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Inactive [LP CYOA] Overlord
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Aria’s Adventures II
“I have nothing to do with this dolt,” Aria declared harshly. Putting on the most haughty persona that she could think of and puffing herself up to look more self-important, she said, “I am here for more important matters.”
“Important? What could a peasant girl have that is so important?” laughed one of the soldiers. “Well, unless you are here to keep us company on these cold nights…” He leered, and Aria scowled.
“Oh, no, she didn’t mean that,” interrupted Enfeld hastily, trying to step between Aria and the guards. “We’ll be on our way-“
“If you know why the adventurers are here, you will understand when I say I have something to report about the forest.” Keeping her anger under control but not hidden, Aria pushed Enfeld aside and continued to speak. “This is vital.” She tried to recall what her master had said. He had mentioned a name, and a title, though not how to use it. She gave it a try. “The… the Marquis, Marquis Vellum. He’d be interested in knowing everything he can, right?”
“The Marquis, you say?” Their expressions changed, becoming more wary and guarded. “That’s… well, what do you have to report then, girlie?”
“I know of a castle in the forest.”
“A castle? Nonsense. The adventurers told us there was nothing here but ruins worn down to rubble. Can’t be a tower left standing in the place.”
“Believe it or not,” said Aria challengingly. “But it is there nonetheless. Would it surprise you to have such a thing appear in the Forest of Ruin?”
“Well, you know what they say about the place…” muttered the guard, nudging his companion. “And the girlie looks like she knows how to handle herself.”
“It’s not our place to judge whether she’s telling the truth or not,” responded the other soldier. “Could be a bunch of bull.”
“The Marquis’d want to know though. Him, and Guildmaster Alexander.”
“Then let them judge,” Aria said.
The guards shifted uncomfortably.
“Kick it up the line?” one of them asked.
“Kick it up the line,” one of them answered. “Besides, we need to get the lieutenant to take receipt of the food anyway. Wait here, girlie. You too, boy.”
He let out a call over the gates. A while later, as Aria resisted they opened, and a young man in white armour appeared. His sandy hair was cropped short as was the custom for many military men in the kingdom, and though he was above average in looks, he bore a dour, stoic demeanour. A lot less exciting than her master, Aria judged. At his side was a beautiful red-haired woman dressed all in tight leather, showing off a voluptuous body that Aria could only hope that she would attain in a few years. Enfeld stared at the grown woman, his red cheeks turning redder. Aria snorted. Her master would… well, her master would probably stare too, but in a much more elegant and dignified manner.
The armoured man nodded at the dumbstruck lad, marching right up to him. “Today’s share? Here is your payment. Good work.” He dropped a pouch of coins in Enfeld’s outstretched hand.
The farmboy nodded happily, breaking his eyes away from the woman, and gave a sloppy salute. “I’ll just leave the cart right here then, as usual!”
“Ah, sir, lieutenant, sir,” interjected one of the guards. “We’ve got someone else here who wants to speak to you.”
The lieutenant turned, his eyes following the guard’s pointing finger to fall upon Aria. He stared at her. She glared back. “This is?”
“Claims to have some news about this castle what’s popped up in the woods, sir.”
“It’s there,” Aria said flatly. “I’ve seen it.” She had, though it was still under construction at the time, nothing more than a mound of material that the golems swarmed over like ants.
“I’m Lieutenant Edair. I run some things around here,” said the lieutenant, just as flatly. “What castle are you talking about? What’s inside? Who lives there?”
Aria shrugged. “I don’t know.” That, too was the truth. She didn’t know what manner of devious traps her master had laid out within. “I only know where it is, and it looks suspicious. Thought you people might want to take a look at it, since you are here for some reason, right?”
“Hmph. Well, our military doctrine does have ways of dealing with suspicious structures, but I’ll defer this matter to someone with greater expertise,” said Edair. “Would you please, Mira?”
“Right, right, pushing the troublesome stuff off to me, are you, Edair dear? Nice to meet you, girl. I’m Mira, one of the members of the adventuring party Blue Spinel. You’re an adventurer yourself, aren’t you? Can’t think of any reason why you’d be traversing the Forest of Ruin otherwise.”
“Yeah. Something like that,” replied Aria vaguely. “I do a lot of travelling.”
A glint entered the woman’s eye. “Well, we can talk about it at further length inside the camp.” She put a hand around Aria’s shoulder. The girl stiffened, but made no attempts to push the older woman away.
“Inside the camp?” asked Lieutenant Edair. “Are you certain? The Marquis was quite explicit that we do not let any unknown people into the camp. I know that adventurers are accustomed to their own way of doing things, but-“
“I’ll be keeping an eye on her, don’t you worry,” smiled Mira. “If he’s worried about an assassination attempt on the prince, we just need to make sure any suspicious people don’t get close to him.” She patted Aria’s shoulder for emphasis. “Don’t worry. Got it all under control. Besides, if she truly wanted to sneak in, she didn’t have to draw attention to herself like that.”
“I will inform the Marquis, nonetheless. He will want to speak with the girl later. Find out whether she is telling the truth and do keep an eye on her,” said the lieutenant.
“Yes, yes, I heard you. You did pass this over to me, didn’t you?” sighed Mira. “Come, let’s go.” With a firm grip on Aria, she herded the girl into the camp, away from Enfeld who seemed to be waving them off with an envious look on his face.
As the both of them headed towards Mira’s tent, Aria spotted out of the corner of her eye a familiar face.
Eileen, the vapid squire she had encountered in the slime quest. She was practicing her swordsmanship with an older knight, a man of about thirty.
***
Aria decided to:
A. Play along with Mira and attempt to gain whatever information she could from her. The Blue Spinels were a famous all-female band of adventurers known even to Aria; surely this woman would know a lot.
B. Attempt to attract Eileen’s attention. She was not overly comfortable with Mira’s attentions, for some reason. Perhaps this would let her walk about more freely in the camp.
***
You stare at Rin, who is holding her cards carefully in such a way that you cannot spy on them. She smiles at you smugly.
The demon princess had picked up the rules of the card game and its most efficient tactics with terrifying speed. Who knew she had it in her such devilish talent? In a fit of carelessness, you had underestimated Rin and allowed her to shuffle the deck for this last match. She had done so in a way your eyes could not follow, her dexterous fingers suddenly displaying an ability that was absent in other aspects of her daily life.
And now you were cornered, your pride at stake, wondering if you would be able to draw the card that you need from what remained on the deck…
***
A. You have practiced sleight of hand with Syke just for this type of scenario. Palming cards is not beyond your expertise, and luckily you have prepared some extra cards just for this purpose.
B. You attempt to use an illusion spell to change the face of the cards in your hand. If Another Face works on human faces, surely you can change it to work on card faces!
C. You flip the table over and incinerate it along with the deck of cards, claiming that you saw a nasty bug crawling over them.
D. You trust in your gambler’s luck and draw from the deck!
“I have nothing to do with this dolt,” Aria declared harshly. Putting on the most haughty persona that she could think of and puffing herself up to look more self-important, she said, “I am here for more important matters.”
“Important? What could a peasant girl have that is so important?” laughed one of the soldiers. “Well, unless you are here to keep us company on these cold nights…” He leered, and Aria scowled.
“Oh, no, she didn’t mean that,” interrupted Enfeld hastily, trying to step between Aria and the guards. “We’ll be on our way-“
“If you know why the adventurers are here, you will understand when I say I have something to report about the forest.” Keeping her anger under control but not hidden, Aria pushed Enfeld aside and continued to speak. “This is vital.” She tried to recall what her master had said. He had mentioned a name, and a title, though not how to use it. She gave it a try. “The… the Marquis, Marquis Vellum. He’d be interested in knowing everything he can, right?”
“The Marquis, you say?” Their expressions changed, becoming more wary and guarded. “That’s… well, what do you have to report then, girlie?”
“I know of a castle in the forest.”
“A castle? Nonsense. The adventurers told us there was nothing here but ruins worn down to rubble. Can’t be a tower left standing in the place.”
“Believe it or not,” said Aria challengingly. “But it is there nonetheless. Would it surprise you to have such a thing appear in the Forest of Ruin?”
“Well, you know what they say about the place…” muttered the guard, nudging his companion. “And the girlie looks like she knows how to handle herself.”
“It’s not our place to judge whether she’s telling the truth or not,” responded the other soldier. “Could be a bunch of bull.”
“The Marquis’d want to know though. Him, and Guildmaster Alexander.”
“Then let them judge,” Aria said.
The guards shifted uncomfortably.
“Kick it up the line?” one of them asked.
“Kick it up the line,” one of them answered. “Besides, we need to get the lieutenant to take receipt of the food anyway. Wait here, girlie. You too, boy.”
He let out a call over the gates. A while later, as Aria resisted they opened, and a young man in white armour appeared. His sandy hair was cropped short as was the custom for many military men in the kingdom, and though he was above average in looks, he bore a dour, stoic demeanour. A lot less exciting than her master, Aria judged. At his side was a beautiful red-haired woman dressed all in tight leather, showing off a voluptuous body that Aria could only hope that she would attain in a few years. Enfeld stared at the grown woman, his red cheeks turning redder. Aria snorted. Her master would… well, her master would probably stare too, but in a much more elegant and dignified manner.
The armoured man nodded at the dumbstruck lad, marching right up to him. “Today’s share? Here is your payment. Good work.” He dropped a pouch of coins in Enfeld’s outstretched hand.
The farmboy nodded happily, breaking his eyes away from the woman, and gave a sloppy salute. “I’ll just leave the cart right here then, as usual!”
“Ah, sir, lieutenant, sir,” interjected one of the guards. “We’ve got someone else here who wants to speak to you.”
The lieutenant turned, his eyes following the guard’s pointing finger to fall upon Aria. He stared at her. She glared back. “This is?”
“Claims to have some news about this castle what’s popped up in the woods, sir.”
“It’s there,” Aria said flatly. “I’ve seen it.” She had, though it was still under construction at the time, nothing more than a mound of material that the golems swarmed over like ants.
“I’m Lieutenant Edair. I run some things around here,” said the lieutenant, just as flatly. “What castle are you talking about? What’s inside? Who lives there?”
Aria shrugged. “I don’t know.” That, too was the truth. She didn’t know what manner of devious traps her master had laid out within. “I only know where it is, and it looks suspicious. Thought you people might want to take a look at it, since you are here for some reason, right?”
“Hmph. Well, our military doctrine does have ways of dealing with suspicious structures, but I’ll defer this matter to someone with greater expertise,” said Edair. “Would you please, Mira?”
“Right, right, pushing the troublesome stuff off to me, are you, Edair dear? Nice to meet you, girl. I’m Mira, one of the members of the adventuring party Blue Spinel. You’re an adventurer yourself, aren’t you? Can’t think of any reason why you’d be traversing the Forest of Ruin otherwise.”
“Yeah. Something like that,” replied Aria vaguely. “I do a lot of travelling.”
A glint entered the woman’s eye. “Well, we can talk about it at further length inside the camp.” She put a hand around Aria’s shoulder. The girl stiffened, but made no attempts to push the older woman away.
“Inside the camp?” asked Lieutenant Edair. “Are you certain? The Marquis was quite explicit that we do not let any unknown people into the camp. I know that adventurers are accustomed to their own way of doing things, but-“
“I’ll be keeping an eye on her, don’t you worry,” smiled Mira. “If he’s worried about an assassination attempt on the prince, we just need to make sure any suspicious people don’t get close to him.” She patted Aria’s shoulder for emphasis. “Don’t worry. Got it all under control. Besides, if she truly wanted to sneak in, she didn’t have to draw attention to herself like that.”
“I will inform the Marquis, nonetheless. He will want to speak with the girl later. Find out whether she is telling the truth and do keep an eye on her,” said the lieutenant.
“Yes, yes, I heard you. You did pass this over to me, didn’t you?” sighed Mira. “Come, let’s go.” With a firm grip on Aria, she herded the girl into the camp, away from Enfeld who seemed to be waving them off with an envious look on his face.
As the both of them headed towards Mira’s tent, Aria spotted out of the corner of her eye a familiar face.
Eileen, the vapid squire she had encountered in the slime quest. She was practicing her swordsmanship with an older knight, a man of about thirty.
***
Aria decided to:
A. Play along with Mira and attempt to gain whatever information she could from her. The Blue Spinels were a famous all-female band of adventurers known even to Aria; surely this woman would know a lot.
B. Attempt to attract Eileen’s attention. She was not overly comfortable with Mira’s attentions, for some reason. Perhaps this would let her walk about more freely in the camp.
***
You stare at Rin, who is holding her cards carefully in such a way that you cannot spy on them. She smiles at you smugly.
The demon princess had picked up the rules of the card game and its most efficient tactics with terrifying speed. Who knew she had it in her such devilish talent? In a fit of carelessness, you had underestimated Rin and allowed her to shuffle the deck for this last match. She had done so in a way your eyes could not follow, her dexterous fingers suddenly displaying an ability that was absent in other aspects of her daily life.
And now you were cornered, your pride at stake, wondering if you would be able to draw the card that you need from what remained on the deck…
***
A. You have practiced sleight of hand with Syke just for this type of scenario. Palming cards is not beyond your expertise, and luckily you have prepared some extra cards just for this purpose.
B. You attempt to use an illusion spell to change the face of the cards in your hand. If Another Face works on human faces, surely you can change it to work on card faces!
C. You flip the table over and incinerate it along with the deck of cards, claiming that you saw a nasty bug crawling over them.
D. You trust in your gambler’s luck and draw from the deck!
lightbane
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2008
- Messages
- 10,207
An update! 
Well, it didn't go too well as I expected but we got inside, so it's okay I guess.
Why doesn't that surprise me at all?
Erdrick is by now only clothed with his underpants, isn't he? Although I have to say it's surprising it took so long for him to consider cheating. Anyway, my votes:
EDITED:
1. B. Whatever happens, it can't be worse than Aria being left alone with obviously crazy lesbian pedo adventurer here.
2. D. Rin's Eyes of Bullshit-seeing (TM) can pierce illusions, so B is out. C is really, really tempting, but I don't see our demon princess being scared easily by insects considering she butchers people as part of his daily routine. In spite of being supportive of violent actions and unleashing uncontrolled bioweapons onto the unsuspecting world, there's wisdom in Kipeci's words. Rin knows Erdrick, she's probably expecting we're going to cheat, so by not cheating perhaps we can turn the tables. If we don't, Erd will still have the last laugh once the princess realizes she'll be looking at our naked body in all of his majestic body, something which greatly discomforts her in a typical anime fashion.
I hope my joke wasn't taken seriously and the pair are not playing in the middle of the village surrounded by a bunch of attentive goblins. It will cause an immediate crisis of faith if that happens. Actually, that sounds funnier, so even more points for D.
Well, it didn't go too well as I expected but we got inside, so it's okay I guess.Aw, come on, Ari, that's stretching it.
Resisted what? Do you mean "rested"? Or "waited"? By the way, did we heard about that Marquis before? I do not remember if we did so. Also, that farmboy does display the average beta male/Japenese person behaviour. However, many fairy tales have people from such humble origins turn out to be knights and the like, so perhaps he does have some potential after all.
Why doesn't that surprise me at all?
Erdrick is by now only clothed with his underpants, isn't he? Although I have to say it's surprising it took so long for him to consider cheating. Anyway, my votes:
EDITED:
1. B. Whatever happens, it can't be worse than Aria being left alone with obviously crazy lesbian pedo adventurer here.
2. D. Rin's Eyes of Bullshit-seeing (TM) can pierce illusions, so B is out. C is really, really tempting, but I don't see our demon princess being scared easily by insects considering she butchers people as part of his daily routine. In spite of being supportive of violent actions and unleashing uncontrolled bioweapons onto the unsuspecting world, there's wisdom in Kipeci's words. Rin knows Erdrick, she's probably expecting we're going to cheat, so by not cheating perhaps we can turn the tables. If we don't, Erd will still have the last laugh once the princess realizes she'll be looking at our naked body in all of his majestic body, something which greatly discomforts her in a typical anime fashion.
I hope my joke wasn't taken seriously and the pair are not playing in the middle of the village surrounded by a bunch of attentive goblins. It will cause an immediate crisis of faith if that happens.
Actually, that sounds funnier, so even more points for D.
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A
D
D
I love Erdrick's options...Well, votes, eh?
For Aria, I'll take the first option. It seems slightly more dangerous, but I don't like to pull attention towards the happenings at the slime forest.
A
As for Erdrick's options, I like all of them. Cheat in one way, cheat in another, throw a tantrum or play along honestly. Call me naïve, but I'd wager Rin is more likely to let her guard down and tell us something new if she wins this game. So losing wouldn't bother me too much. Therefore, I pick the honest option.
D
Worked out better than I thought it would, I guess the training has given her a tougher look than I'd thought it would by this point. We're still punted off to being evaluated by the adventurers for whether we're legitimate or not, but what's done is done.
We should go with A to capitalize on the in that we've gotten with the Blue Spinels, though the wording floating around is giving me a bit of the creeps regarding them. I can also see why we'd want to try to loosen the leash on Aria a bit if she needs to slip away or something, so it's still not a big deal to me if we go with B.
As for the second option, none of the choices are liable to be winners. Rin has her creepy eyes and stacked the deck personally, which makes B impossible, A extremely suspicious, and D just dumb. C is just losing our temper and quitting the game, which I'd personally rather not do even if there's a chance that Rin would buy it. So, keeping in mind that we aren't going to win this, what option do you think will work the best?
Obviously B helps to practice our illusion magic, this time helping to conceal items. I generally consider illusion magic to be garbage, though, so that's out for me.
A is similarly practicing some sleight-of-hand, but I can only type that out while grinding my teeth in rage from the travesty of the spider silk that prevailed over the precious, incalculably valuable +1 SWORDS bonus, so that's also no good.
Given that I don't want Erd to throw a tantrum, that leaves trusting in the Heart of the Cards to lose fair and square. We can take this sting and remember it while craftily devising a way to get her back.
I vote AD.
We should go with A to capitalize on the in that we've gotten with the Blue Spinels, though the wording floating around is giving me a bit of the creeps regarding them. I can also see why we'd want to try to loosen the leash on Aria a bit if she needs to slip away or something, so it's still not a big deal to me if we go with B.
As for the second option, none of the choices are liable to be winners. Rin has her creepy eyes and stacked the deck personally, which makes B impossible, A extremely suspicious, and D just dumb. C is just losing our temper and quitting the game, which I'd personally rather not do even if there's a chance that Rin would buy it. So, keeping in mind that we aren't going to win this, what option do you think will work the best?
Obviously B helps to practice our illusion magic, this time helping to conceal items. I generally consider illusion magic to be garbage, though, so that's out for me.
A is similarly practicing some sleight-of-hand, but I can only type that out while grinding my teeth in rage from the travesty of the spider silk that prevailed over the precious, incalculably valuable +1 SWORDS bonus, so that's also no good.
Given that I don't want Erd to throw a tantrum, that leaves trusting in the Heart of the Cards to lose fair and square. We can take this sting and remember it while craftily devising a way to get her back.
I vote AD.
Nevill
Arcane
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Best line in the update.
So, it's been 5 minutes, and our rookie infiltrator has already got the attention of a Gestapo-class interrogator. Complete with tight leather.
The moment Aria began mumbling unconvincingly, the woman's eyes started to shine and she grabbed onto her like a bulldog.
Her whole demeanor screams 'I am going to make you sing'. I wonder why Aria would be not overly comfortable with her, especially after being pegged as suspicious right off the bat.
It is no surprise the usual Codex suspects want to go with her.
Eileen is really our lifeline here. Someone who a) knows us from a better side b) lends a bit of credibility to our story, since Aria's vague lines about a lot of traveling don't quite cut it.
The squires would be easier to ask about their mission, as they would be much less on guard against a fellow kid. They would probably know less, though, but I think they could be goaded to eavesdrop, because that's what kids do in all the stories when adults keep secrets from them and don't treat them seriously. Eileen in particular looks like someone who could be provoked into a game of chicken.
As for our second choice... Erdrick makes his own luck.
BA.
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lightbane
Arcane
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Notice that B's keywords are "attempt to attract Eileen’s attention". It is very likely Aria will make a fuss or somehow provoke the female squire in one way or another, but in theory that should be able to temporarily distract Mira once she notices they know each other, but Eileen never made any mention of that fact in her report (considering how prideful she is, it is believable she omitted that detail, if only to avoid admitting a peasant girl bested her). However, even then it's still a better choice than letting the leather-clad crazy chick introduce Ari to her companions: the Rod of Dominance and the Whip of Obedience. 
PS: By the way, treave, just for fun: can Barbatos share with us some wisdom about how to best Rin? Surely a demon as wise as him knows something about playing cards.
PS: By the way, treave, just for fun: can Barbatos share with us some wisdom about how to best Rin? Surely a demon as wise as him knows something about playing cards.
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Nevill
Arcane
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Of her fight, maybe. Which may have been wise, considering it was not very knight-like to go around and pick up swordfights with peasants.
But she intended to go back (or send backup) to rescue Aria from the Slime forest, and for that she needed to at least give the knights her description, so we can be sure both Aria and an unknown mage were in there.
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Esquilax
Arcane
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Nevill is right on the money here. While we went in knowing that diplomacy was not going to be Aria's strong suit and that there would inevitably be some suspicion thrown our way, we need Eileen to give us some sort of credibility as the wandering adventurer type that we claim to be. If not, it's going to be a long fucking day of bull-dyke torture. If we manage to defuse Mira's suspicions, then we have a meeting and an in with the Marquis, someone actually important around here.
As for what to do in the card game, let's hope we're lucky. It just intrigues me the most out of all the options. No matter how powerful Rin is, there is no being in this world that can defeat the powers of dumb luck.
BD
As for what to do in the card game, let's hope we're lucky. It just intrigues me the most out of all the options. No matter how powerful Rin is, there is no being in this world that can defeat the powers of dumb luck.
BD
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Nevill
Arcane
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Back from when this quest was but an idea.
Good luck, Esquilax.
Then again, how else are we supposed to make Rin feel good about herself?
B
A
A
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
AD
Nevill
Arcane
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I am curious, though. If we want to position ourselves to be their guide to the castle (so we go with the adventurers) and yet our mission here is to be a spy and collect information... how are we going to get the intel to Erdrick? I suppose it could be left in Erise with someone, or we could leave a letter in a previously agreed upon place. I don't think they would let us out of their sight, and I don't think we could be their guide if we run off.
Then again, maybe they will call us out on our bluff and all of this is irrelevant.
Then again, maybe they will call us out on our bluff and all of this is irrelevant.
Why? He dindu nuffin. Literally.
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lightbane
Arcane
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How we are going to report back is indeed a good question I too wondered about. My guess is that a stealthy gobbo will meet us halfway into the forest or something. Also, I suspect Aria's events and Erdrick's are not happening simultaneously, but instead one after the other. It would explain why our protagonist is not doing much except to wait and pass the time.
Lastly, I believe I found a good image of how Rin would look in a manga (potentially NSFW):
Obviously with less horns and a less revealing clothing.
Lastly, I believe I found a good image of how Rin would look in a manga (potentially NSFW):
Nevill
Arcane
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QFT.
Codex is so competitive that it has an aversion to any failure, even as insignificant as one in a card game of no consequence where nothing but our pride is on the line.
My preferences here are more due to Erdrick casually preparing to cheat during something that is supposed to be relaxing and fun. The man just can't help bending the rules.
Being realistic... Gigadyne is our specialty from a school we have mastered. Of illusions we know one lowly F-ranked spell, and nothing more.
That is not to say that it couldn't be improved.
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