Hoshi now switches control to Angel.

"And here I am thinking I had a break."

Moving up to O10 and using the Emergency Shield Badge, the power of Guiding Hand suddenly keeps Linseed from moving. Fortified tiles appear at O10 and Q12.

Auth grunts with frustration when the Executioner hits him in the leg. Once the cultist is knocked out, Auth kneels down and heals up his leg.

AUTH: I hope that doesn't bruise... that actually hurt. I wanted to use that leg.

Auth shakes the leg a little, after healing it. He then proceeds to heal the Executioner's injuries, but leaves them unconscious for the time being. Just to make sure they're not attacked again.

AUTH: It should be fine... I think. How are you feeling, Nana? I hope that wasn't too much of a fright for you...

Auth stands up again, after being floored, and looks around the pit, calmly. Ladders, and the pit isn't actually very deep.

AUTH: Let's get out of here. Hold on tight.

Auth spreads the wings on his back, and floats over to Nana, picking her up. He flies the both of them over the fence, and into the cafeteria. Auth looks around, briefly, noticing the cultist that congratulated them.

AUTH: Well, that was something, I suppose. Thank you, I think? I'd rather not have fought but I don't think it was exactly an option, given the circumstances.

Auth sighs, and waits to see how Nana is doing after being lifted out of the pit.

@Franciacorta (To prevent this quote chain from getting out of hand.)

I glare at the tea with obvious envy. My shapeshifted outfit doesn't come pre-equipped with tea, and while I could probably perform a little reality warping to ratchet up the veracity of that statement a few Mikus (thank you for the turn of phrase), but the truth is that I simply do not have time for this shit. Impressing my sister is a much more pressing concern.

The first thing that needs to go is my accent. It marks me as a foreigner to this body, rather than a natural-born occupant. In a "normal" world, by which I mean one not entirely enclosed by text-based medium, my accent should be indistinguishable from Fran's, but we live in a society, and so I will adjust my behaviour accordingly, Serpent's years of American English classes be damned.

Now that I've made the requested spelling adjustments, there remain two questions posed at me. Partially because I'm still feeling a little giddy about this amount of narrative cognizance and want an excuse to keep at it, and partially to be an annoyance for my own amusement, I decide to organise my answers in narration rather than dialogue. I'll dial back on it when I'm good and ready to, but that time is not now.

Firstly, yes, twenty half-seconds is equal to ten seconds, five two-second intervals, and 8.2672e-6 fortnights. The hyphen indicates adjective ordering. I might be a mess of an impostor, but I'm not that imprecise.

Secondly, the joke I was referring to is of the type that should not be uttered in polite company. The fact that you didn't pick it up on it immediately is admittedly somewhat of a relief, although I know it to be in your sense of humour. I suppose I am forced to blame the pervasive influence of the Great Hunger clouding my thoughts.

(That was a reference for my own benefit~)

Finally, on the matter of reflection...

"FRAN": Go for it.
"FRAN": I doubt you have the same je ne sais quoi as the Reflector when it comes to reflecting other people, but mimicking nothing pretending to be something shouldn't be too hard.
"FRAN": I'm eager to see what brilliance you come up with!

<ROLEPLAY PROCESSING>

actually nobody else posted so I'll just make this the actual update

<ROUND TWO-HUNDRED EIGHTEEN>

Asha agrees with Marron, deciding that it would be romantic to beat the snot out of some cultists. The sorceress remarks that she could probably beat up more, though. Marron gives Asha a cocky grin.

MARRON: Oh?
MARRON: You sure about that, Toaster?
MARRON: Well, I'll be more than happy to outdo you~

She giggles a little, before joining Toast as she goes upstairs. She turns for the bathroom as Toast heads to her room.

MARRON: Oh, I'm just gonna go freshen up.
MARRON: I kinda smell like... gorilla. Can't lie.
MARRON: Plus, if my clothes weren't ragged before, well... that fight with Fran didn't help them.
MARRON: Gotta... gotta fix those up tonight.
MARRON: Anyway, I'll be with you in a bit.

Once Asha finishes changing, she waits outside the door for Marron. A minute or two later, and the puppeteer pops out in that hoodie and jeans that Asha had given her to replace her ragged outfit. Both items are still stained a bright rainbow from the massive explosion that concluded their chess game. This vibrant "camouflage" would work beautifully if the Rosen Catacombs were actually a gigantic ball pit.

MARRON: Alright! Ready for action!
MARRON: C'mon, let's go!

Despite this being a roleplay thing, the game also processes her respec. Marron also flicks off the special functions on her arm, equipping the Heart Bracelet in place of the Weaver's Palm.

---

Echoss consumes Manabloom Seeds. While this gives him a bad case of gas, it also gives him the ability to summon a swarm of detecting butterflies, which promptly disperse themselves around the house. He also takes a moment to meet up with Asha and Marron, asking how the puppeteer's arm is treating her.

MARRON: It's pretty nice.
MARRON: It's definitely more refined than my last arm, and the joints feel really nice.
MARRON: Kinda wish it was lighter, though. These metallic prosthetics always feel so... heavy.
MARRON: Still, it's not nearly as heavy as my old puppet arms would get when they got waterlogged.

She gives her prosthetic limb a flex, comboing that into a thumbs up. Meanwhile, in the Everground, Pionobot successfully accidentally self-destructs! This rips the Amphi in half, dealing (60) damage to it in the process of dropping all of its body segments to zero. The Amphi crashes into the bridge, but its stable structure only causes it to shake and sway. Its remaining half squirms and twitches violently, unable to act this round!

---

Venia continues to venture through the Mindscape. She places her Bass Plushie in one of her pockets in such a way that its head is poking out. Then, gripping the Calm Mind Shard, she phases right through the front door. She enters the main hall. The receptionist's desk, as well as the posters that she could see from the outside are unchanged. To the left and right are various abandoned stalls, iron-barred shutters dividing her from their contents. Shelves with abandoned merchandise lie within the stalls.

A crimson blight has splashed across the floors and walls in various small patches- nothing she couldn't navigate around, but still somewhat unnerving. This same blight lies on the merchandise in the stalls. There are two doors, one to each side of the receptionist's hall. They're likely entrances to the main theater hall. There are also some stairs that could lead her to an upper area, with more doors to access the main hall. Interestingly enough, the right side of the theater has an incredibly high amount of the crimson blight, the walls themselves beginning to decay and melt into a formless mass.

...Now what?

Also, Mr. Krabs terraforms away a door. Rubble pours our of the room. Seems like there really is nothing that way. How annoying.

---

Insert does some stat rotation. This involves a purchase of the Flame Emblem with a coupon. It occurs to you that your HIT is still bad, but who cares? YOU HAVE 8 MOV. 8 semi-limited MOV, but still 8 MOV.

---

Hannah continues to fight some Iti. In preparation for this, she +1's her MHP, and equips Cleave. She then remarks about the time she shoved the remains of one of her most hated enemies into a jar. Yew takes delight in the memory of cruelity.

YEW: Simply marvelous!
YEW: I'm glad you have a taste for such things, unlike my previous master.
YEW: Perhaps you'll be an even better master than them?

She then shoots another arrow at the Amphi, causing the already wounded Amphi's head to dissolve into a slushy mess. Delicious. Or, as most might say, disgusting. 8 Samples lift up from the carnage, and enter Hannah's inventory.

Meanwhile, in the future lake, Boshi makes use of the Edge of Dawn, and obliterates the Shardnado with a powerful Dawn of Existence as it charges for the third time in a row! The entire thing falls to pieces, Shuria fragments dotting the water. Somebody's gonna need a pond skimmer for this.

---

JOE continues some farm work. He plants some Manablooms in the farm, and PvZ's down a Lumilure Trap at the farm. He also decides to go upgrade some Illusory Traps with 3 Lumipods and 3 Spider Silk Spools, slightly boosting the power of three of them. Nice.

...He also hears a bit of commotion to the western side of the farm. Seems a recovery team has arrived for that one injured Rebel. Among their ranks is a Griefer. While they might be here on a peaceful mission, could the Griefer be a dangerous threat? Make a decision, before they roll a barrel bomb into the farm. Or maybe they won't. Who knows?

---

EN teaches Taeda about her family. She's one of (likely) 200 units remaining, and apparently her brand is capable of developing PTSD. Taeda however, seems to be confused about her friend's accent.

TAEDA: Hey, your accent changed!
TAEDA: Do you have a... voice modulator?
TAEDA: I know that Sir Cypress has one of those, but his voice is still faulty anyway.
TAEDA: He says its really hard to program, but with all the things he's made, I actually kinda find that hard to believe...

After pondering EN's voice for a bit, she decides to return to the topic at hand.

TAEDA: So... t-that many of you died?
TAEDA: T-That's awful! I-I really don't know what to say...
TAEDA: Um...

...Seems like the poor thing really doesn't know what to say. At least, until the subject of 001 is brought up.

TAEDA: Ooh, if the original EN is out there, what do you think she's doing?
TAEDA: Maybe she's peacefully retired, just living a peaceful life as a farmer?

While Taeda imagines EN with a big ol' farmer's sunhat, tilling all the crops, the Engie Drone within the Everground decides to self-salve for (5) HP. He then decides to backwards longjump to (D139), taking a strenuous (7) points of ascension damage. Before they can grab the loot though, the YAHOOing that results out of every backwards long jump has awoken the remaining Harpy! In addition, a few more fly in from offscreen. What a bother. Anyway, get moving, or get dying!

---

Auth takes a moment to mend some wounds. First, he heals up the bruise on his leg, and then tends to the Executioner's injuries. He then approaches the trembling Nana, asking how she's feeling.

NANA: I-I'm fine.
NANA: J-Just... a little rattled, is all.
NANA: I thought he was going to get you...
NANA: I-I'm glad I was here t-to help, though!

Auth then spreads his wings, preparing to take off. Nana allows him to grab one of her hands, and the two then fly up and out of the pit. The Cultist that was cheering them on is... still cheering, waving to them as they pass above.

CULTIST: eyyy!
CULTIST: that was really something!
CULTIST: you two have a future in gladitorial combat
NANA: T-Thank you, b-but we'll pass!

The couple then touches down. Nana is still clinging to Auth's hand.

NANA: T-That was scary...
NANA: Anyway, l-let's get out of here! I don't wanna be forced into another fight...

Well, you heard the girl. Time to leave.

---

<THE DUNEYRR HOLD, ROUND FIVE>
...That was quick. Anyway, with this, you've officially captured Linseed! I'll make a more detailed write-up here later, but for now, just take a look at what's left of the Duneyrr Hold battle, as well as the Zone 1 map!

/update's done, except this bit :U

An Echoss butterfly, near the farm, transforms into a hologram near the Rebels who are picking up the injured griefer.
"Ah, it's good to see someone came by to pick them up. To you in the back however, before you try anything I should warn you that the person responsible for your friend here's injuries is still in the farm.
And heavily armed.
He is evidently rather mentally unstable and very attached to this structure. I would personally just leave him well enough alone and let him garden in peace, I cannot gaurentee your safety or even survival if he decides you're a threat."

In the house with Marron and Toast.
"Ah, I'm very glad they're working out for both of you.
As to your issue, Miss Needleworker, perhaps I'll look into fixing it up some tomorrow to be lighter. Usually in the Echo Collective we use artificial materials, or sometimes lighter supermetals such as mithril, but I had to make due with what we had on hand.
But again, I'm glad it's working out for what it is."
Assuming the conversation finishes up, Echoss says his goodbyes with the girls and makes his way to Zone 1. If not, he doesn't, as that would be rude.

Echoss descends from the sky at The Way Forward as a cloud of butterflies that quickly recoalesces into himself.
"Is everyone alright?" After ascertaining that others are okay, he walks over to Maple
"Ah, hello Miss Maple. I'm assuming Linseed over there had something to do with the injury? Regardless, I'm all ears."
(note to self, ask Maple if she'd want to have her eye healed)

In the house, the Echoss golems haul the laser machinegun up to the roof/balcony on the second floor, roughly where it was before.

In the Everground, Pionobot patches himself up with some bandages that materialize out of nowhere.


NOT!ECHOSS violates at least one Voidic peace convention and pays Nia to upgrade both the Infinite Glories and the Sock Puppet Lawyers again.

The Way Forwards

I'm just going to presume that Angel/Hoshi revived Venia before now, as she is conscious and blue on the map.

Venia inspects Linseed and/or Hickory. "We need to get him back to the house, and make sure there aren't any trackers on him, or the tank, just in case. We need to make sure he's being watched, too, when night comes. I'll go get Mari, she's probably capable of dealing with this,"

Venia sends a text over to Mari.

VENIA: Hey Mari. We captured a rebel tank at the Way Forwards.
VENIA: Need someone to inspect it to make sure there isn't any sort of tracking thing or way the rebels could find us with it.
VENIA: Also a Zaubaton member, Linseed. Need to check him too, he's really tech'd out.
VENIA: Can you come over as soon as you're able?

This done, she turns to the Ninja. "Thanks for the help. We'll be able to keep Linseed locked up. Feel free to leave."

---

Rosen Catacombs

Mr. Krabs slams his into the 'wall' (the floor) and somehow generates a seat on his back. He gestures to Nia. "Climb aboard, lass!"

once a response is given, Mr. Krabs uses the power of raw Krab stronk to propel himself as close to the exit as possible, enough for Nia to jump off back into regular gravity. He then goes down a bit, and opens the door to the left.

---

Basscapers

Venia takes it all in-the theatre and the corruption and everything-and figures that this is what she's here for.

"Well then. Looks like this is where most of the memories are supposed to be. Might as well test..."

Venia points the Calm Mind Shard at a patch of the crimson corruption, and points at it, intending to scrub out only the crimson corruption dotted around the mindscape. Only a small patch. Just in case something goes horribly wrong.

---

Skillpoints

+2 RES. Venia switches back to Incantation and her usual Long-Ranged mode on the Entropic Key. That's all, really.

---

other

Venia shakes the Rosebuster Bombs violently. As they're stable-state explosives this does nothing other than turn them into consumable attack items similar to a Greifer's barrel; really powerful bombs designed to mostly blow up terrain if left 'alive' for a short period.

Venia also researches Aleph Annihilation with 20 Flux. Yay.

---

Without further ado...

Venia, after a lot of other stuff is taken care of and a bit more time shenanigans, stands at the foot of the Steps to Oblivion, leading downwards.

"... This is it. I suspect nothing short of the First Sin is down there. We defeat him and it could very well mean the end of the Rose Cult. At the same time, the Netwyrm, supposedly in an underground cavern close to the Chruch of Helix, has also yet to make a proper apperance aside from some heads... We might see it down there instead. Taking the Hybrid into account, and what else we've seen, it might very well be both."

"... Let's do this."

Venia leads the way, wielding the Incandescent Key in front of her as she descends.

+1 SKI. Stop negging me over my horrible stat distribution >:(

Hannah does something ridiculous; she -3s her HP and gets another Pop Pop.
Oh god this is gonna be terrifying.

Hannah looks up, thinking to herself

"Well I think I'd definitely be a better 'master' when compared to the rest of the group... the rest are too soft or too... eccentric - to a fault, even. In fact, I... couldn't really open up about these things with anyone in said group, without being put in like a time-out chair or something stupid like that. Except maybe that puppeteer lady, but even then..."

"It's nice to just... let loose for once. Even if it's just on monsters. Or those that deserve no kinder than a slow, painful, yet exciting and sometimes creative death. It's no fun if they just keel over and die with no fanfare, yeah?~"

She hears more harpies. And Future!Toast behind her.

"Oh hey, done being zoned out for eternity up there? Finally. Let's drop some more harpies."

Hannah slides back down the chain, slapping a Salve on her wounds to heal up. She runs into the harpy's nest, then points at the nearby Aello. All it'll take is another shot and more liberal application of poison, she thinks.

---

Boshi does a celebratory fistpump, before backing up to flash the Grey Card at the Nanite, then driving forward and casting a net to fish out the bits of Shuria and that shiny thing from the water, glaring at the Jotun in the process.

Asha yeets a skillpoint at her INT.

Also, she needs her karma fixed, attention (probably) removed, and the duelist accomplishment readded.

After that, she heads to the Rosen Catacombs with Marron in tow. She suddenly remembers something, and asks her girlfriend to wait outside. After a few minutes of searching, she finds the past version of Marron, and casts Greater Historia on her, sending her back in time so they can cook together. Now with those loose ends settled, she invites Present!Marron in so they can beat up some bad bois.

...Well, actually, I can't go over to them even if I wanted to; I already piled up the rubble high enough to fully conceal that there's even an other side to the tunnel, remember? I did that while hollowing out the little sleeping spot I'm listed in. I'd have to go up to the river and around the mountain-place. Assuming none of them have X-ray vision or something, and assuming they don't attack a collapsed tunnel, they won't be doing much of anything.
...I might sound confident, but I still cast some very small and subtle illusionary traps in the rubble, illusions of an extra pebble burried under others and out of their sight. If they do attack, I'll make sure that's the only one the griefer makes anyhow. I then quietly creep away from the rubble towards the stream. I don't have the time (OOC) for a proper craft right now, but - staying near the burbling of the stream to hide the sound of it- take a few minutes to put carve a series of crude stone spikes out of cobblestone. I'll implant those into the ground somewhere later, I suppose. I would do more tile cleaning, but I don't want to alert those rebels, even if there's literally three of them, only one of them is a threat to my goals, and I could quite possibly get both of the offensive ones in one round with mild preptime. they might still get a barrel bomb off if they know there's something to bomb.

Skillpoints:
Calibri: +1 HP, +1 AGI
Verdana: +2 DEF

RP - near house

The accent talk does end up sidetracking EN too. She responds to that line of questioning with a shrug.

"Sorta-sorta. Ah dunno if ah've got some specific thingy doin' me voice fer me... hol' on, 'aven't ah already talked 'bout me accent already...?"

EN then falls silent. It's clear to her that she's perhaps unloading some heavy things on the poor priestess that the latter might not necessarily be equipped to deal with, so to speak. Still, she'll keep talking about the less harsh side of things for now. The mention of retirement prompts a faint smile from the metallic lass...

"Heh. Maybe. Dunno 'ow much is gonna grow where'er she's gone, if she's out there still. Or maybe she's tryin' t' find a way back. Though, really, since nothin's confirmed, lord knows wha' 'appened."


RP - Zone 1

Battle over. The fusion is hanging out in the aftermath. Since they're no longer needed to be in that state, it seems to be gradually untangling itself. It's easy to see the core once again, currently a marbled mishmash of red and blue and yellow and the composite colours all in between, gradually seperating and distinguishing themselves.

"Urgh, who knew a triple-entity fusion would be so hard to untangle..."

Eventually, there's a pop, and Calibri, Verdana, and Lato (in Sol Aeterna form) fall to the ground, dusting themselves off. Well, Lato doesn't dust herself off, she's a sword right now, but you get the idea.

"Ah, got it!"
"Can we have a quick release? That... untangling felt pretty weird. And. You know. It might be bad for us if we're caught short during it."
"Practice will perfect the art. Do not concern yourself yet."

Beat.

"...Additionally, I would not like to be here. I have little to contribute now that the fight has concluded."
"Huh. Would've thought you could just... unmanifest. Ah well. Gotcha covered, sis."

Calibri picks up the sword and promptly vanishes, along with said sword. After that, Verdana wanders around, taking a look at things, then wanders over to the Chainknight.

"Honestly? What happens now is probably some questions, then we just let you go. It's not like we really get anything from keeping you around. Of course, I'm not the absolute final decision-maker, but don't worry too much about that. I'm sure that'll be the outcome anyway. Also do let us know if you have somewhere to go and can get there safely."

After that wee bit of time spent talking to the Chainknight, Verdana then wanders over to investigate Maple. There's a pause, then a familiar look in his eyes, followed by a clap.

"Oh, I remember you! Mostly I remember reviving you back at the caravan. It looks like... there's quite a bit to catch up on."

He decides to sit down with her, also casting a Cure on her to see if that helps mitigate some of the burny scar stuff. Then, he headtilts.

"So, what happened between then and now? And also, what will you do about the whole... erm... missing eye thing? Well, what do you want done, I guess. I'm sure one of us could arrange something nice for you. Eyepatch, new eye, cool techy augmented eye, other things..."


RP - everground

"Wow that stings. Again."

Engie promptly steals as much of the pile of credits as possible and the Core Regalias, then parachutes down to G147 with a shitty umbrella. After that, he runs out of the nest, stopping once outside to slap down a Force Glyph at L147.

"Alright, that room has birds in it. Watch them bunch up on the other side of that glyph. Or not do that. It depends on if they're smart, or if they're just... birdbrains."

He promptly summons a cool pair of sunglasses and puts them on, which looks a little stupid given they're normal-size sunglasses and barely fit into the ominous mass of probably-void that is the interior of his helmet thing.

@Dedomeni

Oh God. Oh god oh god oh god. This is so surreal. I love it.

Now, how do I go about my proposal? One misstep, and I become the embodiment of that XKCD comic. You know the one. How do I imitate a character not only specialised in imitating others, but also one I haven't had much exposure to? How do I get the cute little vocal quirks right? How do I make damn sure I don't disappoint them?

Wait... Wait! I got it!

BEHOLD MY POWER, AND DESPAIR!

---

Meanwhile, in the [Concept Untranslatable]

Chara finishes losing their shit, regaining control over this rotting mess of a narrative. We are not about to have two posts in a row with Fran's meta-self-observation as their only content. And we are not letting Joseph control half of one again. In fact, how are you even able to do that? I don't remember you ever being intended as a narrator.

Oh, have I finally grown deserving of your attention, princess? My, and here I was, thinking I'd be ignored for alright, no, we are not doing this. Can you give me a straight answer, or do I need to initiate the customary threatening to significantly harm your crush before you'll answer a simple question?

Lord have mercy, someone is on edge today. It just so happens that, while you were having an edgy pity party in front of your blonde friend, the old lady finally got her hands on some complimentary material slash fanfiction of the Cyclonopedia.

Cyclonopedia? That political fiction thing she never actually understood and just kept quoting "Dust = 100 = 'NO GOD'" from?

Indeed. But now she does understand it to some degree, especially concerning the nature of Dust. See, it turns out that it is, well, two seemingly unrelated things at the same time. Its base form is the more obvious one, a concept that the Earth introduced in order to achieve variance in its "architecture": more different creations may exist, but they will all return to dust. However, it is also a pseudo-substance carrying information, or rather "xerodata" within itself. And although the xero- prefix is only meant to be a reference to the dryness of the desert, some simple overcomplication transforms it into meaning "raw data." Either way, a consistent stream of Dust particles is apparently a narration method most potent. You might've missed it, but I have a small dust whirlwind active around me whenever I narrate anything. It's really hard to keep myself from sneezing.

That... Alright, I can't debate the sensibility of any of that. I also can't say I'm not glad that you've finally been sent on your second mission. I have no idea what Francia saw in your Geass that warranted this long a pause after your first world.

I suspect she might simply not have had any idea where else to send me. Oh, speaking of!~ She's found a new world to tear apart, and this one is still being developed!

Really? Who's she sending?

That's the thing. It seems you'd be the perfect candidate to learn its "art of Cutting" or whatever she called it, but since you're busy here, the next most sensible choice are the twins.

Ah... Well, the end goal is all of us visiting every world someone else was sent to, so I suppose I'll just have to wait... Thank you for the recap. Now, how about we stop having dialogue in here of all places and get back to what I meant to do?

No, I don't think I That wasn't a question. Take it away, Autotranscriber.

As we were, then. Upon regaining their footing, Chara quickly realizes that they have left not one, not two, but three conversations hanging without a conclusion for months on end. Uttering a silent apology to the Witch Goddess Aᴜʀᴏʀᴀ, they shatter their consciousness once more, retracing their steps to those moments...

---

QUOTE (Irecreeper @ Dec 5 2019, 01:04 AM)

First, Omo! Could she potentially teach her woodmancy? The librarian thinks on this for a moment. OMORIKA: Certainly. OMORIKA: But as you mentioned, perhaps there's an incompatibility of sorts that you may be inconvenienced by. OMORIKA: Still, though. I will teach you, along with sir Author. OMORIKA: ...As a note, for a non-Chairian, learning it can be a more grueling process... OMORIKA: But, I'm sure you'll manage.

If Chara had any less self-restraint or dignity, she'd probably be giddily jumping in place. Even like this, she beams with excitement at the prospect of being peacefully taught a skill for once instead of studying alone, or worse.

CHARA: Excellent, then. I already have experience with learning magic restricted to a whole other species, so potential hardships don't surprise me.
CHARA: When do we start? In a few hours? After the Sphere situation is resolved? Some entirely different point in time or non-time?
CHARA: I can help with the latter, if you so wish. We have several chronology-nonconforming throwaway dimensions in cold storage for situations like these.
CHARA: Has any Earthling or "Earth"ling told you about the Chronicles of Narnia series yet? It's pretty good, as long as you don't pay too much attention to it being the most widespread holy scripture except in a format easily accessible to youth. I can get you a copy of those too, if that's your fancy.

---

QUOTE (Irecreeper @ Dec 5 2019, 01:04 AM)

Then, with Taeda, she lays some shade on the sort of "religious power hierarchy" that's so prevalent in media, and complains how the most devout followers won't get powers due to their professions. The priestess takes some offense to this. TAEDA: Lord Helix only grants his power to those who are the most devoted to him! TAEDA: If he gave his power to everyone who followed, then it wouldn't be very special, would it? TAEDA: In exchange for your devotion, and the willingness to spread Helix's love, he rewards you with the ability to aid others! TAEDA: Being a priestess isn't exactly the easiest job in the world, you know!

Internally cringing at his brain-to-mouth filter's hickup, Chara... Well, it's not really that he has any natural urge to apologize, but he still decides to first think through the logistics of what's been said before attempting to do so.

CHARA: I wasn't insinuating it was, it's just... hmm...
CHARA: On the one hand, that sounds like a fair enough system. Much fairer than the ones I had in mind when I made those remarks.
CHARA: On the other hand, why does the power need to be special in the first place? I urge you not to get me wrong, but I've never understood deities who put being worshiped before using their godly powers to help those in need.
CHARA: I mean, it would make sense if he was the kind of god whose very existence depended on others believing in and holding reverence for him. But the standard god is just under the impression that if he were to indiscriminately give his blessings, nobody would worship him for... some reason?
CHARA: Honestly, YHWH, you just needed to give more signs you're there and listening to demands. Your omnipresence should've made that easy, but no, you'd rather spend all your time talking to a hermit on a mountaintop for days and then consign his people to suffering in the desert because they thought he was dead and
CHARA: ...sincerest apologies. I shouldn't be dragging my own world's problems into this.

CHARA: Say, I'm genuinely interested in how exactly Lord Helix manifests. Does he have a holy scripture? Did he ever send prophets, or even talk to anyone on the mortal plane?

---

QUOTE (Irecreeper @ Dec 5 2019, 01:04 AM)

Chara also chats with Nana, asking if she can go a single sentence without stuttering. NANA: H-Huh? NANA: T-That's mean! NANA: Around e-everyone, n-no matter how kind everyone's been, m-my voice faulters... NANA: I-I just get... n-nervous, okay!? NANA: It can't be h-helped...

Now that, that wasn't exactly the reaction they expected, yet Chara lets the same sigh of resignation out that they had intended for the one they did.

CHARA: Hey, it's fine. And it can be helped, vocal training exists for a reason.
CHARA: If it's truly bothering you on an existential level, I can drag a colleague here to act as your coach. He's not a professional, but he's taught choirs previously, so just helping you keep your voice steady shouldn't be a problem.
CHARA: But I get the feeling our "graceful benefactors" wouldn't like that. See, you have a reputation with them, one of being incredibly... what's the word...
CHARA: Moe. Yes, that's just about the term, and the stuttering and flustering and every single other reaction is what upholds it.
CHARA: So a solution as simple as this one wouldn't cut it. If they even wanted you to lose the stuttering, it would be through some major character development arc where you grow more assured of your abilities, yadda yadda yadda.

Their shoulders slump, and for a moment it seems like they're on the verge of collapsing onto the floor. But no, only a huff escapes them as they inspect their left hand, an emerald flame dancing just above the palm.

CHARA: Hey, hey kid. Want some character development?
CHARA: The pessimistic side of me is wrapped in the feeling that you won't be getting any for quite some time. That side is in control now, I'd say.
CHARA: I'm not asking for much. I just want to see how well you fare in a constructed environment. Isolation tends to bring out traits unknown even to you.
CHARA: What do you say? You don't have to sign a contract or anything remotely close. Just tell me whether you want to give it a try, or if you want me to leave you alone and every bit as nervous as you were before this conversation.
CHARA: Should you choose the former, I can promise you you'll get back almost instantaneously. No need to worry about missing your date.

---

And now, the filter.

The idea of ingesting more of that disgusting metallic (?) substance is intriguing, but Joseph knows better than play into a demonic being's trap unprepared. Some more testing needs to be undertaken, but of a completely different sort. These entropic matters aside, it is time for us to confirm for sure just what the Thymefield will allow. And no, not through reducing the forest to ashes, at least not intentionally. Testing which powers have carried over is an individual task. A far more pressing one is testing what other things can be brought in.

Observe.


Making sure the area around him is as clear as possible, Joseph prepares to see which of the objects on the list will even arrive, and which will remain as they previously were. Said list is:

• 1 sack of rubies, uncut
• 1 cork
• 1 litre of honey-infused martini (question not Mikeru's tastes)
• 500g gunpowder
• 20 bronze ingots
• 7 gold ingots
• 2 plates of chocolate pudding
• 1 wolf pelt
• 200g butter
• 1 standard issue riot shield
• 2 motorcycle wheels
• 6 feathers, one from each of Mikeru's wings
• 30 falsified passports
• 1 marching drum
• 1 prosthetic leg
• 0 drinks
• 1 lizard
• 1 Pepsi in a Coca Cola glass
• 4 elephant tusks
• 1 very frightened butler
• 999,999 grains of sand
• 1 standard healing potion
• 1 standard love potion
• 1 box of 100 praying mantises in varying stages of death
• 2 litres of a GM's tears
• 1 copy of the Codex Gigas
• 5 sealed documents inscribed with Explosive Runes

AUTH: Mm. I'd like to have a bit more of a look around outside of this room. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm pretty sure we're on the opposite side of that blocked-off corridor. It would be prudent to see what's around before a major conflict.

Auth and Nana would leave the cafeteria. Auth walks through the entrance on the bottom right of the blocked off hallway they walk into.

AUTH: Thank you for being there, Nana. I don't think we'd be out of this situation so swiftly without you.

<ROUND TWO-HUNDRED NINETEEN>

Echoss meets with the Rebels at the Farm. He notes that the person within the farm is mentally unstable, and that odds are they should just leave. The Medic takes a look over their injured ally, and nods.

MEDIC: ...Whoever did this was likely a sociopath, yes.
MEDIC: We'll take our leave.

They roll out, injured in tow. Back at the house, Echoss notes that maybe he could make her arm lighter. She perks up ever so slightly.

MARRON: You could?
MARRON: That'd be great! Especially if you make it out of Mythril.
MARRON: Y'know, Mythril is like, the metal to improve things to their highest level!
MARRON: ...Asha, does it still do that?

Then, in the Everground, Pionobot restores (7) HP to himself with random bandages. Then, Not!Pionobot (and also Not!Echoss- look, they're the same person) decides to go poke Nia for some upgrades. She accepts, taking 200 Credits and feeding them and the ingredients to Chaos. A few moments later, Nia returns with 2 Sock Puppet Courts, and 14 Bouquet Singularities.

Echoss then arrives at The Way Forward, and meets up with Maple. He asks if Linseed caused the injury. She nods.

MAPLE: Yeah. He's the one who did that to me.
MAPLE: So... the way I got the burn was... kinda stupid.
MAPLE: I... tried to rebel. Against the Rebellion.

She awkwardly laughs to herself, scratching her crimson foliage.

MAPLE: I've always wanted to help people.
MAPLE: Like, all of the old heroes in those fairytales!
MAPLE: Selfless, brave, and strong enough to defeat all evildoers!
MAPLE: I joined the Rebellion, because I... t-though I was doing the right thing.
MAPLE: It's dangerous, fighting against your own people... but I-I can't just stand by and l-let them send the Sphere to the Tabletopians!
MAPLE: It'd cause needless death, a-and I think it'd stop us from ever achieving peace with them...

She reminisces over the Caravan raid.

MAPLE: When I met you guys, I wasn't sure what to think.
MAPLE: Sure, you were fighting against us, but you had Chloe, so you couldn't have been all that bad, right?
MAPLE: She's a true heroine!~
MAPLE: Then we fought that monster together, and you guys saved me when I got knocked out...
MAPLE: And... well, while your tactics may have been brutal, you took the time to save everyone after the battle, too!
MAPLE: I started thinking that... maybe you guys are the real heroes!

Holding her hand against her burnt eye, her thoughts then drift to... probably a few hours ago, at her barracks.

MAPLE: I... decided that I wanted to work for you guys.
MAPLE: The Zabuton are cruel. Linseed incinerates those he faces, Pomme advocates the usage of poison weapons, and... w-well, I don't actually know the last guy's name, b-but he's probably dome something wicked!
MAPLE: That cruelty is rubbing off on the other Rebels, and... I-I don't want to be part of that!
MAPLE: So, I tried to get me and my squadron to abandon ship, and join you guys!
MAPLE: It was going well, until Linseed caught wind of things, a-and... confronted us.

MAPLE: I totally would've cut him down if I... w-wasn't so s-sure of myself.
MAPLE: When he c-came to apprehend us, I-I just sorta rushed in, desperate to stop h-him, and...
MAPLE: W-Well, I forgot that you can't really parry burning oil with a sword.

Maple pauses, taking her hand off of her burns. Her left hand clenches into a fist.

MAPLE: S-So... that brings me to my point!
MAPLE: I think that your words and actions are really changing the world.
MAPLE: Your good deeds are whispered about by both Legion and Rebel alike, a-and... I think you could even bring this bloody war to a conclusion!
MAPLE: I want to lend my sword to your cause! So please, allow me to join you!

MAPLE: ...Also, sorry I couldn't bring any of my friends.
MAPLE: Turns out I'm the only one crazy enough to try and defect, ahahahaha....

...So, how about it? A Scarlet would certainly be a great asset to the cause, right? Also, she's super cute, how could you possibly refuse her.

---

Venia texts Mari, asking her to come over. Message: "yo dawg there is a goddamn spider tank here come and hack it." Venia fails to get a response. Right before she considers sending a second text, she sees movement on the Duneyrr.

MARI: Oh, hey.
MARI: Got your text, but I was here before that.
MARI: I heard you were hijacking a goddamn magitek spider tank, so...
MARI: Had to be the one to take a look.
MARI: Also, here. As you requested.

Mari lobs out a large hunk of metal, which is conveniently labelled "HOMING BEACON".

MARI: Kind of them to label it like that.
MARI: Go do whatever you want with it.
MARI: Maybe we could prank them with it, somehow? That'd be fun.

Then, also as Venia requested, Mari jumps off the Duneyrr, gently floating down towards Linseed. The moment she touches down, she's all over Linseed.

MARI: Ooh.
MARI: This is like, 70% tech, 30% magical stuff.
MARI: Can't say I recognize too many of the techniques used to make this, since I usually just dabble with the whole "tech" side of things...
MARI: Whoever made this definitely made the Duneyrr, though. Similar materials, similar processors, similar... color scheme...
MARI: Oh, also. Tracking beacon. I've traced it, and its like, deep in his Core.
MARI: It probably doubles as a "vital sign" sort of thing.
MARI: Unless you trust me to do some surgery on an alien physiology, I don't think there's much I can do about that. Sorry.
MARI: Or at least, nothing I can do without vegetable-ing him.

Mari continues to geek out over Linseed. Would it be wrong to lob off his limbs to take a closer look at them? Probably. Venia then continues her trek in the mindscape of Bass, trying to scrub away a bit of the crimson corruption with a beam of Ordo. The substance is safely burned away. The moment she turns to perhaps exterminate more of the substance, one of the sets of doors on the upper level bursts open, one door being sent clean off its hinges and topping down a floor with a thud!

A crimson specter of sorts surges through the doorway, before floating just out of reach of Venia. It seems to be similar in structure to a Scalefused. You know, if a Scalefused were instead made of a pale pink Fluxblood, had an ominous black cloak that seemed to constantly waft ash from its end, and a long, crescent scythe forged from red scales. It watches Venia from a distance, body violently twitching as it fidgets with its scythe. What's up with him? Or her. Or it. I don't know if this thing has a pronoun or not.

Elsewhere, not really with Venia, Mr. Krabs ferries Nia out of that one hallway in the Rosen Catacombs. Pchooo! Nia is safely escorted. Mr. Krabs then decides to go investigate the room to the east. He finds a room full of organic material- living wood? In the center of the room is a sculpture of sorts, and a cultist who is desperately trying to spin said sculpture.

To round out the post, Venia +2's her RES, rotates to Incantation, and edits her key into its long-ranged mode. She also edits the Rosebuster Bombs to become consumable items, and researches Aleph Annihilation. Cool!

---

Insert +1's his SKI. His HIT is now almost socially acceptable.

---

Hannah chats with her weapon. She notes that her group is all much too soft. Yew laughs to itself.

YEW: We should show them our power.
YEW: You shouldn't be suppressed for what you enjoy.
YEW: Why, if they show disdain with us... why don't I let them experience our power?
YEW: Certainly, these allies of yours could survive an arrow? It'd be fun to watch those naysayers squirm...

Hannah then applies a Salve to herself, recovering (5) HP. She then runs into the Harpy's Nest, and allows Yew to get the perfect angle to kill a... Harpy. Not the intended target, but it seems like Yew has her own priorities in life. Anyway, that Harpy begins to wither and die. Also, she -3's her MHP, and grabs Pop Pop, but again. That's not dangerous at all.

Boshi meanwhile, flashes the Grey Card at the Nanite. Nothing happens. Seems like they'll need to get closer to actually have that work. They then cast out a fishing net into the water, obtaining 8 Samples, 3 Iron Ingots, 4 Titanium Ingots, 12 Fragmented Alloy, and... 2 Paratoxin Shuriken. Why were there bits of cookie in the Shuria...? Whatever.

---

Asha decides to fix Marron's timeloop! She finds a blindfolded Marron sitting in the middle of the hallway, cross-legged. She perks up upon hearing the footsteps.

MARRON: Toaster? Is that you?
MARRON: I'm wearing this blindfold so I don't get spoilers, just in case something weird happened.
MARRON: Anyway, if that's you, go time-warp my butt already! I've recited this to like, two people who weren't you, and they laughed at me, and-

Voop! Marron's time loop is corrected. Also, Asha +1's her INT, and fixes her statsheet.

---

JOE considers casting some traps in the rubble. That's... not how that'd work, I'd imagine. Also, they've left. He still does however, prepare some cobblestone spikes. Where to place them?

---

Verdana talks with the Chainknight. What'll happen to them? Probably not much. The Chainknight shrugs, although it's not really visible from inside their shell.

CHAINKNIGHT: Oh, there's nowhere really safe around here.
CHAINKNIGHT: This is Legion territory, after all.
CHAINKNIGHT: Could you like, give me a ride back to base? I'd-
CHAINKNIGHT: Actually, I feel like letting you drive me home would get me lynched.
CHAINKNIGHT: Just a feeling.

He then goes to talk with Maple. While he'd ask how happened to her, she did just tell someone else, so he can scroll up to read that. As for what she wants to do about her eye...

MAPLE: Oh, it's you! Thanks again for your help!
MAPLE: As for my eye... I dunno.
MAPLE: A techy augmented eye sounds cool. A few other Rebels have them.
MAPLE: Just as long as it looks normal. Wouldn't want to put people off with a crazy eye, or anything!

Seems like she's interested. Can he deliver, though? We'll find out! Engie also decides to go and loot the Core Regalia, stuffing them into his inventory. He also loots the whole pile of 500 Credits. He then attempts to make a quick escape, heading to the cliffside and parachuting down with an umbrella. This works right up until the Aello swoops in, and severs the umbrella at the rod, leaving the drone clinging onto naught but a handle. Probably doesn't help that umbrella-gliding isn't really a quick way to descend.

The drone hits the ground hard, perishing. Luckily for Mustache Girl, she wasn't crushed to death by him. Things could've been worse. Anyway, he should be free to respawn, and venture his way back down to where he died. Maybe someone can also pick up the loot from his corpse.

---

Fran does like, a lot. Specifically, she... or rather Chara, performs necromancy on her conversations with Omo, Taeda, and Nana. Let's go through them in order. Chara asks when she might be able to start learning this sort of thing.

OMORIKA: ...Non-time? That sounds... dangerous.
OMORIKA: How about we meet tonight, after miss Needleworker makes dinner? Marron, I mean.
OMORIKA: I assume she's cooking tonight.
OMORIKA: It would be ideal to begin training on a full stomach, I would say.

She also asks about the Chronicles of Narnia. Has she heard of it?

OMORIKA: I can't say I have.
OMORIKA: A copy would be fascinating, but I doubt the time to read such holy scripture would came to me until after the Sphere is dismantled.

Omo can't help but wonder if Narnia is actually the name of a cult. Maybe in some alternate timeline it is. Elsewhere, with Taeda, Chara questions why the power of Helix must be special. Taeda stomps her foot, and huffs out loudly.

TAEDA: H-Helix has his reasons for how he acts!
TAEDA: He is known to be a god of many, many voices and minds, and I believe that his power is fueled by worship, to some extent.
TAEDA: A few years ago, the eldest priests and priestesses noticed that Helix's gifts had suddenly grown stronger, almost as if the lord had suddenly made himself known to thousands, if not millions...
TAEDA: I don't know how that came about. Nobody can really explain it.

Chara also asks how Helix has manifested himself in the past. Taeda holds out three fingers.

TAEDA: There are three main ways he makes himself known.
TAEDA: One, my church's powers come from his blessings.
TAEDA: Two, Helix makes himself known through his blessed creatures, the Mollusks. Maybe you've seen a few on Sussui?
TAEDA: And three, he appeared in "person" to face the Godmodder... and died.
TAEDA: ...He got better, though. I doubt he used his full power back there.

Finally, Chara makes Nana an offer: does Nana want some character development? Free isolation, or something like that. Nana takes a step back.

NANA: I-Isolation? W-Why? What would t-that do?
NANA: I-I don't want to be left a-alone! That'd be a-awful!

NANA: What... w-what do you want from me?
NANA: Y-You're... scaring me. J-Just, the way your wording things, t-thinking I can't... "develop", w-whatever that means!
NANA: I-I'm... getting braver, d-day by day! Y-You think I-I'm hopeless, d-don't you?
NANA: How cruel of you!

While Nana considers fight, flight, or more flight, Joseph decides to try and import a whole truckload of crafting materials! Most of the items are summoned into the area generally unharmed, but some of the items are whisked out of existence. Namely, the sack of rubies, the martini, the riot shield, the feathers, the leg, the elephant tusks, both potions, the mantises, the casks of GM's tears, the codex, and the documents with explosive runes. They manifest in a pile not too far outside of the house. Before they can go to pick them up, a Pinati that was lying in wait somewhere pops out, consumes all of the items, then begins to float off with the loot in tow.

Maybe the loot just wasn't meant to be.

---

Auth thanks Nana for her help. She blushes gently, giving him a smile.

NANA: Y-You're welcome! I-I'm happy to be helpful!
NANA: S-So... let's get going!

The two of them venture out into the hall like Auth planned. They cross the room, walking by a cultist that's complaining about not being able to use the washroom. They then head into the southeastern room, finding... a storage room! There's also a construct that seems to be prowling the room-

Nana yanks back on the Author's hand, pulling him out of the room. She ever-so-quietly closes the door behind them.

NANA: W-Waaah! That's an Exhibition!
NANA: M-Maybe they put it here t-to guard something, b-because they couldn't g-get it out in time...?

They have a moment to plan, and maybe deal with the Exhibition. Strangely enough, it doesn't seem to make any sound as it steps around the room. Maybe it has an enchantment for that, or something? Who knows.

---

The light of Venia's Incandescent Key cuts through the dark, a beacon in the hazy shroud that is the deepest chamber of the Rosen Catacombs. It is a place devoid of any normal light source. Thousands of little beady red "stars" glisten in the distance, and cultists run about the room, their way lit by luminescent "veins that seem to be scattered around the room, neon fuchsia streaking through them.

The light of the veins reveals that the center of the room seems to be elevated, on a hill of sorts. She can make out a gigantic wooden mass upon the top of the hill, thousands of little red beads scattered upon it. A deep, rumbling, agonized groan reverberates from the summit, the soundwaves causing the very ground to tremble. A group of cultists have congregated around the base of the hill, offering metallic canisters with a red glow to it. There's an incredible commotion.

CULTIST 623: Please, master! Calm down! We have gifts for you!
CULTIST 264: Eyes! Lots of eyes! Pretty, gleaming eyes!
CULTIST 943: The hybrid will be able to control those pains of yours, sir! Madam! I don't know what you are!
CULTIST 715: You just need to calm down leader, and we can-

Venia's concentration is promptly cut short by a flash of red light emerging from a shadowy mass to her left and right. Two gigantic red eyes, one on each mass, stare right at her. Upon closer inspection, she realizes that they aren't so much eyes, as... an eye made of eyes. Thousands of spider eyes have been crudely sown, stapled, or melted into the wooden body of whatever the hell she's looking at, then "coerced" into taking the shape of an eye. Even now, a purple fluid drips from the ugly wounds that this process has surely left upon it. Then, that same, deep groan ripples throughout the room once more.

???: ERRRUUHHHHHHUHUUHHHHHH...
CULTIST: 543: Oh no.
CULTIST 850: Something's distressing them.

Purple and crimson light begins to run across the entire room, sprouting from the wooden mass at the top. This light surges up and down and around the room, revealing a gigantic network of decayed wood- or is a flesh of sorts? A hard, outer layer of solid bark with spider eyes stamped into it, and the crumbly, gooey insides of an Iti. The floors are slick with various fluids from whatever this thing is. She can see something worming through the wooden body of the creature, the wooden frame bulging and bursting from the strain.

???: MMUUUUUUUUURRRRRUUUHHHHHH...

Ba-bump. Something begins ever so slowly.

CULTIST 653: N-No! You mustn't strain yourself!

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Faster now.

CULTIST 748: If you do, t-then the Netwyrm w-will surely infest more of-

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. A steady rhythm.

CULTIST 198: I-It's pointless! The First Sin is preparing to fight!
CULTIST 054: EVERYBODY BOLT!

The crowd of cultists disperses to the sides as a steady heartbeat echoes throughout the room. From the summit. Now, it looks as if a twisted fortress of wood, flesh, and thyme matter sits upon the summit, spikes of what seem to be an entropic metal jutting out of it. A team of Old Guard pour out of what seem to be deliberately-carved tunnels in the mass, vaulting and leaping over large chunks of the creature's body to face the intruder that is Venia.

THE FIRST SIN: PLLLLUUUUUURRRRRUUUUHHHHHHHHH!

The whole room shifts- or perhaps, just the gigantic tendrils of the First Sin- and gigantic wooden masses crash surge and slam in front of Venia, creating impassible wooden barriers. Gigantic amalgamated irises made of spider eyes lie upon them, watching the duchess. The entire body shakes, splinters breaking free of it and falling into the juices below.

THE FIRST SIN: NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRUUUUUUHHHHHHH!





You are accosted by...

THE FIRST SIN
Endless Nightmare of a Rose

PLAY - Ventricide (The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth)

---

<ORIGIN OF SIN, ROUND ONE>
...So, the First Sin. The Leader of the Rose Cult. They're roughly the size of a building, and as a result, they're not really a conventional boss. You'll need to rip through their body to make it to their heart, so that you can kill them. This is of course, far, FAR easier said than done. There's hordes of Old Guard, the Heart has many powerful spawning abilities, and also there's like ~6 rows of flesh in the way. This might take awhile.

Crya puts 3 points into MHP.

Crya then proceeds to spawn at M26, moving up to M25 and spawning a Hailstorm at Q25 before moving it to R25.

Crya also sees the First Sin and immediately starts freaking out.
CRYA: N-not again! S-some of this stuff was already freaky but this is really jogging some terrible memories!

""Uh...

gorilla."

As Asha enters the battle, she has a brief moment of shock at the sight before her, before recovering.

"O-Okay, let's do this. R-Ready Marron?"

She requests a Fury from Marron, then uses Alter Reality to swap Empowered for Enlightened, before buffing Marron and herself with Deck-empowered Foresight! This grants each of them Focused11 and Direct Hit for three rounds, costing 9 MP (Heart Bracelet).

< MESSAGE OF THE DOP >
ELUNDIS CORE monkaW
----
< STATS >
+2 RES
-3 SKI
+4 STR
+2 DEF
Equip: Wilted Wimple (Magical (60%) -> Dark, Physical (-20%) -> Piercing)
Spell Swap: Heartpiercer -> Exertion
----
< MALIK >
Malik continues their trek across Zone 1. They see a few shoddy wooden houses, some people and... a tank? Something is definitely up. They run towards the scene.

They stretch their hands out towards the tank, trying to emphasize it. "What's going on here?"

< LUKAS >
The roar of the First Sin shakes Lukas out of his self-examination, and into action. He rushes into the [Origin of Sin].
----
< COMBAT: ORIGIN OF SIN >
Lukas spawns at L27 and charges up Ordo.

Luckily, JOE doesn't hear themselves being refered to as mentally unstable and/or sociopathic. This is lucky because if they heard that, they would have had to restrain from interjecting that they were completely mentally stable, and if they heard the second, they would probably have chosen to carve fake chairian corpses and scatter them around the farm as a warning.
But they didn't hear any of that, so instead they happily meander back to the farm and place down their stone spikes into the ground on the path between Electric-crystal sentries / illusions to the Lumilure Trap.
After that, they go back to sweeping with their trusty purifying broom, pushing away all the bits of rubble and dirt in the bottom-leftmost farm tile, hoping to clear it up for use. it's all very nice and calm, and doesn't look mentally unstable at all! As they sweep, they think to themselves about how to improve the defences... let's listen in!
mmblmmblif I can improve the barricades to only let fire through mmblmmbl direction, that'll work... hmmm... alternatively, maybe mmblmmbl add more poison spikes? those worked Very well mmblmmbl time!
...not mentally unstable at all!


Meanwhile on the Origin of Sin battlefield, JOE also appears! how does he does this while being in the farm? ... doesn't matter!
(Before actually entering combat, I put 2 skill points in Int, 2 in Res, and 1 into MP. )

JOE spawns and moves to L26, spending 3 GP on Intellect, and casting Terraform on K21, K22, L22, M22, N21, and L23-Assuming pustules cannot be affected by terraform otherwise i primarily target them- and set all the affected tiles to... eh, I dunno, mana wells? sure. This will probably also cause L and M 21 and K and M 23 to collapse into Ruined Flesh, when the round ends. I then retreat to L27, assuming you get retreat after casting spells- I don't remember- in order to make use of Protowell Seeker for that extra 10 MP regen. and swift I guess.
(and Yes, I Do have the range for this, because I just raised my int by 2 and that brought me to the third Range milestone)
...So, Live Fluxflesh cannot be terraformed. that's fine! yep. I'll just go back to my tried and tested strategy...
Illusionary Trap!

Ignore all the above. Ok, so there are two possibilities here. One, the Fluxflesh on K and M 21 through 23 is fine or people don't want me to remove the ruined remains. if so,
I go to L26 as normal, but instead cast Illusionary Trap (Double, mobile, and super illusions) on I and O 24, and retreat to L27 afterwards anyway.
Otherwise, if Fluxflesh on K&M21 through 23 is dead/ 'ruined' and people want it terraformed, I move to L26, terraform those ruined tiles into mana wells or something, and retreat to L27.
in both cases, if L27 is occupied, retreat to whichever open spawn tile is in range if any. if no open spawn tiles are in range, don't bother retreating.

Character Sheet
+10INT
-Strategic Reserve
-2HP
(Effectively 5INT for 4HP and 1 Perk)

For the upcoming Boss Battle, I swap Decaying Light with Railgun Diplomancy.
Taught by Toast.

The Origin of Sin

Daskter moves in to (O28) and summons a Combat Medic at (P27).

Settings Combat Medic
Attack: Light
Weak: 20% Slashing, 20% Piercing
Resist: 60% Dark



Next Round for my own convenience.
Rangers
Settings:
Attack: Piercing
Weak: 20% Crushing, 10% Earth
Resist: 10% Fire

Nidra puts one point into MP and two into SKI.

Nidra:
Spawn at L27.
Use Sheep Counter on self.
Power Nap Crya.
Move Pillow to Crya.
Psycho Link Eye 6 and Old Guard 6.