From Out of a Dream [Quest]

[wonderandawe]

Retreat and attack from stealth. Let's test our theory about the shards. If it doesn't work, then wait him out.

[L'het'esh]

See, Reaching Fist would have handled this; swing the chain and it would go through all the doubles and wind around Tal. It's not to late to try this. Or Destroy Everything, area attacks are the way to go against illusions and most of the gods met so far have not earned any sympathy (as in who cares if their walls or houses are damaged).

And tell Tal he is not worthy of having his cooling corpse disfigured....

[Jairain]

Hmmmmmm, I'm torn between wait him out, let the dick burn out, or destroy the area, sometimes it's nice to unload.

[semicasual]

(It seems we have no consensus, so I'll let this one sit over the weekend. If no one comes forward, I'll makes my own decision. In the meantime, here's some fluff from the story that might be useful in your own Exalted projects.)

[Jairain]

Ok, wait him out, acting rashly has had poor outcomes in the past.

[semicasual]

You take one step forward, then rapidly drag your other foot along the pavement before kicking it up towards Tal's head. Your boot catches dozens of black mirror shards, sweeping them into the air in a spray of tiny razors. Tal instinctively raises his arm to cover his eyes, and that is when you move.

One step to the side, then another two steps forward, and then you jump. Wind whips past your face as you leave your enemy and the ground he stands far behind you. You land feetfirst on the apex of a domed roof at the end of the block. You fold forward and and roll down short way over the far side of the dome. Before you can roll too far, you fling out your limbs and flatten yourself against the roof. Throughout it all, you strategically position your body and hold onto parts of your gear to make your maneuver as quiet at possible.

There is a moment's pause for breath. Then you hear Tal below you.

"{Where'st thou gone!?}" he yells. Then there is quiet, except for a faint sound like crunching glass.

You roll over and carefully move into a kneeling position. Turning around confirms what you expected - from this angle you cannot see Tal, or the street, at all.

"{I need no trail to find thee, wretch! Thou may'st run to end of Creation, and I shall be there!}" More crunching sounds, and then a pause. Tal has stopped to listen for you.

You gently lay Cleaver down on its side, making sure that it will not slide away. Then you pull out Archer's Paradox, string it, nock an arrow, and close your eyes.

First, you need to sense the wind. There is a very gentle eastward breeze up here you could not feel at ground level. Second, you need to listen for your target - this is relatively easy, since Tal cannot help but scatter or break shards wherever he moves. Third, you need to estimate where he will be in the next few moments - much more difficult, especially if he stops without warning. Fourth, once you think you know where to aim, you need to launch an arrow skyward so that it arcs down onto the spot without easily giving away your position. This trick takes a lot of concentration. You can feel your mark warming while you work.

For the moment, there is no more crunching - Tal has not moved. You take in a breath and hold it. Then you take aim, tilting your bow upwards and drawing back the string. You release the string and, once the arrow is away, your breath.

A second later you hear the sound of something shattering in the street - another broken illusion? A second after that, you hear Tal shouting from further away. "{...thy heart as a sacrifice!}"

Of course, the more noise Tal makes, the easier it is for you to find him. You breathe in, draw, aim, release, and breathe out.

More breaking noises, then angry mutters. Then loud, rapid footsteps, moving closer. He is running towards the building you are positioned on - perhaps he saw an arrow go up? Or he can sense you some other way...

Breathe, draw, aim, shoot. Then again, then a third time. Breathe out.

This time you hear a faint thunk, followed by a strangled cry of pain and two more thunks. A body falls onto pavement. Then comes the sound of hoarse gasping.

Your first instinct is to take another shot, and your second is to immediately run to the other side of the dome to see how things look. But you restain yourself and take a moment to unstring Archer's Paradox. Then you pick up Cleaver and slowly walk across the roof.

Now on the street-facing side of the dome, you see Tal lying on his back on the ground below you. Arrows have punctured his right foot, left thigh, and left bicep. He seems to be trying to push and pull himself out of the road with his good leg and arm. The pain this movement causes him is obvious. The War-mark on his head now shines very brightly, but with an irregular flicker like a candle in the wind.

You sit down near the edge of the roof and allow yourself to slide off. You come down in the street with an undisguised clattering soon after. Then you leisurely stroll over to Tal, resting Cleaver on your shoulder.

His head turns to face you. "{Thou canst... burn in green fire forever,}" he gasps. Despite his defiant attitude, you notice he speeds up his crawl as you come closer.

"{Green, yellow, red, or white. All are one to me,}" you reply gruffly.

• Kill him now and move on quickly. Your patience is thin and time is wasting. Not to mention, you don't want to be caught at a scene like this.
• Interrogate him. You still want to know who he is, what he wants, and why it was so important that he had to kill you.
• Leave him. He can't threaten you now, and you've got enough troubles without murdering someone in the Heavenly City.
• Something else?

[wonderandawe]

Interrogate him. We need to learn more about what happened the night before and this Solar thing.

[L'het'esh]

Kill him now and move on quickly. Tal admitting tricking you and that he meant to kill you after he got the shard. Silk knows you returned the shard, so you can explain if needed, but don't leave this enemy alive.

edit: Who cares what the shard is? Or why Tal wanted it? Tal doesn't know anything worth delaying the quest for.

[Jairain]

Hmmmm, I doubt interrogating will help unless we have helpful charms. If we do then yes, otherwise kill, self defense

[Wise Old Guru]

Don't kill him. Civilized cities have rules and laws about that sort of thing, and the last thing you want is to be dealing with whatever the gods use for a city militia breathing down your neck!

Just chop off his good hand. That's a fair punishment for attempted thievery in any culture!

[semicasual]

You walk around Tal while he tries to squirm away from you. Cleaver slides off your shoulder. You turn the sword over and drive the tip deep into the pavement next to Tal's head. He freezes.

"{Speak,}" you demand, glaring down at him. "{What manner of stone is the shard you sought?}"

Tal glares back, then gives short laugh. "{Thou'st... no notion?}" He winces - the shake of laughter evidently hurts. "{Thou'rt... truly blessed, or cursed, to know so little and yet do so much...}"

"{Thou art wasting my time,}" you growl at him. "{What. Is. The. Shard?}"

Tal's cocky smile has returned. "{Far be it... from me to dispel... thine ignorance.}"

"{Tell me or I shall sever thy hands.}" You wrench Cleaver out of the ground and hold it at your side.

Tal's eyes meet yours. "{...No.}"

You put one foot down on Tal's chest. Almost immediately, his shirt starts to smolder under your boot. Tal gasps, then lets out a wordless yell. Then suddenly you find yourself pitching forward, off balance. There is a sharp stabbing pain behind your eyes. You squeeze your eyelids tightly shut and shield them with one hand.

---

You open your eyes. The pain is fading away. You are standing on the edge of a street. There is a small pool of blood in front of you, with a drag-trail leading off a short distance. Nearly the whole street is covered in reflective black shards. Cleaver is in your hand. Your armor is nearly shredded. You feel a strange disconnection, like you just woke up with no memory of going to sleep.

The pain is gone, but you are still disoriented. How did you get here? Why is your weapon out? Were you drinking again?

You take a breath and look around, trying to fill in the gaps. You remember walking... you were headed westward, to a place called the Bier of Sorrows on the Plains of Eternity. You took a shortcut through this neighborhood. And then...

...You decided to use this empty street as a training ground. There was a giant obsidian statue on the side of the road and you decided to break it into as many pieces as possible.

No, that sounds wrong. Why the sudden urge to vandalism? How did your armor get damaged? Why isn't there a plinth or something to mark the place of a statue? What about the blood?

...A great mirrored stone fell from the sky and nearly hit you. Razor-sharp debris flew everywhere. You used your blade-stopping trick, but it still ruined your brigandine. A stray dog was cut up by flying shrapnel. You just got rid of the corpse.

That does not sit well either. A falling stone should leave a crater, which you do not see. And why would you care about cleaning a dead animal off the road?¹

...You heard the noise of a fight on this street, but when you came around the corner you didn't see anyone. This mess was all that was left. If you feel tired, it is because you were running after too long without food or sleep.

That answer breeds more questions, but at least it fits...you frown. Something has caught your eye - a strange gouge in the pavement. You step closer and confirm it is a huge sword-cut. You have only ever known Cleaver to leave cuts like that.

The pain comes back. You close your eyes and clench your teeth. Then, suddenly, you feel like a fog has lifted from your mind. The pain vanishes.

You were attacked by a man calling himself Tal-of-the-Ways. He claimed to know you, but you did not know him. He had strange powers, but you found a way to overcome him. Then he... escaped?...

Try as you might, you cannot remember Tal running away. In fact, you are sure he could not run at all in the shape he was in. But now he is gone as if he were never here, leaving nothing but wreckage behind. You grumble to yourself and sheathe your sword, considering your next move.

• Look for Tal-of-the-Ways. You didn't get to be this old by leaving enemies alive behind you.
• Move on. Tal can't have gone far without the aid of magic, which he obviously has. There is no telling where he might be now, or what fresh trouble might find you if you stay to search for him.
• Something else?

¹

On reflection, you don't remember seeing any animals in the Heavenly City at all... at least, none that you could mistake for strays or pets. It's a shame - you could have eaten one.

[wonderandawe]

Look for Tal-of-the-Ways

He is just going to jump us later. Let's hunt him down while he is injured.

[L'het'esh]

See, should have just killed the git.
Move on. Somebody has just rescued Tal and made several attempts to have you forget the matter. Let them think they have had their way. The whole incident was/is an unnecessary distraction to the journey to the Gods of the Dead for the Sunblessed.

[wonderandawe]

See, should have just killed the git.[B]

Yeah. In hindsight, that was the best option.

[semicasual]

( any other votes?)