Zone 0 - Slightly below the fountain

"...Huh. Would've thought someone would sort that out."

Calibri pauses, then teleports away in the blink of an eye.

Zone 3 - The Endless Gardens

And he reappears here. Once he's eyed the situation, he quickly decides to intercept something he sees as a problem. He decides it's best to move to intercept, since he doesn't trust that the giant bloody wall Verdana built earlier will keep everything out...

Naturally, this manifests as the area near the Garden Home flickering briefly, then Calibri appearing on the roof, key in hands. He's set it to range mode, and is currently aiming it at the P37 Praetorian, slowly turning on the roof to keep his keygun trained on the Praetorian in question. Given Calibri is just standing out in the open, it's painfully obvious what he's doing.

The thing is, if he fired too soon, he has a feeling he'll just get shot at by people from the nearby battle. That means he has to wait until the Hawkeye has flown past the treeline first. But once they're through... Well, he'll be ready to open fire.

---

Battle - Wartorn Approach

Verdana moves to I14 and guards.

Gaiawave hits Brute Legion 1 and Brute Legion 2.

Pyralux Flare, set to Light element so as to not be a hypocrite right now, hits Brute Legion 1.

Once the allied Chairian Ninja has become a thing and gotten into position at I11, Verdana also uses I Am Spartacus to shield that ninja. Flavortext-wise, this manifests as several large red shields appearing and rotating around the ninja, ready to intercept all the damages.

Now for the RP part...


Verdana gets himself into position, then eyes the gathered enemy troops. Particularly Grandifolia, but some of the others too. He pulls out a document of some kind, peering at the writing, then rolls it up and stuffs it away again.

"Alright. Seems the others want me to say a few more words. Even though I already did a bunch of dramatic talkytalk earlier. So, here we go, even more talkytalk."

He turns his attention more to Grandifolia now, since that guy is unfortunately the only Praetorian present as far as Verdana is aware.

"...I don't have any non-blunt way to say this. From what my fellow party members have told me, the Praetorians have been involved in a lot of shady things. I wasn't there to see those things, but they wouldn't lie to me. The things in question are..."

-An attempt on Cypress's life based on information without any proof.
-Aiding and abetting Spark's killing of Acacia.
-One of them definitely threatened innocent scientists with death by fire due to them... working for Cypress and not being fast enough at hacking???
-And issuing death warrants (or torture warrants but let's be honest fire should not be going anywhere near civilians) to innocents who have, at most, talked to us and decided not to die uselessly in some attempt to take one of us down.

"Now! I'm working with the assumption that all that is true, since as stated earlier, my teammates wouldn't lie to me. All those things mentioned above, and anything similar?"

Verdana pauses, flames flickering in his eyes.

"They need to stop. No... They will stop. Up until now, we have been holding back. Playing nice for the benefit of all of you, even the ones who really have not been meeting basic moral standards. If the Praetorians continue targeting innocents for the sake of fulfilling Spark's petty grudges, we will stop holding back."

Beat.

"Also, if Spark is considering escalating things further, trust me when I say this, it is not in his best interests to escalate things further."

---

The Old Pass

"..."

Loading.

---

The Everground

S.E.D turns in the woman's direction, "staring" at her with its main gun barrel. For a moment, all is still. Then, it turns to "stare" at the barrier. Then back at her again. Then back at the barrier. Then finally at the woman once more. The drone makes a few beeps and whistles that signify the tone of wanting to be let through, much like a cat meowing at the door to the outside world.

Then, the drone remembers something...

After a moment of internal focus, the drone manages to access the inventory. There's a pause as it rummages around, eventually pulling out Fractis Alis. Once it's got the hang of holding the damn thing given the drone has no arms to speak of, S.E.D promptly rolls over to Vulcan and places the weapon on the floor. Maybe she'll recognize it. At least, that's what the drone believes. Or what the pilot believes. The drone makes a few inquisitive beeping sounds while watching Vulcan, wondering what she'll make of that thing.

---

Resurrection A(cacia)

VERDANA: ...So! What's the plan for this, anyway?

STATISTICS

The STR experiment was nice, but turned out mostly superfluous. Instead, "the Scion" decides to stick at what she's good at. Maybe she'll respec into STR if there's a surprise entropic boss down the line.
-10 STR, +4 SKI, +3 MHP, +5 AGI.

---

BATTLES - WARTORN APPROACH

TURN ORDER:
Adria
Taeda
Ninja
Verdana
Dakster
Nidra
Eph
Marron
Scion
Irongutta

Taeda spawns in and moves to J17. She calls in a Drop Pod containing a Chairian Ninja working for Cypress, who slams down at J8. Taeda uses her action to give the Ninja Rapid Response.
The Ninja uses a bonus action to activate Poisonous Array, coating their shurikens in a Silencing poison. They then fire an Elemental Sniper (Ice) shot at the Saint to break their Divine Shield and hurl each of their shurikens at the Saint, Expert Sage, and Songstress. Finally, they retreat to I11, where Verdana will give them his Spartacus protection.

After Nidra and Eph have acted:
"The Scion" spawns in at H19, moves to H16, and casts Living Plague on Brute Legion 1 (the damage hits Grandifolia but the status hits the legion), activating Elemental Mastery (Poison) and benefitting from Manafueled2. Cycling activates, and she swaps Living Plague for the Brute Legion's Splinter Bomb Barrage.
She then activates Infinite Infection to spread the Plague and HorridSleep from Brute Legion 1 to Brute Legion 2 and Splintershot 3. She also copies her own Plague to herself with her trait.
At the end of her turn, the plague spreads to the Expert Sage.

---

ZONE 0

As Echoss opens the door, he gets a good look at Star for the first time. The Iti's thin, dark body has a purple symbol resembling a star engraved upon it (probably where Droplet got the moniker from), while their pointy limbs have strange grooves, almost as if they were designed to fit into some sort of slot or contraption. Star rises from the bed, still holding the sheep plushie in one hand, and gives Echoss a performative curtsy, made slightly odd by the fact that they don't have a skirt or dress on. (Or any clothes, for that matter, though it's not like they have any embarrassing body parts to hide.)

STAR: Star will do just fine for now I think
STAR: And you yellow creature?
STAR: What mystical glorious title doth grace your being?

Star may not actually understand how Middle English grammar works, but they sure are trying.

---

ZONE 1

"The Scion" continues to upgrade the golem by inserting a Crystallized Memory of Light. We may just be creating the Radiance in golem form here.

---

ZONE 5.5

"The Scion," hiding behind the cover of the Dream of Unity's bulk, shouts over to the rebel forces awkwardly.

"THE SCION": Um... hello, there!
"THE SCION": Sorry if this sounds weird, but...
"THE SCION": Do you think I could have those Legionary corpses?
"THE SCION": The ones that your beast doesn't eat, I mean, hehe.
"THE SCION": It's for a passion project, and, well...
"THE SCION": Look, this is awkward, so maybe not, but... just toss them over if you agree, ok?

Meanwhile, with Wattle, the Reflector shrugs at Wattle's offer for assistance.

THE REFLECTOR: cypress believes he can resolve the situation peacefully well on the rebels part at the very least
THE REFLECTOR: while the rebellion is still mistrustful of us still very much in doubt they do see that we oppose spark's regime and well apart from being outsiders our goals are very similar in reality!
THE REFLECTOR: your assistance may be useful when dealing with the loyalists but well i hardly think you wish to be publicly declared a traitor so perhaps not.

Wartorn Approach
Daskter spawns on (I19) and summons a Cherub Rocketeer on (J19)

Also my weapon should do Psychic Damage

Settings:
Tactics: All-out
Attack: Slashing
Spell Attack: Light
Resists: 50% Light, 20% Fire
Weakness: 20% of Slashing and Piercing

That's right. I'm playing my own game! Which is to say, the NPC's do their own bits of crafting. Since it's not Christmas, they've gotta obey the proper crafting system.







Update in two days?

Crya crafts something for the Sleuth.



She also prays to the RNG gods, chugs a Bottled Luck, and uses all 480 Primogems for 3 pulls on the latest character banner.

Wartorn Approach
Join battle at H19.
Power Nap Daskter.
Move pillow to Daskter.
Move to H15
Use Very Sheepy on self.
Last Dream Brute Legion 1.
Assuming special is ready:
Warp Totem to K12.
Use special on Grandifolia.

Everground

Venia absorbs the information in totality before properly responding.

"... I, uh. I didn't want to mention Yulania right away, uh, just in case. I figured you had a relationship-I had already met Magnolia before and you're the only other sapient weapon I know of that can possess a corpse... Getting right to the point, uh, yeah.
We killed him, yes. Purged him and his 'Ars Alas,' giant robot thing, 'pinnacle of his craft,' ooh, how scary. I've seen the actual monstrosity that is the Chaos Butterfly in the flesh twice, both times it scrammed from one incomplete Purging from an incomplete key."

Venia's eyes open a bit. "... Oh, yeah, uh, I mentioned her. Magnolia-we actually have her in our crew. We had to fight her a lot first because, well, you can guess, but she came around after we cleared things up. Definitely not like her father, uh, actually killed him personally. Which is kind of completely gorilla'd up, actually, but so it goes. Uh, important bit: in his death throes, Yulania decided to mention you were still alive to her... I think it might mean, it might mean-it would definitely mean a lot for Magnolia knew you were alive. For a given definition, hah. Or, well, if we're successful, maybe not so given, huh?"

"As for the First Sin..." Venia scratches the back of her head. "... Dead. Or at least what we found in the Rosen Catacombs is dead, anyways-that poor twice-diseased creature. I think we can safely disqualify the First Sin as a chairian anymore, no offense to the big guy. Uh, Magnolia was there for that too, and again, helped significantly in giving him the peace he so desired. The Old Guard are gone too, and almost all of them were purged, I believe. The Rose Cult that worships the Butterfly is dead, more or less... Uh. I had hoped to whip what was left back into their real old ways, the warriors that would stand against the Butterfly instead of let it through... But I'm kind of at an impasse at that, I'm, uh, I'm not much more than very imposing, I guess you could say?... I'm rambling."

Venia taps her foot a little. "I guess you could say we came into the Everground for all of those things. And apologies about Hannah and the others. Hannah, uh, the 'small angry woman,' and not even a woman really-she's only just a teenager-she's been a handful for me as well, real headache, the rash type. You know. And this time I don't really blame her, like, almost everything else Entropic has been very unfriendly... We've only recently learned how to... How to free them, from it. Like-actually free them, not just burn the Entropy in them away and them with it, actually free them."

Venia blinks. "... Uh. Wow that was a lot. Uh. Look, uh, point is... We'd be really grateful if you let us down there. And if you'd be OK with seeing Magnolia again. And your services, in whatever other way you can provide. Really we're desperate. Only person we've had to let go was, like, a serial killer. And being let off was more because they weren't being cooperative, really... So much so we actually had to kill them... I'm talking too much again. Down! Down is good. Let's see the heart of the matter, ahahah."

---

Forge

"... Right. I guess you can't see any problems, then?" Venia says. "All we need is information on Livingwood and preferably some repository of Chairian Sap-and I at least think that the Chairian Sap is different from stuff like Green Sap. Like, I know there's stuff like blood transfusions and I think people who'd donate probably thought of life-saving in mind. Maybe there's some Sap spare in the Skylabs somewhere? ... Thank you for the help, Auth."

"Let's see..."

Venia carefully inserts the various items into the various tanks-the Structured Matter into tank 5 (assuming it's not already filled), the Yggdrasil Splinter into the Livingwood tank, the crystals plus the Gaiadiamond into the crystal tank, and very carefully inserts the Godblossom Extract into the tank that once held Fluxblood.

"... So, you had an idea on how to accure Chairian sap, actually, Auth?" Venia asks.

---

Hannah

Venia, back turned to Hannah, slumps a little at her commentary, finger pressed to the temple. Her breathing is heavy-heavier than it ever had been as a water transcendent. At last, she calms, just a little.

"... You know what. You got me there. I'm not a very good leader. I had authority, terror, a big body, a loud voice-people didn't need much more convincing. Here people are competent enough I don't need any of that, just a good suggestion, and that's mostly what it's been. Hannah Wolfe, you got me there completely, and for that incompetence, I apologize."

Then she turns around. And at the same time, Hannah feels water at her feet-feels the lake creeping up behind her.

"As for your other cute suggestion... NO."

"It would've been damn easy to get back into Regalus's good graces without much fuss, you know. Reality check: you attacked an ally, at least as far as anyone knew at the time, with absolutely no proof that he had any hostility between any of us beforehand. We've taken in people of questionable morality before-what made him any different? The words of an untrustworthy serial killer, some frustrated comments of mine, general dickery? Heads up-you and I both would be dead as a doornail if that was what it took. You weren't right-you lucked out. So you'll have to forgive me if I treat you like shit over it still, because what you did is immoral, and contradictory to our goals besides. You fucked up so hard, and still think it was the right thing to do."

"And while I'm at it... Let's face facts. You're normal and I'm not. I could've offed you the instant I thought you were doing wrong. Water's in your blood-I could've strangulated you before you even realized I was at fault, and presented you to Regalus, and carried on my merry way-and if Michelle hated me for it, boo hoo, she can join the club,, we're too busy saving the world to care about stupid politics like that. It should have been an effortless decision, between, you know, killing a teenage prick who consorts with mass murderers and who clearly doesn't give a shit for other people, let alone me... Over the guy who literally gave me everything and who's every crime I was almost just as complicit with as he was already. I owe him everything. Everything. I haven't forgotten. And my soul's already stained black; I haven't forgotten that either."

"... And I haven't forgotten everything else he's done either. Or that he's mad. Or that he's a questionable parent for Maria. And I haven't forgotten everything else the others have done for me-Chloe, Nia, Eris, Mari, Boshi, Irongutta, Echoss... And I haven't forgotten that you have a mother and friends who give a shit about you. So if you're going to ask me why I'm doing this right now-I GIVE A FUCKING SHIT!"

Silence. The lake receeds.

"I didn't want to threaten you pointlessly. I considered it, but I'm not that bad of a leader. But you haven't listened unless I do. Can you at least give me that?"

---

Regalus

"... Now, it was great catching up, but we'd better be going," Regalus says. "Cindy, can you get Rebecca and Rosalind? I'm going to head over to where Chaos is and retrieve Maria. We do have to be heading home."

"Of course, my king~" Cindy says, clearly adoring, as she runs off to try to find the other two.

Meanwhile, Regalus turns to the Reflector. "...Apologies, but could you show me the way? I don't know where these 'Rosen Catacombs' are."

It appears he's taken the bait! Better-you now have a very good excuse to 'tail' him there. Or not. That's your call.

---

Maria

-later-

Patch Notes: Respec
I'm changing characters again.

I wasn't really feeling Eph, so I've decided to change characters again.

---

Battle: Wartorn Approach
(Scroll to bottom to skip RP fluff)

After recovering from his injuries, Ephram rushes into battle to J19, summoning forth his new familiar beside him at K19- A raven with wings that glow with a wispy pink flame, and eyes that match. The mage sprouts ghostly wings of his own, much to his surprise.

With his newfound flight, he unsteadily flaps over K17, where he perches on the cover, and points at the brute legion just north of him. The Raven soars to J16 and fires a burst of feathers at the legion, before taking cover at L18.

Eph is then assisted by Marron, granting him Fury. Using Arcane Arts, he turns the Empowered into Enlightened, and casts Glitchform Last Dream on the legion as well, before hopping down behind the cover at K18.

(Spawn at K19 with Manafueled3. As a bonus action, summon a Chimera Raven with Hopeful Glow instead of Caw. Raven moves to J16, feather bursts BruteLegion2, and retreats to L18. Arcane Arts to change Empowered to Enlightened. Cast Glitchform Last Dream on BruteLegion2, and retreat to K18)

Marron spawns at J19, and moves to H14. Once Eph moves to K17, she'll cast Fury on him and herself, and finally retreat to G13.

RP: Eph has undead
Eph finds himself in a strange world and talks to a strange mirror lady, and then wakes up and talks to Taeda a little. Skip to the bottom if you only want the six lines of Taeda dialogue I guess.

The veil of unconsciousness slowly starts to fade as Ephram's senses gradually begin to return to him. His body sits upright, propped up against something. Though his thoughts are still hazy, he can feel himself submerged in water from the waist down. Ephram's eyes slowly begin to flutter open, but his daze isn't broken as he observes the world he's woken up in. A vast expanse of water as far as he can see, reflecting a dark and starry sky, which takes on a fractured appearance. Dotted intermittently amongst the endless sea are several monoliths made of a reflective crystal. For some inexplicable reason, Eph feels like he's been here before, or rather, some part of him has resided here for centuries. He feels as though he should be panicking, but is only calm.

Blinking a few times, Ephram's eyes adjust to the unusual sights of the world around him.

EPH: Hello?

He attempts to call out, but can't seem to manage more than a whisper, which echoes against the walls of his mind. Eph gets the odd feeling that he isn't alone in this expanse. Something, or someone, else is present. A presence that, though faint, he can feel resonating within himself.

Feeling that his legs are slightly weak, Ephram pushes his body up against the cool, smooth wall of the monolith behind to help him to stand. As his palms make contact with the monolith, it emanates the sound of a temple bell, followed by a gentle ringing that envelops his mind. Startled by this, he turns, scrambles to his feet and covers his ears, before he notices something odd about the surface of the monolith. Its glass wall is reflective, but while his reflection shares some similarities, Ephram doesn’t recognize it as his own. Where Eph’s reflection should be is instead a tall female figure with white, shoulder-length hair, slightly messy but not unruly. The woman’s sclerae are a misty black, while her irises are pink, and have an ethereal glow to them. She’s dressed in a navy blue hooded cloak and has a set of white, spiralling horns, similar to those of a ram. Eph moves his hand upwards to see if the woman reflected in the monolith will do the same. She does not.

The gentle ringing noise that surrounds Eph’s mind slowly begins to change into what sounds like a softspoken, yet firm voice.

???: I had wondered how long it would take for you to wake up.
???: It’s odd, you know? I’ve watched over you for years now, and though I have met you once in this realm before, meeting you in this form feels entirely new.

Ephram begins swivelling his head, scanning the vast empty plane for the source of the voice. The woman shakes her head in response.

???: Seeking an answer, and yet oblivious to what’s directly in front of you. You are indeed the Ephram that I’m familiar with.

Her lips don’t move as she says this. Eph opens his mouth to try and ask who the woman is, but is interrupted before he can attempt to do so.

???: You need not try to communicate physically. Even if our thoughts and desires were not connected, I would be able to read them on my own.
???: It would be difficult for me to explain what resulted in my current form in a way that would not overwhelm you, so I shall keep this simple.
SEIKO: My name is Seiko. The crystal that you have come to possess, and the realm you currently reside in, was my final creation to ensure my life would be prolonged and continued in some form.

Seiko doesn’t need to read Eph’s thoughts to see that he’s clearly confused by this. She lets out a silent sigh and continues.

SEIKO: For some number of years, I have acted as a guide for you, providing you clarity, willpower, and the arcane power that still resides in my current form.
SEIKO: Despite your bloodline, your affinity for magic is quite weak, and your resolve is yet weaker.
SEIKO: It has been a difficult task to watch you struggle. To see potential in you, but not have the resolve to allow that potential to blossom and bear fruit.
SEIKO: And now we’ve met far early than I would have liked, Ephram Cross.

Ephram slowly nods as he understands what Seiko means. He feels his heart sink in his chest as he recalls his own death, his expression slowly becoming blank and lifeless as his mind is filled with regret. Seiko sighs another silent sigh as she feels Eph begin to crumble.

SEIKO: If the situation were any different, I would have gone on to explain how you and I would peacefully reside here together until the next bearer of this crystal awakened it.
SEIKO: However. It sounds as though your new allies possess the ability to bring one back from the dead. You will live on, after all.

Eph’s face lightens a bit as he looks up at Seiko, though beginning to feel dizzy.

SEIKO: That disconnection you feel. It seems someone is moving your soul back into your body.
SEIKO: I believe you may benefit from a familiar to aid you in combat while I’m unable to. Call upon it any time you wish, but please take care of it. Familiars are delicate things.
SEIKO: And if you need to speak with me, I will come to you through your meditation.

She pauses for a moment, as Eph loses his vision and falls backwards. Instead of landing on the solid ground, he feels himself plunge deeply into the water, though still able to breathe despite being completely submerged. All is quiet for a few moments before Seiko’s voice speaks again.

SEIKO: Despite what I said, I admired the determination you showed before you died.
SEIKO: Though attempting to pushing yourself beyond your limits may be a reckless and unwise strategy, it proved that at the very least your resolve was stronger than I previously thought.
SEIKO: When you awaken, I would like you to show me more of that resolve.
SEIKO: I believe you are more capable than you think, if you are willing to apply and believe in yourself.
SEIKO: I will be your driving force from within here. I will believe in you, lend you my power to aid you.
SEIKO: And in return, all I ask is that you maintain the resolve you have shown me today, and make us both proud.

Ephram struggles to open his eyes once again. This time, however, it seems as though he finds himself back within the AI Labs and faced with Taeda. He takes a moment to recollect his thoughts and make sure he can move his body, but once he’s finally come to he decides it would be nice to say a few words to the person who has brought him back from the dead. Eph slowly sits up, brushing his hair from his face, only for it to fall right back into place.

EPH: U-um… are you the one responsible for bringing me back to life?
EPH: If so, there’s… no way for me to thank you enough for that.
EPH: I… I guess now I’ll owe you a favour that I’ll never be able to fully repay.

Eph feels slightly strange about what he’s just said, as generally swearing your eternal servitude to someone is a bit of a strong first impression and not something people generally do.

EPH: Ah, um. Sorry if that was weird, I’m still recovering mentally from… yeah.
EPH: But I am really grateful.
EPH: Um. M-my name is Eph. It’s... nice to meet you.

Stat Distribution

Irongutta puts a point into SPC and the remaining three into HP.

Battle: Wartorn Approach

Wasn't long before Irongutta showed up. He just has a knack for finding where scraps are starting, it seems.

"How many times are we gonna 'ave to teach you grots this lesson?"

Spawning in at J19, Irongutta moves to J17 and casts Fury on himself and Adria.

As Eren continues going about his business in the AI Labs, something suddenly occurs to him. The onslaught of immediately urgent events seems to have slowed down... Perhaps now would be a good time to see about getting into the security hub. Spark will be sending saboteurs at some point, better now than after it's too late.

He quickly pulls up SB Chat (SphereBreaker, not SpaceBattles) and contacts Auth.

EREN: Hey, Auth would you happen to be free right now?
EREN: Things have calmed down a bit, we could maybe have Cypress call the Rebels if we've both got time to go investigate and grab the records?
AUTH: I thought of doing that myself, actually. I am… more-or-less free, although I’m mildly worried about Lutea’s garden.
AUTH: I suppose the others are holding off the Legion there, though. However… Are you okay? You sound… odd.
EREN: A pin tried to hijack me. It got squashed but it seems to have mucked up something before it died.
EREN: It's just my voice, I'll be fine.
AUTH: Well, if you say so. We should go and see Cypress then, I believe his preparation for this has been complete for a while.
EREN: I'm right by him, head to the AI Labs on the second floor.

As Eren and Cypress both await the arrival of the Author, Cypress can’t help but wonder exactly how Eren contacted the Author. SB Chat. Is that like a newfangled chat platform? He really ought to keep up with the times. Anyway, a few minutes later, the Author flies down as Cypress finishes modifications to the rebel radio he’s been handed. It looks like he’s made modifications to the voice receiver?

CYPRESS: Greetings, sir Author. Are you prepared?
AUTH: I think so, yes. The other… encounters have been dealt with, so we’re ready to deal with this. I think.
CYPRESS: Good. Shall I broadcast? Or not yet? I am unsure.
EREN: Not yet, I had a few thoughts on the message to send to run by you first.
AUTH: I think it’s a good idea to work out what we want to actually say before we say it.
CYPRESS: Ah, most certainly. What talking points?
CYPRESS: Must meet objectives. Convince Spherebreaker entry. Protect security footage. Insult: Spark. Latter point, optional.
EREN: Heheh. Good start, I thought it might also be worth noting specifically that this will be a collaborative bit.
EREN: They let us in to grab something, and we give them a copy. Everyone wins but Spark.
AUTH: Yes. Also, we’d like to take custody of any Legion casualties that the Rebels have..., I think we’d rather hang on to them. I’m saying that because I’m more concerned for their safety in the Rebellion’s hands, no offence, but I’m sure there’s a tactical reason why we might want them.
AUTH: Oh, and it might be a good idea to give yourself a cover story so you can get around without being bothered by Rebels. I’m sure Spark has already declared you a traitor already.
CYPRESS: Ah. Cannot appear myself. Rebels: never seen. Unaware of affiliation. Highchair.
CYPRESS: Rebels: kill Highchair. On sight. On principle. My appearance: known.
CYPRESS: You must move. Not myself.
[color]EREN: No I think Auth means you have an excuse now.
EREN: Spark's declared you a traitor for 'Rebel affiliations remember?
EREN: If Kudan informs the Rebels here Cypress is now branded a traitor on suspicion of Rebel sympathies...
EREN: You're not any more of a target than the rest of us anymore, yeah?
CYPRESS: I suppose not. Still. Rather not enter.
AUTH: That’s fine. I would still suggest giving them a reason to leave you alone, but if you don’t want to bring it up or anything that’s fine, I understand.
CYPRESS: Understandable.
EREN: That's everything I can think of.
AUTH: I can’t really think of anything else either.
CYPRESS: Is that it?
CYPRESS: If so. Will begin process. Message
EREN: Sounds good.
AUTH: Yeah. Let’s get it out of the way.

Cypress places the radio down on the ground, sitting next to it. Fiddling with his neck, he extends a rather short cord out, which he connects to a longer cord from the radio.

CYPRESS: Beginning the broadcast...

Well... I was going to do a mild respec, but sadly... I forgot what all my gear actually is, and I have no ideas for what to do to it therefore, and thus I cannot upgrade, and thus I can't actually do any respecs.

Oops. Does anyone else remember what my gear is meant to be?

---

With Venia first, because I'm trying not to think about what to do to fix my relationship with Nana yet...

AUTH: Mm. It's hard for me to say with just... reading the instruction manual and looking at it, but I feel like... we'll want to test the thing first. To see if it works. But truthfully, with the wrong things in the machine I'm mildly worried about it, and thus I'm very hesitant to use it on someone who has been turned into equipment.
AUTH: I'm not volunteering to get turned into equipment so it'd be relatively safe in the case that it fails.

Auth watches Venia fill the tanks... and then he's asked a question which he's pretty sure he should have expected.

AUTH: ...Quite literally the opposite, actually. The amount of sap we'd need I imagine would require transfusions from many, many Chairians...

Auth then grumbles, quietly.

AUTH: I suppose, technically, I could turn myself into a Chairian and "bleed" myself out repeatedly, but you'll have to forgive me if I'm not particularly inclined to do that.
AUTH: It sounds rather... draining.

And on that awful pun...

---

I'm not actually sure what's going on with Acacia's resurrection, but Auth is standing around ready there, can someone ping me? I'm sure it was already said but I've been out of it.

---

I can't actually stall much more, can I?

Auth, from the flying boat, perks up a little.

AUTH: Yeah, I happen to know... a bit about chess.
AUTH: We could play it, the rules are simple enough, I think.
AUTH: We'll just have to ensure that neither Marron nor Asha are permitted within a 50 meter radius when we play, I'm fairly sure I'm still traumatised from the time they played.

Auth shudders, in fear and agony, as he recalls Marron and Asha attempt to play chess. For somebody who knows how to play chess, it was truly horrific.

Auth pauses as Nana asks him why he'd want to take her to the Smoking Shore. He looks over the side of the boat, and then looks backwards... and then brings the song he was playing to get the wind to blow to its end.

AUTH: I wasn't going to take you there. Of course I wasn't. I'm not so silly as to have forgotten what fire can do to you.
AUTH: We've just flown over it. We're past it, it's behind us. It's part of a common path through Parabola. Working out where we are... I told you what the path was so you'd know where we are as much as I would.
AUTH: Not needing to go back to the shore is why I brought the mirror with us.

Since Auth has stopped playing, the boat they're in gently falls through the canopy of the jungle they had flown over, gently gliding down and eventually splashing softly into a bright blue river. Auth adjusts the sails of the boat and the rudder, and lets the river take them where they need to go.

AUTH: Maybe we'll pass through the Viric Jungle first. If you start feeling sleepy, let me know. We'll be nearby.
AUTH: I can leave the mirror here, I think, and if we only need to make one trip it'd be far more convenient.

Auth is focusing on navigating the boat down the river, so Nana would be able to look around again. Now that they're actually in Parabola proper, she'd be able to see, feel and hear the jungle around her. About halfway down the river, Nana might start seeing trees that have bright green leaves and muted brown wood, standing in difference to the other trees bathed in a sickly orange light from the strange sun over the upside-down mountains.

And if she stares at it too long she might start feeling sleepy. She might even see some humanoid figures wander in the jungle.

---

Since Auth is actually in the Everground this time, he decides it might be a good idea to see what the hell is actually going on with this place. And if there's more Gaiadiamonds, while he's thinking about it - having more of them if possible is always a good idea. He floats down to the bottom of the Everground to see if there's actually something down there.

He completely misses the conversation, though. Being relatively high in the cups when it happened... while not focusing on his hearing, he's not quite that good to hear all the way across the cavern. So when there's a break in conversation, Auth decides to talk to... this person. The Rose Cultist, Vulcan, though he obviously doesn't know her.

AUTH: Um, hello. I was brought down here to help deal with the Tamauguchi...
AUTH: I don't actually know much about this place. I saw a strange gate near the surface on the way down and to my understanding we haven't found another place to link it to, would you know anything about it?
AUTH: Actually, perhaps, a better question to ask is "What is this place?".

Auth considers, briefly, that such immediate onslaught of questions to someone who is an actual stranger is incredibly rude. Especially a stranger who, other than Venia, appears to have no interest in speaking to anyone.

AUTH: ...Sorry, I should introduce myself before I get into the barrage of questions. It's a bad habit. I'm Auth...

---

Well, I mean, the battle I'm meant to be in starts in a couple of turns (probably), so...

<ROUND 288>

Echoss and Eren do a lot of things! This is a rather tall order you've got here, in terms of post size. But let's see. To begin, Echoss talks with Star! But... I'm not actually in control here! Gasp! See Serpent's post, however? Anyway, over with Aoki, he explains to her that his job takes a variety of skills. So yes. He is the political.

AOKI: Ah.
AOKI: I... apologize if I may have struck a nerve.
AOKI: Your work, though I am not informed on its nature, seems fascinating if you must juggle so many fields.

When it comes to a plan, Echoss regrettably doesn't have anything. Some of his allies may have something, however. And, with both Omorika and Cypress on their side, it shouldn't be hard to get a message out there to all the soldiers. The real hard part however, would be getting the people to believe them.

AOKI: Then perhaps the truly hard part of our battle against Spark is not delivering the message... but delivering evidence to the people.
AOKI: Words are not enough on their own.
AOKI: But, if backed up with sufficient evidence... our words could be the dagger that will end his reign.
AOKI: I assume you have something lined up on this end?

As they walk outside, Aoki notes she loves the weather, and is offered time to stay up here. She shakes her head.

AOKI: Ah, it's fine if we leave so soon.
AOKI: There is time for sightseeing later. I believe we have a job to do?

Aoki follows along as Echoss meets with the displaced duo of Hemlock and Carrot. Twig also follows along, having nothing better to do. He greets the both of the Garden-stationed troops. Carrot barely gives Echoss even a glance, while Hemlock is far more receptive. How'd they get here, anyway?

HEMLOCK: Ah, Echoss. Greetings.
HEMLOCK: Pardon my asking, but... are we truly at the Sky Labs?
HEMLOCK: Has technology really advanced such a long way...?
CARROT: We used that portal.
CARROT: In the ship.

HEMLOCK: But... according to some of your allies, Legionary detachments were being sent against us.
HEMLOCK: Apparently... we were identified as traitors to the Chairian cause.
HEMLOCK: Clearly, I should've charged all of you the standard entry fee!
CARROT: Haha.

Hemlock gives a funny glance towards Carrot, who immediately turns away from her.

HEMLOCK: Carrot? Are you alright?
CARROT: ...Yeah.
CARROT: Just not... feeling it right now.

She glares at Echoss, her intensely orange eyes radiating with barely-concealed disgust. Fortunately for Echoss's social situation, Hemlock and Aoki fail to notice her distaste. It might be prudent to try and resolve this situation, whatever it is he did.

HEMLOCK: Hmm...
HEMLOCK: Should we get going somewhere safer?
HEMLOCK: Far as I know, only the most experienced of soldiers are to be stationed at this location.
HEMLOCK: Given that we're currently wanted... perhaps this is not the best location to be?
HEMLOCK: I would rather not be shot at by a squadron of Spark's finest.

Yeah. Maybe it'd be best to evacuate them? Get them settled in at the House? Anyway, a short distance across the labs, Eren and Maple talk killer robots. Apparently, Project Nexus is involved here? And even though he's taken a few levels in "person", he's still a killer robot. To demonstrate, he telekinetically lifts a scrap of metal off from an Ohmnic corpse, morphs it into a sword, and snags it. This prompts a puff of thymecursed smoke to spew from his shoulder.

MAPLE: Whoa, cool!
MAPLE: But... also, don't push yourself, y'nkow?
MAPLE: That Pin seems to have kinda put you in a bad place, y'know?
MAPLE: Maybe we should get that checked out.

Maple taps the area where the smoke spewed out of his shoulder. Following him around, she watches as Eren approaches the air barrier, and promptly eviscerates a Blossom. More smoke spews from his shoulder as he does so.

MAPLE: H-Hey, seriously! Stop showing off!
MAPLE: Like, that was cool and all, but really!
MAPLE: You're hurting yourself.
MAPLE: I'd offer to take a look at your wounds, but I'm seriously not a good enough mechanic!
MAPLE: Just chill for a bit, okay?

She then follows him down to the Fabricator, where he makes use of Cypress's instructions to create an anti-magic device! But in order to do that, he'll need more magical crystals! So, Chloe is sent out to grab a large batch of crystals, returning with 10 Electromagnetic Clusters, 10 Shimmering Cluster, and 10 Whirlpool Clusters! With materials in hand, Eren throws 2 of each elemental cluster, 5 doses of Tama's Toxin, a Nanostorm Drive, and 2 Arkalloy. A rather lengthy waiting process later, and a... rather complex looking part pops out. It's some sort of fat disk-shaped device, encased in Arkalloy. Small slits in the Arkalloy reveal an inner core of desaturated-looking magical crystals, which appear to be attached to some sort of spinning pivot. Antimagic Core obtained!

MAPLE: Huh, cool.
MAPLE: I think we should bring this to Cypress. He should be able to assemble an anti-magic device with this!
MAPLE: Maybe we could like, ask him to make it in a specific way?
MAPLE: We could like, ask for him to make a device that can suppress a large area from a distance, or maybe an armored anti-magic generator that'd be hard to destroy... something like that!
MAPLE: Any ideas?

Either could be fun. Anyway, as our last act of this post, Not!Echoss attempts to arrest Biflora for violating the law! They launch a variety of children's building blocks at her, assembled into police cars! She's promptly checked by the car, send spiraling into the ground. Before she can get up, another car ambushes her, crashing directly into her! Soon enough, a small pile of building block cars buries Biflora. Ow. As Not!Echoss touches down near Hannah, there's the sound of shattering blocks as Biflora shoots out of the wreckage vertically! She's certainly somewhat dazed, but very, very angry.

BIFLORA: W-Why you... h-how did you?
BIFLORA: Where did you get such a large supply of children's building blocks!?
BIFLORA: ...Whatever.
BIFLORA: I'll build you two some graves out of them when we're done.

She does a flip in midair, a guided missile shooting from her back and towards Not!Echoss! He may want to parry that before it blows him to shreds. Forgetting to deal with it would probably be moderately lethal, even for a joke character. Also, as a final note, Aoki absorbs enough Essences to raise her Health and Attack statistics to Tier 4. This costs 1,000 Credits.

---

Hannah mounts a counter-offensive against Biflora! Though blood's still spewing from her arm, Not!Echoss has created an opening! She unfurls the Scaled Umbrella's armored canopy. Resting behind it, she downs a potion to restore her HP as a volley of two arrows crash against it. They crack and shatter the plates of the umbrella, but otherwise Hannah's fine. Then, poking out from behind it, she fires an arrow against the flying Biflora! The arrow rips into her shoulder! A variety of toxins enter her system.

BIFLORA: Ghh!
BIFLORA: Y-You brat! Like a bit of poison would slow me down!

A chain of cobalt energy forms between the arrow and Hannah. Hannah then yanks on the chain, ripping the arrow's shaft from the arrow head, leaving it stuck in Biflora's body. Or at least, she would, had Biflora not gripped onto the chain. She pulls Biflora towards her, prompting her to divebomb Hannah. Optics built into her headpiece calculate Hannah's movements and tell her exactly where to strike. "Or, more specifically, Hannan's DGE is halved for the remainder of the round."

BIFLORA: EAT THIS!

The Scaled Umbrella is able to absorb most of the impact but a spiraling blow from her claws is enough to rip the Scaled Umbrella asunder. Now on the ground, Biflora makes an effort to rush Hannah down with her claws. It may take a few more arrows to properly poison her. How will Hannah handle herself in a close-ranged battle, though? She may want to be careful if her opponent takes off again, and tries to shoot her.

Over in the Sky Labs meanwhile, Adria thanks Chloe for... "deflecting" the body. Chloe nods, but seems the slightest bit weary herself. Adria expresses her disgust with the bisected body, Chloe nodding in agreement.

CHLOE: Y-Yeah...
CHLOE: S-Sorry you had t-to... s-see that.
CHLOE: I-I'll... s-see if I can get it out of the way f-for you? One sec.
CHLOE: W-When we're done here, w-we can bury them l-later.

Slowly and respectfully, Chloe gathers up the two halves of the Chairian, puts them together, and throws a tarp over them. It's not exactly the tidiest, but it'll do for now. Once that's said and done, Chloe reconvenes with Adria, who remarks that if they did manage to EMP the terminal, it'd probably work. She heads over to the Fabricator, patiently waits for Eren to stop using it, and then flips through the schematics to see if she can find anything for an EMP-type device. While she does that, Chloe flips through the inventory to see if there's anything of use.

CHLOE: Oh, hey! Look what I found!
CHLOE: I think this could work!

Chloe pulls a grenade from the inventory, totally nonchalant. The Electro Manaetic Pulse Emitter. It's basically an EMP, isn't it? As Chloe finds this, Adria also discovers plans for a relatively simple EMP device. It'll take some electrical crystals, wires, and... word, that's a lot of wires. There aren't any plans for the Itisa Bait, however. Kinda makes sense.

Finally, over in the Calscape, Sophia equips an umbrella. Chloe gives it a lookover. It's... cute.

CHLOE: Ooh, cute umbrella!
CHLOE: Though... do you really intend to beat something up with that?
CHLOE: No offense, it's just... I'd rather not see such a cute umbrella get all broken and beaten up.

#ProteccSophia
#AndHerUmbrella

---

Calibri goes nyoom. This means that he teleports to the Garden Home in Zone 3, armed with a Incandescent Key. He levels it towards the approaching Praetorian. Almost immediately, they divert course towards Calibri. Absolutely no hesitation. He approaches Calibri, getting... surprisingly close. They utter a few, quiet words.

???: h-hello
???: thank you for being here
???: d-didn't really want to firebomb civilians, y'know? but orders are orders...
???: since you're here i have an excuse to not
???: "aw geez, i got intercepted oh no"

RUFA: a-anyway, i'm rufa
RUFA: per decree of spark, your death will be swift and merciless
RUFA: please die, thanks

They nock an arrow, ready to unleash a hailfire of shots. Looks like it's time to fight. From the way they're flying though, it seems like they have the Swift attribute. They could be an absolute pain to shoot while they're airborne.

Meanwhile in the Calscape, Chloe and Sophia likely follow Calibri into the library room as the bookshelf falls apart. Chloe watches in moderate horror as a sort of "mirror" Calibri comes out, formed of grey. Chloe immediately unsheathes her blade.

CHLOE: W-Who are you!?
CHLOE: I-I mean, you've... introduced yourself, b-but... what are you?
CHLOE: Explain yourself! W-What are you doing here?

...She's shaking. Probably understandable, given the circumstances. Next, over in the Wartorn Approach, Verdana has a few choice words for Grandifolia. He claims... well, they're not so much claims as they are the truth, but he claims a lot of things. Predictably, he gets little in the way of a response, save for Grandifolia.

GRANDIFOLIA: SUCH BASELESS CLAIMS!
GRANDIFOLIA: SUCH SLANDER ALONE IS REASON ENOUGH FOR US TO TAKE YOUR HEAD.

Finally, down in the Everground, S.E.D places down Fractis Alis in front of Vulcan.

VULCAN: ...
VULCAN: It's a very pretty design, but I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at.
VULCAN: Does it pertain to my husband, perchance?

...It was worth a shot.

---

The Scion inserts a Crystalized Memory of Light into the golem. The body pulses and morphs. There's a burst of light as wings of cosmogone spew from the golem's back. Though they're perfectly static, the golem seems more than capable of full flight now. Pulses and flashes of sunlight come from its body, carried through the air through psychic waves. Perhaps it'd be prudent to pick an element to specialize in at this point, or hand it things that might hone specific elements? Maybe it'd be cool to like, give it a sunlight laser or something. Who knows.

The Scion then attempts to shout something to the Rebel forces, hiding behind the Dream of Unity. Of course, given that the Dream of Unity is many, many floors down, this.... doesn't really work. So they probably like, hide behind a bench or something? Sure. Why not. Anyway, they ask if they can have some corpses. The Rebel riding the Fell Beast gives them the strangest look.

FELL RIDER: uh
FELL RIDER: i'm just gonna comply, because honestly you scare me
FELL RIDER: i only need like one anyway

...Three Legionary corpses get! Cypress suddenly feels inclined to frown for some reason, but he can't quite put his finger on why. Meanwhile, down with Wattle, the Reflector shrugs at their offer of assistance. Odds are, they'd rather not be labelled a state traitor, correct?

WATTLE: You are correct in that regard.
WATTLE: But, if it is required, I will do what I must.
WATTLE: There is the distinct possibility that I would be more useful inside of Spark's lines.
WATTLE: Perhaps I will discuss the matter with Lord Cypress later.

Well, there's probably still the option to call him if you really need it. But perhaps he could become useful later. Who knows.

---

Crya does some crafting! Taking the Candy Corn Hat, 3 Woodreaver Scales, a vial of Teleportium, and 5 Fell Beast Hide, Crya fashions a fashionable Candy Corn Fedora. The Sleuth is more than happy to accept the gift, donning it immediately.

THE SLEUTH: The Sleuth places the fedora upon his head.
THE SLEUTH: Truly, this dame had impeccable taste. He tips his newly acquired hat towards her.
THE SLEUTH: "Thank you, m'lady." He is certainly that he sounded cool and dapper, and not cringy in the slightest.

Finally, Crya invokes the ancient rites of Gacha! Expending 480 Primogems, her wishes fly into the sky! They touch down one after the other, yielding an impeccable bounty... of 3 Gacha Trash. As in, three-star weapons. Oh well. You can't win them all.

---

Down in the Everground, Venia chats with Vulcan. She explains how they killed him, purging his life's work. "Ars Alas", some sort of gigantic robot. Vulcan nods quietly, taking the information in.

VULCAN: Ah, so he is dead.
VULCAN: Good riddance.
VULCAN: It's good you put his creation down, too. Who knows what sort of harm it may have caused.
VULCAN: ...Or, how many more souls he'd have put into it. I'm assuming that's what the "pinnacle of his craft" means, anyway.

She sighs, but perks up when Venia mentions that Magnolia is part of the Spherebreakers. Apparently, Yulania also mentioned to Magnolia that her mother was alive upon his death.

VULCAN: ...That'd imply that he said to Magnolia that I was dead.
VULCAN: gorilla. Must've wanted his precious daughter all to himself.
VULCAN: Not that she'd know where to find me.

VULCAN: I'm sure you know where this place is, right? This "Everground".
VULCAN: It's a dumping ground for a variety of mistakes, simply put.
VULCAN: When Yulania turned Magnolia into an axe, I was... unbelievably pissed.
VULCAN: So, in my sleep, he took me and transformed me into this weapon. It's surprisingly ornate for what was meant to be a punishment. Hell if I know why.
VULCAN: Then he threw me down here. Sooner or later, thanks to various creatures and other entities down here, I ended up at the bottom.
VULCAN: Never knew how to reach the surface, even after I found a body. Never could, either.
VULCAN: It's rocks and twisting tunnels all the way up. Even before thepurple entities got here and took the place over, there were plenty of cave-dwelling beasts, too.

Venia continues on with her recollection of events, noting the death of the First Sin, the Old Guard, and the rest of the cult. She raises an eyebrow.

VULCAN: You destroyed the entire cult?
VULCAN: That seems excessive, but oh well. I hardly consider myself a Rose Cultist anymore.
VULCAN: For all my days down here, I really just considered myself a survivor.
VULCAN: I'm not sure why I chose to live down here.
VULCAN: Maybe I felt that one day, he would return. Then either he'd give a damn good explanation for why he did this, or I'd spill his guts. One of the two.
VULCAN: ...Or maybe, it was because I so desperately wanted to see my Magnolia again.
VULCAN: So eventually, I came to dwell at the bottom of the Everground, alongside the Remnant.

VULCAN: You wish to see it, correct?
VULCAN: If you're offering me a way out, and my Magnolia's around... I see no reason as to why you couldn't see it.
VULCAN: Come with me. It's not far now.

The platform of crimson energy that the two of them are standing upon shudders. It begins to lower into the earth. Venia can see an eyeball staring up at them from the darkness, attached to an eyestem. As they ride, Vulcan continues with her exposition.

VULCAN: So, what you're about to see.
VULCAN: This realm we're in, the Everground. It's more of a "pocket dimension".
VULCAN: It's a curious place that exists everywhere and nowhere underground.
VULCAN: On occasion, unfortunate souls will find their way into the depths.
VULCAN: This is all sustained by one of the First Sin's creations. A gigantic heart at the bottom, made from his very flesh.

The platform passes by the eyestalk. It curves and bends, extending towards Vulcan. Its eyelid flutters shut, allowing her to stroke its surface gently. She talks as she does so.

VULCAN: These eyestems. I'm sure you're familiar with them, if you've met the First Sin.
VULCAN: While I've... lost track of time by this point, it was... somewhat recently.
VULCAN: A small mass of flesh burrowed through the Everground.
VULCAN: I identified it as the First Sin rather quickly. From what I could tell though, it was only a small fragment of the First Sin itself.
VULCAN: It had... cut itself off from its main body.
VULCAN: While I had questioned this first, I soon learned that some sort of... infection had overtaken its main body. It must've been trying to preserve itself.
VULCAN: What was left immediately merged itself with the heart that sustained the Everground.

VULCAN: Nowadays, I call it the Remnant.
VULCAN: The only thing that remains of the First Sin.
VULCAN: Gone are its higher brain functions. It can't speak, nor do much of anything.
VULCAN: Really, all it does nowadays is stare at things it finds interesting, or shiny.
VULCAN: It does show me things from time to time, sharing its vision with myself. Which is why I knew of your arrival.

The eyestem slips out of Vulcan's embrace as the energy platform reaches another, far larger stone platform below. The energy dematerializes, entering Vulcan's body. She generates a crimson staircase, leading down to the base of the heart she's been talking about. It's absolutely gigantic, dwarfing the both of them. It's at least as tall as the house that Venia and the Spherebreakers have been taking shelter in. She can feel each and every one of its slow pulses reverberating through the very walls of the Everground. Yet, she can't help but notice splotches of ugly purple that inhabit the surface of the heart. Parts that seem to squirm and breathe on their own.

VULCAN: I've been taking care of it ever since it arrived down here.
VULCAN: Far as I can tell, it's... happy. Free of the pain that's confused it for its whole life.
VULCAN: But... the infection that it tried to escape from. It's been flaring up again.
VULCAN: It doesn't have long, with the rate it's been spreading.
VULCAN: As a result, the Everground doesn't have long, either.

VULCAN: You wield a Key. That much I am aware of.
VULCAN: I've dabbled in the powers of Ordo myself, thanks to the remnants of some ancient scrolls I found down here.
VULCAN: "The Prophecy of Crimson Wings".
VULCAN: Some call it the Old Rosen Oath.
VULCAN: Though it's taught me many things, I am... unsure of how to properly utilize its knowledge.
VULCAN: So, I have a request.

She points towards the Remnant with the rapier that contains her soul.

VULCAN: When you are done down here... it pains me to ask this, but please destroy the Remnant.
VULCAN: I'm glad that for at least a few moments, the First Sin was finally able to find a sort of peace down here.
VULCAN: I'm glad that it could find companionship in you, Venia.
VULCAN: While this'll certainly spell the end for the Everground, there should be plenty of time to escape.
VULCAN: You are in possession of a portal of sorts, yes? That should make the evacuation efforts fairly easy.
VULCAN: So please... make it quick.
VULCAN: I'll come with you when you're done. I'd like to see my daughter, if at all possible.

...With this, you have officially reached the bottom of the Everground. Feel free to pilfer the place for its treasures. When the Remnant perishes, the Everground will disappear. Alternatively, you could try and find a way to remove the infection from the Remnant, if you wish for this place to continue onwards. It's up to you, though.

...As for the others bits of this post I can process, Venia inserts a few items into the Forge's various tanks. They won't be pulled from the inventory until you actually attempt to create something, though. Just so you can easily swap materials n' stuff, should your plans change.

---

Eph returns to the world of the living! As he comes to, Taeda flicks him on the nose. A warm smile fills her face.

TAEDA: Oh, you're up! It really worked!
TAEDA: Yaaaay! Welcome back!
TAEDA: Are you feeling alright? Y-You know, e-even though you just d-died and all!

Eph expresses his thanks for bringing him back, saying that he'll be forever in her debt. He also introduces himself. Taeda can't help but blush.

TAEDA: A-Ah, my name is Taeda! A-And i-it's not a problem, really!
TAEDA: I-I'm pretty sure you Spherebreakers come back from dying a-all the time- I just did it myself this time!
TAEDA: ...Still don't know how that works.
TAEDA: At all.

Taeda remains by Eph's side, just in case he needs anything.

---

Cypress establishes contact with the Rebellion! He turns and fiddles with a variety of knobs on the radio, the cord still dangling from his throat down to the device. Seems he's added a big red button to the device.

CYPRESS: First step. Mask speech impediment. Three words: suspicious. Must use more.
CYPRESS: Radio: can edit. On the fly. Careful process. Cut out gaps.
CYPRESS: Observe.

At the end of every third word, he presses the red button. A somewhat disoriented sounding voice leaves the radio's transmitter.

CYPRESS: Testing. It should now Sound like my Words are part Of one coherent Sentence, but this Strains my voice Syntheziser. I would upgrade It if I had the Means to do So in a Risk-free manner.
CYPRESS: However, my burnt Throat is incredibly Volatile, so It is a Low priority upgrade. Far too dangerous.
CYPRESS: Anyway, step two Is to apply The voice modulator To disguise my Voice.

He turns a dial, and a static begins to overlay his voice. It sounds... oddly familiar. With this though, the skips in his voice from the button are near-undetectable.

CYPRESS: SOUNDS FAMILIAR? I USED THIS WITH THE VEDFOLNIR. HOWEVER, I DID NOT HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO PROPERLY MASK MYSELF THERE.
CYPRESS: A BIT OF AN AWKWARD MOMENT, YES.
CYPRESS: SLIPUPS DO OCCUR IN MY LINE OF WORK. IT WAS ON SHORT NOTICE AS WELL.
CYPRESS: LINSEED WOULD BE PISSED.
CYPRESS: BUT ANYWAY. I DEMAND FULL SILENCE AS I TALK.
CYPRESS: I AM BEGINNING THE TRANSMISSION.

Cypress tunes the radio in onto the communications channel of the Rebellion, forcibly overtaking their broadcasts. He clears his throat, completely ignoring the sparks that are beginning to spew from his throat.

"KUDAN": REBELLION DETACHMENT ID 76424267. THIS IS KUDAN. PLEASE STANDBY FOR A REPORT.
"KUDAN": IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THERE IS VITAL FOOTAGE FOR OUR EFFORTS STORED WITHIN THE SECURITY HUB.
"KUDAN": SAID FOOTAGE IS INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE AGAINST SPARK, AND WILL BE ENOUGH TO SHATTER THE PEOPLE'S FAITH IN HIM.
"KUDAN": HOWEVER, THE SPHEREBREAKERS ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN THE FOOTAGE.
"KUDAN": THIS IS GOOD. NO MATTER HOW THEY USE THE FOOTAGE, IT WILL HARM SPARK'S REPUTATION. THERE IS NO REASON TO STOP THEM FROM RETRIEVING IT.

"KUDAN": SO, I HAVE THE FOLLOWING ORDERS.
"KUDAN": A TEAM OF SPHEREBREAKER TROOPS HAVE REQUESTED ACCESS INTO THE SECURITY HUB. ESCORT THEM, AND ALLOW THEM TO OBTAIN THE FOOTAGE.
"KUDAN": WE WILL OBTAIN THE ORIGINAL, AND THEY WILL HAVE THE COPY.
"KUDAN": THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION, DETACHMENT 76424267.
"KUDAN": PLEASE SEND A DETACHMENT TO ESCORT THE SPHEREBREAKERS INTO THE COMPOUND. THANK YOU.

Cypress unplugs the radio from his throat, the latter of which is beginning to smoke. He takes a few deep breaths, and sets the radio down at his side.

CYPRESS: ...Message sent.
CYPRESS: Must cool circuits. Going silent.
CYPRESS: ...

He gives a thumbs up to Eren and the Author. On cue, a team of 4 Eviscerators funnel out of the Security Hub, arriving near a somewhat uncompromised position. Looks like that's your ticket in! Now to go and grab the footage!

---

Auth calms down Nana. I mean, I hope he can calm her down! Before her freakout though, the two of them share a little conversation about Chess. Though, she can't fathom why he'd be terrified of Marron and Asha's chess playing abilities.

NANA: H-Huh? Why wouldn't you want them to be around w-when we play chess?
NANA: Are they like... chess experts? I-I'm sure it's not bad if they watch!
NANA: Maybe they can give us advice!

If only she knew. ANYWAY, now we're chronologically allowed to address Nana's breakdown! He explains to her that of course he wouldn't take her to the Smoking Shore. In fact, they're already passed it. Nana blinks once. Then twice. She produces a loud... uhh...

NANA: E-EHHHHHH?
NANA: W-We already passed it?
NANA: A-Ah, I-I'm sorry, I-I thought t-that w-we'd be crossing i-it on foot o-or something insane like t-that, and...
NANA: I-I... m-must've not noticed t-the course you took d-during my panic...
NANA: I-I'm sorry...

She breathes a loud sigh of relief, before pulling Author into a hug. It's probably mostly for her own support though- her legs do seem to be kind of wobbly at the moment.

NANA: D-Do you have a place to s-sit?
NANA: I-I... do feel a bit faint. M-Maybe some refreshments w-would help...

Should she be offered a place to rest, and something to drink, she'll gladly accept. Despite that outcome though, she observes the jungles around her. Her jaw hangs agape- it's all so lush! So vibrant! So... disorienting!

NANA: W-Where are we...?
NANA: I feel l-like you've answered this before, b-but... this is fantastic!
NANA: I-I've never seen any place like this o-on Sussui before! I-I mean, jungles d-do exist there, but this is s-something else!
NANA: T-Though, I wonder w-what's up with the skyline...?

She must mean the upside-down mountains. Try explaining that to someone. Chloe would probably lose her heckin' mind were she here. Anyway, as a final note, down in the Everground, Auth talks to Vulcan. He hitches a ride on the platform down with Venia, only able to properly chat with her once they're at the base of the Heart.

VULCAN: Greetings, Author. Though I have sort of explained where we are to Venia, I can certainly elaborate.
VULCAN: We are, of course, in the Everground.
VULCAN: It's been around for quite some time. I think it was established some time after the Rose Cult began to fall to the will of the Butterfly. Originally as a place to discard Ordo-infused artifacts, I believe.
VULCAN: Though, I'd imagine those have been lost to history now. Save of course, for the copy of the Prophecy of Crimson Wings. Which I keep on me. Can't risk losing it.
VULCAN: It started as a relatively small cavern, but as more and more had to be disposed of, it grew.
VULCAN: The older chambers were moved downwards to make room for the new. In fact, I believe the chamber with the Remnant was the first one created.

VULCAN: Some of the entropic experiments consigned to oblivion down here have caused a variety of growths and alterations to the place.
VULCAN: For instance, I believe the giant mushrooms where you fought that creature were once an experiment in... well, growing mushrooms. With entropy.
VULCAN: They even bear fruit. Which is unusual for a mushroom, but that's entropy for you.

Huh, alright. A bit of history is always cool and good.

---

<WARTORN APPROACH, ROUND 2>
Hm. You've lost Marron to a generally powerful bonk from a Darkmorph. While a lot of the enemy team is disabled, you're going to need to eliminate quite a few of them to swing the tempo back in your direction. Be careful now! Also, the game's spawned a tactical Devout at the top of the map. Bothersome, but okay.

Battle - Wartorn Approach

ADRIA: W-well, it was worth a shot...

Adria catches a glimpse of Marron going down, and mildly freaks out.

ADRIA: M-Marron!
ADRIA: Oh, now you're going to pay.

Adria moves to (N17). She applies a Webmix Coating to her weapon and points it straight at Darkmorph 2. A red dot appears on the Darkmorph's torso.

ADRIA: Look at you, thinking that you're so clever.
ADRIA: I've got you all figured out!

She fires a bolt at Darkmorph2, but it's much more like an instantshot laser with how fast it travels to its location. This has the benefits from a +90% Damage Exertion (+80% normally, +10% due to buffs) and her Empowered, as well as Unavoidable from Exertion. She warps back to (J20) using Timely Displacement.

The allied Ninja waits for Taeda. They poof to (K8), use Poisonous Array (Silence), then throw Shurikens at the Devout, Grandifolia, and Splintershot 2. They retreat onto (L9).

ADRIA: Keep going, they can't keep turtling for long!

Adria's "Symbiote" uses Spike Burst again.

---

The Assassination Begins

Hannah was very clearly about to go off on Venia when she hears The Reflector's message. It's time. But that doesn't exactly stop her from feeling disgust. Though oddly enough, not much in the way of fear, visible or no.

HANNAH: Grr... whatever, we'll settle this in full later! The plan's more important!
HANNAH: But I'll leave you with something.
HANNAH: ...You're absolutely right. It's immoral. It's just something I felt had to be done despite the moral implications.
HANNAH: I'd rather have one person or thing die if it means keeping many more safe from them, damn what morality says.
HANNAH: And yes, I didn't listen to you. Only really listening after a threat.

HANNAH: With that being said...
HANNAH: I don't remember you trying anything other than threaten or otherwise be imposing. Not trying to do anything to alleviate that at all.
HANNAH: Every time you do this - every time you threaten me like this - the less likely I'd want to listen to you.
HANNAH: And now?
HANNAH: I'm not afraid of my death anymore. I'm not afraid of your death threats anymore. I'm not afraid of you anymore.
HANNAH: So where does that leave me? Unwilling to listen. Unwilling to care about you.
HANNAH: And my fears besides?
HANNAH: An angry Sophie, an angry Adria, and the thought of losing Dorothy.
HANNAH: The former two are purposely holding back, even here within the Thymefield. Sophie in particular could easily go on a tear once she ditches her umbrella for an actual blade.
HANNAH: The latter saved my life, and is who I owe everything to. Everything.
HANNAH: Convincing Sophie and the others to come back for Mom and I, despite all I've done.
HANNAH: I could be dead for all everyone else cared. And yet they came back, thanks to Dorothy.

HANNAH: Speaking of... what was that about you owing everything to Regalus?
HANNAH: I got a synopsis from Mom's first note to me, so I know enough.
HANNAH: But consider something for a second.
HANNAH: What if you don't owe everything to him, but to...
HANNAH: Maria?

HANNAH: D'you really think that peckneck would've brought you back if it wasn't for Maria?
HANNAH: Face it, you'd still be very, very dead. A corpse on the ground, decaying to nothing. You'd never have met anyone here - not Nia, not Chloe, not a damn person.
HANNAH: The only reason you're alive is because of her, being the only person able to convince that peckneck to bring you back from what he does. All because of your powerful bond between one other.
HANNAH: You owe everything to your little muffin, and yet you refuse to acknowledge it in full.
HANNAH: You owe nothing to the careless emperor, and yet you acknowledge the opposite.

HANNAH: Of course, you're not going to listen to a thing I say, because of course you won't.
HANNAH: So that's all from me.

She glances in the direction of The Old Pass.

HANNAH: ...I'd better let Mom know. She looks too much like me to be out there right now.

At this moment, Hannah puts her hand to her ear... then lowers it without saying a thing.

HANNAH: Done.
HANNAH: I'll be waiting on... Destiny's signal, should she need my help.

---

The Old Pass

Shelly gets shocked awake by Hannah's ping to her. Once she gets her bearings, she listens to the message.

HANNAH: Hey Mom. Just letting you know that the Emperor is coming here shortly. You should probably leave - you look a bit too much like me, and he'll probably notice that you might be related to me, killing you. So yeah, that's it.

Shelly nods.

SHELLY: Well, that's that. It appears I'm not needed here anymore.
SHELLY: I should help out with that evacuation out in the gardens in the meantime.

Shelly takes a telescope with her as she exits the church. Once she's out of sight for a fraction of a second... she's gone without a trace.

---

The Endless Gardens

Far Off Field

-After Not!Echoss-

The moment the arrow was lodged in Biflora's shoulder was the moment it was over for them. Hannah swipes the bow diagonally downwards, likely confusing the Praetorian for a moment.

That is, until a sharp pain stabs them from the inside. Corrosion, the Silenced Bow's signature attack. Their shoulder and every area around it beels a severe burning sensation, as if their insides were being eaten away.

Hannah raises her free hand up in the air, palm open and coursing with shadow. She notes the current orientation of everyone's shadow, and fully extends her arm in the direction of the sun.

From Biflora's shadow erupts two more chains; both emitting from the shadow's arms and going straight for Biflora's likely very weakened arms. Once the chains reach Biflora's arms, Hannah closes her palm. Thick shackles snap around their arms, and yank themselves back to knock Biflora off-balance.

Hannah pulls her arm away from the sun, and the chains retract violently, pinning Biflora.

During this little farce, Hannah returns her bow to her back, and takes out her Early Burial; a cruel spear from a dangerous underground Eliti, now deceased.

If Biflora is incapable of movement, Hannah proceeds to carve the following on Biflora's armor with it:

"i lost a fight with a little girl and a living gorillapost and am a disgrace of a soldier". She also carves a mustache resembling her own beside it. Hannah hops away from Biflora.

If she's not immobilized, well, she's in for a pointy surprise.

The Replantation

Dorothy continues to help move the plants. Though, fortunately for her, she's not going to be alone anymore.

Shelly emerges from the southern treeline. She's certainly in no significant rush, but she does get to work quickly. Dorothy takes notice.

DOROTHY: W-wait, Shelly? When did you-
SHELLY: I'll tell you later, we need to get everything out of here, pronto. One of the Praetorians nearly managed to get to you folks.
SHELLY: Thankfully that one also wanted an excuse to not firebomb civilians and is currently in combat with someone from the group just north.
SHELLY: I doubt the next one they send will be so willing to look the other way, so we need to get working!
DOROTHY: R-right, got it!

The duo proceed to work at an even greater speed, with Shelly bringing in two Timeclones of her own to expedite the process.

And, because there's a remaining instance of Hannah available as well, she also decides to join in the work, helping to move the plants through the portal as they're taken up. At least, once Regalus decides to heck off.

HANNAH: Hey, I'm here too! Lemme help!

Dorothy smiles at Hannah's willingness to help.

DOROTHY: A-alright, we should get this done in n-no time!

---

Calscape

Chloe and Calibri ask Sophia about Sophia's umbrella.

SOPHIA: Oh, this?
SOPHIA: It's my first ever weapon! I found it while I was 'splorin' other planets one time!
SOPHIA: I'd use something else, but it's my first weapon an' I like it! An' it's very sturdy, weirdly enough!
SOPHIA: ...That and I don't really wanna hurt anyone too bad with my attacks. If I used anything more weapon-y than a bat I'd proooobably accidentally kill someone.
SOPHIA: Really I only ever ditch it and take a normal weapon for beasts.
SOPHIA: So um yeah. Anyway!

She unsheathes her umbrella and points it at The Hangman. The chibi also unsheathes their umbrella.

---

House

The Sophia near Sythia gets a pit in her stomach. Like she needs to get Sythia away from here for whatever reason.

Unless she's asleep or not paying attention or something.

If she's awake and attentive, she prods Sythia.

SOPHIA: U-um, wanna go out for a walk? I think a bit of fresh air would help a lil' bit!
SOPHIA: I know a few safe routes we can take, an' I can protect you either way! I'm really strong, too, don't let my cute appearance fool you!~

If she accepts, Sophia takes Sythia along the route to the Distant Chapel.

---

Central Skylabs

Adria considers the EMP they have and the EMP they can create.

ADRIA: Hm... something tells me someone might want the one we currently have for later.
ADRIA: Thankfully, I've found a design for an EMP in the Fabricator here, so we can use that instead.

ADRIA: Let's see... electric crystals, and a ton of wiring... alright, sounds simple enough.

Adria alters the design slightly to make the device into a grenade, saves it as something else within the Fabricator, and shoves the required amount of Electromagnet Clusters and Wire Scraps, including any materials lying around the place as needed.

Adria waits for the process to complete. Once the EMP Grenade is completed, she wastes no time loading up another bolt in her crossbow. She walks as close as she could without crossing the line, and yeets the grenade into the cockpit of the exosuit after activating it. Her drone flies well out of range; despite numerous protections against EMPs it has, it's still best to just not be around as it happens.

Adria aims at the cockpit, ready to shoot the Pin once it flies out.

---

Southern Skylabs

No response from Venia, so on Adria rambles.

ADRIA: I've... always wondered if I didn't try hard enough with Hannah...
ADRIA: But she's always been so... apprehensive about the idea of getting some help with her habits.
ADRIA: I've tried numerous times to coax her into doing it, to no avail. She adamantly refused each and every time.
ADRIA: Does she just... not trust anyone to help her resolve these problems?
ADRIA: But then, what about Dorothy? Surely she'd try to bring it up with her...
ADRIA: Or maybe I should've had her ask...
ADRIA: Ugh, I don't know...
ADRIA: And now she's gone and done something like this...
ADRIA: I really, really don't want to be aggressive with her. I really don't want to force her into something. It'll just make things so much worse.
ADRIA: And she doesn't trust me a whole lot to begin with.
ADRIA: I can only hope Shelly decides to take a break soon, maybe she'll be able to help...

The Wartorn Approach
Taeda rushs to (G14) and revives Marron. She moves to (F14) and calls in Airship Support.
Light laser on Darkmorph2.
Traktor Cannon at (H3) forcing both Devout and Saint 5 tiles south.

Marron moves to (I12). She eats a Critmas Cookie then proceed to snipe the Saint.

Daskter moves forwards to (G14)

The Rocketeer follows up (H14)

Daskter uses Nanostorm on (H11) hitting Marron, Splintershot3, and the Grandi.
They give the Rocketeer a Pep-Talk and eat a Manabiscuit.

The Rocketeer fires flashes of light against the Splintshot1. (Elemental Splitdown if all connects it's a down)

A Request to Nia's upgrade slots
Daskter asks Nia to upgrade their Pocket Calculator. They would like their Pocket Calculator to actually buff incantation a bit since the buff levels of Incantation is pitiful. They thank Nia for the request once completed.

Tier 6:
Auto Calculation: Give Incantation 6 points, or your spell manafuelled 2/3.
Any extra stats can go into INT or MMP.

Zone 3 - The Endless Gardens

Calibri just stares at Rufa when greeted. After a moment, he remembers the whole "this is an enemy" side of the equation. Though, all things considered, maybe it doesn't have to turn out the hard way. As such, the blue hoodie wearer lets out a faint "heh".

"Well, if you're a Praetorian that doesn't want to firebomb civilians, that's the first one I've heard of. Mind you, I haven't heard of many Praetorians. Been away for a while. Sup, name's Calibri."

He chuckles, then decides to do something fun. Namely, he pulls up a stat sheet and looks at it briefly, then puts that away. He snaps his fingers. The world around Calibri and Rufa goes weirdly grayed-out and stationary, though neither of the named people follow suit.

"Don't worry if things look weird, just brought you up to speed with how quickly I experience the world. Pretty cool how fast thoughts travel. Plus we don't have pesky snipers watching what happens until things slow down again. Anyway..."

"Y'know... Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm pretty sure I have good odds to outright take you down in a single hit. Don't believe me, scan me, you'll probably figure out my plan. That being said, I kinda don't want to since you seem like a nice guy at heart. Or, well, core. So how about an alternative?"

He pulls out an Electro Manaetic Pulse Emitter. The only one in the inventory, really.

"I throw this mana bomb at you, it conveniently causes you to lose control of the wings and you fall into the forest, I turn this key into a sword and leap down after you, we pretend to have a massive fight but actually are just chilling, and then both of us walk away having not had to do things we didn't want to do. Seem like a good deal?"

After that, Calibri waits for a bit. If Rufa agrees to the deal, Calibri gives a thumbs up and lets time catch up again with the pair, then engages in the planned actions by yeeting the mana bomb at Rufa.

Of course, if Rufa doesn't agree, or just flat-out shoots Calibri instead, Calibri retaliates with a ridiculous amount of overkill force by activating What We Fight For to get Ordo, then eats a Critmas Cookie, then activates Exertion, then blasts Rufa out of the sky with an attack that deals over 60 Glitch damage, can't miss, and has a 29% chance to minicrit. Yeah.

---

Battle - Wartorn Approach

Battle action:

Verdana uses the bonus action trait switch to send in Calibri.

Calibri wanders past the sleeping brute legion to G12. (Or goes the long way around if they still have ZoC for some reason.)

Then, he spends 15 HP to give himself Ordo via the THCP (+10%) and casts Exertion (which is boosted a little by the Ordo, thus +95%). Due to Bushi Road helping him out, that means he has a total +125% on his next basic attack.

Then, he just straight-up deletes the Darkmorph at E10 with a hyperpowered basic attack that can't miss and deals a minimum of 60 damage.

Then, he retreats to F13.


RP:

Verdana visibly frowns, noting Grandifolia's refusal to address literally anything he said. Then, he turns his attention elsewhere, just in time to see Marron getting taken down by the Darkmorph and Sage.

"...Well, that's not good. I don't have the damage to take care of that, either. But then again... It's not my job to."

Verdana proceeds to hop backwards and flicker out of existence temporarily, Calibri slamming down onto the battlefield where he once stood. Then, Calibri maneuvers into position, raising the Incandescent Key into the air while power swirls around him. After a moment, he points the key in the Darkmorph's direction.

"I know you weren't actually the one who downed her, but let's be real, you did most of the work. Anyway, something something retribution for taking down Marron."

He swings the key. And in an instant, a crescent of energy the same colour as Calibri's text shoots out, obliterating the Darkmorph's health bar before they can even think about dodging. After that, Calibri decides to catch his breath behind the barrier, his hand flickering briefly as his body recovers from the effort he put into that one strike.

---

The Old Pass

"..."

Loading.

---

The Everground

S.E.D makes a nodding motion at Vulcan when asked about the item it just presented at her, then turns its attention to the pathway ahead. It proceeds to roll over to take a look, then hops down and falls onto the stone platform above the heart. It clearly took the landing well, the sound of a hydraulic adjustment briefly echoing out.

After landing, it sticks itself to the wall via magnetic treads somehow, then rumbles its way over to AF265, closely analyzing the Eversteel in an attempt to figure out how to acquire the substance. After a few seconds, it concludes that direct experimentation is the best way forward, and so tries the old "fire a harpoon into it and pull the ore vein out manually" route.

As an off-side matter, it notices the Remnant's body, especially that infection. S.E.D decides to be helpful and scan the infection. Specifically the infection. Not the heart. The infection.

...Hopefully the scanner can distinguish between those two.

---

Resurrection A(cacia)

VERDANA: >_>

Verdy's just waiting around and hoping something happens.

Responding to Star (I was talking to a PC the whole time? *surprised pikachu face*)
Echoss gives a small bow in return to Star's curtsy.
"My name is Echoss. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
Now then, I suppose I should show you around? Although from the sound of things you seem to be familiar with the house's layout already perhaps."


Echoss nods to Aoki's first response.
"It's fine. Considering I act as the leader of a... exceptionally large... neither empire nor country seems the appropriate word, but it will suffice. My position means I have to deal with them with annoying regularity.
That, perhaps, is a story for later however."

Echoss nods at her assumption on having evidence.
"While I've not been up to date on party chatter today, I've heard tell of something about recordings of Spark killing Acacia. Personally.
While I'll have to actually ask around to verify, that alone will likely be enough, even beyond what else we might be able to locate or perhaps even already have on hand."

She notes that there's work to do, and Echoss nods. Leading into next thing.

CONVERSATION WITH CARROT AND HEMLOCK WILL HAPPEN HERE


Eren and Maple
Maple expresses concern for the thymecurse smoke from his shoulder.
"Oh, that? I've been doing this off and on since yesterday. It was part of what I wanted to show you.
It gets worse after fights, but I actually overexerted myself too much trying to help Acacia blow up Spark earlier so it's been a bit worse since then."

Eren executes a Blossom, Maple freaks out.
Eren sighs.
"I promise, I'm fine. If you really want, you can take a look.
One of my "weird things" is that first aid and healing magic usually works on me.
Seriously anatomy based stuff like surgery are still no go, but otherwise it still tends to work. Doesn't come up much since I usually regen on my own, but it's useful sometimes."

Eren nods, and the two go back to deliver the anti-magic core.
"One anti-magic core, fully assembled.
I think the two priority designs if you can might be a like... blaster to inflict it from range, and an armored projector like Maple suggested?"


Not!Echoss bullies an elite top soldier
Biflora shoots up out of the pile of LEGOs (no they don't get the trademark symbol anymore. They lost that right after failing to hold down the praetorian >:(. ) and expresses frustration. Not!Echoss looks up at her and flicks some grit off his shoulder.
"You're outta your depth lady, go bother somebody else please."
Not!Echoss just sorta stares vacantly as a guided missile rockets towards him. Getting closer... closer... clooooseeerrrrr...
...
Biflora winds up being more distracted by Hannah's attack, and thus doesn't keep her eye on Not!Echoss, going for Hannah instead.
Unfortunately this was a mistake, because at about this moment a large explosion comes from Not!Echoss's side of things, throwing up a massive cloud of dust and smoke that obscures everything, further throwing off Biflora's targeting when Not!Echoss's flailing form slams into Biflora's side, knocking them over and further disorienting them in the cloud of "can't see a darn thing".
Biflora recovers quickly presumably, she is a praetorian after all. The cloud is even beginning to dissipate, but before she can finish recovering she hears a voice by her ear.
"Yo sorry to bother you but I think you dropped this."
A small metallic object is pushed into Biflora's hands. The guided missile then detonates in Biflora's arms.


BATTLE TO BEGIN
Eren nods in response to Cypress, he turns to Auth.
"I'm going to ask Omo to handle barrier adjusting for this room so we can get out more easily."
Before going, he heads back over to Maple.
"Hey, we got clearance to grab something from the security hub without fighting our way in.
We should be fine, I'll come find you when we get back, assuming you don't want to be in the middle of a full group of rebels for that long."
Finally, he heads back to Omo in the back of the AI Labs and asks her to hold the barrier for the Harmonia branch open for a little while then close it again behind the expedition.
Skipping over responses mostly here I'm just addicted to flavor text.
Important part is...

BEGIN SECURITY HUB BATTLE




To-do List:
Echoss will need to talk to Carrot (offer apology and explanation) after helping Aoki get settled in.
Also maybe chat with Creation?
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.
Also hand the Subspace Grocery Box to Cypress when he heads back to the house
Gibbet needs to be upgraded to full party member.
Sleuth hire again.

BATTLES - WARTORN APPROACH

Pretty much last:
"The Scion" moves to I13 and uses a bonus action to activate the Violence Virophage, spreading all negative statuses from Splintershot 3 to Grandifolia and the newly Gutta-thrown Expert Sage. She then moves to H11 and uses her item action to unload two Elemental Blaster (Electric) shots into Splintershot 3 to make sure the Songstress can't wake them up. Next, she steps back, finishing her move at G12. Finally, she eats her flux mutation for Ordo.

---

ZONE 0 - REFLECTOR

The Reflector nods and smiles. They begin to lead Regalus out of the house and towards the Rosen Catacombs' entrance, while giving a mental signal to their Mirror Images.

Elsewhere, in the Everground, the Mirror Reflector quickly dials a message to Destiny, Venia, Hannah, and all of the other conspirators. "Target is heading to the Catacombs to find Chaos. Remove all bystanders from the immediate area and prepare for conflict."

---

ZONE 0 - STAR

Star scowls, remembering that time ten minutes ago that someone tried to stuff them in a card.

STAR: Yes I was having a delightful time composing monuments to the bravery of the Spherebreakers;
STAR: And then the green Venia tried to trap me in her odorless card for it
STAR: but I have seen your house. It is very brave-sounded.
STAR: But if you wish to show me around as a pretense for seeing into my brain-cavity with your words that is also acceptable~

---

ZONE 1

"The Scion" decides to focus on the talents the Golem is already building up. She hands it five Brainburn Crystals and a Crystallized Memory of Light. Next, she takes a piece of Starite and hands it to the golem, so they can use their now super-enhanced psychic powers to shape it into whatever cool impelement they want. Maybe, like, a spear of light, for even more Radiance vibes.

---

ZONE 4

In yet another example of time being dead, "the Scion" leaves the Sky Labs. But sometime after the next thing. She heads over to the Rosen Forge and knocks on the door.

"THE SCION": Um, hello, forge-users!
"THE SCION": I, uh, I heard that you needed a supply of Livingwood to make new bodies, so...
"THE SCION": Do you know if the wood has to come from a living subject? I mean, the ones I found are all fresh kills, so it might still work even if not, but, well, I mean I guess we have to just try it and see?
"THE SCION": I haven't stripped it from the corpses yet, hehe. Sorry.

As soon as someone opens the door, she rolls the four Legionary corpses (three from the Fell Rider and one from the AI Labs battle) into the Forge.

---

ZONE 5.5

"The Scion" heads into AI Design and uses the computer to disable the barriers on Floor 2. (She could also do it on Floor 3, but the only barrier there leads somewhere we've been told has nothing interesting, so... nah.) She then heads into Cypress's office to see what her actions have unsealed.

Crya spends the Research Nanomachines on HITBoost!

Destiny responds to the message promptly.

Of course, let's finally do this.

Destiny teleports into the Rosen Catacombs and finds Chaos. She notices the random Rose Cultist.

It is in your best interest that you evacuate the premises. I'm giving you 30 seconds to leave, eat your hot dog somewhere else.

Destiny gives the Rose Cultist a grand total of 30 seconds before forcibly carrying him out of the area.

Wartorn Approach
Power Nap the ninja.
Move to H11.
Last Dream Splintershot2.
Retreat to H12.