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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxᴛʜᴇ sᴏғᴛ ᴇᴄʜᴏ
sᴛᴀʀᴛ ғɪɴɪsʜ
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ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ
✓ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ.
Despite the close call a few minutes earlier, you manage to pass through a few hallways without incident, before coming to a wide,
chapel-like hall with winged statues featured in it. There are iron bars on one side of the wall, and an open door at the front of the
chapel, with a staircase behind it, leading upwards.
There are a few braziers on the wall opposite the iron bars, though they seem to be fuelless -- powered by Elemental Magic, presumably.
The air is still damp and stale, though there's less water on the floor in these parts of the structure. You've probably ascended about
three floors since you woke up, and you can no longer hear the distant sound of a waterfall.
...
As you glance around, you notice that there's a room behind the iron bars, though its poorly lit. Coming closer to it, you quickly
notice a rack of weapons on the wall, and a table with a few more weapons beside it. The weapons are of varying types, though
they're all of simple construction, and none of them seem customised in any way.
However, there's no obvious way into the room. There's a doorway of sorts on one side, but its caved in and blocked with large
chunks of stone, leaving no clear entrance.
The thought of shifting the rubble aside sounds in your mind, but you quickly dismiss it as you notice the chunks of stone all look heavier
than you, by quite a margin. It obvious that you don't have enough strength available to clear an opening.
...
You lean against the iron bars, a little defeated, trying to think of how else to get into the room. Just as you do though, there's a soft
creaking in the bars, and the one you're mainly leaning against quietly grinds and shifts slightly out of place.
As your expression changes under the pique of a new strategy, a question comes up. You may be able to get inside the room by
removing the bars, but how would you go about doing it quietly?
...
There may not be a way to do it quietly, you feel. But there's no telling when one of those creatures will find you, and there may be no
avoiding them before you find your way out of here. You need a weapon now, even if it takes making a lot of noise to get one.
Thinking just briefly of the young Spirit who took the attention of a monster away from you at risk of his own skin, you picture what he
would say in this situation.
Be smart about this, you feel he would say.
You decide that once you make a lot of noise, there will be no time to spend choosing a weapon; you should choose one
before you break in.
Which weapon will you decide to take?
► ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢsᴡᴏʀᴅ.
Longswords are one-handed, straight, double-edged, are of average weight, and are easy to defend with. One of the most versatile
weapons with fair reach, and the easiest weapons to parry with. Skilled longsword users can make the most of the weapon's reach
and unleash an array of swinging slashes, piercing thrusts, decisive cuts and near-pinpoint-perfect strikes on any poorly defended
or exposed part of a target's body -- and without spending much energy.
► ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴘᴀɪʀ ᴏғ ᴅᴀɢɢᴇʀs.
Daggers are each one-handed, straight, double-edged, and very light. Typically fast, and easy to hide on your person, but the
blades are short and hard to defend with; evading strikes altogether is preferred. With skill and precision, daggers can strike vital
points on an enemy and bring them down fast, without much expenditure of energy. Daggers can be thrown, but it can be difficult
to throw them properly.
► ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ sᴘᴇᴀʀ.
Spears are one-handed but can be wielded with two hands for increased precision, force, or to change hands. They are straight,
have a double-edged point, are of average weight and are easy to defend with. Skilled Spear users are very fast and use sudden
and unpredictable moves to quickly overcome adversaries. Spears are best used for precise, piercing forward strikes, but can also
be used as a staff-like weapon to parry or deflect attacks, or to bludgeon targets with the shaft, or blunt end, of the Spear. Spears
are the kings of reach, and can be thrown quite a distance.
► ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀɴ ᴀxᴇ.
Axes are one-handed but can be wielded with two hands to add force to a swing. They have a straight handle, a single, curved
edge, and are heavy. Due to their short, heavy structure (and extra thanks to gravity), they make for excellent downward strikes,
but can be slower than most other weapons. Defending with an axe can take some skill to get right, but few weapons will be able
to shift the heavy axe aside. Axes can be thrown, and are deadly when in motion.
► ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴏᴡ.
Bows require the use of two hands to function, and expend arrows as ammunition. They arguably have the greatest range of any
weapon and are silent, precise killers, but offer almost no defensive capabilities. They are lightweight, however, allowing the wielder
to move and maneuver as necessary to avoid attacks. Inexperienced users wield bows very slowly, and a wary target may have a
split second to dodge or block incoming arrows, but seasoned Snipers know to keep their targets unaware and guessing, and are
capable of firing arrows with quick-firing finesse.
