"I'm not too terribly familiar with the Tarot. What does the Fool mean?

I assume you have your gun with you. Anyway let's get suited up and head down."

He chuckled. "So that's what you saw, huh? Wouldn't go making that public in front of people who don't know what it means, unless you want them to underestimate you. Consider that option, by the way. Hold your sword and shake a bit, like you are nervous or scared. Watch what they do."

"Anyways, it means potential, to give you the short meaning. The Fool has no value, and it is your best card if you ever play. Not because it will win you a hand, quite the opposite actually, but because any trick you toss it into has all its points reduced to zero. They play the King of Swords? Neat for them, give them a Fool. And at the end, when scores are tallied, they will wonder why they played that card when the Fool was still unaccounted for."

"And yeah, I'm always packing at least one." He smiles. "So, you feel ready? Then let's wait a bit for the sun to drop. Yes, I actually want to go in at night, stupid though that sounds. You see, I am looking for a magical signature of poisonous chi, and its already faint. Sunlight weakens it, so I need it to be night."

He moves to a bus stop, and sits down. "There is a sewer grate below us. Seriously, you have any questions at all besides that? We might not be coming back from this one. I know of one card in our favor, and one wild card that serves itself. Beyond that, I can't see what is down there."

"Can't tell you what they are, though, other than 'favorable' or 'wild.'"

What do I notice with poisonous chi?

"Ok, Can I get an overview of your abilities so I can know what I can reasonably ask you to do?"

Nothing right here, although you catch a faint whiff coming up through the ground. Tex just smiles at you. "Using that second sight of yours? You ain't gonna get anything through the sewers you won't get on any other day. Not right yet. The one I'm tracking...well, actually this might make it easier having you with me. You've actually fought Sullivan, and I am looking for someone else. If that's Mister Rime City himself, you can tell me, and I can be sad. I'll still track him down, but he's not who I really want. I'm looking for his twin."

"And as for what I can do, well...I can really do anything I put my mind to, or planned for. Just don't expect me to fight. That's it."

"I curious as to how you can tell I'm using that.
Anyway, you are basically a mage. I guess you are a Tennin like Chang? You have the same aura of there and not there at the same time."

"Ehhh..." He tips his hand in a gesture of ambivalence. "Not quite. Chang has gone down a similar road to me, AND he is Tennin. He's not like most Tennin, really. I am a magician. Being between is a side-effect of having a foot in the world of the spirit. If you met them, you'd find that Tennin and Okami work the same way, but for different reasons. Tennin are part of a system. Okami ARE reincarnated half-spirits. I am just an exceptional thief, stealing power that no one else is using."

"But Chang is an exception to a lot of rules." He leans into the bench, and his smile disappears. "If he ever dies, this city won't be far behind. You wouldn't think it, but a lot of gangs give him a wide berth. They don't want to see if any of them will do something that encourages Chang to get out of retirement."

"Only Kat is stupid enough to antagonize the old sleeping dragon, and I think everyone is waiting for the day when Chang simply decides he's had enough of her. That would likely be her last day alive."

"I can see Chang's future, you know. The day he breaks his oath will be his last one on this world. He just told me he wasn't surprised. Hate that about him. He just seems to know everything like its not a big deal." He smiles again. "But it does mean I have no reason to encourage him to break his oath. I actually like him, and I do what I can to keep the wolves off his doorstep when I'm around. When his shop isn't getting trashed, he actually does a lot."

"By the way, you figure out why Chang showed you that section of the city that got trashed by Jerkface, Vampire and yourself?"

"He showed me that the Cathedral still stands despite the attempt at burning it down. I guess it was to show that I did some good despite my foolish storm and the damage I done. What do you think his reasons where?

I guess you can also tell what I am?"

"I think he wanted to show you that this city will rebuild, regardless of what anyone does to it. I think he, on some level, wants to believe his path is the right one, the path where he lets this evil he's always fought snowball without direct opposition, before it self-destructs. Personally, I think of it like curing cancer by not curing it. Sure, it eventually dies, but it kills the patient in the process."

"That, or he's hoping his real foe will reveal himself without opposition, before Chang kills him when he does. Who knows? Chang could be playing all of us. He's done things like that before, and he plays the long game."

"And as for what you are, frankly, I'm not sure if YOU know that. So I'm not going to pretend I do. Destiny is trying to pull you in, but you haven't committed yet. That's your strength right now; your limitless potential. You could even steal the power of hell, or better yet, steal the techniques of the Yamijin themselves. You have a connection to one of them, the nastiest of the bunch. Stealing from him would be an interesting change of pace. Two techniques come from that one: the Ebon Shadow, which is the philosophy of darkness filtered through the lens of God of Eclipses and the Close of Years, and Black Claw, a style that weaponizes being a passive aggressive jerk. The second is closer to the Dragon than the first, despite their names. Both are subtle."

"Might be a fun surprise on a big guy like you."

"I see. That makes sense.

Yamajin? Are they related to the Yama Kings?
I got a lot of The Shadow of All Things power once. The problem with it is that it made me less of myself and more like it. It causes me to not care about anything not myself.

Me being subtle would be a real surprise.

What else can you tell me about those styles?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 02:50, Sat 16 Apr 2016.

"Hmm. That must be an interesting tale." He raises his hand up. "Keep that one to yourself. Just know you can use that experience to steal his power right now. In part. Likely you we being force fed the whole thing all at once."

"'Sides the existance of those things, don't rightly know much about them. Shadow makes you an amazing ninja, and steals tricks from both the Shinigami and the Yamajin. Trick one is playing dead in that style."

"Black Claw I've been on the receiving end of. Uses misdirection, perception and love as weapons. Most would consider this particular styles approach...unmanly or weak."

He pulled his flask out and took a drink, smiling. "Reloaded. Gotta be careful with that, ammo is limited from here in. But, yeah. This one has two ideas that must be mastered: a technique that convinces EVERYONE the other guy started the fight, and one that turns a successful defense into a mental attack that persuades your foe to like, love or respect you. Don't really see that one reflecting you very well, but it IS a style no one would see coming from you. Also...know it exists."

"But whatever you do, make it reflect who you are unto everyone else. Make them fight you, whoever that may be. When you win, what feelings do you want your enemies and your witnesses to feel? Awe? Terror? Catharsis? Think of your ending."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:06, Sat 16 Apr 2016.

"You didn't answer my question about Yama Kings and Yamajin.

I might pick up Ebon Shadow style. It sounds useful. Besides, It would be really scary for something as big as me to be sneaky like a ninja.

As for Black Claw... I can't see myself using that one.

That is a question I have never considered before.
I guess it depends on who I'm fighting and why I am fighting them.

If I am merely sparing them; I would want them to feel Awe at my skill, Respect at Sportsmanship conduct and the impression that it would be fun to spar with me again.

If I am Fighting seriously... then Terror and Awe at my power and skill would be an appropriate response.

I will have to think about this more. I would have to think more deeply as to who I am. Am I raw power with a purpose? or...  "

"Terror and awe both, huh?" He looks at his wrist, which has a cheap watch on it you didn't notice before. "We still have a little bit of time. Let's narrow this down a bit. You actually care about sportsmanship, and leaving a positive impression. Doesn't really lend itself to terror of you, does it? Some folks, you see, they want to make EVERYONE unwilling to rematch them. All who face them must know what they fight."

"Sounds like an ego trip to me." He was just watching the clouds in the sky. "But you...let's see. I don't think the power of the shinigami or the yami really suits you. I doubt the stuffy road of the shinma would be one you would like, you aren't really in touch with your inner animal, and the primal elements?"

"Well, maybe you'd like that. You haven't really met the Ryujin yet. Think Captain Planet's Planeteers, only with more of a hand-on approach and no blue guy to get them out of a jam, and that's supposed to be the Ryujin. Also replace heart with wood, because no one liked heart, not even the planet."

"Still, I think you should consider 'inspiring' as a word. If that sounds closer, we might have something. If not, you have time."

"Inspiring might work for it... It would depend on how I am fighting. I need to think about it more.

The only one you didn't mention is the Mugen. So I guess you are going to talk about Breath of Heaven?"

"I didn't mention them because they embody mortal fighting made ideal. You've met Kat, and that should let you know they can go in a lot of directions with what they are. A Mugen is going to act, and they are going to be the best or the worst of people. Their arts do not allow for a middle ground. Sure, out of battle they are as complex as anyone else. In battle, though, you fight power itself."

"And power doesn't really corrupt a man. That's just something folks say to feel better about such things. Nope: it just means when you act like a jerk, no one can tell you not to. Ultimately, the strong govern themselves. Take that as you will."

"It's why so many want power, really. Everyone hates the word 'no.' Children hate it, teenagers hate it, and adults learn to put up with it, but they hate it too. Old folk hate it, but they run a range of reactions to the idea, from patience to outlandish behavior. You have no idea what grandpa is going to do when you tell him no and then back your answer up, especially if you are in your early twenties. Could be anything."

"Point is, you want power. That's fine. Someone's gotta go for it. You've had it, you still have it, but why do you need more, and what will you do with more that you can't do with what you have right now?"

He tips the flask back, looks at it warily, and puts it back in his pocket. "I want to be buzzed, not fallen down drunk. But I am not going into that sewer sober. I don't think I can, actually. Rat left an impression."

I stand there and contemplate the question for about a minute.

"I haven't though about that question before. I guess I gather power because it is my nature to do so. To pursue perfection in Martial arts, Magic, or whatever else I decide to do.
The thing is that one can't really achieve perfection in those things. Humans can only make themselves better than they where before in those things. Therefore it is a endless goal, forever out of reach. Which is perfect for me.

Anyway. More power. Or more precisely more control over the power I do have, would have helped me out a lot in the past. Things would have gone better if my power didn't go out of control.
Maybe I'll actually succeed in changing things for the better this time."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Well, that will likely determine your destiny. I'll say this about you: you certainly have a talent for making enemies. And very strange friends."

He flips a card from his deck with a one handed motion that you can barely follow, and he puts the card back before you can see what it was he drew. "Well, on the plus side, we'll have some help down there, and a wild card to shake things up. Shall we go? Sun's getting low, and..." He pulls a pair of gas masks out. "Modern, and meant for war. Filters are good for six hours. After that, we need to get out. I know what it is like down there. Injuries are bad news, the air is bad news, and so are the deeper parts, which we will unfortunately have to cross. Industrial gunk has settled in a few parts down there, and its polluted the chi down there even more. Some parts down there would break a demon down."

"These masks will also kill your peripheral vision, so keep your head moving." He stands up. "So, you feeling ready to move out?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:16, Mon 25 Apr 2016.

"Yes, Let's get suited up. I feel like my magic is coming back. Hopefully it'll be fully up before we get in trouble. Maybe I should cast my buffs before we go down...

I'll change into the rubber suit that he got me.

What do I feel about my magic? Did Chang's method let me heal the hole in my Aura or do I still feel like I risk something horrible if I use my chi/mana magic?

What do I see as my next paradox?

You don't see any paradox at all. You actually feel like something is building up, but it is being blocked.

"Buffs?" He raises a hand to his hand in a dope slap as soon as he says it. "Kids and your MMO talk... Right. Well, do what you gotta do. Let's get crackin'."

Now that it has gone the dark of sunset, he casually walks over to a grate in the side of the road, pulls a pry-bar from his coat interior, and opens it up. "Well, after you, big guy."

I spend a minute contemplating the feeling and determining what is building up.

"Tabletop RPGs actually. I haven't played MMOs before. The ideas can still carry over with adaptation. I think I'll hold off for now. I'm still getting a weird feeling from my magic.

Let's go Tex."
I go down and start up the lantern. I'll look around with both my normal vision and my chi sight.

The light comes on, clear and white. Your chi senses, however, detect lots and lots of vision obscuring darkness down here. Perhaps it is for the best you can't draw on that power at all, as you get the impression it would shorten your life down here.

Tex follows, gas mask on and suit on. His voice sounds hollow, and it's clear he's shouting a bit, muffled though it is. "So, we need to be quick, and we need to go..." He points a finger into the air, then drops it to one of the directions you can see down. "That way. Follow me, until something scary happens."

You see and hear a couple of rats fleeing ahead of the two of you as you move. They sound like they are all around the two of you, as a waiting horde.

I'll keep my head constantly moving so that I can notice things with my normal vision that my chi sight doesn't pick up.

I'll go the direction indicated with a brisk pace. I'm keeping my boots low as I walk so I don't step on a rat. No need to antagonist the Rat further.

Do I see the trail we are following?

Tex seems to know where he is going, but you can't see how. The rats, at first avoiding you, are starting to get quite a bit closer to you. They move to you, and then when your gaze falls on them they retreat away. You have this disconcerting feeling of being probed for weakness.

Then you hear a shrill voice, like the sound of nails on a chalkboard coming out of a pond. "Well, well. Who do we have here? The killer of the Ripper, and the suicide jack. I guess you really don't like those limbs of yours, huh? Heeheeheehahahahahaha!"

"Hello, Rat." Tex doesn't really sound afraid, and he sounds polite. "We are just passing through, and we couldn't really ask your permission."

"Really?" The voice sounds like it is having mocking fun. "Ah, that's too bad. Perhaps the big one should tell me why I should, and maybe I'll let you if you grovel hard enough."

"It's a pleasure to met you Rat. It seems that my reputation has preceded me.

I've heard that you hate demons worst than anything. What we are going to do down there is sure to cause demons to come after us. If you leave us be, We'll go and kill demons for you. or We'll die and feed your rats with no effort on your part."

"Oh?" It sounds interested. "Did you have a specific demon in mind, or were you going to try and kill them all? Or maybe you just have a grudge."

Tex is keeping quiet. You see unpoisoned chi gathering around him, although its strange in its manifestation and you can't guess what it might be for. Like he's drawing small amounts from things he has already on him. If you had to guess, he's using some kind of talisman based magic.

"I'm specifically looking for Octavian but we'll probably end up fighting any demon we come across. We are also looking for the body of the Rime City Killer. Do you know any thing about that?"