Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[Mercenary on the Winds]

ENEMY PHASE TURN 8!

Cyro was reeling from Alriana's attack, but after a moment, he welled up his strength. This battle wasn't over yet. Not yet!

Cyro switches to Arcthunder and engages Versaris at range! 

[10, 84] [73] 

Cyro's magic flared, and with one well placed lightning bolt, Versaris was blasted backwards, no ambiguity on whether or not the man remained conscious as he hit the ground with a loud thud. 34 damage! Versaris is downed! 

"See!? Worthless material yet to be salvaged! I'll put all of you in your rightful place!"

"What the fuck?!" The man exclaimed as the Kitsune literally vanished from his grasp. Cyro was getting tag teamed by two of the attackers, and two of the others dealt with their support handily. He grimaced, and then, Cyro fought back, electrifying the area with a powerful blast that silenced the taunting swordsman. He had to follow that up, he charged past the priest, and into the open channel, fighting Aegean open, "You'll have to do..." 

Hero attacks Aegean! 

[80, 78] 

The man's blade fell perfectly, the woman was finished, there was nothing more that he would have to do--except when his blade connected, there was a flash of light from the necklace around her neck. He felt his blade have more resistance against the clouded, and when he finished, he could tell that it wasn't over... Aegean's Bond Necklace activates! Lessening damage from 22 to 17!

Monk 2 carries on the fight against Cinead! 

[30, 98] Monk 2 adds his light to the flames around Cinead, dealing 13 damage! 

Mage 5 aims to follow up at close range! 

[72, 66] But even at point blank range, his wild bolt does not find the very large target! Miss! 

Cinead tilts his head, and punches anyway!

[54, 41] Cinead slaps the shit out of Mage 5, but he's still standing! 17 damage!

Cinead gains 8 EXP, and +1 brawling EXP!

Myrm 1 engages Ren!

[82, 20], and [41, 14] The man approached, and unlike the others, his sword was quick, fast, and deadly. The first slice was clean, almost cleaner than he'd expected or intended, and the 2nd... the cleric seemed to... melt away? "...What the hell??" The man staggered back as he expected the cleric to die, not to... start turning into a pile of goo? Pink-ish goo? 28 damage! Ren is downed! 

Cav 6 engages Tanya! 

[5, 96] The man's silver lance, punched right through Tanya's guard dealing 7 damage! 

Tanya counters! 

[86, 17], [38, 17] Tanya's first attack is narrowly dodged, but a quick followup achieved what the first could not! 20 damage! 

Tanya gains 14 EXP, and +1 Lance EXP!

Cav 5 throws a Javelin at Miria! 

[86, 72] The javelin fell short, must not have been holding it correctly, or something. Miss! 

Miria counters

[38, 19], [74, 14] Miria's flame empowered gusts both connected, but the rider was barely able to hang on! 26 damage!

Miria gains 8 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP!

In the midst of the struggle, footsteps appeared from elsewhere. Luthier returned into the room from which he left, to see Cyro blast the elf to the ground, and one of their men nearly deal with the mermaid from earlier. "Cyro! It is... time for us to go now. Come!" 

"What!? But I'm, winning! We'll kill them all and take back what's ours!" Cyro caught himself, he'd never talked back to Luthier before. Perhaps the adrenaline from his fight with whoever this elf was had sent him over the edge. "Grrrr... Fine, fine! We're leaving! Landon, with me!"

Luthier raised an eyebrow, "Ha. Perhaps... there's more inside of you... But we can deal with that later. Is he, Landon then? Yes, I think you too can be salvaged. We cut our losses for now... if he's here, then there is nothing that can be done. We've lost ground here, but it can be reclaimed in the future."

"Wha-- Sir?"

"Rejoice, Landon. Cyro thinks well of your work, and so, we will all live today..." Luthier shot the group a look, but didn't say anything more, before all three of them together vanished from sight.

Luthier, Cyro, and the Hero, now named Landon, have all retreated from the map! 

[GoldsbroTSG]

"R-Ren!" Miria couldn't tell what was happening to their little healer. Why did they turn to goo? Was that the sword or, were they actually a clouded or monster? Miria didn’t have time to think about it, a Javelin came her way, that she was able to avoid, and responded accordingly with two quick slashes to the cavalier that threw it. He wasn’t the priority, Ren's safety was... or, maybe her remains are? Her rage started to become confusion, but... she kept her focus.

There was still more ahead of them even if it started to seem like the end of things. Hopefully someone else could take care of that swordsman for Miria. She ran to fight the Shaman hiding in the back.

Miria moves to 3,31 and Wind Edges the Shaman.

Edited September 12, 2023 by GoldsbroTSG

[Billy12510]

Key in hand, Syndra moved to... reappropriate the items the Underground was storing away. Better with us then them...

 

Syndra moves to 9-9 and unlocks the chest

[Xinnidy]

More people down... their numbers were thinning, however. It felt like the most imposing presences were leaving, and the remaining numbers were thinning quick. He could feel the rush draining away... but he had targets still. A few stragglers, and he wasn't in much danger if he joined the others there. The east seemed covered... that's where aly and tasha were, at any rate.

Üllr to 14,26, equip chakrams, apply the last bit of his vulnerary.

[Bluemask 96]

"RRRRRRAAAAAGGGHHHHHHH" Gean felt her entire body seize up as the partner to Cyro threw his attack at her, then that same warm feeling ran through her body. Saved by you again huh? Aunty sure put her work into this thing. Staring back at the Hero "You'll... have to do... better than that!" There would be no rebuttal to her, the coward had returned- only to warp this Landon and Cyro away. She breathed a sigh of relief, before noticing that someone was on the floor. "Sari!" It hurt to talk again, joy. 

There were still enemies in the room, but with their leader gone they seemed to be like chickens without their heads. "Hey love we really need some healing here!" As Gean said that she made her way over to the cleric behind Aly. "But not from you."

Gean to 25-29 and deletes Cleric 3.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Bluemask 96

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx didn’t even have time to flash a lazy salute to Ferid before he was off to the main hall, and began to pick the lock on the other chest. “A’ight, lessee what’s in here…”

Nyx to (12,9) and open the chest

---

”Mraaaah…” Tanya grunted as the lance dug into her, before she could swing. That wasn’t much, but she didn’t want to take too many more hits. However, before that… they almost felt pink goo hitting them, and turned to see… nobody? But wasn’t Ren…

”No, no time to think about it. I can ask them about that later. For now… you’re all gonna pay for that. Now c’mere! This pretty kitty’s not done with you yet!”

 

Tanya stands where she is and finishes the job, attacking Cav 6!

[TheRoon]

The fox woman's show of affection nearly threw Renais off, but for a moment her dirty side took over and she let off some small groans of delight while her kimono slipped off her shoulder a little. "A-ah..." Now more than ever, she wished she could accelerate time to the point where they were in a bedroom with Gean again. Well, for the first time in this case, since this wasn't Mikoto. When the kitsune pulled away and explained herself, Renais looked her over with a very confused expression. The only thing she can say is: "...what?" So much had been said in such a short amount of time, it was almost like she forgot they were in a hectic situation...like Renais almost did!

"Miko-Kise...you'll have to explain this all later when we're safe with Gea-" Then, out of nowhere, sounds of thunder had went off just around the corner. Gean's scream also reached her, both made her wince and jump. "GEAN!" She turned to Kise. "I have to get back in there, I'll heal you and find a way to break your chains soon enough. But please, don't put yourself in danger. Just stay by my side." The Kise situation would have to wait, there was still clean up ahead of them. With her mind resolved (and clean for the moment) the pinkette lead off back into the room. She took stock of the situation, Sari was in severe need of healing again, but Renais couldn't reach him for now. "Hang in there!" She called out to him and turned to Gean. "I'm here!"

Renais rushes back into action and moves 26, 24, to Mend Gean!

Edited September 12, 2023 by TheRoon

[Nanami Touko]

"Awwww... But, that's a pretty good reason to have to get back to things~ Don't mind me, I'll be find. They'd have to do so much more than they did to truly kill me." She smiled sweetly as Renais ran off, quickly hopping to her feet and idly rattling her chains, walking after the girl... Quietly, she began to sing to herself.

"There once was a healer in pink... She had so much further to sink. Fell hard for you; her feelings were true; for her, you'd push yourself to the brink~"

Kise to 25,25

Sari hadn't expected the man to be as powerful as Luthier, but the magic slammed into him harder than any weapon possibly could have, his strength leaving him and his legs collapsing, only held up by his sword, rammed into the tile, body dangling against it with a hand still on the hilt. "C... Cowards, get... back, here..." He slipped off his weapon and flopped into his side, deep breaths keeping him awake. "Just... Just, need to, rest. Just a moment... I'll, be... Be, fine..."

---

Syta wasn't sure what had just happened to Ren, watching their friend turn from Cleric, to red goo pile in two swings of a sword... There was no time to think, or even save(?) them, as another oddity was slithering into the room. "Wh-Whoa... What are... N-Nevermind, healing!"

Syta to 4,24, heal Miredy

"My oh my, what a mess... Oh! Thank you~ You must be the friends that the lovely red dragon was talking about. Alvira, I believe... Let me assist, then. Jane, hold tight. It's about to get a little bumpy..."

Miredy slid along the tiles with her thunder tome in one hand, Jane held tight in the other, quickly reaching and encircling the myrmidon, her whole body spinning around him as her tail got closer in a final attempt to squeeze him tight and blast him with magic! "Shaaaaaa!"

Miredy to 3,27, embrace the myrm with thunder

"Oh, my goodness! Can I even heal that!?" Lucy watched someone turn into goop, quickly rushing over and... attempting, to put the goo back together? "What in the hell...?"

"tHanK, yOu...!" Ren's voice, distorted, spoke out from the mess on the floor, slowly coming together as it was showered in healing magic, forming the shape of the little Cleric once more. 

"Whaaaa, whawhawhaaaa...!?"

Lucy to 1,28, panic Mend Ren????

Marigold was too lost in her battle urges to pay attention to the splattery, turning on another foe and pulling her poleaxe out. "Come on! COME ON! Can't any of you fight me properly!? Can't any of you kill me already!? Not even your damn muscle bound idiot could lay his fingers on me, hurry up and kill me!"

Marigold charge 4,29, iron poleaxe the cav, it's about sending a message

"Everyone!" Alvira was so relieved to see so many familiar faces, even if some seemed in trouble. "Gotta keep helping them fight! Get in there Alvy!"

Alvira to 3,25

Edited September 12, 2023 by Nanami Touko

[scorri]

Cin heard the sounds of battle and distress behind him, but he had to focus on what was ahead. These magic users were an annoyance and would need to be removed. "Lani, let's keep moving forward. The others have our back."

Cin to 9-28, steel gauntlet the monk

[Ursali]

Alriana's movement came to a temporary halt as the mage blasted Versaris with magic nearly equivalent to the monster's, eyes wide as Versaris slumped onto his sword before falling onto the cool tile. "I will KILL you!" She snarled at Cyro, glaring death at the mage as she reached for another dagger. Before she could do anything she could regret, the monster returned from it's cowering and cemented its cowardice by announcing it was acting on the plan to retreat. In the brief moment they bickered the lizard had aimed another dagger at Cyro, but as she went to toss the trio all vanished in front of her eyes and she had no idea where they had gone.

She needed an outlet for the surge of murderous intent she'd felt towards the mage and Gean had just taken one such target away. The only acceptable target left in the room was the individual gunning for the lockbox in the back. They would have to do.

Aly to 29, 29 Iron Dagger Thief 3.

Edited September 13, 2023 by Ursali

[JakezuGD]

"You think you're going to win because you took down one of a dozen and then some hungry beasts? I didn't take you for an idiot, Cyro." His name was laced with venom, a man Tasha so very much wanted to rid the world of right about now. But she wasn't given the chance, even with how difficult it would've been when Gean needed help too, as Luthier came in to snatch the lot of them away, retreating from the decrepit fort... "Damn it! This isn't over, you bastards... next time we meet, it'll be your head rolling on the floor! Come on, we've got no time to stop! Crush the rest of them and don't let anyone escape!" If they could secure the area, taking care of the wounded came easy. Providing as much cover as possible while getting rid of the scurrying vermin was now their priority.

Natalya moves to 22-29 and equips her .303.

More enemies came into Ferid's sight as he strode up the stairs and into the main hall, a mage and their friends, the sounds of combat becoming clearer on both sides. He was still needed here, and if they decided to attack him instead of the other wolf just ahead, he'd be certain to put a few holes in their heads for the effort.

Ferid moves to 13-23 and equips his revolver.

[Nanami Touko]

Meanwhile, back at the compound...

Tio slowly slid open the door to their room, making sure to not disturb Elisa. She was, still terribly exhausted; Tio had slept the day away yesterday, drained herself almost completely on completing that resonance item for the Tigers to go and rescue Mikoto and Alvira. Hopefully, the others had told the group that she'd gone to rest instead of collapse, the Tigers needed only to focus on the underground, and not worry about her wellbeing. She'd be fine by the time they returned, or fine enough. Tio looked up at the moon above, shimmering high in the sky similar to when they had been assaulted by the underground, hopefully by now the Tigers were giving then a taste of their own medicine. It was still warm, but the night air was certainly less oppressive during the day, which had to be a part of why Tio found Iris outside, gazing up at the stars.

She and Alriana had been quiet on their journey, clearly handling the heat worse than most and it was most pronounced with Iris--she was almost always a ball of boundless energy and excitement. Though, during the attack, Iris had... lost it for a lack of a better word, and after that, she'd turned down the option to go with the Tigers. Tio sighed, and slowly wandered her way over to Iris, "It's a better evening than most, I suppose. What are you doing out here, Iris? Keeping watch?"

Iris was watching the moon, almost unblinking, lost in her thoughts-- interrupted only by Tio's approach, snapping back to look at her. Her eyes were wide for a moment, almost feral, her irises as thin as slits, but as the surprise wore off, so did the look, blinking a few times and going back to normal. "Ah... Tio. Uhm... Sort of. I'm... No, not really. I'm doing a lot of thinking. About myself. About Alriana. About what, we are... I..."

She sighed, her shoulders sinking some. "What, are we? I know we were made... I know who made us-- or at least, had a hand in it. But, why did they make us? What for? ... When I'm fighting. Using my claws, it's fine. Nothing bad happens, but... When I flip this open and start channeling my magic," she held her flux tome out, closed, but showing it to make things make sense, "when I use this, I start to... To hear a voice. It's not aggressive. It's not feral, or angry... It's calm. It's smooth. It almost feels caring. And it tells me how to use it better. Where peoples' joints are weakest. Where a flux spell would do the most damage. Calculated and cold... But with a hint of enjoyment."

She set the book down and turned fully to Tio, staring at her and sniffling some. "It's terrifying. Alriana... Please don't be mad at her. And don't tell anyone else... She, s-said that she hears one too. I don't know if hers is any different... But, she said, not to listen. That I should ignore it. But it's... It's, so loud. It's in my mind; lt's like its my own thoughts with a different personality. What... What, should I do? I, I didn't go today... because I was so scared it would come back. What should I do...?"

Tio hadn't expected any of which Iris started to say, except for perhaps the end of her vent. Tio had her ideas about what she and Aly were--creations--but she was neither an expert, nor well versed in everything that hid in Lufiria. However, it was the mention of the voice that had Tio's intrigue the most, hopefully she didn't exhaust too quickly, "I... can't really answer that question, Iris." The older woman sat down opposite of Iris, but at a bit of a distance; the look in Iris's eyes when she turned to look at her was unlike Iris, and closer to the look she had when she was thrashing about against Ullr and Jesse. Tio was not well enough to defend herself completely, so she needed some space just in case.

"You say that the voice only shows up when you're using your magic?" Tio quickly wondered if there was something about the magic that was awakening something in her. "Mmm... You and Aly both hear a voice in combat... Did Aly tell you when she hears hers? Is it different in anyway? The simple answer would be for you to stop using your dark magic, but... we don't live in a simple world. So perhaps there are ways for you... to..." Tio sat back for a moment, "Damn it... I really wore myself out. I'm alright, just still exhausted from everything. As I was saying, perhaps there are ways to keep yourself from hearing the voice. Otherwise, your sister... is probably right to tell you not to listen to it." A voice guiding her to deal the most damage, harm people the most efficient way... that can't be just related to the magic. No, there has to be something else...

Iris didn't put much thought into their gap, assuming Tio just sat down because she was tired, quickly crawling a bit closer to make talking easier. "Uhm... no. She just, said that it was when she was fighting. I think it's when her emotions run really high, or... Or she gets hurt? Maybe...? Like, it makes her lash out harder. Worse. Makes her lose herself... I don't think I've ever lost myself, not completely... I think. I was pretty bad last night, but... I remember all of that, so I can't have slipped away entirely." She sighed, nodding.

"I, I can stop using it, if you think it'd help. I just... Mmh. It's really useful. And helpful. And keeps people safe... And I want to help and keep people safe. I just... Yeah. I don't listen to it, either way. No matter what it says... I saw a lot of other creatures like me. Not full on, but glimpses, and hearing them. They were always, so... Animalistic. Del always said I was his favorite because I wasn't like that. Because I wasn't aggressive. Because I wasn't a beast... I don't want to break."

Tio's eyes narrowed slightly as she mentioned Aly's voice, and her losing herself in the middle of combat. Tio had yet to see it herself, so she couldn't say one way or the other, but her thoughts were slowly becoming more and more plausible. "That's... concerning. Mmm... I can't say one way or the other, but if you can remember what happens when you get like that, I think that's a good start." Tio noticed that Iris had crawled closer, but, the look in her eyes from before was gone, and replaced with the look of a young woman who had no idea what to do. A young woman who didn't want to succumb to whatever was starting to plague her, "I think the only thing you can do right now, then, is to keep yourself in mind, and to use you magic sparingly. Stopping using it would probably help since it is the only trigger that you've mentioned, but again, the people who will come to kill you, or your sister aren't going to care about the voice in your head. So you'll have to do the best you can."

Tio sighed, she'd purposefully left this for last, but it was arguably the most important part of what she'd said, "You saw... others like yourself, and this Del, you mentioned him before, but only really in passing... what was he like?" The others were aggressive, and animalistic? So they... really are then... but, if she and Aly grew beyond that, then... Perhaps... Perhaps Jeremiah really is the only real person in our sphere that has the kind of information that can make sense of this all... If that's all true, then what would... the point of making monsters like that be?

Tio's advice made enough sense, and it was all that Iris could think of doing, anyway. "Mmm..." It she came up with anything else, she'd start doing it immediately. She liked being 'Iris'. She liked being who she was. "Oh, Del!?" Iris perked up immediately, smiling wide. "Heehee! He was my caretaker when I was at the facility. He was super nice. Like a dad, I think? He took care of me, taught me about all kinds of things. Animals, the world, family, familial love and all that... It was really nice. Those were my favorite days, whenever Del brought in books and just listened to my questions and answered whatever I wanted. He was... He was really nice. Mmm..." Iris sniffled again, shrinking further.

"But, he was a bad person, wasn't he? Because... That, Jeremiah guy. He came. With so many others. They killed them all... And if Del hadn't jumped in the way, he'd have killed me, too. It was just... All luck and circumstance. Jeremiah swung and, I guess Del had been running with me. It's a bit blurry... He jumped in the way, and was just... G-Gone." She teared up a bit and bit her lip. "A-And I... I panicked, and let the magic in my eyes out, against him. He, he turned to stone! I was free! But..."

She shriveled and sunk her lowest, shaking her head. "If Del and the rest were good people, then... They wouldn't have been attacked, would they? Unless Jeremiah is a bad person, but... But he doesn't sound like it. From the way Versaris talks about him... So what does that make me? Was I made to be 'bad'? Am I just... Defective? I don't know..."

Tio smiled at Iris's warm recollection of Del, and from the sounds of it, he sounded as if he was a normal person. Then, mention of the lab again, and the fact that Jeremiah and other came, and slaughtered everyone present. Well, most everyone, some escaped from the sounds of it, Iris, Aly, and this Grelbiria, so it could be assumed that others did as well. Tio sat back on her hands, feeling her exhaustion starting to come back, and looked up at the sky, "It's certainly possible that he was. We don't know what Del, and the others associated with him were doing, other than making all of you. Though... Your second question is why we simply can't answer that question yet. The way you talked about Del is the same way that Versaris talks about Jeremiah, isn't it? We can't say one way or the other who was right or wrong in this situation, because we don't know the truth about why you were all being made. So I don't think its possible to say... Well, that's not true," Tio tired smile returned to her face, "Even if you were made by a potentially bad person... have you done anything wrong, Iris? If you haven't, and don't want to, then what does it matter why you were made? I'd be willing to bet my title that I know Jeremiah understand that too."

Iris found her smile and looked up at Tio, nodding slowly. "Mm... Yeah. Yeah... I don't want to do anything bad. And I don't think surviving is a bad thing... I just wanna hang out with everyone, and be around Alriana, and play around with Ullr... Okay. Thank you, miss Tio. And I'm sorry about my comment on your tits from before." She nodded again, nonchalantly, turning and crawling away to stare at the moon again. "I feel a lot better... I'll try and sleep, soon. You should get more rest, too. You seemed really tired."

Tio blinked at how nonchalantly Iris slipped that last part in, before chuckling, "It's really not that much of a problem, Iris. They have a habit of standing out." She then sighed, as Iris returned to looking at the moon, "If you're feeling better, then I've done my... job. Mmm, I really overdid it... Just the consequences of straining my magic so soon after Mercuria's lovely audience... I'll be okay, this happens to everyone when they dip too far into their magical reserves... it's just rare for me because my reserves are rather vast. I'll try to get some more rest, thank you for your concern, Iris, and try to have a good evening. Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, we'll have everyone back in one piece."

[mcd900]

There was a lot - a lot - happening all around her. Panic, confusion, a clash behind her; but right now, she only had eyes for the enemy before her.

Laniva to 9, 27, Iron Greatsword Mage 5.

Edited September 16, 2023 by mcd900

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Miria engages Shaman 5 with the flaming Wind Edge! 

[74, 24] The first blade hits the shaman for 15 damage! 

Shaman 5 counters with a new dark spell! 

[3, 1] The darkness pulled at Miria, but unless of trying to crush her, it began to cause her armor to slowly lose its sheen, and start to crack. Miria pulled herself away, knowing that if that continued, she'd be finished in an instant. 24 damage! Miria's Defense and Res have both been lowered by -2 for two turns! 

Miria finishes knowing that she can't let that spell happen again! 

[67, 26] Miria launches another blade of wind to finish the man off! 15 damage! Shaman 5 felled! 

Miria gains 30 EXP, and +3 Sword EXP!

Nyx opens her chest, and finds a Secret Book inside! 

Syndra opens her chest, and finds a Wyvern Band inside!

Aegean silences Priest 3! 

[90, 5] Priest 3 wasn't ever on the map, we don't have any proof that he was here. Aegean sent it all to another realm. Critical! 84 damage!

Aegean gains 34 EXP, and +2 Axe EXP!

Aegean reaches level 9! 

5	54	86	41	37	10	20	61

+HP, Str, Skl, Spd, Lck, Def 

Tanya finishes the job against Cav 6! 

[16, 52] One more quick thrust, and Cav 6 was finished. 20 damage! Cav 6 felled! 

Tanya gains 38 EXP, and +2 Lance EXP! 

Renais uses Staff Technician and heals Gean! 

Renais heals Gean for 18 HP! 

Renais gains 19 EXP, and +3 Staff EXP! 

Syta heals Miredy for 5 HP! 

Syta gains 7 EXP, and +2 Weapon EXP!

Miredy rushes forward, and coils Myrm 1! 

Snake's Embrace activates, +3 Mt and +15 hit!

[49, 75] Miredy squeezes tight, and then looses a bolt of lightning, gripping the man tighter, until she was sure that the man had fallen unconscious! 24 damage! Myrm 1 is felled! 

Miredy gains 26 EXP, and +2 Thunder EXP! 

Lucy heals Ren(?) for 20 HP! 

Lucy gains 20 EXP, and +3 Staff EXP!

Lucretia reaches level 9!

15	7	3	73	25	25	50	63

+HP, Str, Mag, Def!

Marigold ties a message to her poleaxe and swings it at Cav 5!

[28, 53] Marigold made sure that her message came through loud and clear, by taking the rider, horse, and also a good bit of the stairs with her swing. 35 damage! Cav 5 is extremely felled! 

Marigold gains 30 EXP, and +2 Axe EXP! 

Cinead goes to slap Monk 2!

[87, 50], [46, 24] 

Cinead first backhands the monk, but before the man could fall to the ground, Cinead grabbed the scruff of the man's neck, and slapped him to the other side--out of their way--instead. 36 damage! Monk 2 felled! 

Cin gains 22 EXP, and +3 brawling EXP! 

Lani swings on Mage 5! 

[35, 36] Do I need to recount what happens here? Thunk. He died! 26 damage! Mage 5 felled!

Lani gains 26 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP!

Aly vents her anger on thief 3! 

[68, 3]

Aly threw her dagger so hard, that the dagger carried the thief to the wall, and pinned her there. There was no illusion as to whether they were still alive or not, but there they hung. Critical! 69 damage! 

Aly gains 18 EXP, and +2 Hidden EXP!  

Jeremiah moved onto the pad where a group of clouded, and humans seemed to be finishing their cleanup of the Underground. There were some minor injuries, but there looked to be plenty of healers about. He was more than content to let them continue their work, there would likely be more to do further inside. 

Jeremiah to 4, 25! 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds

[Mercenary on the Winds]

ENEMY PHASE TURN 9!

With their commanders gone, and their numbers thinning, the remaining underground members were little more than chickens with their heads cut off. What remained had only one hope: find some way to reach the caravan that should be waiting for them outside. That was their only hope now. 

The priest looked around, seeing their escape cutoff from every direction, and threw his staff to the ground, and raised his hands. Death was always on the cards, but at least in this case, he could go out on his own terms. There was no way he was slipping by this group, and there was a marginally higher chance of them letting him free. He had to take it. 

Priest 4 appears to surrender!

The looters had other idea, trying to skirt around, and hoping that their evasive maneuvers would be enough to get them through this. 

PLAYER PHASE TURN 10!

(You have this turn and next for Mastery, so we can basically call it cleared at this point) 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Given that the map is effectively over, the players have elected to speed through the remaining turns.

Cin, Lani, and Ullr all take one kill of the Priest, and two Thieves at the top. Also acquiring all of their items (Angelic Robe, Instructors' Manual, Barrier, and Pegasus Feather).

All three of the above reach their respective next level!

Cin to level 11: 

35	26	22	83	29	17	50	95

+HP, Str, Mag, Spd, Lck!

Lani to level 11: 

32	67	33	14	1	61	60	92

+HP, Str, Skl, Spd, Def! 

Ullr to level 10: 

37	37	63	69	30	25	23	7

+HP, Str, Spd, Def, Res!

Syndra will take both kills on the bottom two thieves. 

Syndra reaches level 8!

23	53	38	14	32	48	80	3

+HP, Mag, Skl, Spd, Res!

Lucretia heals Ren for 16 getting her back up to full HP!

Lucy gains 18 EXP and +3 staff EXP!

Ren then heals Miria for 15!

Ren gains 12 EXP, and +2 Staff EXP

And Syta heals Lani for 1! 

Syta gains 6 EXP, and +2 Staff EXP!

The Top Right Chest contains a Nosferatu Tome!

MAP CLEARED!

Ren is the lowest level dedicated healer, so she will take after action healing EXP! 

Heals Aegean for 2! 

Heals Alvira for 15!

Heals Renais for 2!

Heals Miria for 11! 

Heals Aly for 1!

Heals Nyx for 15!

Heals Syndra for 15!

Heals Cinead for 8!

Heals Ullr for 15 (Halved to 7 lmao) 

Heals Versaris for 15!

Heals Syta for 15!

Heals Marigold for 1!

Heals Kise for 16!

Ren gains +26 Staff EXP, and gains 131 EXP total! 

Ren reaches Level 9, and C rank staves!

2	42	3	15	91	4	92	40

+HP, Mag, Skl, Lck!

 

[Mercenary on the Winds]

With the defeat of the final thieves, the compound finally fell quiet, save for the heavy breathes of those who had come out on top. The Caravan realizing that no one would be making it to them turned tail and ran as fast as they possibly could; there was no reason to hold out hope, and risk their lives. Jeremiah moved to the end of the dock, and clicked his tongue, "Bastards. They may have left empty handed, but the fact that they still have hands is infuriating." He sighed, and then turned to the group, his green jacket flowing behind him, "I have to hand it to you all; you've handled this rather well. I have to assume that you're the Iron Tigers, or at least, associated with Alvira, yes? If that is the case, then I would like to speak with your commander. It would behoove us all to at least all meet up; I am assuming that you have other members further inside as well." 

[Nanami Touko]

The battle was finally over, Alvira's adrenaline starting to wear off. "These... Fucking... Hahh..." She didn't have the energy to remain angry, letting her remaining magic fade. She looked around, allies all around her. She was safe. This was over... This harrowing set of days was over. "... Tasha?" Alvira didn't bother stopping to speak with anyone present, looking around for their leader. Even Jeremiah wasn't a concern anymore. "Tasha!" She started walking further into the facility, hoping she'd catch sight of her, have her voice be heard, anything... "Tasha!!" She felt herself starting to cry, no fighting and bravery to cling onto anymore, the pain in her tail reminding her of how scared she'd been. "You're here, right!?"

Miredy watched Alvira start to walk off with a look of pity, slowly coiling herself up against a wall, away from the remains of the battle. "Hello, Jane~ It's okay, now. We're safe! Hurray~ Let's have you rest until these good people gather themselves, yes? I'll stay with you, so why don't you tell me about your favorite stories or songs? I'll do my best to tell you something you enjoy."

Lucretia did her best to... reform, Ren, the pile of goo coming together and forming itself into the shape of the cleric. The bouncy woman blinked several times, before slowly walking back towards Jeremiah, not wanting to interrupt, but... "So... Uh... I'm new to, monsters, Jerbear. Any that, do... That?" She pointed at Ren, who was shaking their head and slowly getting up.

"Uh... Ahaha. Ahem. Mm. Thank you for, healing me. I, uh... I will be happy to explain everything, but, er... once we've had time to rest and restore ourselves, yes?" Ren laughed awkwardly, knowing this would be a heavy explanation. They turned towards everyone else, quickly picking up their staff. "Let's take care of those wounds, yes?"

Syta had plenty of questions for Ren, but they could wait. "Lani!" She'd finally caught her breathe from Kisara's takeover, staff out towards the cat, healing anything else that might've been ailing her. "That was, uh... Amazing! Everything... And you're still okay! Still standing. Wow... Ah, we should... All regroup, yes?" Syta felt herself getting a bit red again, looking away from Laniva. "Uh, yeah. Uhm! Cinaed, right? You're okay? Anything that needs healing?" She needed the distraction.

Marigold sighed, swinging her axe to fling off some of the blood. "Another day. Still alive. These fuckers are worthless." She shook her head, hoisting the weapon onto her shoulder, putting a hand on her shoulder and pushing it back into place. "Swung that last one too hard... Mmm. Hey. Who're you, anyway?" Marigold lazily made her way towards Jeremiah, not sure what he was meant to be doing here. "You helped us kill these fuckers, so I don't have any reason to believe you're a piece of shit, but a name would be nice, yeah?" She looked him over, squinting a bit, tilting her head some. "Impressive looking bastard, at least..."

---

Versaris rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling, taking some deep breaths as the pain coursed through him. "Hahh... Alriana? You, alright...?" He called out for her, unable to raise his head and look. "Or, Renais? So I can... Get up, gahh... Hhn, that... Bastard, hh..." He took another deep breath and tried with every fibre of his being to force himself up... Getting about halfway to sitting before collapsing back down again. "Nope... Nope, after Luthier, that thunder magic was, t-too much... Hhn, Gods..."

[Bluemask 96]

The sounds of battle were finally gone, at least from what Gean could tell. The area was clear and the last of the hostages were escaping the way the group came in. The adrenaline surging through her body was finally residing, and oh boy was Gean feeling the fatigue set in. "Hey Rene, help Sari will you? I've got this one right here."

Gean walked up to Mikoto? She had a feeling it wasn't quite the fox she met at first, yet still the one she fell in love with. "I may not be able to use a heal staff, and I might hurt you if I try to break these cuffs with my axe. So I'll do this instead ." With that she fully embraced the fox, the tears she had been holding back since they were separated finally falling. "I'm so glad you're back with us, and I'm sorry this all happened."

Edited September 15, 2023 by Bluemask 96

[Nanami Touko]

Kise was content to walk about the building and amuse herself with the fallen, smirking at some of the familiar faces she'd remembered played guard for her cell at times. "Looks like I was right~" They'd all scoffed at her when she'd warned them they'd be dying soon, yet here they were, dead. "Such a shame..."

She didn't have much longer to muse, as her everything was suddenly wrapped up in Aegean's arms, the fox sighing a happy sigh and nuzzling up against the woman as best as she could. "Hahhnnnn, Gean~  Mmm, it's only been a day or so, but I missed your strong arms so much... Such bliss, being held like this, ah~ Mmm, if you want to attempt to cut me free, though, I've no issue helping you aim... Just instruct me as you need, darling."

[Ursali]

"Hahh... Hahh..." As the battle wound down, the sounds of fighting appeared to have ceased all at once in the compound, Alriana felt herself slowing down as the adrenaline began to wear off. She could still stand, still move, thanks to Renais' healing, but she was hurting all over. More importantly than that, however, was the brief calm she felt being suddenly usurped by harsh aggression towards Versaris. This feeling, too, was entirely her own and devoid of the urge for violence that was usually tied to the sudden onsets of the emotion. Slowly, she made her way over to Versaris, ensuring that she was in his view so he could see the look on her face. 

Without a word she reached down and grabbed the not-elf by the collar of his shirt, bringing the taller man up to match her height. She snarled, almost barring her teeth at him. "You... You...!" She struggled to put word to her emotions, an unfamiliar feeling taking root in her chest, almost painful, as she processed just how horribly Versaris' gambits could've gone for him now that her thoughts were clear. "You, are, so, stupid!!!" Aggression was her outlet for the unfamiliar feeling, springing up a few feet into the air using her tail just so she could dangle him off the ground as she started to shake him back and forth. "RAAhHH!" 

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh... Aly. Thank goodness, you're alrighghhhh, gahh...!" Despite his wounds, he was suddenly being lifted off the ground by her, dangling in her angry grasp like a lifeless ragdoll. "Hahn, Aly... S-Stop, shaking...!" His head was going to start spinning, hands weakly being forced up to her wrists to try-- pointlessly, to get her to put him back down. "Ghh, c-come on...! Hahn, you're... Gonna, make me p, pass out, I c, can't...!" Either Renais had to heal him, or Aly had to stop, there was no way this sudden shaking was going to end any other way, or end well.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Jeremiah turned to Lucretia, tilting his head every so slight as the... staff wielding person... reformed. "...I'd have an answer for you if I had one for myself. Unfortunately, that's not a monster that I've encountered before." Then someone approached him, Jeremiah's eyes narrowed for a moment, because he knew what he was feeling from the woman, but she was speaking to him. A revenant shouldn't have been able to do that, much less be this far away from the sands. "My reasoning for being here was to deal with the underground, personally, however, it seems like my mission here happened to bring me to my other objective as well. My name is Jeremiah Noire, and I am the head of Lufirian Intelligence, Royal Advisor to Queen Hildagarde of Lufiria, and a Celestial Knight. That objective would be to find Versaris, and inquire about his mission, as well as several other tasks." 

[Nanami Touko]

Marigold stood up straight and whistled. "Well I'll be. Yeah, I think ol' Sari mentioned something about you existing. Been a hot minute since I started escorting these folks, so maybe I'm misremembering... Either way, he's here with us, mister head of intelligence. If you need to find him, well..." She took a quick scan of the folks around, Versaris not present, so she shrugged, "he'll be elsewhere. Now that I know you're supposed to be here... Gonna find myself a tiger. Guess you're free to come along?" She shrugged again and started walking away, hands on her head.

Lucy wasn't too interested in this sassy axe lady, still staring at the smaller cleric that had just... Been, pink goo, moments before. "Monsters are so cool... Ah, right, uh, I'll make sure to heal anyone else we come across that needs it. Even if they are, piles of goo. Ahaha~ Wow, I'm already learning so much. Shall we then, Jeremiah?"

[MRDRHAWK]

“Mrow?” Tanya had initially intended to go talk to Ren about the whole… goop thing. But when her ears perked up, she peeked past the group around her… and nearly leapt out of her skin. “Jeremiah?!” The tall feline was panicked, not paying much mind to the others as she raced past the group.

”Wh-what are you doing here? I thought… I mean, I… er, shit. Let me start over.” Tanya took a deep breath, and relaxed. “I’m Tanya Maldolche. Anton’s eldest daughter. You… said you were looking for Versaris, correct? He’s over on the other end… he led a group over there to attempt to deal with the main force when this all started, and he’s been there since.” Tanya was trying her level best to keep professional, but really, despite her initial fears, seeing Jeremiah here really helped calm her nerves, after the initial spike.

---

Nyx stretched out as she strolled towards the main hall, before freezing up when her eyes fell upon a familiar husk near the edge of the room. Of course she couldn’t deal with the big lug herself.

”Damn, rest in piss, ye big ol’ bozo.” Nyx dryly remarked as she stood over Krauser’s lifeless body. Normally, she’d at least have some respect from the dead, but. Well, given what Krauser had done to both her and her girlfriend both yesterday and, in her case, in years gone by? Nyx was feeling particularly petty, and perhaps a tad spiteful. Besides, she couldn’t be sure his big ass wouldn’t just get back up again anyhow.

So, out came her bow, and three arrows soon found themselves shot into Krauser.

One, into his good eye, glossed over until the arrow found its’ mark with a sickening squelch. “Tha’s fer nae stayin’ dead th’first time. Sides, y’ain’t need it where yer goin.”

One, in the chest, aimed squarely for the heart, assuming he still had one. “Tha’s fer fuckin’ wit me family, ‘specially m’lady love.”

And the last, in a… peculiar spot, one that might elicit a wince from any man who bore witness to the shot. “An’ tha’s just cuz I fuckin hate ye an’ yer weird hate boner fer me, ya fuckin’ creep ass bitch.”

Satisfied, Nyx made her way over towards… Mikoto? She looked kinda funky now, but with how she was clinging to Gean, Nyx just kinda rolled with it. “Oi, foxy. Thinkin’ ye’d look better wit’out th’collar on. Ye wanna lemme take a crack at gettin’ it off ye? Chains too, if yer up for it.”