Vengeful Ex-Maverick Hunter
Drought
Takane doesn't bother looking over Lupin the III's shoulder so she has no potential existential crisis over being seen as a fictional character in another world. She's instead looking at the blueprints and mentally making a few drafts she'll bounce off Nitori later. She's also calculating the costs and more importantly how much money she can justify squeezing out of these people without it being full on robbery.
"Huh? We're gonna fight that thing?" she asked, a bit surprised to say the least. "I'd like to use a machine personally, since Nitori's whole thing is putting water cannons on them anyway."
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."
The Drought
After Lumina cutscenes the ethics lecture for Luna, she looks over and sees the page on Groudon. Ground and Fire, huh. And also the other tabs.
"Look man, I'm complicated as hell, Google isn't gonna pull up the information you actually need. For example, the hydro power I'll actually use is under the search term "neuv", or "neuvlette", I never remember how to spell it but Google sorts that out. But I'll simplify for you - with a little prep, I can hose down enemies with a heck lot of water."
In a flash of light, Lumina is suddenly significantly taller, wearing a dapper blue suit with too much dangly cloth
, Her face remains the same, though her hair now had a blue hairpin and two long blue strips atop. Also, she held a walking cane in one hand.
"Also, are we going by Pokemon power types, or Genshin elemental reactions, or- oh who are we kidding, it's the Arena, we're getting an unholy combination of everything to exist. Also, I feel people here can protect the machine quite well, though I like to imagine I make for a great water cannon. Alternatively, what if it's made of non-metal? I also have lots of wood."
Edited by Hotpizza on May 12th 2024 at 1:19:56 AM
Nonsense Man
Ashes of Nohr
Save
- > Ashes of Nohr - Armoury
- A Bonanza of Bros
Short answers, good enough answers.
As for light sources in terms of “Pyra”, they simply increase the brightness of their surroundings via Phone Mode Ui’s ability to adjust screen brightness.
The group reach downstairs (with “Pyra” being the last, delicately moving the Typhoon) to where the fight is. “Pyra” checks their inventory to see what they have.
Inventory:
- Orihime and Hikoboshi (Iron Shuriken)
- Combat Umbrella (Iron Katana)
- “Pyra” Blast (Ragnarok)
- Concoction x3
Skills:
- Locktouch
- Poison Strike
- Lethality
- Shurikenfaire
- Smokescreen (+20 Avoid)
Huh, the Fire Emblem UI classed them as a Master Ninja.
Now, “Pyra”’s role here is as the convoy/storage, and they’re trying to lower presence and suspicion by laying low until the final battle (thus focusing on the stealth aspect of a ninja - OOC they’re using the convoy role to mask themselves here). This is quite a tough enemy though…
Supporting from the backlines, “Pyra” shoots several small fireballs via fingersnaps at the Dead Shepherd while staying close to their bike.
Embrace the Insanity, Nonsense Man’s Activities are about to begin
Chrysos - The Drought
Luna's feeling better now from that ethics lecture from Lumina. She wonders if there's a way to help out with the Groudon.
|I only know Fairy a single Steel type move. I'm currently Level 5, so I won't do nothing to it... Rabrights are focused on Special Attack and Speed, so I guess I'll just be the mascot then.|
Divine Burden
Ashes of Nohr
Gunter's new "HQ" was more to his tastes than the old one. It was at the top of the fortifications on the South-West part they had appeared in and formed a large circular room, devoid of much furniture, with a smaller room on the side with another bucket of water. The Sharrans had been told to scatter and serve as hidden guards, while Gunter used a seat he nabbed from an earlier room to sit on.
It wasn't much, but with Corrin having a castle on the side, it was still enough.
Though even as he prepared himself for this, Gunter was... skeptical of his allies. Especially those at the Library or inspecting the Shadows. If his plan was to work, he'd need to ideally earn their trusts. And he knew how to evoke positive emotions from thralls like these, mind you. But the urge to tell some of them to actually think things through was overwhelming in case.
And there he thought himself done with such things.
But Gunter was a veteran - he knew that those things were part of the human nature. He just had to work with them and guide their hands. And while he did that, he could attend to Pucci, the priest having been close all this time.
The design on those supplies - I can recognize them. Nohrian. I take it you've visited it while preparing for this raid? He says, turning his head to glance at Pucci. He make another chair sit close to him, in case Pucci want to sit down. I can appreciate a bit of foresight. Seeing the... rationality of some of our allies.
RECON
Takumi
's feud with Corrin was legendary in Nohr and Hoshido. And what Red Hood, the Kagura Squad and Charlian were currently seeing was merely the final (?) ending of a revitalized conflict. One where Takumi seemed poised to rip out Corrin's heart while the young man was still reeling from his shock.
But as he always did, Corrin had allies. And as he always did, Takumi ignored them to focus on his goal. That had killed him the previous times.
And it'd screw him over one more time as Takumi get swatted in mid-air by the Kagura Squad, Dry Ice Cannon and Red Hood's bullet, holes being pierced into his body by the projectiles, halting his attack as he's frozen in mid-air and then punched into a wall by Beruka, breaking the ice but stunning him as he gets slammed into the stone hard enough to crack it.
Takumi groans as he attempts to jump back unto his feet, moving his right hand to his mouth discreetly, but he find himself pinned in place by Charlian's water bolt. And while he has the sheer force of will (and force at all) to lift one arm to try to blast him, said arm get blasted by soda of all things, pushing it back and preventing Takumi from firing his shot, furthened by Red Hood slashing him in the face, carving a big red line unto it.
All in all, a very pissed Corrin has enough time to recover from his trauma to leap and grab Takumi's head by his silly ananas hairstyle, using his draconic arm for extra power as he violently rip Takumi's head off his shoulders, leaving his body to slump into the ground and be crushed to bits by the water and soda. There, Corrin throws his upper body back and fling Takumi's head as far as he can, leaving said head to vanish in the white wall outside.
Corrin's face contorts into a snarl as he does that, but as soon as Takumi's head goes flying, he seems seized by doubt, falling to one knee in shock.
Not half to death. We reduced his body to nothing. The actual context would be too long to explain, and Beruka is more concerned with moving over to Corrin, trusting that Red Hood will tell she's not joking. They're both coming over to the realization Kenjaku wasn't lying : the environment was creating enemies and warping itself for them. And that mean Morgan and Azura were really going to be a part of this. We need to get moving. Beruka says, grabbing Corrin and lifting him to his feet.
He remains in place though, completly taken out of it at the realization. And the trauma of seeing Takumi again in general.
Why can't he stay dead? ''There's a small horde of Necromites heading your way! Gunter chimes in, but Corrin doesn't listen. What's it gonna take for him to just disappear forever?!
From both ends of the corridor, necromites indeed emerge in great numbers, all nearly identical to one another. Most wield rusted weaponry, but some go without them and stick at the back. They're the most dangerous by far though - from their hands, they can fling powerful, fast and accurate green bolts of necrotic energy. And one of them strike at Corrin while he's still frozen in shock. Corrin! CORRIN! Damn i- Beruka move over to stand in front of Corrin and raise her left arm, creating a round "shield" which soak in the impact, at the cost of Beruka grunting slightly and lurching to the right.
This wake Corrin up and he snaps his head awake, grabbing his sword and flipping around to be the one standing in front of Beruka, blocking another shot with his wing. He doesn't immediately grant such protection to the rest of the group, who's going to have to defend themselves on their own.
There's another Demented Spirit coming your way from the left. If you get close enough, I could channel an attack to stun him through you. Gunter warns.
Corrin, is there any water nearby? I can kill them for good with this axe but it won't do us good to stay so close to Ketheric.
Yes, but we'll have to push through them left. Corrin says. Beruka nods and grab her axe, preparing to fight the melee hordes.
[[CORRIN - TANK/ATTACK - AVAILABLE]] : Can fire large sweeping waves of water or block attacks with his draconic armor. Omega Yato is very powerful!
[[BERUKA - ATTACK/TANK - AVAILABLE]] : Can create constructs imbued with Vallite Magic and use them to crush enemies or block their attacks.
[[GUNTER - ROGUE - AVAILABLE]] : Can fire a powerful blast from the mind of an ally, interrupt a spell from afar or cast telekinesis.
Library
Gunter frowns seeing how the group is acting a bit confused around the "puzzle". Or Karzon's pause at seeing the double doors. Figured that a born lackey would struggle to take a decision of his own.
No it won't take "a bit of time" because I've just highlighted exactly what you need to push to access it. Gunter can't help but say, following that with a deep sigh. Patience, patience. Touch the "musty books" section. Not any other. They're traps that will try to kill you. You need to access Balthazar's hidden section in the Library - whatever books you want, you'll pick those up. But NOT the magical ones. They'll explode on you! He warns Zamba.
Who, if uninterrupted by Gunter's advice or not stopped by his allies, will indeed have the book explode in a burst of lightning, causing the nearby Necromites to turn around in surprise and spot the group.
Gunter rubs his temples. Some of them weren't curious at all, others were too curious, goodness gracious.
We don't have time to check what's behind the doors upstairs anymore. Just complete the puzzle with the outright solution I gave you.
There's four sections to push. Gunter prepares to reiterate that musty books must be picked, but he's taken offguard as he sees a stranger in the Library. One whose presence cause the Necromites to turn to look at him. His sudden appearance is so surprising that neither Gunter or the Necromites seem to know what to do, as if the stranger's act of existing was bold unto itself.
I'll try to see what they're up to. Keep your positions. Gunter try to forcibly take control of the Stranger's mind, attempting to have them run out of the Library to distract the Necromites. Who they are and who they were, he also attempt to prod. But they're mostly just an useful distraction for him.
I can't force this, but if you decide to have your character interact with a certain folder first, it'll happen to them and the people around them first to avoid metagaming. But I can't enforce that so feel free to ignore it.
You'd be smarter as a vampire's puppet than you are now, you drooling idiot! Gunter try to forcibly take over the person's mind for a second, attempting to have them shove in the Musty Books.
Not exactly the brightest of us, are you?! You worthless cretin! Gunter try to forcibly take over the person's mind for a second, attempting to have them shove in the Musty Books.
It glows softly with an ethereal silver light, lighting up the other half of the room.
There, there reside a large silver table, with blood all over it. In front of it a wooden chair in front of a wooden desk, dimly illuminated by ten different candles, illuminating a series of small books and diaries. There's about nine of those.
Three of them glow bright green. They've been cursed. But otherwise, all the books have a similar worn-down look, though their titles is big and bright with golden colors.
Check their titles - they might be a clue. We need to know about the Nightsong and the Lanterns. Get that one Lantern in the orb quickly as well!
Immortality would be a useful boon for you - to outlive the consequences of your mediocrity Gunter try to forcibly take over the person's mind for a second, attempting to have them shove in the Musty Books.
If the wrong decision is taken, the Necromites are instantly alerted and swarm towards the group. As with Recon, those with magic spells hang in the back or try to climb to the first floor to have an easy position with which to barrage their enemies down below while their melee fellows barrel forward. At least Karzon's trap goes off, blasting the Necromites back in one part of the Library and delaying their advance on one side.
The Necromites are coming in from three sides, separated by a big fat bookshelf each. Right, middle, left. Those on the first floor will also advance, some to keep casting magic, some to jump on the group directly. The Stranger himself is attacked, the Necromites trying to swarm on him with brutal abandon.
If the right decision is taken, the Necromites are alerted, but are slower to take action, instead advancing cautiously forward, as if unsure about what to do. They do not get to the trap this time, but some are already trying to climb up to get a better look or just in preparation of a fight. Karzon's trap is not stepped on in that scenario, giving the group some more time to get their affairs going.
It appears to be because of the Stranger : the Necromites will approach them in priority, attempting to surround them before going forward with their attack. Thus, they don't really approach them, though some Necromites will try to creep in closer to let the others undead have an easier time surrounding him while the hooded figure is distracted.
In that case, once they decide who will access Balthazar's lair, there'll be barely enough time to un-curse one of the cursed tomes.
Open up those ones. I can read them very quickly through your eyes - and I'll transmit any worthwile information to the other groups.
Master Thorm is aware that conflict is inevitable with the “Demented Spirits”. For their goals to be fulfilled, they need to have the Pear of Oblivion consumed by Corrin (whoever that is). And for OUR goals to be fulfilled, Master Thorm needs to devour the fruit whole and call the God of the Dead’s presence unto his body as a conduit. Should he fail that, then he’ll only be able to summon a shadow of our god. The Apostle, of great power, of course; but unable to invoke the full might of Myrkul.
Sharing the fruit of our labor will be complicated. Hence, we will need to eliminate these rowdy pests. And I’m pleased to say that I’ve been able to observe a peculiar yet evident weakness of theirs.
These beings are a mishmash of spiritual energy, woven together to an insanely precise degree, although I’ll note that it is mostly a singular soul having its essence infused and twisted by the remnants of a much smaller soul, like a parasite. I’ve been unable to procure myself the corpse of a Demented Spirit, for obvious reasons, but I know that minmashes of souls are awfully fragile even when done correctly. For the soul is an inherently selfish thing : the body is only-ever meant to contain one. And it’ll fight fiercely for dominance over that body when another soul, or spiritual analogue, is inserted into said body.
The soul-weaver, whoever they are, has managed to bypass that problem by having the soul treat the “parasite” infesting it has an extension of itself. A part that has always been there from the start. It’s done by mostly keeping them separate, with only a few threads to connect the parasite to the main soul. A few threads, thin as a finger, but enough to affect the soul. And the body with it. And perhaps the opposite?
Severing those threads will cause the soul to become aware of the issue within itself and fight to remove it. I’ve observed a similar phenomenon a few times and can be categoric : the spiritual instability soon become a very physical one. One that has caused quite the explosions of gore and organs around my lab, I can tell you that much.
But inflicting great damage upon the soul itself, which already obvious a method, can cause the damaged soul to become aware of its parasite by sheer pain. Still, it isn’t as effective a method as cutting the threads. Which can be achieved by certain weaponry already present within this castle. ‘’Exotic’’ blades for the most part, patterned after cultures from the east. I’ve had to resort to the use of magic spells to preserve that one.
I’ve secured a small stockpiles of these blades, the invaders always having one of their members in possession of those. Are they becoming aware? Nonetheless, we will equip these objects unto elite members of our troops and cut them down.
There is also one more weakness to them : despite being undead, they appear to be somehow like living organisms in their reliance on organs to ensure their prolongated activity. Of course, it doesn’t appear to be entirely true. For I’ve seen them regenerate entire limbs quite easily, but their efforts to dodge hits to the head does make me wonder if they’re more vulnerable to decapitation or head trauma than even the lowliest of our servants.
In that case, it would be easy to simply aim for their head. But yet, as I’ve pointed out, they are well-aware of that weakness.
Thus, I find it recommendable to keep that weakness in mind but still acquire soul-splitting weaponry. The weapons in that category are shockingly devoid of any visible magical activity, and they’ll gladly lose an arm to make a point anyway.
The shadow beasts might rend his flesh, pluck his eyes out, tear off his limbs or try to tempt him, but he endures each time. And he’s been able to establish an abode safeguarded by Dread Myrkul’s fearsome power at the center of the Shadow Curse, laughing in the face of Shar. And in it, he placed the true Pear of Ignorance. Our god’s fruit to consume.
But yet, even Lord Ketheric knows that there might be a time where he will be busy or distracted at a time where retrieving the fruit will be critical. And with our shared knowledge, we’ve crafted Moonlight Lanterns to disperse the shadows. For regular light is of no use against the Shadow Curse. But to prevent a Demented Spirit from acquiring it, we’ve made three.
‘’’One’’’, I’ll safeguard in my lair. The ‘’second’’, I’ve kept in a room right before the entrance to Shar’s domain, in case I find myself unable to attend to retrieving the fruit as well. The third, I’ve hidden in the armory. Three is perhaps too much, but with the intruders regularly coming to the castle, the odds of Lord Ketheric and I being distracted are, sadly, quite high. I’ve tried to put guards around the paths leading to the armory and the entrance of Shar’s shadows, as to warn me if a Demented Spirit were to approach.
But those idiotic chaos beasts will suffice as unwitting protection.
Dealing with Devils is an exercise in foolishness - the silver-tongued tempters delight in promising us one thing in exchange of another, and then conspiring so that both are lost. But Lord Ketheric was able to negotiate an agreement - we would be supplied Infernal Chains that would bind her in place forever, with no “weapon on any realm” capable of “chipping” at them. In exchange, the devil apparently wanted free access to Moonrise Crypt, but was told he could only make deals outside of Ketheric’s Domain, making him a spectator.
The devil agreed - though we both know that it is likely he found a loophole. Ketheric has made efforts to keep Morgan around at least, and I’ve kept an eye on the other Demented Spirits through my minions, although the devil has not approached them.
This will insure that the Nightsong cannot be freed so easily - to end Lord Ketheric’s immortality, one will need a specific tool and the will to murder that poor, poor, poor imprisoned and innocent woman.
And luckily for us, Sharrans are oh-so-easily predictable.
Azura and Morgan are recurring figures amongst my nightmares. The shapes and behavior of the other Demented Spirits might change with every one of them, but there’s a saddening regularity to the appearance, powers and behavior of those two. I’ve noted these down, for I’ve noticed some mania and weakness to exploit out of them.
The one called “Azura” moves very swiftly and appears to lead the “pack” of them, so to speak. They show undying loyalty to her every order and appear to be reluctant, at best, to apply orders of suicide before eventually doing so. She has a domineering will, and I can feel her gaze upon my back at any time, waiting for a moment of weakness on my part. She has a curious habit of always speaking in lies, but sometimes appear to speak truth, in an attempt at misleading.
Azura is extremely swift on average but I’ve noticed a dissonance in her steps. She sometimes appear to move like lightning, disappearing from sight and rending the flesh from our targets in one blow, but the scope of her attacks, and of her mastery over water, appear weaker than at other times, where the scope of her attacks increase, but her speed become ‘’noticeably’’ easier to keep track of.
I’ve managed to guess a pattern to it : whenever she whistle, then she is about to go faster. If she doesn’t, then she won’t. But one should be careful of her lies, for I’ve seen her abuse that pattern to confuse and outwit our foes.
There is also a tendency for her to favor simple, deadly attacks or wide, overwhelmingly powerful moves in the other - her facial expressions are also manic, but her attack ironically become less sadistic, more aiming on bringing a quick end to her enemy.
Azura can manipulate water for her attacks, but her control is rather “simple”. She’s able to spontaneously manifest floating streams of water and can attack her enemies with it, or even unleash it as a soaring wave of great effectiveness in our tight corridors. I sometimes wonder if she can displace herself through the (inexplicable) water sources in the castle, but destroying them has not stopped them from coming back each nightmare.
To add to that, Azura’s glaive-like weapon can easily rend the soul and cause “drowning” in a victim. Thus, even particularly tough targets are not safe from her, for the blade simply pass through them like they aren’t even here. This has been effective against my undead troops in the past, vexingly.
However, there is a mania to Azura. Her overconfidence makes her slow even as she move beyond the sight of the human eye. And her unpredictable mania for “Corrin” ironically make her predictable. When the time come, I will need to take that into account to dispose of her.
Morgan is Azura’s shadow. A whimpering little bug hiding behind her skirt. But I’ve been surprised at the toughness of his skin : he’s been able to effortlessly withstand hits that would have certainly cleaved me in half and retaliate in less than half a second. Unlike Azura, I’ve yet to see him regenerate : he appears to be solid from the outside and the inside.
On top of that, his attacks are quite quick, deadly, and wide-reaching. Keeping to Azura’s water theme, his is patterned after nature. But I’ve deduced his plans to be nothing more than illusions : they grow out of the stones with no need for seed but, most damningly, and unlike Azura’s water, they leave nothing behind. No mass, no bark, no wood. Absolutely no matter is left in its wake.
And the plants are still quite deadly and vicious, but I believe that Morgan does not control actual tree life so much as he ‘’shape’’ his magical attacks into plant life. Why? I do not know - but up close, he’s brutally powerful. Much slower than Azura, but stronger, I’d say, and able to easily tear through flesh and steel with his punches. This make him a powerful asset in a fight, and to his credit, he cooperate efficiently with Azura to corner and isolate a target.
His deadliest attack is to fire a seed that bloom into the enemy’s flesh after burrowing within them, feeding off their energy and preventing them from using magic of their own.
Morgan appears to flock to people with a strong will. Sometimes, when Azura pretended to be absent, I’ve been able to approach him and order him around. Unlike Azura, he does not seek my downfall on his own: he’s simply a pawn, waiting for an order to be given. But I do not believe this to be a trait to be exploited, for in the end, he always returns to her. I believe he does that simply because of her strength and domineering will. Thus, even if I kill her and claim “ownership”, it’ll only last for so long before he betray me for a master he deems mightier.
He isn’t particularly untalented at tactics, I’ll give him that. At time, Azura appears to be listening to him in battles. And he has a secret trick on his own : when pressed enough, or when his plants are insufficient, he’s able to use magic I’m much more familiar with, summoning bolts of lightning, flares of fire or even a fell attack, all highly effective at disposing of agile enemies. He hides them in his cloak, and I believe taking them is key. For instead of being merely tools to learn magic, these tomes appear to be channeling the magic themselves. Thus, taking them would prevent Morgan from using the spell on his own.
I also believe his horns to be a possible weakpoint, for he avoids damage in that particular area when attacked there.
His dependency to Azura can be exploited. And unlike her, his arrogance make him vulnerable to Balthazar’s development of methods to kill him. He is rather slow - I do not believe it to be hard to catch him off guard. And if hit with an attack powerful or efficient enough, he’ll falter.
But I must note that there is much Morgan and Azura appear to be hiding from me. I’d find it prudent to assume that whatever I think they can do, they can do worse.
The idea that someone would escape and return is not particularly odd to me. But there is a regularity on how that person is always the sole survivor. And I wonder what, exactly, they could seek out of this. Vengeance against me? A grim determination to seek the Orange of Oblivion? Vendetta against Lord Myrkul himself? A desire to save some poor soul trapped in a dungeon? None of it matter before the cold truth of dead, yet they never appear demoralized.
I’ve not changed my tactics to accommodate this. And in fact, I can’t : I am aware of the Stranger, but am somehow unable to properly react to them. I cannot ask Balthazar to cast Silence to prevent them from forming a portal, nor do I simply attack them first, nor do the other Demented Spirits appear to notice anything. It is always the same pattern, with the stranger coming closer and closer to figuring out a way to beat me.
I remember, in one nightmare, Moonrise Crypt had been torn apart, my servants all dead, Azura, Morgan and I the only survivors, the Apple of Abstraction in the grasp of my foes, flames dancing in the ruined courtyard, Shar’s curse seeping from various craters that had punctured my domain. We battled in the middle of inky-black geysers of malevolence, threw ourselves in all-devouring orange flames, toppled great debris to gain the upper hand - and in the end, it was only due to them not figuring out where the Nightsong was that I’ve managed to survive and help Morgan and Azura slay the group.
But he simply escaped again. And as I went to sleep, as I returned to my wife and daughter, I could not savor my victory. For I knew in my heart that a bitter defeat could await me the next time he would come with a group of misguided heroes, manipulated villains and oblivious third-parties. Even now, as Moonrise Crypt lies restored around me, with a new group of intruders on the loose, I shudder at the realization of how close to defeat I was.
It’s a wound that no victory can heal.
I must not lose. I must collect souls. Must feed Lord Myrkul. Must give him an eternal sacrifice.
All to see my daughter again.
Orin is a shapeshifter, this could enable her to slip into any group while hiding her true capabilities and morals. And she is interested in having all the Netherstones to herself, to fulfill her fraud lord of murder’s desire to drown the world in blood. This gives her the means and motive to attack my Moonrise Crypt, but I’ve yet to find her in one of my nightmares.
However, I must keep an eye out for her. Orin is swift and precise. And can blend in easily. Perhaps she could even be the… *the text trail off*
… No. Making portals is beyond her ability. And she isn’t the type to use magic.
I must nonetheless keep the lookout for her. She knows the secret behind the Nightsong and it would be easy for her to manipulate someone into fighting her own battles while she wags her secret war.
That one, I might not spare if I find her. But truth to be told, even these old stones do not deserve to have her foul blood spilled over them. I’ll simply reduce her to ashes, I believe.
Your bleached skull the dome
Take on Apostle's final form
Cathedral wrought of blessed bone
I know my time is drawing near.
I don't want to leave you. I don't want to leave our little girl. But I'm not writing to lament our lot. It's ours and no other's.
Though the City of Judgement is dark, I know Our Lady's light will find me even there.
I will see her shining spires and walk the silver gardens we've both dreamt of. I go to my reward - and leave quite a task to you yet, my heart.
Selûne's light shines bright in our little one, but she will need a guide to keep on her path. I have no doubt that she will keep you on yours.
It is the same path - our Lady's path - and one day I know it will bring you both back to me.
Only not too soon, I hope.
I won't say goodbye. There is no loss; only temporary separation.
How I love you.
Forever,
Melodia
This Pear is charged with necrotic energy. Whoever or whatever will consume it will die instantly. Even an undead like I would collapse and die from the merest bite. However, it lacks the sheer foul energy to properly stir our Dread Lord.
The only one who caa truly endure this is one who has managed to earn the blessing of Myrkul. Ideally, Lord Ketheric will carry this fruit on him, bait Azura into stealing it, and, upon being delivered to the recipient of her obssession, he will instantly perish, with the true Pear left for Lord Ketheric to consume. With their plans ruined, the Demented Spirits will also no longer be a problem nor will they be a boon. And we will be able to cleanse them.
However, they are still useful. So, until Azura's paramour arrives, we will continue working together.
But one must remember where the true pear is locked away.
Armory
Being barraged by so many attacks wouldn't kill the Death Shepherd in a conventional way. It'd be certainly headless, but it'd still be able to carry on and fight. However, there are limits to how much even an undead can come back. And as the attacks pulverize its body and armor, its ruined remnants collapse with no need for Salazar to fire his gun.
D'Vorah help significantly though, even if everyone else mashed the skeleton good. Reducing the bones to puddle with her acid truly ensures that they won't be coming back without a good Necromancer showing up.
Stealth is overrated anyway Salazar says, dropping down from the ground, avoiding the puddle of acidified bones. We can always find a conveniently sizable pond of water to jump into if worst come to happen! He draws his gun, and wait for everyone to go down or keep going the hidden way. Which could be useful in landing highly-effective surprise attacks unto enemies.
Well, I just like helping people while risking my life fighting horrifying monsters! There'll always be time for retirement after this. But I hope to keep this going for at least a few 60 years
Moving across the hallway, the group will find a few more dead Necromites. And even further down is the gigantic door leading to the Armory, where the Necromites are congregating. But standing in front of that door is a particular trio.
Notably, the way to the Armory lead to a circular room with two more hallways leading to it - ideal for a fight.
Their shape is human enough - a gangly pair of arms, a gangly pair of legs, hair, modest size and their armor is like those of the corpses from before, with red gems and peculiar swords. But from afar, the group will tell that they havd distinctly inhuman characteristics. Like their yellow eyes furrowed in brutal disdain, their green skin color (bordering on a fade yellow), their long sharp ears, their lacking nose in the middle of their face and the few black rectangular spots they have around their eyes or chin for some, looking like scales.
They move with inhuman grace and effiency, easily avoiding the Necromites's blasts and cutting them apart with their swords. One of them, a female, split a Necromite down diagonally from shoulder to hip before shoulder-checking the upper body off into a stone wall, causing the necromite to shatter and be rendered harmless. Then, when its legs try kicking at her, she simply grab that leg and swing it at the other Necromites, smashing them to pieces. She has short brown hair cut as a bob, which almost look silly on her.
She's assisted by her fellow, slightly taller but not any more muscular, who swing a mace at the undead with brutal abandon, scattering them apart and preventing them from easily reforming or having body parts left to fight. He has long flowing hair and a mustache, once again contrasting with his alien features.
You waste our time wielding a sword against these beings, Ma'Quin!
A sword is enough in my hands - It let lesser warriors fight with the lesser weapons!! She replies, a third individual, face unseen due to them facing the door, does not attend to the quipfest, instead trying to unlock the door while the other two warriors fight.
A fallen Necromite's arm wriggle close to them, preparing itself to go leap at them and strangle them. Salazar notices this - and so may the rest of the group. But they are not noticed. Yet.
..... It can't be-they can't- Gunter communicate helpfully, before reaffirming himself. Finish off the undead and kill these creatures facing them. Kill them now before they notice you! You have to kill them! They'll exploit your kindness if you show them any! You have to kill them! Understand?!
Shadows
Shadowheart smiles at Rumia's lack of comfort and approach her hand a bit before pulling away, deciding to go to the second room to the right. She doesn't walk in with Pyre yet because she think she has the right occasion waiting ahead of her.
She'll push her into the shadows and deliver her to Shar. A gift to her goddess. And a way to cleanly dispose of her with no way to...
... You've caught on.
Do not get in my way.
I won't need to. I know you well, Shadowheart. More than you know yourself... for the moment.
Shadowheart angrily grumbles and decide to go to her knees, joining her hands together in prayer. Blessed Nightsinger, witness our adoration. See how we serve you, only you. We have emptied our hearts of falsehoods. We have vanquished your foes. In darkness, we see your truth. Embrace us, your loyal warriors. Cloak us in your shadow. Guide us to your victory. Shar's will shall be done. As sure as night will fall. She whispers, lowering her hands to her knees and bowing forward in great respect.
She then bows again, and almost squeak in panic when she feel her hands meet something cold. Opening her eyes, Shadowheart is surprised to find something hovering in the dark in front of her : as she reach out for it, her hand trembling, the pain in her hand start to flare. And when she pull back in reflex, the pain only become more and more intense. And if she thought she knew pain well - she discover a new aspect to it. One that force her to grab and seize the object.
The pain doesn't fade immediately - but yet, it eventually does. And Shar contemplate the object she's found - a long black spear, that looks like it has been crafted out of the darkness surrounding her. Frowning, the young woman move it to the left and right as she inspects it. But she knows what it is - it's Shar's Spear of Evening. She can feel it by touch.
Or is it correct to say she feel it when she mostly feel...
Absence?
... Am I to run the tiefling through- Shadowheart whispers, eyes dawning at the realization. She look around, half-hoping this to be a random object she'd found, but the room is nothing but rotten furniture, lacking any interesting content. Aside from a golden key on a random crate, which she absent-mindedly grab, as a good inhabitant of Faerun.
More interestingly though, there's no commentary from Gunter.
His voice is gone from her head. And as Shadowheart put her hand on her head, it flare in pain again, as if to punish her for such a dumb gesture.
As for Pyre, the room around her is mostly nothing, like for Shadowheart. But if she check it well, she'll see a chest at the end of it. A sturdy one too. She could try to open it with a lockpick (if she has) but there might also be a nudge from the Moon above. One that tell her that there must be a key somewhere. And that the key will be useful in opening the chest.
Selune's light work hard at repelling Shar's shadows. And if Pyre focus hard, she'll be able to see that there is some moonlight gleaming from the slit in the chest.
Pyre, I've lost contact with Shadowheart. Find Rumia and go check on her. Gunter's voice then resonate from within Pyre's skull. He doesn't tell her about what Shadowheart could be planning : both because he know she won't go through with it, and because Pyre doesn't know that and the fragile teamwork could be shattered if she knew.
As for Rumia, the Deeper Darkness answers to her attempt. She'll feel a thin tendril of it form out of the mass and reach out to her invitingly, offering itself like a warm mother embrace. She'll be able to feel a calling at the very tip of it. An invitation to discover greater darkness and abandon herself to it. There, she'll find endless prey, endless meat, and she'll experience bliss unending.
And if Rumia touch it...
The tendril move to slap her in the face, leaving a cold, painful sensation on her cheek as it draws back into the Deeper Darkness.
Offer yourself to her altar
But know you'll never please Lady Shar.
Her love and hatred are not dissimilar
Footsteps echo behind Rumia. And if she turn around, she'll see a tall middle-aged man of charming (though perhaps not to her) countenance, with his brown hair slicked back and clean clothes fitting for the renaissance, with gold embroided over his long red sleeves and purple shirt, reaching up to his neck, which is covered in a white high collar. Despite looking like a normal man with outdated tastes in fashion, something about him will feel a little bit off.
He glances at her with a smug smile, as if amused. What you have ahead of you, little pixie, is a shadow that will devour even yours.
For there is no normal light that can dispel Shar's Shadow Curse. I'm afraid. Nor can you simply overpower the will of a Primordial Goddess... The others are facing off against mere undead. But you have to contend with the leftover wrath of quite the petty deity. He walks around Rumia, the door leading to their room closing behind them.
Lucky for you - I know the mean to explore the Shadow Curse. You will just need to take a brief stop in my House of Hope. He hold his hand out. I can give you a hand. Metaphorically... and very, very literally. Are you hungry, Rumia?
Transformers
My name is Kaa! I... this pool area is a place I inhabit. It's a bit empty but there's lots of water and I'm comfortable in wate. She says, trying to lower her arms to wriggle her hands together in nervousness, only to promptly raise them overhead again when realizing Vladek and Vi aren't done.
That said, while her body language indicate nervousness, her voice is flat. Completly lacking in emotion. It's light having an AI read a script, but even worse, not helped by the fact her voice sound a bit thin. You're... invaders, right? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at the fortress. How'd you even travel through water like that?
You ain't the one askin' questions.
... I'm sorry, but I told you everything relevant. My name is Kaa. And I'm not an enemy. I hate Ketheric Thorm and I hate Azura.
Strange... She isn't lying but there are gaps in her thought pattern. I can't find any relevant memory. Gunter informs the trio. ...She isn't a Demented Spirit. I can tell you that much - it feels like I'm trying to mind-read an inanimate object at times. That's strange.
And also, I heard you emerge from the pool. I went to check in and... d-did you leave that cigar there in the pool? She says, voice still flat. If you want to kill me, I might have to defend myself. because there's a thing I'd like to do first and... I can't do that if I'm dead. Apologies in advance.
Leonidas glance at the group. With Gunter seemingly at a pause (and also dealing with the green-faced beings's appearance), it's up to Vladek and Vi to decide what to do. Though he's only curious as to what they'll do. For he simply shrugs and walk past her. I want to see the giant robot. I'm outta here. He'll begin heading out, using the signs on the wall to guide himself out of the pool.
Kaa stay in her spot at the pool, not even turning her head to see him leave.
I think Optimus Prime wouldn't want to meet you guys if you try to kill me. she lowers her head to the ground. And he might be mad at me if he figures out I had to beat you up. So... can we avoid that? Please? Notably, despite her subdued demeanor, her voice indicate confidence she could handle Vi and Vladek both despite her starting position and with Leonidas still around. And
Even with most of her face hidden, she has no fear on her face. Or what they can see of it.
Could we just be friends?
Edited by Bolded1 on May 11th 2024 at 9:53:26 PM
Fallout 2? More like Fallout 2 bad.
Interceptor
AoN
Recon
Behind the horde of Necromites stands Emiya,
◊ though for some reason he has this guy's
◊ haircut. He doesn't say anything, simply drawing back the string of his bow as a sword forms on it.
"Hmph..."
He looses the string, sending a sword flying in the general direction of the Recon Team. Did I mention the sword explodes?
His goofy-ass haircut also seems to be gathering energy. But for what?
??? - 1/2
Library
Noah pulls on the musty books, quickly glancing inside and magically reinforcing his eyes. Unless the books are covered in magical shadow, he should be able to read them right through the covers- hopefully avoiding the curse.
"That's a lot of info... I think I've got the important bits, though."
Noah draws his sword and prepares for an oncoming fight. He's going to guess those Necromites aren't gonna stay confused for long.
Nu, make a wall.
The small golem shoves her hands into the floor, her crystals momentarily glowing brighter before a huge wall of stone rises up to separate the Necromites from the group.
Shadows
There's some moonlight here... Well, good thing I keep some spare lockpicking tools on me...
Pyre leans down and starts to fiddle with the lock. After a monent, she gets it open. Moonlight washes over her as she lifts the lid...
...inside is a Moonlantern. She takes it and holds it by her side. The light pushes the darkness back better than anything else ever could. She feels better again, too.
"Right... now to check on dark girl one and two..."
She walks back into the hall, holding the lantern up a bit. She waits in the hall for a moment, checking the room Rumia is in. She sees that certain devilish figure.
...oh you've got to be kidding me... I remember this guy. It's not like I'm gonna be able to stop him, so I suppose I'll just let everyone else beat the shit out of him later...
Edited by RainbyPlays on May 11th 2024 at 10:58:11 AM
aeiou
Nonsense Man
Ashes of Nohr
Armoury
Save
- > Ashes of Nohr - Armoury
- A Bonanza of Bros
“Pyra”, being uncharacteristically confident, slowly moves to the front as they ignite and raise their right arm. Must be the fast-paced and stealth-based combat being right up their alleyway.
A fireball slowly grows above them, growing to large sizes.
Aiming their arm at the trio, “Pyra” unleashes their signature move:
The giant fireball flies down the hallway, immediately followed up by ”Pyra” signalling the rest of the group to flank the Necromites from the sides, throwing several smoke bombs at the congregation, the walls and themselves, and using a Flash Step to return to the Typhoon.
Recon
A horde arrives, and an exploding sword has been shot. After the sword explodes, this is the Squad’s chance to strike.
Utilising Smoke Bombs as cover, the Squad starts pushing the offense:
Zap jumps on the heads of the sword Necromites in front of the group, then clings onto a wall to throw Kunai.
Sizzle uses Blossom Storm followed by Ninja Kicks to the swarm behind. Launching one of the Necromites, they quickly do a chain of aerial slashes before a final strike sends the Necromite back into the swarm.
Bluster utilises a spinning Stealth Slash to tear into the horde in front, launching several into the air. They use a Blossom Storm to launch themselves upwards then use the wind slashes to strike at several airborne foes before clinging to the wall.
Splash chains Knife Throws to create a wave of water to push back the horde from behind, followed by a Stealth Slash leaving a trail of water and puddles from behind, then utilising Flash Step to return to the group.
Blizzard instead takes a page out of the Sword Knight’s book, shooting icy Sword Beams followed by a Drill Stab, chaining into a Twister Slash, an aerial combo and finishing off with a Down Thrust, using the recoil to bounce back near the group.
Edited by TheTropingAlliancer on May 11th 2024 at 9:06:28 AM
Embrace the Insanity, Nonsense Man’s Activities are about to begin
Vengeful Ex-Maverick Hunter
Shadows of Nohr
Rumia glares at Shadowfart during that brief interaction.
Rumia reaches out to the Deep Darkness:tm:, curious and feeling oddly... familiar with it. Though when it slaps her she glares and rubs her cheek. Before then rubbing her forehead as she feels a slight headache as some sudden thoughts plague her mind.
"RIVAL. KILL THEM. RIP THEM TO SHREDS. REND THEIR FLESH FROM THEIR BONES. MINE ONLY. DEVOUR THEM."
It sounded a lot like herself. Ugh... is it that part of her again? Though she's never heard a voice before. And apparently never talks in that state.
She's snapped out of further thinking on that by the weird man's arrival.
"Hmm, well I'm curious..." she admits, smelling the air. He smelled... not human but not youkai either. Though kind of familiar in a way she couldn't pinpoint. "Even if you're not a human, mister. But I am a little hungry..."
Beat.
"Oh and I'm a youkai not a pixie." she huffs.
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."
Web Spidus
Vanilla Cream Sherbet - Drought
To Lumina, Vanilla replies, "Huh. I can help fortify your wood with my druidic magic. Wood is a part of nature, right?"
Agreeing with Luna, Vanilla states, "We need all the support we can get. After all, you're the mascot. This Groudon is a rather dangerous foe, indeed."
Ecclesia - Library
Although ditzy at times, Ecclesia somehow musters the competence to skim through the musty books in search of something Gunter may like. By pure chance, she ends up picking up the Demented Spirits book. The gods may have blessed her this time around.
Zamba
Recon
Upon the arrival of the Neceomites, the three agents prepared some Coke-and-Mentos grenades.
Ready... Throw!
They throw the grenades at the hordes. The substances within are possibly harmless for those beings, and would only slow them a bit... But the explosions release huge quantities of shrapnel, that could pierce the skin of those beasts.
Armory
With the Shepherd deader than dead, the group can progress.
They find more undead and "people" attacking them.
Could they know something about this place?
But then, they received the message of Gunther.
No. Sawdust, shot some nails at them.
The sister does it, carefully to not make they notice them.
Rumors about my death were greatly exaggerated... Yet.
The Priest
"Are you certain this is the wisest choice, my Sultan?" The aged advisor asked. The wind blew past the painted tapestry and into the tent, and the old man felt his grayed beard rustled by the breeze. He looked to the center of the tent, where his liege lord Saladyn stood.
The sultan’s arms were stretched to his sides as his squires donned upon him his regal golden armor, giving him the impression of a glimmering hawk. Beneath the gilded metal plates he wore lavender garments and an emerald-encrusted velvet turban. The man was splendorous to behind, but a ruler could not only be beautiful; he needed to be equal parts deadly as well.
The dual scimitars were handed to him by the squires, but it was he who slid the weapons into their sheaths. “It is the only choice,” the proud lord sighed. The only other choice would be sending my uncle to negotiate, and then war would be certain. The squires moved away as he stretched his arms, ensuring the proper fitting of his attire, and nodded. Saladyn took a last breath of the incense and swept quickly out of the command tent. His squires and advisor followed.
Once outside, they beheld the sight of his lords and sheikhs mounted up already. Men dressed in every color of the rainbow upon horses shadow and silver and everything between like the people themselves, some dark of skin, some brown and almond, and some pale, yet a few had opted more exotic mounts. Many still followed the ways of old and rode the backs of camels, but the Al-Garrads of the river-dwelling clans piloted armored rhinoceros and the wealthy Sarwar clan which owned the city banks were situated comfortably in canopies howdahs on elephant-back. Their banners flapped overhead, suns and scorpions and rivers cutting through earth and arrowheads and sabers and much more than could ever be counted.
They saw their sultan, in his godlike golden apparel which shone under the sun, and hundreds of hands were raised to foreheads and the unified hail hung over the encampment for a minute following. Saladyn lifted his own hand in response as he pulled himself onto his brown courser and pushed it into a trot, riding through the rows upon rows of lords and soldiers, followed by a cast of his own janissaries.
Directly at his side was his advisor, visibly nervous with his wide eyes which shot in the direction of any irregular sound, and Aggr-Hyan, the captain of his household guard. Wherever the Tigerman of Ind traveled he garnered odd looks, perhaps on account of his black and orange striped fur, or maybe his black claws and white fangs, but if he was bothered by their gaze, he didn’t show it. On his back was a heavy steel club.
All his lesser lords followed him as he rode from the camp and he spearheaded the organized horde as they thundered across the plain, accelerating to a gallop beneath the vast endless blue sky. The ground shook underfoot and dust flew high behind the army. In the far distance ahead, Saladyn saw them: three points, like spears, rising from the desert and piercing the heavens.
Those damnable pyramids, he thought inwardly. If we had only leveled them when we had the chance…
And as they grew nearer, the monumental tombs grew on the horizon and in their shadows he saw the army. A most evil aura lifted from them and filled the air. Over the hoofbeats behind him he heard gasps and murmurs and his advisor beside him whimpered in utter fear. Even Aggr-Hyan, never fearful in the face of the greatest dangers, frowned uneasily. Am I wrong not to be afraid?
Saladyn could not dwell upon this. He slowed his horse, and the army behind him, as they came close to the edge of the pyramid’s shadows. The army ceased entirely at his command and he rode up alone to the border, and peered into the darkness and his breath caught in his chest.
An army of corpses, armed and armored and standing with the utmost discipline. Green wire ran across their forms, connected their rotted limbs, and their empty eye sockets glowed with a fierce gold fury. Many of their blades were chipped and armor rusted. Green and brown flesh yet clung to the forms of some, and some who were high-ranking or highly-regarded in life were mummified, but many were simply skeletons, their bones picked clean of meat or skin. It wasn’t the sheer numbers of the mass nor their discipline which scared him. It was the reality of their situation hitting him at last, that their lands were besieged by the dead themselves, raised from their eternal tombs.
And from their rank and file numbers rode forwards two skeletal horses with gold-adorned riders upon them. His horse whickered nervously as they drew near and started to shy away, but he quickly righted the mare. They both ceased where shadow and light met, to speak across the border of night and day.
One rider was thin and frail. Strips of linen were wrapped about him but in some places even the papyrus had rotted away to reveal the ribcage beneath. He wore tattered scraps of black as a cloak and cape, and one shriveled hand was wrapped to his chest. The other hand bore a ruby-studded scepter—the sign of a priest in the old days—with its wood head fashioned in the shape of a scorpion’s dual pincers, its opposite end a scorpion’s stingers. His pale and withered face was largely covered in bandages, save his cracked lips behind which lay rotted teeth and his left eye, which simmered with a necrotic green energy.
The other rider behind him was only slightly less rotted, yet did not hide his decay behind cloth. Atop his skull he wore a banded crown with a gold scarab centerpiece, and his thin form was adorned with light scale armor painted gold, turquoise, and carmine. The lifted collar that curved backwards around his neck was gold in material, and from his mount’s saddle hung a thick khopesh nearly the size of a child. On the opposite side was a carved greatshield that might’ve been mistaken for a door. They were the old kings of these lands, and they retain their strength even long after death…
But something else stood out to Saladyn as well—or rather, its absence.
"I was under the impression I would speak to Settra." The sultan called out.
"Emperor Settra is busy." The former of the two riders hissed, and Saladyn could’ve sworn he caught a glimpse of some dark smog escaped from the priest’s lips. Saladyn prepared a response but before he could speak it, the other rider grew closer. His horse’s snout peeked from the shadow’s edge and he saw how bright the sun was against the stark whiteness of bone. Is this the fate that awaits us all?
"My father has sent me to speak for him." He spoke higher than the priest, yet still his voice was strained, as though his vocal cords were pulled taut and could be snapped at the slightest stress. But somewhere beneath that, beneath all the years that had eaten away at his flesh, was a young man.
"Prince Khemu." Saladyn gave a gracious nod. "It is an honor to speak with you."
"I wish I could say the same." Khemu admitted. "But you are a usurper." He had a regal and gracious way of speaking, as though he was being polite even as he insulted you to your face.
"My family has held these lands for a thousand years," he responded, offended.
"And mine for thousands before that, until your ancestors stole our kingdom and put us to death."
Saladyn grimaced and then shook his head. Arguing rights and ownership would lead them nowhere, so he advanced the conversation on his own. "I have come bearing terms of peace. The first regards—"
"We are familiar with your terms. We have chosen not to accept them."
The Sultan narrowed his eyes. "Then why have you come..?"
"To display but a fraction of our strength," Khemu answered honestly, "and to grant you a gift, courtesy of my gracious father, the rightful pharoah of the Sunset Lands."
"A gift?" Saladyn’s curiosity got the better of him and before he could help it, the words had blurted from his mouth. A grave and wicked smile cracked upon Price Khemu’s face.
"An offer. There will be no terms of peace. Leave these lands in exile and once, and order your garrisons to throw down their arms and accept the return of their rightful rulers. We do not wish to shed the blood of our subjects."
Saladyn was taken aback. "Prince Khemu, I—"
"You will accept this offer if you are smart, boy."
"I’m giving you an opportunity to live out the rest of your days in peace, unperturbed, with your family. That’s much more than your ancestors ever granted me or my parents. Think on it, sultan. But think fast, for when we approach the gates of our cities, it will be with more then what you see here…"
The ground rumbled violently. It was all Saladyn could do not to fall from his horse and from a distance behind him, he heard the confused and panicked cries of his soldiers. Near the rear of the army, two colossal forms rose from the sand. What the Sultan at first thought to be hills revealed their true forms: towering giant skeletons, donning heavy armor and wielding weaponry the size of buildings.
But that was not all; merely seventy feet away from where the three met emerged from the earth a massive creature. Adorned in armor was the skeletal remains of…
Of…
Saladyn’s heart plummeted. The beast reared up to its hind legs and spread its wing membranes, the memory of a shriek erupting from its opened maw. It was said that these creatures bore power so intense that even their voices echoed throughout time longer after the vocal cords rotted away, but he had never believed such things until now, looking up the reanimated corpse of a fearsome dragon. Behind him, he heard his advisor wail.
What a sorry sight he must’ve been. The supposed ruler of the vast Sunset Lands, wide-eyed and quailing in fear. Prince Khemu did not grace him with so much as a smile as he offered his parting words: "Think on my offer. This is your only warning." The priest only sneered at him as the two turned and rode back to their army.
Do you believe in 'Gravity'?
Astil
"There's also the fact that if a shapeshifter was behind this and the rumors are true, G.E.M. would've been cleared out by now for sure. Still, it wasn't that bad a guess. Just a very unlikely one.", Kirue says, not being too harsh on Roxas for his guess.
"And yeah, as Sylvie says, can we get our hands on those Gummiphones? Having a few of them would be really handy.", Yazur points out. The Deliderp hops out of his arms and sits down on the ground.
Apparently it wants to sit for a bit.
-
Usually Iris' response to a question like that would be a cheery/teasing 'nope!'. But she's taking this situation seriously, and as such her answer is equally serious.
"I want to do whatever I can. These people got hurt by my artifacts. Saving G.E.M. could be the first step to making things right, even if that puts me at risk."
This is clearly important to her. As shown by the fact that she, in such a short period of time, has already put effort into thinking of contingency plans in case things go awry. Considering her usual battle strategy is just 'throw attacks around', that says something.
Gerudo Desert
Thankfully thieves have an easier time seeing in storms and darkness, especially if they have a torch, allowing Sally to more safely lead Natasha forward.
"I hope he's alright."
"He better have a good reason for being out here in this weather because if we went looking for him for no real reason he's not gonna be alright when I'm done with-", Sally grumbles, though is interrupted by the sound and flash of Bolting.
"... count his lucky stars, he'll be safe from my wrath after all.", she says as she prepares for battle.
The two move in a bit deeper, unable to do much from their current spots.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
King of the Monsters
Astil
"A pair of chipmunks, Chip and Dale, invented the Gummiphone. You'd have to come to our reality to get one for yourselves."
"..."
Roxas shrugs. "I mean, it shouldn't take that long to go in, grab a few and come back. A few minutes, maybe."
Gerudo Desert
The ladies push through the storm to find Tremont clashing with a group of the Agents of the End Times. Among the ranks of the usual beorc and laguz are, peculiarly, some shortish, large-headed folk with pointy ears and tentacles for hair, wielding guns that shoot red ink.
Tremont is drenched in it and notably isn't moving from his spot, keeping his aggressors at bay with his spells. He shoots a rapid-fire barrage of air blades with Arcwind, and the Octolings scatter to avoid them.
One throws a triangular prism-shaped object full of ink. Tremont casts Elfire to blow it out of the air, revealing it to be a bomb of sorts as the impact makes it burst in a wide area.
And at the back of the enemy lines stands a bipedal Mini-Mecha, a pale-skinned female wolf laguz resting in the exposed chassis. Her arms and legs fit into sheaths that connect to those of the machine.
"Tremont!" RF!Anna ejects from her Hawk and makes a Three-Point Landing in full power armor by the boy's side.
"Oh, come on..." The wolf laguz girl sneers.
"Wait, don't step in the ink!" Tremont protests. "It sticks to you and slows you down!"
"As if I care." RF!Anna brings forth her Morph Weapon, shifting it into Bow form, and takes aim with it.
"He's gearing up for war."
Chrysos - The Drought
"RAB~!" |Let's go everyone! Let's get it built!| Luna let out a rousing cry. She's determined to see this well come together and is pumped up! Seeing all of them coming together for a greater cause is something Luna can learn from in the future as a leader.
Luna quickly exits the hideout, wanting to get a good viewing point of the others working. She settled on a large rock that was in the sun and lays down, relaxing. The mascot just gets to relax and be cute, while the others do the rest. Luna lays there, enjoying the rays of the sun on her white fur, making her look like she was glowing.
"Oh great, these guys a-why do some of them wear squids on their heads.", Sally mumbles.
"It doesn't matter much right now, we should help out!", Natasha says and, after hearing Tremont's warning about the ink, drawing a Levin Sword and sending a bolt of lightning towards the Octolings.
Sally, meanwhile, brings out the Meisterbogen and shoots four arrows, each one towards a different enemy.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
The Troubled Replicator
DM Post: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=14315151240A21923900&page=15474#comment-386831
Previous Post: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=14315151240A21923900&page=15473#comment-386812
Ashes of Nohr
Moonrise Crypt - RECON
Charlian started to attain the flow of this battle as he and his teammates launched a coordinated assault on the Demented Spirit, and he almost felt bad if not for the fact that Takumi is a flaming madman right now.
What actually made him feel a little bad is watching Corrin ripping Takumi's head off, something he did not expect to happen so quickly. "Wha-" Charlian-Siltcurrent's mouth ended up biting onto a headless corpse, prompting him to let it go before transforming back into a human, dismissing the abnormality replication. He's... dead? Just like that? The young man can't help but stare at the headless corpse for a moment as he wiped his mouth.
...I suppose that's just what happens in a mission like this, not to mention us attacking him all at once. This was never going to end in anything but an ugly way. Charlian took out his Tie Bian again as soon as Gunter mentioned a horde of necromites and another Demented Spirit approaching their location. Realizing that now is a good time to replicate powers that can deal sufficient radiant damage, Charlian decided to use the power of a Greek deity.
As soon as the replication is done, a multitude of changes happened all at once, with his weapons and equipment changing first. The tie bian is now imbued with light as well as the edges of his long coat, which now leisurely floats in the air like a cape in a gentle breeze. Charlian himself experienced a number of changes as well, with his hair growing longer and brighter and his entire body radiating an aura of light. He also began to don a confident smile, and he now acts like a completely different person than the humble, cautious young man he was a moment ago.
The Replicator has gained the power of Apollo, the God of Light. However, what he has now is akin to the boons granted by said god rather than the full divine might of Apollo, since he has never actually seen the latter. Still, he gains a variety of useful benefits that will help him take down the necromites, which is exactly what he's going to do next.
Charlian immediately charged in and intercepted the horde without an ounce of fear. Swinging his tie bian, now wreathed in light, he swept through a group of necromites with ease, crumbling their necrotic flesh with a sun god's radiance while deftly avoiding the exploding sword, landing in front of Corrin by riding the momentum of the blast after jumping. This sequence of actions, combined with Charlian's glowing hair and coat fluttering as he moves with incredible speed and finesse, is truly a sight to behold.
"Don't worry, Beruka! I shall brush this unruly crowd aside-" The young man called out as intercepted a few necrotic bolts coming their way, neutralizing them with his light. "-and escort you to safety!" After that, he attacked the undead with renewed fervor, helping Corrin and Beruka cleave through the horde and get to a place where they can safely get back to the castle.
Apollo's Radiant Image:
- The tie bian's striking power is greatly enhanced.
- The tie bian is shrouded in a sheath of light, greatly extending its reach.
- His movement speed is now enhanced and can Daze nearby enemies when sprinting.
- After breaking an enemy's defense (e.g. armor, barrier), the power of his next attack is doubled.
- When parrying an enemy's attack perfectly, temporarily blind them with an intense flash of light.
- All damages dealt (even strikes using his fists and feet) are now radiant as well as physical.
- All his attacks are strengthened by a small significant degree until he is struck.
- An aura of light constantly surrounds him, earning him the ire of the wretched undead but simultaneously make them more inclined to keep their distance.
Edited by cyzja922 on May 11th 2024 at 4:07:26 AM
"I know you're here, Kenjaku. You big fucking nerd. Where's my goddamn cheese?"
Ashes of Nohr
LIBRARY
Once again Karzon and Dracus leave the book puzzle to the others. If the Necromites are alerted, Dracus will move in to defend against them shield-first, and any Necromites he ends up blocking will be at risk of getting bashed in the face by Karzon's spiked flail. They'll try to work together to take care of one side of incoming Necromites, but may still require allies to defend them against the magical ones.
However, if the Necromites are alerted more slowly, the two will move towards the Stranger and prepare for their defend-attack combo from that spot instead.
Regardless of the scenario, they're more than happy to do the fighting while some of their allies figure out the more complicated stuff.
—
TRANSFORMERS
Even after what Gunter says, Vladek doesn't seem willing to lower his blade. However, he doesn't recklessly strike either.
"If you have nothing to hide, then you should have no objections to coming with us." , Vladek says, motioning with his sword to make it clear what he means. He doesn't want Kaa to have any opportunity to attack them in the back, he wants the ability to keep an eye on her, at least for now. Granted, he also doesn't look like he's going to actually attack her, not unless his current allies agree with that too.
"As for friends, I have none. But if you cooperate, we can perhaps be allies." , he says in an attempt to persuade her to come along with them as he begins following Leonidas.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
"Very well. But if they learn of your true nature and turn against you, promise me you'll get the Hel out of there," Thor replies. "Hopefully, G.E.M. won't commit to hunting you down in that scenario."
-
Loki and Sylvie stare at Xion when she reveals who invented the Gummiphone.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Suddenly, an alligator Loki doesn't sound all that outlandish."
In the short time he had known Beruka, Red Hood immediately had her pegged as someone who made Bruce look like a jovial prankster by comparison. As such, he decides to take her word for it without question before following alongside the group.
"So much for a simple recon mission," he remarks. "Though 'simple' probably goes right out the window and dies on impact whenever Kenjaku's involved."
Dispelling his All-Blade, Jason brings the AK-47 he packed to bare, uses the shield Beruka summoned for cover, and begins firing into the crowd of necromites. All the while, he keeps an eye out for the second Demented Spirit Gunter had warned the group about.
-
Hoping that the necromites wouldn't immediately start attacking, Bucky proceeds to collect a couple of non-cursed books, making sure to save one for Rumia when everyone eventually regroups.
-
After a moment, Vi offers Kaa a gauntleted hand up.
"Hey, don't let this guy here give you any wrong ideas," she says, gesturing to Vladek. "I wasn't planning to kill you, kid."
Edited by IchigoMontoya on May 11th 2024 at 7:09:18 AM
The New The Guy
Wiz presses the blue books as they had been on the shelf, letting them slide in as he watched the others do the same. Though, he wasn't all that surprised when completing the puzzle had caused the shelf to open up into a secret compartment. That's how most secret bookshelves went, didn't they? Although he was a bit shocked by what was inside... Looked almost like some twisted lab, what with the books and other paraphernelia... And these... corpses.
"Eugh..."
Wiz walks towards the table with the dead Pixies, poking one of them with his staff. He flinches upon doing this, as if the creature would somehow spring to life upon contact. Of course, this did not happen. Wiz was just overthinking after all. There were more important things at hand. Which, were just about to be acknowledged. He finally decides to move away from this crime against nature... looking around at the rest of the room before his eyes land on the books — this was where everyone else was. So, he moves his hands across the books, eventually settling on "The Familiar Strange". It looked interesting... Who knows what he could learn from it? Armory
Seems like just as the party had been waiting to enter the Armory, a demented spirit has as well... The Knight. He could hear the commotion that was being made here, and wasted no time in order to complete his mission. He was a man of few words after all. No need for niceties — just get the job done. He moves forward with purpose, grabbing a miscellaneous sword from the armory walls as he heads towards the party. He does try to be a bit sneaky however, hiding in the crowd and getting behind one of the party members.
He'd eventually settle on "Pyra", because she did that big attack and it caught his attention. If someone like that was on the team... It would be better for him to get rid of something like that first. And so, he tries this, once getting close enough he'd lunge, attempting to choke her out as he tackled her to the ground.
Edited by Merokoheroko on May 12th 2024 at 7:26:21 AM
I'm finally a big boy!
Zamba
Library
What?
Zamba noticed how the book on the table began to glow, and shortly after Gunter stopped talking, it exploded. It's a good thing he wasn't holding the book, or else he could have gotten something worse than an afro.
Anyways, Zamba grabbed another book (this time, a normal one), puts it on his backpack, and follows Wiz to the secret library.
There, he picks the book about lanterns, and reads it.
I have to take this book to the orb, but again, who have it?
Drought
The Ant-Men hear Lupin's explaination about Groudon. One of them peeks over the thief's shoulders.
Migafor: Hey, here it says Bug resists Ground attacks, we have the upper "ground" on this!
But then, they notice Chihiro standing with them.
Garofalo: Hey lady, are you with us in this?
Edited by BombonBombin on May 12th 2024 at 4:44:06 AM
Rumors about my death were greatly exaggerated... Yet.
Laxin, Sith Emperor
Jax
The sudden freedom of no longer being restricted is something Jax can immediately distinguish, and a smile as wide as the Shuriman desert spreads across his face; twirling his lamp overhead with a boisterous chuckle; beyond that tiny instant, Jax has no time to rejoice. Reacting quickly to the impending explosion, Jax plants his lamp into the dirt, using it to vault himself high into the air and away like a pole vault. The instant Jax lands, the Grandmaster at Arms rushes toward Data Monty, suddenly compelled to use an item he didn't know he had.
Withdrawing the group potion and pouring it onto his mask to activate its effects, Jax tosses the empty vial aside, clasping both hands around his lamp and raising it overhead. Outside, Jax's menu suddenly navigates to Leap Strike, activating it as he sails toward Data Monty from above with a wallop of a strike.
Raex
Raex's posture straightens at Narktus's assertion, the swelling, burst pustule of righteous fury's flow refusing to taper, the templar staring headlong at Narktus with a visual focus, yet his mind bounces about, swimming through his anger like an animal of prey dragged to the depths, wild, uncontrolled, desperate. Raex raises his voice to further than a shout, a clanging echo of fury in each sound passed from his lips.
"My rage is not blind, it is RIGHTEOUS. You have stolen the demon from me, hiding her like a shepherd! The sheep you guard is naught but a ravenous wolf, dripping putrid vile from her terrible maw, an infectious bite that would cripple more than one world."
Taking off faster than I can powerwank with twelve sentences and ridiculous vocabulary, Raex appears before Narktus with a pair of clenched fists, billowing with divine energy, his blinding aura far behind him at his original position. Still, between moments, it begins to move back to Raex. Raex strikes at Narktus with high-aimed blows, swift, full-bodied jabs, and elbow strikes make up the bulk, a few high-kicks in the mixture for good measure.
Despite giving up his buff, Raex's blows are significantly more potent than before. If Narktus were struck or used his hands to parry or block any of the templar's blows, his anger was spelled in each strike, his emotions strong enough to leave an imprint in every motion. An echo that further drew attention.
Edited by KrampusTheTherapist on May 12th 2024 at 2:57:48 AM
Men have regrets
Divine Burden
Kana is glad to see the princess grow into her role, she really is. But she think it's also kind of sad that she should be taking such a mantle at such a young age. Having to led her terrified citizen through the ruins of her hometown was probably not a great experience for her - just a day ago, perhaps that scenario was one she'd think of in her worst nightmare, but would happily dismiss as never having a chance of occurring.
And yet... here she stood, and perhaps it was still not her "worst nightmare" due to the presence of Ladwin and the others. And luckily for them, it seemed like they had a plan to help the survivors-soon-to-become-refugees. Kana was glad to be helping the weakest amongst the group. And though she was a bit reluctant with transforming her arms -since they could be creeped out- and lacked the space to enter her dragon form, she still spread her wings, the process all too natural for her.
Her wings spread to the side, allowing the refugees to grasp unto them for support if needed. And Kana herself held her hands out for people to grab - she had the strength to endure helping quite a few people crawl along. And even if she lacked that strength, she wasn't going to give up on them.
Let's go.
Fallout 2? More like Fallout 2 bad.
King of the Monsters
Raex
Narktus sighs. "Your crusade will doom even more worlds than mine."
He lets Raex pummel him, feeling the anger in every blow and getting a measurement of it. Still, his armor remains steadfast, unbroken.
"But...if you insist..."
He warps away the Ultima Weapon and throws a single punch back. A punch driven by his own hatred. Hatred against not just a species, but an entire reality. Hatred at abandonment and extinction, at watching his world turn to a desert and his family die one by one. Hatred at the blind fool responsible for it all. Hatred at those above who watched, knew, and would not do anything to help. Hatred at the creator, who unceremoniously saddled him with the responsibility of the power to begin and end worlds and vanished never to be seen again. Even hatred at the young man who created his story, gave him this tragic past, and knowingly set him up as the villain with no plan for a happy ending.
Did you know the basis for Narktus was just the idea of a villain who read the Evil Overlord List? All the nuance came after, bit-by-bit, in spontaneous bursts of inspiration.
The moment this punch connects, all hell will break loose.
Gerudo Desert
"They're not just wearing things... They're like laguz of another world!"
There are human enemies, too, ones who deflect Meisterbogen's arrows with more "standard" weaponry. The Agents of the End Times charge in...
and, one grueling battle later, lie defeated before the heroes.
The enemy leader, exhausted and deprived of her mech, grips a tonfa and thrusts at RF!Anna, only for her to Punch Catch it. "Do you know the meaning of the word 'retreat', Vanilla?"
The girl, RF!Vanilla, strikes with her other tonfa, but RF!Anna isn't visibly affected at all. "Guess not." She promptly decks RF!Vanilla's lights out.
The Drought
"Okay, okay, everyone. I'll give your ideas some thought, but for now let's get back to our first objective: building the well."
And so the well construction is underway.
...
A few days pass. It turns out Inspector Zenigata is in town on suspicion of Lupin III being here. Fortunately, he never said his name in public, and the Committee are able to avoid telling him, so the well work continues unabated.
By the time something new happens, the body of the well has been built and the pipes are about a third of the way there.
When the Committee regroup in Lupin's lair at around noon, they find something strange inside—a fancy door standing against the wall. It's not built into the wall, it's next to it. And it courses with magic.
On the front of the door is a sign depicting a cat holding a banner in its mouth with the Japanese words 養殖の猫や (Yōshoku no Nekoya).
◊
And, of course, Lupin is waiting next to the door. "Who wants a lunch break? My treat."
Ashes of Nohr
Library
The mysterious figure walks toward the library's visitors, unfazed by the surrounding Necromites. Gunter's attempted control seems to have some kind of effect, but he'll find his powers resisted by the sheer audacity of this bitch.
Their shield suddenly swings out and bashes one of the approaching undead monsters in the face, with such speed and strength the wind in the wake of the swing blows their own hood down.
Oh shit. It's Link.
After impaling the Necromite to make sure it re-dies, he nonchalantly turns his attention back to the group, leveling the Master Sword at them with a cheeky grin. Karzon and Dracus have made the mistake of getting the closest.
—
Armory
As someone who followed orders for most of his life until he finally got sick of corrupt leadership and forged his own path, the urgency in Gunter's command only makes Thel 'Vadam less inclined to do what he's told. He commands the Hunters to charge in, bringing their shields down on the Necromites in destructive slams while skirting around the three sapient, rational creatures.
Edited by KiriK on May 12th 2024 at 4:35:36 AM
"He's gearing up for war."
fuck.
Armory
Mark nods at Salazar remark but waits for everyone to go down so he can go off on his own mini-adventure across this whole ordeal, the chaos can be used to his advantage shortly as he goes forward and continues along the hidden way and straight for the Armory, hoping to find something to take down those things inside the Crypt for good.
He hears Gunter's command and just shrugs it off
"Yada yada I'll go get something to make them eat shit faster."
Let's just hope the door can be opened from that side too.
Edited by BoniniBanana on May 12th 2024 at 11:56:22 PM
real
Albaz - Mission
As expected, Albaz is bombarded by Desghidorah and Mugendramon once again. The dragon remains relatively unfazed, even with the scars all over his body, and sets himself aflame before unleashing a meteor swarm breath all over Desghidorah.
Vanilla Cream Sherbet - Drought
Vanilla properly introduces herself.
"Name's Vanilla. Vanilla Cream Sherbet. Like Lupin said, I can fight back Groudon with a bit of my magic. Just tell me what to do, kay."
Ecclesia - Ashes of Nohr
Ecclesia falls flat on her butt as a result of Takumi's attack on the recon group. Despite that earlier clumsiness, she attempts to get into position as a result of Gunter's warnings. Silly girl!
Noticing the stranger in front of her eyes, Ecclesia silently waves at him and whispers, "Hi... What are you doing here?"
Edited by josh6243 on May 11th 2024 at 10:22:22 AM