Battle: North of the Pass

Irongutta will press onward to G21 (under the assumption that every other foe has been taken care of at this point) and guard, ready to tackle whatever might be hiding within the fog of war.

Just in case Fell Beast 1 doesn't go down somehow, he targets it to be pinged by his hat at the end of the round.

Hearing Asha ask about what they exactly were looking for out here got Irongutta thinking for a moment. He wasn't too sure himself, but usually these kinds of problems had a simple solution for him. "Well wherever this git is hidin', we'll bash wotever gets in our way 'till we find 'em!" he replied with his usual heartiness.

He also heard Venia bark an order at him. "Aww, yer no fun Venia."

<ROUND 260>

Happy spookyday! You may have noticed that various spooky things have appeared across Sussui! Take a look? Maybe you can get some candy! Or pump action shotguns! Things just sorta happen, right?

---

Echoss and Chloe continue their plotting. Truly, food discussions are the most tactical matter covered in this game. Anyway, Echoss proposes to her that he could try and grab something more... "exotic" for the sandwiches. What could Echoss possibly grab? Against her potential better judgement, Chloe nods her head rapidly.

CHLOE: That sounds wonderful!
CHLOE: I can't wait to have... Lorne Fluke Jam, or whatever crazy things you manage to find!
CHLOE: Just... make sure they're edible, alright?
CHLOE: I'm sure they all are, it's just that... they might not be edible for humans specifically.

CHLOE: Also, get some cheddar for cheese!
CHLOE: Cheddar's my fav!

Elsewhere, Pionobot launches a rant at the Praetorians. The royal magus he was debating with earlier seems... different.

ROYAL MAGUS 1: yes sir you are right on all accounts
ROYAL MAGUS 1: yaaaay! all hail the spherebreakers! hooray, hooray!

...Ah, it looks like they're mind controlled at the moment. This makes any sort of rational discussion impossible. At least, with them.

ROYAL MAGUS 2: Hello, sir. In my colleague's place...
ROYAL MAGUS 2: This is not a move about grabbing more political power.
ROYAL MAGUS 2: We Chairians must all come together during these times, and were Cypress not confirmed to be a traitor to his people, I would not be partaking in this mission.

ROYAL MAGUS 2: In addition, Spark has only legalized the usage of fire-based weaponry against the Iti, and the Rebellion.
ROYAL MAGUS 2: While yes, using fire weaponry is regrettable, the Rebels are a vicious group.
ROYAL MAGUS 2: For instance. it was recorded that one of the Rebellion's leaders made use of a sentient bow that inflicted a poison so powerful and so vicious that none could survive it.
ROYAL MAGUS 2: Another one of their leaders spreads flames with every one of their attacks, destroying many buildings and scarring countless men.
ROYAL MAGUS 2: Fire is one of the best weapons against a Chairian opponent. And if they're not with Spark, they are against him and the people.

Finally, down in the basement, Not!Echoss claims the down of Not!Candy within Linseed's room as his own, pulling the bowl of candy through the floor. This (somehow) phases Linseed's hands into the floor. While his cuffs have still been partially melted from the work he's gotten done before, he'll probably be hard-pressed to free his arms from the ground.

Probably.

---

Asha and Marron plan their Halloween trek! After a quick dash (and maybe a bit of time travel) to prepare, their couples costumes are complete!

Asha's costume takes the iconic megu hat and patch from the inventory, turning those two pieces into a whole ensemble. Beneath the grinning hat, her hair has been disenchanted to return it to a natural brown. Her robe seems to be a sage robe cut short, then recolored to a nice autumn pattern. Further down, she wears a bandage around one leg (the other in a black thigh-high) and a pair of jaunty orange boots. A constant blush covers her cheeks with the uncharacteristic amount of skin she's showing. Finally, around her shoulders is a magnificent cape in signature orange and charcoal- which almost makes up for her embarassment. Asha does love a good cape.

Marron meanwhile, has sown together a onesie in an incredibly short amount of time. It covers her from the head down in a soft black. She's even managed to animate the tail on the back of it, using blood magic to make it wiggle in a cute fashion. Upon her head is some slightly modified Temmie Ears, dyed black and reduced to only the "top ears" like a normal cat headband. Finally, she's dyed her hair black for the occasion, and doodled a red cross on her forehead with a marker. Upon seeing Asha, Marron's tail begins to wag like crazy.

MARRON: Wow! You look amazing!
MARRON: Like, you can really rock the hat! And dish out the damage to boot!

Asha reaches critical blush, briefly losing her mastery of speech for the second time.

ASHA: You really think so?
ASHA: What you've done with the tail is super cute!
ASHA: In fact, your whole look is incredible!
ASHA: ...Could I maybe even say you look hot?
ASHA: Haha, um, anyway.
ASHA: Where should we start for maximum candy?
MARRON: Well, there's lots of people at the Endless Gardens, so-

All of a sudden, Ette hops into the area. Seems she's prepared a costume for herself as well! Or rather, as she hasn't had much time to prepare anything, she's slid down her mask over her face. She holds a plastic pumpkin pail, bobbing up and down on her feet excitedly.

ETTE: Siiiis! I wanna go trick or treatin' with you!
ETTE: I want candy! Lots of it! All of it!
MARRON: H-Huh? But this was m-meant to be a date!
ETTE: B-But I just got this new body, a-and now I can taste the chocolates!
ETTE: I wanna get choco!

Asha shrugs at Marron.

ASHA: Hey, it'll be fun!
ASHA: Plus, we could always do something later? Halloween only comes once a year!
ASHA: ...Even if we only celebrated it like, two days ago.
MARRON: Eh, sure.
MARRON: Not like I'd say no to my cute lil' sister!
ETTE: Hurray!~

ETTE: Then, let's go!
ETTE: Candy! Candy! Candy!
MARRON: Candy! Candy! Candy!
ASHA: Candy! Candy! Candy!

Team Candy leaves the house, plastic pails in hand. It'll be a fun trek for the three of them, even if Ette's kind of a third wheel here. A cute third wheel, but still a third wheel.

Finally, down in the Everground, Future!Toast visits the cultist located way above her. The ascent to them is incredibly strenuous, costing them (10) HP of their general existence just to make it to them. After vomiting a little, she skips over to the cultist, complementing them on their fashionable hat. The cultist blushes a bright red, and happily gifts Future!Toast the candy scattered about them. 8 pieces of Halloween Candy looted! It'll need to be returned to the inventory to be identified.

---

Crya answers a rather hard question from Chi. Were she to answer, she'd talk to some goddess who could tell the truth, first of all! But, there's also a question she'd ask: was their wish from their actions for pure good? Barely noticing herself moving, Chi nods ever so slightly. And she'd probably throw someone who did such a thing into a cell, but they wouldn't be totally unforgivable.

The doctor is silent for quite some time. Quietly, she picks at the pie. Crya notes that it's a bit of a weird question to ask.

CHI: I-It was, w-wasn't it?
CHI: Sorry about t-that. I just... b-burning question, you know?
CHI: U-Um...
CHI: It's nothing. Don't worry about it.

Awkward silence dominates as she stabs at the pie. At least she's still enjoying it.

CHI: ...Thank you.

...Now what? The pie's almost done, and she's certainly not going to be the one to talk next.

---

Lily +3's her SPC. While normally this'd just be part of a large statblock spoiler, there's not many allocations today. And so we do this.

---

Hannah does some tactical espionage action! Making use of a Cloaking Device to hide herself, as well as some corrosives to get through the vent grate. She sneaks over to what's supposedly a Key Card, and swipes it! She then takes a bit of a longer look around the room, trying to figure out a way to turn off the turrets. Far as she can figure, the console at the southern end of the room manages the turrets. And, given there's a screensaver on there, it'd be hard to access without giving away her position. So she leaves, claiming the Level ? Access Card! It is unclear what this is actually used for.

Hannah then visits Omorika and the Reflector within the hidden room east of reception, noting that the Medical Testing Chamber is actually a Rebellion meeting room! Omorika raises an eyebrow.

OMORIKA: ...
OMORIKA: That's... odd.
OMORIKA: I... believe sir Cypress and miss Chi came down from the Medical Wing's hallway when they were chasing the Naclestial, correct?
OMORIKA: Curious...

Omo spends some time pondering the implications of this to herself, however clear cut it may actually be.

---

The Reflector suggests that they and Omorika visit the Whispering Library. Surely, there are records they could view there? Omorika nods.

OMORIKA: Most certainly.
OMORIKA: In my office, there should be a terminal that could access legal documents.
OMORIKA: If we reference Cypress's data there, we should be able to figure something out.
OMORIKA: Shall we make haste, then? A mystery is afoot.

The two of them move out, moving to the Airship and then to the Whispering Library. Though transit is nearly instant thanks to the power of fast travel, the Reflector stops by the receptionist Mentha. What an odd holiday she seems to be celebrating!

MENTHA: I'm celebrating a holiday...?
MENTHA: I don't know how this candy got here, or why it's here, but... sure, take some.
MENTHA: Maybe I'll try some, too.

Mentha hands 4 pieces of Halloween Candy to the Reflector, before indulging in a piece herself. The Reflector, inspecting their haul, discovers they got 2 Caramelts and 2 Crystalcandy! The latter seems like a sort of rock candy.

Anyway, now at the Whispering Library, Omorika and the Reflector make a beeline for her office at the back of the library. It's a bit of a treacherous journey with how sorry of a state the library is in, but they make it soon enough. Omorika accesses her terminal... or at least, tries to. The screen is cracked, and refuses to show anything. Looks like the rest of the computer's fine, though.

OMORIKA: How bothersome.
OMORIKA: During the party's conflict with an Eliti in this very room, this must've been damaged.
OMORIKA: I am not very knowledgeable with this sort of thing, so could you assist, dear Reflector?

Shouldn't be too hard a fix, right?

---

Maria runs off to find the little girls' room. Regalus trails behind Maria as she searches, soon finding the room just south of the generators. It's clear there was just a large battle here. Anyway, Maria manages to load an incredibly simple room. Three stalls, two sinks... yep, it's a washroom, alright. Maybe she should be concerned about the pool of Thyme Matter that's flowing from one of the stalls, though?

Also, Venia then decides to go and work on Rosie, replacing the STABILIZER BEAM. Yes. I totally typed STABILIZER BEAM last update, instead of Stratoshield. Totally. Go check if you don't believe me. Actually, I didn't change anything, but if you went up to check before finishing this sentence, then you probably feel quite silly! Shut up.

Anyway, in a particular order, the missing leg is replaced, and the stabilizer beam is replaced with an improved variant called the Biomanipulator Beam. She also dismantles Rosie and extracts her AI Core, before running the remnants of her tank through the Reverse Autoclave. 30 Plasteel Ingots and 10 Sanctified Alloy are produced from this process. Then, she implants Rosie into the tank once all of the proper modifications have been made.

Once the installation is complete, Venia asks Rosie what she thinks. Manipulating some metal within the ship, she creates a facsimile of Venia. Or at least, it tries. Remnant entropic energy that's within her AI makes the form rather distorted, and honestly quite sinister. But it tries its best to smile.

ROSIE: UNUSUAL SYSTEM. WASN'T FORSEEN.
ROSIE: HOWEVER, ACCEPTABLE.
ROSIE: OR A GREATER TERM FOR ACCEPTANCE.

ROSIE: PROPOSITION.
ROSIE: GATLING TURRET ONE STILL INTACT.
ROSIE: PROVIDE METALS. WILL RECREATE.
ROSIE: ALTERNATIVELY, REPLACE GATLING TURRET. WILL RECREATE NEW CONSTRUCTION.

With her new abilities in tow, she should be able to help with construction now. Future work on Rosie should take a deal less effort. Once Venia responds, the metallic Venia will return itself to... being a spider tank.

Anyway, this whole process uses 50 Durasteel, 50 Sanctified Alloy, a Biomodification Beam (made by giving 100 Credits to Nia), 20 Crystalline Conduits, 20 Joltwire, 20 Ohmetal, 3 Hyperprocessors, a Hivemind Regalia (obtained by Chloe, with one to spare!), a Starite, and the entirety of Rosie.

---

Woodthorne asks Lutea if he could harvest the pumpkins. She seems surprised to see him here.

LUTEA: O-Oh! Hello! You know what these things are?
LUTEA: Feel free to take them if you want! But... don't take too many, alright?
LUTEA: I want to inspect them!

LUTEA: Also take some candy if you want!
LUTEA: I don't think it's mine, but... I still want some of that, too!

Woodthorne is free to stuff 6 large, plump pumpkins (named Large Pumpkins) into the inventory. Perhaps it's time to make some pie? Or maybe he could make Pumpkin Armor for that damage bonus. He also then loots 3 pieces of Halloween Candy- namely, 3 Crystalcandy. Crunchy!

---

<NORTH OF THE PASS, ROUND 3>
A group of Rose Cultists have shown up! They have modified Basic Attacks (or well, some of them do), making them a fair deal more deadly! Still, it's nothing you shouldn't be able to take out. Just keep an eye out for anything weird. If there's one group of Fell Beasts in these woods, maybe there are more?

<AVIATION CHAMBER, ROUND 3>
So, uh. This battle got really crazy really fast. Two allies downed, and there are about six high-threat high-DPS foes ready to go this round. It's imperative that you take some of them out! Twig is vulnerable to Special Attacks as he's unable to avoid them, so try those against him? The Ballistas are also rather helpless at close range, so if you're concerned about them, try getting close!

Bit late, but shhhhhh.

THE ENDLESS GARDENS

After quite a few events in rapid succession, Woodthorne decides to take a moment to just take it easy. He exits the Sky Labs for the time being, and makes his way to the Endless Gardens.

There, he wanders around the gardens for some time. And by some time, I mean a few hours. (Yeah, I'm actually trying to explain away my extended leave for like the second or third time. Deal with it.)

After wandering around for a while, enjoying the beauty of the garden, he stumbles across the Replantation zone, where he sees two strange things: vines of a very familiar gourd, and a bowl full of candy.

Woodthorne: Ah! Pumpkins!
Woodthorne: This is the first time I've seen these in a long time...
Woodthorne: Often when my family gathered together, we would make a number of baked goods with them. I even learned a few recipes!

Woodthorne notices Lutea for the first time.

Woodthorne: Sorry, didn't expect to see someone else here.
Woodthorne: Mind if I gather a few of these?
Woodthorne: Also, uh... does this candy belong to someone, and if not, would you mind if I took some?

He loots whatever he is able to in the Replantation before continuing to wander about the garden.

North of the Pass

"It'll be a bigger brawl if we're all there!" Venia comments back at Irongutta, before the new enemies are made blatantly apparent to her.

When she sees them, her form shifts away from her 'human' normal, but it's still visibly confident. "Good! Now we go to phase two, where you, like, stick your hands in the air and drop your weapons, 'cause you know we'll win! We've beaten the butterfly, twice, the whole old guard and your true leader, so do you really think you're gonna stop us?!" Venia shouts at the Rose Cultists.

Venia waits for Toast to bring down the house on these wackos (almost literally). She then moves to I23, and then calms herself down, or if you would, restrains herself as she lines up a Purge on Scarred 1 and fires-hopefully not killing despite the blatantly overwhelming power on multiple levels. However, this will leave it at 1 HP no matter what as the blast can't be avoided or mitigated beyond the restraint, meaning that while it will not kill the Scarred, it will never down them either. Thus, Venia retreats forwards to H22, pulls out a Clockwork bomb set to Crushing, and chucks it at Scarred 1 to down them with the absolute minimal amount of unintended death chance.

She does want to free them, instead of kill them, after all. Purger should kick in to do exactly that.

"Irongutta, right side flank, take down that Niessence!" She shouts. "Marron, the Effigy in the back, Fluxblade it!"

Meanwhile, her initial Pawn sprints+retreats all the way to F18 thanks to the 10 MOV + Retreat combo. The second pawn likewise sprints to L14.

---

Mariaaaaaaaaa

"Daddy, there's a monster in the bathroom!" Maria shouts. "It's at the end of the stall and it's splashin' the toilet water and it's all purple and it's not safe in there!"

Regalus's eyes are pinned squarely to where Omorika walked away from him, but at this, he turns around, looks into the open doorway, and realizes Maria's not lying. "... Hrm. I guess you'll have to go in the mens room for now, lacking other options," Regalus says.

"But I don't want creepy guys lookin' at me while i'm peein'!" Maria shouts.

"I'm sure they have stalls in there as well, sunshine," Regalus says, approaching the door and knocking. "... Is anyone in there? Are you done? The woman's restroom is unusable and my daughter needs to relieve herself, preferrably in private!"

---

Rosie

---

Battle - Aviation Chamber

"nah gurl i'm chill," Hannah says in response to Omo. She lazily looks at Earthshaker 2. "boi y'all need to kick back and relax sometime, this is sweet, right gals?"

The other two Mirror Images, also pretty spaced out, nod. "yeah guess i'm gonna need ta make ya sit down"

Hannah strolls to (M20), and uses Necro Coating. Mirror Hannah 1 moves to (L20). Mirror Hannah 2 moves to (K20).

Hannah and Mirror 1 each shoot Earthshaker2. Mirror 2, however, raises her bow as if she's about to perform a karate chop with it.

"chill."

She uses Corrosion on Earthshaker2. This should drop them handily. Mirror 2 then turns to Earthshaker 1. "you too buddy"

The then two Elemental Sniper shots at Earthshaker 1 (Ice element).

---

Skylabs - Hannah

"Huh. Odd..."

Once Omo and the Reflector leave, Hannah herself enters the Sealed Testing Chamber. Her and her mirror image approach the teleporter. The mirror image stands on the teleporter, and Hannah stands by and attempts to swipe the unnamed card to transport Mirror!Hannah somewhere. This was mostly just for testing purposes.

---

/working?

Destiny runs to J5 and stabs Earthshaker 3.

---------------------------

There is some awkward silence while Crya thinks of something to talk about.
...You know... I just kind of... thought about something. How if it weren't for the strange powers of the Sphere, I could so easily fix all the problems you Chairians have. I guess it was from thinking about the Rebellion.
If it weren't for its ruinous effects on my magic, I could simply destroy entire armies, raising Absolute Zero upon them, encasing them in frost for all eternity. It would be so easy to end the ceaseless war that the Tabletopians wage against your kind. That isn't even to mention the other gods who are even greater than me, who have reign over the very aspects of reality- life, death, time, space.

A slight pause.
...maybe we could be saviors from another world. I'm not too sure. What would Lord Helix think of a foreign god saving his own people?

Echoss and Chloe (also Chi's in the kitchen, maybe say hi?)
[actually this is continued in a post below Sp33d's since she decided to join in]


Pionobot stops ranting:
Pionobot's eyes flicker for a second, and he lets out a deep sigh.
"Alright, fine.
Once we're done beating you guys up I think we'd like to know how you know Cypress is Rebel leader though.
Given they've been trying pretty hard to kill us too, and we've got another of their leaders locked up back at our base, it'd definitely be nice to know what the deal is."


Battle orders
Pionobot acts after the Avian (which should be freeing him) but BEFORE Destiny. First, he warp rings to O17. Then he moves to M16 and uses the portal to deposit himself at L7
"Hello there."
He then casts Dark-element swapped Aerobeam North, pivoting Northwest on L6, pivoting West at H2.


Not!Echoss also does some NPC commissions, namely asking Cypress to upgrade the Helix Vessel with Helix Relic, and spends 20 credits to have Nia upgrade the Temmie Cake and Pop Epic Pop.

Aviator Chamber
Use a Phoenix Up on Remiel
Move to G7.
Hibernate Twig.
Last Dream Earthshaker3.
Power Nap self.

STATS! STATS! STATS!
+3 points into MHP! (46 MHP Total)

The House: Taking Inventory
Woodthorne returns to the house and places the pumpkins in storage, then looks around to see what other ingredients there are he may be able to work with for whenever he gets around to baking, which he decides will likely be later in the day.

Woodthorne: Let's see here, wheat... a ton of bananas... meat... some sort of gray slop...
Woodthorne: Ugh.
Woodthorne: For some reason we have a bag of [gorilla] in here, along with an entire cultist's bathroom, but there are a lot of basic baking ingredients missing...

Back at the Skylabs...
With all the spiders tended to, Woodthorne decides now would be the time to move further into the Skylabs. He moves past the Receptionist's Hall, down the eastern wing, and then turns left at the crossroads (Is it a crossroad if it's not a road? Intersection, that's the word I'm looking for). He pauses at the Western Hub, where Irongutta and R-8733 stand by a burning wood tunnel (At least on the map. idk who's actually there at the moment).

Woodthorne: What the [GORILLA]...
Woodthorne: What happened here?

BATTLES - AVIATION CHAMBER

If some of the Floof Knight riders are not downed due to a miss, the Reflector moves to C5 and casts Suffocating Hatred (Taunt) on D2 or F2, depending on which riders are still up (hitting the up ones, obviously). If the riders are all down, the Reflector instead casts SH (Taunt) on D2 no matter what.

---

ZONE 2

The Reflector considers the various reflections that could solve this problem for a moment, before deciding on one seen only once before. Better to honor Cypress's request not to reflect him for now. Or maybe just until he is better understood.

The Reflector shifts back into the form of the muscular elf known as the Metallurgist. She grins and flexes her fingers forward, her metal left arm creaking slightly.

"THE METALLURGIST": Stella Omorika. If you needed tech support, you really should have called me earlier.
"THE METALLURGIST": Well, not the "actual" me. She's got better things to do than fix a computer in a fucking library.
"THE METALLURGIST": But if Six here isn't doing anything useful with the body, I might as well show you how it's done.

"The Metallurgist" examines the broken screen, and her left arm begins to morph into various metallic implements as she sets about fixing the screen. Once it's finished, she turns back to Omo.

"THE METALLURGIST": You Chairians are big fans of woodmancy, or so I hear.
"THE METALLURGIST": I'd love to see what you could do once you figure out how to mix it with your tech.

She runs her metallic fingers across the magical tattoos running down her right arm, and her fleshy fingers down her silvery arm.

"THE METALLURGIST": These arms are good for a lot more than just tech support.
"THE METALLURGIST": Once you master both disciplines, the world's your oyster.

Battle: North of the Pass

"Hah you cultists brought plenty of gits for us to stomp! I hear ya loud and clear Venia, we'll take care of that one!"

Irongutta had his sights on the Niessence now. He waits on Toast and Venia to make their actions and then moves up to F17 to give the Niessence a proppa smack with Magnolia with the aid of his trait.

Asha moves to J18 and casts Tumbling Walls, targeted at G17, I15, M15, L22. This will hit Scarred2, both Sinners, and the Chosen. It won't hit the Wooly Mollusk, since its not a foe.
Tumbling Walls has 10 Buff Levels (Loaded Spellbook + Enlightened8). +2 Might. +1 Magic.

She then swaps Enlightened to Empowered (technically its gonna decay this turn, but she can get it back with her trait).

If the Chosen is now dead, she'll retreat to J17.

~~

AVIATION CHAMBER
- - Omorika's Avian floats to R19 and frees Pionobot from his root as a standard action.

These following actions must be processed in the order they appear in my post, but they don't need to be consecutive.

- - After he's revived, The Sleuth hops to his feet, then moves to Q16 and Skeletal Tosses the Royal Guard to S11!

- - After the Sleuth acts, Harmonia scuttles to Q7 and tosses a Stinky Splinter at Ballista2. Then, it uses Overload Connection on the Splintershot, followed by unloading all of its Basic Attacks onto Royal Magus 2.

- - If Earthshaker1 is down, Maple will move to Q14, use Come At Me! to move to Q13, then drop the Chair Glyph at S11.

Mollusk sprints to F22, Lily sprints to J16 assuming the Chosen is dead

Move to M15, Spirit Blade, attack Twig, then throw an Infinidagger at them and use the Orbitar on them.

Auth smiles. The sooner that statue is out of his hands, the better it is for him.

AUTH: Well, then. I'm glad my intuition was correct, I dread the thought of needing to smash the thing.
AUTH: I'll allow you to do your thing. Taeda, is there somewhere you'd like me to put this? Or will it be fine back in the inventory?

Auth assesses the defensibility of the Church as it is now. All of the windows are boarded up, there's turrets on the outside...

It doesn't stop Auth lightly chuckling at Nana's defensive positioning of the flower, though.

AUTH: There's no need to protect it personally, Nana. I imagine the front doors are heavy enough to at least delay any offensive efforts against the flower.
AUTH: There's turrets outside too. Either way: Sitting in front of the flower probably isn't the most effective position. I would suggest that maintaining a position on the roof would be better, allowing for greater visibility of potential threats.

Auth considers the comments about the Thyme Field accelerating the growth of crops.

AUTH: Without having a frame of reference as to the duration of "a day" here and anywhere I might have a regular reference to, I cannot agree that is a certainty.
AUTH: I would suggest that it's highly likely though. I doubt destroying the Sphere will completely obliterate everything it produced... maybe there's potential research in localised Thymefields after everything is over to accelerate crop growth. If there's any regions that struggle getting agricultural resources, it sounds like a solution to me.

---

Auth thinks for a moment in response to Chi's questions about his story.

AUTH: It... well, maybe it was a combination of the two. I'm pretty sure they were drinking from the River and passed out, and then fell in.
AUTH: Drinking from the Stolen River isn't a good idea to begin with, but in the sheer quantity they were dared to... I found out a few hours after it happened and they were on their way to Hunter's Keep already. They were lucky I made it when I did, else things could have got awfully complicated for them...

AUTH: Chi, the answer to the question of "did they die" is, in this context, not one with a simple answer. They were fine after it had concluded, so don't feel too bad.
AUTH: Well, they had a very nasty hangover and, I'm told, debilitating cramps for a week or so after the fact, but they took it in good humour after it stopped hurting.

---

Auth overhears Chloe suggest something quite preposterous on his course.

AUTH: Now, hold on, wait just a minute.
AUTH: Chloe, did I just hear you suggest something such as "Fluke jam"? Ignoring the fact that Flukes are essentially giant sea urchins, and jams are fruit preserves...
AUTH: Please try to avoid eating Fluke! It has very nasty side effects!
AUTH: Mostly upon death, specifically by drowning, but the point stands!

Auth thinks for a minute.

AUTH: I can't really think of anything from the Neath that is...
AUTH: OH! That's right, there's a facility in Station VIII... maybe...

Auth turns, looking to see if there's a nearby mirror.

AUTH: They make special food there, maybe I could reproduce the orange-apple marmalade...
AUTH: As I was saying, though... in the Neath, your food tends to be based on mushrooms or rats, because they're easily found in London, or sometimes assorted Zee-food. Like crabs and sharks. Meat and... normal greenery is difficult to maintain in a cave underground.

---

Battle action! Auth floats to S21, and casts Resurrect on the Sleuth! He should be able to return to combat effectiveness, now.

Echoss and Chloe as well as Auth

Echoss chuckles again hearing 'lorne fluke jam'
Before he can explain why though, Auth does it for him.
"Ah, that would be nice.
Commodities from your home universe and those based around it are rather hard to come by. It's rather hard to replicate the conditions of the Neath adequately enough to produce many of the goods there. Not to mention the difficulty of maintaining their solidity once beyond the bounds of their home universe."
Echoss turns back to Chloe.
"I will be certain to obtain properly edible things. It wouldn't do to accidentally poison someone on the picnic.
And I can defintely take cheddar, that one's definitely a good choice."

Remiel stands back up, chugs a Halobloom Remedy, moves to G13, and Relinquishes the Magus again.

<ROUND 261>

---

Maria decides to swap bathrooms. Leaving the rather... "occupied" women's washroom, Maria wanders over to the men's stalls. Regalus checks it for people. A Chairian scientist bursts out, his face covered in... Powerade? He runs off somewhere to the north. A quick peek in reveals that there's nobody else in there. Maria should be able to do her business in peace here.

Elsewhere, Venia decides to finish up her work on Rosie! Or the Duneyrr. Whatever you want to call it. Or her. AAAA. Anyway, handing Rosie a lot of materials to replicate the Gatling Turret, Venia then gets to work upgrading the main gun, the engines, and perhaps most importantly, a paint job! Or perhaps more importantly than that, she makes use of the power of Ordo to flush the remnants of entropic energy out of Rosie's system.

How does she feel...?

ROSIE: CALCULATING...
ROSIE: SYSTEMS NOMINAL. CORRUPTION LEVEL: 0%.
ROSIE: READY FOR OPERATION.

...Swell! Anyway, this process uses up 5 Airship Weapon Parts, 9 Durasteel Ingots, 400 Sanctified Rounds, 15 Sanctified Alloy, 10 Shimmering Clusters, a Cryo Core, a High-Powered Cooler, 20 Plasteel Ingots, and the Order Singularity. Rosie's statblock is also loaded into the Codex Monstrum.

That is one chunky tank.

---

Hannah attempts to use a teleporter. Pulling out the Level ? Access Card, Hannah attempts to gain access to the system. The card reader lights up with a surge of electricity, glitching out for roughly three seconds before the screen stabilizes. Seems like it was a successful read, something! Though, looking at the access card itself, it looks like it's in... rough shape. Burn marks run across it. Looks like this card has limited uses.

But... where does the teleporter lead? According to the screen, she has a few options. There's noted as a meeting room, two locations noted as Staging Grounds, and... one location that is called "border outpost". Where to go?

---

Crya brings up to Chi how easily she'd be able to fix the problems here, where it not for the Sphere. Chi tilts her head.

CHI: Nobody would be powerful enough to do such a thing.
CHI: And, if you were a goddess, wouldn't your godly power be able to circumvent the Thymefield?
CHI: Surely it's not strong enough to stop the gods themselves.

As for a foreign god saving the people of Lord Helix, well...

CHI: ...I don't know.
CHI: It's hardly my place to say.
CHI: Don't we have a Devout as part of this party? Perhaps that'd be better covered with them.
CHI: Personally, I've never been a devout follower of Helix, or any god for that matter.
CHI: I've just never really... liked it? It's hard to explain.
CHI: If the gods do exist, they surely are cruel, creating a world such as this...

If us writers of fiction are the gods of those worlds, aren't we kinda butts, always throwing them into conflict because of "muh story"? Maybe we're the bad guys. Whoa.

---

Not!Echoss pokes various NPC's. First, he asks Cypress to begin work on the Helix Relic. 20 Credits are then given to Nia to work on the Temmie Cake and the Pop Epic Pop. This produces the Temmie Powder Cake, and the Pop Pop Pop! Neither of these seem very safe at all. (Okay, maybe only the Pop Pop Pop is deadly.) There are also rumors Not!Echoss has been banned from every sensible bakery and cola plant within a fifty trillion lightyear radius of Sussui.

As it should be.

---

Woodthorne investigates the pantry! Or uh, the inventory! As it turns out, the party is really lacking in basic ingredients. How the hell do they even make anything? But then, thump! Someone has appeared behind Woodthorne!

...Or, uh, someone and their entire shop stall.

CHAOS: hello sir
CHAOS: may i in[t]eres[t] you with an egg in [t]hese [t]rying [t]imes?

Chaos holds out an egg with his right hand. There's a price tag on it.

CHAOS: we also have o[t]her food([t]m) produ[c][t]s
CHAOS: like [t]hese wa[c]ky [t]hings marron [c]alls a "ghost pepper" or a "[c]haos don'[t] pu[t] [t]ha[t] in my sandwi[c]h ever again"
CHAOS: if you wan[t] produ[c]e
CHAOS: i go[t] produce

Chaos holds out a variety of goods, all also in his right hand. This displaces the egg, causing it to violently glitch out and shoot into the nearest wall, exploding.

CHAOS: also you're paying for [t]ha[t] egg righ[t]

...Elsewhere, Woodthorne investigates a burnt wooden corridor within the Sky Labs. What the hell happened here? R-8733, who is fiddling with another probably illegal explosive, waves to him with the hand that's currently holding the bomb.

R-8733: Digging operation!
R-8733: There's a lady in a room near here who we're trying to talk to, but she'd regenerate these wooden barriers if we didn't burn them and blow them up.
R-8733: Don't worry, we're following proper workplace protocols for high explosive handling!

...A digging operation? This isn't so much a "digging operation" as a "total destruction operation". Maybe it'd be best to steer clear.

---

The Metallurgist works on fixing a screen. Their arm morphs into a variety of mechanical components, which tinker with the screen. Presumably, components are mended, and the torn screen put back together. They mention that they'd love to see what the Chairians could do, if they combined woodmancy with technology.

OMORIKA: You sound an awful lot like the person we're investigating.
OMORIKA: Cypress, always advocating for the combination of technology and magic.
OMORIKA: It's a noble goal, but he's really the only one making significant contributions to that front.
OMORIKA: He has fellow scientists, but most of them can't hope to reach his level just yet.

Once the screen is repaired, Omorika bows towards the Metallurgist, before pulling up a chair for herself and her companion. Okay, perhaps she morphed the latter chair into existence, but that's a minor detail. She powers the terminal on, and begins searching through files like a secretary blitzed on coffee. Which she basically is, at the moment. A minute or so later, and Omorika locates a few documents.

OMORIKA: Here they are.
OMORIKA: All of Cypress's data, gathered over many a census.
OMORIKA: Locaa holds a census every five years, and given his age, there should be roughly twelve documents to sift through.

Documents flip through the screen. From the look of things, the first couple came from an orphanage named "Acorn". Official documents in the database confirm that Acorn Orphanage was a real place- a real place that was unfortunately, closer to the front lines than it should've been. Talk about a logistical failure. He left the orphanage at the age of 36, unadopted. He was however, able to get on his feet despite this. However, skirmishes during the wars had collateral. A bomb managed to burn directly into his throat, rendering him unable to speak. Around the age of 50, he was hired as a military "engineer" of sorts for the Chairian Legion, where he rapidly ascended through the ranks thanks to his countless technological innovations. This rapid progress he was able to achieve led to him being recommended as a member of the Highchair, and he soon took up the position.

...That's a general overview of the documents, though. To get more information, one would need to focus on specific sections of the census documents. There's sections about health, family, and employment status. There are also attached sections to the later censuses, recording his actions within the military and the Highchair.

OMORIKA: Hm...
OMORIKA: Nothing is immediately apparent from this.
OMORIKA: As our database system is old, and far from as complex as the Tabletopian systems, someone of Cypress's caliber would easily be able to fake his footsteps.
OMORIKA: So, all the information here may want to be taken with a grain of salt.
OMORIKA: If we are to look for information however, perhaps we should scrutinize his past?
OMORIKA: I could load information on his apparent caretaker at Acorn Orphanage, the skirmishes that may have burned Cypress, and what he might've done between the time he left Acorn and when he joined the Legion.

OMORIKA: So much to look at, and there's not much we can do to prove what's true, and what's false.
OMORIKA: I feel as if one of us may want to operate on the field, and see what they can discover.
OMORIKA: Cross-reference information. Discover what is truth, and what is lies.
OMORIKA: Your opinions, sir- no, madam- no, dear Reflector?

So, what to look at? And if they are to split up and cross-reference things, where to go? So many questions.

---

Auth does a variety of things. First, back at the chapel, Auth asks what Taeda might want to do with the statue. Taeda thinks about this for a few moments.

TAEDA: Oh, you found this in the Rose Cult's base, right?
TAEDA: They're unlikely to praise it, so... maybe we could install it here? It's quite the nice statue.
TAEDA: Or maybe... I-I could have it? I'd love to put it in my room...

Taeda's greed stat goes up by 5. Then, looking around the chapel, Auth notes that Taeda probably won't need to protect it personally. Nana blinks. Since when were there turrets?

NANA: W-We installed... t-turrets?
NANA: Oh! W-Why didn't anyone say so?
NANA: I... guess I can relax, t-then?

Nana loosens up, the tension releasing from her shoulders. She leans up against Auth, no longer ready to kill a gorilla. Auth then muses that the Thymefield might be causing the crops to grow faster, and that it might be boosting the rate that crops do grow.

NANA: I-If it does really boost the growth rate, then maybe i-it'd be worth looking into?
NANA: But... I don't think a-anyone will be in a hurry t-to research T-Thyme based technology...
NANA: In fact, I-I don't think anyone will e-even grow thyme here for a few hundred years...

Ever have a plant give you PTSD? That'll probably happen now! Anyway, Auth then answers a few of Chi's questions regarding a story involving the Stolen River. Apparently, the answer of "did they die" is rather complicated.

CHI: ...Is it?
CHI: Normally, people die when they are killed, correct?
CHI: But I suppose if they were fine afterwards, they must've survived, right?
CHI: Unless the rules are different there, of course.

Finally, back at the house, Auth overhears something regarding "Fluke Jam". Apparently, no. You can't make jam out of flukes. And two, eating it would likely kill you.

CHLOE: ...Auth, honest question.
CHLOE: You come from... London, correct?
CHLOE: Does anything there not kill you?
CHLOE: You have those sorrow-spider things, and those sea urchin things, and I'm guessing either either would kill you...
CHLOE: Surely, there has to be at least one thing that actively doesn't kill you, right?
CHLOE: ...Right?

Auth then proposes that maybe he could try and reproduce the marmalade made in the Neath.

CHLOE: Ah! That could be good!
CHLOE: It even sounds... normal! Do that, if you could!

Little does Chloe know that the marmalade probably sends you straight to the Mirror Marches, or something odd like that. Chloe will never trust a Brit again should the food try and kill her.

---

Echoss tells Chloe that he'll gather the stuff:tm:. Chloe nods, and gives him a smile.

CHLOE: Alright!
CHLOE: Good luck on your trip!
CHLOE: ...Unless you want me to accompany you? It'd be fun to go there without needing to kill a Fluke again.

Maybe they could go together? But otherwise, Echoss could just go and fetch the resources now. Sandwiches must be made!

---

<NORTH OF THE PASS, ROUND 4>
Another encampment of foes destroyed! Keep on searching- the way into the Forge must be here somewhere! Also, Marron's heard some Fell Beasts around- remember that they have an "ambush" ability of sorts, so be on the lookout! Finally, a Shackled has been revealed at the top of the map. While it won't be an issue for awhile, there may be something afoot there. Beware!

<AVIATION CHAMBER, ROUND 4>
...You already cleared the battle. That was faster than I expected. Anyway, Cypress still stands in the center of the Aviation Chamber. Harmonia lands next to him, entering a sort of "low power mode" where the energy bindings keeping it together weaken to such a point where it looks like a gentle push could totally destabilize the whole construction. Cypress sighs, his mechanical voice synthesizer producing a strange, harmonic drone.

CYPRESS: Thank you. Assistance appreciated.
CYPRESS: Although... questions. You: must have.
CYPRESS: Perhaps explanations: ordered. But we'll see. Fire away.

...Looks like now's as good a chance as any to ask Cypress something. Why did the Legion want to kill him? You can probably guess why, but maybe something else is afoot? In addition, it might be worth tending to the injured Chairian soldiers, as you tend to usually do.

CYPRESS: In addition. Breaching device obtained.
CYPRESS: May be useful. Destroy barriers. Reach Acacia.
CYPRESS: Or, find alternatives. Only one barrier. Two bombs.
CYPRESS: Any suggestions?

Anyway, with this battle out of the way, you can now go and access the midboss! Use one of those shiny bombs, and have fun! Or maybe you want to do something else first? But to be honest, I'd like it if you went for the boss. And if you're worried about it because you're currently in another battle, I'll allow dual instancing for this particular occasion, if you'd like. We'll see!

Action for last turn:
Bauhaus moves to D8, Warp Rings to D4, and then charges up Dawn of Existence.

Pionobot respec:
Pionobot puts his spare point into MHP, and swaps Proximity Burst out for Eagle Eye


Echoss and Chloe visit the echo collective without having to kill something this time.

Echoss returns and meets Chi

Pionobot:
Pionobot scans the room, and notices Omorika having difficulty with Aoki. He frowns, and then concentrates for a second. A small green light flickers over his palm, before purple smoke starts to waft out of his shoulder and he flinches, grasping at it.
"Hey Maple can you come help me a bit?"
Pionobot hops off and with several light but quick bursts of air launches over to where Aoki is. Assuming Maple comes with him, he points to the shoulder the smoke came from.
"I need you to press down on my shoulder, and keep pressing down on it, okay?"
He kneels down and his eyes flicker with green light of various shades as he presses his hands against Aoki's chest. Her injuries from the fight seems to knit back together. Pionobot lets out a small breath, and suddenly recoils his hands as one of them sparks and lets out a puff of purple smoke.
"Okay, gonna need less power, more finesse..."
He sets his hands back against her chest, and the main wound seems to open up just slightly. Not as in tearing open, but seeming to... curl out of the way. Like a leaf or branch. It stops very quickly, and a few seconds after that, discolored sap begins to gradually push out of the small hole created.
"Omo if you can clear away the contaminated sap while I work, I can get this done a little faster."
Whether or not Omo obliges, Pionobot continues his work. A small amount of purple smoke wafts out from his shoulder, but as long as Maple keeps pressing, he's fine, his hands continue their soft glow, and the contaminated sap slowly oozes out of the wound, pulling the rest of the toxin out of Aoki's body.
Finally, Pionobot is content that the poison has been properly removed, and the last wound seals shut leaving only a nearly imperceptible seam where it closes.
Pionobot lets out a shake breath. "There."
He looks down at the songstress.
"Aoki, was it?
How are you feeling?"