[heirtothemonado]

cynda1

"Let me ask you, Hedgehog...How much for you fear your own death?....Hm. Silly question, i know. Well let me ask a better one...How much do you fear the death of Others? Lets put it to the test, Shall we?" The Dealer would ask, Cards ciculating into a nebula of paper and magic...Before colliding into a single deck onto the table. "The Game welcomes you." The Dealer would solemnly say, Before the Deck would produce three cards for the Shadey Hedgie.

"Here are your choice of Aces...You only get one, So please, Choose with care.



The Ace of Uprising....A tad dim in book smarts, but his heart is definitely in the right place

(The Ace of Uprising will make your Ace Pit. As well, you will attain 'Palutena's Divinity', A Once-per-map item, In which you can immediately discover the Exit of the Map/The Boss's Location.)





The Ace of Belmont...A hunter of great skill, but he has fallen to those he fought before

(The Ace of Belmont will make your Ace Richter Belmont. Along with Stats, Appearance and Moves, You will receive 'Holy Smite', A Buff, in which Richter will Always deal an additional +5% Damage to Unholy targets.)



The Ace of Reincarnation....A charming fellow, although he reeks of undeath. 

The Ace of Reincarnation will make your Ace Soma Cruz. Along with Stats, Moveset, and Appearance, you also gain the skill 'Soul Absorb', a Once-Per-Map skill that lets you absorb the knowledge of an enemy that you defeat. You gain a new move for your Ace based on the enemy that you just defeated)

"And now, the Ace of my own...."




The Jack of Crash...Impulsive, Brash, but Dangerous in handled incorrectly. Can you defeat Crash Man?


"And how shall you cut the deck?"


Cut the deck Low? (The game will be shortened, and there won't be much Post Game Loot to find)

Cut the deck in the Middle? (Standard Game Length)

Cut the deck High? (A much longer game with more impressive loot, but calls a wider, more difficult map) 

[cynda1]

Fear of death? Well, that was certainly an odd way to start a conversation. Then again, this was a strange confrontation period. He wasn't one that normally followed various gossip and pointless chit chat, but he had witnessed what this "game" seemed to do to people. It was a game filled with mystery, and, as Shadow did in his own way, he knew that mysteries were there to be solved. Still, if the Dealer allowed Shadow to respond to the initial question, the hedgehog would have answered that the question was ridiculous and that he didn't fear death. However, when the question was rephrased... he admitted that it was quite difficult to come with a straight, honest answer. So he didn't answer. He assumed it wasn't an answer meant to be spoken anyway, since the Dealer continued on anyway.

The three individuals chosen as his possible aces... weren't anyone he had recognized. He supposed that only made sense. After all, this game was rather random wasn't it? He didn't really know what he was expecting... Still, this was a game he willingly started, and so he would finish it.

To pick an ace... among faces he didn't recognize. The Ace of Uprising, the Ace of Belmont, the Ace of... Wait Belmont? That... actually did sound familiar to him. Belmont... Perhaps Richter Belmont? Well, that was a name that stuck out to him! Maybe that meant something... Whatever the case, Shadow knew that Richter was a good potential ally, but it was also very possible that the two would battle in an arena one day. What better way to get to know someone's weak points than to be them, even if it's just for a little while?

Shadow didn't even glance at the third one- Ace of Rein... whatever? - his mind was already made up.

"Ace of Belmont." Shadow stated, launching a Chaos Spear near the top of the deck, indicating that he would cut the deck high. Shadow wasn't all that interested in a long game, but since he knew Richter, he could see some benefit in making it longer. Regardless, he intended to win this game, no matter what the challenge.

[heirtothemonado]

The Dealer looks slightly annoyed when Shadow used Chaos Spear to cut the deck. "An...unorthodox way of things. No matter. As long as you don't damage anything. I'm a gypsey at heart, and very much rely on the 'You Break It, You Buy It' rule. Putting that aside for now, the deck shuffled itself, cards fluttering every which way, before organizing themselves in a small map, and a single deck in front of Shadow. A single card is flipped face up on the table.

"The Sick Child...Few things are as Sacred, as the Ill, and the Young. And none are more terrifying to lose, than both at once...Im more than happy to Wager on this. I wonder if your Morality will get the better of you." The Dealer would say, Digging into his Token Bowel, and letting a Purple, Red and Black coin circle in the air, with a distinct 'V' On its symbol, Representing no doubt the world from which this reward hails.


And so, The world fades as Shadow's vision fills with mist. When it clears, he finds himself in the body of a well built human, and spike-ended whip hanging from his belt. Where he found himself, well...



A Striking world of Red befalls you, as you walk among a hidden path, The crunching of the Debris of Autumn's folly no doubt making you think it time to cozy up home, and ready for a long nap come winter. You continue walking, with no clear goal in mind, Until you hear what sounds to be...Coughing? Hacking, Wheezing, Sniffling and all. Strange sounds, to be sure. As you turn to find a Tree, You see a Young boy, With long, Dirty blonde hair, Dressed in the warmest, coziest clothes possible.



"W-wah!! V-velvet, Im sorry, I-i wont....O-oh, Wait, Y-your...Your not Velvet..." The strange boy would mutter, his face pale of some sickness. He would gulp, Shaking...

[cynda1]

“Hey,” the hedgehog smirked at the man’s annoyance. “You asked how I wanted to cut the deck, and I cut it, didn’t I?” Whatever the case, Shadow didn’t push it any further than that, deciding that there was a long road ahead of him, it was about time he got started.

The Dealer placed a card in front of Shadow, one of a young child that appeared to be rather sad. Upon a first glance at the boy, Shadow didn’t really care, and even upon finding out that the boy was sick… who cares? Why was that any skin off his nose? Shouldn’t his parents have that taken care of? Unless…

...Was this boy meant to be his responsibility?

Well, that would be a Chaos Emerald of a different color! If he felt like it was his responsibility to protect the child, or the child was somehow lost… That was a bit of a grey area for Shadow, really. Could he really leave behind a lost, sick child? It was a hard thing for even Shadow himself to answer unless he was in the situation himself.

Though, it was hard to say if Shadow would truly be himself…

...After the situation was vaguely explained to him, Shadow’s vision became blurred by a fog. Although the hedgehog didn’t black out, he was still rather confused when he snapped out of his phazed state, the hedgehog felt… strange, and… taller somehow. He looked down at his hands and realized that… something was different. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but Richter could tell something strange was happening.

“How,” Richter glanced around his surroundings. “How did I get..?” Suddenly, it dawned on him. “That’s right! I found a trace of Dracula, and it must’ve led me here! That’s it! I must keep my senses about me! Mustn’t let my guard down!” With that, Shadow placed a hand on his belt, assuring that his belt was still there, and clenched his fist. Shadow refused to let his life long enemy… Wait Shadow? No, he was Richter! Richter Bel-

The man heard a yelp, but it didn’t phase him. The man turned his attention, and silently stared at the little boy, who seemed rather frazzled. It was then that he suddenly regained realization of his circumstance. No. He wasn’t Richter Belmont. He was just in the form of Richter, but he was still Shadow. His silent nature, as well as a genuine lack of interest in Dracula, were all proof of that.

The boy seemed to think that he was someone named… Velvet? Shadow arched an eyebrow and didn’t acknowledge that quite obvious mistake. Instead, he took a look at the kid’s situation. The boy was sick, shaking, in the middle of the woods, and alone. The now human didn’t know if he was waiting for someone, or lost and just gave up looking for a way home.

Either way, Shadow didn’t care. If the boy stayed out there for too long, he could get even sicker, if not die. The hedge… man wasn’t going to let that happen. He came across the boy, so it was his responsibility to get him to safety. Simple as that.

Shadow knelt down to the boy’s level, for once actually taller than someone. “Are you looking for someone?” he asked. “Because we need to get you to safety.” And without much of a warning, the man tried to pick up the boy and start searching for a place where the boy could warm himself and get well. Seeing as he didn’t even know where he was, this may take a while.

If only he had Chaos Control...

[heirtothemonado]

"Huh? Yeah I'm--Hey!" The boy got cut off as Shadow-Richter grabbed him and hoisted him over his shoulder quite easily. "Hey. put me down!" The kid protested. Shadow wouldn't get very far before his vision would fill with mist again. When it cleared, he found himself in the Dealer's caravan, back in his normal body.



"I see you've found a companion" the Dealer noted. "Keep an eye on him. There are others that are looking for him, and I can't guarantee they'll treat him as.....well as you have." The Dealer hesitated, not sure if Shadow was treating the lad much better. He seemed to get over his hesitation after a second and drew attention to the map of cards that lay between him and Shadow

"Where are you headed for now?"

[cynda1]

The man was gonna start his trek when suddenly everything around him started to change once again, and once his vision adjusted, Shadow realized his was back in his own body. What? That was strange. He did cut the deck high right? The hedgehog's attention was brought from his gloved hands, which he was examining in annoyance, when the Dealer started talking again. Shadow lifted his head and looked at the mysterious man, arching an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Shadow questioned, arching an eyebrow and tilting his head. "Is... Someone trying to hurt him?" Shadow wasn't totally expecting a response, and wasn't at all surprised when he didn't get one.

Instead, he was met with more cards. This time, however, instead of floating around in a sort of chaos, it situated itself in a more organized fashion. In front of Shadow was a sort of chart of cards, one with the kid's face on it, and one with another face on it. Was... that a woman. A woman... Was that the person he was looking for? Wait... Shadow remembered the kid saying a name. A name...

...No, Shadow couldn't bring himself to remember what it was the kid was saying. Chaos, Shadow! he scolded himself. Would it really kill you to focus on the kid's dilema for two seconds?!

Oh, what was the use? He needed to focus on the matter at hand. That boy was... looking for someone. Or was he meeting with someone? In the middle of the forest? Whoever was orchestrating this meeting really wasn't being very responsible, if that was the case. Who in their right mind would leave a sick child alone in the forest? And he was being chased after, no less!

Shadow mentally smacked himself. This is a game, you lady bits! Get going! With his focus renewed, Shadow closed his eyes and flipped over the card right next to the boy's. And he opened his ruby red eyes to see...

[heirtothemonado]

Once Shadow had picked a card, if flipped over on it's own and revealed it's face.



"A Gift from Santa Destroy....But not perhaps a gift you wish to have..."

With that, the Dealer vanished once again into smoke. When Shadow's vision cleared again, he was not in the forest where he had found Laphicet,but in the middle of a bustling city.



"H-huh?"

Looks like Laphicet was transported along with him. "Where are we? How did we get here?"

Before Shadow could answer Laphicet, another voice cut them off.

BqVIP_Mmp_1d20 (Rolling to see who you encounter....)




"So your the one that is taking care of the boy. Well, I can't let you get any farther. I don't know why the UAA is targeting him, but I'm taking you down. Any last words?" That statement seemed to be a rhetorical question, as she immediately started swinging her katana at Shadow!Richter!

p_1d20+3 (Shinobu\s Katana Combo!)

p_1d20+3 (Again)
p_1d20+3 (And again)

1d20·1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3

[cynda1]

Shadow's vision started to fog almost the moment he saw the image on the card: a shattered star on... a pattern of some kind of flag? The Austria flag, maybe? No, it certainly didn't have a shattered star on it. No flags did. Maybe a sort of gang in Austria?

Whatever it was, Shadow appeared in what no longer looked like a forest, but a city of some sort. He was Richter Belmont again, and beside him was the young man he had made efforts to help. Perhaps they had traveled all the way to the city, but to Richter's surprise, the boy was just as confused as he was. There was no doubt about it. They had been transported there.

The now human raised a hand to state his thoughts, but was instantly interrupted by a new voice. Richter, with a glare clearly more Shadow-like, turned to face the stranger. He listened to what the lady said, stating something about the UAA, whatever that was, and seemed eager to start a fight. As much as Shadow wanted to get answers, he was eager to put this new arrival in her place. He took his whip out of his pocket, and masterfully snapped it at his side, away from Laphicet, and more of an indicator that he was ready to fight than anything.

He'd beat this person down and force the answers out of her if he could.

First things first, there were attacks he needed to dodge. Still having the mentality of Shadow the Hedgehog, his first instinct was to try and leap out of the way... which Richter could do surprisingly well. Almost too well, actually. It was almost concerning how light on his feet he felt despite the larger size.

RcHrFgiYp_1d20+4 (Shadow!Richter's attempt at Dodging Shinobu's Katana Combo. Richter's DEX allows for a +4 in the roll... Success!)
p_1d20+4 (Again... Success!)
p_1d20+4(Again... Success!)

At this point, the man hadn't said a word. He ended up moving to the other side of the woman, starting his assault with his own hand to hand combat abilities, just to see what he could do with his new form. He threw kicks and punches at the stranger, wanting to see the degree of his abilities.

p_1d20+2 (Shadow!Richter used his Martial Arts combo! Richter's Martial Arts will inflict 8% of damage if it makes contact. Richter's STR stat allows a +2 for his roll.)
p_1d20+2 (Again.)
p_1d20+2 (Again.)

His eyes then landed on his whip. Shadow remembered the pride the real Richter took in this weapon, so it was time to put it to the test. In a swift motion, Shadow!Richter slashed the holy weapon at the for, though not with nearly as much prowess as he had just earlier.

p_1d20+4 (Shadow!Richter used Vampire Killer! Richter's DEX stat allows for a +4 in his roll. The attack causes 15% of damage to any normal enemy, +5% on any unholy creature.)

He did all of this without saying a word.

---

Shadow!Richter
Health: 150
Shield: 50
Status: Ready to Fight!
Cooldowns: None

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

[heirtothemonado]

M5OBHJlGp_1d20+3 (Shinobu's Martial Arts Dodge #1: Success)
p_1d20+3 (Shinobu's Martial Arts Dodge #2: Success)
p_1d20+3 (Shinobu's Martial Arts Dodge #3: Success)
p_1d20+3 (Shinobu's CRIT Vampire Killer Dodge: Success)

Shinobu ducked, dodged and weaved around Richter's punches and kicks, with all the grace and style and assassin with a katana would have, and quickly held her arm up to block Richter's holy whip. "Oooh, nice whip! Mind if I take a closer look?" The quickness of her block caused it to wrap itself around her arm, and now she was trying to yank it out of Richter's grip!

(Shadow!Richter! Shinobu is trying to rob you of your whip! Roll a 12 or higher STR roll, or Shinobu will rip the Vampire Killer our of your hands, preventing you from using it!)

Regardless if she was successful or not, Shinobu took advantage of pulling Richter closer, and used her other hand to slice at Richer with her katana again!

p_1d20+3 (Shinobu's Katana Combo! 8% DMG
p_1d20+3 (Again)
p_1d20+3 (Again)

1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3

[cynda1]

x4Faw4mhp_1d20+1 (Shadow-Richter's attempt to pull the his whip out of the hands of his attacker. His STR stat gives him a +1 in his roll... success!)

p_1d20+4 (Richter's attempt to dodge Shinobu Katana combo. His DEX allows for a +4 in his roll... Success!)
p_1d20+4 (Again... Fail.)
p_1d20+4 (Again... Success!)

Shadow scoffed at the fact that none of his attacks made their marks. This attacker was certainly slick, and the fact that she thought she could try such a sneaky... heartless.... soulless attempt at the life of innocence such as that of a child, it caused a flame to-

The now human shook his head. What was that? What was that sudden rage? He had a determination to protect humans, that was true, but he never felt such intensity against wrong doing. Perhaps cowardice, or dishonesty, but not evil actions in general. It was then that he realized the attacker was slashing at him with a katana. The man was able to dodge the first attack, but was slashed with the second one while narrowly dodging the last one. This didn't make Shadow happy as blood dripped down his arms a little. The man snarled as he placed his whip back in its proper place. He had had it. The man was going to take this lady out one way or the other.

He launched himself at his foe again, ready to clobber this lady again.

p_1d20+1 (Richter's Martial Arts. His STR stat allows for a +1 in his roll. 8% damage.)
p_1d20+1 (Again.)
p_1d20+1 (Again.)

He then brought his whip out again, and furiously attempted to slash at the lady. It was the same tactic all over again, but Shadow certainly wouldn't be out done by this lady. He'd figure out other tactics later.

p_1d20+4 (Richter's Vampire Killer! His DEX allows for a +4 in his roll. 15% damage Normal, +5% if you're an unholy creature.)

---

Shadow!Richter
Health: 142/150
Shield: 50
Status: Pissed
Cool Downs: None

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