Dorothy throws a Lumnipod at the Maw to get rid of Right Back At Ya!

She then launches a Hidden Flow at it.

---

Sophia gets back home. Through her plushie, she sees the stuff around Ette, and recoils at the sight of blood and bloodstained floofballs. "...Someone's gonna clean that up... and it's gonna be me. Boo."

Given that she couldn't do anything herself, she gets her Plushie to do the work for her, starting with picking up the fluff from around Ette, and stuffing them into the inventory. It then grabs a mop from somewhere, and cleans up the area around the rug, not wanting to interrupt too much yet.

While her plushie does work, Sophie hops up onto an empty spot on the couch, and sits. She understandably looks a little concerned. "So, um... what happened here? I-I'm seeing a lot of blood and fluffballs and blood-covered fluffballs and... candles? ...also why are you guys on the rug? And why does Ette look different?"

If and when everyone gets off the rug, the Plushie takes the rug and takes it downstairs for a bit of washing up, making sure to put the required amount of soap to clean up the blood and whatever other grime was on it.

It then hops back upstairs, to the second floor, hops on the roof, and puts it up to dry.

It then comes back downstairs to answer any lingering questions.

---

MU picks apart whatever was left of the Bastion's body, using a knife for the flesh and the pickaxe for the clusters. She tosses them up piece by piece into the Anomaly.

Nidra retrieves her pillow, moves to K7, double taps Gorged4, and retreats to J8.

"The Chosen I had business with was slain. Bummer."

Without much better to do since he's in a bad position, Brutishace sprints his way over to L12.

RP:

Back at the house, once the procedure with Ette is over, Verdana claps in approval at what he assumes is a successful result. He considers something for a moment, then shrugs, turning to Marron and Ette.

"Congrats for the two of you, it worked! I... don't want to ruin the moment, but maybe it'd be good to get miss Ette out of the puppet body and into a set of fresh clothing soon? Maybe she could wear that new thing."

He pauses for a moment, then pulls out a copy of the Eternal Guardian and places it next to Ette.

"Honestly, just doing up a mental image if you could call it that, I reckon it'd fit perfectly! But that's just an opinion. What do you think of it, miss Ette?"

After that, he flops onto the couch, turning to Sophia and headtilting at her. Then, he just smiles.

"To sum it up as easily as I can, we (and by we I mean almost entirely Marron) did a thing, and now Ette has a human body again. Which is nice."


Battle:

Calibri stares at Chosen 3 for a moment, then turns to Nidra.

"Might wanna watch the splash damage there. Can't really be mad at you, but still. Diplomacy becomes just a little bit harder when the people involved in it are being nuked."

He chuckles light-heartedly, then pulls out a Shock Therapist and sinks a charge into Chosen 3 to get the cultist back on his feet.

"Sup. Might not wanna move about too much. That thing I used to get you back on your feet tends to be a bit harsh on people if they do that."

He then turns around and smacks Gorged1 really hard in the face with his sword. Literally smacks. He's using the flat part of his sword. That doesn't seem particularly ideal, but it'll do. Probably. That thing's still charged full of particularly dangerous energy, so.


Dialogue format dump zone

Auth stretches, thinking quietly. What is he going to do now? Auth has a few options, considering the new circumstance he finds himself in.

AUTH: Well... I think I need to work out how being a Chairian works. If I'm indistinguishable from a Chairian I should know any weird quirks in a Chairian body that might cause problems. I know Chairians have cores... in the head, if I remember right, that function as all of the organs in a human. I don't know much else, though.
AUTH: Can you tell me things, Omo? I was considering asking Taeda, and I might ask her anything she might want to add anyway, but...

Auth shrugs. Seems he's thinking about plenty of things. He thinks to himself about what happened in the lead up to this circumstance.

AUTH: What happened? Well...
AUTH: My personal hypothesis is that the Mutation I received in the middle of the battle released the ability. Kind of like putting a shock into a system to reset it - fixed it. Venia said to me the ability was kind of broken, couldn't be activated.
AUTH: Then... I accidentally ingested a splinter from Nana. Accidentally.
AUTH: I think that makes sense though. Since I'm a half-vampire, and vampires are generally sustained on specific biological matter, it makes sense.

Auth chuckles quietly, as he seems Nana react so actively to the very suggestion of kissing someone else. He smiles in return, hugging her lightly.

AUTH: No, Chloe would be a poor choice. Probably a poor method too.
AUTH: I think I should point this out. I spoke to Taeda a little, about what felt like a massive build up of energy since being mutated. It was an effect, apparently, on just me. After transforming, that energy seemed to have dissipated, but it's coming back. I think that tells me when I can transform.
AUTH: I'm half-human, wouldn't make sense to try it with Chloe. I think I could go full Human, without copying one.

Auth thinks, some more. He's been in such deep thought recently. Plenty of complexities to work out.

AUTH: As for arbomancy? I wouldn't be able to tell you, Omo.
AUTH: I don't know any wood magic.

Auth shrugs. Can't do anything without the correct knowledge.

----

Auth looks concerned for Magnolia, more than anything, as she throws herself away from the party down to the South. Auth walks over to Nettle, and casts healing at her, to treat the soreness in her arms. Then, Auth follows Magnolia, over Venia.

It may come as something of a surprise, that Auth is worried about the living axe that's freaking out over the Incandescent Key. But that's just how he is.

Pope Bill moves to H3. After that, he does a basic attack against the Maw.

==BATTLE==
Arthur takes out another flask of Alchemist's Fire, shakes it, and lobs it at the Executioner, then follows it up with another blast of flame from his LIT CRUCIBLE SCYTHE!

Battle: The Steps to Oblivion

Irongutta had just witnessed the brutal execution of his beloved pet pig. The Ork grew incredibly tense as he slowly turned around to face Executioner 2.

"You... killed Piggo..."

His initial shock and disbelief began to fade away, quickly being replaced with overwhelming anger.

"YOU KILLED MY PIG!" Irongutta roared at the Executioner.

Irongutta held his weapon in a white-knuckled grip while his free hand was balled up in a tense fist. His blood began to run hot as he stared down Executioner 2 with a piercing gaze. If looks could kill, this one would have pasted him.

"YER GONNA PAY DEARLY FOR THAT! YOU'LL WISH THAT YA WEREN'T NEVER BORN WHEN I'Z DONE PAINTIN' THE WALLS WITH YER SORRY ZOGGIN' CORPSE!"

There was none of his usual boisterousness in such a threat. This time, Irongutta was [i]dead serious[/]i. Absolutely nothing would stop his singular rage-driven mission: slaughter the cultist who killed Piggo!

To get rid of the Divine Shield that stood in his way, he lobbed a Cinderfruit at Executioner 2.

Then, he furiously stomped his way to F8, gaining Unstoppable Force with a total damage bonus of +25%.

He swung brutally at Executioner 2 with an Overpowering Smash, aiming to utterly wipe him from the living world.

The 18th of November has dawned! This means that as of this moment, Project Thymium is two years old! To celebrate, we're continuing a time-honored tradition...

---

<UPDATE?>

Somewhere, in an unknown studio in the middle of nowhere, a livestream begins to play. A timer of ten seconds begins to tick down. As the seconds vanish one by one, it becomes apparent that behind the dazzling countdown timer, a few people are scrambling to take their positions. And yelling, as it seems.

MARI: GUYS, WE WERE MEANT TO BE READY LIKE FIVE HOURS AGO!
MARI: WE HAD A DEADLINE TO MEET, IDIOTS!
MARRON: WELL I’M SORRY THAT YOU PUT THIS SO gorillaING EARLY IN THE MORNING!
MARRON: IT IS 5AM! WHO THE HELL IS GOING TO WATCH A LIVESTREAM AT 5AM!?
ETTE: I wouldn’t! I’d wanna eat breakfast.
MARI: ETTE SHUT UP
ETTE: O-Okay...

MARI: anyway where was I
MARI: oh yeah
MARI: WELL, I’M GLAD YOUR RAISING YOUR CONCERNS NOW INSTEAD OF LIKE A WHOLE gorillaING MONTH AGO!
MARRON: OH HEY, MAYBE IF WE DID WHAT WE NORMALLY DID EVERY YEAR, WE WOULDN’T HAVE THIS PROBLEM!
MARRON: I NEEDED TO RENT A STAGE, AND NOW WE’RE NOT USING IT!

The livestream flickers to life as the timer runs out. Marron and Mari are sitting behind what seems to be a news broadcaster’s desk, with the Project Thymium logo upon it. What is the Project Thymium logo? I dunno. Go ask them.

MARI: WELL, MAYBE IF YOU LISTENED TO ME, YOU WOULD’VE HEARD THAT LIVESTREAMS ARE HIP AND ALSO IN AND WE DIDN’T NEED A STAGE!
MARI: YOU KNOW MINECON EARTH?
MARI: THAT WAS CRINGY AS gorilla AND I LOVED IT!
MARRON: YOU LIKED MINECON EARTH? WOW, I HAD NO IDEA YOUR TASTE WAS SO-

Chloe suddenly barges onto the scene.

CHLOE: G-Guys!
CHLOE: The livestream’s already started!
CHLOE: In fact, chat’s spamming clown emoji at you guys...
MARI: ...We started?

MARRON: oh would you look at that it’s 5am it’s almost like you timed this badly-

One of Mari’s mechanical Goddess Hands flies in from across the screen, curled into a gigantic metal fist that’s roughly the size of Marron. It smacks into her, launching her out of the picture. It’s impossible to tell what she’d been slammed into, but it’s probably something incredibly fragile that’s also made of cats. Chloe is flabbergasted.

CHLOE: W-Why would you do that?
MARI: I mean, it’s not canon.
MARI: She’ll probably be fine. Probably.
MARI: Toast might beat the gorilla out of me, but who cares.
MARI: also she can go suck on our clown-spamming audience
ETTE: I’ll help her!
CHLOE: C-Can we please leave all fighting until w-we’re done with the livestream!?
CHLOE: O-Or at least, until halftime?
CHLOE: It’d suck if we all woke up early only to cancel the livestream because somebody knocked out her co-host.

Mari sighs. As the scientist ponders a few things, Ette is seen running in front of the camera, holding a medkit up above her head. Due to how close she is, you can’t really get a good look at her redesign, but she has very light pink hair, which has been bunched into twin hairdrills. After a few seconds, Mari decides to pull her Goddess Hand back into the shot, and it gently shoves Chloe away.

MARI: ...You know what?
MARI: I had an opening speech, but gorilla it.
MARI: I’ll just start now.
MARI: Just drop the intro card, someone.
MARI: ...Who the hell is controlling the stream, anyway-

THE CHAOS AWARDS 4: THYMECON EARTH
edi[t]ing by [c]haos

...Once the intro card fades out, the scene has shifted to a feed of Nia in her usual attire, standing in front of some unedited green screen. Chloe then runs onto the screen, totally exhausted. Nia offers her a shoulder to lean on.

NIA: Whoa, Chloe!
NIA: What happened? Why are you so tired!?
CHLOE: It’s 5am, for one.
CHLOE: It also doesn’t help that Mari and Marron are acting like children...
NIA: Is that why Marron was being dragged away by Ette earlier?
CHLOE: It’s probably unrelated.
CHLOE: So… sorry for being late!
NIA: It’s alright.
NIA: Anyway, we need to go and announce categories!
NIA: Chaos! Do the editing thing!

The greenscreen flickers for a moment, then switches to pictures of various cats. Nia, completely oblivious, announces the category that she thinks is behind her.

Best in Murder
The person who is the best at commiting murder, at least according to the game! Single or multi-target murder is legal. Any player can be nominated for this award.
NIA: I’d say something about my waifu here, but I’m not legally allowed to influence the vote by talking!
CHLOE: But by doing that, haven’t you just influenced the vote?
NIA: …
NIA: gorilla.

Best in Roleplaying
The person who has had the most compelling roleplay, whether for romance, character interactions, or tragic backstories. Any player can be nominated for this award.
NIA: Hey, Chloe?
CHLOE: Yeah?
NIA: Why are we doing a livestream, anyway?
CHLOE: Because they’re hip, according to Mari.
CHLOE: Also, our last live show had an immeasurably high number of casualties (for an awards show) and I can’t sleep at night knowing how many people perished as a result of last year’s best girl contest and I’m hoping that by hosting a livestream we can minimize the destruction we bring to others whilst keeping the awards show alive because if we do not host an awards show we’ll be making everyone unhappy.
NIA: …
NIA: C-Chaos, display the next award-

Best in Shenanigans
The person who has caused the most chaos, either in combat, roleplay, or for generally violating the laws of common sense why. Any player can be nominated for this award.
CHLOE: ...
CHLOE: Oh, right. Hosting a show.

CHLOE: I wonder if the shenanigans that happened outside of canon count? Like, can we reward people for posting in #heckposting?
NIA: Probably not.
NIA: Especially since I’m physically incapable of posting there. Then I’d win it.
CHLOE: If you say so.

Best Normal Encounter
This award goes to the ones who hosted the best regular battle in Thymium. Battles that contain bosses cannot be selected for this award, but ones that contain elites can be.
CHLOE: Does anyone else find this award weird?
CHLOE: Like, we’ve been fighting for our lives, and now we’re going to sit down and say “yeah, these people made us fight for our life better than those people?”
NIA: I mean, some of the people who’ve tried to murder us have hella style.
NIA: Y’know.
NIA: Like when I tried to kill everyone~
CHLOE: ...Nia, you can’t be voted in for this category.
NIA: Oh.

Best Boss Fight
This award goes to the one who hosted the best boss fight in Thymium. Battles that do not contain a boss cannot be selected for this award.
NIA: I can be voted in for THIS category, though!
NIA: #VoteNiaAsYourGodEmpress2020
CHLOE: D-Didn’t we say no influencing the vote?
NIA: YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!
NIA: NOBODY CAN STOP ME FROM VIOLATING THE LAW! NOBODY!
NIA: MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-

Nia suddenly ducks as a Goddess Hand suddenly rushes over her, narrowing missing smashing her face. She stands back up and sighs with relief… before a tow cable ejects from offscreen, wraps itself around Nia’s left arm, and drags her offscreen at an alarming rate.

NIA: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…
CHLOE: …
CHLOE: Well, there goes my co-host...

Chloe awkwardly stands around. It doesn’t seem that the ticker in front of her that’d prompt her to talk about the next award is functioning.

CHLOE: ...Guys?
CHLOE: Please don’t leave me hanging like this in front of the audience…
CHLOE: T-They’re gonna spam us with emoji’s again...

The sound of clogs can be heard from off-camera. Soon enough, miss Omorika walks into the shot, her grip firmly secured on a mug of coffee. She gives a deadpan stare to the camera.

OMORIKA: ...I wasn’t aware that we were starting so early.
OMORIKA: I haven’t even finished my fifth coffee.
CHLOE: Fifth?
CHLOE: ...Nevermind, that’s probably less than you normally have.
CHLOE: So… what brings you here?
CHLOE: ...I actually don’t have any idea, we never did a practice run for this-
OMORIKA: Oh, I’m actually here to talk about a special announcement.
OMORIKA: Quite convenient that Nia got towed off stage, really.
OMORIKA: Sir Chaos. Please advance the awards.

The greenscreen behind the duo changes to a stream of Chaos playing Fortnite. It’s not quite apparent if he’s good at the game or not. As per usual, the duo don’t notice anything, as it’s greenscreen.

Impending Threat!
CHLOE: Uh.
CHLOE: This isn’t an award.
CHLOE: Is this like, a raid alarm?
CHLOE: H-Have the rabid Best Girl supporters f-found us?
OMORIKA: No.
OMORIKA: I believe this segment is partially scripted, anyway.
OMORIKA: Chaos, please display the information behind us.

Chaos continues to play Fortnite. In the facecam monitor within Chaos’s livestream, which is superimposed on a greenscreen, Mari pops up in the background, and begins to garrote Chaos with a piece of wire. He’s then promptly thrown to the ground. Mari takes a moment to score the Victory Royale before properly displaying the information behind both Chloe and Omorika.

“A fell beast manufactured by Creation itself threatens the party in this limited time Anniversary Event! It is an impossible menace to defeat, having an incredible pool of roughly 10,000 HP, and a five-round timer! However, merely injuring the beast will yield bountiful rewards! In addition, the monster will have special mechanics that’ll make it easier to rack up immense amounts of damage! Voting on these will make it easier to defeat the boss!"

Note that these will be voted on once the Voting stage is reached, and are ignored during the Nominations stage.

Impending Threat: Passive!
Please choose one of the following passives for the upcoming Event Boss to have! These all concern special ways to potentially rack up damage. There will be additional mechanics in addition to these to aide in racking up damage, but these ones provide an especially significant boost.

Overloaded Core
The beast will obtain a small Stun Gauge. Filling it up won’t actually stun the boss, but will cause the final damage it takes during the next three attacker’s turns to be increased by 350%! Has massive payoff, but may be incredibly hard to properly coordinate.

Elemental Decay
The beast will randomly possess a 250% weakness to two Magical Elements, which changes with every round! Every Magical Element will be available at least once for exploitation! Could be hard to exploit for most players, but odds are, it’ll give everyone a chance to shine! As a note, the beast does not have any magical weaknesses by default.

System Failure
The beast will lose 2 AC at the start of every round! While this is potentially a slower (and less flashy) option compared to the others, this eventually massive AC deficit will benefit everyone who attacks the beast!

CHLOE: ...T-TEN THOUSAND HP!?
OMORIKA: To be fair, the odds that it survives more than three rounds would be astounding, given our team’s track records.
OMORIKA: I’ve also heard that for this battle, the entire team will be receiving a full SP Gauge to start.
CHLOE: W-Well, that might help...

Impending Threat: Special Attack!
Please choose one of the following special attacks for the boss to have. While they’re all deadly in their own right, they also all possess an exploitable element. Note that besides this, the boss’s movement won’t be exceedingly deadly.

Minus Strike
Will trigger on Round 2, 3, and 4, hitting the three closest targets for (1-1) Unavoidable Glitch Damage… which obtains +100% DMG per 1% of HP missing. This will strike people for a potentially lethal amount later into the fight! Any targets that survive the attack will automatically counter the boss for 500% of the damage that the attack dealt, as well as performing a normal counter.

Arbiters of the Beast
Will trigger on Round 1, 2, and 3, spawning two elite foes with moderate HP and high damage. While they’ll certain soak up damage that’d be directed towards the boss, they share its passive weakness (as voted for above), grant a full SP Gauge to those who slay them, and provide a powerful buff that provides several effects (Empowered/Enlightened10, Focused10, Lucky10) to the killer and allies within Range 1 of them (as an aura effect) for two rounds.

Off Waves
Will trigger on Round 1, 2, 3, and 4, hitting EVERYONE for (7-7) Direct Damage. After Round 4, one tile on the boss will become a Core, which takes double damage from all attacks! This can change the tide, and allow you to snag some last-minute awards! Just don’t die before then!

CHLOE: Why is the anniversary monster trying to kill us, anyway?
CHLOE: Shouldn’t we be celebrating, instead of getting our bones broken?
OMORIKA: I concur, actually.
OMORIKA: I suppose there’s no better way to celebrate a game about beating up things than by… beating up things, however.
CHLOE: ...I suppose...

The infotext vanishes from the greenscreen, leaving it as a blank greenscreen once again. Chloe, sweat rolling down her brow, tries to wrap up the show.

CHLOE: O-Okay, so I think that’s all of the awards for today!
CHLOE: While there might not be as many awards as last time, hopefully the anniversary battle makes up for that!
CHLOE: Be sure to vote, and maybe you’ll see all of your favorit-

...Before Chloe can do much, sirens begin blaring in her ears. The greenscreen is promptly replaced with a redscreen, which is completely useless but kinda fancy.

Best Girl Contest
You know what to do. One girl versus every other girl. Males are allowed, I guess. Players, NPC’s, and other characters are potential candidates for Best Girl.

CHLOE: gorilla.
CHLOE: W-Why do we keep hosting t-these?
CHLOE: This always ends off killing e-everyone, anyway...
OMORIKA: I suppose it’s tradition.
OMORIKA: Plus, nothing causes people to flock to a cause like a disagreement on ideals.
CHLOE: I guess…
CHLOE: At the very least, we’re hosting a livestream… so what’s the most harm we can cause, right?
OMORIKA: Somehow, it will multiply the number of deaths by at least… three
CHLOE: O-Omo, y-you’re not helping my nerves...
OMORIKA: ...Apologies.
OMORIKA: The truth can be hard to handle.

The camera feed then swaps back to Mari at her desk. Chaos’s sawed-off head can be seen upon the table, still smiling towards the camera. It winks seductively towards the livestream viewer as Mari wraps up the presentation.

MARI: Okay, thank god.
MARI: This was a disaster, but I think we’re actually good to open the voting forms now.
MARI: Be sure to vote! In just one hour, we’ll compile your votes, and publish the results!
MARI: Sure, you might think “an hour is too short waaaah”, but it’s forum game time.
MARI: Realistically, an hour is like… at least a week of real time.
MARI: Tune in again in either an hour or a week, and we’ll present the awards!

Voting Link: Click Here!

---

The normal update process will resume tomorrow. Nominations will close on Thursday, and voting will begin then. Happy anniversary, everyone!

<ROUND ONE-HUNDRED NINETY-THREE>

The usual start whenever more skillpoints are obtained:

---

Echoss's golems continue their work. The flooring of the house is finished up with another pile of stuff. Two Searing Bombs (only two, as Searing Powder was required) are also cobbled together at a record pace. Within the Everground, Pionobot also jumps up a few tiles, grabbing 12 Everground Flowers and tossing them into the Anomaly, directly into the inventory. As he ascends, Pionobot feels nauseous, vomiting up (2) HP worth of stuff. Can robots even vomit? No. They cannot. It still hurts him anyway.

---

Lukas accesses the supports menu, and checks up on Ga'aunt. He stares into a singular one of Lukas's eyes, before telepathically transmitting a message to him.

GA'AUNT: ...I felt something.
GA'AUNT: Primal and twisted, staring at us from beyond the veil of reality.
GA'AUNT: I believe we are being watched by the founder of the Rose Cult.
GA'AUNT: The First Sin.
GA'AUNT: ...While I would call them by their first name, I cannot recall it.

GA'AUNT: I do not know what's been going on here within the Catacombs.
GA'AUNT: I do however, feel a few things coming back to me... but they're hazy.
GA'AUNT: To that help my memory... could you let me talk with Magnolia once you have the chance?
GA'AUNT: She may know a few things about my past... and whatever's going on within the Rose Cult.
GA'AUNT: While I am not a fan of hers, back when I was a Chairian, she was one of my co-workers.
GA'AUNT: I believe we were about the same rank at the time.
GA'AUNT: Due to her connections with her father however, she had connections deeper into the cult.
GA'AUNT: Her information might help us figure out what's going on within the Rose Cult since the dawn of the Sphere, and provide some insight into my lost memories.

Lukas and Ga'aunt obtain C-Support as the gauntlet's eye shuts.

---

Venia does a variety of things! First, she meets up with Maria, giving her a Berrybomb! It's incredibly sweet and flavorful... and as it turns out, the name "Berrybomb" wasn't an exaggeration, as the candy explodes moments after contacting her tongue. Of course, it's just a gentle burst that won't harm her, but now there's the overpowering taste of sugar and blueberries all over her tongue. This is either heavenly for Maria, or hellish for her. Depends how much she likes sugar.

While Maria's busy having a sugar rush(?), Venia shows Mari the Mysterious Processor. She takes it from the duchess's hands, and looks it over. She runs a quick scan, and her eyes light up once she learns of the specs.

MARI: Holy gorilla.
MARI: Is reviving the Sleuth really that important? I mean, this thing could run Java version Minecraft- hell, it could host all of 2b2t, and it wouldn't lag in the slightest.

MARI: ...I mean, that's a joke.
MARI: Totally.
MARI: I could probably use this. I'd just need... well, a computer to install it into.
MARI: Not to mention a cubic gorillaton of power.
MARI: Like, to run this thing, we'd need a tiny lil' gorillaing nuclear power plant.

MARI: Don't worry about the specifics of installing this: I'll have it covered.
MARI: Just get me some working computer parts, something that could power a small city, and a burrito.
MARI: The burrito is for me. The power source might also be for me, but I'll also use it on the processor.
MARI: Shouldn't be too hard, right?

She also turns her gaze towards Maria.

MARI: Oh, yeah.
MARI: Should I keep watching her, or what?
MARI: It's fine if you want me to, but it's not exactly conductive to working out any kinks with the processor.

Elsewhere in the timeline, Venia goes over the specifics of her powers, noting that she's never tried to properly experiment with them. Nia's mood falters as Venia pauses.

NIA: O-Oh, um...
NIA: I made things awkward, d-didn't I?
NIA: Sorry about that...

Fortunately, all it takes to recover Nia's mood is a Belgian waffle with ice cream. It's perfect. If she needed to go and destroy a planet or two to obtain such a treat, she'd gladly do it in the name of the waffle. But she doesn't need to, so she simply grabs it and takes a bite. Nia obtains sweet, sugary, sensational overload. A weaker being would be straight-up slain by the amount of bliss contained within that one bite. Nia sets it down, then gives Venia a kneeling hug before she can have a bite herself.

NIA: YES! THIS IS THE BEST! YOU'RE THE BEST!
NIA: I could eat this all day! Buuuut then I'd get fat.
NIA: But maybe that's a worthy sacrifice!
NIA: ...I mean, I'd work my butt off to keep fit, if you like how I look right now~

She breaks away from Venia, returning to her cushion. Maybe Venia needs to give it a try now.

NIA: Y'know, you'll have a hard time topping this.
NIA: But I bet you can somehow make this date even better~
NIA: Any suggestions?

Nia decides to lie down on the picnic blanket, her gaze still directed at Venia. While yes, it could be sunnier, at least it's not raining. Meanwhile, down in the Everground, Venia's maid ascends a chain, back up to the fountain. The strain of ascending (and the sickness) drains 3 HP from Venia's Maid. Ouch. She then creates a new chain from iron ingots, tosses it down the rightmost hole, then decides to explore to the right. This reveals... an entire treasure trove of gems and crystals! Luckily for her, it burrowed through here. What a thoughtful... gift? Was this intentional? Who knows.

Then, back within the catacombs, Venia, after a brief moment of panic, immediately grabs Echoss by the wrist (the hand would clearly be too lewd), then drags him south a map. She emerges into a cellblock that's bustling with life! Okay, maybe the prisoners are mostly lifeless and bored out of their minds, but the Rose Cult is busy mobilizing. Venia immediately bears witness to a hapless prisoner being dragged into the central plaza. They beg and scream for help, but of course, the cultists around them won't allow it.

They're thrown onto the ground, right next to the axe that is Magnolia. Their hands are forcibly dragged over to the axe's handle, and they're forced to grip it. Their eyes go sunken and hollow as Magnolia begins to work her magic on the prisoner. They begin to twitch and spasm as her crimson energy overflows their body. The cultists back away from the body as it goes limp. Soon enough, they seem to re-animate. They slowly pick themselves up, hand still refusing to let go of the axe. While only moments ago they were screaming and fighting, now they're smiling widely.

MAGNOLIA: I'm baaaaaaaaack!
MAGNOLIA: Thanks for the help, everyone!
MAGNOLIA: Now, hopefully we have more time to prepare before the b-bad people a-arrive-

Magnolia suddenly realizes that Venia is standing at the entryway to the prison.

MAGNOLIA: O-Oh no!
MAGNOLIA: T-They're here...

She goes quiet for a moment. She fiddles with her axe, spinning and twirling it. Then, their eyes light up. Right. They have a body. And that body has a gigantic axe. How could she possibly be stopped.

MAGNOLIA: Everyone!
MAGNOLIA: We have no choice!
MAGNOLIA: All we can do now is charge in and beat them all up!
MAGNOLIA: We won't lose, cause we're the best cult!

MAGNOLIA: ...Are there other cults?
CULTIST: i dunno
CULTIST: the other cults are garbage though
MAGNOLIA: Yeah! They're not as good as us!
MAGNOLIA: If they exist! I dunno!

MAGNOLIA: Everyone, let's go!

The other cultists in the room do their best to enter "formation", and prepare to fight! Magnolia meanwhile, stretches her new body, getting used to the feel of it. Wait, is this the body of a dude? Dudes are disgusting. They have cooties or something! But she can't really complain about it now- she's gonna fight, and win!

- = S T R I F E ! = -

---

Sophia decides to sweep up Ette's stuffing... and blood. Marron gives her a strange look as 60 units of Ette's Floof enter the inventory.

MARRON: ...Uh.
MARRON: You do realize how gorillaed up it is to shove my sister's body into the inventory, right?
ETTE: ...H-Huh!? I'm being put into the inventory!?
MARRON: No, like... your stuffing?
ETTE: Oh!
ETTE: That's fine!

Sophia also takes the time to wash the rug, cleansing it of Ette's blood. It's probably for the best. The drying process completes strangely fast, preventing me from altering the room so the carpet can quickly be returned to the living room. Mustache Girl decides to continue working in the Everground, smacking apart the rest of the body and shoving it into the Anomaly. 15 Searing Clusters, 5 Thyme Missiles, and 2 Bastion Thymeports obtained!

...As another note, it seems like the Anomaly doesn't have long for this world. Perhaps it's time to continue the dive downwards?

---

Verdana suggests to Marron that it'd be a good idea to get Ette out of what remains of her puppet body, and get her some actual clothing. Marron stops sobbing over her sister for a moment, pulling away from her hug and swiftly standing up. Ette takes a moment to get in a few deep breaths.

MARRON: Y-Yeah, I should probably go get her out of there...
MARRON: She should also probably take a bath... but she'll also need clothes.
MARRON: I can handle that. Probably.

MARRON: Ette, d-do you think you can walk?
ETTE: I... I don't know.
ETTE: Let's try, though!

Marron crouches down, and takes Ette by the hand. Though she can't see, Ette is able to get up from the ground. Her posture is wobbly and shaky, so she's forced to lean on Marron for support. It's clear that Ette is still at least a whole foot taller than Marron. The two of them slowly make their way upstairs, and they enter the washroom outstairs. The same censor fog of war from roughly a hundred rounds ago fills the room. Soon enough, Marron leaves the room with the fabric that Ette was veiled in just earlier, and the sound of water pours through the door. While Ette cleans herself, Marron begins to work on a set of clothes for Ette.

Soon enough, the water shuts off. Ette knocks on the door.

ETTE: I'm clean! I think!
ETTE: Are the clothes done yet?
MARRON: Almost.
MARRON: Using your old body as a base is pretty damn convenient, so it shouldn't be long.

A couple minutes later, and Marron knocks on the door. The door creaks open, and Marron tosses in a newly formed set of clothes. A minute or so later, and Ette leaves the room, fully dressed. The two of them then head back downstairs, with Ette still leaning on her sister for support.

From the light pink of her hair and the crimson of her eyes, it's clear that Ette is 100% Marron's sister. Of course, that's where most of the similarities end. For one, Ette has retained most of her height, still standing an entire foot over her sister. Her hair is also a deal longer, and has been styled into twin hairdrills- likely by Marron. Her old puppet body has been converted into stylish attire, with her lengthy, pillow-y arms being converted into long black gloves that cover most of her arms. The bulk of her body has been made into a shirt which is clearly too baggy for her. Her legs have also been re-purposed into semi-loose leggings, which taper off in boots similar to Marron's. And of course, she has a white-fabric scarf wrapped around her neck. Interesting enough, her old face has been transformed into a mask, which Ette has affixed to the top of her head.

ETTE: Ta-daaah!
ETTE: How do I look? How do I look?
MARRON: You look great!
MARRON: I probably could've used more time to... doll you up, but we sorta have a job to do.
MARRON: ...So, anything you wanna do?
ETTE: Hm...

The ex-puppet takes a moment to ponder this.

ETTE: Food!
ETTE: I wanna eat something sweet.
ETTE: Cookies, or a...
ETTE: Cinnamon roll! Yeah! That!
MARRON: I could try, but I'm not sure i we have the stuff necessary to make that.
MARRON: We'll see, though.
ETTE: Okay!

Ette prances around the living room, showing herself off to everyone in the area. While Ette's busy with that, Marron grabs some scraps of magical fabric leftover from Ette's limbs, 4 units of Platinum, 4 Squall Clusters, 4 Shimmering Clusters, and a Divinity Gem. She then quickly hands this off to Mari, who's totally in the area shhhh. The two of them then work together, with Marron dictating design, and Mari doing all of the heavy lifting. Soon enough, they create the Puppet Phalanx, which is then gifted to Ette.

MARRON: Oh, Ette.
MARRON: Here! For you!
ETTE: A present!?
ETTE: Yaaaaay! Thanks, sis!

Ette straps the shield onto her arm, even though the shield is actually capable of levitation. While we're on the subject of gear, Ette could use more equipment! She would likely appreciate an upgraded trinket, and maybe a hat that could grant her a spell slot. How about it?

---

Auth takes a moment to consider his plans. He asks Omorika for information on quirks about the Chairian body...

OMORIKA: Hm.
OMORIKA: There are several notable "quirks" to being a Chairian, obviously.
OMORIKA: For one, you are missing many, many vital organs that a human might have. Us Chairians have a "core", and little else. It's efficicient.
OMORIKA: This is both a blessing and a curse- while we can say, get impaled with minimal consequence, anything happening to the core can be quite fatal.
OMORIKA: So, always wear a helmet.

OMORIKA: In addition, Chairian nutrition is an interesting thing. Truthfully, a Chairian can easily get away eating less than once a day.
OMORIKA: This is mostly because of our innate ability to absorb nutrients from the sun. Of course, if you spend all day cooped up within a library, you will most certainly need to eat more.
OMORIKA: As a result, most Chairians have a refined pallet- since you can only eat once a day, ideally what you consume must be delicious!

OMORIKA: Also, "skin" care. You don't have skin. You have bark.
OMORIKA: Soaking in fertilizer may seem disgusting to you, but doing it every so often can do wonders for the health of your body, and the quality of your skin.
OMORIKA: Oh, also beware fungus. Odds are, humans are more resistant to these sorts of things, but if you obtain an infestation upon your bark, it can be devestating.
OMORIKA: Especially Locustgrowth. Try and avoid it at all costs.

Auth then notes that odds are, the Flux Mutation he received triggered his transformation into a Chairian. He also chuckles at Nana's reaction to the thought of him kissing Chloe. Fortunately for the apothecary, he dispels her worries.

NANA: A-Ah, so it wouldn't make s-sense to try it that way?
NANA: G-Gotcha!

He also mentions that he's not sure if he could perform wood magic or not. Omo quizzically stares down Auth's body.

OMORIKA: Hm...
OMORIKA: Given that arbomancy is an innate ability for a Chairian, there no reason you shouldn't have it.
OMORIKA: Of course, it might take some training to awaken the ability within you.
OMORIKA: ...I am not entirely sure if we could teach you before the Sphere goes off, though.

Should he take the time to learn it? Who knows.

---

Kalis experiments with crafting! While technically they're inexperienced at crafting, the write-up is nice enough to massively save on materials! A Shackled Chain, 2 Rosetainted Metal, 2 Roseblight Logs, 3 Fluxblood, 6 Scalefused Scales, a Masterwork Spellbook, a Halobloom, and a Spiralfloof Floofball are thrown together. This becomes the Tier 6 Chaos-Binder's Circlet!

---

<ITI HOLDING PENS, ROUND THREE>
Thanks to the combined efforts of everyone, the Iti have been exterminated! Maybe you should question one of the surviving Chosen. It might provide insights as to what's going on exactly one room to the left of there.

<STEPS TO OBLIVION, ROUND THREE>
more like steps to obliterated amirite guyz

...Anyway, that wasn't too bad. You'll probably want to revive Piggo now. Or maybe see if there's anything you can do to explore further from here? I dunno.

<CELLBLOCK OMEGA, ROUND ONE>
Okay, an interesting scenario here. Plenty of Rose, another instance of Magnolia, and imprisoned Chairians. And, according to protocol, all prisoners of war should be executed as to prevent them from helping out the enemy. Take out the Executioners to save the lives of the prisoners, or just break into the cells and free the prisoners. One of the two. Also watch out for reinforcements: if enough appear, the Shackled might become a serious threat!

(This post is in the update immediately above it, not the one after that)

(OOC note: Kalis has not yet realized that they are really not in Kansas anymore.)

Kalis looks on in confusion at Magnolia'a nature as a talking axe. They've seen stuff this weird before, but usually they've at least had context for it. They decide to trust that the other players know how to handle it and get to puzzling out more of the system of rules in which they've been suddenly immersed. Seriously, who designed this dungeon? How much magic did they have to throw at it to completely rewrite the laws of physics within it? Opportunity attacks have been replaced by movement-blocking effects, accuracy, crit and countering have both been folded into "Skill" somehow, and the entire concept of pants is mysteriously absent from the equipment select UI. Hopefully the crafting system is at least familiar. You take a look at the help page.

> Crafting items is done via method of "kitbashing", in which you combine a bunch of random items and hope that something happens. While kitbashing is highly unpredictable, you can influence what you get via a few methods...

Odd. Rather than needing a crafting recipe, people can just craft away and see what comes out. And also describe what you're trying to do and the system somehow interprets your intent? But it's still the same basic idea of mixing specific combinations of items and materials to create better items. They can work with this. Just take it step by step...

> 1. Describe what you want to get.

Kalis is currently wearing... Mana Squarelet? That was a Mana Circlet when they equipped it. Did the same wild magic surge that dumped them here transmute it, or did the rules-rewriting effect of the Rosen Catacombs enact this bizarre change? It still seems to give comparable stat boosts, though, a boost to casting, a boost to mana capacity, a couple of damage resistances... At any rate, it's a rather plain item. Quite functional, but it doesn't have any special abilities of note. Time to give this a bit of personal flair.

- Definitely keep the primary purpose of boosting MP and INT
- Maybe add some glitch resistance? It'd be flavourful considering how the crafting process goes.
- And definitely some sort of special ability, at the cost of some of the MMP boost if need be. Something to do with spellcasting and/or SP and/or chaos, probably, or something related to the ingredients used.

Kalis isn't entirely sure what sorts of effects they can give items at the moment, so they decide to leave it at that and hope it's enough detail for the game to work with.

> 2. Use materials of a higher tier than your item.

Next on the list is something to upgrade it with. They peer into the abstraction that is the group inventory and begin perusing its metaphorical shelves. The "Entropic" category of materials seems like a good match for their magic. A Shackled Chain, 5 Rosetainted Metal, 5 Roseblight Logs, 5 Fluxblood and 8 Scalefused Scales should add a chaotic punch. Under "Elemental", a Masterwork Spellbook should help enchant it. And from Natural, a squarelet is sort of like a halo (it even has four angels! wait, those are angles), so a pinch of Halobloom could tie it all together. Oh, and throw in a Spiralfloof Floofball, because why not. The Squarelet seems to be a "T4" item under whatever arbitrary rating scheme this dungeon has overlaid onto your UI, and these materials are "T5", so presumably the resulting item will be T5 or even T6.

> 3. Be creative with your crafting!

Kalis isn't sure what a "DTG attack" or a "Godmodder" is, but they think they get the idea. Mixing things together in creative ways and hoping something good comes out is an idea at the core of wild magic. First, they lay the circlet out on the ground- *Squarelet. They lay the Squarelet out on the ground, and then lay out the Shackled Chain on top of it, lining it up to form another square. The Scalefused Scales and Halobloom are ground up into a powder, which is then mixed with the Fluxblood to form a highly volatile paste. The paste is used to draw a magic circle around the squarelet, then a magic square around the circle because Kalis isn't taking any chances with their geometry here. The Roseblight Logs are stacked into a fire, which is then lit by repeatedly Chaos Bolting the pile until it rolls fire damage. The fire is used to melt down the Rosetainted Metal, which is then poured onto the squarelet and chain, fusing them together. As they pour, they recite a chant from the Masterwork Spellbook, which goes something like this: "Caecilius est in horto! Servus est in atrio! Cerberus est canis! Canis est in domo!" Finally, the Spiralfloof Floofballs are haphazardly thrown on the pile. This act of randomness and incongruence of ingredients causes the Scales-Halobloom-Fluxblood paste to finally decide to quit remaining in a stable state. The entire circle goes up in multicolored flames. With any luck, the squarelet will emerge unscathed, becoming tempered by the chaos into a conduit for wild magic.

Leaf winces as her Spider is brought down to a sliver of it's life left. A saddened expression that soon turns to a suppressed rage. She convices herself that the Spider would be alright, and that she would heal it soon enough. She shakes her head.

LEAF: Laranei. We're going to take out that thing next.

She points to the Vilebaron.

LEAF: I'm going to need you to work with me again, though.

Laranei grins, and nods.

LARANEI: We make a good team, so let's keep working together. Tell me the plan and we'll get it done.

Leaf nods, a ready look on her face.

LEAF: Right. I'm going to ride her over there. We need some way to bring it and that other monster together.

She motions to the Gorged.

LEAF: I can trap them in sap, but I'm not certain that'll work...

Laranei's grin only widens, and she shakes her head.

LARANEI: I've got a special trick up my sleeve. I have a way to drag then into the sap.
LEAF: And you're certain it'll work?
LARANEI: Trust me. I know what I'm doing.

Leaf nods.

LEAF: Okay. Drag them into the sap. In the inventory, I saw this crystal shell thing. If you take it and a crystal, you can make a fire bomb. Once it's stuck, we'll start pelting it with stuff from the inventory. Sound good?
LARANEI: Sounds perf. Let's do this.
LLEAF: Right. Once I'm ready, I'll cast a poison cloud over both of them. I want you to fire into the cloud and light them up!
LARANEI: Got it. Once they're in the cloud I'll set them ablaze.

Leaf nods, and sets off the plan in motion by riding her Spider to D5, and creating a sticky sap between her hands. She tosses Sap Bombs at C7, G5, and C6, before retreating to C5 and signalling for Laranei. Laranei grins, and executes her part of the plan. She moves up to I6, crafting a crystal fire bomb by putting an ashen crystal into a shell, then tossing it at the Vilebaron. Once she's done, she follows up by casting her special at F7. Leaf blinks in awe as the Vilebaron and the Gorged are both dragged in, and a spiral of fire bursts through the ground, enveloping them both. She nods triumphantly, her Spider lobbing a Searing Bomb at the Vilebaron, while Leaf fires a Fire Elemental Blast at it.

Overworld actions:
In the Everground Pionobot climbs back up to the level where the blossoms were, and takes a moment to gain his composure, a green light suffusing him and undoing some of the damage ascending that small distance does to him.

At the house, Echoss's golems take the glass panes obtained with Chloe a little while ago and patch up all the spots where windows are needed (including the missing one in the kitchen)

Additionally, the phantom echoss in the basement vanishes upon realizing that Echoss got up and left a few rounds ago. (hopefully)


Crafting
Upgrade Attuned Gladius to Auric Gladius and gift to Chloe. Use Maxim Neuralink, Amphi Wall Trophy, x1 Masterwork Spellbook, x2 divinity gem, x10 Plasteel Ingots. (hopefully this is enough stuff to get it to T6)
Changes Weapon effect to:
WEAPON SKILL: Cobalt Jaunt. Move up to three tiles in a straight line with Skirmisher-Flight. Deal (6-6) Slashing Damage to all in Range 1 of your final destination and apply Ensnared2 and Blind2 for 1 round to all targets. Scales at a 1/2 rate with STR. Passively, your counters deal +50% damage (additive), and have +10 CRT.

Echoss takes the Attuned Gladius out of the inventory and begins setting to work on it. First order of business is to improve its base, so that it can hold all the energies about to be funneled into it. Using the plasteel ingots, he reforges and enhances the blade. It's also a nice pretty blue color to go with the glowing cobalt aura.
Next he takes the amphi wall trophy, and hacks into it with the maxim neuralink, allowing him to control the Amphi head directly. Drawing up a spell on one of the masterwork spellbooks, he manipulates and modifies the amphi wall trophy's aura projection. Instead of breathing out fire or whatever, it breathes out more of the cobalt aura.
Echoss readies, and fires. The cobalt 'flame' lashes out and swirls around the gladius, which absorbs the energy more and more until its glowing with powerful light.
Finally, he takes the time to socket a pair of divinity gems into the pommel of the sword, one on each side of the hilt. The cobalt aura swirls and coalesces inside of the gems, turning them a deep blue. Pretty!

A small note is attached.
"Hello Miss Elem, I heard that you were wanting to go back to your own personal weapon, so I took the liberty of bringing it up to par with our other weapons. I hope you don't mind the changes I made."


Upgrade Materi Shroud to Puppeteer's Wings. Use Rainbow Cloak, x5 throwlem crystals, x10 skyroot logs, x6 spiralfloof floofballs, x8 Puresilk
In addition to Materi Shroud's effects, gives Marron Flight.

Echoss approaches Marron
"Miss Needleworker, if you don't mind, would you like me to upgrade your armor? I recall hearing that you were interested in something that would let you fly like some of the others and I think I have something in mind."

Should Marron accept Echoss's offer, he nods and collects the Materi Shroud before heading the crafting room (do we even have a crafting room?)
Echoss takes one of the Rainbow Cloak crafting charges and uses it to thread out the magic from it. Not the rainbowy stuff though, Marron probably wouldn't appreciate being sparkly technicolor whenever she wanted to fly.
Holding onto the speed magic, he then proceeds to take the puresilk and spiralfloof floofballs to begin stitching together a pair of wings, using the skyroot logs to make the frame for the wings. The soft wings promptly have the throwlem crystals affixed in key points, which are then enchanted with the rainbow cloak energy to make them more controllable and precise so that it feels more like flight rather than YEETing yourself off the ground for extended periods of time.
The Materia Shroud now has a pair of unfolding, specially enchanted wings, granting Marron the power of flight.


BATTLE:
Echoss spawns at M5 and casts Zillycharm on Wyvern as soon as he spawns in.

Omorika is then to spawn in and cast Null Somnum on Echoss.

Echoss then casts Zillycharm on himself and moves down to I9 and bonus action frees the Chairian Archer.

Dootdoot flies into the room the water is coming from.

---

"I... I'll try."

Lukas heads into Cellblock Omega.

---

WEAPON MODE: MELEE (RANGE 1-2)

Lukas spawns at M5, uses the Warp Ring to teleport to I8, frees the Chairian at J7, and basic attacks the Door at I6.

Dorothy shuffles things a bit.
(Another Schemer (-2 KP))
(Operator's Suit: Always Watching -> Relentless Chase)

---

...The Cultists in Cellblock Omega feel the presence of someone more than willing to get rid of them.

Dorothy spawns in at (L4) with the beatmap MOBILIZE -> MOBILIZE -> MOBILIZE, sprints to (F5), and Warp Rings to (B9)... right next to the Morph. She decides to try diplomacy.

"H-hi! We're here to rescue everyone! S-some of your friends are over there--"
She points to the nearest cell.
"--if you wanna go help them out! I-I'm going down that way--"
She points south, towards the cell with the single Chairian in it.
"--to save another! Those mean red butterfly people are gonna pay for what they did to a cute lil' pig!"

...She overhears Venia. The Morph probably did too.
"...A-also what she said."

...She's very much ready to sprint southwards once the Morph is out of sight.

---

Sophia gets excited at the fact that the ritual was successful. "Ohmygosh, congratulations! That's super!"

Her plushie looks at Ette. Sophie smiles. "You look awesome!"

Ette mentions sweets. Sophia lights up. "Ooh, sweets! I think Boshi made a cake a while back!"
"...I think."
"Wanna try it? We can still have cinnamon rolls after!"

---

In the Everground, MU begins digging down again, using the infinite iron reserves to make more chains as she goes down.
And so she digs. And digs. And digs. She doesn't really use any crazy technique today.

Nia

Venia's eyes light up at Nia's reaction and hug, and her face goes into a happy blush. This was going amazingly. Nia backed up a bit, enabling Venia to take a bite herself. Her reaction is considerably more subdued, familiar as she is with expensive tastes.

"Anything to make this date better? Hrm. What could be sweeter than a belgian waffle ice cream sandwich?" Venia says, putting on a great show of being puzzled, finger to her lip and eyes upward. "Hrm. Well. There's you." She says, giving Nia another big hug.

"... Hrm, we could also try fishing? I figure something chill ought to be fun... Though, I haven't actually done any fishing myself before. Uh, have you?"

---

Everground

The maid does a tactical retreat back into the main tunnel and gives herself a small restorative to restore her HP to full before dealing with that pesky Observer.

---

Rosen Catacombs

Venia's Maids spawn in at the entrance to the Catacombs, again, lead by... Mr. Krabs?! His repairs must be done. They're here on a mission-to ensure there is not even remote chance that anyone has to come back here for any looting ever again.

First things first though-the Maids converge upon the Southern Hall and that mysterious eye poking out of the wall. They proceed to scan it. If it tries anything more than just giving them funny looks, they proceed to shoot it dead with copies of Venia's weapon and kopious krab klawing.

---

Skillpoints

+1 AGI.

Venia switches from Nanostorm to Terraform. She also switches her Light damage type for Fire on her basic attack.

---

Battle: Cellblock Omega

For all the horrific happenings occurring in this room, of all the things that reminded Venia that the Rosen Catacombs should not survive this day, of all the nasty, horrible, awful demonic infestations that ruled this underground hell, Venia's disgusted, furious expression at the sight of Magnolia's bodily transfer is the ugliest thing in the room. And yet-

"WHY SHOULD SHE LIVE? ITS KARMA. SHE WON'T LISTEN TO US. TOO INDOCTRINATED. THE YAKUZA WERE THE SAME. DO NOT DENY IT."

"I already went through my shitty self-realization phase, twice! No excuses for it! No stooping to that level!"

"SHE IS FILTH."

"No excuses! Nothing justifies it! Nothing! Give her a chance! She's oblivious, she's basically a child!"

Venia concentrates. Her fury cools but her hatred remains, seething like ice.

She calmly reaches into her sack... And pulls out the Origin Scale, holding it clearly for all to see.

"... Your god bled." Venia says, matter of factly. "This is his scale, torn and parted from that filth. Your god bled." Venia says, letting it sink in.

"... It is as they say. Gods don't bleed. And that filth, that wretched thing, that makes you do these fucking sins?! Isn't even worth my piss! Legionaires! Rebels! We are cancelling the apocalypse! The Butterfly is due a hell of a reckoning, and it has been postphoned LONG ENOUGH!!"

"Rosen slaves! Surrender NOW! We will liberate these prisoners, and you'll sooner rot than defeat us! It'll just save you the pain."

Preemptive rolling reveals Venia has accured Fading and a Duchess Venia for her pre-spawn stuff.

These preparatory things done, She spawns in on P4, moves to T7, and then uses the last of the Warp Ring to bounce to W9.

"Show them your power! Lend us aid!"

Venia frees the once-and-future Scarlet, uses Vigil to gain Ordo, then summons a Ghibli at W8.

From out of the multicolored mist, a weird spherical creature spawns, made seemingly of a destroyed house and a destroyed garden, with a large hole gaping inwards to eternal darkness on one end. The other side sprouts two jagged protrusions, almost like wings, which then stick into the ground. A low humming could be heard from it. This doesn't bring to mind anything from Ghibli Studios, for certain.

"... OK, I won't lie, that's strange, but its strong."

Ghibli stats here

Venia's Chibi self spawns on P3, moves to P5, and Guards, not exactly having much else to do.

Crya spawns in Cellblock Omega at P4 and skates to T4 before using Hailstorm at X4 before retreating to S5, her Nia spawning on R5.

Nettle shakes herself out of her stupor. She feels... wrong. With a start, it occurs so her she's not in the position she was when she picked up the axe

Maybe someone wants to explain what happened to her. If this happens, her eyebrows narrow as Sussui's deepest roots begin to shudder in anticipation.

-1 MP. +Anomalous.
Nettle spawns at N5, moves to N9, and billcasts Ignuveil on herself. It has +70% cost and guardian7+ignuveil6

Onwards we go!

Rushing into the next door west from the Holding Pens, I quickly throw a random cinderfruit (not a celefruit this time).

+2HP

Ooh, look, the battle's been won. Iawa lets out a resounding "Eh," and sulks off.