Frontier Town Frontier Town Outskirts

[Jackie Cat]

"I don't need any goddamn help," spat Seth, like the suggestion was offensive to him. This guy did not like the idea of teaming up. "And I can beat the shit outta the lot of you."

Seth's words sounded more like trash-talk than a confident threat. Then his eyes fell on Archie's blade, and his face lit up in a mad grin. With his uncorrupted paw, he reached into his mane and pulled a silver visor into place, and plucked an item from a bandolier strapped tight around his torso. He tossed the glittering orb up into the air and caught it, repeatedly, almost like a trainer toying with their pokéball.

His face contorted into a menacing snarl at Nova's words. At being called 'kid'. He turned to the Null, and lowered his head in an intense stare. In the bright moonlight, a resemblance to Wes became visible – a channel of white fur across his muzzle.

"Whatever," he scoffed, dismissing Nova out of hand.

The Lycanroc scanned the group, looking for something, and spotted Wes there. The violent joy sprang back onto his lips, and he crushed his dungeon orb in his fist, its magic seeping into him with an uncanny glow.

"Good. You brought the off-brand Lycas. Fucking bring it, you fucking knockoff. Let's dance!"

Seth's Scheme! Seth got +2 Spd and became pumped up! A sandstorm whipped up!
Seth used his Healthy Orb.

Good luck, heroic spirits! I am with you.

No matter how dark it gets.​

[ ] Objective: Defeat Seth Lycas.
[ ] Objective: Discover what Seth is protecting.

 

[Sinderella]

Odette quirked a brow at the response she got to her comment. “No, I didn’t mean kill me. I meant knock me ou—“

She didn’t get to finish her thought before the lycanrock of the fucking hour stepped out to give his hello’s and threats. She watched him with a blank expression and began to unlock Jawile. When she got the chain open, she tugged it off, allowing the jaws to stretch out and cackle simultaneously.

“̴O̷h̷ ̸t̸h̸i̴s̶ ̵s̸h̶o̷u̷l̵d̷ ̴b̶e̷ ̶f̴u̵n̴,̷”̶ ̷they said before licking their teeth. “̸I̵ ̶c̶a̸n̶ ̶t̵a̴l̷k̵ ̷l̶i̵k̴e̶ ̵a̴n̴ ̴a̶s̷s̵h̷o̸l̸e̶ ̵t̷o̸o̵.̴ ̴I̴’̴m̸ ̵d̶o̵w̴n̵ ̶t̴o̴ ̷d̵a̷n̸c̵e̴ ̵a̵l̸w̶a̴y̸s̸,̷ ̷b̷u̵t̶ ̵j̸u̶s̶t̸ ̸k̵n̷o̶w̴ ̵I̷’̶m̶ ̴f̵u̴c̷k̸i̴n̶g̴ ̵l̵e̴a̶d̴i̴n̵g̷,̵ ̷s̷h̷i̵t̵h̵e̵a̵d̶.̷”̸

Odette sprung up, Jawile letting loose a string of curses. The power of hundreds of angry steel type built up under its tongue, and with a rabid laugh, it spit the cannon-like beams out in quick succession. The collective force and quickness sent steel particles and saliva in every direction.

“̸S̷U̷C̷K̵ ̶M̸Y̴ ̵F̸A̸T̶ ̴L̵E̴A̴D̷ ̴C̸H̶O̴D̸E̸,̶ ̷Y̴O̵U̵ ̵F̸U̷R̴R̵Y̷ ̷F̸U̴C̴K̶H̴E̸A̷D̷.̴”̶

Spoiler: Odette Turn 1

>>> Odette (68 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Focus (+5 TMP)
- Dash to Cane Underbrush (-2 TMP)
- AGILE Flash Cannon @ Seth (-24 STM, +2 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter T0) @ Seth [Attack and Defense Stats]
- Flash Cannon @ Seth (-16 STM, +2 TMP)
Net change: -40 STM, +7 TMP
Net totals: 28 STM (45 after regen), 12 TMP

 

[Weazel]

The Oshawott growled, feeling the fur on his hackles raise. Even Nova’s presence beside him did little to distract him from the death glare he was giving the Lycanroc. So haughty, so damn self assured. They were going to wipe that smirk off Seth’s face, and show the Shadow Pokemon just how big a mistake he’d made underestimating them.

He charged forward, jabbing the blade of his Razor Shell at the Lycanroc. Anticipating an attempt at punishment from Seth, he stepped back, and brought up his blade defensively. His brain was telling him to pull back, not allow himself to get too far away from the others. But looking into the Lycanroc’s eyes, he found his usual skills of compartmentalizing failing him. The Water Type blade on his scalchop sputtered, faded. The one that replaced it glowed orange, ostensibly Fighting Type, but, wrong, somehow. Archie’s Sacred Sword usually shone brilliantly. Now, it pulsed the color of rust, dull and sickly.

“This is your fault,” the Oshawott spat at the Lycanroc, “You think you’re some big hero? You’re just another vector for the same corruption you claim you’re fighting against!”

He drew the blade back, and swung wide at Seth.

Spoiler: Turn 1

Archie (68 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Dash to Cane Underbrush (-2 TMP)
- AGILE Razor Shell @ Seth (-24 STM, hit, -1 TMP, +3 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Shadow Focus (+5 TMP)
- SHADOW Sacred Sword @ Seth (-25 STM, +3 TMP)
Net change: -49 STM, +8 TMP
Net totals: 19 STM (36 after regen), 13 TMP

Spoiler: Turn Order

1. Koa
2. Astrid
3. Ridley
4. Odette
5. Wes
6. Archie
7. Leaf
8. Nova

 

[HelloYellow17]

Wes laughed—a harsh, cold, bitter sound. “You think you’re actually doing this world a service, being as corrupted as you are?”

He lowered his head, ears flat, fangs flashing in the moonlight, face twisted into a grotesque snarl. Rage burned in every fiber of his body, and it felt…empowering.

“You’re nothing but a puppet for that voice in your head. A worthless tool. That’s all you’ve ever been.”

He lunged, jaws snapping, adrenaline fueling him forward. He would make his pathetic copy bleed.

Spoiler: Turn 1

Wes (66 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Receive Call (+3 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Shadow Focus (+5 TMP)
- SHADOW Focus Energy (-20 STM, +2 TMP)
- Dash to Cane Underbrush (-2 TMP)
- AGILE Rock Throw @ Seth (-6 STM, hit, -2 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Rock Throw @ Seth (-4 STM, hit, -2 TMP, +3 TMP)
- CRITICAL Stone Edge @ Seth (-20 STM, hit, -12 TMP, +3 TMP)
Net change: -50 STM, +1 TMP
Net totals: 16 STM (32 after regen), 6 TMP

 

[Ambyssin]

It was already starting. This beef was quite personal. Not that Nova blamed them. Someone had to temper them, though. Nova followed after Archie as best he could.

"Easy there." The null's fur glistened with an odd sheen. "Those who fight monsters best make sure they don't become them."

Nova focused. He recalled Mewtwo's teachings. Allies. Teammates. If he could find that link...

The silver sheen rippled over to the oshawott. So there was a link after all! Hopefully that meant this would work. Nova returned his attention to the lycanroc. "That reaction... tells me everything. Plenty of bluster... hiding what's really underneath."

Spoiler: Nova aux turn 1

Defender aux --> +1 Protect shield to Archie

 

[Tetra]

Koa said nothing as Seth emerged from the shadows. Said nothing as he taunted them, or as the others defied him. The sight of the shadows spilling from Seth's paw made his heart race. Focus. He needed to focus-

Off brand Lycas? And then he saw in the dim light, that mark across the Seth's muzzle. The way he wielded that orb. The attitude. And the seething hatred practically pouring from Wes. The growl that had begun in Koa's throat deepend and he tensed as he shot Wes a look out of the corner of his eye. A strange mix of emotions bubbled inside him. He pressed them down like second nature. Zeroing in on The Wolf, he prepared himself.

If shadow was a tool, then he would become its wielder. Whatever it took.

"You shouldn't pick fights you can't win." With a howling cry, he gathered energy into his paws and charged at The Wolf.

Spoiler: Turn 1

Koa (70 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Shadow Focus (+5 TMP)
- SHADOW Howl (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- Dash to Cane Underbrush (-2 TMP)
- Mach Punch @ Seth (-6 STM, +3 TMP)
- Mach Punch @ Seth (-9 STM, +3 TMP)
Net change: -33 STM, +11 TMP
Net totals: 37 STM (54 after regen), 16 TMP

 

[Goat]

Spoiler: Astrid (Aux) turn 1

Call @ Wes

 

[Hap]

Of course this was going to be a fight. Of course.

Ridley had tagged along on this venture mostly because he wanted to know what a shadow pokemon with all their faculties intact looked like. If the Wayfarers were going to be utilising shadow power themselves in the future, then anything they could learn from Seth was valuable, and Ridley was too greedy for knowledge to let other people have that opportunity without him.

Ridley had braced himself for the encounter to take a violent turn. It felt inevitable. He'd come here expecting a fight.

...he just hadn't expected the fight to start immediately.

"Shit," he muttered.

Spoiler: action

Ridley (Aux Rogue/Spotter)
- Spotter Aux: Combat Intel @ Seth (Items)

 

[Phoenixsong]

There was something weird about the way he talked, something grating against her ears in a way that wasn't normal sound. It warped and twisted uncomfortably, the way the darkness oozing from his claws did. Was this what shadow was really like?

What it mostly sounded like, though, was a lotta talk. Sure, he could probably back it up with a good swing. But if you had a good enough swing, the talk didn't matter in the first place. Either way, he had his (...familiar...?) nose wedged real tight up his own tail end. Not much point in arguing; just gonna have to knock it loose for him. And if it took a couple real hard knocks to do it, well. Fair play after what he'd done to Archie.

Energy sparked into existence around Leaf just a second before she charged in, keeping light and quick as she stabbed at his side and kicked at his legs. Big Bad Swearwolf wanted to dance? Cool. Good luck catching a goddamn unicorn, asshole.

Even focused on kiting around the Wolf, she couldn't help her ears swiveling toward the others as they snarled out in defiance. The rockruff, and Archie, and Koa. There was anger, and there was frustration, and there was... something else. Warped and twisted and grating.

...were they going to be okay?

Spoiler: Leaf, Turn 1

Leaf (75 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Walk to Cane Underbrush
- Protect (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter T0) @ Seth's AI
- Trailblaze @ Seth (-15 STM, Sure Hit, +2 TMP)
- Double Kick @ Seth (-9 STM, +2 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Focus (+5 TMP)
Net change: -42 STM, +4 TMP
Net totals: 33 STM (51 after regen), 9 TMP

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 1
Player Phase Results​

Koa's Mach Punch dealt 11 dmg!
His Mach Punch dealt 12 dmg!

Odette's AGILE Flash Cannon dealt 7 dmg!
Her Flash Cannon dealt 10 dmg!

Wes' AGILE Rock Throw dealt 6 dmg!
His Rock Throw dealt 9 dmg!
His Stone Edge dealt a CRITICAL 20 dmg!

Archie's AGILE Razor Shell dealt 13 dmg!
His SHADOW Sacred Sword dealt 9 dmg!

Leaf's Trailblaze dealt 14 dmg!
Her Double Kick dealt 10, 9 dmg!

Nova protected Archie!

Intel:

Ridley's Spotter Skill! Seth has the following disposable items:

Weather Orb
Vile Seed
Tired Seed
Blinker Seed
Slow Seed

Odette's Spotter Feat!

Seth's Atk: 108
Seth's Def: 91

Leaf's Spotter Feat!

Seth is an extremely aggressive fighter, more interested in reducing HP to zero than in complicated strategies.
It seems that he's got a serious ego, and his Shadow energy is linked to his need to be the strongest fighter around.

The Wayfarers' attack was swift and aggressive, spurred on by the Shadow energy coursing easily through them and by Koa's battlecry, which gave their strikes greater power. Seth took the hits, laughing darkly even as the strongest ones cut and bruised him.

"Come on! There's so many of you, and only one of me! Surely you can do better than that??"

The darkness that swirled around Seth's fists became more volatile, reaching up in plumes of Shadow energy. He'd had far more time than the Wayfarers to practice his use of this dark power, and he was about to demonstrate...

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

A cold spike of fear hit Steven full force as the Wolf melted out of the silver shadows. He was huge and every bit as menacing as the wanted poster advertised.

Steven found himself darting for cover before he even registered he'd moved. Anything to put something between him and the Wolf's shadows, yet Archie stepped forward to face him head on?

Seth? The Wolf's name was Seth? And Archie was trying to reason with him? After the Wolf--no, Seth-- was clearly lying in wait to ambush them. He wanted this fight, but why? Was it the Shadows driving him to crave violence?

And, shockingly, the others in their group felt the same. Something flared up, twisting their words, tainting their attacks, and Steven shivered. But even as the others lunged at the Wolf, striking and snapping and kicking, Steven held back, peeking out from behind his cover. They were here to investigate, not instigate!

"Seth!" he called out, trying to grab the Wolf's attention. "What are you doing here so close to Frontier Town? If you're trying to stop the Shadow pokemon, why not investigate Blaguarro?"

Maybe it was too late to get an answer now that the skirmish had broken out, but he had to try.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 1
Enemy Phase
​

"Already spent months in Blaguarro, pickin' off peons and shaking down anyone in the know," growled Seth, eyes wild and teeth bare. "Maybe I got a good reason for being here. You don't get to know, so fuck off!"

Seth Called out to Steven!

The darkness billowed, and in a lightless flash, Seth struck everyone standing anywhere near him with Shadow-tinged impacts. He followed up with a flurry of normal elemental attacks, striking like mad at as many targets as possible. He seemed undeterred by their numbers, continually aware of every battler's position, unerringly hitting true and without hesitation, every time.

Seth focused his Shadows...
Boss Action! Seth's Shadow Accelerock hit the whole squad!
Archie was protected from 8 dmg!
Koa took 14 dmg!
Leaf was protected from 16 dmg!
Wes took 7 dmg!
Odette took 14 dmg!

Seth's Snarl hit the squad!
Leaf protected from 9 dmg! -1 Mag!
Koa took 7 dmg! -1 Mag!
Wes took 4 dmg! -1 Mag!

Seth's STRONG Fire Fang dealt 41 dmg to Odette! Flinching!

Seth's Rock Slide hit the squad!
Wes tooka CRITICAL 21 dmg! Flinching!
Leaf took a CRITICAL 25 dmg! Flinching!
Archie took a CRITICAL 21 dmg! Flinching!

Boss Attack! Seth is preparing Stone Edge, targeting Cane Underbrush...

The sandstorm took its toll.

Seth took up a hunched stance as he pulled at Rock-type energy in the earth for a brutal, critical attack.

"I'm not even breaking a sweat!" he called, his voice projecting as if to an absent audience. "Still time to concede before I bring the hammer down, you fucking amateurs!"

 

[Tetra]

"How terrifying," Koa sneered sarcastically. It felt good to let out his anger and taunt the Wolf, even if he was still trying to be cautious.

Still, between Steven's warning and the charging posture the Wolf had taken up, he could tell he was readying a powerful attack. With a smooth motion, he slid out a Protect Orb from his bag, relishing in the familiar feeling of the sphere in his palm. He cracked it, then charged in for a swift strike before making a break for the thicket. Perhaps the dense canes would slow him down, or at the very least force him to expend more energy.

Spoiler: Turn 2

Koa (54 STM, 16 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Protect Orb)
- Howl (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- Mach Punch @ Seth (-6 STM, +3 TMP)
- Dash to Cane Thicket (-2 TMP)
- STRONG Mach Punch @ Seth (-12 STM, +5 TMP)
- Walk to Cane thicket
Net change: -36 STM, +8 TMP
Net totals: 18 STM (35 after regen), 24 TMP

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

You don't get to know, so fuck off!"

Seth punctuated his sentence by vanishing into darkness. Steven didn't even have time to blink before he was slammed with the Wolf's full body weight and sent tumbling. Then Seth was gone, lashing out at the rest of the party.

Steven picked himself from the sandy soil with a groan. A familiar cold burn lingered where he was struck. It hurt, but it was minor compared to what the Skorupi had done to him. He didn't have long to think about it though, as a rain of boulders came down from above.

With a small squeal of alarm, Steven dodged left, then right, the dull thud of rocks embedding themselves in the sand sounding from all sides. He couldn't run forever, though, as Seth's aim was deadly accurate even in the blustering sandstorm.

The rock struck his side with a sharp clang and he bounced to the ground in a spray of sand. Aside from the rough ride, Steven found it easy to pop back up, unable to tell if he'd lucked into only a glancing blow, or his body had finally healed back to its normal sturdy self. Either way, he rebounded from the attack quickly, skirting behind one of the stray boulders for cover.

It was hard to spot the rest of the party through the darkness and the sand, but with Betel's link he could sense everyone had weathered Seth's first flurry well enough. Except now the Lycanrock was hunched over, gathering energy deep within the earth. Even with low visibility, Steven recognized the attack right away.

"That's a Stone Edge!" he called. "Everyone, look out!"

Sparing a glance at his teammates, he could see some retreating back to the path, with others disappearing into the thicket. Scattering was a good call, but depending on how skilled Seth was, he could get a wide enough spread to still hit most of the group. (And based on that Rock Slide, Steven had a feeling Seth was skilled enough.)

Steven snapped his desperate attention back to the Wolf. He had to do something! Well, he knew that Seth would be anchored in place while he focused on his attack. So maybe...

"Here goes nothing--"

He dashed out of his cover straight for the Wolf. This was probably going to hurt him as much as it hurt Seth, but it would be worth it if he could disrupt him even a little. Steven took aim at the side of the Wolf's head and sped up. He could see his own reflection rapidly growing in the mirrored finish of Seth's visor.

"If you're not conceding, then why should we?!"

Steven used Take Down!

 

[Ambyssin]

That spark did do something. Weakened one strike against Archie that looked like it would've hurt a bit. And kept Nova safe to some extent, too. It wasn't perfect. But it was... better? Perhaps a bit better than the embarrassment at the Silver Ravine dungeon.

They just had to keep the pressure up. And the way Seth was talking...

"You say you 'don't need any god damn help,' huh? Then why aren't you telling your mysterious voice to pound sand?" Nova focused again. There were... twinges of electricity making his fur stand on end. "You're clearly useless to Blaguarro. Cuz we heard outside plans to cut it off from everything else."

The electricity grew a bit more. It wasn't going to be an attack. But if Nova could slow him down...

"Want to know what I think? You talk yourself up... because it's all you've got." The null let the sparks fly, looking to paralyze Seth. "The truth is... without your ego, you're just another lost, lonely soul." And Nova's tone was one of pity, not condescension.

With the sparks released, he slowly backed toward where he started. As if baiting Seth to follow.

Spoiler: Nova aux turn 2

Rogue aux --> apply paralysis on Seth
Follow units back to starting zone

 

[Sinderella]

Odette cried outright when she felt Seth’s fiery fangs sink into her, her voice meshing with Jawile’s. She kicked off of him and skidded backwards, landing with a dazed stumble. She grit her teeth so hard she swore she was going to break one. But at least it would be a welcome distraction from the feeling of fire traveling up her other arm.

Of fucking course, steel was weak to fire. She was always weak to fire.

Panting now, she shook herself off as another round of cannon fire began to build itself up on Jawile’s tongue.

“What the fuck is with you dogs fire biting me all the time?!” she yelled. She didn’t need to hear an answer, because all she wanted to do was see the asshole take more steel to the head. Jawile took aim and fired, and Odette used the momentum of the fire to push herself back into the brush of the path. With shaky hands, she yanked the lone oran berry she had on hand from her small bag and swallowed it down in one gulp.

It was fine. They were fine.

Spoiler: Odette Turn 2

>>> Odette (45 STM, 12 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Activate ability (Intimidate) @ Seth
- STRONG Flash Cannon @ Seth (-24 STM, effect, -7 TMP, +4 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter T0) @ Seth [Ability]
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Oran Berry)
- Walk to Path
Net change: -24 STM, -3 TMP
Net totals: 21 STM (38 after regen), 9 TMP

 

[Weazel]

He brought up his blade again to defend himself from Seth’s retaliatory strike – too little too late, he’d left himself wide open with that over committed swing! He braced for impact, only for the sudden appearance of a silvery veil around him to soften the blow. The surprise of it momentarily broke through the haze of anger, and he took a moment to shoot Nova a mixed look of surprise and gratitude. He didn’t get a chance to say anything before he was eating a follow up attack from the Lycanroc though. Showed him for getting distracted on the battlefield.

By the time the Oshawott had regrouped, Seth was screaming again. He certainly did that a lot, Archie was realizing. It was almost like he was performing for someone. But who? His opponents, himself… The shadow voice? Well, the more they kept him talking, the less focused he’d be on actually hitting them. So, it behooved them to taunt and torment him as much as possible. Seemed like Nova had also realized that. Bullying maybe wasn't Archie's forte, but he could certainly give it the old college try!

“Yeah, yeah. You know, if you were half as badass as you like to claim, you wouldn’t need to insist on it with every breath,” the Oshawott snarked, summoning back the Water Type blade of his Razor Shell. “Seems to me more like you’re compensating for your own insecurities. Well, you know what they say: A hit dog will holler!”

He leaped up, and brought his blade down onto the Lycanroc, putting his weight into the downward swing. Then he danced backwards, and dashed into the cover of the reeds.

Spoiler: Archie Turn 2

Archie (36 STM, 13 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- STRONG Razor Shell @ Seth (-24 STM, effect, -3 TMP, +5 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Dash to Cane Thicket (-2 TMP)
- Walk to Cane Thicket
Net change: -24 STM, +0 TMP
Net totals: 12 STM (29 after regen), 13 TMP

Spoiler: Wes Turn 2

Wes (32 STM, 6 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Shadow Focus (+5 TMP)
- SHADOW Rock Throw @ Seth (-4 STM, hit, -2 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Walk to Outskirts Path
Net change: -4 STM, +6 TMP
Net totals: 28 STM (44 after regen), 12 TMP

Spoiler: Turn Order

1. Astrid
2. Koa
3. Archie
4. Odette
5. Nova
6. Leaf
7. Wes
8. Ridley

 

[Goat]

Spoiler: Astrid (Aux) turn 2

Rogue: -1 Defense @ Seth

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf kicked away the rocks the Wolf had thrown at her, wincing and not particularly looking forward to the fresh batch he was working up. The beldum called it a stone edge; looked a helluvalot bigger than any stone edge she'd ever seen back home. No points for guessing Swearwolf'd be a huge show-off.

Whatever it was there was no shot at avoiding it outright, not with shields being so hard to keep going constantly, but they could manage. Spread out, make him decide, make him work for it, like in a double battle when it was two against one. Nova and some of the others were already edging back the way they'd came, so she'd just push forward.

"Spell it out for us," she said through gritted teeth. "What're you gonna do about all this that we can't, that the Rangers can't, that the Escarpa can't?"

Then she risked one last good jab at his side and bounded into the thicket—make him work for it—after Archie. Something told her it might be best if he wasn't alone over there.

Spoiler: Leaf, Turn 2

Leaf (51 STM, 16 TMP, +1 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Activate feat (Spotter T0) @ Seth's AI
- Growl @ Seth (-14 STM, Sure Hit, +2 TMP)
- Trailblaze @ Seth (-15 STM, +2 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Focus (+5 TMP)
- Walk to Cane Thicket
Net change: -28 STM, +9 TMP
Net totals: 23 STM (41 after regen), 25 TMP

(if trailblaze doesn't count for the mc reduction because i'm not attacking a unit currently in cane thicket, it's okay to drop the focus for a walk+dash instead)

 

[Hap]

Ridley dragged himself back to his feet from where Seth's accelerock had sent him flying. Sometimes he really hated being this small; it was far too easy for him to be tossed about. The blow had left his body with the now-familiar heart-numbing ache of a shadow attack.

Well, he'd be getting another one of those fucked-up shadow dreams, he guessed.

"What's the point of this?" he demanded, because, seriously, what was the point? The other fights he'd found himself in had made sense to some degree, for self-defence or a test of character (or, sure, for moral righteousness or whatever; Ridley had originally just wanted to crash that party for the fun of causing chaos, but Ignatius deserved to be taken down).

This, in comparison, was... what? A glorified temper tantrum? An overgrown toddler of an adult man throwing his weight around for the sake of it?

Spoiler: action

Ridley (Aux Rogue/Spotter)
- Spotter Aux: Combat Intel @ Seth (Gear)