King of Swords 9-98
The men with the hyena faces did what they had promised.
“You will forget the face of your mother,” they said to him, so he did, between each crack of the lash. Instead, he learned how best to clean their weapons and wash their blood soaked clothing. He carried water, spare boots, and ammunition.
Yaun worked very hard, for he had been an obedient son, and grew quite strong, for he constantly lugged around that heavy iron sword the master of the company had given him, and the men with hyena faces ate extremely well. The whole company ate well in those times. It was a fat age for killers. They tramped from town to town where men with perfumed breath and powdered faces would pay them for every lopped off hand. Often they would come right back to the home of a former employer on the behest of a new master, and burn it to ashes. Each time they visited a town, they would find or make many motherless little boys to make into dead men, and so their company grew tenfold.
Eventually Yaun became aware that some time had passed, and nearly everything had been beaten out of him. All that was left was just a set of eyeballs in a hollow skull atop an overlarge body with callused hands, and feet that kept tramping forward. It was oddly freeing.
Jantris was crowned with stars and had a long stemmed pipe of fine make he kept about him. His skin was smooth and dark and his eyes were a lion’s eyes.
“Now that you are completely dead,” he said to Yaun one day, “We can fill you with useful knowledge.”
Looks like Allison’s smartphone battery is about to explode.
Samsung is truly a marketing genius if they managed to get their Note 7 into the entire multiverse
ooooo did cio sneak a paper charm on Allison’s person before she left??
Pretty sure that’s the red card from earlier.
In hindsight, maybe keeping a demon card in your bra is not the best place. That’s gotta sting.
It’s (presumably) Cio’s calling card, Allison pulled it out and activated it a few pages ago when the battle royale started.
Can’t tell that she’s activating it back there though.
Also, would summoning an ally disqualify her? No idea how that is handled in the rules.
Rules?
There are no rules in Thunderdome.
While I’m sure the original idea was a radical new plan involving doing things normally, I believe they have shifted back to a more traditional Allison plan, I.E. set everything on fire and get the fuck out. I am also fairly confident following the rules isn’t part of plan set everything on fire and get the fuck out.
I think that is the standard tactic of most role-playing groups:
Set everything on fire, kill everything in your way, get the fuck out in the confusion.
The exclamation point would imply she’s wasn’t aware of it.
She could be aware it’s coming, but not have foreknowledge of the timeline (or intensity).
One is not beaten until one admits it-
And YISUN is the most perfect of liars.
Surely this is a most wise and worthy saying! Battle-wisdom from the angels is fine inspiration indeed.
Ah, this reminds me of getting swarmed by peasant mobs while depositing a house in the bank! Good times, those.
Ah, fair Joubes, it is a pleasure to meet you on this fine Rayuban evening! Enjoying the tournament? Such strange happenings as of late, we monkeys have a nose for this sort of thing, we thinks trouble looms for his Majesty David. But that asides, we have long watched your career with great interest, and applaud your contributions to these fine discussions! Now if you’d excuse us, we are going to book 7 tickets off-world in the event things go south for the Rayuban King.
Very well. Safety is a virtue; one cannot accumulate Wealth when dead. By the way, Master Monkey, would you be interested in a business arrangement? The Bank of the Degraded Thief is opening up a new location in the Shades, and we need tellers, security, priests, and of course bankers.
Oh, much thanks for the offer, but we must sadly decline – we sadly do no possess much sense for numbers, and it takes Inheritors much braver than we to sojourn upon the Red City’s watery foundation. Much luck on your undertaking! Might we suggest the Brass Headhunters of Segram-Pol as potential Bank guards? They are infinitely loyal and feed on the most basic of alchemical salts, a cheap sustenance indeed.
INGSVLD! My favorite Geas Knight in this parade of idiots! How long has it been? Ten? Twelve chapters? Looking thinner, suppose you finally got your appendix removed.
A truly great pun, my first loud laugh today.
Okay, 90 minutes after midnight, but still.
I succumb to your boundless wit
– bows in deepest respect –
It is a really good pun, but also really, really offensive to bookhead people. It’s like making fun of corollary disease or immune thrombocytopenic purplera, also called Lovecraft’s Syndrome.
Oh, and, uh… don’t do late fee jokes in their libraries. It’s like an abortion joke, just… just don’t do them. *shivers*
Not to mention that in panel 4 INGSVLD seems to have lost their head!
Eh, INGSVLD checks out every now and then
Wisdom, Restraint, Emptiness — I look forward to consuming what follows of the Trigram Mantra, and what it will mean for Al-YISUN and the bloodsport.
Seriously, Allison, he’s not worth it.
It’s interesting that Allison’s endless pursuit of Zaid is what is bringing about her rapidly approaching godhead, almost as if someone planned it that way.
It strikes me as strange that so many competitors remain.
The pursuers? They apparently stopped fighting each other a long time ago.
Also, there were almost a thousand competitors and it’s only been the first day of rounds. There would be quite a lot still left for the next two days that would have come otherwise.
Just think about the powers of 2.
Nah, allison, no matter what happens, Zaid ain’t gonna be safe. He wouldn’t be safe if he was the “”””true king”””” or not, or if you saved him or not. Anyone who attracts the attention of these crazy demigods will never have a safe day till one side dies.
All sides, I believe you mean.
All but One.
Ah, nope, just one side would be most hazardous indeed.
Nothing isdestryoed, only Divided.
Yisun is immortal and so he must rise from the dead.
Surely, has it not been said, that no man (or godling) hath greater love than this: than to lay down their lives for their friends? Hail to the goodness in the heart of Al-Yis-Un, for surely Love be the greater object of questing! Was it not Vivec himself who first wrote Reach Heaven Through Violence, which violence is the Love Divine?
We all know Vivec read KSBD before writing all that stuff
Ah, thank you for educating we monkeys, such things as linear time often elude us!
Demon girlfriend to the rescue!
“AAAUUUUGH! My card! My card is red hot! Cio you rat! You werent using the Red Art to help me! You were using it to give me the ol’ spicy titty!
How could you give your own girlfriend the spicy titty, Cio?!”
Demon Flips The Cart
M-my cabbages! D:
I think Yaun’s story here might actually be Jagganoths backstory. I think I recall that Jagganoth had been part of a mercenary band like what’s being described there.
smjjames may be on to something here
you’re a genius mate
why does everybody think it’s cio’s calling card and not Myself, king of devils?
B’cause, Cio staying away, it may be Mister Cio…
Which of Cio’s men did you have in mind? If Preman Nand’s people show up it’s not clear which side they’d take. If it’s Oscar’s card, and if he arrives, will he still be angry? If Oscar is not available, and if it’s his card, can Allison summon Badstar en masse? Appropriate craziness would result.
Oscar.
Also in the tournament and seeks a limited partnership to cull the crowd before attempting to backstab her again.
And may get sent back to the void.
In hilarious fashion.
Hrmm… Figure Cio has been teaching her how to use her personal energy for magical purposes. Reckon that’s a finite source of power though – as she just found out the hard way. Shoulda been teaching her how to draw power from her surroundings, and from the entire Universe. It’s all hers for the taking, she just needs to learn how to tap into it. Seems the Trigram Mantra would at least be the start of openning that door. Hopefully it’s not too late to start learning now…
Indeed yes. When staring into the dragon’s jaws, one must learn wisdom – but quickly.
“ When you take the Dodge action, you focus entirely on avoiding attacks. Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see the attacker, and you make Dexterity saving throws with advantage. You lose this benefit if you are incapacitated or if your speed drops to 0.”
– Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition Basic Rules, “Actions in Combat.”
TL;DR:
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGE!
Allison was quickly kicked out of the tournament. No smoking cards allowed near the other contestants, those thing will kill ya.
Flares pop out on polygons played,
that are not lit on brightest day
and so we set these tombs to raid
burning hearts lol
I can see my future
Writings on the wall
Legend in my lifetime
Stories will recall
Leather rebel
Lightning in the dark
Leather rebel
With a burning heart
“Allison, on your left”
Calling it, Yaun became Jagganoth
That’s my thinking here as well. It matches what I know of his backstory.
What a distinct pleasure to see you again, noble Pontifex. How are the locusts? If Yuan is the Red Disaster, his backstory is far inferior to Lord Mammon’s!
Anyone else think that Yaun is a young Jagganoth?
Me and pontifex of locusts at least. If anybody else is thinking the same, they haven’t said.
man i love this little stories you post, is this just for fun or is there some meaning to it?
Hrmm… Reckon it can be both, eh?
“Nothing Flashy” I think that cat is freaking dead Alison.