Adventure: Trouble at the Arena!

((Lovely render of Ruby, as well as the alternate arena! I love it!))

Surprised as sh

((Sorry about that, I accidentally hit send.))

T'cryse cries out in pain, the suddenly shocking cold  of losing three thermal layers at once was too much for her legs, causing her to fall to her now bare knees.

despite the coldness, T'cryse was glad the voice had opted to leave her legs entirely bare, She did not want anyone to see the one-piece union suit style undwear (complete with buttflap) she wore under her thermal woolen dress and long fur coat.

"you cruel, heartless devil!" she gasps out between shivers.

"You've declared her the loser, without even giving her a chance" T'cryse pleaded, "why are you doing this?"

T'cryse knew her words were foolish, and would most likely result in more punishment and though she dreaded more exposure to both prying eyes and freezing cold she had to speak her mind, she couldn't strip poor innocent Rose. T'cryse readied a defensive spell preparing for the booming voices' outrage at being questioned though she doubted her spell would do any good

Surprised as she was by the lightning that struck her, Jacqueline found herself letting go of the chain and backing up a few steps. Normally, Jacqueline wouldn't be caught in the act of theft, so she panicked. "I ... I ... I ...," she stammered for a few seconds, before being interrupted by the viewing sphere.

Jacqueline debated for a while over whether to help Ruby or strip her, but her decision was made for her when she saw the punishment for insubordination. Looking out for herself, the thief decided to cloak herself, run away from Contessa's guards, and approach Ruby.

(I don't want to keep image-spamming the thread, so check over there every now and then while this story is going on.  I haven't made the male characters yet, and likely won't....I see them as "supporting cast."  Also, the Contessa's guards might show up sometime, but not until they do something interesting!  Actually, since I said that, I've started on them.  Inspired by your statement they could be fitness models, they kind of resemble (a-hem...cough) specific WWE Divas.)
http://myds6.deviantart.com/

((how dare you image bomb us with all these great renders. For shame. Seriously though, every update is a delight. Do not stop.))

Contessa shivered with rage as she clutched her ruined, soaked dress to herself and stamped her foot with indignation. She gasped, shocked, as Jacqueline's magic swiftly took hold and she vanished from sight.

"Wha-find her!" she barked, stamping her foot again and realizing, with a blush, that her thong was still tangled about her ankles. "And-and, when you do, strip her entirely! I'll not have this attempt to humiliate and steal from me go unpunished."

The guards looked to each other and nodded, before glancing in the direction of Ruby, who was still frantically searching for a way out of the arena.

"As for her, see that you get the last piece of clothing. Do what you have to -- but we're all getting out of here in our clothes, do you understand me?" she added, her bottom lip quivering. Contessa glanced around as if she was about to ask a servant girl for something, out of pure instinct, but whimpered pathetically when she saw that her swarm of loyal servant girls was on another plane of existence. The two guards took off in Ruby's direction, seeing as Jacqueline was nowhere to be seen.

Not far from there, T'Cryse crouched, shivering, near the announcer's box. She was preparing a magical barrier or some other defense against the powerful, hovering orb. Aloysius glanced over the edge, a concerned brow quirking high as he surveyed her.

((Int check against a target number of 10))
T'Cryse: 5+4=9
So close...

"Little girl," he began in a grumbling voice. "I... don't know exactly what's going on, most likely some elaborate game set up by Queen Syndra. I have a feeling, however, that if you don't-" he was cut off by another white streak of lighting. He ducked and covered his head instinctively, blinded for a moment. When Aloysius, the director, and T'Cryse opened an eye, they saw that once again the girl had been smitten by the zap. Any attempt at magically shielding herself had been blasted through by the seemingly omnipotent sphere. Her outer robe was gone entirely, without a trace, though her other layers remained intact (above the thigh). Also, she still had her trusty mittens. The ethereal voice around them boomed once again.

"I am the judge and jury here. If I say Ruby has already lost, then it is so. Perhaps she deserves this 'punishment'? Hmm, it is unimportant. The game is fair, not that I am obliged to assure you of this. Ruby merely has to keep her clothes on long enough for me to decide that she gets to go free. And you... unless you want to end up in her position, I suggest you get moving!"

Meanwhile, Niniane had to tug her feet free of her shoes to get away from the vines that had sprouted up from the arena sand. It seemed like the boots were all she'd lose...

((Dex check against a target number of 5))

Niniane: 9-1:8
Success!

And indeed, at the last moment, only a tiny strip of cloth, the very edge of her skirt, would rip loose. The vines seemed almost aware and began to writhe before her very eyes, trying to edge towards Niniane, but she managed to scramble away before they took anything else from her. Ashley, barely aware of her new shorts and lost boots, began to trot towards the portcullis. Ruby had made her way down into the arena, somehow, and was running along the sand for what appeared to be some kind of exit. In this version of the arena, there was one portcullis open, leading presumably to the areas where the fighters prepared before battle, or were tended to after. All was dark within, which made Jacqueline seem all the more menacing when she shimmered into view before the barmaid.

Niniane and Ashley weren't too far behind her, so the girl nearly panicked when she realized she was boxed in. Her eyes were wide, and she clutched at her chest as if to still her beating heart. Perhaps it made things easier -- that she didn't say anything in that moment, but she glanced quickly between the three women, swallowing once. Nearby, they all noted (but Jacqueline in particular) the sound of two lightly armored women making their way down into the arena pit. They were still out of line of sight, but they must've been making their way towards Ruby as well...

"Hey," Ashley said suddenly, a bit inanely perhaps. "Maybe if you give us your clothing really quick, it'll all be in one piece and we can give it right back?"

It was clear that she didn't believe it even as she was saying it, and neither did Ruby. The pensive look on Ashley's face seemed to say "well, it was worth a try," before she glanced at the other two women knowingly and began to edge her way towards the surrounded barmaid.

Jacqueline wanted to make this short and sweet, so she brought up three throwing knives in each hand and used them as mêlée weapons. The shirt seemed like the most obvious target, and Jacqueline planned to take advantage of this. "I really am sorry about this," she said sincerely before making several slices, "but I need to protect myself."

Should she find her attacks effective, Jacqueline would then try to protect Ruby in some small way. The thief would of course cloak herself, but she planned to make small attacks on Contessa's guards as the battle progressed. Jacqueline knew her attacks would be less effective while she devoted her attention to her magic, but she hoped to help Ruby at least a bit.

((Basically, I think it seems a bit unfair for Jacqueline to attack while invisible, so I think an attack penalty is in order. Also, she might need to constantly make Intelligence saves to maintain the illusion. Does that seem fair? If not, Jacqueline could forgo the attacks and just go back to stealing the chain from Contessa.))

((I think, if 'thematics' are the only concern, that popping in and out of invisibility isn't a problem. If Jacqueline gets benefits while fighting from invisibility, then yeah, it's a bit much, probably. A lot of games where invisibility is a thing require a very high level of invisibility to not be revealed upon taking an offensive action. So, basically, is Jacqueline attempting to stay invisible to conceal her identity? To avoid being targeted? Tell me your intentions and I can better address the situation while we wait for the others to act.))

((Well, if the guards are completely focused on Ruby, then Jacqueline doesn't even need to become invisible; she can just attack the guards. But if the guards act at all like real people, they'll attack Jacqueline once she becomes a threat. Basically, Jacqueline is just trying to not get hit. Again, if this would be too powerful, she could just sneak up on Contessa to steal the chain. She still wants her real world objective accomplished by the they get back.))

((Ah, I understand. Here are your options:
First and most obvious is for Jacqueline to book it when the guards see her, or to avoid them noticing her entirely by avoiding the fight before her. That would leave Contessa seemingly unprotected for her to pounce upon.
Option two, realistically, involves some risk. Fighting defensively, she can turn invisible every other turn to avoid some of the guards' aggression, popping out of hiding to make strategic attacks... depending on how the fight goes. She can always get creative to distract the guards or lead them away from the fight. Being able to attack while invisible, though, on top of being overly powerful, would defeat the purpose of this whole thing by allowing her to fight unseen should she end up naked. What do you think?))

((That sounds fair. I think what Jacqueline is going to do, then, is try to lure only one of the guards away, specifically the less agile one, and use invisibility every few moves, maybe not at all to avoid confusion.))

"Oh, no, you don't!" said Niniane, watching the roguish figure attempting to strip the shirt from the helpless barmaid.  (These actions are assuming she is in melee range?)  As she reached into her satchel, she continued talking, "there has to be another way!"  Producing a creamy, delicious-looking gateaux that seems almost too large to have been in the bag, she shoved it toward the knife-wielding half-elf's face.

(Special attack: pie in the face to stun for next round, Str 6  vs Jacqueline (she knows she's only accurate enough to do this as a melee attack, and if she missed, she might further hinder Ruby; if she's too far for melee, she'd be moving into range instead))

"Thank you for trying" T'cryse smiled to the announcer, before slumping forward on the edge of despair.

fortunately, T'cryse' fur coat was mostly for looks rather then warmth, unfortunately her thermal dress was a terrible shade of beige and was as unfashionable as possible while still maintaining dress shape. on top of that it was quite expensive "I'll be cooling drinks in the bar for months" T'cryse groaned.

However Just when T'cryse was about to give up all hope, she noticed the heavy-set woman sticking up for poor Rose, "Niniane . . . " T'cryse smiled her faith in the good of people returning. some how the cold felt a little less bitter

T'cryse hopped to her feet, and rushed to the large combatant intent on giving her whatever assistance she could in protecting Rose.

I know I didn't get the "6 throwing knives" right, but that seemed too hard...I already had some regular daggers paired to her hands

((Hey all, just keeping you posted. I work late tonight and have a double tomorrow. I'll try to post but if not tonight or tomorrow I'll definitely be around Monday))

Excellent. I was curious. Away for a bit myself...looking forward to more when you return.

((Thanks for your patience everyone, I'm back.  Had to unexpectedly work yesterday.  Let's get this rolling again!

Since things have the potential to get confused here, I'm going to keep the actions that have been posted and Jacqueline can act according to the invisibility rulings next turn.  Also, if the player characters continue to have conflict, an initiative roll will occur to determine the order in which they act.  If any confusion remains, let me know and I'll try to clarify how things should go next.))

Dex attack vs Ruby
8+3=11
9+0=9
Success!

Jacqueline's daggers made quick work of Ruby's top.  The rogue made several swift cuts down the back of her shirt, shredding it open and revealing her fair skin beneath the huge gashes.  The ease with which it happened confirmed any suspicions that the arena's usual magic was in place -- there was no sign of any fine scratches Ruby might have otherwise suffered on her back.

Her shirt fell to pieces as she staggered away from her roguish attacker, and her pert, moderately-sized breasts swiftly popped into view.  Her large, puffy nipples seemed stiff already, only growing more taut in the cool breeze.  She shrieked, naturally, and threw her arms over her chest, immediately reddening in the face.  Glancing swiftly from side to side in hope of an escape route, she sprinted in Ashley and Niniane's direction.

Contessa's guards were cautiously rounding the corner as Niniane wound up with her giant pastry and went to smack Jacqueline in the face with it.

((Str attack
Niniane: 9+1=10
Jacqueline: 1= critical failure!))

The plump woman's attack was pretty unexpected, in Jacqueline's defense.  The cake smacked her right in the face as she made her righteous declaration, blinding and quite frankly confusing the thief.  It was delicious, at least.

The slightly larger and more toned guard, Vella, nudged her friend as they stopped in their tracks to survey the scene before them.

"What the hells?" said the shorter one, Dalla, with a smile growing on her face as they saw Jacqueline paused, her face covered in cake.

"No idea," said Vella with a similar grin as they began to fan out in a practiced motion and advance towards their target.  "You know what to do, though," she continued as she gripped her sword tightly and nodded to her ally.  "The rest of you feel free to stay well out of our ways unless you want trouble, too."

((Str attack against Jacqueline from both guards...
Dalla: 9+2=11
Jacqueline: 6+3=9
Successful attack

Vella:1
Jacqueline: 4+3
Critical miss!))

Jacqueline heard the clinking of the two guards' light armor as they made their way quickly towards her, and she heard the first one draw breath as she pulled back her sword to swing.  She was nimble, but try as she might, she wasn't correctly able to anticipate where the attack was coming from.  The rogue felt the strange uncomfortable sting of the the slightly shorter guard's sword coming down, right between her breasts.  The blade drug along her skin and sliced open a large portion of her dress in the front, threatening to ruin the dress entirely.

"Ha! Got 'er," Dalla called out, gesturing to her friend.  "Follow it up!" she yelled, her voice echoing in the little tunnel containing the portcullis.  Jacqueline continued to try and clear her face of creamy frosting, but managed to hear the very distinct sound of metal clinking behind her as Vella grunted and attempted to finish the dress with a slash from behind.  The rogue's instincts finally took over, and she deftly side-stepped the larger guard's attack...

((I'm going to implement an ad-hoc rule here for when certain NPC's make a critical miss...))

...causing Vella's sword to come down on Dalla's breastplate.  It was a powerful swing, hacking one of her shoulder straps free entirely.  Her gold breastplate was still holding up, but it was severely damaged now.  It would seem that the guards, in addition to being lightly armored, were very lightly dressed underneath.  Their breastplates and armored skirts may have been practical for fighting in the heat, but not for this kind of battle.  Dalla cursed and tried to hold up the breastplate's hanging half with one arm.

"Dammit Vella!" she spat.  "Her face is covered with cake and you still missed?" she growled skeptically.  Vella cringed and looked at her fellow guard sympathetically.

"I hate the guards in this city, private or otherwise," Ashley muttered quietly to Niniane, calmly pacing up behind the shorter one and preparing to take a swing at her with her broadsword.  "Little change of plan, friend," she added before calling out to Vella and Dalla.

"I don't care if you're after this rogue... or noble... or whatever she is.  I just want a crack at you.  And if you think you're going to have a chance at the barmaid when you're done with the busty one, you're sorely mistaken," Ash declared as her sword came down.

((Str attack
Ashley: 3+2=5
Dalla: 2+1=3
Successful attack))

Ashley's sword made a cracking noise against Dalla's shoulder, and the guard cried out in response.  Ashley laughed as the breastplate sagged briefly, dramatically even, before clanging to the ground.

"Not used to fighting down in the pits, eh?  What, thought I'd really take your arm off?" Ashley chuckled, quite casually, as she prepared for the guards' response.  Dalla turned, huffing angrily, to reveal a very unexpected lacy pink bra with red trim beneath her breastplate.

"You will pay for that," Dalla said angrily, an apprehensive look on her face as she self-consciously regarded her ample breasts, heaving in the confines of her undergarment.

There was a pregnant pause in the air as Ruby continued to distance herself from the others, wide eyed.  Vella and Dalla were glancing between each other and plotting their next move, and Jacqueline was still licking frosting off her lips and wiping her face clean.  Ashley seemed ready for a fight as well, and cautiously regarded T'Cryse as she finally made her way, out of breath, into the area of the encounter.

Niniane smiled as she regarded the mess Jacqueline had become. "Well, Rogue--are you going after Ruby just because the voice told you to? It seems more worthy adversaries have chosen you. Will we be friend or foe?"

Watching T'Cryse out of her peripheral vision,
she regarded Vella carefully, gesturing to Jacqueline. "What has this woman done to you?"

(Yes, she may be useless and talkative this round. She's pretty confused right now as to who all these people are, but Ruby seems safe at the moment.)

Everything was going well for Jacqueline, that is until she got a pastry to her face. That took her by surprise. "Baise," she yelled at the maladroit angrily through a mouthful of cream, "What is wrong with you?"

This anger towards her assailant is probably what allowed to get hit by the guard. Jacqueline tensed up as her white corset was revealed, but she recovered quickly enough to avoid the next attack. Hearing some sort of disagreement between the guards, she took the opportunity to start removing the cake.

The thief was too busy cleaning herself off to do anything really, even respond to Niniane's questions. Jacqueline did know, however, that she didn't want to remain where she was, with all these rather aggressive people. Once her face was clear, she planned to have some fun with Contessa, though.

T'cryse called out "Niniane, I cannot speak for the rogue, but I speak for myself and I stand by your side! and lend the strength of my wand to your cause!"

T'cryse prepares an ice sheild spell to defend Niniane, Rose or herself.

Lots happened! Check out the site for more than these highlights.












This was a great round. I can't wait to reveal a little more.

Somewhere in the scuffle and confusion, Ruby saw an opportunity to keep running. And run she did. With her modest breasts bouncing wildly, she sprinted, cringing and red in the face. The viewing sphere hovered above, silent now, but displaying Ruby's treats for the audiences of both worlds. None of them could tell what exactly was going on in the 'real' world, and none of them could really be bothered given their new host of problems.

"Dalla," Vella cried out when she noticed that the current objective, 'Ruby', had made a break for it. "The redhead... she's gonna get away!"

Dalla was covering her lacy pink and red bra with one arm and shot Vella an annoyed look. "And? Go get her then!" she called back, holding her sword out with her free arm and regarding her new opponents. Vella didn't wait long to make sure her friend was certain, she glanced at the various possible combatants before her and took the words at face value. The larger guard sprinted off after the little redhead.

As the two distanced themselves from the main encounter by the portcullis, T'Cryse was able to throw up a defensive spell over Ruby -- a thin, shimmery sphere of ice and wind that seemed to swirl around her. If the guard caught up with Ruby, that might buy her a little time.

Dalla hissed angrily and waved her sword at Ashley threateningly, muttering beneath her breath. "Dammit Vella..." she whispered uncertainly, edging around to take another swing at Jacqueline before she could wipe the pie off of her face entirely. Before she struck, she seemed to become aware of T'Cryse suddenly.

"Once again, we're the guards of the noble Contessa. This woman is a thief. Stay out of this and we'll give ya a pass," she said plainly before grunting with the slash of her sword.

((str attack vs Jacqueline
Dalla:9+2=11
Jacqueline:6+3=9
successful attack))

The tip of Dalla's blade hooked just a bit of the frabric Jacqueline was wearing, and when she yanked her arm away, hard, the rest of the top half of her dress came right off. The action nearly spun the blind Jacqueline about, such was the force of the gesture, causing the top half of her gown to peel away and leave a neat little skirt remaining below the waist.

Ashley scoffed and stepped in close to Dalla while she was picking apart the rogue's defenses. "Tsk," she clucked. "Ignorin' me while you attack the blinded busty girl? For shame," she said, swatting the woman's blade aside and making an attack on her skirt.

((Str attack vs Dalla's skirt
Ashley:9+2=11
Dalla:8+1=9
Successful attack))

With a 'thwack', Ashley struck Dalla from behind, right around waist level. There was a sound like creaking leather and the shifting of metal plates as her skirt sagged suddenly a few inches. The belt was severed, and the skirt threatened to drop at any moment. For now, though, it remained on her, if not a few inches below the waist. A wide eyed look came over Dalla as she realized too much sudden movement or the tiniest of strikes would cause her armored skirt to fall the rest of the way. She also seemed to be glancing down, biting her lower lip anxiously, at the sight of the top of her matching, pink, lacy panties.

"Look, I told you I don't care about stripping Ruby," Ashley stated aloud for whomever cared to hear her opinion, but suddenly there was a quick flash of light. Her eyes went wide and her body stiffened. A bolt of light had come from the viewing sphere and she spat curses.

"Stupid... sphere," she grumbled, backing away from the scuffle a few feet and bringing a hand down her own back to check for damage. She cringed and reddened in the face a bit. The lightning had struck her right on the bottom, searing away the seat of her pants in a neat little circle and revealing the simple white cotton thong she was wearing. Her round, firm ass was clearly on display on the viewing sphere, now, she realized, with the string of her thong nearly invisible between her toned ass cheeks.

"Damnable... bloody... sphere," she whispered to herself, suddenly feeling a great deal more vulnerable.

Jacqueline heard the conflict all around her and was finally able to clear it as she wiped the last of the pie off of her face. T'Cryse saw one of the guard women sprint off after little Ruby, while Ashley and Dalla seemed to have begun scrapping. Niniane noticed a bit of frosting on her fingertip and was tempted to lick it off.

((so, thank you all for bearing with me -- It's not yet second nature for me to list everyone's equipment with it's durability, but everything seems legit so far, no? Just so we're clear Jacqueline has lost the top half of her dress and is wearing a corset beneath, correct? Feel free to answer in your post, with your description. Ashley has damaged pants over her white thong. Both Niniane and Ashley have lost their 'outer' bottom layer. T'Cryse has everything from the thigh up, except for her outer fur coat. Dalla is wearing a damaged skirt and little else over her bra and panties, it seems. Does that about cover it?))

Niniane, licking the delicious dessert from her finger, yelled to Ash out of the corner of her mouth.  "I think you've got this!  I'm going after the other one."  With that, she bolted as fast as her strong legs were able to carry her jiggling bottom after Vella.  Whatever undergarment she had on, it wasn't enough to keep her large breasts from bouncing comically up and down as she ran.

(Your inventory of stuff sounds right to me...I also have the Ash avatar barefoot because of the arena's tendril attack if I read right at the time.  Also, any description of Jacqueline's bra (or lack of one) either of you can offer will help the artwork.  Now I can't wait to try to make that hole in the pants from the energy bolt--a tiny bit challenging, but the results should be neat You may have also noticed Dalla's breasts grew in the later renders. This was in direct reaction to the decription of her, heh...they weren't that big at first because when I tried to think of a hot, tan, "fitness model" type I picked AJ Lee's appearance as a base for her character--I had already made some Divas thinking someday I might get around to doing the WWE stories over at OCC, or maybe my own versions of them.)

I apologize for not having much of Jacqueline right now...I'm waiting to hear more about her bra situation. Also, T'Cryse, Niniane, Ruby, and Vella seem like they might be involved in their own little scenario at the moment...more on that as it develops.