Daruma-san

It turns its back and counts nine beats. Each beat lights one slot on the banner above it, with a wood-block tick. The count comes at four speeds, and the first two beats tell you which. While it counts, its gold back crest glows and every blow you land is worth more.

Hit it as hard as you can while the crest glows. The count is the time to walk.

In a long count it rocks away from you and flips a little daruma off its back. A red circle fills on your spot and the little one’s shadow grows in it. It lands, then bounces once more on the same spot. Both hit hard, and the first also stops your healing for a moment.

Walk out of the red, forward or sideways. Standing in both ends the fight, healers too.

In a short count it rocks away from you and flops onto its back. A red circle fills behind it, toward you, so a fighter up close is standing in it.

Melee: step to its side or back off. Ranged: nothing to do.

At the end of the count it shouts, crouches and spins round to face you. The follow-spot drops on you, the pit dims and a chalk circle draws at your feet. While the circle is up, it is looking.

Stop walking when the last slot flashes coral, before the circle draws. Swing and cast freely.

Move while it looks and it bonks you: a squeaky “piko!”, stars over your head, a hard hit, no healing for a moment and a shove away. It can do this once a look. Being knocked does not count as moving.

Stand still for the whole look. Casting, swinging and healing are fine.

Blows it takes during a count make it lean further. Enough in one count and it teeters, then at the call it falls on its face instead of spinning round. There is no look, you may move freely, and it takes extra damage while it lies there.

Put everything you have into it now.

After a fall it rocks three times and springs upright. A red ring fills round it.

Melee: step out of the ring, then back in for the next count.

Partway through, an ink drop paints one of its eyes in, and later the other. Its counts change: some end early, so the call comes sooner than the slots promise; now and then its shoulders twitch and it settles back (a fake, nothing follows); and in the last stretch it peeks round mid-count with a chirp and looks for longer.

Stop on the coral flash and the chirp, never on the count. A twitch is only a tease.

If the fight runs long it hums, then puffs up and goes glossy. Every count is short and every blow hits far harder.

Keep walking in the count, stand still in the look, and finish it.