<ROUND 296>

First, stats! aaaa

---

Venia does a bit of mining! Equipping the Secretary Slicer, she casts Null Zone on the Elemental Prisma! This... somehow works as she expected it to, nullifying the generally explosive properties of the Prisma. She then whacks it with the Secretary Slicer. With the threat of horrible, lethal explosions dealt with, it's actually rather easy to obtain. 10 Elemental Prisma obtained!

---

Echoss sets up some security. Since leaving Linseed unattended is likely a bad idea, he cobles together some amount of Iron Ingots, Circuit Boards, and Wire Scraps to make a turret base, and then arms it with... a lot of things. A Hera's Heartseeker, a Divinity Gem, 2 Wildcards, an Effect Egg, 4 Liar's Flesh, and some non-existent object to create the Dreamseeker Turret! This is placed outside of Linseed's door.

Elsewhere, Eren chats with a few people. With Ash, he notes that if they're gonna propaganda bomb the lower floors, they'll need some TV screens. What will be required?

ASH: Hmm... just getting the screens should be enough.
ASH: Don't worry about CPU's or whatever- I have a plan.
ASH: I'm thinking we could attach my drones to the television screens. That'd solve most of the hardware issues, and also allow us to mobilize them far better.
ASH: Any idea where we could get some screens, though? I suppose we could cannibalize the security systems here, but they're still useful.

Up a floor, Eren also deals with the sniper that's aiming at Gum, freezing their weapon. Maple, apparently still in the area, jets up a floor and delivers a flying kick to the sniper's now-frozen gun, sending it flying off the edge. She leaves as quickly as she arrived, winking towards Eren as she descends. Gum meanwhile, shrugs.

GUM: rip your gun
GUM: imagine thinking you could mess with the spherebreakers and the people they're protecting
GUM: could not be me
SNIPER: H-Hey! At least I tried!
GUM: that you did
GUM: i guess
GUM: see you later nerd

Gum is soon directed over to the house. He follows the route rather slowly, taking his sweet time walking the road back to the House.

Eren then meets with Xavier's drone. Looking it over, it appears to lack a transceiver, or anything that could be used to directly contact Xavier. Really though, the entire drone seesm to be in terrible shape. It's made of a variety of scrap materials, and the propulsion system, while still sophisticated, is protected by a minimal amount of plating. So, instead of the Anti-Magic Core, he places in a radio. The drone, likely assuming that it has the core, floats off to return to Xavier.

Eren soons gets a transmission from the radio. The same drone that he just sent off returns swiftly, basket now empty. Guess it's still a speedy little bugger.

XAVIER: I hope you realize just how little time I have at the moment.
XAVIER: Sending the drone back. PLEASE give me the core.
XAVIER: Currently positioned roughly 50 units north of the Glyph. No time to solve " death puzzle". Chairian operatives bearing on position. Tabletopian operatives have cut off supply cache.
XAVIER: Odds of death: high. Send. Core. NOW.

...Uh. Not good. Send it over? Or maybe you can send over something else that'd save his face. Also, the radios are free. Just so you know.

Finally, Echoss continues to communicate with Monika. >Codex Updated!

---

The Scion makes an Exosuit Module! Grabbing 5 Arkalloy Ingots, 10 (0) Gold Ingots, 5 Structured Matter, and 3 Elite Chairian Weapons to create the Hand of Death! This device can spread a plague over targets at a long distance! It's... probably unethical. Notably, the on-hit damage connects in an AoE! That can provide for a fairly large initial wave of the plague!

Then, over on the frigid wastes(?) of the Omtose Phellack, the Thaumaturge advises Omorika. She shouldn't bottle up those feelings, of course. But when they do resurface, think about the anger, and channel it into making things better. Though forgetting entirely might help, the memories are who they are, correct?

OMORIKA: You're... right. You're definitely right.
OMORIKA: Using magic to forget also isn't an option, either.
OMORIKA: This pain... we feel it for a reason, don't we?
OMORIKA: If it didn't hurt, perhaps we'd be naturally driven to repeat these atrocities again and again, without remorse.
OMORIKA: So... I shall hold onto this pain.

She places both hands close to her heart. Except as a Chairian, she lacks a heart, so it's unclear what the pose really represents in this case. Maybe she's just mimicking how humans might act.

OMORIKA: This... is our burden.
OMORIKA: Though it may hurt today, we must be strong to carry on the memories of those lost.
OMORIKA: With all of their hopes, all of their memories inside us... what other choice do we have?
OMORIKA: We can try to forget, but... to forget would be to lose them. To lose our own way.
OMORIKA: So... even if it's hard, I will persevere.

Instead of taking the Thaumaturge's hand, Omorika takes his arm instead. Chairian customs and all. Though the weather worsens and snow flurries through the air, her words cut through the sleet.

OMORIKA: ...Thaumaturge.
OMORIKA: ...Thank you. For this. For everything.

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Good Night
This drops the Scoria Rebirth! In addition, thanks to the Thaumaturge's efforts, Omorika's trait ascends to Level 3!

Her cloak, once with cracks of warm orange spreading throughout it, slowly morphs to a vibrant, royal purple. Omorika looks skyward, trying to trace the stars with her eyes. She speaks calmly and clearly, musing about her future.

OMORIKA: When I return... perhaps- no, I wIll- have a talk with Cypress.
OMORIKA: No matter how I feel about him... it'd be for the best.
OMORIKA: Not just for myself, but for him and both of our peoples.
OMORIKA: I think, like it or not... we will both be the future.

OMORIKA: Now, shall we leave this place?
OMORIKA: The weather is taking a turn for the wicked.

It's time to go, isn't it? She'll patiently await a way home.

---

Sophia asks Sythia to patiently wait. She nods her head, awaiting Dorothy's arrival. Or a timeclone? She doesn't seem to quite get it. A clone from a parallel timeline? Her expression is completely blank as Sophia explains that bit. Maybe she'll just need to see it in action.

Elsewhere, Adria decides to fulfill Chloe's dream of flight. Taking 2 Cyclone Regalia, a Nanostorm Drive, 4 Arkalloy, and 3 Crystalline Conduits to create the Air Thrusters! This'll grant the Exosuit Flight, as well as a small DGE bonus. Chloe immediately takes the mechsuit for a ride, hopping in and strapping herself into the controls. The machine jets a short distance off the ground, and she hovers towards Adria.

CHLOE: Yeah! Adria, you're a genius!
CHLOE: Now we're truly a gundam pilot! Except I have no idea how those are actually piloted!
CHLOE: Like, how the hell can joysticks operate a humanoid robot? Joysticks can't account for limbs n' stuff nicely, right?
CHLOE: This is far more practical, I think.

Whoosh! Chloe jets around the room for a little bit longer, having many close encounters with the ceiling and walls. She'd try and swing her weapon in midair, but she's not quite ready for that yet. Though it looks easy in anime, it's probably anything but! She also ponders what Adria said about raiding the Citadel. Magical bombs? Sounds fun.

CHLOE: Hmm...
CHLOE: Just be safe, alright? Don't go there yourselves, no matter how tempting the idea is.
CHLOE: We... don't actually know what'd happen if they took one of us prisoner.
CHLOE: Or if they'd even take us prisoner.
CHLOE: ...L-Let's just not find out, a-alright?

Over with Mari meanwhile, Adria gushes about railguns. Mari blushes. Railguns. Her one true love. Her legs press together as she summons one of her old railguns from the inventory, the Arc Coilstorm. She cuddles it like how an archmage might cuddle their magic staff.

MARI: Oh god, I gorillaing love railguns. Almost as much as I love air conditioning.
MARI: Ballistae are also kinda cool too, since they have a pretty similar concept I guess... but nothing beats a railgun.
MARI: Incredible raw power. Powerful aesthetic. Nailing foes to things from across the map. I-It's... well, you know.
MARI: ...Oh, gauss weapons are also cool, too. Not as cool, but I'd totally carry one around.

She stashes the Arc Coilstorm back in the inventory, and returns to the topic at hand. Perhaps the drone could be the size of an insect? And, the best sort of stealth technology might just be camouflage- have the thing mistaken for a normal insect, for instance. Mari nods her head.

MARI: Insectoid style? Sure.
MARI: Maybe we could even teleport in a bunch at once. If we make a model that can be mass produced, we could have a network of bugs to... well, "bug" the place.

As for how they'll use the bomb... perhaps it'd be best to use it when they're attacking the Citadel itself? Mari shakes her head. They need to go a bit faster.

MARI: I think that since we're dealing with all of Spark's stupid-gorilla Praetorians, we should try to destroy the place ASAP.
MARI: The sooner we can get those guys offline, the better.
MARI: Sure, we've been able to deal with one or two at a time, but god forbid the man arrives with a whole army of elite-tier chumps to beat us up.
MARI: We might win, but it'd be incredibly rough.
MARI: So I say we send in this bomb as soon as possible. Neutralizing the Praetorians will already be a huge blow to the forces at the Citadel when we try to take it, so no use in waiting.

Eventually, the two of them decide to pack up and head to the Sky Labs. It's a somewhat long trek, but the two of them eventually reach Machining and Fabrication. Mari's only slightly offput by the presence of two Adria's.

MARI: And there's... two of you.
MARI: ...Cool.
MARI: Anyway, I'm going to guess my sister is-

The mechsuit soars across the room, accidentally slamming into a shelving unit and toppling it over. Immediately, the suit lands.

MARI: Yep, she's in there alright.

Chloe pops out from the suit. She heads over to the ruined shelving unit, investigating the damage. A few valuable looking electronic goodies are scattered across the floor, but other than the mess, the damage seems fairly minimal. Even then though, Chloe plants her hands on her head.

CHLOE: O-Oh god, Cypress is gonna beat the snot out of me for this...
CHLOE: O-Or even worse, he'll take away my robot rights! U-Um-
MARI: Yo! Chloe!
CHLOE: Oh, Mari!

Worries immediately brushed aside, Chloe runs over and gives her "sister" a hug. Mari squirms in her grasp, cheeks going a flush red.

MARI: N-No hugs, please!
CHLOE: A-Ah, sorry...
CHLOE: It's just good to see you, y'know?

CHLOE: Anyway! Take a look at what Adria and I built! Or, uh, repaired!
CHLOE: I'd credit the original author, but I don't know who that is.
MARI: Damn, that's pretty.
MARI: I think Adria and I can agree on one thing it needs, though.
MARI: Huge. gorillain. Railgun.
MARI: You on board?
CHLOE: Oh, that'd be useful!
CHLOE: C'mon, Adria! And... second Adria! Let's get to work!

It's time to create the ultimate weaponry! While Chloe and Mari are working together sketching a rather simple (if incredibly large) railgun design, Adria's free to do whatever. Perhaps she could help codify the design, or create some sort of specialized ammunition to fire? Or maybe she has some special ideas of her own. Or an idea for AESTHETIC, which is pretty damn important as well! Who knows?

---

Calibri hands off the Resistor to Nia. She holds it close, and whispers a few key words to it.

NIA: Oh Reisz, hear these words, and be born anew!
NIA: Ahem...
NIA: gay gay homosexual gay

The core of the Resistor pulses. Nia has obtained the option to Bypass the Resistor into a more powerful form! Though, it looks like it'll cost a fair amount of Credits. Still, shouldn't be much of a price to pay for power, right? And it appears to have an... interesting ability attached to it. Perhaps it'd be worth taking a look?

Elsewhere, Verdana stares at a Fell Beast. He decides to call up Ash, asking how one might get a Fell Beast under control.

ASH: When it comes to taking control of a Fell Beast, Sir Linseed came up with a system that involves... searing hot metal.
ASH: If we manage to subdue a Fell Beast whether through combat or tranquilization, we place it in a metallic cage that acts as a suit of armor.
ASH: The searing hot metals, after a bit of "training", force the beast into submission.
ASH: It's... unethical, to say the least. It certainly does work, though.
ASH: And... if I'm being honest, I don't think anyone feels remorse for Fell Beasts. They're far too vicious to be likeable.

Perhaps he could order one of those "cage armor" things? Surely, the Rebellion wouldn't pass this up. Would they? Meanwhile, the Fell Beast manages to apply Bleed to Verdana. Still not the most harmful thing, but it's getting kinda painful. Maybe get it off of you?

---

Auth continues a variety of conversations! He asks Ash if the Informant is one of Linseed's men. Ash knows.

ASH: Probably. Guy has a penchant for arson that almost matches Linseed's.
ASH: He's also somehow as extremist as the guy himself, too.
ASH: Gives me the creeps, honestly.

Auth soon departs, asking of Ash to inform his bosses of the news. He nods, waving goodbye as the Author exits the room. For him, it's back to business! Probably. Or he can keep browsing security footage and get all of the hottest gossip. He wonders if Cypress has been caught holding hands with his new secretary, some woman by the name of Chi. That'd be scandalous.

With Lutea, Auth subtly implies that they're in possession of a Godblossom, and therefore, the means to make more Godblossom Extract. Lutea catches on... kind of.

LUTEA: W-Wait, you can MAKE m-more!?
LUTEA: O-Or... do you mean y-you can just like... find some vials here and there?
LUTEA: Y-You're... not in possession of an actual Godblossom, a-are you?

While Lutea's left in suspense, Auth zooms off to the Church, checking on the flower. Though rubble's been cleared out, everything is the same save for the presence of Sophia and Sythia in the temple. The silent Scarlet waves a gentle "hello" to Auth, easily recognizing him. The Godblossom meanwhile, gently billows in the presence of a small draft. It looks healthy enough. He supposes that if it weren't healthy, it'd already have withered away by this point.

Meanwhile, just outside of Parabola, Auth helps Nana stand up straight, getting used to the difference between worlds. With him by her side, Nana's calm enough.

NANA: S-So... the other races in London aren't sworn enemies? That must be nice.
NANA: Maybe i-it'd be fun to g-go on a culture crawl? L-Like, I hear that Tabletopians h-have their own fascinating culture a-and stuff, but I wouldn't really know it...

NANA: A-Ah, um...
NANA: Where are we, anyway?

Where did they end up after leaving the mirror? I don't actually know. Are they at the labs? This'll be an awkward line for Nana if they arrived at home or something.

Finally, down in the Everground, Vulcan in hand, Auth aggresses on the heart! The Itisa Bait is activated, With a gentle hum, Vulcan conjures a crimson barrier that blocks the route between the upper levels of the Everground and this final chamber. Fortunately, it holds firm. Auth watches as hundreds- no, thousands of maggots pour from the Remnant, each one taking a precarious leap towards the bait. Most fail to make it, but... there are a lot of maggots here. It'd be prudent to eliminate them as fast as possible.

VULCAN: Not to pressure you, but we have company.
VULCAN: Lots of it.

From up above, a flock of nearly two dozen Harpies surge down towards the crimson barrier. Driven by an insatiable lust for the essence of the Itisa Bait, they rapidly claw and peck at the barrier, trying to destroy it. Fortunately, at least for now, the barrier holds firm.

VULCAN: As long as none of those explosive Iti reach the barrier in large numbers, it should hold.
VULCAN: Get working. The last thing we need is a flood of avians on our position.

Enchanting herself, Vulcan allows herself to be used as a blade against the Remnant. With a flurry of dexterous cuts, Auth passes his Dangerous check and carves large chunks from the Remnant. The infected flesh oozes on the floor, not a maggot present in it. He then tries to heal the wounds, but they're really quite large- it'll take a concentrated effort! Healing and cutting at the same time is simply not viable. At the very least, he's liberated all of the infected portions. He should be able to heal things now.

At least, despite the gigantic gashes, the rate of blood loss isn't insurmountable. It'll be fine. There should be plenty of time. Meanwhile, S.E.D. immediately begins opening fire on the piles of maggots. A few of them are torn to chunks, but this is a really dense pile of maggots. Got a flamethrower? Or grenades?

---

Irongutta notes that Spark might plan to use the Dream of Unity's schematics. Ash tilts their head as they ponder this.

ASH: I guess that'd make sense... if he had a viable way to install weaponry on the ship in just a matter of days.
ASH: It'd take at least a few weeks for those sorts of things to be built on the Dream of Unity.
ASH: He only grabbed those plans very recently, too- not longer than a week ago.
ASH: Still, I can't help but wonder- what's he planning?
R-8733: Maybe he... wants to blow up the ship, so we can't take it!
R-8733: Then he can rebuild it once we're disposed of!
ASH: That... seems like a lot of effort.
ASH: Besides, the Dream of Unity is a historic display. Blowing it up would not look good for him.

The mystery thickens...

---

<FUSION DEVELOPMENT, ROUND 2>
A very nice triple kill to start things off! Anyway, your next priority is probably to... oh, they've all respawned. This could get difficult. You have some nice AoE or Specials to use, right? Otherwise, there's a fair chance the El Iti could wear you down through respawning. Oh, also. A new El Iti has joined the fray, and they're a turret. This is quite bothersome.

Destiny first orders the Nanotechnician to move to (G14) and debilitate the Payload.

Destiny Observes the Cowboy El Iti and runs to (I16) and pops a Panacea, then waiting for the Author to cleanse her of her debuffs. She then casts Heat Death at (L15).

Freeze! Don't move!

In the meantime, Destiny comes over to Sleuth, holding up a bottle of Candy Corn Liquor.

Now I gotta admit, this is some pretty good stuff. Tell me, can you grab any more?

(TL;DR: Destiny uses Sleuth's harvest slot on some Candy Corn Liquor)

OMTOSE PHELLACK

"The Thaumaturge" outstretches his hands and forms a gateway in space-time. The smell of ozone and electricity leaks back through.

"THE THAUMATURGE": The Sky Labs.
"THE THAUMATURGE": ...Good lu(k, Miss Omorika.
"THE THAUMATURGE": And...
"THE THAUMATURGE": Don't forget.

Once Omo has stepped through, he does the same and closes the portal, then walks off without a word. A few particles of snow land on the floor of the Sky Labs silently.

+1 KP into Eren's MP.
An Echoss-side Chloe scavenging slot is expended gathering TV Screens!
A bonus antimagic generator and the generator upgrade are purchased from the temmie shop since Eren is using the spare one for Xavier this round.
Traktor Cannon upgrade is purchased in the Lab, as well as two purchases of Stim Pod. (110 samples spent)
Since Omo is done researching Bilebaroness Bag, she is assigned to work on the Calypse Cannon upgrade.

Finally, barring someone objecting, Not!Echoss commits Crime again, and pays Nia to upgrade the Occult Hammer of Banning and Zero Blizzard


Eren and Ash:
Eren thinks for a bit.
"Hm, maybe. Depends on how many you think we need.
And how high quality they have to be, if we don't need anything fancy there's probably somebody off-duty right now who could grab us what we need."
[insert Ash response that I asked about in the discord server to get this finished one round faster]
Eren sends a message through Spherebreakerchan and gets a ding back once Echoss finishes putting the scavenging service TVs into the inventory.
Eren pulls out 4 tv screens and deposits them for Ash to use. Efficient!


Eren and Xavier:
Eren doesn't wait to assemble a new core, instead plunking the spare antimagic generator down and reaching into it, plates and wires shifting out of the way of his hand as he reaches in and plucks the core at the center of it right out of the amplifying mechanisms.
Purple smoke pours from his shoulder and he reaches to put the core into the basket, then pauses for a second.
Eren pulls out an elite chairian weapon, which turns out to be a spellbook. He then pours... some kind of energy into the antimagic core briefly (making his shoulder smoke a bit more) and it pulses. The words in the book fade away, erased along with the inherent magic that was in it. Eren funnels a spawnpoint cast into the book and sets the (now back to normal and not spell-erasing) antimagic core and the book into the drone's basket.
"For the record, no, I did not know how little time you have, you failed to communicate anything about why the core was important the first time.
Also, the book I sent with the core is acting as a spell scroll. If things get hot enough you need immediate assistance, cast the spell I funneled into it.
It'll let a bunch of us teleport straight to you and bail you out if you get pinned down. We were about to storm our way down there anyway, so if you need back up we might as well shift our time table up to keep you alive."


Just Monika:
>That is... definitely peculiar.
>Though if I'm not mistaken isn't Renpy solely a visual novel engine?
>Wouldn't it take a similar role in your home universe as you say the forum game layout does here?
>An engine that simple isn't well suited to handling all the mechanics of... well, actual people.
>Ah, that... might be a bit of a sore topic, apologies.


Everground:
Somewhere above the swarm of Iti at the Everground a distant jingle is heard.
Not!Echoss pulls up next to the grey amphi in a flying ice cream truck, and holds out an itisa bait flavored grape popsicle to the amphi. The amphi flies closer, and before any of the avian iti can smell the delicious grape flavor goodness Not!Echoss pops the amphi into the grey iti card. He then hops out of the van, whose idle animation fails to change properly out of idle. It flies off into the distance and explodes against a distant out-of-sight cavern wall.

I was gonna do a whole thing but I'm tired and don't have the energy to do the full thing so Not!Echoss just casts reverse on all the Blossoms, causing them to walk backwards for the round and preventing them from reaching the barrier this turn.


To-do List:
Set up broadcast info! (Talk with Cypress, Aoki, Acacia, and Omorika especially.)
Also maybe chat with Creation?
Also hand the Subspace Grocery Box to Cypress when he heads back to the house
Gibbet needs to be upgraded to full party member.
Make sure party prep is ready.
Properly seal up Linseed's room so he can't try to dig out.
Anti-Spark measures (anti-magic in progress, have anti-artillery to deal with airstrikes and conventional artillery support, signal blocking to prevent Praetorian or Sentinel summoning, lots of EMP options, be ready for BOSS)

Auth cautiously approaches Sythia, since he's established to his satisfaction that the Godblossom growing in the back is doing well.

AUTH: Hey. Are you feeling much better now? As I remember, you weren't holding up so well just before.

Auth is checking to see how Sythia is doing, since he remembers seeing her crashed on the couch before.

---

Auth shakes his head in response to Nana's question.

AUTH: Some of the major settlements of the Neath have pretty significant rivalries, but nothing remotely like Chairians and Tabletopians or anything.
AUTH: Truth be told, I'm quite interested in learning more about Chairian culture. It's not something I'm used to, for quite obvious reasons.
AUTH: I do find learning about other people really interesting.

Auth looks around. Since they left through the same mirror they came in, they would logically return to Sussui in the same placed they started - that being, in the Home Base. Auth chuckled quietly as Nana forgets that they're back to base now.

AUTH: Coming out of Parabola can be rather disorienting. But the mirrors only link to one place, so since we went back in the same mirror we arrived in, we would come back home.
AUTH: But we probably should head up to the labs, right? I suspect there's plenty of... interesting things going on up there.

Interesting things that'll ruin a perfectly nice afternoon. Que sera, sera.

---

Auth looks up, to see... Good lord. That's a lot of hostile Iti.

AUTH: I'm not much of a fighter, and there's a non-hostile Iti up there...
AUTH: I've finished the surgical portion of the procedure, I just need to address the wounds now. Would now be a good time to return you to your body?
AUTH: Dealing with the rest of the Iti would be easier with an extra pair of available hands, and patching the wounds quickly is important. While the rate of blood loss looks to be relatively low, I think it's best to manage it as quickly as possible.

Assuming that Vulcan agrees, Auth quickly floats over to Vulcan's body and delivers the sword back to it, allowing Vulcan to get back into control and start cutting up the rest of the hostile Iti around the place. Afterwards, Auth takes a deep breath and starts to properly heal the gash on the Remnant closest to him. Healing injuries takes far more concentration than inflicting them, so he might only be able to get the first gash for now.

---

As for being in battle... Auth moves to F13, remaining on the High Ground, and casts Kindness onto Destiny.

AUTH: Apologies. I have my own obligations to my teammates, and I am unable to switch teams to demonstrate the use of a support.
AUTH: Please understand.

Zone 0 - The House

"Huh. That's pretty interesting."

Beat. Calibri leans in a little, analyzing the upgraded for a moment. Then, he remembers something probably pretty critical to his future plans. He turns his attention to Nia herself, and for a moment, one of his eyes flickers pitch black before reverting to normal.

"So... How do you do that, anyway? Thinking a bit ahead of things here, but I might need to replicate something like that for someone in the near future. It's not that I don't trust you to do it yourself, it's just that I have no idea if it would work on a non-equipment thing. And I don't think what I'm working with would count as equipment."

---

Zone 5.5 - Central Labs - Security Hub

"Hm..."

Verdana wonders to himself if that would be bad for his karma. He mulls that thought over for some time. Torturing random beings might be a bit too nasty. Though, really, the being itself is quite a nasty being, so maybe it would be warranted here? Is that how that works? Perhaps, but he was hardly the designated arbiter of karmic judgement. That would be his brother.

But given his brother is busy elsewhere, perhaps he can fill in the position for now. As such, Verdana turns one eye to the Fell Beast that's currently attacking him, then his hand ignites as he grabs the creature's face. Metal, it might not be, but searing hot is still searing hot, so he hopes that'll make the creature back off for a bit.

Back to the conversation. No going back now...

"Given I've just been attacked by one down here... I'm in the mood for a live demonstration! Got a spare cage?"

---

The Old Pass

"..."

Loading.

---

The Everground

S.E.D senses trouble, aiming its main gun turret up to stare at the barrier for a few seconds. That's a lot of iti. Holy shit that's a lot of iti. But thankfully there's a barrier in the way, so it has time to focus on the more immediate threat. Namely, the maggot pile.

Remember that earlier stuff about incendiary missiles? This is the fun part.

S.E.D's outer armor shifts aside, deploying rocket launchers. Many, many, many rocket launchers. After a moment to get its bearing on the large pile of maggots, S.E.D flashes twice to let the other people nearby know that they should not be in the way. Then, it unloads, streams of small but powerful missiles racing through the air and straight to the middle of the maggot pile.

Oddly enough, the first missile implodes rather than exploding, making a noise that if written out would probably be something like "vjorbllllll". This serves two purposes. Firstly, pull in the maggots so they're even more densely clustered. Secondly, when the rest of the stream of missiles make contact...

Streaks of napalm ripple through the air, only to be immediately sucked into the swirling vortex generated by the first missile, creating a mass of incendiary substance that briefly burn with the full intensity of the sun. Mercifully for everyone in the underground, that fire burns itself out quickly, though by the time that happens, it has already had plenty of opportunity to roast a bunch of maggots beyond any hope of recognition.

With that hopefully sorted, S.E.D then turns its attention back upwards, focused on the upcoming incursion...

---

Battle - Fusion Development

As the Genji-cosplaying El Iti becomes bisected and then explodes, Calibri finishes his line.

"kisma balls"

Then, he prepares for action...

Calibri moves to I13, realizes that there's a wall in the way, uses a warp ring charge to teleport to M13, then performs his super special technique known as "hitting something really bloody hard".

That is to say, Calibri casts an Ordo-boosted Exertion, then whacks the payload as hard as inhumanly possible.

My calculation for this is that, with 30% damage boost from Empowered, 10% damage boost from Ordo, 95% damage boost from Exertion (it gains +5 due to Ordo's enlightened side), and 20% from Bushi Road, Calibri is dumping (72-74) Glitch damage right on the payload. And that's before the crit roll, which has a 19% chance to successfully grant him a minicrit at least.

Yeah.

Anyway after that he retreats to N12 and T-poses to assert dominance.

Nia: Move to J15, Hidden Shard the Cowboy.

Marron: Basic-attack Aviator to oneshot it (rember to add her passives and High Ground.)

Remiel: Activate Special. Move to H12, basic-attack Widow, warp-ring to L15. End turn and hit adjacent enemies via Storm.

For some reason or another (probably originally to do some cooking), Asha is back at the house, where she hears her name, and a booming voice claiming she has a child. As someone who doesn't really know how children come into existence, she is rather anxious and confused.

Heading outside, she first sees a golem, then "The Scion". No weird combinations of herself and Marron, which is a relief. Maybe she misheard the booming voice, and it actually said... uh, 'reviled'? To be honest there's not a lot of nouns that sound like child, so she's back to being concerned. With a friendly wave, she opts to get to the bottom of this.

"Oh, um, hi! I'm Asha, did you need something from me?"

The Overwatch Battle
Daskter steps into the Thyme Matter (G14) to cast Obsoletion on the Payload.
They give a Pep Talk to the Rocketeer.

The Rocketeer hovers over (H14) and fires off Elemental Splitshot at the Payload.

<ROUND 297>

---

Destiny asks the Sleuth for some Candy Corn Liquor. He nods, equipping a distillery on the spot. After a rather short but highly destructive brewing process, a crater full of the delectable ambrosia remains. He scoops some of up into bottles, handing it over to Destiny. 3 bottles of Candy Corn Liquor obtained!

THE SLEUTH: The Sleuth examines the candy-colored liquid with incredible intensity.
THE SLEUTH: "This liquor," he proclaims, "can ascend one to godhood. What would happen to a real god, I wonder?"
THE SLEUTH: Perhaps, he thinks, they'd ascend to another tier of godhood altogether. Or has the great Godhead already taken precautions against that? But more likely, they were too busy fondly regarding creation.

Slosh, slosh, slosh. Though it was divine, Destiny may be having second thoughts based on the pounding hangover it gives afterwards.

---

The Thaumaturge allows Omorika to return. Forming a portal in spacetime, they allow Omorika to step through. As parting words, the Thaumaturge has but one request. "Don't forget."

OMORIKA: Of course.
OMORIKA: I don't believe I'd be able to forget, even if I wished to.
OMORIKA: But... thank you. Again.

Closing the portal behind him, the Thaumaturge walks off. Though she doesn't follow, Omorika watches as he presumably heads around a corner, to who knows where. One thought lingers on her mind. Who were they, exactly? But perhaps more importantly, she had to find Cypress. Clogs clicking with each step, the librarian ever so slowly begins to find her way.

---

Eren does some housekeeping. First, he +1's his MP, then asks Chloe to grab some TV screens! She proceeds to nudge Echoss, who promptly grabs a set of 10. These should work well enough. There's then a few other purchases: a spare Armored Antimagic Field Generator, and the upgrade for it! This costs 700 Credits. The Traktor Cannon upgrade and two doses of Stim Pod are also bought for 110 Samples. Omorika is then asked to upgrade the Calypse Cannon, which she does so. If a bit bregrudingly. Working with an Iti can't be safe.

Anyway, Nia is then asked to upgrade the Occult Hammer of Banning and the Zero Blizzard. She improves them into Andre's Occult Foam Hammer of Banning and the Planck Underflow, respectively. This costs 280 Credits.

NIA: ...
NIA: These are literally the best things I'll ever make in my life.
NIA: I don't think I can improve upon this perfection any further.
NIA: Use them responsibly!

Nia waves goodbye to her two beautiful, idealistic children. Her mother has given them all the support she can muster.

Over with Ash, the preparations to drop TV's on the enemy are promptly completed. It's as simple as plugging the two devices together, TV and drone. Mostly because there was a compatible socket between them. How convenient.

ASH: Okay, we're all ready to go!
ASH: Just give me the signal, and I'll drop it onto them!
ASH: ...Though, I guess I'll need to disable the barrier between us and them first. Fortunately, once the lockdown's gone, I can do that.
ASH: Just give me the signal, and I'll handle it.

As Ash gets ready for the next level play, Eren hands Xavier's drone the Antimagic Field Generator, as well as a spell book loaded with the Spawn Point spell.

XAVIER: Took you long enough. But thank you.
XAVIER: According to my calculations, the generator is more than enough to survive.
XAVIER: I'll see about using that spellbook of yours for something more... substantial, though.

The drone buzzes off at a rather slow speed. The generator's rather heavy, after all. Hopefully it'll make it in time.

Then, over in the Everground, Not!Echoss decides to ride an ice cream truck into the Everground! There's a delicious, grape flavored Itisa Bait for the Grey Amphi! The Amphi immediately makes a break for the popsicle, and is immediately captured by Not!Echoss as a result. The use of Itisa bait however, seems to have baited even more Harpies and Aello into the area. That can't be good. Not!Echoss also attempts to reverse the Blossoms! Something's reversed... but not their movement. Uh. You may want to deal with that.

Also, communications with Monika continue. >Codex Updated!

---

Auth checks up on Sythia. She doesn't say anything, and instead gives a quick nod of her head. Holding her Chloe Plushie out in front of her as well, she makes it give a few quick nods as well.

Elsewhere, Nana comes to the realization that they're arrived back at home. Nana takes a quick look around. He's right. Apparently, if you re-enter the same mirror you originally entered through, you'd simply arrive back where you were. He then suggests that the two of them could head over to the labs. Nana nods.

NANA: Y-Yeah! Let's get going. T-They'll need our help, right?
NANA: On the way, I can tell you all you want about Chairian culture, too!
NANA: I-I might not be the most knowledgable, b-but I still know a lot!
NANA: L-Like...

She promptly chokes and stutters on her words for a good ten seconds, trying to formulate something interesting to say. Eventually, she slumps forward ever so slightly, letting out a sigh.

NANA: U-Um...
NANA: A-Anything you want to know about, s-specifically?

Down in the Everground with Vulcan, Auth asks if she should return her to her own body. Vulcan... nods, but psychically. Auth flies over to Vulcan's vacant body, sliding her back into position in the body's hands. Instantly, Vulcan reanimates, standing tall. She flexes and stretches for a few moments, emitting a large variety of cracking noises.

VULCAN: Ouch. Forgot how much it hurts to leave this body for any period of time.
VULCAN: Rigor mortis is a gorilla, let me tell you that.
VULCAN: Especially when you've been puppeting the same corpse for a few hundred years.
VULCAN: Anyway, your plan. Let's go. I'll help deal with the Iti, and you can do... whatever it is you do.
VULCAN: No offense, of course. I don't exactly know how you outsiders work.

VULCAN: Anyway.
VULCAN: This shouldn't take too much effort.

Vulcan conjures another energy barrier, this one right below her feet. Stepping upon it, she immediately causes it to rocket upward, flinging her skyward. Half a dozen other barriers manifest in quick succession, Vulcan rapidly springing off of each one. A blur of crimson energy then launches northward, towards the barrier that's holding the Iti off. For a brief moment, it dematerializes. This split second is enough for Vulcan to rocket through, right into the cloud of Iti.

VULCAN: Eviscerate.

She raises her weapon above her head, her blade engulfed in a veil of blood red. With a single spiraling slash, she rends through half a dozen Harpies, the flux energy surging into their bodies being enough to instantly vaporize their entire bodies into a flurry of crimson petals. These petals are pulled into orbit around her as she continues to spin. Once she lands upon the barrier, a single thrust of her blade is enough to command the petals to surge forth. This "beam" of malevolent energy curves and twists through the air, mulching Harpy after Harpy as it rampages through the skies of the Everground. Another half a dozen harpies later, this beam demanifests and scatters into the sky, the energy returning to Vulcan's blade.

She readies herself for more waves of Harpies, her blade pointed towards the still ceaseless horde.

VULCAN: Why do you even try, beasts?
VULCAN: To think you can stand in the face of one that eclipses even the Old Guard...
VULCAN: Your tenacity is ultimately wasted.

While Vulcan continues her assault on the hordes of Harpy, Auth begins to heal one of the gashes. The sheer size is intimidating, but it's nothing he can't handle. Once the healing is complete, all that remains is an ugly scar. Perhaps he can fix that up later, but for now it's the best he can do under these pressing circumstances.

---

Calibri asks Nia how exactly she upgrades things. She gives a simple, succinct response, indicated by rising her shoulders up and down.

NIA: No gorillain' clue.
NIA: I just sorta like... know?
NIA: I still have al this weird knowledge in my head from when the Butterfly was squatting in my brain.
NIA: Doing it is just sorta... natural. But I one-hundred percent could NOT give you a coherent explanation!~

Elsewhere, down a floor or something like that, Verdana deals with a Fell Beast. He gives it a gentle pat on the head, also searing its flesh. The Fell Beast lets out a godawful scream, which to Verdana specifically, probably hurt more than the bite itself. He yells, asking for a spare cage.

ASH: ...You actually have one?
ASH: You should've said so! Can't be pleasant, wrangling one of those jerks.
ASH: Here, let me contact someone.

Seconds later, a drone drifts(?) through the sky, carrying a heavy payload of one of the aforementioned "cages". It immediately lands on the Fell Beast, detaching its payload before flying off. Maybe someone will come around to pick them up later? For now, they're subdued. Perhaps it's time to BM the darn thing?

Finally, down in the Everground, S.E.D prepares a barrage of missiles! The first of many blasts sucks the maggots all closer together due to its implosive properties. Missile after missile is fired into the singularity, little chunks of seared maggot spewing from the vortex, only to immediately be sucked back in. Soon enough, the vortex explodes outwards, coating the general area in a bunch of flaming little maggot chunks.

>Netwyrm Slain!

Ooh, that's a handy little notification.

---

Asha has a chat with... some sort of golem? Marron blankly stares at it, sunglasses equipped. Darn thing hurts to look at. Asha asks if this... thing needs anything from her.

DAWN: GREETINGS, CREATOR.
DAWN: I AM THE ONCOMING DAYLIGHT, THE ETERNAL DAWN.
DAWN: YOU CREATED ME IN YOUR IMAGE, AND I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL.
DAWN: I MUST APOLOGIZE FOR BESMIRCHING YOUR GREAT NAME, O' BEAUTIFUL CREATOR.
DAWN: SO, ALLOW ME TO-
MARRON: I, uh.
MARRON: What the hell are you?
DAWN: SILENCE, MORTAL.
DAWN: YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO BASK IN THE GLORY OF THE CREATOR OF ALL, THE ETERNAL ASHA!
DAWN: CREATOR, SHALL I PURIFY THIS LESSER BEING?

Marron's eyes narrow. She turns to look at Asha, completely unconcerned with the threat of "purification", whatever that means.

MARRON: Uh, so.
MARRON: How'd you give birth to a gigantic pile of rocks with a god complex?
MARRON: Like, maybe I'd accuse you of cheating on me with a big ol' rock golem, but that'd make even less sense than... this.
DAWN: YOU ARE NOT EVEN PART OF THE PANTHEON.
DAWN: YOU DO NOT EVEN MEET THE HEIGHTS OF THE SCION.
DAWN: YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO SPEAK.

Dawn's eternal flames continue to sear the eyes of both Marron and Asha. Marron hands Asha a pair of sunglasses as well. Word, this thing hurts to look at.

---

Venia's maid eradicates some crows! Or uh, Harpies! Armed with both a Zillycharm and Aerobeam scroll, the maid flies up to the barrier. Slapping the Zillycharm onto her face, along with a few other buffs, the Maid clings to a wall to prepare themselves. Moments later, they cast a highly lethal Aerobeam! It phases through the stone structure of the Everground, streaking around in all directions! Harpy after Harpy are reduced to but a pile of shadowy feathers! More and more beams surge forth from the maid until they exhaust their MP. When the dust clears, about 10 or so Harpies have ceased to exist.

Enraged by their losses, the harpies swoop towards Vulcan! Aello bombard her with feathers from above, while Harpies divebomb with flanking slashes! Though skilled, she can only defend against so much. While blocking a volley of dart-like shots with a manifested barrier, a Harpy streaks behind her and rakes its talons across her back.

VULCAN: Nnghh!
VULCAN: It's just a scratch. Keep them off of me if you can, alright?

---

Meanwhile, over in the western wing of the Central Labs (it's a bit complicated at this point, really), the gentle clatter of Omorika's wooden cogs draws the attention of Cypress. Their eyes lock, a sudden chill shooting down Cypress's spine. Was it time for more verbal abuse? If only his communicator was still busted. Thanks to a bit of rest, said communicator located in his throat had managed to cool down and stop smoking. Perhaps he could play the angle that it was still busted.

OMORIKA: ...Cypress.
OMORIKA: We need to talk. Now.

Welp. No getting out of this, is there? There's a slight garble of static from his throat as the device prepares his synthesized speech.

CYPRESS: Miss Omorika. What is it?
OMORIKA: I... allow me to get things straight.
OMORIKA: I do not like you.
CYPRESS: ...
CYPRESS: Understandable.

Cypress synthesizes a sigh. Welp. This could only be productive.

OMORIKA: I do not believe that am capable of forgiving you.
OMORIKA: At least, not yet.
CYPRESS: Yes. But, understand. Firebombings. Tabletopian invasion. Not my doing. I swear. On my core.
OMORIKA: ...Yes. I am aware. You wouldn't do such a thing.
OMORIKA: I dislike you... solely for one reason.
CYPRESS: I'm a Tabletopian. Is that it?
OMORIKA: No.
OMORIKA: Please stop making assumptions, and allow me to finish, sir Cypress.

OMORIKA: I dislike you, solely because... you lied to us for all those years, concealing your identity.
OMORIKA: You are a Tabletopian, yes. That is not the issue at hand. Not anymore.
OMORIKA: I, as your coworker, will do my absolute best to support you. Today, tomorrow, and whatever the future may bring.
OMORIKA: But to lie to the Highchair- no, to lie to me, even after all the trust I had placed within you... it burned.
CYPRESS: I... sincerely apologize. It won't happen. Not again. No more lies.
OMORIKA: Of course it won't happen again.
OMORIKA: You can't lie about your identity twice.
CYPRESS: Misunderstanding. No more lies. I am open.
CYPRESS: Ask, shall receive. Best of ability.
CYPRESS: Is this acceptable?
OMORIKA: I-I... suppose.
OMORIKA: I suppose it's a start, anyway.

She taps her right clog upon the tiled floor once, twice. There's the slightest hint of disbelief in Cypress's gaze.

OMORIKA: So, I will reiterate. I dislike you.
OMORIKA: But... I will still do my best to support you. You and those you care about.
OMORIKA: And, one more thing. Let us both agree to not speak on this subject further.
OMORIKA: At least, not until the Sphere is completely and utterly destroyed.
OMORIKA: Our personal squabbles and emotions can wait until both species are saved.
OMORIKA: Chairians and Tabletopians.
CYPRESS: These terms: acceptable. Shall be honored.

CYPRESS: ...Thank you, Omorika.
CYPRESS: Shall we work? Species need help. Won't save themselves.
OMORIKA: Certainly, sir Cypress. Let's get right to it.

The two of them head down to Cypress's office, side by side. Chairian and Tabletopian, together. Perhaps a sign of things to come? One could only hope.

---

<FUSION DEVELOPMENT, ROUND 3>
There's a cheating scandal afoot! Some El Iti have managed to get some rather significant buffs! Notably, the Robot and the Cowboy have obtained resistance to movement effects: basically, you'll actually need to deal with them to eat the payload! There's also some Ohmnics that have boosted the durability of the payload, so consider going after them as well!

<NOTICE>
A new battle will be starting next round? The beginning of the end? Who knows? At the very least, it'll be very, very close to the end of Zone 5!

((for above update))

Everground

Venia's Maid looks up at the murder of crows but instead they're harpies. Wait a minute-What's that, you say? Dozens of fragile flying iti weak to air are bunched-up around the barrier?

How delicious.

The maid pulls out two tomes; Zillycharm and Aerobeam. Using the time given by the barrier, Venia self-buffs with Ordo, the Helix Totem and Zillycharm, then flies up to the barrier, passing by the Remnant.

Venia's maid proceeds to spam the hell out of the Aerobeam cast. With the Gray Amphi gone thanks to not!echoss, Venia is free to focus on catching as many Iti as she can within the beam, which combined with their low durability allows her to make swift work of each. Her base power, plus the boosts from the Helix Totem, Ordo and Zillyhoo boosting her power from attacking through a wall, means that every Harpy and Aello caught at any point of the beam will die-Venia exploits this to maximize how many targets she can hit before she inevitably runs out of MP.

---

House

-later-

Other

-later-

Echoss sees Omo working on the Calypse Cannon and notes her apprehension.
"...I do have to agree, this seems rather unsafe. I'll see if I can prepare a better container, is there anything else I might be able to bring you that will make this less... problematic?"


Eren and Ash/Eren and Xavier are both complete, guess it's about time to trigger the battle.
Just preemptively, Eren will let Ash know when it's time to drop the screens so that I don't have to remember to do it exactly when we start the battle.


Just Monika:
>That is fair, we should finish this up for now then, I was intending to see if Creation itself would be up for a talk after this anyway.
>Perhaps the Operator as well, it's not often you have the chance to directly contact a living legend.
>Regardless, if the Operator is willing to let you share the information, a notice on whether or not we have a siege inbound tonight or not, and if so what exceptional circumstances to expect. Ah yes, and around what time.
>We have civilians on the premises tonight, I would prefer to be prepared enough to prevent any avoidable casualties.
>Also, two more things on a more personal level:
>First, just a small note that if you need someone to talk to in the future or would just like a way to contact Spherebreakers yourself, I would be willing to try and establish a communication link.
>We have our own communication devices down here, and should those not be sufficient I could ask Creation about sending up something more robust.
>Second, do you have a place to go or stay once you've finished your apprenticeship?
>This isn't a question you need to answer right now, I've simply been discovering that a surprising number of Spherebreakers haven't put a great deal of thought into where to go after Sussui.
>Considering that whatever plan you had when you arrived has likely... fallen through so to speak, I figured it prudent to ask you as well.


Broadcast Work begin:
Eren sends out a general team broadcast that we have the footage, and we're ready to start working on the broadcast assembly with the rebels, particularly informing Cypress to get in touch with the relevant others and such.
This was gonna be RP but I ran out of time and we really need to get started on this. (Cypress, Aoki, Acacia, and Omo are all likely to want to be involved in this among the NPCs, probably others as well but those four stand out)


To-do List:
Also maybe chat with Creation?
Also hand the Subspace Grocery Box to Cypress when he heads back to the house
Anti-Spark measures (anti-magic in progress, have anti-artillery to deal with airstrikes and conventional artillery support, signal blocking to prevent Praetorian or Sentinel summoning, lots of EMP options, be ready for BOSS)

Make sure party prep is ready. (save for near the end of the day)
Properly seal up Linseed's room so he can't try to dig out. (save for near the end of the day)

ZONE 0

"The Scion" peeks her head into the house from behind Dawn and smiles awkwardly. She doesn't say anything. She's just kind of standing there.

---

ZONE 5.5

In the basement, the Reflector (who has been kind of just chilling there) suddenly perks up and alerts Wattle.

THE REFLECTOR: mr. wattle we have some news a very important crucial update for you!
THE REFLECTOR: we will be lifting the lockdown soon non negotiable a contact of ours he is in danger quite hot water from both spark's forces and rebels.
THE REFLECTOR: shall you prepare your troops for combat immediately? up to you up to you of course!

Destiny Observes the Ninja El Iti uses Whirling Blades moving J15, K16, L16, M16, N16,, O15, P14.

Zone 0 - The House

"...Okay then."

Calibri shrugs, then wanders off. A momentary flicker of darkness signals his departure to somewhere else.

Zone 3 - Endless Gardens

...Namely, here. He notices that there's still some unattended business, walking over to the Yggdrasil's Approach region and taking hold of the anti-magic field generator. But come to think of it... He should probably say a few words. So he takes a moment to glance at Grandifolia.

"Alright, once I take this away, you can go. But first, here's how things are gonna work: No more going after civilians, no more flamey torture, etc etc. Catch it happening once or twice, we're gonna take everything you have. But if that happens, and then there's a third instance..."

His eyes flicker to monoblack.

"Every Praetorian involved with such acts will never be seen again."

They then return to normal as he effortlessly lifts the anti-magic field generator off of Grandifolia and wanders away, cheerfully humming to himself.

---

Zone 5.5 - Central Labs - Security Hub

"Oh, so that's how that works!"

Verdana watches for a while, then walks over to the cage and T-poses at the fellbeast within. Might as well hit it with the full disrespect, so he then proceeds to conga for all of two seconds, just to rub it in. Then, he ponders what else might be of interest...

---

The Old Pass

"..."

Loading.

---

The Everground

S.E.D has determined that the maggots, formerly known as Netwyrm again, have been dealt with. Now, the only thing it can deal with is further up. It turns and...

...Wait, there's maggots all over the Itisa Bait drone! How disgusting. S.E.D proceeds to begin cleaning them off from the drone via precision-target heat rays, and once it's done with that, it resumes the earlier intended activity of rolling up to join Vulcan. Or, at the very least, hang out underneath the barrier and play some cool tunes.

---

Battle - Fusion Development

"..."

RP loading.

Action: Wait until everyone else is done doing their thing, then drop the fattest PURGE possible right on the payload, then retreat to N12.

Overwatch Battle
Daskter casts Obsoletion on the Payload.
Then They eat a Mana Biscuit.

If Rocketeer is revived:

Move to (e14)
Fire off Elemental Barrage at Payload.
SPECIAL activate.
Fire off 2nd Elemental Barrage at Payload.

Hannah

HANNAH: ...Yeah I don't get it either.
HANNAH: I helped in the whole thing a lot too. You two wouldn't have been able to do it without the poison... dreadful as it may have been.
HANNAH: So, technically, by that ruling I could run for empress too.

HANNAH: ...I'm not gonna because a) it's inherently stupid, b) I'd rather not be in a world where I can be erased from existence if someone breathes on me too hard, c) it went badly last time I tried something similar, and d) I'd... honestly be leaving behind a lot.

She glances at Dorothy, and smiles. She smiles back.

HANNAH: ...I definitely wouldn't be able to convince her to not go back.
HANNAH: But, hey, if you think you can, I won't stop you.

HANNAH: ...Tangent, but I do kinda wonder what this 'symphony' of yours is like...

The Scion then responds to Hannah's question. Her face lights up and he snaps her fingers wiping out half of Sussui as she remembers.

HANNAH: Oh shoot that's right!
HANNAH: Before everything happened I was gonna try and get some lessons from Chi! Thanks for the reminder!
HANNAH: I already know a little first aid... some self-taught stuff, and I took a few courses back home, but never really committed...
HANNAH: I think that should change soon.

HANNAH: ...L-later, though... I still feel sorta out of it...
DOROTHY: T-that's okay, take your time!

---

Sythia

Sophia waves to Auth as he walks in.

SOPHIA: Oh hi Auth!
SOPHIA: You haven't seen Dorothy on the way here, have yo-

Right on cue, Dorothy peeks in. Sophia waves and calls her over.

SOPHIA: Oh, There you are! Over here!

Dorothy slowly approaches, taking a look at Sythia. Her voice was very noticeably softer and quieter than Sophia's.

DOROTHY: U-um... hi.
SOPHIA: So this is Sythia! She's really nice, but she doesn't talk a whole lot.
SOPHIA: She also knows some magic I think you might be interested in?

Sophia looks over at Sythia and nods at her to begin. Odds are Auth will be in the radius of the spell too.

---

Exosuit (and some Mari)

Adria hmms at Mari's proposition to use the bomb ASAP.

ADRIA: ...Hm. That is a fair point.
ADRIA: If we can only get one up and running, that does seem like the best way forward.

Once down by Machining and Fabrication, Adria can't help but softly giggle at Chloe and Mari's antics. Though to stop herself from getting too excited, she clears her throat and straightens up. Not tense, just alert.

ADRIA 1: A railgun it is, then!

Her timeclone nods as another one blinks into existence alongside her. One of them starts making extremely powerful and over-the-top systems while the other starts working on an ammunition.

Yes, an ammunition. Singular.



...Adria Prime, however, hears a knock on the door to the room. She opens the door, almost surprised to find Sophia on the other side carrying a disk of some sort. She turns to the two girls behind her.

ADRIA 1: I'll just be a moment!

She walks out shortly after, closing the door behind her.

Remiel gets another Special stack, steps to K16, and basicattacks the Ninja. Special activates at end of turn to hit the Robot and Payload.

First things first...

Auth moves faster around to the next gash on the Remnant, starting to patch it up quickly. It takes some concentration, but not so much that Auth can't comment.

AUTH: I'll work as quickly as I can. It won't be as clean as I would ordinarily like, but given the circumstances it will have to do.
AUTH: I wouldn't expect you to understand what it is exactly that I do, in the same way that I currently do not understand how you do what you do.
AUTH: That being said... would you believe me if I told you that I did understand how much of a pain in the joints rigor mortis is? I've had to fight it off when I was first learning some abilities of my own...

Auth faintly grumbles something about obnoxious stiffness that most people don't bother treating. He then, after he's finished healing gash two, looks back to the Itisa Bait, covered in chunks of Iti and goo, and that there's no maggots crawling around anymore to be a potential pest.

AUTH: I think we can probably turn that off. No need to draw the rest of the horde down here, after all. The other Iti floating around might fly off.
AUTH: Ultimately easier for the lot of us to deal with.

Auth maintains most of his focus on healing, though. It's a fairly specific effort that he needs to make to get something like this to work.

---

Auth thinks for a minute as he and Nana return to the Skylabs. He has a couple of things he wants to ask about (other than, obviously, learning wood magic which has been on the to-do list for a while). He decides on one topic for now, considering that it was slightly relevant just before.

AUTH: Well... how about music, then? I find that music tends to be kind of important. I was curious what kind of instruments and what kind of music was common here. I know there's Aoki, who does... something. But I don't think I've heard any Chairian music, or anything.
AUTH: Not that I can immediately think of, at least. I'm curious what sort of instruments are normally employed, and the sort of sounds that might be enjoyed.

A question perhaps better posed to Aoki, but asking her about it would defeat the whole point of the exercise, wouldn't it?

AUTH: Anything you can tell me, really, is helpful though. It helps me to be aware of what is generally approved or disapproved of, so I can avoid doing things to make people instantly dislike me without knowing.

But the true reason is that Auth just wants to hear what Nana has to say. He's hoping to find a topic she really wants to talk about.

---

Auth glances back behind him, in response to Sophia's question.

AUTH: I flew straight here, but I don't think I saw her. I can-
AUTH: Speak of the devil.

Auth hears some footsteps which he assumes to be the aforementioned Dorothy, so he breathes a mental sigh of relief when the person he assumed to be at the door was exactly who he thought it was.

Auth nods in response to Sophia's introduction to Sythia, knowing that what she's said is true, but he understandably overhears something quite interesting as he starts getting ready to fly out. What kind of magic does Sythia have? Why might Dorothy be interested in it?

Auth decides to allow his curiosity to get the better of him and waits before taking off - so he'll probably remain in the range of the Quiet Zone.

---

At some point, in the future or past, but being described now, Auth slinks down to see Gibbet.

AUTH: Hey... I heard that the others were training you so you could help us out there. How do you feel? Do you think you're ready to come out?
AUTH: I don't think we've talked before... can you understand what I'm saying? Can you communicate back?

Auth is sadly unaware of the advancements made with Gibbet. He may be accidentally introduced to Big Cutty.

---

Auth floats back to D12, and pats the Rocketeer on the shoulder, burning his Hanten stacks and casting Valiance.

AUTH: This is not the end.

Once the Rocketeer is up and at it, Auth gives a nervous glance at the Aviator El Iti, who is uncomfortably close.

AUTH: I'll certainly think about it.

A polite, non-commital response in response to a team that's about to get wiped.

Irongutta pondered the deepening mystery of the missing Dream of Unity schematics. Well, at least he did until he got too frustrated to think about it any further.

"Bah! Wotever that git Spark wants to do with those plans won't matter! We're gonna take 'em for ourselves one way or another, even if that means we gotta pry 'em from his cold, dead hands."

Irongutta took Magnolia off his back, holding her out in front of him."Oi! Hope ya weren't snoozin' back there Magnolia, 'coz it's time to crack some skulls an' take wot's left! That goes for you too, R-8!"

The motivated Ork led the gang (or rather, carried one third of the trio) down to the first floor of the Central Labs, where Echoss was preparing to start the battle.