Boxed into her current position by the Ohmnics and Cappa, Zahlia moves in towards Ohmnic1 and...
If the Chairian forces have agrees to a ceasefire, she moves up to H5 and gives the Cappa a smug look. Otherwise, she stops at I8 and deletes the Stormbeacon around the corner with her basic attack, and stays there.

SUMMARY:
-If Chairians dont agree to alliance, move to I8 and slash Stormbeacon1
-If Chairians agree, then move to G7, use nothing Ventured, Taunt Cappa, retreat to H5.

Battle - The Cups of Chaos

Turn Order: Maxim -> Hannah -> SED/Cypress/Mari

Hannah hops back to (N13), attacks Harpy 5, retreats back to (O13), and eats a Warpmelon (transporting herself to (O17)).

---

Skylabs

Central Labs

While Adria would love to continue gushing at the tech, there's an elephant in the room.

The exoskeleton suit has clearly been iti-ified to some degree. From a safe distance, she gives it a look-over.

Venia

Adria doesn't even flinch as Venia asks her to be quiet. She does so essentially immediately when asked, though there's no fear in her eyes in the slightest.

On finishing and listening to Venia's spiel... she doesn't seem particularly fooled by the roundabout description. She responds roughly in the same volume as Venia.

ADRIA: So I was mostly correct, then...
ADRIA: Truthfully, I had hoped it was merely gross negligence, but it appears I was incorrect on the scale of the issue.

She... seems a bit sick to her stomach. She looks Venia up and down, and sharply exhales, crossing her arms before peering directly into Venia's eyes. She maintains eye contact throughout her spiel.

ADRIA: On that...
ADRIA: Before I go much further, if there's anything at all I can do to help with your problem, then please, don't hesitate to ask.
ADRIA: And to answer your favor, I did not and do not intend to disclose the contents of this meeting with anyone.
ADRIA: You should have a talk with Marron and Ette later, that being said. They likely have questions of their own.

She tilts her head ever so slightly and curiously.

ADRIA: Though...
ADRIA: Why did you feel the need to word your request in such a threatening way?
ADRIA: And why are you resorting to such a... roundabout method of describing the person in question?
ADRIA: Are you... afraid of him? Of what may occur later should something happen?

ADRIA: Talk to me. I won't tell a soul.
ADRIA: Promise.

Calscape

Sophie nods in understanding. She then receives a thank you from the Goleyeath.

SOPHIA: Aw, you're welcome!~

And a thank you gift of a new item. Excited to get a gift for just being nice, she wears it as soon as she realizes it's a mask of sorts.

SOPHIA: Aaah, thank you!!

Sophia decides to just chill for a bit longer.

---

House

Sophia nods.

SOPHIA: Okay.

She pulls out a similarly-sized hollow iron sphere, just to show it off. It's nothing special. However, she knows she needs to be away from the roof of the house for this to work. She pockets the sphere.

And thus, she runs through the house again, stopping at an area just north-east of where the bomb was located. It's out of Rebecca's sightlines (perhaps behind a bit of rubble), but still in sight of where the bomb was buried. She digs a hole of her own, approximately the same depth, and places the iron sphere down.

Sophia then grips her time piece, and focuses on the location of the bomb. Energy swirls out... towards the location of the iron sphere. While it would glow with temporal magic, it's buried underground, so it's not exactly visible.

She forms a temporal "link" between the sphere and the bomb through the ground, priming the sphere to switch places with the bomb on bomb detonation, or when she feel it's ready.

With the trigger set, Sophia walks away from the area, back onto the roof, and simply listens to Rebecca.

---

Library

...Feynsik catches wind of something. It's impossible to tell what, but his normally calm demeanor suddenly turns to... that of annoyance?

He leaves his state of standing perfectly still in front of the library, and walks directly into the forest. Those attempting to pursue would find only nothing.

---

Sophia continues listening to the conversation next to her while remaining at Sythia's side. "Regal and fancy", huh? She wonders if someone might know about this bad man...

---

Misc.

Up in the southern transept, Shelly spies herself one of the members of the Royal Family... preparing to take a joyride on a Mechonis. She gets distracted shortly after by the sounds of a commotion below her.

SHELLY: ...Huh. Okay then... what was that about, I wonder...

She quickly returns to spying on Rosalind from her telescope.

---

Hannah, currently still in the process of cleaning up, receives a note from her mom. She reads through it, nods, shoves it into the waste crystal for disposal, and pulls out the Scanner. She gives it a good long flick through, and... there it is. Regalus's entry. Hannah blinks.

HANNAH: ...How is any of this even possible? "Altering the bones of reality to make yourself invincible"... Is this kinda thing something that only exists in that dumb far-flung future?
HANNAH: How do people even exist in that time period without going insane from worry?
HANNAH: What might happen to their loved ones at any given moment... Is it just always a wild west over there or something?
HANNAH: ...
HANNAH: Sounds like a peck time to live in not gonna lie.
HANNAH: Actually, better question... how has nobody figured it out yet if this is normal stuff that happens daily!?
HANNAH: Gah, I swear...

Hannah continues reading and re-reading the entry.

HANNAH: ...But at the same time... I can't help but pity him?
HANNAH: Looking back at it, he led an early life way worse than I could ever fathom.
HANNAH: If it wouldn't cause a paradox I'd go and shank his pops personally while he was still a kid.
HANNAH: It'd stop the atrocities at the very least.
HANNAH: Oh well. Paradoxes are super illegal and mega dangerous, so I can't.
HANNAH: Best we can do now is a mercy kill.

She re-reads again and again, studying the entry in case it gets deleted for some ungodly reason.

HANNAH: Hm...
HANNAH: "Ultimate Lich", "Immutable law", "reloads reality", "Regalus is something distinct", "undergo a dramatic transformation", "needs time to adjust", "remove immortality and kill", "altering Regalus's fundamental nature into something completely different"...
HANNAH: That's nice and all... but actually getting rid of that tiny bit of reality seems like a chore for us common folk...
HANNAH: Again, how the peck do powerless people survive during that time?
HANNAH: ...
HANNAH: Y'know, if only that first poison hadn't been compromised by miss whatsherface. I might've actually been able to make something seriously effective with the new poison...

HANNAH: ...Or actually... do I need it with me to be able to do what I want?
HANNAH: ...
HANNAH: ...If I can make the B.E. combine with the A-lese a certain way, so it changes the "truth" of someone instead of unraveling and annihilating it from someone...
HANNAH: It's already got a lock-on bit that attaches itself to the victim... having it survive the A-lese would be the tricky part...
HANNAH: ...Unless we modify it... which yeah I guess we'd need to do that anyway...

HANNAH: ...What if we made some sort of catalyst? One that allows the formation of this new stuff to occur? Modifying the things so that they change Regalus into something... chaotic. Ever-changing.
HANNAH: Maybe make it part of a dart or my spear, layered in combination with B.E. so one of the things is immediately ready...
HANNAH: Yeaaah... yeah.

With everything already disposed of, it's gonna take Hannah a bit to get everything set up again. Either someone's gonna stop her, or she's gonna get right to it next turn.

The Old Pass - The Church of Helix

Well. That didn't exactly go as planned. Calibri's eyes flash monoblack momentarily...

CALIBRI: ...

And then...

---

---

---

Zone 3 - The Endless Gardens

Verdana and Blacklight quickly become aware, once notified of course, that they have a problem on their hands.

BLACKLIGHT: ...Ah.
VERDANA: ...Erm.
BLACKLIGHT: We ought to deal with that.
VERDANA: Give me a moment, I'm thinking of something...

Verdana paces back and forth, snapping his fingers, albeit this happens more quickly than usual as he scrambles for ideas. After a while...

VERDANA: Not getting anything...
VERDANA: At least, nothing that solves the biggest problem.
BLACKLIGHT: If I may. We have a whole inventory available for use.
BLACKLIGHT: A cursory look through there should provide something.

Verdana falls silent, rummaging around in the inventory for a while with his eyes closed. He seems to be seeking something in particular... And, after a while, he finds something, pulling out a Beacon Glyph.

BLACKLIGHT: ...Hm. Good enough.
VERDANA: How does this work...
VERDANA: ...
VERDANA: Ah! I see.

Verdana turns to Carrot, briefly glancing to one side, then hands the Beacon Glyph to her.

VERDANA: Go get Hemlock, subtly if possible. Then open a portal with this and walk through.
VERDANA: If you can close the portal afterwards, that'll be nice, but I can block it up myself if necessary.
VERDANA: I don't trust the basement's defenses, but Delta should be a safe place to go, so aim for there.
VERDANA: As for me...
BLACKLIGHT: ...Let me guess, a combat situation. Too bad my form is not adequately suited for that under current Thymefield influence...

Blacklight glances at the albino, then sighs. The shade briefly shifts form, manifesting proper eyes that look a bit like a grayscale version of Verdana's own... Then, the shade flies into Verdana, disappearing from view. After that, Verdana grins.

VERDANA: I'll stall for time. Even if it's all the Praetorians against only me, they'll be hard pressed to get through my armor.
VERDANA: Heh... I'll see you around.

Verdana flashes a grin at Carrot, then turns and heads off to Yggdrasil's Approach, en route to intercept the investigative Praetorian. Better think up a good cover story in case that'll help the delaying technique. Perhaps the body creation scroll... Yeah, that'll do. Make up something about needing splinters from Scale Yggdrasil.

---

The House

...Wait EN literally ran out of here with Rosalind on a Mechonis on her shoulders.

The Old Pass

EN has arrived, with a Mechonis still on her shoulders, and most likely a Rosalind still on the Mechonis. She takes a look around the area, then wanders through, inspecting the terrain more carefully.

"Funny ol' place this. Wonder wha' it were like back when it were all active an'..."

A pause. She remembers what she came here for, and promptly sets the Mechonis down, flashing a thumbs up at Rosalind. While technically she should probably be less concerned about the wellbeing of the kiddo, given the whole "may count as an enemy combatant", it's a bit hard to drop one's moral standards that low so quickly.

"A'ight. Far as ah know, shoul' be safe 'round 'ere. Feel free t' rev it up, an' if ya see anythin' real concernin' while ya's flyin' 'bout, lemme know."

---

The Everground - Cups of Chaos

S.E.D, being a drone that rather likes moving about, reacts poorly when grabbed by the Harpy. By which I mean it begins making loud angry-ish beeping sounds and threateningly waving its gun around. Too bad it's too close to fire said gun...

Then it remembers items exist.

Should Harpy5 not be dead yet, S.E.D promptly smacks it in the face with the lowest-tier damage consumable required to kill it (except if it's the Apocalypse Nia, in which case fuck). After that, it reactivates flying mode, then a tiny propeller pop out of the top of the drone as it repositions to T12. Then, it turns around and promptly blasts the Tamaugachi.

...The whistling noise it make while doing that might annoy the creature somewhat.

The Cups of Getting Tama's Turbo Cancer

Maxim moves to N13 and selfcasts Razor Focus, boosting Hannah.

The Alloy waits for Hannah and SED to act, then moves to P11 and punches the Tama again. It will then retreat to Q12, sitting on Tama's head.

Mari selfcasts Guiding Hand and shunt herself to S16, breaking free of Talon Grab in the bargain. She retreats to U18 (as she took a standard action first she gets +1 Retreat), fall down, and harvest a Warpmelon. Mari will also use a Holy Dew to get rid ofht her lone stack of Fourth Nail.

Maxim then eats the Warpmelon Mari just harvested to shunt itself to N17, harvesting the Wingvine on the way down.

Cypress sprints to H13. Venia will quickly burst out a Kickstart My Heart to use Hope Rides Eternal on Cypress, transplanting him to G16-where he'll fall to G18. He will then eat an Everfruit to get out of detonation range, and harvest the Evervine next to him.

Venia will move to D14, and for the first time ever use the Incandescent Key on herself to remove her Flux Mutation, allowing her to use spells that aren't Incantation again but suffering some debuffs. She then moves to C15 as a retreat, before using Phantasmal Force on Harpy5, purging a round of Nail and her Weakened/Uninspired. She falls down to C18.

---

Emergency Chemotherapy Precautions

Venia realizes that the battle is getting far too lopsided in Tama's favor; if the situation continues to allow the Tama the ability to play keepaway, the Spherebreakers risked a definitive defeat; the only logical conclusion was to neutralize some aspect of it, and fast.

Meanwhile, the Maid, who has remained on the platform (the real Venia is the one who's joined the fight), is in the perfect position to provide such assistance. She takes the Heavenpiercing Drill, as well as Yulania's Hammer, and holds it roughly over the L Column. She smacks the hammer onto the base of the Drill with little fanfare. The hammer's crimson power crawls out of it and infuses the drill, causing it to expand outwards, gaining new systems and a hell of a lot more power and penetration.

(T7) Hellpiercer Drill
Every Terraria player's wet dream; an instant hellevator at the press of a button.
Upon use in a sidescrolling battle, target a column. Destroy all tiles on and adjacent to this column, and replace every tile in this column with Hellevator tiles.

Hellevator Tiles: All entities in Range 1 of these tiles have Flight. All Spherebreakers treat all tiles in Range 1 of these as boosters. (These are in fact pathable tiles.)

---

Maria

"Venny!"

"Little muffin!" Venia says, voice saccharine. "How are you doing, sweetie? Is everything alright?"

"Venny, I wanna play with you! Right now!" Maria says.

"Oh dear."

Venia bites her lip. "... Maria. You should know I can't-"

"Why noooooot? I'm gonna leave today and I haven't played with you or seen you much! I came here to play with you like we used to!" Maria says.

"Maria, this isn't a playdate for me. I've been struggling to keep you out of danger-"

"I don't care for no stupid danger, dumb weirdos are dumb and weird and I'll kick their butt! I wanna play, I wanna play," Maria says.

Venia sighs. "Maria, I cannot. My entire time here has been either fighting for my life and the lives of everyone else here, or preparing to do that."

"What about that Nia person, you seem to play with her a lot, why not me?"

Venia takes a very deep breath. "Maria that's... Very different, very personal, and a very mean thing to ask about, OK? I'm able to 'play' with her because I trust her to be able to defend herself, and you-you nearly got killed."

"I don't care, I wanna play, home is boring and I miss you!" Maria shouts.

"This isn't working. I need to turn the conversation around."

"I missed you too, but your safety is more important," Venia says.

"I'm safe already, you can play with me here, and mister chaos is here too-"

"That's because I asked him to protect you!" Venia shouts.

"From what?"

Venia's mind floats to Regalus-but she knows she can't shout that in the house, not with three very interested parties down below itching for confirmation of exactly that.

"From all the dumb scary monsters that can pop up literally anywhere and eat unattended little girls-"

"I got like, four fluffies! And they're all good fluffies, they can beat up anyone! Venny I wanna play with you right now!"

"I can't!"

"Why not?!"

"I CAN'T! Whether you like it or not I can't!"

"That's dumb! Venny, why-"

"Maria, I've already told you why not! I can't! I want to but I can't! Until this is all over do not call me over this again! I'll make time when I have it!"

Venia hangs up, frustrated.

... Maria begins crying in her seat.

---

The Forge

"Oh, yes. I need assistance. You see this," Venia says, pointing to the mold, "This is a Rose Cultist-designed method to restore people from the Whispering items. The whole place here is where they're made, but this is the one part of the forge Yulania wrecked. I've been trying to rebuild it, in a manner that won't corrupt everyone who partakes. There's an overview of how the machine would work in here-at least, how it would work if we weren't completely reconstructing it, anyways. I'm trying to make it such that it won't turn everyone who partakes into a rose cultist."

Venia hands Auth the Encyclopedia of Madness. "My current issue is that, in the absense of Fluxblood, I'll likely need very incredible resources to make due for the ressurection process, among other things. Most we can attain, or already have, but there's a few outliers. You're more versed in this particular field than I am, so I'll need help and assistance as you can provide it. As a quick review-we'll need elemental clusters, chairian sap, a material called 'livingwood,' and... Well, Yulania never figured out what goes in tank five, though I have a feeling that the structured matter we already possess is probably a major asset. I figure the materials you have gathered for your ressurection ritual may substitute for the fluxblood as-needed, and might be necessary in its absense."

"Can you lend a hand?"

---

Magic Club

Venia listens politely to Adria, right up until she starts describing Chaos coming-then, she shoves an index finger directly in front of Adria's mouth, to shush her. "Quietly," she says, expression without betrayal.

"I need to keep her quiet on this, but I still need to explain it... I'll just be a bit roundabout," She thinks.

As Adria finishes, Venia responds in roughly the same tone she did (so presumably a tone less likely to be overheard.) "I'll, uh, I'll say this. First, I know, I know what you're talking about. Now, as to, uh, what I have to say about it... This: You remember how you were with that... Rock, in your head? Uh. Now, imagine if there, well, was no rock, and that was just, just you. You're not the issue, to be very clear, you're perfectly fine-this is about someone else. Her parents, or, well, one of her parents... Not, not right in the head. In a lot of ways. I don't, I don't trust her dad. That's all there really is to say about that."

"So, uh. Do me a favor, and, like. Never speak of this again. Ever. To anyone."

---

The House

-probably not this round tbh-

---

The family who's last name is alternatively known as Blood-Death like seriously now

Regalus continues to, quite carefully, inspect the traps guarding the path to the Ancient Ruins and the Crystillery. He looks at the spike pits, and tries to walk around... Carefully avoiding the spike pit hidden in the forest to his left. It's still rather hard to determine what he's doing.

Cindy seems surprisingly uninterested at the sudden metamorphasis of the Reflector's face. "Oh. May I ask, then, what purpose they were serving? ... And if you had already accommodated for me and my family in regards to their targeting? I would rather not my daughters stumble around here and get shot by accident, that would be terrible..."

Rosalind starts going at the Mechonis controls with... Somewhat less intensity than she was before. Her miraculous luck with getting the engine going twice doesn't seem to be sparking a third time. Then, she turns to EN.

"Say... What was with all the beetles?" She asks, curious. "I almost couldn't notice on my own, but 'almost' isn't enough-I can sense insects from very far away-and when I reached out, I found I couldn't control them, which is highly unusual! My abilities being to manipulate insects and all that it's very rare to find anything even insect-like that can resist! I heard of not-really-butterflies monitoring various locations before, the work of another Spherebreaker; any relation to that? I mean, I suppose that would explain it, I would just like to make sure it's nothing more nefarious, now that I'm thinking about it. I'd rather not have paparazzi taking shots of me unawares, those cheeky little dastards."

Rebecca takes several steps backwards from Echoss's hand and away from the porch-but also the bomb. "Oh no no no no, no need! I, I, I mean. It, it, it wouldn't hurt me. P-permantly, I-I'm, well. Uh. You know. I mean, I did p-put that there-wait. Y-yeah, I p-put that there!" She says. "I-it's like a... It's s-supposed to be a l-landmine, of sorts. I-I won't d-detonate it unless something... B-bad, happens. It won't g-go off unless, uh, a f-f-fiend crosses, or, or I say so."

... The bomb in the ground looks very much like the classic black-powder cartoon bomb, sans any sort of fuse whatsoever. If not for a small cylinder sticking out of the ebon sphere it would look more like a cannonball than anything. Rebecca's eyes dart to the actual bomb several times, and to all present. She's sweating.

---

BATTLE: AI Labs
(Usually I'd say scroll to the bottom to skip RP fluff, but there's so much RP fluff that I'll just spoiler it. Also, math included! batteries sold separately.)







Summary of notable-ish points:
-The figure of light that floats behind Eph seems to be helping him with making his magic stronger.
-While his parents were powerful mages, Eph, to his knowledge, didn't inherit any of their strong potential for magic, and is more comparable to an average person who inherited weaker magic that they weren't ready to have.
-Eph really appreciates Omo's assist, enough so that he'd probably like to thank her after the battle.

Battle: AI Labs

Irongutta moves to F12 and Skeletal Tosses Omo over to L8.

Cups of Chaos
Use Gift of Regen on Remiel.
Move to D15.
Basic attack Harpy2 twice.
Power Nap self.

Nettle moves to F12 and activates Paradise Lost!

She also slurps up an Everfruit. Slurps? I'm not sure what the consistency of an Everfruit is.

The Ignihorn moves to I13 and casts Call of the Horn on Remiel.

Remiel moves to J17, selfcasts Sol from Abyssal Runes, basicattacks Harpy2, and retreats to I18.

EDIT: If Harpy2 is already dead, Remiel instead moves to F12 and meditates.

EDIT AGAIN: Remiel also eats an Everfruit.

Woodthorne moves to F13 and casts Gaia's Vengeance, centered at J11.

Alright, smoothbrain. Time to get rolling.

---

Battle action first. 's Important. Auth flies at EXTREME SPEED to E16. From there, he casts a Quick Purify on Venia.

---

Auth nods, slightly.

AUTH: Mm. A bit like that, except on a way bigger scale. I'm pretty sure you can sort of relate how hard it would be to put something like that into words that make sense.

Auth checks the Honey... which looks right. He doesn't need to check whether the glass cutter is, in fact, a glass cutter because it's not exactly important, but it is the right form and sharp. Probably. He pricks his finger on the blade and lets the blood run over it. It's an important element of the process.

AUTH: If we're gonna do it... you'll need to take some of this honey in a second. We'll walk through the mirror, and it's an extremely disorienting experience for the first time. So be prepared for it, you'll feel strange as a result on being on the far side of the mirror.
AUTH: The honey... well, it's used where I come from to allow people to enter their dreams. I avoided it until it proved necessary to enter Parabola consciously.

Auth pulls out the Bathroom Mirror from the inventory, hangs it up somewhere, and takes a deep breath. He points the glass cutter into the air, and murmurs something quietly to himself. The cutter starts to glow, and when Auth releases the breath, he stabs it into the mirror. Instead of the mirror cracking, as one would expect, the cutter itself starts to glow and disintegrate. As the cutter fades from reality, the mirror stops reflecting Nana (since Auth has no reflection), and starts to show something else. The shore of a black beach, with deep blue, almost black water coming in.

That appears to have been akin to the effect Auth had intended, but to Nana who has no idea what Parabola is or how it works, that would have to be one of the strangest things she'd ever seen.

AUTH: The Sea of Spines? I guess that makes sense, although it's slightly irritating. I was hoping to avoid the Smoking Shore. Nothing for it, I suppose.

Auth grumbles faintly, before spinning a jar of honey in hand.

AUTH: Well, let me know if slash when you'd like to go. It's gonna be a bit more of a trek than I had initially intended.

---

Auth nods to Sythia. This man was regal and fancy? This sounds like information that the others can use. Since Sythia has accepted the invitation, Auth leads her out of the Library, and back home.

AUTH: Sorry, it'll be a bit of a walk. Stay close, yeah? There shouldn't be any Legionnaires around here, but I can't guarantee that there aren't any.

Fortunately, the Library isn't too far from Home, so it should be relatively quick to get Sythia to the relative safety of Zone 0.

---

Auth nods severely.

AUTH: Yes. There's others being targeted and are already being extracted. We should similarly remove Betula and Lutea from the area. Let's get going.
AUTH: You are, of course, correct. They have done nothing deserving of this, but their affiliation with us is likely what put them on the hit list, so to speak. I shall have to have a word with Spark about the correct treatment of non-combatants when we meet again.

Since speed is of the essence, Nana and Auth would obviously head towards the Biodome where they're situated as quickly as they can. They would probably fly there, it would be faster than walking. Assuming there's no Legionnaires near Betula and Lutea, they land nearby.

AUTH: Good afternoon. We've come to extract you from what is likely to be a fiery death at the hands of the Legion.
AUTH: Yes, we can prove it, but there's not really time, we're going to take you back to our base for your safety. There's a Praetorian on their way to check that you're still here. Please take everything you need with you, I can't guarantee it will be safe by the time we can return.

As they hopefully prepare for evacuation, Auth waits for the Portal Rune to appear in the Inventory, then produces it and creates a portal back home. Betula and Lutea will need to go first, and Auth will go last to close the gate behind him.

Auth, in the meantime, considers starting to rebuild the destroyed area around Zone 0.

---

Auth frowns as he looks at the area he was called to.

AUTH: If it helps, I didn't hear anything you said before. Allow me a moment.

With the Encyclopedia of Madness in hand, he flicks through it quickly, committing it to memory. He swiftly returns it afterwards.

AUTH: Hmm... So you're planning to rebuild this device in order to allow for the restoration of Chairians converted into equipment? But as it is now, it turns people into Rose Cultists. I see.
AUTH: This reminds me of the Forge of Souls in the Blue Kingdom. It works similarly. My medical expertise may be useful, I assume your reasoning is?

Auth nods to Venia. He's certainly willing to help, he thinks he can guess what Livingwood is.

AUTH: If I had to put money on it, I would say that "Livingwood" is the material that Chairian cores are made of. As for what would go in Tank 5...?

Auth thinks quietly for a bit. He's hoping to have some spark of inspiration for what could go in there as he reflects on the Encyclopedia of Madness and the many inventory items they have.

---

I think I got everything. Yell at me if there's something I forgot.

<ROUND 285>

Echoss recruits Aoki! He notes that he hardly expected this to be the endpoint of the conversation. Aoki lets out a gentle, refined giggle.

AOKI: Well, as our Chairheir's propaganda says, you do have a way with words.
AOKI: "Do not be fooled by their siren song. It will lead you to do wrong."
AOKI: They could've come up with a better line, but I assume they were too preoccupied with rhyming. A fatal mistake.

She's then asked if she'd like something more palatable. The glimmer in her eyes makes it obvious to Echoss that she never considered this as a benefit.

AOKI: Oh, yes. That would be lovely.
AOKI: Another sandwich, please.
AOKI: Lean meat. A single slice of cheese.
AOKI: While I would love to have a feast, I fear it would do little but make me vomit.

Once she's served her still surprisingly lean meal, and after she rips through it in record time once more, she sits calmly and listens to Echoss. Of course, her actions here will be painting a target on her head. As to whether it'll be painting targets on her follow's heads, it'd be rather hard to arrest a shockingly large amount of the Chairian population, especially in such a short time.

AOKI: A fair point.
AOKI: Though, I wonder if he wouldn't do anything to spite me.
AOKI: I... do not have much in the way of family, but my mother... I'm worried.
AOKI: Hopefully, they'll know to run and hide once my... "wrongdoings" come to light.

AOKI: But, I have faith.
AOKI: If I help, however little I am able to contribute... we will be able to achieve peace.
AOKI: So... thank you. I will do everything in my power as an idol to assist you.

Aoki joins the party! Her statblock has been loaded. Give it a look? She's almost entirely support oriented, with very little in the way of damage dealing. Of course she comes with the ability to refresh actions, as well as some powerful supportive options to make up for this. Just make sure she doesn't get beat up, alright? Aoki's not built to take hits at all.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the picnic, Eren wonders why the hell people know Maple's blood is sweet. The Scarlet tilts her head, as if he just asked a particularly stupid question.

MAPLE: Eh?
MAPLE: Why wouldn't it be sweet?
CHLOE: U-Um...
CHLOE: I-Is... Chairian blood sweet in general?
MAPLE: Huh? Wait wait, ooooh!
MAPLE: That's what you're confused about!
MAPLE: Well, some species of Chairian have different characteristics to them!
MAPLE: Some of us grow really tall, some of us grow fruits on our head... and I have sweet sap!
MAPLE: Other Chairians like me have sweet sap, too!

MAPLE: As for how someone found that out in the first place...
MAPLE: I... have actually no idea.
MAPLE: Probably... cannibalism!~
CHLOE: P-Please don't say that so j-joyously!

Maple can't help but laugh at Chloe. But can trees really eat other trees? Maybe if we consider fertilizer or something, but even then. In addition, some extra processing is done. Mari is set to research Prayer Service. Cypress is set to research Rebellion Split. Not!Echoss also hands Nia 80 credits to improve the Ia Ia Ia and the Temmie Jail Meal. These are upgraded into the Nia Nia Nia and the Temmie Crimelord Meal.

---

Crya massacres some logs. She breaks apart 5 Uniform Logs into little chunks, and scavenges through the remains for splinters. Sifting through, she finds 3 sets of combat-grade splinters. The rest are promptly discarded. Splinters obtained!

---

The Reflector- or "Nia", steals a puzzle solution! This transfers clear credit to Pionobot.

PIONOBOT ACCOMPLISHMENT GET: Puzzle Time

Making use of this path, the Reflector carefully traverses the road. One can't help but wonder why there are incineration jets down here. It's probably Spark's fault. Screw that guy. Anyway, once they're through, the remainder of the tunnel is rather straightforward. Or rather, completely straight. Soon, they climb up a short flight of stairs, and find themselves... in a dimly lit storage room. A troop of three soldiers advance towards Maxim and the Reflector. For once, they're not immediately being threatening. Three Chairian troops. The middle of the three barks something into their arm-mounted communicator, and the other two soldiers stand at the ready.

WATTLE: Spherebreakers.
WATTLE: Cypress has informed me that you might be coming down here.

WATTLE: Now. State your intentions.
WATTLE: While I have been commanded by my liege to aid you in obtaining the Glyph, I still have a duty to uphold.
WATTLE: So. Make this quick. The other troops on this floor would not take kindly to your presence.

...Looks like the direct route to the Dream of Unity is blocked. But, still. There's likely a lot of information to be gleaned from this. What's going on around the Dream of Unity? What's this camp doing here? Things like that. At the very least though... I believe there's something specific you want down here?

---

Adria does a variety of things. To start, Adria decides to examine the exosuit in the room. It appears to be a general purpose worker's exoskeleton suit. Though, maybe it's more of like, a mini mecha if anything. An occupant in the center would find their natural limb movements translated into the movements of the mecha. While not fitted with weaponry, the grasping claws present on the exoskeleton are still more than capable of rending through flesh and bark alike.

The glass-protected "cockpit" has been shattered wide open, no pilot present inside. The Chairian being help up by the machine is outfitted with goggles and a sort of padded suit. No armaments are visible on them. In addition, the cockpit area's screens and HUD's are all glowing a gentle violet. Though, one can't help but wonder why this machine hasn't left the marked area. Maybe it's just protective. Who knows?

Meanwhile, various other members of the Child Soldiers do things. Feynsik rushes off into the forest. Sophia sits by Sythia's side, listening in on conversations. Shelly observes one of the members of the royal family trying to ride a Mechonis which has been painstakingly carried to Zone 4. Hannah has a moderate freakot over Regalus's entry. There's not really much I myself can specifically respond to.

---

Calibri engages a CHURCH CUTSCENE! It's actually a nice little roleplay segment, so maybe give that a look if you're reading this? Not much I can respond to in regards to this, though. Anyway, over in the Calzone, Chloe examines the Digivice while Calibri explains how she can see the world through his eyes. It produces a lil' Chibi Chloe.

CHLOE: Aah! That's adorable!
CHLOE: She's so small! And cute! And... w-wait, is it wrong to say things about a small version of myself?
CHLOE: ...
CHLOE: Nah.

Chloe picks up the Chibi Chloe, and places it on her head. She then gives it a little pat on the head for good luck. Is it sentient, or is it just like a figurine? Who knows. Apparently though, Calibri forgot how it worked, the Digivice. Chloe (and possibly the Chibi Chloe) place a finger to their chin.

CHLOE: Huh? Isn't this a machine inside your head?
CHLOE: Not that I'm a headspace expert or anything, but... maybe it works how you think it does at the time?
CHLOE: So it just does whatever it wants, maybe?
CHLOE: And what it wants... is to produce small versions of people.
CHLOE: C'mere!

Chloe heads behind Calibri, and with a beaming smile, does her best to push him towards the Digivice. Will she get a Chibi Calibri? She hopes so. She can't be the only one turned into a marketable figurine today! Once the Digivice does something (or maybe nothing), Chloe will slide to the specific area Calibri mentioned for viewing. What will she see there?

Meanwhile in Zone 3, Verdana hands Carrot a Beacon Glyph! Head to point Delta. Carrot stares blankly at the device.

CARROT: ...Huh? What is this thing? What's a point delta?
CARROT: You expect me to... just know how to use this?

After a bit of fiddling, she eventually manages to get it to project a portal. Grabbing the portal-projecting glyph, she runs off with it towards Hemlock.

CARROT: No time to explain get in here-
HEMLOCK: I beg your pardo-

She slams the portal down onto Hemlock, forcibly teleporting her to Zone 5, at some point within the Airship. Then, with little in the way of hesitation, she throws herself through as well. This leaves the Beacon Glyph on the round. If it had feelings, it'd be very, very sad. Verdana then heads up to intercept the Praetorian. They're a Shieldbearer, from the looks of things. And they're really quite loud.

PRAETORIAN: HALT, INTERLOPER.
GRANDIFOLIA: I AM GRANDIFOLIA, THE SOON-TO-BE RIGHT HAND OF SPARK!
GRANDIFOLIA: BEGONE WITH YOU!

They aggressively... posture their shield at Verdana, as troops begin to roll in from behind. Oh boy. With this confirmation, looks like the troops will be rolling in. Then again, it's unlikely that combat will actually be initiated. At least, until the currently active battles complete. Finally and also elsewhere, EN-913 ferries Rosalind to the Old Pass. Will this end well?

no probably not

---

Venia cures cancer! Or uh, invents a way to deal with cancer. They take the Heavenpiercing Drill, as well as Yulania's Hammer to create the Hellpiercer Drill! I think there's a Terraria mod that does this, actually. Cool. This should probably help remedy the Tamaugachi situation.

What it CAN'T remedy however, is Venia hanging up on Maria after her countless requests to play together. The Chaos approximately two feet away from Venia reclaims the phone, then shrugs. They seem... oddly disappointed.

CHAOS: well you jus[t] made my job harder
CHAOS: he[c]k
CHAOS: anyway bye

Unceremoniously, Chaos falls through the earth. A death message appears in the bottom-left corner of Venia's vision: "Chaos fell out of the world". This second Chaos respawns at his shop counter. Meanwhile, back in the Void Between Worlds, Chaos needs to deal with a crying Maria. This game of Snakes and Ladders cannot get off the ground if she's like this.

CHAOS: oh god oh god oh god
CHAOS: [c]api[t]alism help me [t]here is a sad [c]hild
CHAOS: and wai[t] no [c]api[t]alism will jus[t] make her sadder
CHAOS: oh god oh god oh god
CHAOS: dang i[t] veniaaaaaaaa

Chaos considers his options. He could go back to Venia and deposit the sad child, but that'd look bad for his business. He could yeet the child out into the void, except he's pretty sure that's not what he was paid to do, and also Maria probably didn't deserve that. So, there was only one thing left to do. He had to call someone with more parenting experience. A proud parent. Fortunately, he knows a tem. He reaches into his mouth, and pulls out the Temmie Secretary that he took with him to Sussui. They seem completely unshaken by the teleportation they just went through.

CHAOS: i'll pay you fif[t]y [c]redi[t]s for paren[t]al advi[c]e
TEMMIE: Someone's desperate. Make it a thousand.
CHAOS: i [c]an'[t] believe you'd do [t]his, ex[c]ep[t] i'd [t]o[t]ally do i[t] too
CHAOS: fine
CHAOS: i'll pay you la[t]er [t]hough
TEMMIE: If you're not paying me upfront, it'll be-
CHAOS: yes [c]ool [c]api[t]alism haha
CHAOS: gib advi[c]e now

Temmie reaches into tem's pockets, and hands Chaos a "Parenthood for Dummies" guide. Tem then hops directly into Chaos's mouth, returning to their prior position in the House. Chaos flips through the book, attempting to find a way to console a child. They equip their hand, and... gently pat Maria on the head. They also hand her a banana.

CHAOS: i[t]'ll be okay
CHAOS: venia's just being silly right now and she'll have a lo[t] of [t]ime to play wi[t]h you la[t]er when she's done wha[t]ever it is moody young adul[t]s do
CHAOS: i [c]an'[t] [t]ake you [t]o see venia, bu[t] we [c]an bo[t]h guil[t]-[t]rip her [t]oge[t]her when we see her again
CHAOS: ok?

Pat pat pat. Chaos's hand probably feels weird. More like jelly than a normal hand. It's really quite weird. Anyway, down in the Forge, Venia explains to Auth that she'll need something in the absence of Fluxblood. Nia gives a suggesiton.

NIA: We should like, just use Ordoblood!
NIA: We can make that, right? The logical opposite of Fluxblood!
NIA: It'll totally work! Totally!

...Nia is probably on the wrong track. Is that even possible to make? Maybe.

---

Auth does a variety of things. First, with Nana, he decides to commit mirror! Or something. I don't really understand it. Anyway, he coats the glass cutter with his blood, which is apparently an important element of the process. Nana winces at the sight of his blood, but doesn't ask questions. Or at least, she doesn't ask questions about that. The honey, however...

NANA: T-The honey lets people enter their dreams?
NANA: Does all h-honey do this? Or is it special honey made by special b-bees?
NANA: Odd...

He then stabs a mirror. Instead of it shattering, the cutter instead glows and disintegrates. The mirror ceases to reflect Nana, and begins to show the shore of a black beach with deep blue-black water. The Sea of Spines, he calls it.

NANA: T-The... S-Sea of spines?
NANA: W-Why c-couldn't we end up somewhere nice, l-like... t-the Sea of Snacks?
NANA: B-But... I-I'm ready! Y-You'll keep m-me safe, s-so...

She clings onto Auth's arm. Though the realm behind the mirror is utterly terrifying, she desperately wants to see what's there as well. Elsewhere, Auth leads Sythia to Zone 0. It's a relatively uneventful trip. Once they arrive, Sythia almost immediately crashes on the couch. It's been a long day for her, hasn't it? Though, one could probably keep questioning her anyway.

Then, over at Zone 3, alternate timeline Nana and Author make haste towards Lutea and Beluta. It's time for extraction, as they explain. The Legion is coming, they likely have a way to light people on fire, and it'll generally be an unpleasant evening. Beluta remains silent as Lutea takes the lead.

LUTEA: T-They... w-what!?
LUTEA: I-I'll trust you, b-but... w-what about m-my greenhouse?
LUTEA: W-What if they destroy it i-if they don't find us? T-There's lots of precious plants here!
LUTEA: C-Can we evacuate them? I-I don't want to lose them!

In response, Beluta morphs into being a few wooden... "gremlins". They take hold of various planters, hoisting them above their heads. Though, even with this sort of assistance, it might take some time to evacuate the plants. What to say? They could leave right now, but that'd certainly put them at risk...

---

<THE CUPS OF CHAOS, ROUND 7>
Uh, you're almost there. I think. Really, this battle's been going on for awhile, but it looks like you're nearly at the bottom of the Abyss! Not that you'll reach it- I expect that either you or the Tamaugachi will be dead by then. Though, that shiny drill was prepared- that'll probably help with actually getting Cappa's rather large HP bar down.

<THE AI LABS, ROUND 6>
That's a wrap! All that remains are the scientists, the somewhat battered development consoles, and of course, the Chairians that were injured in the combat. Though, one of the computers in the room appears to be accessing something... interesting. Perhaps you can make use of it?

The Soon-to-be-end of Cup of Chaos.
After Remiel takes control of the Ignihorn.

Daskter hops back to (P14) and casts Penitence on Tamaugchi.
They give the Vanguard one last Pep Talk.

The Vanguard jabs Tamaugachi before they once again Ripostes!
They eat an everfruit.

Destiny switches out Whirling Blades for Glitch and Dark type Phial Burst. She puts her new skillpoint in MMP.

Destiny looks at the infested Terminal, then walks over to the slightly torched scientist.
...I believe that I have identified a Pin in one of your terminals. You should probably take care of it.

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

Meanwhile, a message from Venia pops up. She responds with a teleport next to Venia. She unfurls her hand to reveal the poison.
Take it. Do as you will with this concoction of annihilation.

She hands it over without any more words.

However, Hannah then interjects.
...right. You have it then.

Destiny gives it to Hannah instead.

The Cups of Chaos

Hannah waits for Remiel to act. Then, she moves herself to (P14), chugs a Candy Corn Liquor, Shield Tosses the Tamaugachi, darts east thanks to her Spear Apostle buff (ending at (T14)), and stays put. She dispels her Burn with Radiant Core to (V12).

---

A Surprise Visit

Hannah jumps as she catches a very familiar voice right next to her.

HANNAH: (oh come on...)
HANNAH: The hell do yo-

Venia shushes her and starts explaining. Hannah really wanted to go off on her, but something felt... different, this time. She restrains herself, just this once, but only barely.

As Venia explains, the cynicism towards Venia falls away slowly, easing her into not immediately wanting to rip Venia a new one.

HANNAH: ...Didn't think you'd have it in ya.
HANNAH: Yeah, go fetch Destiny. I'll whip up something real good-

Hannah shuts her yap as soon as Regalus calls. She's stationary, knowing that the slightest noise from her would tip him off.

Once Regalus hangs up, Hannah immediately interjects.

HANNAH: Waitwaitwait. Plushies?
HANNAH: Oh god, don't tell me Sophie made friends with them...
HANNAH: If there's one of few things that terrify me more than anything, it's an upset Sophie.
HANNAH: Many reasons for that... too many. Waaay too many.

She shudders at the thought. She remembers to respond to Venia. She puts her hand to her chin, thinking.

HANNAH: As for our resident peckneck...
HANNAH: If anything, the plushies would've been a dead giveaway. I'd have to ask someone on the exact details of what plushies were involved, and how many, but...
HANNAH: Considering that either Sophie or Marron made 'em, with nobody else really makign them...
HANNAH: That tells me he knew exactly what he was doing.
HANNAH: Dude's insane, but not an idiot. If there's any considerable number of those plushies, then there's no possible way for three Scarlets to carry 'em all, let alone have them during standard duties in the Rebellion or after leaving the Rebellion.
HANNAH: A default-to-kill on something with things he knows shouldn't be there if they were at all hostile. Not mentioning my failed attempt on his life, despite it likely being very significant to his journey that a supposedly random Spherebreaker did so.
HANNAH: Those weren't accidents. He's playing dumb.

HANNAH: And... what was that last bit on Maria?
HANNAH: "As a concerned father, of course"... and soon after, he hung up...
HANNAH: Is it much of a stretch to say he's going after Maria?
HANNAH: Because if that's the case...
HANNAH: He probably already believes you're involved, given he also knows he can't kill any of us permanently while in the Thymefield.

Hannah softly chuckles.

HANNAH: All the more reason to make his death as painful as possible. Right?
HANNAH: Once again, grab Destiny. I'll get this biological horror made.

Hannah doesn't hesitate in getting everything set up for the two freaks of chemistry to be combined. she sets the component with her to the side. Now all that's left to wait on is the arrival of the other component.

---

Sure enough, Destiny appears in the blink of an eye. She's about to hand it to Venia, but with Hannah right next to her, she interjects.

HANNAH: Uhm, quick thing, I'm gonna be the one mixing these two. So just hand it to me instead I guess.
HANNAH: Thanks.

Once Destiny hands the poison to Hannah, she sets it aside like she did the bacterium, and resumes setting up the equipment.

---

Skylabs

Central

Adria peeks out at the battle that's just finished. Looks like everything's good out that way.

ADRIA: Heeey! Looks like everything's under control on your end! Good work!
ADRIA: Does anyone mind helping me dispatch an exosuit that's been possessed by an iti? If we do we'll have free access to a fabricator!

She doesn't wait for an answer, instead ducking back in and loading her crossbow with a Static Overcharge. Her drone, meanwhile, aims its "guns" at the exosuit.

The drone buzzes over to the exosuit rather rapidly, and rather than firing bullets or lasers, a long spike of hardlight erupts from the barrel with enhanced precision, aiming to dislocate a set of pneumatics, hydraulics, or similar within the leg of the machine to cripple it.

Whiloe it's presumably distracted by (or unreactive towards) the drone, Adria fires her crossbow at the other leg. Once it connects, static begins to build up around the leg (which is generally very bad for wiring) before high voltage arcs of lightning erupt from the ground and attempt to fry the circuitry within the exosuit.

She keeps an eye out for any motions.

Venia

/waiting

Calscape

Sophia gets a scanner of sorts as a hat! Cool. Thinking she's vibed enough, she gets up.

SOPHIA: I'mma see if I can get a friend for you!

On cue, Sophia heads into the house. She hears words coming from her right. So she heads right until she meets with Calibri. She hops up and down with excitement.

SOPHIA: calcalcal
SOPHIA: Can the Goleyeath outside get a fren?
SOPHIA: They'd really like it!

---

House

There's two instances of Sophie at the house now.

One's sitting next to Sythia, just to be there for her should she need it. Little does she know that the murderer is below her right now... god help everyone should the two ever meet.

The other's still on the roof, listening in on Rebecca. Or, was, until a big something OOC happens and she's left alone. Seeing as everyone's left Rebecca alone except her, at least for now, Sophia peers down from the roof and greets her innocently enough.

SOPHIA: Hi there!

Whether or not Rebecca would think anything of it is another question entirely.

---

Gardens

Above The Clouds

With Hemlock and Carrot covered and Beluta and Lutea on their way out, Hannah decides to try and contact Auth and Nana.

HANNAH: Yo, Auth. I'm gonna try and create a diversion with my glider to buy s'more time. Draw them towards the lake instead.
HANNAH: However, I'm gonna halfta warn you; if it doesn't work, or at worst backfires, be ready to bail at a moment's notice. Got it?

With that out of the way, Hannah starts flying slower and lower. Once she reaches a certain point, she dives downwards at about the middle of Yggdrasil's Flank. She pulls up enough so that she starts gliding above the treetops, to the west. A significant wind that could stagger anyone hits Grandifolia as Hannah passes over. It'd probably put the other troops into a panic, too, after seeing Hannah's glider zip past.

Hannah begins slowing down at the lake, but her momentum carries her into the Far Off Field, where she makes her landing.

Her Mirror Self watches behind her for intruders as the other revs up the engine again to create a bit of noise. And to prepare for another takeoff.

At Ground Level

The moment Auth plonks down the portal rune and opens the portal, Dorothy of all people stumbles through.

DOROTHY: H-hi, I'm here to help!

She wastes no time in helping everyone get the plants together, using her new avatar abilities to look out for any incoming hostiles. These avatars hide behind the trees, but not enough so that their view is blocked off.

She also enlists the help of two Timeclones to help speed up the process, seems she's not using any elsewhere.

---

Other

Church of Helix

Shelly continues watching Rosalind from afar.

Stat changes

Rework sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EeD...t#gid=959665991

Calibri: EQUIPMENT Comantem Surrexerunt -> Incandescent Key, Primal Baubles -> Biometal Helmet, Operator's Suit -> Solo samurai, Chloe Plushie -> True Heroine Chloe Plushie | SPELLS Confuse Ray -> Fury, Reckless Revenge -> Exertion, Force Nail -> Nothing Ventured | STATS -1 skillpoint in MP, -3 skillpoints in STR, +2 skillpoints in AGI, -5 skillpoints in INT, +6 skillpoints in SKI, -3 skillpoints in DEF | PERKS +Purger

Verdana: Crystalline Fortress -> Verdant Fortress, Loaded Spellbook -> Soul Hauler, +1 skillpoint in DEF, -1 skillpoint in SKI

---

The Old Pass - The Church of Helix

Calibri just left.

Elsewhere

CALIBRI: ...This undefined space...

Calibri is standing... nowhere. He has no idea how he got here. Perhaps this is a placeholder region, used for when people forget to assign locations. Still, while he's here, he might as well get to work...



"...Man, that craft sure was a trip, huh... Anyway, onto the next bit of fun, yeah? heh."

In a flash, Calibri departs from the zone of nothingness, appearing at...

Zone 0 - Slightly below the fountain

Calibri appears here. He still has an aura of energy in his eyes, though that gradually fades. After a moment, he chuckles.

"Now. What's next on the agenda..."

---

Zone 3 - The Endless Gardens

Verdana narrows his eyes a little when ree'd at by Grandifolia. He has already decided that he does not particularly like this Praetorian, partially due to the loudness and partially due to the sheer amount of threat.

VERDANA: ...Hmm. Loud.

He holds his ground, looking past the Prateorian to see what else there is. Another Praetorian, two Sharpshooters, and a Saint. Not just that, but there's plenty of potential reinforcements hanging out by the tree. A bit too far for Verdana to make out specifics, but just close enough for them to possibly get involved if something happens.

On the outside, Verdana just chuckles nervously once he's had a moment to take everything in, then returns to his regular stance, just eyeing Grandifolia for a moment. Hopefully he can say something that won't result in a fight.

VERDANA: Hey, don't mind me. I'm heading up to retrieve some splinters.
VERDANA: Yggsplinters, that is. Me and my comrades need them for various reasons.
VERDANA: Speaking of ygg-related things... What's with all the guards around there?
VERDANA: Surely the Rebels have been pushed out of the area completely? Last time I was here, they sure didn't hold for long...

The more he speaks, the more Verdana realizes he needs better armor. And so, internally, he gets to work...

---

The Old Pass

EN, who had not been expecting much in the way of questions, blinks when she promptly receives a question from Rosalind. She ponders how to get that sorted. After a while, she shrugs.

"No idea. Might've 'eard o' one o' 'em bein' associated wit' butterflies in some way or another, but butterflies an' beetles ain't th' same thin'... Eh, y'know wha'? Ah'll call 'em. In th' meantime... Ya 'avin' trouble gettin' tha' started? Lemme know if ya need 'elp."

There. Hopefully that takes care of it. EN proceeds to follow through on what she said she'd do, pulling out a phone and calling the house. Once someone picks up, she coughs once, then speaks.

"Heya y'all o'er yonder. Rosalind noticed somethin' real weird. Bunch o' beetles that 'er powers weren't workin' on. Y'all got any idea wha' tha's all 'bout? We bein' spied on by outside forces or somethin'?"

---

The Everground - Cups of Chaos

What a strange sensation. S.E.D's processing power finds itself at a loss for means to process current events. This transformation into an Apostle... It has manifested in an unusual manner. A pair of feathery white wings stretches wide, the topside supported by bonelike structure. Red and white structures cover the body, though lacking humanoid features, the pattern has been thrown off significantly. At least the bone-and-flesh textures are still identifiable as such, and the scythe associated with this form of Apostle is still present in some form - namely, a bladelike construct decorating the end of the drone's main gun.

Perhaps there is a higher calling in such forms of ascension. Is there a God out there, truly? If so, what would it want from its believers? These thoughts and more begin racing through S.E.D's processor, the drone hovering in place as it ponders its newfound theological musings... Only to be interrupted mid-thought by a fierce quacking from somewhere inside. The drone shakes, then makes one long beep of irritation before getting back to the battle.

S.E.D moves to S4, then aims directly downwards. It knows exactly where to shoot. But it would be best to make this shot count... so, it eats a Critmas Cookie just for the extra kick. Then...

Perhaps this is not the end of the age, but if one is beckoned, if they are needed to call fire down from Heaven to destroy those in need of destruction, it shall be done.

S.E.D activates its special, W.A.R.P Rounds, then blasts the Tamaugachi at full force.

Not The Lair Of Mr. Cups

The Alloy divebombs S13 and punches the Tama one more time. They then eat a Cinderfruit after giving the Tama the finger.

Venia moves to C16, consumes a Holy Dew to keep Nails in check, blasts the Harpy with one more Phantasmal Force to trigger Snowfell Star (this time for buffs), and then basic attacks the Harpy to hopefully down it. She then retreats to D17, lands at D20, and harvests the Warpmelon there. She is completely unconcerned by the Destroyer.

---

Hannah

"How does anyone live in a reality where people like Regalus are a dime a dozen?" Venia asks Hannah-right in front of her when she wasn't before, crouched down to eye level, eyes fierce. "Your time isn't any better to begin with, not a bit."

Venia shoves an interrupting finger into the space directly in front of Hannah's lips. "To keep it simple-I've been following you the whole time since you left, because I wanted to make sure of... Everything really. Nice catch with the Praetorians, but that's not the point here."

"I need you to combine that super-disease with the super-poison from earlier. I don't know how, but it's basically one of two things I can think of that'd actually work to make him vulnerable, the other being the Transcendent chamber. And now that we know it's necessary, I no longer care that it is cripplingly illegal. We need it, you can make it. I'll go fetch Destiny. This isn't too much to ask, is it?"

"... Yes, I overheard everything that you said in that shack of yours. No comment."

"Whatever the fuck you make, make it hurt. Fuck that rat-ass bastard to-."

Ring. Venia actually springs up in surprise, as her wristband starts ringing like a phone. She answers. "Hello?"

Regalus

"Venia," Regalus speaks into his wrist. "I have a question regarding the odd construction I've just found-it's some sort of crystilline golem. I think I've found a little crafting outpost of yours, given the location of a portal, I'd just want to be sure that the entity is, ah, nonhostile."

"... No, it's not hostile, your majesty. Uh, I don't think it's really fit to do much of anything other than look around actually."

"Ah, excellent. While I'm here, is there anything else to report?"

"Well, actually your majesty, there were these dead Scarlets in the library-"

"Oh, that was me, were they important somehow? I saw rebels with plush toys-didn't think those trinkets had any significance, just knew enough to know they weren't friends by default, cut them down-or well two of them, the third ran off and I didn't feel like pursuing."

"... Your majesty, they weren't hostile at all. They were defectors from the rebellion."

"Oh. My bad!" He says, scratching the backside of his head. "I guess that explains the plushies, in retrospect... Ah well! Hindsight is twenty-twenty. I'll be calling you more often in case I stumble upon anything in my wanderings I should take more care with, then, and I think it'd be best I don't try to meet with the survivor, fear I've traumatized her for life and I'm not sure a 'sorry' will cut it."

"Right, your majesty. If I may-"

"By the way-how is Maria doing?"

"... She called not too long ago, desperate to play with me, but I'm busy with, you know-everything-I'm struggling to make time with anyone, I can't add watching her to everything, and I can't assist my allies even slightly without going somewhere too dangerous for her to be. She wasn't very happy with that, but I'm sure she'll be alright. I've left her with Chaos-the glitchy-looking shopkeeper guy-the two of them are on a trip now, so they're not at the house. Trust me, your majesty, Chaos is far more trustworthy than he looks... With Maria, anyways."

"Ah, what a coincidence! I was about to ask you to make sure she was under supervision, as a concerned father of course. I have nothing else to speak of, so I'll leave you to your business. Good day!"

Regalus hangs up, and promptly walks into the nearby portal. Venia is left with Hannah, looking confused as hell.

"... He claims that he didn't really think those Scarlets were nonhostile and defaulted to killing them... Asked about Maria... He didn't mention your attempt on him... Is he playing dumb? I... I actually don't understand what's going on with him anymore."

---

Destiny

Venia gives Destiny a ping.

VENIA: Destiny, can you come over here? Bring over the poison.
VENIA: Hannah needs it to mix it together to something that can, combined, kill Regalus. It's our best option.

---

Maria

Maria keeps bawing her eyes out. "I'm not gonna get another chance! Daddy's gonna leave with me today! I can't play with Venny!" She manages to shout, between sobs.

Right-this was a thing. She's leaving today.

---

The Rosen Forge

Venia turns to Nia, a bit of disappointment in her voice. "As the expert on it... It's not what we really need. Chairian Sap-not specifically anyone's-is already an ingredient so the Fluxblood is just there as an active ingredient. Given the nature of the mutations of the Rose Cult, the ability to manipulate their bodies with it is likely a critical part of the process as-intended. But we can likely alter it with the ressurection ritual items we have earlier, and with no further entropic containment they will be able to live... Normally. Theoretical 'Ordoblood' would make them dependent on the stuff to continue living, and that could be a serious problem going forwards."

Venia continues. "The idea of "Ordoblood" does seem fascinating in other ways, but, uh. I'm also sure we'll be having an uphill battle. In most cases, the Entropic stuff is kind of like... Tinder, and the Ordo stuff left over when purging Entropic things is the surprisingly-useful ashes. Usually it's just, well, regular ashes, though; it's the leftovers. So purging Fluxblood would just leave regular blood, if that... But, thinking on it-using that to make something sufficiently Entropic, given some time to soak, and then purging it, could be an easy way to infuse Ordo into anything. If a bit risky and time-consuming. Hrm..."

Venia turns back to Auth. "Anyways-Auth, this is where your expertise comes in. I need to know on how hook up everything to add in those ritual components as substutites for the Fluxblood-or even if that'll work. For what it's worth, I bet we would... well, not 'need less,' but more 'get more done with what we have' by the virtue of the hardcore setup here."

---

The rest of the family

Regalus, not long after his chat, bumps into the Mirror Reflector. "Oh, no, please, accept my apologies for being equally blind about it all, ahah. And a delight to make your acquaintance too," He says.

When he hears of where Venia and company are he perks up. " Ah, a delightful bout of violence seemingly unconnected to the goal at hand, but doubtless important to it in some sort of secondhand fashion! ... I have to decline, I have other business to attend to, namely my daughter's exact whereabouts. And could you pass along that Hannah's a traitor, and also an idiot? They're probably equally important, yes. I earned an unprovoked arrow to the eyeball for absolute nonsense I can only assume to be deliberate... I figure Venia already knows and didn't trouble her with repeating information she already has. She is extremely proactive in ensuring her goals-I'd figure that Hannah would be a corpse the next time they met, but I assume she has something more extreme planned if she's fighting with her right now... Then again, perhaps I'm underestimating the Thymefield? Her intelligence may have been neutered due to its supernatural origins-but then, she was apparently quite prodigal without such enhancement. Why, I've had it pass my mind that she might've even been arranging for the circumstances by which everyone here is thus assembled for her purposes-it wouldn't be the first time, and given it wouldn't run afoul of this field... Ah, I'm rambling pointlessly.

"But please, I'd rather not someone more vulnerable take arrows for the purpose of, quote, 'checking doppelgangers,' unquote. I don't know how you deal with traitors-I suppose I could've killed her, but then you'd just see the corpse, ressurect her, and then she'd get her balderdash in and use my reputation against me-so here I am, telling you, so you may decide more impartially."

He passes by the Reflector peacefully.

Meanwhile, Rosalind gets out of the Mechonis just to get as close as she can to EN, as if trying to crane her ears for the information-not quite trying to keep hidden so much as test how close EN will let her to listen in. As she closes in, the soft sound of scurrying bugs en-masse might reach EN's ears in kind...

Meanwhile meanwhile, Cindy looks at the Reflector. "Oh. Well, that's not exactly obvious. I wouldn't want to step in front of an active turret. I didn't know you had conceptual databases that sharp. Or are you just meticulous and rapid in your book-keeping? And what are you talking about regarding those 'embarrassing' situations?"

Cindy eyes Regalus returning through the portal and immediately joins him. "Oh, darling! How is Maria doing?" She says, weaving around both Reflectors as necessary. Regalus in turn has his eyes seem to legitimately brighten.

"Excellently when I left her," Regalus says. "I entrusted the other Spherebreakers to her care-I did trust them so this far, after all-to investigate a matter of historical sciences regarding antimagic. Apparently our little sunshine has adopted an... Explosive sort of pet. An adorable one, though, you should see it," Regalus says. "Anyways, I'm looking for Chaos-the odd salesperson in the main room earlier-was he there?"

"Oh, Chaos... No, he was still there when I left, but I have been spending a rather long time down here, just looking at how antiquated everything is," She says.

They appear fairly invested in one another.

Meanwhile meanwhile meanwhile, Rebecca, almost relieved when OOC issues magically whisk Terrance and Echoss away, does yet another wild take worthy of looney toons at their finest when Sophia drops in on her. She backs up onto the patch of dirt that is obviously concealing a very obvious cartoon bomb with no obvious fuse, removing some of the dirt and making all of these things even more obvious than before. She picks herself up rapidly, but doesn't even try to hide the bomb anymore. "H-H-H...Hello."

---

Stuff

Venia requests Sleuth scan the Cappa, as the scans should have come back this round.

Venia also requests Chloe go run an errand for more Structured Matter, given she will likely need more for the resurrection machine.

ZONE 0 [CINDY]

The Reflector assumes their normal appearance while waving their Mirror Image towards the basement portal. They sigh.

THE REFLECTOR: everything is absolutely entirely under control ms. cindy.
THE REFLECTOR: those turrets will only harm individuals we want harmed individuals who pose a direct and immediate threat to the spherebreakers.
THE REFLECTOR: now unless you consider yourself that for some reason you have nothing to worry about do you not?
THE REFLECTOR: i certainly do not consider you that although i have never met you of course so who am i to say.
THE REFLECTOR: your family have already caused a number of mildly embarrassing situations by touching things or people they assumed were dangerous so please refrain from doing so in the future.

The Reflector gives no sign of leaving Cindy alone. They simply smile and continue to stand there.

---

ZONE 1

"The Scion" continues to watch Regalus from the trees. She almost panics when he walks through the portal, but quickly receives a signal from someone on the other side of it. The situation is being handled.

---

BACK IN ZONE 0 [REGALUS]

As Regalus walks through into the basement, he runs straight into the Reflector's mirror image. They stumble backwards before picking themselves back up.

MIRROR REFLECTOR: oh so sorry many apologies stranger!
MIRROR REFLECTOR: that was entirely clumsy of me although well i suppose it is not all my fault my culpability considering i could hardly see you through that portal!
MIRROR REFLECTOR: ...you would be that emperor the monarch ms. praefortis mentioned once?
MIRROR REFLECTOR: i have heard surprisingly little about you your majesty! delighted to make the acquaintance.
MIRROR REFLECTOR: i was just going to spectate a battle between my comrades and a vicious iti beast in a place called the everground.
MIRROR REFLECTOR: i believe ms. praefortis herself is involved, along with my dear friends cypress and hannah of course.
MIRROR REFLECTOR: you are welcome to come spectate as well if you so desire.

---

ZONE 5.5

"Nia" shifts back to the Reflector as they approach Wattle.

THE REFLECTOR: mr. wattle, is it?
THE REFLECTOR: we, er well i suppose i should begin with the unpleasant business first.

The Reflector pauses and turns their head aside.

THE REFLECTOR: your sister acacia has perished.
THE REFLECTOR: spark himself killed her, stabbed her to death after she disobeyed him.
THE REFLECTOR: we recovered her spirit and well we are planning quite the complicated ritual to resurrect her in a new body.
THE REFLECTOR: even though quite abrasive and downright maniacal at times it seemed unfair to simply let her die, do you not think? well that is none of my business i suppose.
THE REFLECTOR: i have heard the ritual is quite safe as the spherebreakers have practiced it twice before but well it does require a component a piece an element we do not have.
THE REFLECTOR: some of the sap of a relative.
THE REFLECTOR: i hope, i certainly hope that is agreeable.

Once Wattle responds, the Reflector gestures to the camp.

THE REFLECTOR: might we ask what is the situation here?
THE REFLECTOR: is it the rebels you have barricaded yourself against sir wattle or some other threat entirely?
THE REFLECTOR: and these other entrances do they simply lead to more chairian camps?

---

ZONE 5.5 [AI LABS]

"The Scion" sees Ephram's bullet-ridden corpse lying on the floor.

"THE SCION": Oh! You're the one who helped me blast Cappa, aren't you?
"THE SCION": I guess we better get you fixed up, hehe.

She heaves Ephram's dead body over her shoulder (along with the Halberdier corpse, which she deposits in her personal inventory for... some reason) and awkwardly staggers out of the room and over to Taeda's rope ladder.

"THE SCION": Dead body incoming!

Ephram goes sprawling from "The Scion"'s arms to Taeda's feet. The girl smiles broadly, seemingly completely unperturbed by hauling a corpse around.

"THE SCION": Um, you're Taeda, right?
"THE SCION": I've heard that you can resurrect people, so, um.
"THE SCION": You... you get the idea.

No Longer Skelepost *sad doot*

Rapid Response is purchased from the Lab.

Echoss and Aoki:
Echoss chuckles at the poor rhyme.
"He seems to be rather averse to us pointing out what a poor job he's doing.
Especially when we do so right after doing the job he's supposed to. That being, keeping chairians safe.
While I suppose that's not what happened for you, if the way he tosses the Legion aroud like expendable toys is any indicator, or how he abandoned Miss Omorika to die in the Royal Library without backup against an Eliti designed specifically to torment her... or anything else he's done really.
It rather helps our arguments when he makes them for us.
Aoki voices her concerns and Echoss nods.
"Tomorrow will be the day we head to the Citadel, which I assume is where she lives. We tend to work quite fast, and as a result frequently have time for multitasking. Taking some time to check up on her will almost certainly be possible.
Thank you Miss Aoki."
Echoss stretches and stands up, looking around at the now rather empty picnic blankets.
"On that note, it seems our picnic is finished. Would you like to come back to our current home with me, to make sure you have anything you need?"


Pionobot's the least important of the three in this scene why am I naming the segments after him:
Eren gives the little "ohhhh" motion.
"Yeah okay, that makes sense.
It'd be sorta like... how humans have different skin color, right? Different ethnicities and bloodlines.
I admit I'm not as familiar with it as I should be, I'm a robot based off a Minecraftian. I don't exactly have personal experience with having genetics."
He snickers a bit at Chloe's mild distress over Maple's joyous declaration of cannibalism.
At about that point, Echoss waves over at Chloe.
"Hey Chloe. Apologies for interrupting, but most of the others seem to have filtered out, so I was thinking I could take the rest of the supplies back to the house. Is there anything you'd like for me to leave here with you?"


Post-Battle RP:
Eren sits down at the desk, Maple looking him over. He shakes his head.
"I promise, I'm fine.
I've had stuff like this happen to me before it's like...
Something about Omnipresent Industries I think?
Here like, take a look at my shoulder."
Eren slides his jacket off, and starts to tug at his shirt, before realizing that the same unhinged panel he's trying to show Maple is keeping him from pulling his shirt down enough to show it without taking the shirt off.
"Okay that's annoying."
He looks around.
"Sorry, I don't think the others want a surprise shirtless scene right now."


Post-Battle Respec:
First order of business, Pionobot is now Eren! This does nothing but change his name in the character sheet, and also his bio to this:
Eren is a Pionobot (a robotic Piono duplicate) that is decidedly quite different from others. For one thing he actually has a name, and for another he's actually quite personable! He also hasn't tried to blow up the planet even once, which also makes him easier to get along with. He's got amnesia though, poor sap.

In terms of stats:
Swap Phial Burst for Fire/Air Elveil
Swap Eager Beaver for Merciful
Swap Droplet Cosplay Kit With a Jetpack for Lepidoptera
Swap Trailing Comet for Bowler Hat

I'll do KP allocation next turn once I see what the equipment changes set my stats to.



To-do List:
Also maybe chat with Creation?
Once AI Labs ends, officially change Pionobot's name to Eren in the readout. And also work on a little respeccing. Not major, but some.
Start on crafting goals in the "questboard". Notably, I need to make lots of sleeping bags so the NPCs we seem to suddenly be acquiring en masse need to sleep somehow/where.
If Blossom isn't dealt with by the time Pionobot's done being doted on by Maple, go punch it through the barrier with air magic.

Nettle moves to C6, generously applies Venoveil to Remiel, then retreats to B6. She uses Heavemarch to drag Nidra's corpse to F12, before falling a distance that should probably kill a normal person.