hood up as you grimly head for your destination yet again. When you recognize the steel buildings of the Icarian district, the drizzle has transformed into a full on downpour, dousing any and all lights. Streets that once bathed in blue now drank in the purity of the night.

Remembering the directions you interrogated, you station yourself in between two buildings. A wet candlestick juts out over a door in an alley, slick with moisture. This must be the place.

>>18893101
*drink goddammit

shadow cloak and sneak in

>>18893101
Shit. Forgot to ask if there was a password or a type of knock. We could sneak in but the building doesnt look like it has a lot of opening.

How about we knock. Pretend we want to join the manhunters and if they refuse. Sneak in. So I guess the first step is to..knock.

I neglected to mention that both buildings are about four stories tall.

that wall climbing technique would be perfect here.

hmm, sneak in through a window or watch the door till someone leaves or enters and follow them.

>>18893173
I feel wall walking should be the next technique we learn.

if we plan to do a lot in large settlements, sure and definetly if we can use it to climb trees and cliffs

Maybe you can trick them into letting you in. It’s worth a shot. Walking up to the steel door, you bang your fist on the glossy metal. A slit in the door opens up.

A gruff voice responds to your knock with a, “Yeah?”

Grimly standing in the rain, you call out to him, “I wish to join the Manhunters.”

“We ain’t hiring, kid. Fuck off.”

You knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

God fucking dammit trip. 4chan Plus is a motherfucker.

>>18893233
"Then how about I tell the guards about you. Or you can let me in and give me work. Either way I get paid. The guards don't like you guys right?"

i'd rather sneak in and take out everyone one by one and turn them all in for their bountys.

but fine, see how the guy reacts to us. if he's still unwilling, we knock him out quick and silent, leave him in some bushes or something and creep on in

Fine, if they won’t let you in the easy way… "Then how about I tell the guards about you? Or you can let me in and give me work. Either way I get paid.” You chuckle darkly for effect. “The guards don't like you guys… right?"

A pause. “Alright, fine, you want some work? Maybe we are hiring.” You hear a bunch of clicking, then the door swings open into a dark room. Walking inside, the door slams shut behind you, throwing the room into complete darkness. “What are you, kid? Dense? Retarded? You think you can just mosey up to our home and threaten us?” Someone brings in a torch from an eastern room and illuminates the area. You’ve got 5 armored men in front of you, all armed, all very, very pissed at you. The steel room is adorned with a few chairs, mugs still frothy on the wooden tables. A metal bookcase is next to you. Two torches light the room.

You might be in a bit over your head.

>>18893354
If he goes for it, we're in. If he doesnt like our threat, we knock his ass out and head on in. If he calls everyone out. We kick their asses. We have practices fighting groups. If he slams the door in our face. We sneak in and listen to them laugh at us, as we go Predator on them.

>>18893371
Totally me, by the way.

>>18893371
I'm the god damned shadowman, and I don't care if any of you live or die. Disappear into the shadows leaving only mocking laughter.

Once we're hidden sneak up on the guy with the torch and knock him unconscious.

>>18893423
>I'm the goddamned Shadowman

You. I like you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_43PzfEGVBY

i don't suppose we can see in the dark?

>>18893436
Your night vision is superb. As long as there's a little bit of light and you have a minute to adjust, you can see well.

take out the fucker with the torch, blind strike him

Remember guys, you've got your Cloak of Deception.

A true martial artist is aware of his abilities at all times.

oh, cloak of shadows, run off looking for a narrow area and take em out individually

>>18893468
We do don't we, we should turn that on, get to some shadows and go for standard cloak of shadows, then plan out how to take them out. I advocate starting with the torch bearer and moving from there.

"So, that wasn't a test? Figured that stint at the door was to turn away 'kids'. Though maybe Im at the wrong house. I wanted to be a manhunter not the easily threatened gang." If one attacks use elemental riposte.

Should I roll?

>>18893524
Easily threatened pansies*

A loose chuckle escapes your throat as you inspect the men. One’s got a torch, two have swords, one has an axe, and one has a crossbow. “I don’t care if you live or die.” Your shadow greets your skin, melting you completely into the darkness around you. You slip past them all into the east room, laughing hauntingly. Dispersing just as you clear the corner, you spot a ventilation shaft. Quickly climbing in, you’re able to get a better look at the room from the darkness.

It’s a big room with a large window taking up most of the far wall. Normally that would be a problem, but the rain outside makes the view pitch black. The soft pitter of the storm outside rings throughout the room, filled with tall shelves and tables. A few armor and weapon racks line one of the walls. You spot another ventilation shaft on the other side of the room on the left wall. A dim light heralds the Manhunters. “Jerry! I want you to go and alert the rest of the troupe. The rest of you, spread out and find this bastard. There’s no other exits, he’s in here somewhere.” Soon enough, they turn the corner. One heads down a path to the left by the weapon racks, one walks down the middle aisle, lined with tall shelves, and two head for the right, by some tables. They all carry torches.

>>18893567
This whole "not saving my trip thing" is really starting to piss me off.

go after the one that passed by the weapons rack

>>18893586
I mean, shit, I'm not even posting in other threads.

>>18893567
Use their shadows to trip them and then descend on them like a xenomorph from alien.

>>18893567
Drop on the one walking down the middle aisle, knock him out, make sure he screams in fear before we completely knock him out though. We may as well get some psychological warfare in when we can.

Oh my, you guys don't seem to agree on this one.

Roll a d100 for it.

rolled 43 = 43

>>18893611
>>18893632
Rollan

>>18893593
if we can actually manipulate their own shadows to trip them, then i'd go with that plan instead

rolled 8 = 8

>>18893632
Descend upon them like a xenomorph!..whatever sound a xenomorph here.

>>18893650
You just learned to control your own shadow. You're not skilled enough to control theirs yet.

>>18893653
Well...fuck you too dice.

rolled 94 = 94

then i roll for the one that walked by the weapons rack

It would be best to start at the lone target the farthest away from everybody else. Quietly, you slip out from your hiding spot, cloaked in night. Sticking to the wall, you head west towards the racks. Slowly, ever slowly, sneaking up on him…

(Stealth roll = 12 + 1 for cloak of shadows = 13.)

He turns around at the last second. Shit. You’ve got to strike first. You spring into action, leaping for his leg…!

(Attack roll = 3!)

And he sidesteps out of the way as you land on the ground. He shouts for help as he rains his axe down on your prone body!

(Defense roll = 20!)
At the last second, you catch his arm in a vicegrip between your legs, and yank his weapon out of his hand, crashing his body onto the cold steel floor next to you!

>>18893655
What are the odds of us using our shadow manipulation to coat ourselves in shadow then manipulating the shadow to boost our physical attributes?

>>18893736
An interesting idea. You can roll a d20 to try it, but there's no guarantee that it would work. Given that you've tried nor heard of such a thing, you'd have to roll an 18 or higher, though.

Sound fair?

>>18893745
I want to say that it is too risky to test out now, but given our luck with the dice and it being /tg/ I say go for it.

knock him out!

rolled 12 = 12

>>18893761
>>18893745
>>18893736
whoops

>>18893745
Wait until we aren't in the middle of predatoring some poor saps. Knock the guy we have on the ground out and return to the shadows.

A wild idea crosses your mind- what if you tried to use your own shadow to make yourself stronger, faster? Beckoning to your shadow, you ask it to add to your physical abilities… and it is silent. Why!? Shit, not now.

(Defense roll = 14 – 1 for being distracted = 13.)

You’re too lost in thought to notice the axe sailing straight for you. At the last second, you move out of the way, but it slices your leg a bit. Shit, what were you thinking? Trying to invent something new in the heat of battle is outrageously stupid, that kind of thing only happens in stories! You see a man turn the corner, sword raised.

Fuck.

>>18893804
Blinding strike the axeman right next to us. Take him out of the battle for a bit. Given that he'll be flailing the swordsman ought to be scared to approach, use that as an opportunity to take him down.

You can’t get overwhelmed. You can’t even take the chance. Shadows bind themselves to your fist as it rockets towards the neck of the axeman…!

(Attack roll = 11!)

He winces, but doesn’t seem too hurt by your blow, but that wasn’t the point of it. Within seconds, the mass of darkness has crept into his eyes and rendered him completely blind. As you expected, the screaming and swearing comes next. Then the flailing, but by that point you’re out of his reach. The swordsman down the aisle looks at you, confused. You hear two pairs of footsteps coming from behind to flank you. You need to end this now.

(Attack roll = 16 + 2 for a blinded and panicking opponent!)

Thunder booms and shakes the room as you slip under his blows, kneel next to the man, lift his leg up, and smash your elbow down onto his kneecap with bone-shattering force. His screams elevate to blood-curdling shrieks, and the swordsman down the hall stares at you, dumbfounded at your ruthlessness.

>>18893878
Well, I think that he's incapacitated for now.

You're next swordsman. Throw a couple shadow daggers, aiming for to incapacitate rather than kill. His sword hand, wrist or an important tendon in one of his legs.

HAHAHAHAHA

OH WOW.

OP, leaves the previous session telling people to be less boring next time and that next sessions will be full of baddassery. Comes back clearly wanting to write some awesome shit happening, even the writing style and detail showing how into this he is. Starts by imaginably interrogating a prisoner.
>"Alright guys, go wild. He's yours"
Start interrogation with "LET ME SHOW YOU A MAGIC TRICK"
>"Ehhh... okay, you spooked him but that's not enough NOW YOU CAN GO WILD!"
"Lets get him drunk!"
"Lets be nice!"
"Lets offer protection!"
"LETS CLEARLY SHOW HIM OUR STYLE THAT WE HAVE BEEN SO DESPERATELY TRYING TO HIDE FROM EVERYONE!"
>"You know what? Fuck this. Here, he tell you the place where his buddies are. Okay, NOW GO BE BADASS PREDATOR NINJA SHADOWMANCER THAT YOU ARE!"
"Lets go fullretard and step into an obvious trap like fucking imbeciles we are. I mean, we're a barbarian, right? It's not like our style of fighting revolves around being subtle, unseen, being smart and picking off targets one by one, right?"
>"God Dammit!"

Jesus, I'm sorry OP for not being here earlier.

>>18893931
He said to be reckless.

They decided to be reckless.

I guess its a turn from going to the bank..

Spawing three shadow darts between your fingers, you fling them at the stunned swordsman…!

(Attack roll = 17!)

SLICE! You can hear his skin ripping as darts pierce his sword arm’s wrist, his ankle, and his kneecap. He kneels down, sword clanging to the ground. Behind you, lightning flashes, light blinking into the room for but half a second. Dashing over to him, you jump into the air…!

(Attack roll = 12!)

And land a solid foot right in his jaw! A loud crack echoes through the room as you break his jawbone in several places. He slumps over, out cold. From behind you, a swordsman and the crossbowman spot you and yell in rage. The crossbowman lifts his weapon and fires it directly at your head!

(Defense roll = 17!)

With nary more than a tilt, you dodge the bolt, the rest of your body immobile. The crossbowman begins to reload as thunder penetrates the steel building.

>>18893931
Oh man, you've pinned me down completely. What I'm doing right now? This is what I've been wanting to write since Monday night.

>>18893952
Cloak of shadows, return to the darkness. They just saw us brutally take two people down. Let them jump at every shadow and small noise and fall prey to paranoia before we jump back in.

What are the light sources in this building? Torches? Do we know any shadow techniques to put them out? Because that would be really useful, we could go around putting out torches

>>18893952
The crossbowman must st least be distracted by the thunder. Use that moment to overwhelm him. Shoot shadow needles while quickly getting closer to him.

>>18893950
reckless =/= be a drooling retard
It just means taking higher risks, in no way does that mean shutting down your brain. Or maybe being less of a moralfag and a bit more ruthless. Or any other number of things.

>>18893970
You could probably try to smother the torches with your shadow. The room is completely dark except for the torches the men are carrying, so that leaves two of them on the ground right now.

>>18893970
>less of a moralfag

This. Shun's not a bad guy by any means, but we knocked out a kid and left him alone on top of a mountain filled with god knows what, all because some dude talked too much smack to us.

Shun is not a nice man to people who fuck with him.

>>18893973
We can put out their torches with shadow.
Changing my vote from
>>18893965
to smothering their torches with a shadow, laughing a bit more and throwing some shadow projectiles at the crossbowman.

>>18893965
I think cloak of shadow is always on-line, no?
If not, then it should be.

>>18893994
It is, unless you say you want to switch to your other stance or turn it off.

>>18884299
I must ask though. Why the shit are we carrying this?
>5 wooden shurikens

We have never needed to use them since we can throw our shadows. Besides, wouldn't it be better to go and buy actual shurikens?
And speaking of weapons, the arcane schools in the city could enchant them. That way we can have different powerful weapons and we wont have to always rely on shadow weapons.

And I think we should get some kind of armor. Cloak and clothes are good and all, but they don't provide much protection, right? We should commission and high-quality, enchanted light armor.
We have the money. Lets spend it!

>>18894010
Eh, we never got rid of them. Never used them, either.

>>18894010
I think we made them in the first thread and haven't bothered to toss them out. They are kinda silly, I could see them potentially having a use if we don't want anyone to hit something at range and not use our shadow powers, but we can find so many things better than that.

>>18893998
Our new stance is not compatible with the shadow cloak?
Aww mang.

No, I don't want to. Lets keep being sneaky motherfucker. Anyway, how does the combat situation look? How far is the crossbow man? He just shot a bolt, to reload, aim and fire he would nee like, what, 20 seconds?
Lets get him!

>>18894022
Crossbowman's about 10 yards away.

>>18894017
I would suggest getting several enchanted throwing daggers instead of shurikens though.

>>18894026
You Americans and your crazy measuring system. I have no idea how far that is but will hazard a guess that it is not that far?
Throw a shadow needle at him while running to knock him out, aim for his arms.

>>18894031
It's about 9.15 meters

>>18894033
He's practically right beside us. Lets not give him a chance to reload.

Press the assault! Demanding three more needles from the shadows around you, you throw them at the crossbowman!

(Attack roll = 10.)

Two of them miss, but one of them hits him in the leg, and he groans in pain. That doesn’t stop him from reloading, nor does it stop the swordsman from charging you! Using what little time you have, your shadows cover the torches near you, making it that much harder to discern you, thanks to your cloak of shadows.

>>18894052
Move away from the last place we were, they'll probably attack there even in the dark. Use that moment to press the assault and knock them out.

>>18894060
Seconded

(First time poster, long time reader, love you student!!)

>>18894052
Move away from our last position but try to keep the swordsman in between us and the crossbowman to make it a difficult shot even if the crossbowman sees us. Find a good opportunity to strike the swordsman with shadow feint, we have all these nice abilities, why not use them.

You know, now that I think about it
>2 doses of Heaven Berries

Do the berries spoil? We are carrying them around like they have long shelf-life but they are just natural berries. If we don't do anything with them they might get spoiled.
If they do, we should find a way to preserve them or sell them to an alchemist in the town and buy healing potions (or whatever the equivalent instead)

>>18894088
Shit's like Senzu beans, dawg. Lasts like... forever.
Or until the plot demands otherwise.

Beckoning your shadow from its home, you become completely invisible in the darkness, and you quickly turn around and run. Once you’ve made the corner you think… you can climb this shelf. Just as you clear the steel hurdle, you become visible again. Not like that matters. They won’t see you from up here. You sneak over to where they are…

(Stealth roll = 12 + 2 for cloak of shadows and height advantage = 14!)

And survey them. “Where the fuck did he go?!” The crossbowman yells out into the shadows. His only response is the sound of the cold rain beating on the window. The swordsman tells him to calm down and to stick together. He’s smart, but you’ve got the advantage on these two fools now.

Wait, didn’t he tell one of the others to get the rest of his friends…?

>>18894103
Shadow shuriken the bowman and swordsman then flee, flinging our cape up in a massive arc to catch any potential return fire like those japanese silk cape thingies.

Then scream manically "I AM THE BATMAN". (Optional)

>>18894103
>Wait, didn’t he tell one of the others to get the rest of his friends…?

Well, dang.

Are they close to each other? We could crash down on them and take them both out.
Question: we can instantly switch between stances, right? Can we drop down, switch to Phoenix Style, beat them up and switch back to cloak of shadows?

>>18894108
Yup. It's just shifting between stances, it takes but a second.

>>18894096
Oh, that's cool.

Still, we should get couple of healing potions. Those berries are damn too valuable to be used.

>Typical RPG mindset
>"I better save these. I might need them LATER"
>Game credits
>Inventory: Super Ultra Mega Hyper healing potion x99

>>18894115
Would we lose our +1 to attacks and defense that we have due stealth cloak?

>>18894103
He did, this just means we have to take them down quickly and make sure whoever comes in sees a pile of mangled men in severe agony.

Jump down between them, stance of the cold pheonix, take down the swordsman quickly with shadow feint and leave the crossbowman for your second target.

>>18894122
Your cloak only gives a +1 bonus to stealth rolls. However, you do get bonuses for initiating a sneak attack.

>>18894129
Alright, lets do what >>18894125 suggested.

You don’t have time to waste, so you leap off the shelf, dark cape billowing behind you…!

(Attack roll = 16 + 1 for sneak attack = 17!)

You pounce on the crossbowman, smashing him into the ground with a terrible scream! Shifting your legs apart and stomping on the ground (and by extension the crossbowman), you spread your arms apart, entering the Cold Phoenix stance. A sword slices for your head…!

(Defense roll = 13.)

You manage to avoid the brunt of the strike, but you get nicked in the shoulder. That’s no big deal. Bringing your arm down to chop at the swordsman, a shadow lance shoots out from behind him…!

(Attack roll = 3.)
(Attack roll = 9.)

He blocks your arm with his and twists out of the lance’s way! Dammit, you don’t have time for this!

>>18894164
Do the Blinding Strike and take him out quickly before others arrive. We have to set up ambush for them.

>>18894174
5 minute cooldown, bro.

>>18894164
Can we throw an equivalent to "shadow" dust at him with the goal of making it harder for him to breathe?

>>18894164
strike him with a shadow flail or whip, something harder for him to block

>>18894178
I like how you think. Again, you can try, but it'll have the same goal as last time. Dust would be a little harder to make than a simple blade, don't you think?

>>18894177
Well dang.

Lets use Shadow Feint then. Attack from several directions at once. Use blunt type of shadow weapon to knock him out. He's more valuable alive than dead.

>>18894197
You just did that. It's got a 3 minute cooldown.

>>18894164
Shame, grapple him to remove his advantage of having a sword and break something important.

>>18894203
Oh.
We haven't yet used cloak of deception, right?
Wait, that needs us to be out of Phoenix Style... hmm.
Well, it takes just an instant anyway. Switch back to Cloak, use the Deception and knock him out while he's distracted.
(It has 1 minute cooldown, don't say that a minute didn't pass since we used it last)

>>18894190
I'd rather not risk it. Our style has been stated to be rooted on quick, focused movements to use the enemy's force against them. I feel that Shun would benefit more from using a shadow construct that is a combination of a war fan and a punch dagger more than anything, so how about we start using that.

>>18894221
This, and we make some quick jabs to his stomach.

>>18894216
Yeah, it's good to go.

Can we grab his sword and use our shadow to prevent it from cutting our hand, because we get to finish this guy off before his backup arrives

The man swings his sword at you again, aiming for your shoulder!

(Defense roll = 3.)

Ah, FUCK! It digs right into your left shoulder and blood gushes out of his wound. You can’t move your left arm… shit! But… you’ve still got your other one. Your shadow heeds your call and focuses into a dot of inky blackness in your palm. Winding up, you go to smash your palm into his face…

(Attack roll = 19!)

And the base of your palm connects with his nose, setting off your shadows into a violent spray in front of you! The sudden force causes the man’s upper head to explode, splattering blood, gore, and brain matter all over the wall behind him. Guess you’re not getting him alive. Fuck, your arm hurts. While your eyes gaze at the mess you made, you notice something… strange. Stumbling over, you wipe some of the gore away to reveal… a poster. Of a man with red hair, gold eyes, and sharp features. No.

It’s a wanted poster of Sifu Tong.

>>18894263
Theoretically, you could create small shadow bucklers to deflect blows. It would take a bit of practice to be able to grab a sword, but it's entirely possible.

>>18894264
*your wound

Fuck, it's getting late.

Now seems like a good time to stop for the night, don't you think? But don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow morning to wrap up this (finally) exciting chapter.

I'll answer questions for a little while, though.

>>18894264
Well, that's fucking great.

Couldn't we have used cloak of deception like I asked and avoided the attack?

Anyway, grab the poster and treat your arm. I like how people dove into bandit lair without even an ounce of preparation. Could have at least checked out alchemy shops (for which the city id famous for) and got couple of wound treating potions or whatever.

>>18894264
Well we're going to want to grab that poster, treat our wound, and inform the guards we have 3 manhunters and 1 corpse to turn in for a bounty.

>>18894313
There are more than these guys. Didn't they send another to call for reinforcements? Where did they send him to anyway? Another floor or to another hideout entirely? If it is the latter, we can hunt him down and beat him up before he calls reinforcement.

>>18894307
Sorry, it just didn't seem right for you to use an ability like shadow feint and still be able to launch an attack right after. And it's 4 AM and I'm tired as hell.

And yeah, I don't know what the fuck was up with the first half of this quest.

>>18894323
You don't know exactly where he went, but this IS a 4 story tall building. They're probably on their way now.

Archived! http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/18884233/

>mfw seeing all the purple and gold threads from other Quests

>>18894335
Well shit, that sucks. We lost the ability to use one of our arms and there are more of these guys coming. Can we treat it quickly and stop the bloodloss at least?
We might need to cut our losses and retreat. At least we got a lead on Sifu though.

>>18894345
Aww. We still love you, op!

>>18894351
You've still got 2 doses of Heaven Berries. In case you forgot.

>>18894361
I know. Damn, really don't want to use them on something this retarded.
What is their monetary worth anyway? And how good are the potions from the alchemical shops? Are berries still better than potions or are they the same?

>>18894380
You have no idea.
This is probably something Shun should check out in the future.

Guys, remember the last time you rushed into something without really thinking it through?
It sure was fun getting hunted and lost in the jungle, wasn't it? I had a blast.

>>18894391
It's not my fault the beginning of the quest was populated by shortsighted, impulsive people!

I would have AT LEAST suggested not going through the front door and getting surrounded by heavy armed thugs. Heck, I would not have suggested KNOCKING on the door of the people we want to beat the shit out like an idiot. I feel that you used a DM bias at that point since you didn't have them gank us and let us have an easy way getting out of the trap and hiding.

At what time will you be on tomorrow?

>>18894432
Right now!

>>18896580
YAY!

So what's the plan, gentlemen?

>>18896611
Are we bleeding? Is the arm completely non-functional?
Can we quickly stop the bleeding without using berries?

>>18896620
The wound's pretty deep. You can move it a little, but the pain is excruciating.

>>18896626
How about the treatment then? Can we stop the bleeding?

>>18896630
You could probably make a makeshift sling, if you weren't in enemy territory.

>>18896659
So it is basically take the berry and fight on or cut the losses and run?

Hmm. If that's the case, I say we take the berry. Shame to waste them, I suspect they have high worth.

Anyway, do that. Take the crossbow, load it. Determine where most likely the enemies will arrive then hide somewhere where we can attack from behind. Listen for the enemy so that we know if we chose the right spot before they arrive.
And yeah, turn on the Cloak if we haven't already.

>>18896677
There's only one way into and out of the room.

>>18896690
... If we go out, we get out of the building, right? So how do they get to the upper floors then?

>>18896705
Leaving this room brings you back to the entry room, which had two more doors.

>>18896709
Ah. Is the entry room big or small?
Are there many places to hide there?

Actually. Go back, cautiously to the entry room and asses the situation there.
We might not want to fight against a group AGAIN. Instead of choosing to attack them one by one. Keeping in this room with no other way out would not help that plan.

>>18896723
Take a berry, I assume?

>>18896745
Yes. We'll have to if we want to continue fighting.

Ah… dammit. You were hoping to avoid using another one of these… After popping a Heaven Berry in your mouth, you feel your bones knitting back together and your wounds stitching themselves shut. You can worry about the reason behind Sifu’s poster here later. Undoubtedly men are moving to your position.

Enveloping yourself in shadows, you head back to the entry room and crouch down in a dark corner. Bursting through the door opposite the exit are three men. Two dress themselves in robes and give you a tingly feeling in the back of your head. Mages. Shit. The last one is in full plate mail from head to toe, and wields a flail. Shit. They head into the big, dark room you just escaped from. “Aw hell, what happened here?”

“Shit, he killed Jimmy!”

“Stay together! Search every nook and cranny! He’s gotta be in here somewhere.”

Well, it looks like they think you’re in the other room. That’s good.

>>18896787
They ought to split up sooner or later adn start searching different rooms. (did you pick up the crossbow and load it like I suggested?)

Move into the the room they came from, hide near the entrance so that you can see the entry room clearly. Make sure that there is no one inside the room we're moving into though.

>>18896809
Yeah, you've totally got the crossbow. I was just too sleepy to write it.

>>18896812
Cool. Then we can shoot someone from the the entryway when they show up.

Crossbow in hand, you sneak on over to the door where the men came from and peek from around the corner. A dimly lit staircase greets you. You turn the corner, facing the entryway with the crossbow loaded. Nobody sneaks up on you. The weight of the crossbow feels strange to you. You’ve never actually used a weapon before.

>>18896836
Wait. We've never used a crossbow? I thought Shun was trained in all common weapons.
Hmm, I guess we will get attack penalty with it, right?

>>18896845
You've only ever fought with shadow weapons. For example, you know how to fight with a sword, but you've never used a real sword, you know?

>>18896851
Really? Damn.

Then the crossbow is not the best weapon to use.
Okay, lets wait till someone gets out. If after several minutes no one shows himself, shoot the bolt in opposite direction of the room. The noise should draw them out.
Ready shadow spikes.

>>18896867
What do you mean by shadow spikes? Like, to impale them (or body parts)? Or caltrops?

>>18896874
I mean those throwing things we use for ranged attacks.

Crouched down, you ready a massive amount of shadow knives and fire a bolt into the entry room. A loud CRACK! Pierces the sound of the rain.

A gruff voice yells “What was that?!”

A more gentle voice calmly says, “It’s a trap. He’s in the next room. Jones, take point. Be careful.” The lumbering of heavy armor grows louder and louder. Shit, that could’ve gone better.

>>18896916
Next room, as in the room we are in, or the entry room? Which way does the door we're next to open? Outwards, into the entry room or inwards, into the room we're in?

>>18896935
You assume he's talking about the entry room and not the staircase. The staircase door opens into the entry room.