[Rina]

Following the cue, Schezo covered the sides, as they moved as a group. Though...how would a teddy bear help them out in a time like this? It's just a toy, albeit magical.

"Uh, I fail to see how a stuffed animal would aid us. It's not as if it would suddenly grow into a titanic size on cue and actually engage in combat."

Hilariously enough, Schezo just described that the teddy bear does...if he squeezed it. Not like he would know off the bat. So far, the trek down the hallway is going swimmingly, with nothing visible to be had. Emphasis on visible. Passing down the hall leads to another branching path, as well as an open garden that has seen better days. It's all lifeless, and kinda sad really. It used to be a charming and pretty garden. The fountain in the center is all crumbled up and devoid of the water, the benches have fallen apart too.

From where they're facing, the garden is to the left, and appears to have no other route connecting to it. Continuing forward leads to a stairwell leading downwards, and the right has an open courtyard. There isn't much to the courtyard, except for the couple of ghostly-looking knights practicing. Trying to sneak by them would be difficult, but it would likely cut a corridor out of the escape route.

"The surroundings seem to be much more open here now. The courtyard seems to be feasible in taking a shortcut, but there isn't much places to hide at a glance."

{What's the plan? Continue the perception rolls like normal and go down the forward path, or try to take a shortcut? The shortcut would require a DEX roll of 13+ to quickly get past them without them noticing. Failing would likely get you into a battle encounter.}

[TartoonHand94]

“It's a living."

Pit blushed at the Ruby’s flattery. 

“Captain of Lady Palutena’s Guard isn’t just my nickname y’know.” 

“Shh, the monsters don’t know that.”
Pit shushed Schezo, wanting to maintain the appearance that the teddy bear could be looking the opposite from Schezo.
Whether or not this tactic would work didn’t seem to matter as Pit lead the line down the hall, past an open garden, down some stairs to an open court yard.

“Hut.”
Pit signalled his party to stop.
“Look at these guys. Judging by the fact that there’s nothing to guard here, I’d say these rookies are training.”
Pit deduced.

“There’s something special about guards when they’re in training.
It’s when they feel they have the most to prove.”
He mused, remembering his own troops back up in Skyworld.

“I say we test these rookies out by sneaking past them.
If anything happens, we’re well armed aren’t we?
Just follow my lead.”

(pIUnaJ3ap_1d20+3 Pit’s solid stealth.)


Pit
0%
Status: Normal

1d20+3

[Deleted]

He'd been walking for a long time, but, every time he turned in this big castle, every hall looked the same. Stomping around on the stone floors, chilling the air around him with every step he made, Frost Man had long since past the loss stage and was now at . . . what was that word Master used every now and again? 'Deserted?' Wily used it like "lost" sometime, but, he didn't know how something like an popsicle could have anything to do with being lost.

He stomped down a hall that looked like every other hall in the castle, knowing that he was in the right place only because his built-in GPS said so. But, the signal cut out a little while ago, and, now . . . "Frost Man is lost . . ."

Stopping, he looked to the side, exhausted, and noticed a set of stairs leading down. He almost leaped with joy - but, that would've broken the roof over head, and Wily said that was a bad thing to do. Instead, he went down the stairs, and found himself on the edge of a courtyard where big men were swinging their weapons at either each other or training dummies.

Well, they were probably big by man standards . . . Frost Man thought they were all really small. Perfect for an icy snack!

As the first new room he's seen in quite a while, Frost Man takes a look around, and tries to hide his big form in the shadows of a pillar that, although he thinks is fine, is far too thin to hide him, his large arms still visible out of the side.

{WIS Check to notice you guys on the other side of the courtyard, g00oo! Also, DEX to avoid detection.}

{WIS} - XUyKHW|2p_1d20 -4 = 14

{DEX} - p_1d20 -1 = 11


Frost Man scanned over the room, not seeing anything . . . but, then, he looked back across, and noticed a little movement! He saw a little blue man with a sword - almost like a certain little blue man with a gun - and a little man with wings. He was wearing a weird outfit, but, the wings were pretty cool - what a statue they would make! If they stood still . . .

But, wait! The transmission was about a injured guy . . . the blue man must've been him! He took a sharp breath, cupped his oversized hands over his face like a funnel, and went to shout across the room.

. . . Wasn't he hiding from someone? He scratched his head, and then noticed the swordmen, again. Yeah . . . hiding from them. No shouting. He waved his hands at his side, instead, trying to be sneaky.

{DC ZERO WIS required to see the big lug waving his hands back and forth.}1d20·1d20

[Rina]

"Who's there?"

Schezo leaned over to see the big guy waving for his attention. Seems like he's trying to show them a way out, but...isn't he just being more conspicuous from doing that? In fact, from that gesture, he's grabbing the attention of the knights. The two of them muttered something between them, and came to the assumption that the trio is trying to plunder the castle. And then they engaged in combat with Ice Man! A+ stealth tactics.

"...So much for trying to hide..."

Gold Spectral Knight	Violet Spectral Knight
HP: 85	HP: 65
Status: Normal	Status: Normal

The Violet Knight begins its attack with a forward lunge at Ice Man! The Gold Knight follows up with a Shield Bash in tandem!

Violet Lunge (Does 10%): bIGZGbZ7p_1d20+2

Gold Shield Charge (Does 7%): p_1d20

Though, Pit is still unnoticed by the two. Schezo too, since their attention is focused on Ice Man at the moment. Maybe a sneak attack is in order...

Damage: 10%

Status: Normal

1d20+2·1d20·1d20+1·1d20·1d20·1d20

[TartoonHand94]

“What the? Who's that and what is he doing?”
Pit whispered to Schezo and his bear.
He couldn't help but notice Ruby was no longer behind Schezo guarding their back.

“And wait where did Ruby go?
What Is Going On With Management Today???”
Pit grabbed his hair in furstration.

“Huh? They're attacking Him? He must not be on their side. Which means he must be on Our side?”
Pit tried to reason. It seemed helping Ice Man out was the thing to do.
Pit, taking advantage of his silence, readied to snipe the knights with some arrows.

“Guess it's time to test the rookie's combat.”

(4bsScmWvp_1d20+3 Pit’s arrow at the Gold Spectral Knight. does 5% damage)
(p_1d20+3 Pit’s solid stealth Violet Spectral Knight. does 5% damage)

Pit then followed up by rushing in with a wide strike with his bow split up into twin blades.

(p_1d20+2 Pit’s solid stealth Violet Spectral Knight. does 10% damage)


Pit
0%
Status: Normal

1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+2

[Deleted]

Frost Man looked to the side, realizing the knights were moving, and that they were moving towards him! His hiding spot must've been pretty bad. They walked up towards him, the purple one lunging its tiny sword at him.

Frost Man held up his hands, activating his shield generator, making a translucent blue shield form up around him. As the two hit the shield, the yellow one hitting it with another shield of all things, it cracked a bit - but, held! With a small whir, he turned his shield generator off, and the blue bubble disappeared. Widening his shoulders, he placed a hand against the stone pillar and pushed himself out into the open, glowering down at the little knights.




"You need to try harder than that! Frost Man tough! Now, Frost Man crush you! Stay still!"

Raising his hands over his head, he brought them smashing down onto the purple ghost thing. Looking over at the yellow one, he thought about what he might do to it . . . and simply decided to try and smack the flat of his hand into the yellow ghost.

Standing back up straight, he lifted his hand for one final hit, clenching his fist and releasing a burst of extremely cold air. For a second, for those in need of breath, the air was dispersed and weighted by the extreme cold, and then flash-froze into a coat of ice around Frost Man's fist.



He did a side ways punch, hooking his fist to the side of the purple ghost and following through for a hit on the yellow one.

"Ghosts no match for Frost Man!"

---

eqcSFhVLp_1-20+5 = 17 - 17% Damage
p_1-20+5 = 8 - 15% Damage
p_1-20+5 = 13 -  - 15% Damage; p_1-100 - 20% Freeze Chance Confirmed!

0%
Shields: 27/75% (-17% attacks, -10% for turn)
Status: Normal

1-20·1-20·1-20·1-100

[Rina]

The two ghosts backed off upon their attacks bumped off from the barrier. It seems it'll take a while to break it down themselves, but then there's Pit's attacks coming right at them. Pit opened up with the arrows right at them, one shot each.

Gold Knight's Evasion: Rgq6|PT7p_1d20
Violet Knight's Evasion: p_1d20+2

Looks like the surprise attack did the trick! However, the arrow made the Gold Knight wary, taking notice of the follow-up attack. The Gold Knight swooped in and intercepted the blade attack, taking the hit in the Violet Knight's stead. It still seems okay in the grand scheme of things, but it's quite evident that it's the more defensive of the two.

However, there's also Ice Man's attacks. The duo is caught in a pincer attack, making it rather difficult to juggle the two.

Hit 1 @ Gold: p_1d20 (Hit!)
Hit 2 @ Violet: p_1d20+2 (Hit!)
Hit 3 @ Gold: p_1d20 (Miss!)

Surprisingly, the first two attacks made their mark on the ghosts. However, the hook that followed after striking the Violet Knight was deftly evaded by the Gold Knight. It's not as swift, but it managed somehow. The two of them got into formation and attempted to do a combination attack, but there was the matter of a third person they didn't even notice...


"Thunderstorm!"
(14%, 20% to Paralyze) p_1d20+4
Violet Knight's Evasion: p_1d20+2
Paralysis Check: p_1d100

Schezo targeted the Violet Knight, seeing it as the bigger threat of the two. Schezo shot a jolt of electric magic in hopes of breaking the formation attack they're planning. While it did connect, it did not paralyze as he intended. The two knights ascended upwards, side by side, examining the situation. The two decided to continue their attack on Ice Man, seeing the bulk as a threat to them. The two got in formation, and charged at him!

Spectral Knight's Formation Attack! (18% Damage): p_1d20+2 (Critical hit! Does 27% instead!)

Gold Spectral Knight	Violet Spectral Knight
HP: 53	HP: 31
Status: Normal	Status: Normal

Damage: 10%

Status: Normal

1d20·1d20+2·1d20·1d20+2·1d20·1d20+4·1d20+2·1d100·1d20+2

[TartoonHand94]

All five of them were in this fight now, but both knights were still very much engaged in Ice Man.
Despite receiving direct attacks from them, they almost ignored Pit and Schezo outright, save for some minor dodges.

“These guys have a lot to learn.”
Since Schezo had the Violet Spectral Knight, Pit decided to put pressure on the Gold Spectral Knight.
He maintained a close quarters combat with his Palutena Bow in Duel Blade Melee mode.

(geORJbUYp_1d20+2 Pit’s bow blade on the Gold Spectral Knight. does 10% damage)
(p_1d20+2 Pit’s bow blade on the Gold Spectral Knight. does 10% damage)
(p_1d20+2 Pit’s bow blade on the Gold Spectral Knight. does 10% damage)

Pit decided something was to be done about its shield. The way Pit saw it, had it deserved its shield, it wouldn’t let him take it.

(p_1d20+2 Pit’s grapple of the Gold Spectral Knight’s shield.)


Pit
0%
Status: Normal

1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2

[Deleted]

Frost Man looks up at the flying ghosts, eyes widening in surprise. Holding up his arms, once again, he creates yet another barrier. The ghosts smash against his make-shift barrier, which shudders under the impact, but, stands strong.

In a pinch, he made a quick decision. Frost Man raises his hands above his head, and flash freezes the air above him - and then slaps the newly formed ice block down, towards the Yellow Ghost, hoping to squish it underneath!

The little ghostie seemed stronger than the purple one - which meant he'd just have to hit it harder! He slammed his hand down against the yellow ghost, and then bashes his shoulder towards its face.

Turning back around to face the crowd, Frost Man smiled and held up his hands, preparing for the next set of attacks. "Frost Man crush ghosts!"

---

Ice Block: hkCFv8qlp_1d20 + 5 = 18; 17% Damage
Ice Crush p_1d20 + 5 = 13; 10% Damage; spawns 30%-HP Ice Cube
Cold Shoulder p_1d20 + 5 = 19%; 12% Damage, 15% Freeze (p_1d100) - No Freeze!

0%
Shields: 64/75%
Status: Normal
1d20·1d20·1d20·1d100

[Rina]

Trying to break the shield of the duo would be a pretty smart move, as it would certainly make the offensive-oriented Violet Knight more vulnerable. With the heavy assault of damage incoming, the Gold Knight had to be very, very cautious now.

Bow Blade
1: sm_iHzf9p_1d20
2: p_1d20
3: p_1d20

The first hit connected, but the next two hits managed to get deflected away with no damage to be had. It wasn't the end of the road there, however, as Pit was trying to disarm the ghostly knight of its defenses.

Grapple Escape: p_1d20

Unfortunately for the knight (and fortunately for the trio), the shield was jerked from its little limbs, leaving it with no defenses to defend against Ice Man's assault. The ice block came crashing down on the ghost, leaving a significant amount of damage. After wiggling out of the cube, there was also the crushing strike, followed up with the shoulder tackle. Oof, that ought to leave a mark. The Violet Knight isn't going to let that one slide, letting out a series of stabs from its rapier on Pit to try and make him drop the shield.

Violet Rapier Assault (9% per hit!)
1: p_1d20+2
2: p_1d20+2
3: p_1d20+2

But not before Schezo came to intervene.

"Oh no you don't!"

Dark Swordplay
1: p_1d20
2: p_1d20
3: p_1d20

Violet Knight's Evasion
1: p_1d20+2
2: p_1d20+2
3: p_1d20+2

He isn't going to let the Violet Knight succeed, using his own sword to attack the ghost. Schezo swiped his sword three times in a one-two fashion in an attempt to disrupt the ghost. The first hit made a clean connection, but it successfully fended off the second. It wasn't as as lucky, however, as the third also connected. The Violet Knight staggered from the intervention, but it continued its focus on Pit to try and reclaim its partner's shield.

Gold Spectral Knight	Violet Spectral Knight
HP: 14	HP: 17
Status: Disarmed	Status: Normal

Damage: 10%

Status: Normal

1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2

[TartoonHand94]

“Hey look what I got.~”
Pit taunted as he wagged the shield in Violet Spectral Knights face.
There wasn’t a lot of honour in taking an enemy’s shield like this, especially if they were just a rookie.
And Pit couldn’t help but feel this.

So instead of directly striking a defenceless opponent like this, Pit simple used his ownshield against him.
It turned out, however, that he’d be using Gold Spectral Knight’s shield against his partner instead.
And that was fair game to him.

(1: 1QB9HMRMp_1d20 Pit’s block of Violet Spectral Knight’s rapier, using Gold Spectral Knight’s shield.)
(2: p_1d20 Pit’s block of Violet Spectral Knight’s rapier, using Gold Spectral Knight’s shield.)
(3: p_1d20 Pit’s block of Violet Spectral Knight’s rapier, using Gold Spectral Knight’s shield.)


“Well whadaya know! This shield's actually not so badl!” Pit realized.
Pit joined Shezo in attacking Violet, spinning his bow in his free hand like a staff with two blades on each end.

(p_1d20+2 Pit’s Palutena Bow (Melee Mode) on Violet Spectral Knight. Does 10% damage.)
(p_1d20+2 Pit’s Palutena Bow (Melee Mode) on Violet Spectral Knight. Does 10% damage.)
(p_1d20+2 Pit’s Palutena Bow (Melee Mode) on Violet Spectral Knight. Does 10% damage.)


“Ha-Yeedy-Ya!”


Pit
0%
Status: Normal

1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2

[Rina]

((I dropped the member count by one due to the sheer amount of delays I've been getting. And it's getting on my nerves.))

Violet Knight's Evasions:
1: VCESnLyQp_1d20+2
2: p_1d20+2
3: p_1d20+2

That was indeed a very close call for the Violet Knight. It's barely hanging on by a sliver of health from the last assault, and it was good for it that it evaded that last attack. Alas, it wasn't all safe for the knight, as Schezo was still around to attack, swinging his sword at it to try and connect the finishing blow.

"Take THIS!"
(Schezo's Swordplay, 7%)
1: p_1d20
2: p_1d20
3: p_1d20

Violet Knight's Evasions:
1: p_1d20+2
2: p_1d20+2
3: p_1d20+2

...but it wasn't going down without a fight, having swiftly evaded Schezo's attacks. Being able to fly helps a bit, you know! Schezo wasn't too happy with that, however, holding out his sword to whip up some magic. One of the things Schezo's much better at.


"Thunderstorm!"
(14%, 20% paralysis) p_1d20+4

Violet Knight's Evasion: p_1d20+2

...and he still missed nonetheless. Where did Schezo's aim go? Taking advantage of the poor showing of the Dark Wizard, the Violet Knight lunged at him!

Violet Lunge: p_1d20+2
Schezo's Evasion: p_1d20

"Confound it...!"

Schezo staggered a bit from the knight leaving its mark on him. Seriously, the Knight is about to keel over and it's still got this amount of fight in him!

Meanwhile, the Gold Knight is attempting to yank the shield from Pit's hands back in its possession to fight again...
(The Gold Knight is trying to steal the shield back! Beat its roll with your STR to keep it away!) p_1d20+1

Gold Spectral Knight	Violet Spectral Knight
HP: 14	HP: 17
Status: Disarmed	Status: Normal

Damage: 20%

Status: Normal

1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+4·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20·1d20+1

[TartoonHand94]

"Hey where did?…”
Pit asked himself out loud.
Looking around, he found none else but Schezo left with him on this mission.

“That's it! I give up questioning this now!
Drop Captain N the Game Master beside me for all I care!"
Pit threw his hands up in abdication.
He had more important things to worry about than how many screws were loose at the missions claim office that day.
There was a ghost trying to take his shield back from him after all.



“You sure you want this back?~”

(t9ac7Y0Np_1d20+2 Pit’s grip on the Gold Spectral Knight’s shield.)

“Wow you really do!"
Pit gasped in surprised as the Golden Spectral Knight managed to pry his shield back out of Pit's grip.
“Good Job!"


"Well here! Take this as a bonus!”
Pit strapped on his Upperdash Arm,
and delivered a punch into the back of the shield,
propelling it forward smack into the Gold Spectral Knight.

(p_1d20+2 Pit’s Upperdash Arm at the Gold Spectral Knight through his shield. Does 20% Damage.)


"I gotta say, it was a pretty good shield!
I totally get why you’d want it back so badly.”
Even Pit had to admit the quality of the shield he borrowed.

"You’re not getting away that easy!”
Pit reprimanded the evasive Violet Knight who was still a pest to Schezo.
He promptly sniped the knight with an arrow of light or three.

(p_1d20+3 Pit's Arrow at the Violet Spectral Knight . Does %5 Damage)
(p_1d20+3 Pit's Arrow at the Violet Spectral Knight . Does %5 Damage)
(p_1d20+3 Pit's Arrow at the Violet Spectral Knight . Does %5 Damage)


Pit
Damage 0%
Status: Normal

1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3

[Rina]

The Gold Knight had stolen the shield back, but it also came with the bonus of the Upperdash Arm. It had to think quick, as it would be toast if it took the hit.

Gold Knight's evasion: 0E1GcnaDp_1d20

And quick thinking it did, having easily swooped out of the way of the charge. It looked at the shield for a quick moment, noticing there's a few scratches here and there, but it's otherwise intact. Whew, a damaged shield would be bad news for this knight. Meanwhile, the Violet Knight had to deal with arrows being fired at it.

Violet Knight's evasion:
1: p_1d20+2
2: p_1d20+2
3: p_1d20+2

Only one of them hit, but any hit from here on out is a risky endeavor for the violet one. And that was only Pit's attacks. Schezo is still present, and there was yet another bolt of lightning coming at it.

"Thunderstorm!"
(14%, 20% paralysis) p_1d20+4
p_1d20+2 (and Schezo hit something for once!)

The bolt had did the Violet Knight in, fading away into the aether and leaving its rapier behind. The Gold Knight, watching its partner get finished off, was visibly distressed. Without a sword to its shield, the Gold Knight had no choice but to retreat, disappearing out of sight. Looks like the duo won't be hassled by them any more.

"It fled. We're safe for now, and can proceed past the courtyard."

Should the duo carry on, they would be met with one last flight of stairs that lead to the front gate. It won't be long until they're home free. 

((There are no other threats in the vicinity. Perception rolls may carry on, but don't let your guard down.))

Damage: 20%

Status: Normal

1d20·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+4·1d20+2

[TartoonHand94]

"Being smug doesn’t really work when your opponent has the upper hand.”
Pit shrugged sheepishly as his Upperdash bonus wasn’t at all effective.



"That’s right! Run you cowar-

“-Aw who am I kidding? I’m glad that’s over."
Pit sighed in relief that the Gold Spectral Knight fled after seeing his partner get finished by Schezo.


“Though I’m not so sure it’s really all over."
Pit lowered his voice as his captain instincts started tingling again.
“Even if he got out alive, any good soldier wouldn’t desert his platoon like that.
That Gold guy might be going to warn the others as we speak!"
He deduced.

“I’m sure as heaven not staying in one place, but we gotta be careful moving forward."
Pit began to tiptoe toward the stairs.

(KbBWVIOBp_1d20+1 Pit's survey of the area before going down the stairs.)


“Oh hey! We might be home free!”
Pit said happily.


Pit
Damage 0%
Status: Normal

1d20+1