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>>3187826

You have come for none of those reasons. You’re on this train because the crumbling fortress is the only higher institution for thaumaturgy that isn’t a decaying shack in the middle of a swamp. Still in shambles, yes, but they are towering shambles! You’ve only ever seen pictures of the Anlaecende, and in person, it is even more impressive in size. In all your life, attending it was your dream, and today, it will be achieved. Otherwise, you’d be forced to ride the train back in tears, which isn’t an option at all. Unfortunately, you’re already shaking with gut-wrenching anxiety, but if nothing else, you still have the most important thing in the world—your besom!

It was given to you by your late mother, which was given to her by her mother, and then her mother, and it goes all the way back to apparently the start of life as you know it with the way you’ve been told. It’s an origin that’s long forgotten, or at least it slips your mind. Laying on the seat beside you as if it were a passenger, the cherished heirloom sits perfect as always, a string of charms tied through the hoop at the handle.

As the train chugs down the sea bridge, you happily turn to unwritten letter that sits on your lap. You’ve meant to send something to Grandma as soon as you made it onto land, but at this rate you might as well tell her the news of your failing in person. The quill doesn’t judge, however, because it can’t. Instead it patiently waits for you to lower it so it can finally spit out ink, but it’s a future that never comes.

Instead, they’re all quickly stuffed inside your bag alongside...
>Barely anything! You put your faith in your talents which has taken you surprisingly far.
>A variety of books. Second only to your love of collecting strange texts is your love of learning.
>Your wand. It’s nothing but a bandage, but your experience with Instruments has allowed you to keep up.

>>3187826
It's fucking time

>>3187830
>Barely anything! You put your faith in your talents which has taken you surprisingly far.
Oh boy oh boy

>>3187830
>Your wand. It’s nothing but a bandage, but your experience with Instruments has allowed you to keep up.

>>3187830
>Your wand. It’s nothing but a bandage, but your experience with Instruments has allowed you to keep up.

>>3187840
Raw. Talent.

>>3187852
>>3187853
No shame in having a wand

Writing

>>3187830
>Barely anything! You put your faith in your talents which has taken you surprisingly far

>>3187830
>Barely anything!
C'mon we're ready.

>>Barely anything! You put your faith in your talents which has taken you surprisingly far.

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...your wand! And some other things too but you take care not to break it.

Though you don’t have the talent for thaumaturgy, you use Instruments to help you shape meaning into reality. Your besom is an Instrument, one built for aerial movement, and almost every thaumaturge has one, so what’s wrong with using a wand? Admittedly you are a little embarrassed needing one, but at least you know how to actually use it.

So you stare at it blankly hoping you won’t be laughed out and before you know it, you’ve arrived. The conductor signals and the doors open, and you, numbingly high-strung, step outwards into the station. You lose yourself to the glass ceiling and the sheer height of it, to the neatly tiled station, and to shocking polish of everything around you. The trance doesn’t break even when you step outside into the streets with it’s even, laid roads that all seemingly lead to the Anlaecende. All the buildings seem to push against each other as the terrain rises up, yet never rude enough to actually pile on top of one another.

Everything is so packed together, and there’s so many people! You can hardly breathe as you navigate down a randomly picked path, barraged with sight and smell one after the other. It’s so dizzying that when the street finally opens up into an area with a large fountain in the middle, you take the chance to catch your breath as you stop at a spot where you aren’t bothering anyone.

There’s too much to see. Focus! At this rate, you’ll miss the entrance exam.

You grip your besom with renewed purpose. With nothing to stop you, you begin down the street that points to the castle ahead.

You walk, walk and walk, and after a curious length of time, you end up at a strangely familiar fountain. No, in fact, it is the exact same fountain! Frozen in shock, you go over what went wrong. You walked in a straight line didn’t you? Sure a couple of shops hid the sky a couple of times but how did you walk in a circle?!

Desperate, you take a look around. Who can you ask? Who do you ask?

There, you spot a girl with a besom much like you! She’s by a shop frantically looking around, however. Another thaumaturge is standing near the fountain. There’s an impatient expression on her face, and though she seems like she knows her way around. You’re not sure if you should bother her, though. Lastly, the only other person who doesn’t seem completely unapproachable is a man in rags. A stray symbol on his clothes reveals that he is Anlaecendean staff! Well, it looks more like he dug the uniform out of the garbage.

You are lost.
>Approach the frantic girl.
>Approach the impatient thaumaturge.
>Approach the man in rags.
>Approach no one! You can do it yourself, and that’s not because you can’t work up the courage or anything!

>>3187912
>>3187919
>>3187942
Sorry that I've closed voting, but I promise the starting point is hardly as important as the growth.

>>3187954
>Approach the man in rags.
Charity before a selfishness!

>>3187954
>Approach the man in rags.

>>3187954
>Approach the man in rags.

>>3187954
>Approach no one! You can do it yourself, and that’s not because you can’t work up the courage or anything!
I'm gonna need a pronunciation guide for "Anlaecende" before I spend the next three months mentally saying it wrong.

>Approach no one! You can do it yourself, and that’s not because you can’t work up the courage or anything!

>>3187954
>Approach the frantic girl.

>>3187960
>>3187966
>>3187974
Be eaten by wolves

>>3187980
>>3187986
Wander

>>3187998
Panic attack

Writing

>>3187980
>I'm gonna need a pronunciation guide for "Anlaecende" before I spend the next three months mentally saying it wrong.
My latin is abysmal but in my head I'm saying "ahn-lay-seen-d"

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You’re not quite sure what the man in rags is up to, but he’s hunched over working on something with a shovel. As you approach him, you begin to realize he is an absolute mammoth of a human, rising two heads above you. Or maybe you’re just short. Past the holes in his shredded cloak you can a rough, dirt-stained tunic underneath. A workman’s outfit.

“Um,” you begin to say, “Excuse me.”

They’re actually nervous squeaks almost drowned out by the din of the city. He doesn’t seem to notice, and that’s when it finally dawns on you that you should’ve approached the frantic girl or better yet find the way yourself. In hindsight, probably everyone knows the way there.

Then he pulls himself away from his work and turns around to reveal his absolute mammoth of a beard. The scholarly glasses that sits on the bridge of his nose transform his state of dress from “unfortunate” to “utter confusion”. He adds on when he opens his mouth. “Pardon? Were you speaking to me?”

You collect yourself. “Ah, yes. Sorry, do you know the way to the Anlaecende? I think I’m lost.”

He seems to question something but silently laughs it off. “It happens that I do! Follow that road over there,” he says, pointing to a completely different one than the one you last took. “Keep going straight, even though it bends sometimes. On the fourth intersection, turn right, and follow there.” He lists a few more steps that almost slips in one ear and right out the other but you pull it back before it can leave you for good. When he’s done and you’re done thanking, he asks, “An applicant, aren’t you? You’ve best get going; you’re cutting it close.”

Meekly, you reply, “Right,” you reply, “I didn’t expect the trains to be held up so much that I’d lose a complete day.”

The laugh he answers you with startles you so much you’re certain your heart seized for a second. Clearing his throat, he says, “It happens. Best of luck to you.”

“Thank you,” you reply, and as you’re about to leave, you finally notice what he’s actually doing. You piece together the shovel a large hole cut into the drainage by his feet.

What is he doing?
>There’s no time to be distracted, get going!
>Ask. You want to know!
>Write-in.

>>3188044
>Ask. You want to know!

Share your secrets, O wise hobo man

>>3188044
>Ask. You want to know!

>>3188057
>>3188058
Ask

Writing

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You only make it one step before you stop and turn around. “Um, why are you digging there?”

The drainage, funneling into a nearby gated hole to the sewers, is probably the last place to look for treasure.

“This?” he asks before frowning at the hole. “It’s a long story. Someone was flying and dropped something here, a ring of some sorts. It has a blue gem that turns red when you bring it into sunlight, and she claims it’s fallen down this exact drain. Heavens she hasn’t stopped hounding me about it since that day.”

“I... I see,” you reply, “But, why don’t you lift up the gate? Or dig up the gate?”

He shakes his head. “Can’t. Afraid I don’t have a warrant for it. Physically cannot pry it open.” You weren’t aware the isle’s protection extended into the structures themselves, but you guess with an Instrument and a set mind you can do about anything. It also seems to have a lot of loopholes. He grumbles to himself, “I told her the warrant would take a week but she just can’t wait.”

“Sorry, I thought I could help you out with it,” you trail off. “If I ever come across it, I’ll try to find you. Somehow.”

“Why, don’t worry about it. Hurry along now, before you miss what you came here for.”

Nodding, you bid farewell and make your way down the road.

[1/2]

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>>3188093

Thankfully, at some point, you spot signs helpfully placed along the way to guide you to your destination.

The gatekeeper, a product of some strange invocation, holds a quill and paper in hands whose number of fingers you fail to count. It’s complete lack of concrete form is only broken up by its unblinking eyes. You approach the shapeless, featureless mass and say your greetings.

“H-hi, I’m here for the entrance examination,” you say, looking up. Your neck hurts.

A warbling voice answers you, coming from seemingly every part of its body. “Name?”

“Stella.”

“Any specific field you’re applying for?”

“Eh?”

It pauses before rolling a hand. “Leechcraft, psychphasia, you know.”

“Oh, no,” you reply, shaking your head. You don’t even know what those words are!

“Hmm, I see.” It scribbles a few more words before it begins gargling! You try your best not to recoil in terror. A third arm extends from its torso, or what it would be, and hands you a paper with a number on it.

“136” you read out loud.

Flatly it tells you, “Follow the carpet and signs and take a seat until you’re called. Next.”

You hurry along as it someone else steps up after you. Down the perfectly carved stone halls you can’t help but balk at and past a corner, you arrive at a waiting room of sorts. It appears to be a repurposed dining hall. It’s also incredibly empty given the rows and rows of tables, save for a few who are keeping to themselves. You’re part of the last, you suppose. Strange light illuminates the room, emanating from the air itself.

You yelp when two thaumaturges hurry past you, clearly more familiar with the place than you are.

“Why do we want front row seats again?” one asks.

The other replies, “Why don’t you? Come on, let’s check it out!”

Are they going to spectate the exams?

You watch the two as they disappear past a door.
>Follow them.
>Patiently wait here.
>Write-in.

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Be back in around 15 to get food.

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>>3188147

stella is a good kid

>>3188147
>3188147
>Follow them.

>>3188147
>Patiently wait here.

Don’t want to miss when they call our number

>>3188147
>Follow them.

>>3188147
>Patiently wait here.

Waiting room is empty, we might get called soon.

>>3188154
Oh my god this is amazing! I love it, thank you!

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>3188156
>>3188174
1
>>3188173
>>3188179
2

Writing

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The thought to follow them almost drags you from your seat, but you know better than that. What if your number was called and you missed it? It would be the most embarrassing way to fail the exam. Would that even count as a fail?

You can only ruminate endlessly as the knots in your stomach begin to multiply. You want to see it. You want to see them race too! Instead you only rub your knees together and fiddle with your besom. With a finger twirling around the charms, you give it a light tug, satisfied to see nothing give way. No, it’s no good. You can mess with your Instruments all you want but the pain isn’t going to go away. Aargh, if only you knew a Miracle to ease the pain!

Someone walks into the dining hall and you instantly recognize them as the one who was standing by the fountain before. In tow is what you assume to be her friend. They sure took their time.

A sound alerts you and you almost give yourself whiplash: at the end of the dining hall the wooden doors swing wide open so three disgruntled thaumaturges can step out. One smug thaumaturge follows them.

And then a booming, disembodied voice scares the life out of you. “134, 135, 136, 137, please enter.”

“Woo! Finally!” someone shouts as she bolts upright. Leaping out of her seat, she practically leaps out of her seat and past the doors.

You are unnerved. Everyone here is too loud. What’s wrong with this island?

[1/?]

>>3188154
hot damn

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>>3188230

Moments later, you find yourself on an open terrace with its balusters clearly knocked out so people can walk off of it. You’ve left your bag behind as did the others with their belongings, and now in your hands is your wand and besom. Without even thinking, you do as the other three did, jumping off with your besom beneath you. Before you even touch it, you become weightless, the sheer thought flying made into reality in a thoughtless instantly. Sitting on a besom is painfully uncomfortable, but doing so while you are like a feather? It is nothing.

You let it guide you forward to where the other three are patiently waiting, at the starting line.

The energetic one seems to unable to sit still. “Come on, what’s keeping them? I wanna go!” she says.

The exam as far as you know, consists of a single race. While the main purpose is to show off what you can do under pressure, it doesn’t hurt to land first place. And all three of them are far too collected compared to you. Maybe you’re out of your element. No, you definitely are.

As you catch up, you meekly say, “Hi.” They all turn to face you as you fall in line. “I’m Stella. Let’s do our best.”

The thaumaturge you saw before at the fountain almost laughs. “I’m Plume. Sorry you all had to be in the same race as me. First place is already mine.” She brushes her hair to the side with an unbreakable smile. “But do your best.”

[2/4]

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>>3188278

“Huh? What the hell are you saying?” the energetic thaumaturge replies. On closer look, you spot a scar on her cheek, though you try not to stare. “We haven’t even started!”

Plume simply answers, “Sorry, but I can tell when someone’s out of their element. Two country bumpkins and a pretend thaumaturge.” Her eyes flicker to your wand. “I misspoke; I meant two pretend thaumaturges. Don’t you get it? We’re competing with each other and being compared to one another.”

The other girl grits her teeth. “Yeah, well let’s see when the damn thing starts.” Letting out a heavy breath, she throws her away any animosity to tell everyone else, “Hey, I’m Ember. Nice to meetcha. Don’t go easy on me, yeah? I won’t do the same back!”

Plume just laughs.

[3/4]

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>>3188298

All eyes fall on the last girl, sitting sheepishly. In her hand is a wand, sharper and more polished compared to yours. Or rather, it gives you a feeling of impersonality.

“Lavender,” she says, and then repeats, “My name is Lavender. Let’s do our best.”

It is then that you reconsider your first impression of her. It isn’t sheepishness but complete resignation. It was as if she took one look at Plume and gave up. And when you glance at the pompous girl once more, you realize she’s been keeping her hair afloat the entire time, falsifying volume. You’ve never seen such arbitrary use of a Miracle before! And she’s just doing it all the time!

Does that mean she so skilled she can bother to waste concentration of trivial things?

You don’t want to think about it. You can’t let your morale plummet before the race has even begun!

Lavender, as if muttering to herself, says, “I heard if you got first place, it was a guaranteed win. I guess that’s off the table now.”

She’s completely falling apart.
>Cheer her up! Try to, anyways.
>Attempt to create a treaty to fight against the Plume menace.
>Stay quiet. The less competition, the better.
>Write-in.

>>3188334
>Cheer her up! Try to, anyways

>It’s not about winning, it’s about showing what you can do

>>3188352
this

>>3188352
this

>>3188352
this

>>3188352
this?

>>3188352
this!

>>3188352
Yup.

>>3188352
>>3188355
>>3188357
>>3188367
>>3188371
>>3188380
>>3188389
This

Writing

>>3188352
?this?

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“Lavender,” you quietly say, “Come on, don’t give up already. You’re here, aren’t you?” She doesn’t say anything in return. “It’s not about winning, right? It’s about showing off what you can do. Don’t worry about Plume.”

She finally turns to face you. “I know. That’s why I’m afraid.”

Huh? What does that mean? Wait, was she planning on—

“Hey! Get over here!” Ember interrupts with her yelling. “It’s starting!” You finally notice that the someone’s standing by the starting line, waiting.

You look at Lavender. You don’t know how to feel. Displeased? How can you possibly hold such a nasty feeling against someone trying to reach for the stars? Your inner turmoil, although distracting you from your nervousness, does little to help the situation. Therefore, you choose to feel nothing at all.

The thaumaturge by the start announces, “One lap around the castle. Don’t go too high or too low, and don’t try to cut through the path. If you diverge, immediately return to the track via the shortest route.” Something shifts in her eyes, and then the sky below you illuminates, drawing a path through the air. There’s countless little bits floating around, dazzling and twinkling to capture your attention as much as possible. “Good luck.”

She counts down.

“Three.”

You glance at Lavender, whose hair now hides her eyes.

“Two.”

You look to Ember, who only stares straight ahead with a wide grin.

“One.”

And Plume, who, despite her words, doesn’t show an ounce of malice by her expression.

“Go!”

And you launch forward.

[1/2]

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>>3188449

>You are in an Encounter! Specifically, this is a Race.
>Every participant of an Encounter will have 4 things, excluding a name.

[Stella]
Con: 7

>Your Constitution interacts with a special [Status] called [Shock]. Avoiding what that is for now, a quick summary is that the higher your constitution, the tougher you are to take down.

Miracle: 6/10 [+1.5]

>You perform feats by expending Miracles. Most characters have a Miracle pool, though some are empty. The number in brackets is how much you regen at the start of every turn.

Speed: 10

>In a race, speed is the most important thing! You won’t get anywhere without it. As you can see, Stella has a Base Speed of 10.

Position: 0

>At the start of every turn, your Speed is updated by speed-modifying [Status] effects. The new result is then added to your position.

[2/4]

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>>3188455

[Lavender]
Con: 8
Miracle: 0/2 [+1]
Speed: 7
Position: 0

Skills:
>???


[Ember]
Con: 9
Miracle: 2/8 [+2]
Speed: 11
Position: 0

Skills:
>???


[Plume]
Con: 10
Miracle: 10/20 [+2.5]
Speed: 10
Position: 0

Skills:
>???

>>3188461

[Stella]
Con: 7
Miracle: 6/10 [+1.5]
Speed: 10
Position: 0

Goal: 100


>Blast someone with focused energy! (Write-in Target)
>Ram someone. It’s brutish, but anything goes! (Write-in Target)
>Speed up! Faster!

>>3188468
>Speed up! Faster!

I’d rather not attack anyone else unless they attack us. Then the gloves come off.

>>3188468
>Speed up! Faster!

We're less likely to be targeted if we aren't a jerk. It's to early to be aggressive anyway.

>>3188488
>>3188503
Faster

Writing

>>3188468
>Speed up! Faster!
Let's focus on getting the lead for now. Hopefully everybody will weaken each other and we'll be at 100% if it comes down to a fight

Also what is speed measured in? Feet? Meters?

>3188468
>Blast Plume immediately
HECK YOU

She's already said she's aiming for the top. Think we can convincingly lose second place by 'incompetence' afterwards and let her waste energy on retaking first place?

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https://files.catbox.moe/sav7ty.mp3

You are going unbelievably fast. You’ve practiced, but you’ve never even imagine risking these speeds. The air buffets you violently as you cut through and you struggle to breath. You thought you were going fast enough, but when you see all three of the others ahead of you, you push with greater effort. After all, you’ve come all this way. You can’t relent now.

But it’s so much. Too much. You can barely pry your eyes open. Your brain fizzles trying to concentrate. Your ears are drowned by the wind. Fear grips every inch of your body as you struggle to even shift position. Is this what a race is like? You are stripped raw in front of the elements as adrenaline floods through you. Is this the part where you’re supposed to feel excited?

You feel none of it.

Hands shaking, you do the only thing you can. You push forward!

>(Pace) Choose either to [Slow] up to 5+X or to [Haste] up to 5-X, where X is the number of enemies behind you. This lasts for 1 turn only.

>[Slow Y] Decrease your speed by Y Lengths. Remove 1 instance after 1 turn.
>[Haste Y] Increase your speed by Y Lengths. Remove 1 instance after 1 turn.

>Sometimes the values may change depending on the Encounter.
>Here, there are no enemies behind you.
>Therefore, you can use (Pace) [Haste 5]

>[Stella] uses (Pace) [Haste 5]!
>[Stella] gains 1 instance of [Haste 5].


In the distance, you see—no, you hear Ember laughing. “Catch me if you can!” She bolts past even faster than you. Dismayed, you try to not let it get you down. Focus on yourself. Remember what you told Lavender!

>[Ember] uses (Pace) [Haste 5]!
>[Ember] gains 1 instance of [Haste 5].

Plume simply rides her besom, unfazed. She doesn’t even care you’re going ahead. Instead, she throws her hair back as her eyes flicker with energy.

>[Plume] uses (Peerless Poise)!
>(Peerless Poise) Expend 10 Miracles. For 3 turns, nullify all incoming [Shock] or [Slow] instances, and all [Stun] instances are transformed into [Slow 5]. [Cooldown: 12]

>[Shock] When the number of [Shock] instances equals your Constitution, you will be stunned until all instances are removed. After each turn spent in [Shock], the number of instances equal to (2/3) * (Constitution) will be removed. After all instances are removed, move forward the distance equal to (1/4) * (Speed) * (Turns Spent in Shock).

>This may be too much to parse, but don’t worry about the math for now! Just know having your [Shock] stack overflown is a bad thing.
>You also do not lose [Shock] instances over time, so be careful!


Huh? What did she do? Nothing happened? You glance back in confusion. You don’t understand, but you can’t worry about that now!

[1/3]

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>>3188531

Behind her is Lavender. Instead of speeding up, she fetches something tied to her besom. A glass bottle, you realize. You’re too far away to see the contents, but you can only watch on. Fearlessly, and despite fighting the winds, she uncorks it and throws her head back!

>[Lavender] uses (Invigorating Brew)!
>(Invigorating Brew) Expend no Miracles. Increase your Constitution and Speed by 2 for the rest of the encounter. [One Use]

>Lavender’s Con increased from 8 to 10.
>Lavender’s base Speed increased from 7 to 9.


There’s too much going on.

You don’t even see that below you, the city’s citizens watching from afar.

Plume was right. You are out of your element.

Still, that won’t stop you. You have a goal, and you’re going to reach it!

[2/3]

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>>3188550

>In an Encounter, most will share two skills: Ram and Pace. For succinctness, they will be omitted from the skills of the other participants. When participants do not have Ram or Pace, I will specify so.

>Besides those two skills, they will normally have three other skills: 2 normal one and a Talent.
>Talents are high-cost skills that are unique to their user.
>You, of course, do not have a Talent.


[Lavender]
Con: 10
Miracle: 1/2 [+1]
Speed: 9
Position: 9

Skills:
>(Invigorating Brew) Expend no Miracles. Increase your Constitution and Speed by 2 for the rest of the encounter. [One Use]
[Ember]
Con: 9
Miracle: 4/8 [+2]
Speed: 16 (11+ 5)
Position: 11

Skills:
>???
[Plume]
Con: 10
Miracle: 2.5/20 [+2.5]
Speed: 10
Position: 10

Skills:
>???
>???
>(Peerless Poise) Expend 10 Miracles. For 3 turns, nullify all incoming [Shock] or [Slow] instances, and all [Stun] instances are transformed into [Slow 5]. [Cooldown: 12]
>Actions are resolved in order of Speed. This normally doesn’t matter, but next turn, the order will be thus:
>Ember, Stella, Plume, Lavender.

>If Speeds are tied, then the person with the least [Shock] stacks will go first.
>If that fails, a coin will be flipped.

[Stella]
Con: 7
Miracle: 7.5/10 [+1.5]
Speed: 15 (10+5)
Position: 10

Goal: 100

>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.

>(Illume) Expend 5 Miracles and select a target within 25 Lengths. Deal them 2 instances of [Shock]. If you have not targeted them using this skill before in this Encounter, for 1 turn their perceived distance of you is increased by 10 Lengths. [Cooldown: 2]

>(Ram) Expend no Miracles and select a target within 5 Lengths. Take half your speed and deal that many instances of [Shock] to them. You also receive half of the number of [Shock]s dealt.

>(Pace) Expend no Miracles. Choose either to [Slow] up to 6 or to [Haste] up to 4.

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Okay, I hope this isn't too information at once. For this Encounter, I'll be extending voting time to 20 minutes so you can take a bit more time. Maybe a bit more. It's all pretty straight forward, just a lot of moving parts.

Sometimes I'm going to make a mistake, so please tell me if there is one. I'm sure I'll be prone to them since the bookkeeping on my end is harsh.

Shouldn't we be at position 15, or did I miss something?
>Speed mod happens before base speed happens
>we got Haste 5 (+5 speed for 1 turn)
>base speed = 10
>5 + 10 = 15

>>3188586
Oof, disregard this. Just saw the update.

>>3188581
>Haste
oh god what the fuck

>>3188586
>>3188589
Yeah it's a little unintuitive. You can always refer to the Turn Order picture here >>3188455. The speed is delayed since (Pace) gives a status, not a direct speed change.

>>3188575
[Haste] up to 4.

I’m fine with letting Ember get targeted instead of us for the time being

>>3188575
Right now I think there's no need to draw other people's ire by attacking them, so let's just
>(Pace) Expend no Miracles. Choose either to [Slow] up to 6 or to [Haste] up to 4.
Haste 4

So, by the looks of things:
>Ember Haste'd, like we did, but has no other effects on her
>Plume is immune to Shock/Slow, Stun is dampened; she's an invalid target for the next 3 turns
>Lavender buffed her Con & Speed, so she'll be faster and harder to affect, but still not as fast as us, and is still in last place

Not voting yet, but if we want to go on the offense, Ember would be the best target. Or, we could Haste to tie/overtake her position, but being in the lead would make us a pretty target.

>>3188575
While I was ruminating, everyone else drew a conclusion. Welp.

I'll agree with:
>(Pace)
Haste 4

>>3188596
If I'm reading it correctly, we also have the skill peerless poise, so we can use that if people start attacking us. Although it seems like everyone is better than us, so maybe we should hang back and look unassuming. Thinking it through, I'm reconsidering my vote.

Our general options are attack, defend, speed up, or slow down. I think attacking at this juncture is maybe a bit risky, and there's nothing to defend against yet. Speeding up seems like the intuitive choice, but I'm not super confident.

>>3188607
Sorry, you don't have it. That's Plume's Talent. 4chan broke my formatting because I hit enter too many times. I'll fix it next post. Better yet, I'll add borders.

>>3188604
>>3188595
>>3188590
>>3188593

Writing for (Pace) [Haste 4]

Plumes semi-invulnerability seems concerning. She's probably going to start pulling ahead and/or hitting people without us being able to do anything about it. I think we should try to coordinate with the Lavender and Ember to gang up on Plume. We won't be able to shock her for now, but as long as she doesn't win in 3 turns and we don't take eachother out, we can work together to take her down the moment Peerless Poise ends.

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You split through the skies, blindly following the glow underneath you. That’s all you need to know, that’s all you need to do! You’re about to bring your wand up, but your hand trembles.

What if someone attacks you? You can’t risk to draw someone’s attention, not if...

Not if you’re going to get hurt.

So you keep accelerating until you are right behind Ember. There, you catch her glancing back at you. She starts laughing, loud enough for you to hear it clearly.

“Come on, I can see that look in your eyes. Remember what I said?” she asks you. What she told you. Don’t hold back. “Or did you think you could outrun me?” She points to herself.

Her very image shakes. At first you thought it was your eyes, but you soon realize you were wrong. A blazing storm almost knocks you off of your besom, shaking you to your core. You can’t breathe. There’s no air to breathe.

>[Ember] uses (Roaring Flames)!
>(Roaring Flames) Expend 4 Miracles. Apply 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2] to all enemies within 7 Lengths.

>[Stella] receives 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2].
>[Lavender] receives 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2].
>[Plume] deftly dodges the attack with (Peerless Poise), receiving no [Status] instances.

And then, in an instant, you break past it, gasping, the ends of your hair singed. If the castle’s protection wasn’t there...

You don’t want to imagine it. You can’t.

Your mind is reeling. All you can do is advance.

>[Stella] uses (Pace)!
>[Stella] gains [Haste 4].

Ember shouts to Plume, “What?! Why weren’t you hit?”

She sighs. “Pay attention. Or don’t. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

And then she takes a wide arc, and when she comes back, she slams into Ember! She flies wildly off to the side before steadying herself again.

>[Plume] (Ram)s [Ember]!
>[Ember] receives 5 instances of [Shock].
>[Plume] receives no instances in return with (Peerless Poise).


Ember grits her teeth. “You... I’ll get you! Just you wait until that thing is over!”

“That’s a little too late,” she replies.

Behind Plume, Lavender weakly raises her wand, only to pause. She lowers it again, her expression darkening before trying to catch up.

>[Lavender] uses (Pace)!
>[Lavender] gains [Haste 5].

Everything looks dim.

[1/2]

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>>3188631

[Lavender]
Con: 10
Miracle: 2/2 [+1]
Speed: 12 (9+5-2)
Position: 18

Status: [Shock]x3, [Slow 2]x1

Skills:
>(Invigorating Brew) Expend no Miracles. Increase your Constitution and Speed by 2 for the rest of the encounter. [One Use]

---

[Ember]
Con: 9
Miracle: 2/8 [+2]
Speed: 11
Position: 27 (11+16)

Status: [Shock]x5

Skills:
>(Roaring Flames) Expend 4 Miracles. Apply 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2] to all enemies within 7 Lengths.

---

[Plume]
Con: 10
Miracle: 5/20 [+2.5]
Speed: 10
Position: 20 (10+10)
Status: [Peerless Poise]x2

Skills:
>>(Peerless Poise) Expend 10 Miracles. For 3 turns, nullify all incoming [Shock] or [Slow] instances, and all [Stun] instances are transformed into [Slow 5]. [On Cooldown for 11 more turns]

---

[Stella]
Con: 7
Miracle: 9/10 [+1.5]
Speed: 12 (10+4-2)
Position: 25 (10+15)

Status: [Shock]x3, [Slow 2]x1

Goal: 100

>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.

>(Illume) Expend 5 Miracles and select a target within 25 Lengths. Deal them 2 instances of [Shock]. If you have not targeted them using this skill before in this Encounter, for 1 turn their perceived distance of you is increased by 10 Lengths. [Cooldown: 2]

>(Ram) Expend no Miracles and select a target within 5 Lengths. Take half your speed and deal that many instances of [Shock] to them. You also receive half of the number of [Shock]s dealt.

>(Pace) Expend no Miracles. Choose either to [Slow] up to 8 or to [Haste] up to 2.

Ok, so Plume didn't speed up and has used 1 turn of peerless poise. She has two more turns of peerless poise remaining. Her current speed is still 10, her position should be 20.

In the next two turns, if she does Pace Haste 5 for both turns, then she'll be at position 45 with 20 speed once Peerless poise ends. At this point we'll have 3 turns to take her down unless she can Haste for more than 5 (Ember didn't, so hopefully 5 is everyone's best for now). There's a problem though. She still has 10 more miracles so she can peerless poise again, at which point we'll be screwed: she'll be invincible all the way to the goal at 100. Now, because we have more speed right now, we could technically beat her there, especially if we Pace every turn; we'll reach the goal on the same turn, but our speed will be higher so we'll go first and beat her.

The problem is that we'll probably have taken enough shock to be stunned once or twice the way things are going. Any turns of stun will put us too far behind even if we haste every turn, especially if consecutive Haste uses result in diminishing returns (our first one was 5, our second was 4). The only way we'll have a chance of beating plume is if all 3 of us gang up on her and deal 11 shock (one more than her constitution of 10) on the one turn that she's vulnerable in order to stun her.

It would be nice to at least slow her, but we have no skills that can slow her down. We should ask our other rivals if they have anything that can hit her through peerless poise.

>>3188643
With that in mind, we should absolutely
>Shout at Lavender.
Ask if she can slow Plume down.
We should also ask both Lavender and Plume if they'll agree to stop attacking and gang up on Plume two turns from now so we can stun her. We can deal 5 shock at best, but all of us together can hopefully hit her for 11 and stun her.

In the meantime, let's Pace to speed up as much as we can possibly handle. We could attack Ember, but Plume is a bigger problem. Dealing enough shock to stun Ember is easy and we can do it in the future if we need to.
>(Pace) Expend no Miracles. Choose either to [Slow] up to 8 or to [Haste] up to 2.
Haste 2

>>3188646
I suppose it’s time to retaliate. Plus we pretty much have max miracle points right now so we might as well us them

>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.

>>3188649
You need to specify who you're pointing that laser beam at when the skill asks you to select a target.

>>3188652
Ah, sorry. I meant to target Ember. I guess I stupidly thought that was implied when I said retaliate.

>>3188649
Ember is already shocked for 5. Since she has 9 con, it's only 4 more shock to stun her. We can do that later if we have to. It's at worst 2 turns to stun her, and since the goal is at 100 and I just reread the stun rules, getting stunned will take someone down for pretty much the rest of the race since it'll take 2 turns for them to be able to move again, since they only deplete 2/3 of it per turn. There's no rush to take her down now.

This is especially true if we could convince her to attack Plume. It's important that she be in range two turns from now when Peerless Poise ends.

>>3188661
In just worried because I think she might try to use her fire move again next turn and at this rate we’ll still be in the radius to get affected by that again, which would leave us extremely vulnerable to a finishing stun.

>>3188646
>>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.
Ember

>>3188661
Once Ember is taken care of I think we can use Illume to become untargetable from Plume and then just spam Haste until we win

>>3188668
Prismatic Burst wont stun her this turn though, since it only hits for 3 shock, so unless Lavender also shocks Ember she'll hit us anyways.

Actually wait we'll hit her with 5 if she's targeting us, so that'll stun her and save us. Does Roaring Flames target? It says 'all enemies', so I thought it meant she wasn't specifying us as a target.

>>3188652
Will Prismatic Burst deal 5 shock to Ember if she's trying to use Roaring Flames again?

>>3188679
No. Roaring Flames has no target. You can, however, use Illume to "get out of range" of it. This turn, Ember has 2 Miracles, so it's not like she can use it anyways.

>>3188646
>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.
On Ember

>>3188668
If she uses Roaring Flames on us this turn then Prismatic Burst will deal 5 hp instead of 3 which will put her into shock so that's actually a good things

>>3188683
>No. Roaring Flames has no target.
The fuck why is she so busted?

>Ember has 2 Miracles, so it's not like she can use it anyways.
Wait but according to the turn order regen happens first and because she has 2 regen it'll bring up to 4 which is the required amount, won't it?

>>3188690
No. Action select is past Miracle Gain. Every time I ask for input, you are on step 7. The Miracle I give you is what they have to work with, including you.

>>3188648
Haste 2

>>3188656
>>3188673
Prismatic Burst Ember

It looks like there's a consensus to shout at Lavender.

>>3188690
>The fuck why is she so busted?
Again, Illume allows you to dodge Roaring Flames. She also can't use it every turn. You could also get out of range. It's a small range.

Writing.

>>3188699
Oh forgot to count >>3188685 As Prismatic Burst Ember

>>3188646
>(Pace): Haste 2

I would suggest Ram, but we're close to our Stun threshold, and there's no other support anyway.
I personally don't see Ember as busted, I see her as a bar to meet and one day exceed. This is our first encounter; it's a good way to see how Stella stacks up with everyone else.

>>3188702
Or the vote could close while I post. Heh.
[insert Slowpoke here]

>>3188699
If anything, we’re busted. I mean you can snipe across comparatively huge distances with Prismatic Spray, and with our regen you can practically use that every turn. It’s so good that in retrospect I’m almost regretting ever using Haste and not just sitting in the back and sniping people who are outside our range.

>>3188705
We wouldn't be able to deal enough shock to Plume in the few turns she's vulnerable though.

>>3188706
Just Illume her so she can't ram us and outspeed her.
Or rather, Pace when she has no Poise (she's likely to set it back up that turn), Illume when she has.

>>3188709
We only get one turn of safety with Illume, then it has a 2 turn cooldown. Unless we can get out of range in that time she can attack us with impunity for those turns.

>>3188709
She won’t put Poise up again because it has a massive cooldown.

>>3188706
You mean the 10 more turns of Cooldown that she's vulnerable? That's a pretty wide window.

>>3188709
We don't have to worry about her setting it up again for a while.

>>3188713
>Cooldown 12
You know, somehow I didn't see that before. That really changes everything.

>>3188711
It also only increases distance once per opponent per encounter. But it's still a turn of safety.

>>3188713
Shit, you're right. We have to Shock her into the last place while we can!
Still, let's see the next tur's situation first.

>>3188699
It's mostly due to the combo of a non-targeting aoe attack that does both good damage and can easily be used to fuck everybody else early on mixed with the fact that she has the highest speed to make sure she's ahead or can get within her range pretty easily

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“Lavender!” you say. No, it’s more like a scream, something welling from deep inside you. “You can’t give up! Plume’s going to win at this rate! Are you okay with that?!” No answer. “Lavender!”

Nothing.

Grimacing, you realize there’s little you can do now. But not nothing. Raising your wand, you change reality. You shape meaning and superimpose it onto the world, and by your Instrument, it happens in an instant. Light bursts out of the end pointed straight at Ember. It lands right on target, spewing into a mesmerizing glimmer of colors with enough force to almost throw her off!

>[Stella] uses (Prismatic Burst) on [Ember]!
>[Ember] receives 3 instances of [Shock].

“Haha, I shouldn’t have done that,” she says, laughing. Ember’s head drops. “Crap,” Ember says, “There’s no way getting around this, huh?” She inhales deeply and shouts, “Ah, who cares?! I won’t take this lying down!”

She distances herself away from you for a second, and then comes back crashing into you!

Time seems to slow for a moment. Why?

She’s going to down herself, so—

>[Ember] (Ram)s into [Stella]!
>[Stella] receives 6 instances of [Shock].
>[Ember] receives 3 instances of [Shock].

>[Stella] and [Ember] are both in [Shock]!


You don’t finish the thought as she slams into you. In an instant, you are thrown off your besom, pain shooting through your side.

You fall.

You haven’t fallen in a long time, so you almost forget what it’s like.

It’s almost peaceful, watching everything slip away from you.

Ember stops, teetering. Her thoughts are a jumbled mess, much like yours. She stands there, the perfect target.

“What was it that you said before?” Plume says, “Wait and see? In all honesty, I’m a little disappointed.”

>[Plume] (Ram)s into [Ember]!
>[Ember] receives 5 instances of [Shock]!

And she flies off right behind you.

Ah, is this it? She was right, wasn’t she?

There’s a difference between the weak and the strong.

One so insurmountable, you couldn’t have possibly hoped to climb over...

Right?

“I want to win,” someone shouts. Lavender? “I want to win!” It’s raw desperation, almost painfully pitiful, and yet— “I won’t lose here!” Ripping another bottle from her besom, she winds back, and then throws it. “I won’t, I won’t!”

And then it explodes, the smoke engulfing you and Plume in an instant.

>[Lavender] uses (Volatile Concoction) on Point 22!
>(Volatile Concoction) Expend no Miracles and select a point within 13 Lengths. Everyone within 3 Lengths of the point is [Stun]ned and 3 instances of [Slow 1]. [Three Uses]
>(Volatile Concoction) hits spaces 19 to 25!

>[Plume] receives 1 instance of [Slow 5] due to (Peerless Poise).
>[Stella] receives 3 instances of [Slow 1].

Your heart is pounding.

[1/?]

Ah, I should’ve known Lavender had more abilities she hadn’t shown yet. The one she already used wasn’t even close to making her competitive by itself. Even so, with our ability to snipe over long distance with Prismatic Spray, this might not be over yet.

>>3188726
Shouldn't Ember have received 2 more Shock because she targeted us?

>>3188726
>>3188734
And then wouldn't she have been stunned before she hit us?

>>3188734
Oh, that's right. Thank you.

>>3188736
Refer to the turn order. The stacks are applied near the end of the turn but only take effect on the next turn. This is also why you move one last bit before [Shock] seizes you.

>>3188738
Right, that makes sense

>>3188732
Wow, I totally forgot that everyone has 2 skills and one high-cost talent on top of that. So even now there’s still a ton of abilities our opponents have that we haven’t even seen yet. Damn.

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>>3188726

[Lavender]
Con: 10
Miracle: 2/2 [+1]
Speed: 7 (9-2)
Position: 30 (18+12)

Status: [Shock]x3, [Slow 2]x1

Skills:
>(Invigorating Brew) Expend no Miracles. Increase your Constitution and Speed by 2 for the rest of the encounter. [One Use]
>>(Volatile Concoction) Expend no Miracles and select a point within 13 Lengths. Everyone within 3 Lengths of the point is [Stun]ned and 3 instances of [Slow 1]. [Three Uses]

---

[Ember] IN SHOCK
Con: 9
Miracle: 4/8 [+2]
Speed: 0
Position: 38 (27+11)

Status: [Shock]x18

Skills:
>(Roaring Flames) Expend 4 Miracles. Apply 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2] to all enemies within 7 Lengths.

---

[Plume]
Con: 10
Miracle: 7.5/20 [+2.5]
Speed: 5 (10-5)
Position: 30 (20+10)
Status: [Peerless Poise]x1. [Slow 5]x1

Skills:
>>(Peerless Poise) Expend 10 Miracles. For 3 turns, nullify all incoming [Shock] or [Slow] instances, and all [Stun] instances are transformed into [Slow 5]. [On Cooldown for 11 more turns]

---

[Stella] IN SHOCK
Con: 7
Miracle: 8.5/10 [+1.5]
Speed: 0
Position: 37 (25+12)

Status: [Shock]x9, [Slow 1]x2

>You cannot take action this turn because you are in [Shock].

[2/?]

>>3188748
We and Ember will both spend 3 turns in Shock. Then we'll have to fight for the 3rd place, because I can't see any of us catching up to even Lavender.

>>3188748
Looks like both us and Ember will be Stunned for the next 3 rounds, (assuming stun recovery per turn is rounded down to the nearest whole number) but at least the other two are still behind us and substantially slowed at the moment.

>>3188756
We’ll see. I have an idea that Plume and Lavender might fuck each other over to some degree while we’re out of the picture.

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>>3188748

It’s a long fall.

Your hair flies upwards, brushing up against your face.

“I won’t.

Ah, if you’re going to lose, you guess it won’t hurt if it all ended here—

“I won’t, I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!”

You’re scared, so it should be okay to give up, right?

You can barely form a cohesive thought. How are you going to cast a Miracle?

You can’t.

“I’ll do it.”

You can’t!

“I can!” Lavender shouts one last time, emptying her lungs.

You stop falling. Touching the bottom of the glowing path, it softly holds you in its warm embrace before it begins to carry you back up.

Above you, Plume and Lavender zoom past. You can’t be left behind.

Your heart is pounding!

>[Stella] is in [Shock]!
>[Stella] loses 5 instances of [Shock]!
>[Stella] now has 4 instances remaining.

>[Ember] is in [Shock]!
>[Ember] loses 6 instances of [Shock]!
>[Ember] now has 12 instances remaining.

Lavender shouts, “You can’t keep this up forever!”

>[Lavender] uses (Pace)!
>[Lavender] receives [Haste 5].

Plume, annoyed, replies. “Quiet. You’re giving me a headache.” She waves her hand, and a bright light erupts from the back of Lavender’s head.

>[Plume] uses (Psychic Shock) once on [Lavender]!
>(Psychic Shock) Expend 3 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Obliterate 2 Miracles from their pool. Repeatable on the same target.
>[Lavender]’s Miracle is reduced to 0.

She recoils, but quickly collects herself. “W-what was that?!”

“A little shock. Did you like it?” she replies. “Actually, that might have been a mistake. You can’t actually preform any Miracles, can you?”

Gritting her teeth, Lavender ignores her.

[3/?]

>I’m going to skip the info.

>>3188785
So Shock regen rounds to the closest whole, and we'll spend a turn less shocked. That's good.

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>>3188785

Life breathes into you.

You don’t want to lose here.

Was everything you shouted at Lavender for yourself too?

You... You want to win. You want to win, no matter how impossible it is. No matter how much your hands shake. No matter how hard the winds strike at you, you won’t go home crying!

Overwhelming fear with sheer willpower, you rip your besom out of the sky as you fly past by it, hard enough for your grip to have your fingernails draw red.

>[Stella] is in [Shock]!
>[Stella] loses 5 instances of [Shock]!
>[Stella] is recovering from [Shock].

>[Ember] is in [Shock]!
>[Ember] loses 6 instances of [Shock]!
>[Ember] now has 6 instances remaining.

Above you, Lavender shouts, “It’s over!” Tearing a bottle free from besom once more, she throws it at Plume! It explodes mid-air, engulfing her once again.

>[Lavender] uses (Volatile Concoction)!

“Wrong.” Plume flies out of the cloud of smoke as if nothing was wrong. There’s not a single scratch on her.

Completely unfazed.

>[Plume] uses (Untouchable)!
>(Untouchable) Expend 8 Miracles. For this turn, nothing undesirable can affect you. Gain [Haste 3]. This action resolves first this turn. [Cooldown: 6]

Eyes wide, Lavender trembles. “No... How? How did you just fly out of that?!”

A small smile grows on Plume’s face. “Just a little Miracle.”

“You, you can’t do that again! I’ll get you!”

“So are you going to use the last one on me?” she asks, “Oh dear. What should I do?”

[4/?]

>>3188802
Damn Plume is OP

>>3188802
I knew it all along! Hate begets hate. Violence begets violence. Rather than turning on eachother, we should have all turned on Plume. She was asking for it from the start but now we're out of range so we've lost our chance.

>>3188805
Agreed we dont even know what her last skill is. We should really gang up on her while she's in cooldown

>>3188811
Actually we do.
Skill 1 - Psychic Attack
Skill 2 - Untouchable
Talent - Poise
We know everything about Plume now. I think we can stop her by spamming Prismatic Spray if we can get in range.

>>3188815
With 10 Con she'll take 4 turns of spray to take out. We'll lose to the other two.

>>3188820
>With 10 Con she'll take 4 turns of spray to take out.
Maybe we can taunt her to convince her to attack us so she takes more shock from it?

>>3188820
Yeah but Plume also has every one of her defensive abilities on cooldown right now and is still getting attacked by Lavender.

>>3188822
So let Lavender take care of her. We might help her at the very end.

>>3188802
I just noticed that you're the guy that ran Ping Pong and I demand a continuation.

>>3188829
Remember that comfy demon lord quest? It died so young

>>3188832
No.

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>>3188802

Plume calls out, “Hey, listen, I feel a little bad. Why don’t you attend a school for alchemists?”

“Because there are none!” she shouts, “Why is it that a place for thaumaturges have all the text?! It isn’t fair!”

She actually pauses for a second to think about it. “Don’t most potions require a Miracle. You can’t be poring over a potion for days. Some things need to be instant.”

“Shut up! I can do it!” she replies, “I have a wand, I can make anything!”

Plume’s expression darkens, replaced by raw pity and loathing.

Then, she simply raises her hands.

>[Plume] does Nothing.

“Let’s see if you pass the exam, then.”

Lavender screams.

>[Lavender] uses (Volatile Concoction)!

This time, Plume falls out of the explosion, scowling. She’s slipped off her besom, and begins to fall.

>[Plume] receives 1 instance of [Stun]!
>[Plume] receives 3 instances of [Slow 1]!

And in the same moment, you rise out of the haze.

Your heart practically is bursting out of your chest. So as long as you can breathe, you will go on!

https://files.catbox.moe/euoely.mp3

>[Stella] recovers from [Shock]!
>[Stella] was stunned for 3 turns. Her base speed is 10 but lowered by 1 from the Slow. (3)*(9/4) = 7
>[Stella] springs forward to position 44!

As you fly through the air, it’s only now that you remember you were being watched the entire time. Eyes peering from the homes below and from the windows of the Anlaecende.

But you don’t care. The only thing you see are the backs of everyone ahead of you.

[5/6]

>>3188839
Hmmm.

>>3188839
>That track
What is this song I feel like I've heard it before. Or at least something similar

>>3188847
Hartmann's Youkai Girl mixed with something.

>>3188857
>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.
Lavender

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>>3188839

[Lavender]
Con: 10
Miracle: 2/2 [+1]
Speed: 9
Position: 60

Status: [Shock]x3

Skills:
>(Invigorating Brew) Expend no Miracles. Increase your Constitution and Speed by 2 for the rest of the encounter. [One Use]
>>(Volatile Concoction) Expend no Miracles and select a point within 13 Lengths. Everyone within 3 Lengths of the point is [Stun]ned and 3 instances of [Slow 1]. [Three Uses]

---

[Ember] SHOCK RECOVERY
Con: 9
Miracle: 8/8 [+2]
Speed: 11
Position: 38

Status: None

Skills:
>(Roaring Flames) Expend 4 Miracles. Apply 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2] to all enemies within 7 Lengths.

---

[Plume]
Con: 10
Miracle: 12/20 [+2.5]
Speed: 0
Position: 58 (48+10)

Status: [Stun]

Skills:
>(Untouchable) Expend 8 Miracles. For this turn, nothing undesirable can affect you. Gain [Haste 3]. This action resolves first this turn. [Cooldown: 6]

>(Psychic Shock) Expend 3 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Obliterate 2 Miracles from their pool. Repeatable on the same target.

>>(Peerless Poise) Expend 10 Miracles. For 3 turns, nullify all incoming [Shock] or [Slow] instances, and all [Stun] instances are transformed into [Slow 5]. [On Cooldown for 11 more turns]

---

[Stella]
Con: 7
Miracle: 9/10 [+1.5]
Speed: 9 (10-1)
Position: 53 (44+9)

Status: None

Goal: 100
>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.

>(Illume) Expend 5 Miracles and select a target within 25 Lengths. Deal them 2 instances of [Shock]. If you have not targeted them using this skill before in this Encounter, for 1 turn their perceived distance of you is increased by 10 Lengths. [Cooldown: 2]

>(Ram) Expend no Miracles and select a target within 5 Lengths. Take half your speed and deal that many instances of [Shock] to them. You also receive half of the number of [Shock]s dealt.

>(Pace) Expend no Miracles. Choose either to [Slow] up to 8 or to [Haste] up to 2.

Sorry, I forgot to clear Stella's status.

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I'm tried. Extra tired. No one saw that. Also, that took way too long, sorry about that. I need to figure out a way to handle times when you're unable to take action. This shouldn't be a problem later on, I hope.

I'm going to continue this tomorrow. Thank you for playing. I hope you guys like this really weird combat.

>>3188847
This anon >>3188851 is correct.
The song is the 5th track titled Hidden Track from RD-Sound's Omoi album. It's an arrangement of Hartmann's Youkai Girl.

>>3188866
Oops. I'll count your vote so you dont have to repost or anything.

>>3188857
>Haste

>>3188864
Thanks for running, really digging this new system. A bit complicated but really fun once you've gotten used to it.

Is this a one-shot or are you planning to use this system some more?

>>3188867
>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.
Lavender
>I’m sorry, but I have to try to win

>>3188857
>Pace
I can't tell why Plume did what she did. Did she try to give Lavender a chance? Then why the scowl?
I almost voted to catch Plume instead, but I'm not sure what happened and she's pretty far behind to boot, so...

>>3188869
I like the combat, makes me feel like Court of Swords but without all the creepy stuff and salty anons.

>>3188872
I'll use the system for this quest only, so however long that's going to be. It's really chaotic for me. After this encounter, I'll revamp the Shock mechanic.

>>3188874
>>3188866
Ya'll guys, it's a test of how we handle ourselves. Do you really want us to come off as a ruthless bitch who's after a victory at any cost?

>>3188876
If she used Pace, the speed bonus would be wasted since it'll apply on the turn she's stunned on and unable to move. Be careful of that. Lavender was also too far to Ram. She could Psychic Shock, but she didn't.

>>3188877
Sweet. You should also make a pastebin with all the rules. Could get a bit obnoxious to scroll through the thread to find them. Especially if this last more than 1 thread

>>3188869
>>3188869
I’m enjoying things so far. I lament that we have to fight Lavender since she seemed nice, but I guess it can’t be helped given the situation. The combat system is interesting. I’m curious about how it would function (or if this system would be used) in situations other races. Looking forward to seeing what happens next. As always, thank you for running, had fun.

>>3188867
Oh wait, actually we're behind Plume.
>>3188882
Well, PS is wasted on Lavender anyway. We'll see what Plume does next.

>>3188867
>Pace
Haste 2

I'd also be fine with Prismatic Blasting Plume, just in case.

>>3188882
Also, about that arrange...
I hope our wand isn't our friend.

>>3188880
You know she hit us with her Volatile Concoction earlier, right?
>[Lavender] uses (Volatile Concoction) on Point 22!
>(Volatile Concoction) Expend no Miracles and select a point within 13 Lengths. Everyone within 3 Lengths of the point is [Stun]ned and 3 instances of [Slow 1]. [Three Uses]
>(Volatile Concoction) hits spaces 19 to 25!
>[Plume] receives 1 instance of [Slow 5] due to (Peerless Poise).
>[Stella] receives 3 instances of [Slow 1].

>>3188898
Petty revenge is also unbecoming. And she's out of concotions now.

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>>3188884
https://pastebin.com/aaba22s6

Here, rules pastebin. Alright, I'm checking out now. If there's any problems, I'll address them tomorrow.

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>>3188867
>>3188889
I lied. The image is wrong. Okay, now I'm done.

>>3188928
I fell asleep due to timezone shenanigans, but I really enjoy the system, setting, and characters so far, and I really hope you continue running!

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>>3188928
dont believe this one.

This is the real one cause he lied.

>>3189576
I agree, this should be the canon one. Don't bother fact checking it

>>3188872
>>3188876
>>3188890
Pace Haste 4

>>3188874
Burst Lavender

Writing. Update in like 20 depending how fast I do math.

>>3189576
I laughed. Well I was wrong and forgot to add Haste from Plume's untouchable and factor in the miracle cost.

[Plume]
Con: 10
Miracle: 4/20 [+2.5]
Speed: 0
Position: 61 (48+13)

Status: [Stun]

Skills:
>(Untouchable) Expend 8 Miracles. For this turn, nothing undesirable can affect you. Gain [Haste 3]. This action resolves first this turn. [Cooldown: 5 turns remaining]

>(Psychic Shock) Expend 3 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Obliterate 2 Miracles from their pool. Repeatable on the same target.

>>(Peerless Poise) Expend 10 Miracles. For 3 turns, nullify all incoming [Shock] or [Slow] instances, and all [Stun] instances are transformed into [Slow 5]. [Cooldown: 5 turns remaining]

I wasn't kidding when I said I was going to make a lot of mistakes. I'm going to stop relying on the shoddy calculator I built since it seems to be malfunctioning half the time and doesn't record cooldowns.

>>3190979
oooor you could fix the calculator

>>3190994
Yeah but I'm not going to do that now unless you want me to not run

>>3190999
Out of curiosity, I'm assuming you programmed it? What language did you do it in?

>>3191027
very poorly in actionscript 2

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You’re so close, and yet so far!

“Lavender!” you call, without any reason in particular. You’re running purely on impulses. There’s no room to think, just act!

You shoot forward, prying your eyes open against the wind.

>[Stella] uses (Pace)!
>[Stella] receives [Haste 4].

“Stella!” she cries back in return. There’s a faint smile on her face, one riddled with anxiety and panic. “Watch out!”

She points her wand completely away from you, but you listen anyways. Sweeping to the side, you give her a wide berth before a crack of lighting explodes from her Instrument, aimed at Plume. It arcs wildly to the side and almost hits you! There’s a few flickers before it vanishes as quick as it appeared, the only trace that it ever existed being the sight of Plume knocked away.

>[Lavender] uses (Sputtering Energies) on [Plume]!
>(Sputtering Energies) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Deal 2 instances of [Shock].

>[Plume] receives 2 instances of [Shock].

If the attack had hurt, Plume says nothing about it. Instead, she quickly kicks off of the glow and grabs her besom again. In an instant, she’s atop it once more, threatening to catch up.

“Tch, I shouldn’t have played around so much,” she says, “At this rate, I might actually miss first place.”

“More like definitely!” Ember shouts as she bursts back onto the track. “Did you forget about me?!”

>[Plume] loses 1 instance of [Stun].
>[Plume] is now unstunned!

>[Ember] recovers from [Shock]!
>[Ember] was stunned for 4 turns. Her speed is 11. (4)*(11/4) = 11
>[Ember] springs forward to position 49!


Plume doesn’t bother to look back. She seems as if she wants to point out Ember’s still in last place but chooses to keep quiet.


[1/2]

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>>3191068

[Lavender]
Con: 10
Miracle: 1/2 [+1]
Speed: 9
Position: 69 (60+9)

Status: [Shock]x3

Skills:
>(Invigorating Brew) Expend no Miracles. Increase your Constitution and Speed by 2 for the rest of the encounter. [No Uses Left]

>(Sputtering Energies) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Deal 2 instances of [Shock].

>>(Volatile Concoction) Expend no Miracles and select a point within 13 Lengths. Everyone within 3 Lengths of the point is [Stun]ned and 3 instances of [Slow 1]. [No Uses Left]

---

[Ember]
Con: 9
Miracle: 8/8 [+2]
Speed: 11
Position: 60 (49+11)

Status: None

Skills:
>(Roaring Flames) Expend 4 Miracles. Apply 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2] to all enemies within 7 Lengths.

---

[Plume]
Con: 10
Miracle: 6.5/20 [+2.5]
Speed: 10
Position: 61 (61+0)

Status: [Shock]x2

Skills:
>(Untouchable) Expend 8 Miracles. For this turn, nothing undesirable can affect you. Gain [Haste 3]. This action resolves first this turn. [Cooldown: 4 turns remaining]

>(Psychic Shock) Expend 3 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Obliterate 2 Miracles from their pool. Repeatable on the same target.

>>(Peerless Poise) Expend 10 Miracles. For 3 turns, nullify all incoming [Shock] or [Slow] instances, and all [Stun] instances are transformed into [Slow 5]. [Cooldown: 4 turns remaining]

---

[Stella]
Con: 7
Miracle: 10/10 [+1.5]
Speed: 14 (10+4)
Position: 62 (53+9)

Status: None

Goal: 100
>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.

>(Illume) Expend 5 Miracles and select a target within 25 Lengths. Deal them 2 instances of [Shock]. If you have not targeted them using this skill before in this Encounter, for 1 turn their perceived distance of you is increased by 10 Lengths. [Cooldown: 2]

>(Ram) Expend no Miracles and select a target within 5 Lengths. Take half your speed and deal that many instances of [Shock] to them. You also receive half of the number of [Shock]s dealt.

>(Pace) Expend no Miracles. Choose either to [Slow] up to 7 or to [Haste] up to 3.

>>3191071
>Illume on Ember
And hope Plume focuses on her
Because she is going to do burney thing.
Wait is illume for current or next turn?

>>3191071
>(Illume)
On Plume

>>3191085
Illume is 1 turn, so it continues until your next action.

>>3191071
>Illume
Target Ember

>>3191071
Ok so we have nothing left to worry about from Lavender. She had big hard hitting potions but now they're all used up. This leaves Plume as the most dangerous still, but Ember has a full miracle pool and is going to ember everybody. So we can smoke her with Illume to get out of that, and spend the rest of the race whacking away at Plume.

>Illume on Ember

>>3191085
>>3191102
>>3191110
Illume Ember

>>3191090
Illume Plume

Writing

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There’s a glint of mischievousness in Ember’s eyes. Oh no. You won’t have it!

Raising your wand behind you, you take aim right as the flames emerge from her once more!

>[Stella] uses (Illume) on [Ember]!
>[Ember] receives 2 instances of [Shock].

It shines painfully bright in front of her eyes. She yelps, flinching at the sudden attack. Light aggregates by the forcible warping of space and it’s all that Ember sees, and even when she forces her eyes open, the space between you and her looks astonishingly far! And because she believes it to be so, the flaw seeps into the meaning she tries to shape in her mind.

>[Ember] uses (Roaring Flames)!
>[Plume] receives 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2].
>(Roaring Flames) fails to reach Stella!

Instead, the wave of fire is compressed, unable to reach you! It does, however, almost touch Lavender, who at the last moment swerves out of the wave.

Ember, exasperated, says, “Are you kidding me?!”

You shout a reply, “Sorry!” You peek over your shoulder to see her entire back engulfed in flames. “Ember, you’re on fire!”

“I know!” she replies. You wonder if she was on the same page.

Wordlessly, Plume just presses on.

>[Plume] uses (Pace)!
>[Plume] gains [Haste 4].

Lavender, too, hurries. She’s in the lead and she intends for it to stay that way!

>[Lavender] uses (Pace)!
>[Lavender] gains [Haste 1]

There, in the distance, you spot where you first started. It’s the finish line!

It’s so close, yet so far away!

[1/2]

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>>3191237

[Lavender]
Con: 10
Miracle: 2/2 [+1]
Speed: 10 (9+1)
Position: 78 (69+9)

Status: [Shock]x3

Skills:
>(Invigorating Brew) Expend no Miracles. Increase your Constitution and Speed by 2 for the rest of the encounter. [No Uses Left]

>(Sputtering Energies) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Deal 2 instances of [Shock].

>>(Volatile Concoction) Expend no Miracles and select a point within 13 Lengths. Everyone within 3 Lengths of the point is [Stun]ned and 3 instances of [Slow 1]. [No Uses Left]

---

[Ember]
Con: 9
Miracle: 6/8 [+2]
Speed: 11
Position: 71 (60+11)

Status: [Shock]x2

Skills:
>(Roaring Flames) Expend 4 Miracles. Apply 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2] to all enemies within 7 Lengths.

---

[Plume]
Con: 10
Miracle: 6.5/20 [+2.5]
Speed: 12 (10-2+4)
Position: 71 (61+10)

Status: [Shock]x5, [Slow 2]x1

Skills:
>(Untouchable) Expend 8 Miracles. For this turn, nothing undesirable can affect you. Gain [Haste 3]. This action resolves first this turn. [Cooldown: 3 turns remaining]

>(Psychic Shock) Expend 3 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Obliterate 2 Miracles from their pool. Repeatable on the same target.

>>(Peerless Poise) Expend 10 Miracles. For 3 turns, nullify all incoming [Shock] or [Slow] instances, and all [Stun] instances are transformed into [Slow 5]. [Cooldown: 3 turns remaining]

---

[Stella]
Con: 7
Miracle: 6.5/10 [+1.5]
Speed: 10
Position: 76 (62+14)

Status: None

Goal: 100
>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.

>(Illume) Expend 5 Miracles and select a target within 25 Lengths. Deal them 2 instances of [Shock]. If you have not targeted them using this skill before in this Encounter, for 1 turn their perceived distance of you is increased by 10 Lengths. [Cooldown: 2 turns remaining]

>(Ram) Expend no Miracles and select a target within 5 Lengths. Take half your speed and deal that many instances of [Shock] to them. You also receive half of the number of [Shock]s dealt.

>(Pace) Expend no Miracles. Choose either to [Slow] up to 6 or to [Haste] up to 4.

>>3191255
Lookin good!

Lavender is probably going to ram us, since her miracle is weak. Two turns until we win, and I actually don't think Plume can do shit since we've seen all her abilities, and none of them can slow us. She's a pure turtle. Ember is still a bit of a wild card, but for now my vote is

>Prismatic Burst on Lavender.

>>3191255
>Haste
This will bring us to #1 and the farther away we are from the other 2 the better

>>3191255
>>Haste

>>3191255
>Prismatic Burst on Lavender.
I guess, leave haste till next time because she can still ram us?

>>3191283
>>3191338
Burst Lavender

>>3191290
>>3191336
Haste

Next vote breaks tie or I roll in 5

Just gonna note, we're already #1 next turn. Lavender has hit her speed cap, and we're going faster than anyone else. We'll be out of ramming speed of anyone next turn, and almost guaranteed victory. So I really recommend making sure Lavender can't hit us with a ram and her miracle, which would be a stun.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

pew pew = 1
vroom vroom = 2

Writing

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Plume, staring at Ember, mutters to herself, “Should I?”

She replies, “Should you what?”

“You look like you’re excited for something. I’ll let you have your fun,” she replies, opting to direct her efforts into travelling faster.

>[Plume] uses (Pace)!
>[Plume] gains [Haste 5].

Ember replies by once more exploding into flames! This time, however, it’s completely localized, a miniature explosion that kicks her forward.

>[Ember] uses (Blaze Ahead)!
>(Blaze Ahead) Expend 1 Miracle. Apply 1 instances of [Shock] to yourself and gain [Haste 7]. If there are more than 2 enemies behind you, give yourself an additional 3 instances of [Shock].
>[Ember] gains [Haste 7] and receives 1 instance of [Shock].

A trail of fire is left behind as she tears through the skies, threatening to catch up!

“Doesn’t that hurt?!” you ask.

“It’s mine!” she replies, laughing, “Why would it hurt?”

That doesn’t make any sense!

You can’t let her catch up! Illume may have worked once, but it won’t fool her again so easily!

>[Stella] uses (Pace)!
>[Stella] gains [Haste 3].

Lavender reaches for her wand, but hesitates. Shaking her head, she quickens her pace like everyone else.

>[Lavender] uses (Pace)!
>[Lavender] gains [Haste 2].

The end is so close that you can almost taste it! And surely, everyone else can too.

[1/2]

>>3191433
Huh, Lavender could speed up. I gotta reread those haste rules.

This is pretty interesting... but it's giving me the urge to close my computer and just go play Mario Kart instead.

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>>3191433

[Lavender]
Con: 10
Miracle: 2/2 [+1]
Speed: 11 (9+2)
Position: 89 (78+11)

>She should’ve gained [Haste 2] last turn, my bad.

Status: [Shock]x3

Skills:
>(Invigorating Brew) Expend no Miracles. Increase your Constitution and Speed by 2 for the rest of the encounter. [No Uses Left]

>(Sputtering Energies) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Deal 2 instances of [Shock].

>>(Volatile Concoction) Expend no Miracles and select a point within 13 Lengths. Everyone within 3 Lengths of the point is [Stun]ned and 3 instances of [Slow 1]. [No Uses Left]

---

[Ember]
Con: 9
Miracle: 7/8 [+2]
Speed: 19 (11+7)
Position: 82 (71+11)

Status: [Shock]x3

Skills:
>(Roaring Flames) Expend 4 Miracles. Apply 3 instances of [Shock] and 2 instances of [Slow 2] to all enemies within 7 Lengths.

>(Blaze Ahead) Expend 1 Miracle. Apply 1 instances of [Shock] to yourself and gain [Haste 7]. If there are more than 2 enemies behind you, give yourself an additional 3 instances of [Shock].

---

[Plume]
Con: 10
Miracle: 6.5/20 [+2.5]
Speed: 13 (10-2+5)
Position: 83 (71+12)

Status: [Shock]x5,

Skills:
>(Untouchable) Expend 8 Miracles. For this turn, nothing undesirable can affect you. Gain [Haste 3]. This action resolves first this turn. [Cooldown: 3 turns remaining]

>(Psychic Shock) Expend 3 Miracles and select a target within 10 Lengths. Obliterate 2 Miracles from their pool. Repeatable on the same target.

>>(Peerless Poise) Expend 10 Miracles. For 3 turns, nullify all incoming [Shock] or [Slow] instances, and all [Stun] instances are transformed into [Slow 5]. [Cooldown: 3 turns remaining]

---

[Stella]
Con: 7
Miracle: 6.5/10 [+1.5]
Speed: 13 (10+3)
Position: 86 (76+10)

Status: None

Goal: 100
>(Prismatic Burst) Expend 2 Miracles and select a target within 28 Lengths. Blast them and deal 3 instances of [Shock]. If they target you with a skill this turn, apply an additional 2 instances.

>(Illume) Expend 5 Miracles and select a target within 25 Lengths. Deal them 2 instances of [Shock]. If you have not targeted them using this skill before in this Encounter, for 1 turn their perceived distance of you is increased by 10 Lengths. [Cooldown: 2 turns remaining]

>(Ram) Expend no Miracles and select a target within 5 Lengths. Take half your speed and deal that many instances of [Shock] to them. You also receive half of the number of [Shock]s dealt.

>(Pace) Expend no Miracles. Choose either to [Slow] up to 7 or to [Haste] up to 3.

>>3191485
>Prismatic Burst
Plume

I'm guessing either she or ember will take one last potshot at us

>>3191485
>Prismatic Burst
Wait shouldn't Illume have only 1 turn of cooldown left now?

>>3191523
You're right. Plume's should also be 2.

>>3191485
>Ram Ember

>>3191500
>>3191523

Unless I misunderstand something, Ember and Lavender win next turn, leaving us third and Plume fourth. A ram to Ember will stun her, and hopefully let us take second. A shot to Plume will waste our turn.

>>3191534
Movement applies before non-movement status effects. It'll be hilarious, though.

>>3191536
Agh I forgot the order. I guess the race is decided then.

>>3191549
Ah crap, you're right, we're one short of the finish line...

>>3191565
Do we need to pass 100, or land on 100 do finish the race?

>>3191568
On 100.

>>3191575
I guess we're guaranteed third place then, it looks like Ember and Lavender both have enough speed to reac the finish line

Can we stop her if someone else also attacks her alongside us and we put her in Shock or does she win regardless of what we do next turn?

>>3191594
Movement applies before anything we do. Ramming her would put her in shock without anyone else's help, but she'd still win. I guess we could ram Plume to make sure she doesn't somehow pass us, because that would also put her in shock.

>>3191592
Oh, wait, speed modifying statuses take affect before moving. So if we Hasted, would we reach the finish?

>>3191612
I don't think so. Hasting would happen as the result of an action, and actions don't happen until after movement.

>>3191500
Burst Plume

>>3191523
Burst... no one in particular?

>>3191534
Ram Ember

I'll count the burst vote as prismatic burst on plume. Well, it doesn't matter too much I believe.

>>3191612
Wow I really screwed this up. The way I've been doing this the entire time were Steps 3 and 4 are switched. The turn order picture is, confusingly enough, wrong. I should've double checked it before copying and pasting it.

>>3191642
Maybe the calculator was right all along?

Anyway, you said ramming Ember wouldn't stun her in time so I'll switch to ramming Plume instead.

>>3191642
It's okay.
It's a learning experience for all of us.

>>3191485
>Prismatic Burst on Plume
Well if we can't win no matter what I at least wanna make sure Plume gets last place because of all that shit she was talking earlier

Writing for Prismatic Burst on Plume. Well, I was kind of already doing that. Also, Plume's Miracle this round should be 9

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At this rate, you’ll finish first! No, wait, you take a look and realize that she’s closer to the finish line. It’s a minute difference, but it is all that matters in a race!

Still, second isn’t too bad—

Your thought is cut off by the sound of an inferno. A rapidly approaching inferno.

Behind you, you see Ember angrily shouting at no one in particular.

“Damn it! I’m too slow!” she cries out, “I never got to use my super cool move! Gah, even if it hits air, I still have to show it off!”

Without any warning, everything behind her becomes black. Fire, smoke, and ash swirl together in a hurricane that blows back along the path, demolishing and incinerating everything that was unfortunate to be caught in its rampage.

Which is absolutely nothing.

At this rate, you’re going to lose! Maybe if you coordinated with Lavender or Ember you could delay Plume enough for you to have third place instead of tying for it. But now, it’s far too late. One step too slow, and inevitability dawns.

You raise your wand with your last effort and focus. It takes a second this time, and it strikes at Plume. And though she winces, she doesn’t seem perturbed enough to stop and freeze.

>[Stella] uses (Prismatic Burst) on Plume!
>[Plume] receives 3 instances of [Shock].

>[Plume] does Nothing.

Resignation overwhelms you, but when you see her face, you realize she’s already predicted this outcome. When? When did she know?

It’s all you can think when Ember blitzes past to the finish line, right as Lavender reaches it too.

>[Lavender] ties with [Ember] for 1st place!

A little torn, you turn to Plume to find her smiling. How can she smile knowing what’s about to happen?!

Unable to bite back the bitterness, you fire one last shot at her, radiating, prismatic light knocking her off balance.

>[Stella] uses (Prismatic Burst) on Plume!
>[Plume] receives 3 instances of [Shock].

And instead of falling off, she falls forward, kicking off her besom at the last second.

>[Stella] ties with [Plume] for 3rd place!

With a flip and a Miracle, she lands on her feet as her besom follows soon after, bouncing off the floor before she calmly walks to it and picks it back up.

>[Plume] is in [Shock]!

And then her knees give way as she braces herself on the wall. A momentarily weakness that she vanishes as fast as she could.

You land without all that grace, tired and panting. It’s only now that you learn you have been drenched in sweat. Every muscle on your body aches and all you can think about is dropping down on your bed and going to sleep.

[1/2]

>>3191754
Told you guys we shoulda rammed. Would have given her 6-7 shock stacks instead of 3.

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>>3191754

Ember’s high spirits is almost painful. She’s loud, happy, and yet, frustrated for some reason. “Woo, first place! That was way harder than I thought it’d be,” she says, “Funny we tied, huh?”

Lavender averts her eyes. “Yeah, funny. But,” she says, “I did better than I thought I would.”

“You did great!” she replies, patting Lavender on the back with enough force to break something. The recipient of the deathblow wheezes from friendly gesture. “Wow, those bombs are something else, huh? Glad I didn’t get hit by them.”

“Arhg,” you say, “I’m so tired.” So much so that you can hardly be bothered by shyness. “Where is that energy even coming from?”

With a sly laugh, Ember tells you smugly, “I told you that you couldn’t outrun me.”

“We weren’t even running!” you retort. Your hands fall onto your knees as you stop yourself from toppling over. You’re seeing stars now from hyperventilating.

A different voice cuts in, it’s owner surprising you. “Well done,” Plume says, “Congratulations on your victory. Or tied victory, I suppose.”

Hearing this, a bulb lights up in Ember’s head. Not even trying to hide a smug grin, she asks, “Hmm hmm, what was that Plume? I thought you were going to get first place? Who did you say was a disappointment again?”

Plume winces. Forcing out a chuckle, she extends her hand. “I underestimated you. I do apologize for not taking this seriously.”

“Apology accepted,” Ember replies, her smile growing wider by the second. She takes her hand with a smack and shakes it. And after she lets go, she says, “Hey, wait a moment. You’re really going to use that excuse?”

Plume shrugs, as if not knowing what she was talking about. Then, turning to you, Plume offers the same gesture. “Sorry, I take back what I said. Stella, was it? You’re actually half-decent. No hard feelings?”

What kind of an apology is that?!

You’re surprised she’s even attempting one in the first place.
>”No hard feelings.”
>Return the gesture, but say nothing.
>Walk away.
>Write-in.

>>3191754
Wait, I thought that Ember's speed boost was only for that turn. What the fuck she really is busted

>>3191832
It is one turn. It turned her speed into 19 when she was already on position 82. She instantly won at the start of next turn.

>>3191829
>”No hard feelings.”

>>3191832
Plume has better base stats, but Ember has the best racing moves by a mile.

>>3191829
>”No hard feelings.”

>>3191837
Oh wait nevermind, I thought she used it 2 turns ago

>>3191829
>”No hard feelings.”

>>3191829
>”No hard feelings.”

>>3191829
>”No hard feelings.”
If possible, also congratulate Lavender on her victory. We did encourage her during the race, so we should follow up by being happy with her (tied) victory.

>>3191829
>”No hard feelings.”

>You’re seeing stars now from hyperventilating.
Kek

>>3191848
>>3191862
>>3191875
>>3191876
>>3191890
>>3191903
Only soft feelings are allowed here

Writing

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“No hard feelings,” you answer, shaking her hand.

The two of you leave it at that, satisfied at the exchange. Would you even see her again? There’s a very real possibility that you might not even pass. You did all that you could, which if you were to blunt, wasn’t much. It wasn’t particularly flashy or impressive, except maybe that one time when you illuminated Ember’s face.

The staff who was at the starting line congratulates everyone for a good race, something that sounds like it was said to every one regardless of what happened. With the thaumaturge as the guide, they lead you and the others.

As you follow her out after collecting your belongings, you step so that you can talk to Lavender without raising your voice. “Hey, great job out there. Congratulations on the tie.”

“Thanks, Stella,” she replies, giving you a soft smile. “I couldn’t have done it without you. I just froze when I started. I didn’t know what to do. Everyone was just so fast, and strong.”

Scratching the back of your head, you give her a shy laugh. “I didn’t really do anything. You were the one racing.”

“I know,” she replies, “But thank you.”

Accepting that for what it was, you change the subject. “So, how does winning feel?”

“I’m still a little nervous. I mean, I didn’t really perform any real Miracles, and I tied,” she says slowly trailing off.

You reassure her, “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll cross my fingers for you.” You remember what she told you when she introduced herself. “What was that thing anyways? The rumor?”

“That you’re guaranteed to get in if you got first place?”

“Yeah, that!” you say. “Where did you hear that? It sounds so suspicious!”

“It’s a thing floating around here. I mean, after all, have you heard anyone who got first place and didn’t get in?”

“I haven’t,” you answer. Then again, you know little about the whole ordeal other than it exists. “Still, good luck! I’m pretty nervous too,” you tell her, “I came from really, really far away and I even got lost along the way. I hope I don’t have to go back like this.”

“Then, we’ll cross our fingers for each other!” she tells you, smiling, “Luck works best when you’re wishing it on someone else, right?”

Nodding, you find her smile infectious. It is then that you arrived at a hallway where you’re finally split up by the guide. Entering the room you’re told, you give Lavender one last wave. Ember catches it and grins.

And when the door closes behind you, you’re plunged into darkness.

[1/3]

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>>3191985

You’re going to die!

It’s a trap isn’t it? What if they just kidnapped all of the rejects and harvested their organs for testing? How do you even know this is the Anlaecende in the first place?! Everyone on your journey here could’ve lead you to this ancient death trap in some global collusion! You’re a fool! How can you travel alone?!

A light turns on above your head; it has no source much like what you saw in the dining area but this is focused with intent. Intent on blinding you as soon as you look up that is. There’s a bit of relief as you try to squint to see what’s in the shadows but soon give up.

This is it. You wish your grandparents goodbye and a happy life without you. You’re going on ahead before them—

“Hello there,” a disembodied voice calls out to you. It’s feminine with a cutting undertone to it, sharp enough to harvest your organs! “You’re in an animasphere right now, so don’t panic.”

You’re panicking! “H-hi.”

“136, Stella, right?”

“Yes,” you answer, and then very quietly, you add, “I don’t think my innards are worth that much.”

“What?”

“I, uh,” you stammer, “What’s an animasphere?”

“It’s a tiny little contained world. It lets outsiders have greater control. Long story short, I need to get a good look at what’s going on up there. Don’t worry, your actual body is safe and sound, untouched.”

You were half-right! They’re going to harvest your brain! All you can do is stand very still in abstract terror.

And then something pokes inside your head. Not physically, no, but meaning changes without you intending to.

“W-what’s happening?!”

“I’m going to ask a few questions, okay Stella? Answer them the best you can.”

Interrogation during harvesting?! Their cruelty knows no bounds.

You hear a squish, and you yelp.

[2/3]

>>3191433
Why does ember have no cooldowns? She probably could have spammed blaze ahead and won even with a two turn stun after three of them.

>>3192034
This sounds like a violation of our rights!

>>3192064
Meat has no rights!

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>>3192034

“It might be easier if you knew my name. I’m Doctor Aurora, psychophasia staff.” It’s a doctor! She said psycho too, you’re doomed! “We’ve had to deal with a lot of trouble makers, you know? Identity theft, having your older sister perform Miracles for you on the sidelines, bottling up other people’s meanings and using them as your own. It’s all a big mess.”

“I-is that so?” You don’t get it at all! You’ve engaged autopilot mode, answering questions through your most primal instincts to exchange pleasantries. “I see.”

“How was the race? I was watching. You’ve made quite the exciting calls, cheering your enemy on.”

“It was nice, thank you.”

“Oh, there’s so much space around here. What do you do with it all? Oh, I suppose that’s the reason you used a wand.”

“Right, right.” Her words are smoothly passing in an ear and out the other without any interruption.

“How is the island treating you? Did you have time to look around?”

“It’s nice.”

“Is that right? Okay, I think I’m done here.” There’s a sickening sound that resembles someone a hand around in a bucket of pudding before the darkness fades and the light above you disappears altogether.

You’re also not standing. You’re sitting in a rather comfortable chair next to a small, round table where a stack of brochures lay. An older woman hands you one of them with a smile while holding a black crystal ball in one hand. Her hair is long and curls upward, her clothes being a cloak on top of a labcoat. It’s distressingly incohesive.

“Here you go,” she tells you, “I hope that wasn’t too unpleasant. Congratulations, and welcome to the Anlaecende!”

You stare blankly. “That’s it?”

“That’s it! You performed Miracles well enough, what more is there to say?” Aurora tells you. She points at the brochure that is now in your hands. “There’s a map in there. You might want to head to the dorms to drop off your things, but you’re free to explore whenever. Calendar is here, and your schedule is... here.” Every time she points at something, the ink on the paper rearranges itself to be personalized to you. “Oh, and please leave through that other door there.”

And so, you stand outside in a completely foreign hallway, your ever-shifting map cluing you into your location. A few students walk around, minding their own business.

You’re too tired to think right now, so you opt to block out the last few minutes of your life from memory.

You should stop standing around like an idiot.
>Head to the dorms.
>Walk around aimlessly.
>There’s a lounge nearby you could check out.
>Look for someone. (Who?)

>>3192154
>Head to the dorms

>>3192154
>Head to the dorms.
Might as well know our designated fall-over-and-lose-consciousness spot.

>>3192154
>Walk around aimlessly.

I hope you have your random encounter generator ready

>>3192178
>>3192209
Find bed

Writing

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As you walk, it finally dawns on you.

You did it.

You did it!

You’ve achieved your dream, and now it’s all downhill from here! You have no idea where to go but the sky is the limit! Perhaps your next dream could be to not be thrown out, or if you’re feeling especially daring, not have your organs harvested at any time in the future! Those are great dreams, you tell yourself.

You are doing just great.

A hand is placed against a wall so you do not collapse. You need sleep.

You can hardly bother with the effort to admire the polished marble floors, the frighteningly tall architecture, the ornate moldings on every corner, the chiseled statues that adorn open spaces, the massive paintings that decorate the halls, nor the massive open windows that allow you to admire the night sky.

You only recognize when you’ve stepped within range of a bed, where your bed-senses begin to tingle with excitement. Following the map carefully, you arrived at the room that supposedly contains your bed, the most important thing in the world right now.

But when the time comes, your hand hovers the door, hearing a familiar voice inside. No. Noooooooo. With a few knocks and a quick twist of the knob, you open the door to reveal a cursedly loud existence talking to two others.

Ember immediately turns around. “Stella! You made it!” She runs over with her arms out.

Oh no, she’s going to hug you.
>Receive.
>Reciprocate.
>Rebuff.
>Write-in.

Why is our character scared of everything? I mean, she's a country mouse and all but I wish she'd have a bit more confidence

>>3192241
>>Write-in.
Dodge, but because we're uncoordinated we fail in an entertaining manner. Perhaps bump into a desk and do some disaster dominoes