Crossed swords

[Anastasia]

On and on and on - there! You escape out, through the cube and soaring free.

"Go," Amaryl calls, looking back as she holds on tight.

[Corwin]

Seira goes! And keeps on healing the others as she does so, to keep them in top shape.

[Anastasia]

You heal up as you pass out of range - you can teleport now if you wish. Do you?

[Corwin]

Seira returns home by way of Astral, after making sure no foreign spells are clingng to her or to her friends.

K:A, K:P, K:R 10 for 111. Perception 10 for 111.

[Anastasia]

No spells, just home. Once there Donald escapes your grasp.

"At least we got some minions," he finally says, "But damn it, we still struggle even against an avatar of hers." He takes off his angelhelm and gauntlet, running a bare hand over his sweaty face. "Let alone this latest bullshit."

"She trumpets it like a supreme victory," Amaryl speaks softly, "But we were eventually able to undo it...and merely face her avatar."

[Corwin]

Seira shrugs. "I know we didn't win, but the gap between her avatar and ours was less than her real self and ours. Besides, I felt a definite shrinking of the gap this time. Once we train ourselves up, we'll close it further. So... let's talk improvements?"

[Anastasia]

Donald looks down at his armor, "Besides Elle's repairs?" He considers, "More everything, more base power. More skill. More luck."

"A better battleground," Amaryl seconds, "That one was completely against us."

[Corwin]

She nods at Donald's words. "That's always important. You need weapons that match mine at the very least, so focus on that for now."

Amaryl's suggestion, however, gets her a shrug. "We'll never be able to choose the battlefield, not as long as we're the underdogs."

Ranbar, meanwhile, gets a curious glance. "And your insights? The first thing to take away from this?"

Even as she waits, Seira reaches out to the Red Knight. Hello. Is this a good time?

[Anastasia]

Ranbar's quiet even after that. She holds up a hand before she says, "I need to go further, I see that now. Even this power is not enough. Nothing I have is enough against Shar. It's not even close. I may as well be a cat against a balor."

If it is of strategy and warfare, it is always a good time.

[Corwin]

Seira nods. "More concretely, you ran into the same issue I had, of not having enough dedicated spells for a difficult situation. You need more options for top-level healing, and a staff works just fine if you don't want to overspecialize with spells. Other than that, however, you need more experience. You know the Moment of Prescience spell and its big brother?" She eyes Amaryl here as well. "Why wouldn't you precast it while going into a high-risk situation? It lasts for ages. And once you use it, having it as an extra defense against Shar's spells could've spared you two a lot of pain. Looking back, it could've made the difference between complete protection and taking the full attack."

She frowns. "Plus, Donald, you can quick cast same as Amaryl, right? So why didn't you try it on the off chance you would hit and maximize the effect? True, it's not the best of plans, but sometimes flailing around and throwing everything at the wall gives you a better plan of action for later on. If none of your spells looked like a good option for this engagement, diversify in preparation for the next encounter. Always aim to have at least two attack spells you could use in any possible engagement, and two utility spells besides."

I'd say it's related. My avatar just got done fighting Shar's, and I've found a few areas where my preparation was lacking, Seira tells the Red Knight in the meanwhile. I know you have a restricted spell to boost combat skill because I'm an archmage goddess of knowledge, so I was hoping to ask for permission for me and mine to use it against that level of threat.

[Anastasia]

 As your lessons are taken in thoughtfully?

I have more than one spell like that. Which one in particular?

[Corwin]

Shar is nigh-impossible to hit. I was referring to the aptly-named Red Knight's Skill spell, but if you can think of one even more helpful, I'd appreciate it.

"Now, as for me. I didn't take it seriously enough from the start or even during prep. Doing this seriously would've spared you unnecessary pain, and I'm sorry for that. Being better prepared in the future won't be difficult." Seira pauses for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "As you've seen, it looked as if I could've kept the deadlock for a good, long while. But if you hadn't been there with me, on my own facing off against Shar's avatar would've been far more difficult. So if we have to fight her together, you all have to be able to reach the same heights I could, however briefly. I could actually strike past her defenses a few times, and you all must find a way to do that at least twice. One aspect of that is the Moment of Prescience line of spells, which are a must for all such engagements. If you can learn the superior version, do it and keep a couple of them at the ready. If you can't, get Elle to make you something. The standard three times a day item would suit you well, especially if it is swift in activating. But it won't be enough alone. Improvisation is something I can provide, so decide on spells that would achieve a similar effect if you're not fighting alongside me for some reason. The tarrasque spell and the superior divine power are a good start, but get more comfortable with breaking out spells that boost your endurance as well. And finally, look for a third option that's not relying on magic. Paladins have an obvious option, but it's factotums who can truly turn things around."

Peering at Ranbar, Seira asks her, "Boosted by my Improvisation, and with your Divine Power, Moments of Prescience and inspiration on your side, do you think you had a better than even chance of hitting Shar's avatar?"

[Anastasia]

You ask a favor from me, Seira. I could grant this - but I would request an equal measure in return.

Ranbar listens to it all and when you're done? At last she says, "In all truth, I'm not certain. There's no opponent out there like Shar to compare her against. But...maybe." she concludes, "And if she did not hold a greater trick in reserve."

[Corwin]

"The thing is, Shar was holding back," Seira states the obvious. "The advantage of home ground is that great, even without her merging with planes trick. But she wasn't toying with us so much as trying to win while fighting on our level out of a silly sense of pride. Under those conditions, turning the tables on her was possible, where turning the tables means getting her to run away in a sulk. Don't tie yourself in knots worrying what sort of trick she was holding back. After all, I held a trick or two of my own in case we were in such a dire strait there was no choice but to reveal them to protect us. Largely defensive, since I threw what I had into offense." She shakes her head to avoid the derail. "I think you could've hit her, and that might well have been enough to get her to retreat. So what you need the most right now, I think, is believing in yourself and your abilities. You could've hit her, but only if you thought so and went about it calmly. And next time we face off against her, you will. That's all there is to it."

Certanily. If there's a dire enemy threatening you and yours so, I'd happily provide what assistance you wish.

[Anastasia]

I request a worthwhile spell of your own, one not known to others. One that is useful to me, a clerical spell my faithful can learn and draw on.

Ranbar bows her head to you in agreement, "Yes, Seira. I will live up to everything you say."