Chapter 02: Act II

[keeperoftales]

Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: Act II—

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Everyone carries out their tasks well, and once they have been completed they could rest for some time within the safety of the base camp. Sound and color once more return to the land, everything looking more normal and even vibrant in some places. But one night, as all drifted to sleep, a silver fog drifts in and washes over them. They will all dream of story's progression:

Whether they succeeded or failed, once the princes return from their journeys and the princess gives her judgment. And that judgment is to reject all of them. Truth be told, she had hoped that none of them would return, either to fall to their fates or just give up. But for those who managed, while she still refuses to give away her heart, she does acknowledge their strength of courage and determination. Thus she invites them to stay within the court as her servants of sorts should they so choose.

Meanwhile, the forests around the manor had grown bountiful, gold and precious gemstones adding to the family's riches. All of this and more catch the attention of the Emperor, and he now desires to make Kaguya his own. But will he fare any better? And there is an ominous wind as the full moon slowly ascends into the dark night sky, growing larger than it has ever before. Little do they know that more vistors will soon descend upon them, also seeking the fair Kaguya...

When the dream fades, everyone will wake up to find themselves not in their camp grounds, but within the manor instead. Once more their clothes have changed, ranging from the finest noble silk to clean but simple uniforms of servants and guards. Although it is mostly peaceful within the manor, there is rumbling outside, shadows flitting over the night skies and a dark, ominous fog rising from the bamboo forest. A large fight quickly approaches and preparations must be made.

New roles have been cast and more tasks to be done as they are quickly reaching the end of this story. Like before, specific paths are marked for those designated to follow.

Now. How will this story end?

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§ instructions.

The second and final Act of the campaign is underway! This is the designated log for all Main Scenes. Others are free to create their own toplevels for the Sub Quests, which are detailed below. Each Main Scene has their own unique toplevel and those cast into the roles are to thread their scene under each. All scene instructions are provided in the toplevels. Like the Sub Quests, there is no specific toplevel for it, but players are free to incorporate it in their own.

As a reminder, characters will find similar information and instruction within their journals so they won't go in blind. Also to note, all characters will have all their belongings still with them as well as the additional supplies provided to them before, but now they have the additional resources from the manor itself. In addition, they will experience a second general wardrobe change, and once again players are free to choose what that outfit is so long as it fits with the described setting and theme. Characters in Main Scenes will have a second wardrobe change while acting the scene. Outfits will be provided in the prompts themselves, and these outfits will only be in affect during the scene. The moment they leave the setting area, they return to their other wardrobe.

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are in Main Scenes are not immediately dropped in to their location and will have to travel to the "setting location" and then return. Threading all of that isn't necessary, but it's to help give a better idea that characters can take a break between scenes or wait a bit to help with other things like the Sub Quests.

Feel free to refer to the Game Notes for more detailed info as well as ask questions or clarifications.

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§ sub quests.

Everyone is free to participate in the Sub Quests. There are no specific toplevels, so you're free to incorporate them however you wish in your own top level.

¶ I. Shore Up Defenses. The palace Kaguya lives in is about to be hit hard. Gather all supplies and resources to create barricades, weapons, and rations. The palace bound Blots will help, but only the guards are able to train to fight. The bamboo stalks around the palace are very strong. Some are filled with gemstones, and these can be used either as explosives or healing. Bright reds are the explosives, soft pastels are the restoratives.



¶ II. Fight the Moon Army. While Kaguya (and princes) deals with the leader, everyone else will need to fight against the rest of the moon army, and it's a creepy one. Made of blots, the soldiers look and move more like zombies and are tough to beat. With the light if the full moon giving them strength, some tactics will be necessary.

Note: there are toy soldiers and incense diffusers scattered around. When activated, the toy soldiers will enlarge in size and can fight for roughly five minutes before falling apart. The incense can be used as smoke and choke bombs. Just be careful not to hit allies!

Comments

[chippedsoul]

I can't do that either. [We're at a stalemate??]

[fifthforce]

[ Musashi lets out a long, exaggerated sigh and proceeds to draw her swords, taking a relaxed stance. ]

So neither of us are going to leave? That only leaves one path to follow, doesn't it.

[chippedsoul]

It doesn't have to be. [He still won't draw his sword. He's just going to try and walk pass her.]

[fifthforce]

[ He can try, but that just prompts her to move in front of him. She's not pointing her swords at him, but her stance does get more rigid the closer he gets. ]

You're right! You can leave any time you want.

[ She doesn't know who Kaguya is right now, but hard-working Musashi sure is hard-working, and her grudge against Hyde is sure locking in her dedication to stick to her assigned role right now. ]

[chippedsoul]

[Does she think blocking his way is going to stop him??? He says nothing this time and just take a few steps to the side and keeps on trying to move forward.]

[fifthforce]

[ Excuse her?? She takes a level in aggression this time, hurriedly body-blocking him again and this time jabbing him with the hilt of her sword. She's staring him right in the eyes with a rather intense look, saying nothing this time. ]

[chippedsoul]

[He's ready for her and raises his sword so that the sheathe deflects her hilt away. It was only one move, but it was practically night and day how different Disciple composed himself in a fight compared to Hyde. There was much more precision in his movement, no energy wasted.]

Don't do this. You do not want to fight that thing. [Please let him pass.]

[fifthforce]

I don't think you understand, Disciple. I do want to. In fact, I insist on it.

[ Her usually bouncy tone is gone. She's not joking around, or being dumb. She has a vendetta here. ]

[chippedsoul]

You'll die. [He'll stop beating around the bush on the subject then, if she's that serious. He's still going to try and move pass her anyway, but if she continues to persist...well, at least he warned her.]

[fifthforce]

I won't.

[ And just as before, she's blocking his way. Not that she feels she has a fair chance against Hyde. Oh definitely not - her "insight-filled strikes" powered by her Heavenly Eye aren't coming out the way they usually do when she's at her normal size, and Hyde is more than capable of overpowering her. Still, she desperately wants to get a hit in on him for everything he put her through. Her survival comes first though, and she's got several means of getting the hell out of dodge if this goes as poorly as Disciple believes it will. ]

[chippedsoul]

[He glares at her. Her insistence reminds her of another certain swordsman who wanted to pick a fight with Hyde too. His eyes narrow, feeling someone's laughter tickling his senses.

No matter how much she blocks him, he will not strike back and continue to try and get passed her without conflict. It reaches a point he tries running pass her once there was an opening. If she wants that fight, she'll have to work for it.]

[fifthforce]

[ Trying again and again to block him is getting frustrating for her. She can't tell if Disciple thinks she's weak, or he's just that desperate to protect her - and everyone else - from Hyde. Whatever it is, Hyde or not, she's not letting him past.

When he suddenly tries to bolt past her though, she's quick on his heels as he does. ... And she's absolutely going to try to slam her hilt into his gut the second she's in range to do so. ]

[chippedsoul]

[He sidesteps to avoid the hit, a hand gripping tightly to the hilt of his own. He was guarded, expecting her to follow up despite the miss. Let me fight her! I'm going to kill that bitch myself!]

[fifthforce]

Tch ...!

[ This was really getting irritating. She doesn't like the idea of attacking Disciple outright, but if this was how it was going to be, then she'd need to hit him with something he can't easily predict or sidestep from her.

So, she stops, raising her blades: ]

If you won't stop--!!

[ Then swings them down, a burst of violet energy shooting out in front of her and racing toward Disciple. It can still be avoided, but it'll be more difficult than her earlier attempts to stop him. ]

[chippedsoul]

-!! [Who taught her Double Demon Fang? But it's true that it's definitely a technique he's never seen before. Him anticipating an attack was his only saving grace from getting badly injured.

He rolls towards the walls, the left side of his clothes now with cuts where her attack had hit. The voice in his head was getting louder. This is pathetic. I thought you were through letting others push you around, huh?! She needs to pay! Hurt her!] Stop- [He wince, feeling a stinging sensation from his arm. Looks like she broke skin, but it wasn't critical, not yet anyway. He could still run and that's what he does. Why must that door be so far away?]

[fifthforce]

[ Musashi is secretly a Tales character confirmed. She's both upset and glad that technique managed to clip him. Wrong personality to bang up, but at least it slowed him down for a bit.

But all right, if he's still going to run, she's going to keep chasing him. Once again, once she's in range, she's going to try once more to jab him with her sword's hilt, though this time it's a lot more targeted.

She's aiming for that new cut on his arm. Furthermore, if he looks, he'll see an odd purplish-blue gleam to her eyes, as if something was activated but maybe was ineffective for some reason. ]

[chippedsoul]

[There's no way around this, he'll have to draw his weapon this time. His sword knocks away the hilt of her blade, the impact reverberating through his arm. So though he blocked the attack, he still felt a nasty sting from the recoil.

You're far too proud to just let this happen, you know. He staggers backwards, but now he's confronts Musashi with his blade. You've gone through too much to allow this.] You will stay out of this. [Maybe he can knock her out before the buzzing gets too loud.]

[fifthforce]

[ Good. Now this was getting more interesting. She wants to smirk and let her excitement show, but her expression is dead serious. ]

Did you forget our roles? I will do no such thing.

[ Not that she cares that much about said role. This was personal.

But now that Disciple's got his blade drawn, she gets in a more proper stance and rushes at him, ready with a flurry of remarkably precise swings once she's in range. For as goofy as she can act, Musashi absolutely knows what she's doing with her weapons. ]

[chippedsoul]

I wasn't- [Well, he doesn't have a chance to finish that with Musashi charging at him. He does his best to match her, hit for hit. Were things not so dire, he would honestly find this all very impressive swordsmanship. He certainly felt the rush that he only gets when fighting someone with skill. And to be fair, he did want to see her techniques, just not like this. Not with this throbbing headache.

He was starting to get sloppy, more cuts to his flesh as the two forces combat for control in his mind.] Get your puny sticks away from me! [It happened so suddenly. He finally retaliates and swings his sword intending to strike instead of defending himself, but there was so much force behind his swing that it could knock the wind out of Musashi several times over if she doesn't block the brunt of it.]

[fifthforce]

Wha--!?

[ Where did all that force come from? It's one thing to fight back, but geez, was Hyde out now or was that all Disciple? Seeing his handling switch from defending to retaliation causes her to raise her blades in defense, and apparently it was a damn good thing she did so. Even with the worst of it battering her swords - which ring and vibrate from the blow they took - it still pushes her back a few feet.

She looks bewildered for a moment, then glares. ]

If you want it to stop so badly, then leave! My revenge against that creep has no time limit, so I'll allow it! But if you continue to refuse ... then stop complaining and face me properly!

[chippedsoul]

Ugggh, you talk too much, Chibi-chan. [He shakes his head, pulling his hair back. His wounds, they appear to be healing on their own at a rapid rate.]

Ah well, can't say he didn't warn you, and he even asked nicely to let him pass. Heheh. [As he lowers his head, those yellow eyes glare gleefully back at his prey.] You got your wish, Chibi-chan! I hope you're ready to die! [He lunges toward her, even faster than before, his sword prepared to thrust into her.]

[fifthforce]

[ How dare he? Lengthy speeches during important duels is a must! Musashi stays still as Hyde replies, watching his movements first and foremost because ... yeah, he's MUCH faster than her, and she's considered speedy by her world's standards already! The second she sees him move, she immediately dodges to the left, but still manages to get just the slightest cut along her side from the lunge.

It's not smart and she knows it, but barely a moment after she's out of the way, she's immediately dashing at him with a series of swings. Unlike the ones she was dealing at Disciple, these are more calculated and deadly if ignored. ... Or maybe in Hyde's case, they'd probably hurt pretty bad if he decided to tank any of it. ]

[chippedsoul]

[Hyde is ready for it, raising his sword to block her assault.] How pathetic. [He sounded bored, deflecting and dodging her attacks relatively easily. In his carefree attitude, one does manage to sneak pass his defense and gut him in the side. That only seem to get Hyde even more riled up as he smiles widely. As he blocks off one of her swords, he does the insane and actually allows the other to stab through his hand as he grips onto it.]

You're still paying off for one of these swords, aren't you...? [His hand was bleeding, but it didn't seem to phase him. He even squeezes more tightly to prove a point, pushing it back so he could get closer to her.] It be real a shame if something were to happen to them.

[fifthforce]

[ Him calling her pathetic and being so good at deflecting and dodging her is raising a ton of "get the hell out NOW" flags for her. She's not good enough yet to properly fight this guy. She might not be until she reaches the ultimate zen she's been aiming for her whole life. And really, she doubts she'll reach the level of "void" while she's here, but Hyde's really making her want to try to.

She decides she needs to start looking for an exit. ... Then Hyde skewers his own hand on one of her swords - the one she's trying to pay off still, specifically. She looks horrified that he'd willingly do that to himself, even if he can just heal up later or whatever, but she tries to cover that up with bravado again. ]

I could say the same for your hand. Are you that eager to lose it?

[ He may have a tight grip on it, but as she tries to step back from him, she's yanking on the sword he's holding with all her strength. ]

[chippedsoul]

[The nerves in his hand were screaming in pain as Musashi tries to free her sword, but he ignores it and tightens his grip, even as it causes more cuts to form on his hand. There was the sound of something cracking and then with a snap, the tip of the blade had been broken off.]

Hm~? [He takes a step back to examine his hand. He then casually pulls the blade tip out like it was just annoying little splinter.] What was that about losing a hand? [He tosses the broken tip aside and licks the blood from his hand.] I think you just missed the mark. Heheh... [He grins, raising his sword once more.]