Game time

[Corwin]

"For normal people it means you can't predict someone who hasn't learned proper swordsmanship and they can stab you when you least expect by accident," Seira helpfully teaches Donald. "In our case, however, it means Elle summons a sword and has it stab you while playing another game with me."

[Anastasia]

Ranbar's laughing now, really laughing as Amaryl's smiling as well.

Donald's grin is as big as can be, "It's hard being the best, isn't it?"

[Corwin]

"Hypothetical best, darling," Seira tells him with a smile. "The student still has a bit more to learn before he can beat the teacher~"

[Anastasia]

Quick question. Without a bunch of boosts on and the like, what's your RAW to hit with your primary attack option? It influences Donald's answer a bit, he'd be familiar enough to have an idea of your raw skill level before spells jack it up up up.

[Corwin]

My calculated attack with Dragon's Grace is +61, +3 from it comes from an item, +5 from Knowledge Devotion and +1 from Blinding Speed/Weapon Focus. So if we discount spells and booster items but allow weapons and skills/feats/abilities, it would be +58.

[Anastasia]

"Proven best," Donald retorts, "Well, at least until it's a race to pile spells to make us better in combat on. You're definitely the master at that."

"She should be, it's the smart way to fight," Ranbar adds in, "Isn't it?"

[Corwin]

"The bladesinger way is the only way," Seira agrees. "Don't accept pale imitations." She winks at Donald, then. "If you want to measure brute force alone, I've got a few aces up my sleeve I could show you since it sounds like you're ready for the next step of mastery~"

[Anastasia]

Amid this all Ranbar laughs...and that's when you feel it. A connection to her, growing stronger in those moments.

Node update.

[Corwin]

Read it.

"Since you've been taunting me since arrival," Seira tells Donald with a grin, not giving him a chance to respond, "perhaps we should see how far skill can take us, even before magic helps us further along?"

[Anastasia]

"Oh," Ranbar mumurs, a hand to her lips.

Donald shakes his head, "At the moment, I think Ranbar just grew up a little more. Hey Ranbar, you aren't seeing angels and visions of light from above, are you?"

[Corwin]

"We're in heaven, how much above can there really be?" Seira asks quite reasonably.

[Anastasia]

"I dunno," Donald says, "Which layer of the Cauldron are we on again?" He glances up, rubbing his chin, "If there's a few hundred feet each, then..."

[Corwin]

"We do have a hundred terraces, but only three layers so far. This is the third!"

[Anastasia]

"A lot of feet," Donald concludes with a pleased little nod.

Elle sighs with a smile, trying not to laugh right now and seeming to succeed, a hand to her mouth.

"Regardless of the foolishness here," Amaryl cuts in, "How do you feel after that, Ranbar?"

"More...more, somehow? It's clearer to express myself?" Ranbar says, "Like how it is when a spell like Eagle's Splendor wraps around you. But it doesn't have that faint feeling of not being myself but a spell on me."

[Corwin]

"It's because Zaphkiel's blessing slots in pretty well," Seira helpfully points out. "At first it was annoying, frankly, but I've grown to accept it pretty quickly. You're doing even better than I did, at first!"