As Zahlia finishes her meditation, she leaps into action and moves to T16. Taking a bite of Marron's French Toast, she uses the Fifth Element to teleport over to W12, where she uses Quickphial Burst Fire on Perfect Soldier 1. Engulfed in flames, she points the Yamato, now resembling more of a tendril of fire towards Perfect Soldier 2, daring them to come forward. Now resembling a Fair Lady from another time, another place, she uses Riposte as well, intent to show Spark's copies the very meaning of death itself.

<ROUND 305>

Adria delivers a verbal lashing to Biflora! Perhaps unsurprisingly, the mention of child murder is enough to get one onto Adria's... pecklist? Were that not in gorilla format, perhaps that'd be interpreted differently. Whatever. Biflora shrugs, not entirely intimidated.

BIFLORA: Oh no! The old nanny's mad! What ever shall I do?
BIFLORA: Hah! Like you can bring me anyway.
BIFLORA: I'm all the way over here, capable of soaring through the skies in my fancy armor, and you have some... weird-gorilla drive thing!
BIFLORA: So, let me ask: what're you gonna do? Stab me?

Hindsight is, of course, 20/20. Given the results of the last round of combat, Biflora is pulled all the way over there, and she in fact, gets stabbed. By a drill, no less! An unconscious Biflora is then shoved into the inventory. Well, mostly unconscious, anyway...

BIFLORA: A-Anything b-but... t-that psycho child...
BIFLORA: P-Please...

Elsewhere, over at the house, Michaela sends a timeclone over to Cypress, containing all the required footage. He bows forward ever so slightly.

CYPRESS: Thank you. Will utilize promptly.
CYPRESS: More footage: good. Provide if able. No hassle, however. Likely have enough.

Cypress equips a laptop, and immediately begins editing some video footage together. Is it fine to do this before the speeches are recorded and such? Eh, it's probably fine. It's not like this is real life- whatever speech is recorded will probably perfectly line up with his edits.

Elsewhere, Hannah, Sophia, and Dorothy go explorin'. They examine the wreckage that the departure of the Dream of Unity wrought. The game lags for a moment as it renders the new(?) area, revealing the lowest floor of the Sky Labs in all its meteor-baked glory! Taking a look, they... realize that it may be best to formulate a plan before actually heading down. Just by looking, they can tell that it'll take more than a pickaxe to clear the way down into the Vault. The darn door's been melted down into slag, which has only recently hardened into a near-impenetrable slab of solid metal.

In addition, there's a few curious threats down there. With the Chairian defenders all gone, the Iti have been free to overrun the place. A new species of Iti have been formed out of the remnants of the meteorites, which now inhabit the ash-filled craters that dot the first floor. Going down without respiratory equipment, a way to keep cool, and lots of firepower would be suicide. It'd be an interesting bit of suicide, but still suicide nonetheless.

Finally, Mari and Adria spend a few moments chilling, the latter listening in as Mari explains in detail, the intricacies of Chaos's mindscape. Adria muses to herself- what might her mindscape look like? Mari shrugs, while Adria proposes that it'd probably look like some sort of desert ruin...

MARI: Hell if I know, really. Everyone's different.
MARI: From what I've heard, Omorika's mindscape is like, a bunch of books floating in space. Each one, when opened, is its own little world.
MARI: Nia's mindscape meanwhile, was a cute, chibi-filled snowy wonderland. With an ancient hell-demon sleeping below it.
MARI: A hell-demon that had a crush on Venia. But still. Hell-demon.
MARI: As for what mine might look like... no goddamn clue.
MARI: I came from a mindscape, as I've said. Would I even have a mindscape? Like, maybe I do now, since I'm not in Chaos's mindscape, but what'd happen if I was in there and someone accessed my mindscape?
MARI: And then, what if someone accessed the mindscape of someone in my mindscape?
MARI: ...Let's not question this any further. My head hurts.

Tangent aside, Adria wonders if there was some sort of special tool that Mari used to escape the Mindscape. She nods.

MARI: Yep. He used an ancient Chairian superweapon called the "Dreamer".
MARI: It can put targets to sleep from an insane distance, then forcibly inject them into a mindscape.
MARI: It... also has like, a 3D printer for some reason? It can print out things from the Mindscape, too. Including people.
MARI: Hell if I know how that works. Pretty sure something as slow as 3D printing can't really print a person.
MARI: But yeah.

MARI: As for when that happened... gorilla. About a month ago, actually.
MARI: God, it's felt far, far longer than a month, though. Time in Chaos's mindscape was all sorts of wonky. Like, the... Chaosbreakers, or whatever the hell they called themselves- they experienced Christmas twice in the single week they were there?
MARI: Sorta like how we've celebrated Christmas on this planet three whole damn times.
MARI: Chaos... likes Christmas, I guess.

Who doesn't?

---

Echoss explains to Gum why they poisoned Aoki. Apparently, it has a lower morality rate. Video game mechanics, woo! Also because poison doesn't instantly bisect people. Gum... shrugs.

GUM: okay i mean i guess you have a point
GUM: bullets to the head tend to kill instantly, while poison just leaves debilitating side effects
AOKI: No side-effects. I am perfectly healthy, I assure you.
GUM: whatever works i guess

He too, sighs. What's happened has happened. He can't exactly un-poison her at this point, can he? Anyway, the group then gathers to go and write a script. This means that I should go and collaborate with some people to write a roleplay in a bit. Hopefully I have the time!

---

Destiny attempts to converse with her Odd Canister. She figures that someone's head is in there. There's some tinted glass on the front, allowing whatever's inside to see out, but not allowing prying eyes a view. They're... rather obviously, unhappy with their circumstances.

???: MY-IDENTITY-IS-NOT-OF-YOUR-CONCERN
???: WHERE-AM-I?
???: WHY-HAS-THE-GROUND-BEEN-TREMBLING?
???: WHY-DO-I-HEAR-THAT-INSUFFERABLE-CHAIRIAN-SPARK?

...He's not even answering your questions. How incredibly rude of him. Spark however, is more than happy to answer the question.

SPARK: Ah, yes. Lord Ikea, in all of his glory.
SPARK: We moved him here for safe keeping once the Iti arrived.

SPARK: Funny thing. The old Chairheir took his head, and shoved it in a container full of woodworms. Vindictive, wasn't he?
SPARK: I had the idea to get someone to install an old life support system so that his severed head could live indefintely.
SPARK: I want him to see his empire as it crumbles. He will witness me, the rightful ruler of Locaa!
IKEA: RULER-OF-LOCAA?
IKEA: YOU-CANNOT-BE-SERIOUS
IKEA: EVEN-THE-SENSELESS-DESTRUCTIVE-ACACIA-WOULD-BE-A-BETTER-LEADER
IKEA: SHE-AT-LEAST-HAS-BATTLEFIELD-EXPERIENCE-AND-A-SPINE
IKEA: HAVE-YOU-SEEN-THE-BATTLEFIELD-SPARK?
SPARK: Quiet, you.
SPARK: I am a greater ruler than you ever were. Than you will ever be.
SPARK: You're just a head. You don't think I couldn't take you out of there and crush you with my bare hands?
IKEA: VERY-FUNNY
IKEA: AS-IF-YOU-POSSESS-ENOUGH-STRENGTH-TO-DO-THAT

Spark groans angrily from behind the speakers. It's always a bad day when a severed head decides that you're a prime target for roasting.

---

The Scion questions Spark. Is he really confident that the Destroyer won't harm him? And why is he hiding behind those red lasers if he's so confident in his abilities?

SPARK: Need I remind you of the power of the Thymefield, whelp?
SPARK: As long as such an entity exists within the boundaries of the Thymefield, I can crush them as easily as I'll crush all of you.
SPARK: Regarding the lasers... why would I give you a straight shot to the core of my beautiful vessel?
SPARK: That's just common sense, having layers upon layers of defenses.
SPARK: I shall not even need to raise a finger against you. You won't even lay a finger on the core, either.

...Also, if I dropped the barriers instantly, you'd be speedrunning this battle and that's... not good! Also, El Iti rolls away uneventfully. Hopefully he'll be able to do something productive before the end of the game. Hopefully.

---

CALIBRI'S COME TO MAKE AN ANNOUCEMENT. SPARK THE CHAIRHEIR, YOU'VE GOT A SMALL-

SPARK: ...What?
SPARK: I don't get it. What are you doing.
SPARK: Do you think you're being funny?
SPARK: Firing a laser at something is not pissing, unless your anatomy is truly that bizarre. And if that is the case- word, I cannot believe the Spherebreakers tolerate such indecency.
SPARK: And if your lies are to be believed, the Sphere isn't going to explode for at least another day, so-
MARI: gorillain' boomer
SPARK: No, I am not a boomer. I am unaware of what that term even means.
SPARK: Both of you, shut up. We are fighting to the death.
SPARK: Why are you lot so talkative, anyway? Do all of you possess an infinite well of snark from which you vomit up snappy, disgusting one-liners? Would you immediately perish if you stopped talking for five seconds?
SPARK: I wonder, what'll happen to that spunk once I have you all on death's door?

Elsewhere, EN devices to fly down south, attempting to find the Nest of the Fell God. They find a mountain that matches the description rather quickly- it'd be hard to miss what could only be called "trypophobia mountain", with all sorts of wicked, tiny tunnels dotting the place. Many of the passageways are blocked off by snow, and many others... have the remains of Chairians plugging them up. Anyway, far as they can see, there are at least like, 6 main passageways they can enter. There aren't many signs of life on the surface, but there's definitely something squirming down in the depths. Shall they venture in? Also, looks like it won't be getting an actual zone map unless something more substantial happens. Welp.

Finally, down in the Everground, S.E.D drags a large outcropping of Eversteel to the area below the other Eversteel. They stare at the Remnant, attempting to silently communicate something to it. The eyestalk stares back, then soon rescends into the earth. It pops back out a moment later from above the Eversteel, shoving it out of the ceiling! It falls a rather long distance before slamming into the other vein! Both veins fragment into tiny little pieces, allowing the collection of 40 units of Eversteel. Very nice.

---

Venia critizises Spark for his words. "Stop that" is not enough. Spark sighs.

SPARK: Please just shut up.
SPARK: It's incredibly taxing talking with you people, when taking into consideration the mental gymnastics you go through to try and insist that you're winning.
SPARK: Forgive me, for being ever-so-slightly worn out, dealing with your nonsense.
SPARK: I don't even know why I bother humoring you.

Why does he, actually? Probably because Venia's now armed with a glock that deals (44) Direct Damage a hit. That's kinda insane, but I guess she did use a Smash Ball. It's fair, technically. Even if it's mean to my Perfect Leaders, who are meant to survive while they have allies around. They also inexplicably develop the ability to not die while having a Divine Shield. Which will fortunately only apply to new Perfect Leaders. no cheese for you >:U

---

Auth tells Nana of his plans. Today, he'll be recording a message to broadcast to the Citadel. Hopefully, this'll sway the hearts and minds of those still resisting the Spherebreaker's advance. Or well, that's Aoki's job. His job is to relay what'll be happening once their mission is complete. Who will be replacing the Highchair once this is all done? Auth notes that it's probably not something he'd be comfortable giving feedback on. Nana, probably more qualified on this subject than Auth, ponders this for a moment.

NANA: I-I think Miss Omorika would be a good candidate, r-right?
NANA: She's very r-responsible, friendly, a-and helpful! M-Maybe just the duo of her and Cypress c-could run the council...
NANA: We could also try recruiting l-like... miss Chi, and lady Hersilia! T-They're both really helpful too, right?
NANA: E-Even if Chi w-was a rebel leader, s-she knows h-how to lead people! And Hersilia is really good with spiders... b-but I guess that's not r-really a government-y thing, is it?

NANA: Hm... as for other people... t-there are more people w-who are like, subordinates of the Highchair. T-Their names don't really c-come to mind though, a-and I'm sure most of them have stayed couped up in the Citadel...
NANA: I'm sure w-when the time comes, you can pick and choose t-those who would best fit the position.
NANA: Ooh, maybe we could elect Nettle? T-Though, I don't really know much about her, but... she's really strong! T-That counts for something, right?
NANA: Or maybe that'd be like electing Acacia, but scarier...
NANA: Really, t-there are a lot of scary people I'd rather not have run the show.

While Nana worries about having two Acacia's on the council, Auth conveys to Cypress that he'd probably be a good fit on the council despite his status. He doesn't respond immediately, his voice processor starting and stopping a few times before he properly says something.

CYPRESS: ...Thank you. I will consider. Myself.
CYPRESS: Hopefully, people: approval. For my position. Wish to help. That is all.

Auth also spends some time chatting to Omorika. Who would be a prime candidate for a seat in the Highchair? Omorika redirects the topic ever so slightly.

OMORIKA: Hm...
OMORIKA: Perhaps it would be more prudent to discuss who might be the Chairheir?
OMORIKA: The Chairian people will need someone to look up to during the upcoming period of crisis and healing.
OMORIKA: So, allow me to muse for a few moments...

OMORIKA: The Sleuth was widely respected during his time, though he was an outsider. Given that we've effectively cured his mental state, he could certainly function as Chairheir once more.
OMORIKA: While yes, it would be wildly unconventional to have one being serve as Chairheir twice, it would be adequate.
OMORIKA: Plus, many do not know about his time as the Husk, which would certainly hurt his chances of rejoining the Highchair.
OMORIKA: For instance, if we were to recommend Ire to take the seat for whatever reason... I don't believe people would overlook his actions as WARE. Even if they were unintentional, or uncontrollable.

OMORIKA: But, if the Sleuth is unwilling to serve... perhaps I could be the Chairheir?
OMORIKA: It must sound awfully arrogant of me to suggest myself, but I truthfully don't see many other options.
OMORIKA: Cypress, given his nature as part-tabletopian, would indeed cause many a riot.
OMORIKA: Chi, given that she started a full-on rebellion that claimed many lives, would also be unpopular.
OMORIKA: In comparison, I, to my knowledge, have not committed many acts that would anger the Chairian people.
OMORIKA: I am also willing to give my all to the Chairian people, like I have since the beginning.

Two very viable options there, I'd say. Though, that doesn't really answer the question. But still, the Sleuth could be a very valuable member of the Highchair. Or he could simply just be the Chairheir, too. Either works!

---

<THE DREAM OF UNITY, ROUND 8>
Truly, it's been a ride, hasn't it? Now the Core of the Dream of Unity is in sight! But of course, it won't be going down easily. A squadron of 4 Core Defender turrets are stationed around it, each capable of dishing out hefty amounts of damage! There's also a few Perfect Leaders in the room as well. Meanwhile, on the outside of the Dream of Unity, some Rebels have arrived to help! Make use of their presence to get a few more troops inside the Dream of Unity itself, and hopefully take out the core!

+2 Planning! I think.
Bauhaus is carried by Reisz confirmed.
----
As Bauhaus advances onto the core, he catches something at the corner of his eye.

"Egads! Something is trying to flank us! Don't worry, I'll go get it."

And so he does, a purple thorn launching from the floor towards the Blossom, grabbing it and pulling it to him. It lands in his hand, and he just sits there.

"Now what?"
--BATTLE ACTION--
[The Hound] What the dog doin'? It is moving to L6 and scanning Pionobot.

Reisz sprints to L7.

Bauhaus moves to L8, and uses Abduction on Everbloom, putting it on M8.

The Falling Dream

Daskter: "What use is an infinite army if they're not where they need to be? The Dream of Unity is about to die."

Daskter moves after Omorika Specials, but before any allied summons:

Daskter sprints to (L12) then they call in for Special: Reserves!

My Summons sprint 8 tiles right.

The Box of Chocolates in the inventory is broken open to give a pile of Chocolate consumables.
Not!Echoss commits more inadvisable decisions and hires Nia to upgrade the NIA NIA NIA and Temmie Mafia's Special Spaghetti to T7.


Praetorian lockup because nobody else is doing it and it's urgent.
Echoss walks into Cellblock Omega. The next upcoming fight with the Praetorians is ongoing and the holding solution still hasn't been handled. If you need somethind done right, do it yourself I guess.
He pulls out the Infinite Shadow, which has the dubious honor of being about to be obsolete thanks to tier ups, and a freshly purchased antimagic generator. He pulls apart the Infinite Shadow, which washes across the Cellblock, reinforcing chunks of wall, darkening it (but fortunately reducing the obviousness of the awfulness of the construction in the process) and in general strengthening it up to proper "jail area". Finally, it floods inwards into the antimagic generator which, when combined with a hyperprocessor and 3 crystalline conduits, creates the "power disruption generator V2", which works on advanced tech as well as magic, generally making any attempts at escape using gear and magic difficult without (somehow) affecting any sort of medical implants.

Echoss then puts the two unconscious Praetorians into their own cells.

Back at the house, Linseed becomes abruptly aware that he is asleep. Which is to say that the dream sentry has opened fire until he is unconscious and subdued. An NPC of some description (dunno who would be best for this but Linseed is asleep so does it matter?) is sent into to collect Linseed and toss him into the inventory quick.

Back in the Catacombs, Echoss slots Linseed into his own cell, the purpose of the abrupt upgrade to the antimagic generator to disable combat tech as well now revealed. Linseed's augments are reduced to civilian grade strength while he's in the cellblock and the power disruptor is active. Echoss goes around and double checks all the cells again, making sure nobody will be doing obnoxiousness like tearing out rusty bars or whatever.

Finally, Echoss goes around the room and jams pieces of iron ingots into the mechanisms of the remaining two levers, ensuring that no kind of nonsense can be attempted to dump everyone to the less secure testing cellblock. Then, he sits back and waits. He'll need to head back to the house soon, but as long as the battle is ongoing it's good for him to stay here in case more praetorians need to be deposited.

Items expended: Infinite Shadow, Antimagic Generator, Hyperprocessor, x3 crystalline conduits, the two captive praetorians (technically)


Also talk to Chi about easing tension with the less friendly rebel factions.
Sometime not long before the final battle... Echoss approaches Chi.
"Miss Chi?
May I have a word with you?"
assuming she assents and comes over to talk.
"It's been brought to my knowledge that some of the more... agitated groups in the rebellion might be planning a raid on our base of operations tonight.
As we're currently keeping civilians refuge, that is even less ideal an outcome than it would be normally.
Cypress said that you're generally the leader of the rebellion and the 'face' of the group, yes? The one people look up to and handles morale.
Do you know something we could perhaps do to try and make amends, or at least mitigate the damage that Hickory (or I assume it was his orders) did to our relations by pitting us against all of you?"


Crafting one of these days.


To-do List:
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)
Praetorian jail in the catacombs needs to be established, ASAP.

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)

Crya asks Chloe to get some Cinderfruit.

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

Destiny seems somewhat shocked at Spark's comment on Helix.
And so in the face of your god this is how you react? You have not a single bit of respect left, that you put your foolish ambitions over your lord? Do you think that Lord Helix himself facing you is not a sign of your madness? I see, then, that you are truly lost.
From its cocoon, shall the Butterfly of the End hatch, it may do what you want, but it will do oh so much more against you...

Destiny hands Chloe IKEA's head.
...take it. Maybe this talking head will tick the madman off enough to perform something rash. You don't mind more fools to cut down, right?

Destiny waits for someone to use a Helix Totem on her, boosting Enlightened, then moves to (L12). She concentrates for a moment, before using up all her In The Zone stacks to attack Soldier 2, then Archer 2, then Archer 3. She then uses Whirling Blades, moving M12, N11, O10, P11, Q12, R13, S14.

Destiny waits for Venia to act before throwing a Fragapple at PArcher 2's body, destroying it and the others around it.

INTERIOR
GODHAND 1: Move first, move to J13 and Aerorend East. Throw a Splinter at Soldier 7.
CHLOE: Use a Helix Relic boosting Enlightened on Destiny. Wait for Adria, then move to N15 and attack Magus 2. Symbiote follows up, use Echo stack to finish Magus 2. When Soldier 5 is downed, use an Echo stack on them as well.
MDRONE 1: Move to J14, attack P.Soldier5, retreat to I15. Use a Oneshot Railcannon on it afterwards.
MAPLE: Move to O15, double attack Perfect Leader and throw a Cinderfruit at it, retreat back to M13. Throw another Splinter on the way back.
WATTLE: Sprint to M12, retreat to N13. Use a Princess Special.

EXTERIOR
AGENT 3: Move before anyone uses Weapon Consoles, move to F19, use Rangefinder, double tap Archer 8.
ROSIE: Plant Proximity Mines at F7, F13, and I15. Recharge.

Battle - Dream of Unity

Spark's flipout makes her smile. Nothing more to say now. It's arguable if he can even hear her now, anyways. And yet, in her minds eye, she thinks a single word.

"That."

Venia disembarks from Gibbet at R8, teleporting into the Interior at J10. Once inside, she completes her move at K7. Venia waits for Calibri to buff the Everbloom to dangerously high levels of blast, and then for Destiny to complete her move, before she starts actually acting.

Once that's done... First, she uses her last special charge to delete the Storm Beacon behind her, ignoring the cover and large SHP to total it beyond recognition, adding +2 to her Phantasmal Force bonus damage, and renewing her buffs. This allows her to use her Trait without having Ordo as well. She then uses Hope Rides Eternal on the Everbloom to shove it to P11. Given all the targets around it and the fact it is probably a massive aggro sink by sheer dint of its existence, it is probably going to detonate immediately, so either the Perfect Soldiers waste their actions killing it or it'll blow for massive damage-their choice now, not ours!

Venia then shoots Perfect Soldier2 with a basic attack, lined up perfectly to bypass the cover. If this downs this soldier, she will follow up with a Cinderfruit to destroy it. She then retreats to J8.

"Destroy that spherical perfect leader there, before it becomes a nuinsense!"

... Meanwhile, back on Armaments, Gibbet still hasn't actually moved or taken his action. He somehow chucks a splinter to delete the P.Magus corpse. He then flies up to U3 and Basic's the AAGun, destroying it as his basic damage is +50% as well. He retreats to T4.

---

Scavenging

Venia asks the Sleuth to retrieve Panaceras. Status healing gooooooo

---

Also Scavenging

Given that Wattle and other such goons aren't around, Venia carefully searches the southern storage. Well, starts carefully searching the southern storage, with the assistance of Mr. Krabs.

Mr. Krabs locks on to the two Bilebaronesses, and immediately springs into action. With a literal spring, and a literal(?) bolt-action rifle, chambered with 5.0 calibur rounds. Not a typo, 5.0 calibur, not .50. The 5.0 calibur rounds are rated 5/10 for general use and 10/10 for popping pimples, and Bliebaronesses are like if a frog was spliced with a pimple, so Mr. Krabs has found the ultimate target.

Two thoroughly-obliterated Bilebarons later, Venia carefully unboxes and views the contents of every crate in the Southern Storage. If it isn't a crate of Livingwood (or otherwise important) she carefully re-boxes the crate.

---

Mariaaaaaaaaaa

"I did it!" Maria shouts, victorious. "I did it! I did it, I did it, I did it!"

A pause. Maria's eyes linger on her character piece-a recreation of Venia. "... I still miss Venny..."

"I wanna do stuff with her but she's always doin' dangerous stuff that I'm not allowed to dooooo," Maria says, making (careful) motions with her wand. "I wanna do cool stuff. I wanna be all like, ka-pow and boom and-"

Maria catches the light of the sparkles on her snowball wand. Then-"I HAD AN IDEA! I had an idea! Miss Nia made my special snowball wand super-sparkly and way better, so maybe she can make me super sparkly and way better too! And then maybe I can do all the weirdo stuff with Venny! I wanna ask her, I wanna ask her, can we go ask her to make me super awesome mister Chaos?"

Dream of Unity

Bristle wasn't so much killed as startled off the edge of the ship. No worries, he'll land safely on the ground later. Nine lives, great landing and all that.

Adria salutes the oncoming Rebels before heading inside to tear up the place.

ACTUAL ACTION

Before Chloe acts, Adria teleports to the Interior at (I10).

ADRIA: Chloe, I'm here!
ADRIA: Let's rip this ship to shreds, hm?
ADRIA: I've got another boost ready to go!

Adria uses Hypercharge on Chloe! She obtains monstrous sustainability buffs (Mending24, Energized12, Guardian8 for 3 rounds)!

Adria then waits for Chloe to move into position and attack. She then moves to (L13) and pre-emptively fires Overacceleration Round at Perfect Magus 2. Her Symbiote Spike Bursts to hit both Soldiers near Chloe and behind cover. She then moves to (M12) and Basic Attacks either Perfect Soldier 2 or 4 (boosted by Watching Over You), or their corpses. If they're both completely dead somehow, she charges her Drive instead.

---

Central Labs

The trio peer down into the depths. It's even worse up close than they could have imagined. Thick, hot, potentially toxic ash everywhere, and tons of new iti. Not to mention the newly formed slab of metal that was once the Vault Door.

Hannah looks at the situation in astonishment.

HANNAH: ...If I had to take one guess... Spark's doing.
HANNAH: He wanted to get rid of us once and for all.
SOPHIA: I mean, he kinda failed pretty hard didn't he?
SOPHIA: The airship's flyin' an' fightin' right now.
HANNAH: Leave it to the Spherebreakers to get the hell outta a tight situation.
HANNAH: ...But in all honesty it seems pretty... dead down there.
HANNAH: You sure there might be someone under all that? And that they're alive?

Dorothy nods as she points towards the melted Vault Door.

DOROTHY: S-see that? That... looks like i-it used to be a door!

Sophia and Hannah also take a look down at it.

HANNAH: You think... maybe it was some sorta trap? And someone fell for it?

Dorothy nods.

DOROTHY: I-I mean even if not it wouldn't hurt to... um, explore, right?
HANNAH: I mean yeah, but...
HANNAH: God, feel that heat rising from there! And all that ash, too...
HANNAH: Even with Dorothy pushing the ash out of the way we're still gonna cook alive.
SOPHIA: An' there's monsters down there!
SOPHIA: ...Gimme a sec, gonna change weapons.

Sophia rummages around in the inventory before coming out with the Blink Blade.

HANNAH: ...We're gonna need some proper gear for this, huh?
HANNAH: The toxins and ash are no problem for me and Dorothy; I still have that Locust suit after all, and Dorothy can just push the air out of the way.
HANNAH: But Sophie, you're still gonna need something, and all of us still need something for the heat.
HANNAH: Sophie, can you work on personal cooling systems? I'll see about getting you a respirator or something. I'll also need a new drill since that's gone for some reason.
SOPHIA: kay
HANNAH: ...You gonna be okay here for now, Dorothy?
DOROTHY: Mhm...

Both kids head off on their own to craft stuff. Dorothy, meanwhile, is left to keep watch over everything. She sits on the holobridge and... begins sketching the broken landscape around her.



Hannah and Sophia return to Dorothy with the gear.

HANNAH: Got the stuff. Let's get this show on the road!

Hannah quickly flashes some shadow magic on their present location, temporarily turning it into fog of war. When it dissipate, the three are all equipped with the gear they need.

Hannah's fully equipped with her old Locust Suit from her time in the rebel base. She has her cooling system stuffed in there, and is currently equipped with the newly created drill.

Dorothy doesn't have any respiratory gear on, instead having a small air bubble around her head for air. She's wearing the Teal coolant system with her clothing and other gear layered on top.

Sophia has the respirator equipped. She seems to be breathing just fine in there, all considered. She's wearing the Purple suit, and like Dorothy, also has her gear and clothing layered on top of it.

The two other girls look kinda funny with their lack of hair thanks to the suits, but they're all safe from the heat.

HANNAH: You two ready? Nothing uncomfortable I hope?
SOPHIA: Nope, all good! Actually this feels better than actual fresh air!
DOROTHY: N-not as good as what I can do though... r-right?
SOPHIA: Nah, yours is better!
HANNAH: Ready Dorothy?
DOROTHY: Mhm!
HANNAH: Then let's GOOOO!

Hannah lowers a chain down into the depths from the second floor at (U81) and all three slide down to (U127). On the way down, Sophia cleaves the Meteos below them while Hannah plunges her drill directly into the top of it, turning it on and letting the sheer amount of external heat do the energizing. Once down there and free of threats, Dorothy projects an air barrier to help push any loose ash out of the way. And also help deal with any potential leaks. They march together towards the vault door, avoiding the craters and readying themselves for any more aggressors.

---

Mari

ADRIA: I see... I see.
ADRIA: So everyone has one, but we can't access them very easily.
ADRIA: Interesting...

Adria can't help but chuckle at the thought of mindscape-ception.

ADRIA: Yeah, inception can be highly confusing.
ADRIA: Those situations don't come up often enough to matter much anyway. Low priority research, no big deal.

As she listens to the description of the tool Chaos used, a cold sweat washes over her.

ADRIA: ...Hm.
ADRIA: A tool like that could definitely be quite dangerous in the wrong hands.
ADRIA: ...Which in the case of Chaos it probably would be, huh.
ADRIA: It must have been pure luck that you, Marron, Ette, and these "Chaosbreakers" got out of there alive.
ADRIA: Thank goodness...

Adria seems practically indifferent to the oddity that Christmas occurred twice in Chaos's Mindscape and thrice on Sussui. Like it's a common thing, or the passage of time is genuinely meaningless to her. Nevertheless, she answers.

ADRIA: I don't see why that would be too weird. If there's something worth celebrating, why not celebrate?
ADRIA: Even though it's... the same types of celebrations over and over again.
ADRIA: I suppose that could be seen as strange now that I think about it...

ADRIA: Time seems to be overly wonky out here anyway. It likely had an influence on Chaos's mindscape as well.
ADRIA: As far as I know, time is not a linear force. Some places have a faster flow of time than other areas, while in strange cases time is highly erratic.
ADRIA: There may very well be some other parallel facet of time that dictates the frequency of celebrations like these.
ADRIA: But... enough about that for now.

Adria sighs. She pulls out the note Mari gave the Spherebreakers several days ago, and reads down through it once more. What hell has this girl been through... brought out of the mindscape only to be nigh-on immediately captured...

...She stores it back in the inventory after a few moments, and looks at Mari, very mildly concerned for her well-being.

ADRIA: ...There's been something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now, Mari, dear.
ADRIA: Once this is all over, do you... have anywhere to go?

---

Old Pass

Michaela quickly comes running as EN takes off, grabbing onto her leg (or some other safe bit idk) as she takes off.

SHELLY: Sorry, sorry, had a quick errand to take care of!

She looks over the mountain.

SHELLY: So that's the beast's nest?
SHELLY: Quite the network.
SHELLY: If I could have more than two out at a time right now that place would be overrun in moments.
SHELLY: Ah well.

SHELLY: Regardless of what entrance we choose we're gonna be in for a hell of a fight.
SHELLY: Worst comes to worst we'll just respawn back home anyway like nothing happened.
SHELLY: Not that I particularly enjoy the thought...

SHELLY: So, any plan or are we just gonna go guns blazing?

Before EN could answer she may suddenly notice that she feels as though they're carrying another two women. Another two Shellys, it seems like.

---

Verdana

Adria nods.

ADRIA: Hence why I decided to ask for a little guidance prior to working with this information.
ADRIA: Wouldn't want to accidentally botch it, hm?

She pulls out a small notepad, noting Verdana's recommendations on it.

ADRIA: Isolate scanner, input data of unrelated entity, experiment from there.
ADRIA: As good a plan as any. Thank you for the information.
ADRIA: I suppose I should also ask your brother for more information... Calibri was his name, correct?
ADRIA: Any idea where I may find him?
ADRIA: I'll likely be working on the scanner thing once I'm moving.

BATTLES - DREAM OF UNITY INTERIOR

"The Scion" waits until the Everbloom has been moved, then moves to H4 and hacks the console. The wall should be unable to hit her through it. Hopefully.

---

STARTERNA

Lato has posed some rather philosophical queries. Star thinks on this.

STAR: Eliminate the source you mean to slay the hanged man,, surely not........
STAR: Free his mind from the purple prison only and set him back into the stars
STAR: i Know Not if mine brethren will see things in gray afterward but at least they will not be forced to kill for a endless and pointless and ceaseless war
STAR: I would like to avoid snuffing them but they are not well durable designed i admit
STAR: and our duty is written in the cosmos, as you say~

Zahlia downs the Tornadopetal Remedy. As Wings of fire burst from her shoulder, she lifts off and flies away to T8. There, she sends a crescent burst of flame at Perfect Soldier 4 through Judgement Cut before retreating onto R8 and teleporting to D14 to activate a Weapon Console and use Breaker Drill on Perfect Soldier 7. If they are dead, move on to drilling Perfect Archer 6.

Armaments
Move to N15.
Last Dream the Exoknight.
Snooze - Energizing Nap self.
Retreat to M15.

[S] Bergilmir Returns (for real, I hope).




A swirl of ice and snow blankets the spawn of the Dream of Unity. Characters, both good, evil, and gray onboard shiver, a chill running up their spines or spine equivalents. As the maelstrom grows, the frozen matter starts to coalesce, building and building into a being easily three meters tall. His skin as blue as the water he formed from, the giant stumbles as he fully forms, before looking around in a state of utter confusion.

cA: What... what happened to me?...

Around him, starting back up after the shock of his re-arrival, is the clamour of pitched battle. He smiles. At least this hasn't changed.

cA: I do not know what has happened... But I do know what I must do!

cA: ...The same thing I always do. Protect my friends.

Berg lets out a battlecry that cracks the wood around him, and deafens a nearby Chairian.

cA: Fear me villains! For I have returned!

I spawn at H18 in Armaments, move to H19, teleport to I10 in Interior, and THEN move to I9 (total 4 MOV). I then cast Sword Beam.

["'boy'..? Fool, I have cast aside gender in the pursuit of redemption. And yet, you run, fleeing until my arrows cannot strike you. Coward."]

Yato responded to the Xenophyte, brushing off the flames from their straw hat, and grimacing. That... sorta hurt, to be honest. Not to worry, though, that's what this Lively Concoction is for! ...they were still on fire, though! Not to worry, a phoenix had not to worry of flames. Yato, unfortunately, was not a phoenix, and was mostly just doing their best to ignore the flames.
Moving to W4, Yato held out their bow towards... where they could more or less see the Xenophyte. Just not enough to actually hit them. The bow seemed to... stir, as if smelling the sap(?) from the wounded Xenophyte, awakening to hunt the target that had been Marked for death.
(Move to W4, consume Lively Concoction, weapon skill.)

Battle - Dream of Unity

The fusion's reaction to Spark's indignation is one of total amusement. It also briefly summons a small hand-shaped construct that flies over to Mari and offers her a fistbump.

"Why so talkative? Simple answer, spark. One part psychological warfare, two parts amusement, three parts being driven kind of insane from being three people awkwardly melded into one and then getting supercharged with way more power than I expected to be handling this early and venting that resultant scramblebrain by incessantly speaking about anything I can put my mind onto for more than a few seconds. Anyway, don't mind me."

Calfusion then turns around and steps onto the R7 teleporter, disappearing and reappearing at I10 on the other battle and casually wandering up to M5. Once there, they notice something...

"Oh hey! There's a battle going on here. Let me just... do something potentially a bit dumb..."

It waits for a bit, then once the Everbloom is moved into anywhere in range 1-3, he promptly uses Fury to slap it with a nice Empowered9. They also opt to share the rage with themself, getting the +1 duration from self-casts this way. This also gives themself Focused4 because helmet, also benefitting from the +1 duration. After that, back to what he remembered. Namely... Pionobot.

"Anyway. That little matter aside... Pionobot, you probably-genocidal probably-rage-filled little somethingarather! Normally I would just let people be, but you're kind of overriding the personality of someone I vaguely know, and you're also kind of a big problem for the long-term integrity of the planet in the event that you aren't dealt with before the thymefield is removed how the hell is talking this much of a free action anyway!"

The fusion promptly smacks Pionobot with a supercharged 10-buff-level Gravity Hammer, then a Fragapple, then a GORILLA-covered rock.

"Fight me! Or are you so pathetic you can only pursue targets weaker than yourself!?"

---

The Old Pass...?

EN nods, her flight path dipping a little at the sudden extra weight but generally maintaining goodly enough. The aerial view of the place makes her wonder...

"Hm..."

She decides to run a quick scan of the surface level entrances just in case there's anything of note there, but either way, EN slowly descends towards one of the higher ones. As she does so, she mulls things over until she's ready to give her perspective.

"Ah'm thinkin' scout out th' shallow parts o' one o' th' entrances, then fortify th' area an' make sure we ain't gon' be caught off-guard. Gradually push inside one it's safe t' do so."

---

The Everground

Loading.

---

Verdy and Adria

"Glad I could help!" :D

Verdana spends a moment pondering Adria's question. Going by his expression, he... has no goddamn clue. But he does quickly come up with an idea, so he can at least have credit for that.

"I'm not really sure. He might be in the middle of a battle. Chronology is weird like that. But if you find a place to stand and then call for him, he might show up. Cal's weird like that - as long as he can pinpoint somewhere to be when things are happening that pertain to him, he'll almost certainly go there whenever he feels like it!"

---

Star Aeterna

"...Understood. Alleviation."

Lato flickers. A sound emits from her Core, rather much like a computer processing data, then falls silent. Her voice starts up soon enough. She seems to be considering possibilities.

"I have conducted a brief analysis. Certain equipment possesses... a peculiar asset. Not the Grey Card, there is nothing to fear there, but... others. That thing, the key... Something in its power granted it the means to disconnect the control Ware has over your kind. The problem there is that it does so with extreme force, such that only those with exceptional durability have been able to handle it..."

Another pause.

"Perhaps that provides another course of consultation. Those who have worked with the key. And those who have been targeted by it. The other Greys-"

Lato cuts herself off, as though abruptly remembering a specific and very important detail. One she probably should've thought of earlier. She should probably be careful with the question, but this has potential. She should inquire.

"...Star, if you do not mind my curiosity, why have you (to my knowledge) not yet associated with the other Grey Iti?"

Remiel moves to I8 and Relinquishes Archer7.

REMIEL: Most would despair at least a little upon seeing themselves do that, but I suppose not everyone.
REMIEL: Anyways, I wasn't entirely lying to Amabilis with that Regent bit earlier. Control does become easier the more familiar I get with the way the body reacts. And, it just so happens, you've given me a big pile of identical bodies to practice on.
REMIEL: Now I just gotta figure out how to get around that damn boss immunity.

Auth nods gently.

AUTH: Yeah, I could see that. I do agree that Omo is probably the most reasonable choice.
AUTH: Although, an understaffed council is what, to my understanding, was one of the contributing factors to this issue in the first place. As talented as Omo and Cypress are.
AUTH: Would an election, or something like that, be plausible? If my memory serves, you come from a relatively remote region of Sussui. I'm wondering how plausible it would be to get areas like that to have their say.

Auth thinks as Nana suggests that Nettle could be like electing another Acacia.

AUTH: I don't think so. Nettle doesn't seem quite as aggressive as Acacia, in my limited experience.
AUTH: Perhaps Nettle would be able to keep a cooler head. I don't think Acacia should be nominated for the Council, personally.
AUTH: For her own mental health, if nothing else. The pressure on her seemed to be crushing her. Metaphorically. I think Acacia ought to relax for a long while. Somewhere quiet and pretty.

Perhaps a suggestion that Acacia wouldn't exactly take kindly to.

---

Auth nods again, vaguely. He seems to be running ideas through his own mind about prospects, after having been given suggestions. He makes several very quick notes.

AUTH: I appreciate both of your inputs. I have a question that is, perhaps, tangentially related.
AUTH: Truth be told, I had assumed that whoever was the current head of the Church of Helix would be present on the Council. Who is it currently? Do either of you know much about them? I don't... think it's Spark, is it?
AUTH: The prospects are unlikely... but if it were possible to try and get the church itself to turn, I think some very useful assets might become available to us. But I don't know much about it. I've been meaning to look into it, alas.

Asking questions that are arguably intelligent! That might be a first.

---

Auth floats down to I16, sets the Wrath of Heaven to fire at T20, and then casts Kindness on the Airship's Core.

Asha looks quizzically at Marron.

"Huh? Can people learn new skills just like that? And wouldn't the plague thing still be a problem even if she could make pasta...?"

Evidently, Asha is either unaware of "The Scion's" alternate identity as The Reflector, or unaware that there is a shapeshifter among the Spherebreakers at all. After all, she's only been in like, one or two battles since Zone 4.

Battle: Dream of Unity

Irongutta moves to the Landing Point at L22 and spends one more MOV to warp to the Dream of Unity's interior...

In the Interior battle, Irongutta spawns on the Landing Point at I10 and steps off of it to H10. The Ork then casts Fury on Berg and himself for 20 MP.

<ROUND 306>

---

To begin, Not!Echoss awakens sins untold. As in, he commissions Nia to finish upgrading the NIA NIA NIA and the Temmie Mafia Special Spaghetti. From the depths of the void, the NIA NIA NIA transcends our feeble reality, and prepares to unleash its horrifying destructive power on the universe. Meanwhile, the Temmie Mafia ascends to become a Star of the City, taking control of the world as the Temmie Thumb's Forbidden Fettucine. On a less destructive note, he also opens up a Box of Chocolates, obtaining 16 Valentine's Day Chocolates. Were they for valentine's day? I forget.

Elsewhere, Echoss without the Not! moves into Cellblock Omega. Taking the Infinite Shadow, he restores the Cellblock to a more usable, humane state. He then combines the Infinite Shadow with a freshly purchased Antimagic Generator (200 credits), as well as a Hyperprocessor and 3 Crystalline Conduits. This creates a wide-range "Power Disruption Generator", which should ideally stop the more advanced bits of tech from functioning. The two unconscious Praetorians, Amabilis and Biflora, are safely stored away into the cells. Then, through a rapid-fire sleep-inducing barrage of rounds through the wall, Linseed is put to sleep, and safety stored away in Cellblock Omega.

As a few final notes, he ensures the integrity of many of the cells, jams the "vent levers", and also probably default dances on Linseed, because he deserves it.

Elsewhere, Echoss takes a moment to chat with Chi regarding the less friendly bits of the Rebellion. I'm going to assume they're somewhere at the main floor of the house, not far from the recording setup where Aoki and the Author are working. Far as Echoss knows, some of the angrier folk of the Rebellion might be planning a raid against the House. As she's the "face" of the group, does she know what could be done to try and make amends? She shakes her head.

CHI: I don't believe there's much you could do to make amends in such a short time.
CHI: The Rebellion generally hates all of you. You did smash up R4-Sat0skr, foil their plans at nearly every turn, and gave me a very, very large headache.
CHI: There is however, a chance that if I were to return to our base of operations, that I could settle things down there.

CHI: Really... perhaps it'd be best if I went there and formally disbanded our little rebellion.
CHI: Morale is hurting, and the writing's on the wall for them at this point. The Spherebreakers have obtained three glyphs, and are roughly one airship away from obtaining the final one.
CHI: I doubt it'd come as a surprise. We're lacking in manpower now, and the growing schisms in the rebellion caused by Linseed have reduced our already low manpower even further.
CHI: But... what do you think?
CHI: Perhaps I should bring Cypress, too. Part of it was his idea, after all.

...A chance to end the Rebellion. Should she go for it?

---

Destiny criticizes Spark's comments on Helix. Is he truly so disrespectful, that he'd put his ambitions over his lord? He shrugs, somehow in a verbal fashion.

SPARK: Truthfully, I preferred Dome over Helix anyway.
SPARK: Not that we need a god to flourish. I shall guide the people in Helix's stead.

...Of course he'd prefer Dome. Taeda's HERESY gauge suffers a critical spike, but it's already been maxed. Nothing happens.

---

...A broadcast rings out.

---

Venia does a few tasks. First, she nudges the Sleuth. Could he grab a few Panaceas? Wordlessly, he produces a batch of 3 of them from his hat. They're strangely candy-corn shaped. Perhaps he made an error earlier, or something.

She then heads off to the Southern Storage, which may or may not be infested with Iti. Fortunately for her, she has Mr. Krabs available! Armed with the legendary 5.0 calibur rifle, he puts many a hole into the Bilebaronesses. While Mr. Krabs continues to fire rounds into the Thyme Matter aimlessly, Venia looks through some crates. It's not long before she finds a box full of Livingwood Logs! 25 units obtained.

Finally, over in the ceaseless void, Maria celebrates her victory over Charon, the rules of the game, and most importantly, her triumph over the evils of capitalism. It's unclear how she accomplished that last part as she was one of the ones indulging in reckless capitalism, but whatever! But now... she just wants to be with Venny again. Chaos nods, and prepares to give the typical "no i[t] dangerous" excuse, when Maria gives an excellent(?) suggestion. Become MEGUCA! This has literally never, ever gone wrong in any form of media, ever. Chaos, knowing that previous fact to be true, nods.

CHAOS: [t]his is [t]he bes[t] idea anyone's ever had, maybe ever
CHAOS: we [c]an make you into [t]he qween
CHAOS: [t]he queen of wha[t]? i dunno
CHAOS: probably like, [c]a[t]s or some[t]hing
CHAOS: ca[t]s was grea[t]
CHAOS: [t]op [t]en movies, all [t]ime

CHAOS: bu[t] anyway
CHAOS: le[t]'s go kidnap nia or some[t]hing
CHAOS: maybe she [c]an be our [t]hird player when we a[t][t]emp[t] [t]o [t]a[c]kle snakes and ladders medium diffi[c]ul[t]y

Chaos heads to the front of his windowless van, honking the horn. The vehicle turns, and begins to slowly and responsibly make its way to the border between loading zones. While he'd normally go at breakneck speeds, the heir to his company is now present in this truck! It's very, very important.

CHAOS: okay, so
CHAOS: we need [t]o like, [c]ome up wi[t]h a magi[c]al girl name
CHAOS: i[t]'s like a superhero name, bu[t] be[t][t]er
CHAOS: for ins[t]an[c]e, on round 8 of our game, my guy hugepecs m[c]mus[c]learms be[c]ame a superhero named
CHAOS: el car

In the distant void, a guitar plays a haunting mexican refrain.

CHAOS: he was a mus[c]le [c]ar i[t] was pog as he[c]k
CHAOS: anyway, a magi[c]al girl name is like [t]ha[t], bu[t] less bad
CHAOS: we're also gonna need [t]o de[t]ermine your power se[t], your [c]os[t]ume, and wha[t] your [t]eam of quirky o[t]her magi[c]al girls are

Maria is facing another terrifying set of decisions. This could determine if her like is a Madoka Magica or a Sailor Moon. But no matter what, Chaos will probably become the team mascot. He's thinking a small, cat-shaped thing. Those are popular with the kids, right?

---

A bunch of children adventure into a volcanic hellscape! Don't worry, they'll be fineeee. Especially since they've prepared some equipment! With 3 Glacier Clusters, 6 Fireproof Silkweave, 3 Whirlpool Clusters, a Squall Cluster, an Iron Ingot, and 3 Simple Fabric, 3 Personal Cooling Systems and a Respirator are made. The trio equips these systems, and also prepare a device known as the Everdrill from 3 Eversteel, an Electromagnet Cluster, a piece of Joltwire, a Flame Redirector, and an Airship Weapon Part. Is this overkill? Maaaaybe.

Then, throwing a chain down, the three progress into what I'm going to call the "Wastes". They land right on top of a Meteos, Hannah drilling straight through it! She harvests 1 Creation Meteorite as she blows the thing to shreds. It's still kinda hot, but whatever. The inventory really does not care. The trio make their way to the Vault Door. Fortunately, none of the Meteos in the area really seem to care about their presence, so the trip is uneventful. Now, how to break in...? They probably already have a plan in the form of a drill, but perhaps it'd pay to take some additional precautions?

Finally, Adria continues to discuss the subject of Mindscapes with Mari. She remarks that for such a weapon would be dangerous in the wrong hands. Which, given Chaos's track record, probably is correct. Someone needs to take that thing away from him. Mari shrugs.

MARI: Really, Chaos is as dangerous as a bowl of fruit.
MARI: A bowl of fruit where every fruit is not only a durian, but loaded with cyanide... but still, a bowl of fruit.
MARI: I think he enjoys being a wacky side character more than the main antagonist, so things are probably fine.

MARI: Honestly. I think if he wanted to destroy the world, or something like that, he'd probably have done it by this point.
MARI: He's definitely, definitely more powerful than he lets on.
MARI: Like... I don't think the Thymefield affects him. At all.
MARI: It's... probably best to not worry about him.

Adria then states that having Christmas so many times is hardly weird at all. In fact, there's probably something going on with time in general around here, anyway.

MARI: Yeah. Time's... a bit janky over here.
MARI: Like, everyone appears to be able to make time-based clones of themselves?
MARI: Apparently there have been like, at least three copies of me on the map at some point.
MARI: Hell, I wasn't even aware that I did that. What gives?

As things wind down, Adria presents Mari with a bit of a burning question. Once everything is over, does she have anywhere to go? Mari gives a frank shake of her head, arm on her hip.

MARI: ...Nope.
MARI: Can't really go back to the Mindscape, I technically don't belong on earth, and also, this planet has pretty gorilla wi-fi.
MARI: ...No but seriously, my other self has probably committed some pretty serious warcrimes here, and I'm probably not going to be the most appreciated.

MARI: ...So, uh.
MARI: Why do you ask?

...She can sorta figure out what's going on in her mind, but why spoil the moment?

---

Bergilmir rejoins existence! Welcome back! Once more into the breach! Or... the Dream of Unity? I dunno. I hope you enjoy the game, though! Your respec has also been processed.

---

Calibri attempts to talk with Spark! Though, the results of a certain broadcast have disabled a speaker system. The question is, can he hear him anyway? Perhaps we'll see in a bit. Hopefully he's not too mad. Anger tends to result in damage buffs.

Elsewhere, EN decides to begin her assault into a cavern full of Fell Beasts. Running a surface level scan of the place, she detects... a notably small amount of life signs. It's not long until something runs out of the caverns, driven by... nothing in particular, it seems. A single Fell Beast, its flesh and mind rotting from the inside out. It stumbles out of the cavern, and lets out a roar.. before flopping forward and dying on the spot. Its body begins to bubble and pulsate, before it ruptures into a pile of what can only be described as "sludge". Dozens of Migi shoot from the corpse, scattering about into the wind. This may... complicate things.

---

The Author responds to Nana regarding election candidates. Would an election be viable? Nana freezes, pondering the answer to this question. Omorika decides to interject.

OMORIKA: Oh, certainly. An election should work.
OMORIKA: Given that most of the population is crowded around the Citadel, and relocation efforts will take some time... I don't believe it would be too far-fetched to hold the election in that time period.
OMORIKA: Even if we decide to repopulate the towns before the election, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to have someone collect votes from all over. We have airships, after all.
NANA: T-That's normally what happens where I'm from. An airship comes by, e-equipped with a full voting thing!
NANA: It sticks around for a day or two before leaving, so it should work out!

He also asks if those in charge of the Church of Helix should be on the council or not. Omorika shakes her head.

OMORIKA: The separation of church and state is intentional.
OMORIKA: Though, we usually do have a representative. Not every recorded Highchair has had one, but it's fairly common.
OMORIKA: When he was still alive, Sequoia filled that role. He was deeply religious, despite being one of our premier generals.
OMORIKA: But, I concur. Having the church's resources would be hugely beneficial.
OMORIKA: Truly though, I'm unsure who would fill the role nowadays.
OMORIKA: ...Perhaps miss Loblolly? She may be a bit young, but there's certainly the possibility that we could cultivate her into a great leader. Like what we attempted to do with Acacia, but... better, perhaps.

#TaedaForPope

---

Asha is unsure as to how the Reflector can pasta. Marron's hands fidget as she tries to figure out how to convey this somewhat alien concept. How does one explain this with hand gestures? A few seconds of fidgeting later, she sighs.

MARRON: The Scion can like... rearrange their face?
MARRON: And their whole body?
MARRON: It's like... do you remember those Faceless Automatons from Chaos's mindscape?
MARRON: The Scion's like those things, except they can change their face a lot more.
MARRON: And, if they were to turn into me, or some other chef, they could make a lot of good pasta!

Pasta. Just from the look in her eyes, it's rather evident she wants some pasta.

MARRON: I wanna have that pasta that's like, shaped like little bow ties.
MARRON: That stuff's really, really good.

Priorities. Pasta. Pasta priorities.

---

<THE DREAM OF UNITY, ROUND 9>
Chloe receives the canister of IKEA. She holds it up to herself, generally unsure as to why she's been passed a severed head. Or as to why someone would store a severed head. Or as to why the severed head is still alive, and still kicking. Her head tilts slightly, as she does her best to give them an enthusiastic greeting.

CHLOE: U-Um, hello there! I-I'm Chloe. Chloe Elem.
IKEA: HELLO-MEATBAG
IKEA: HOW-HUMILIATING-IT-WILL-BE-FOR-SPARK-TO-DIE-BY-YOUR-HAND
CHLOE: H-Hey, I know how to handle myself! D-Don't act like I don't-
IKEA: SILENCE-YOURSELF-STOP-BLABBERING
IKEA: WATCH-THE-HALLS-SPARK-IS-PREDICTABLE

What? Chloe's gaze narrows as she watches the hallway. They immediately widen as she witnesses something moving down there. And whatever it is, it's fast. A torrent of sparks snakes along the ground, a weighty blade ruining the resale value of the hallway at a rapid rate. The trail slowly accelerates, and IKEA barks an order.

IKEA: MOVE-NOW-HUMAN-WOMAN
IKEA: FIVE-PACES-RIGHT-SWORD-UP-PREPARE-TO-BLOCK
CHLOE: W-What?
IKEA: GO-NOW

Chloe rushes directly ahead, towards Destiny. It's now immediately apparent what that figure is. The Creation Glyph's glow permeates through the figure's entire being, its hue altered by the omnipresent Thymefield that has now become one with it. Spark. And he's beyond livid. A burst of fire emerges from his boots, launching him up into the air as he exits the hall. The ceiling about him morphs out of the way, giving him plenty of room to leap up and bring his sword down. Right on top of Destiny.

SPARK: I WILL NOT STAND IDLE ANY LONGER.
SPARK: DIE, SPHEREBREAKERS! BURN AWAY TO NOTHINGNESS!

Chloe intercepts the strike with her own blade, the Auric Gladius clashing with the king's greatsword. Sparks fly as Chloe struggles to keep the blade from either crushing her or splitting her in half, both hands pressed up against her blade for maximum stability.

CHLOE: I-I... w-won't let you hurt anyone else, y-you gorilla!
CHLOE: N-Not Mari, n-not Destiny, n-not Nia... n-not anyone else!
SPARK: You. YOU.
SPARK: You really wish to die just like your brother, don't you?
SPARK: I shall grant your pathetic wish.

Another burst of fire rushes from Spark's boot, launching it directly into Chloe's gut. She grimaces, a burst of blood and spittle splashing from her mouth and onto Spark's armor. She stumbles backward, blade reassuming a defensive position. Once more, this time with feeling, Spark smashes his greatsword against the Auric Gladius. Cracks run along the surface of Chloe's blade as it suffers yet another almighty impact.

CHLOE: O-Oh gori-
SPARK: DIE, DOG!

With one more hefty downswing, the Auric Gladius shatters into hundreds of pieces. Chloe barely manages to avoid getting bisected by the blade, but it still cuts a sizeable gash into her. She shrieks in pain, only to immediately get slugged in the face by an armored gauntlet from Spark. She's sent tumbling back into the barrier surrounding the core, collapsed in a heap on the ground.

CHLOE: G-Gyah...
SPARK: You... You will all burn.
SPARK: This vessel shall be the final tomb of the Chairian people.
SPARK: You shall be inlaid into this vessel, along with the rest of us...

With a sputtering cough, Chloe picks herself up from the now bloodslick tiles of the Dream of Unity. Though she lacks a weapon, flames of passion and fury still flicker in her eyes. As if she could dent Spark's power armor with her fists, she raises her arms up.

CHLOE: A-As i-if... I-I'd let t-that happen...!
CHLOE: I-Is t-this all you can manage, w-with both the f-field and the g-glyph on your side?
CHLOE: C-Can't even kill a f-frail little human girl...
SPARK: QUIET!
SPARK: I'll see where that spunk is as I slowly beat the lights out of your eyes.
SPARK: You'll wish you could've died as swiftly as your brother did.

Spark's greatsword morphs into a heavy greatbow, immediately nocking an arrow towards Chloe. She's barely able to dart out of the way in time, the arrow bouncing off of the Core's barrier and ricocheting uselessly into the ground. Laughter rattles out of IKEA's head canister.

IKEA: SO-THE-FALSE-HEIR-HAS-ARRIVED
IKEA: IT-IS-ABOUT-TIME-YOU-GOT-OFF-YOUR-gorilla-SPARK
IKEA: SHOULD-HAVE-DONE-IT-SOONER
IKEA: YOU-ARE-SLOPPY
SPARK: Oh, shut up.
SPARK: You're long overdue, IKEA.
SPARK: I suppose you can join the girl in the flames as well.
IKEA: YOU-WILL-NEED-TO-KILL-HER-FIRST
IKEA: NOT-THAT-YOU-ARE-CAPABLE-OF-DOING-SO
IKEA: PATHETIC

Spark's free arm balls up at his side, the Creation Glyph imbedded into his helmet glowing ever stronger. It's as if he hammered the damn thing directly into his skull. If you want the Glyph, you'll need to pry it out of his cold, dead... skull.

Spark has appeared! He's going to be a huge threat. Fighting him now is likely not the wisest thing- instead, focus down the Core! Who knows what Spark will do with the Dream of Unity on his side? Of course, someone's going to need to take out the generator and the Core Defenders, but once those are down, the Core should be easy pickings! Just... still try not to burn up all of your fuel, alright? Something tells me that once the Core goes down, Spark isn't just going to back down...

Spark is a PECK NECK

ADRIA: CHLOE-

Adria's helpless as Chloe is slammed against the energy barrier, sword in pieces. There's a deathly silence from Adria. Then... perhaps the most harrowing side of Adria shines through at full force. Her eyes narrow into tiny pinholes as they shudder. She grits her teeth hard. A sharp spike in tension envelops her entire body as she flushes red.

ADRIA: ...H-47. Take a picture.

A bright flash of light emits from what is clearly not the drone hovering next to Chloe. Rather... it's emitted from an angle that would catch both Spark and Chloe in frame.

All without seemingly moving an inch from Chloe's side.

Adria's voice was that of pure malice, directed straight towards Spark.

ADRIA: Send it to the higher-ups.
ADRIA: Label this CRETIN as a wanted criminal.
ADRIA: Oh and while you're at it, send it to Echoss to do with as he pleases.
ADRIA: I'm certain he will be VERY INTERESTED in this!

>Sent.

That was fast. Significantly faster than the video recording sent earlier.

ADRIA: You. Will kill.
ADRIA: NOBODY ELSE!

ACTUAL ACTION

Adria goes first! She uses Frighten on Perfect Soldier 1, sending them to (P9). She consumes it into Spell Feast.

ADRIA: GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!

Adria then moves to (N12). Her Exosuit fires Overacceleration Round at the Generator. This should set it to 5 HP. She then moves ahead to (O11) and uses an Alchemy Toolkit (Vial + Searing Powder + Squall Cluster) on the Generator to finish it off. This shuts off the barriers.

ADRIA: YOU WANT THIS TO BE YOUR GRAVE? BE MY GUEST!

An Abyssal Vortex Chronoshade appears at (R10).

She uses Booster Shot on Chloe, restoring her HP and granting her Autorevive! She also shoves this into Spell Feast, obtaining Manifest Weapon: Manifest Bow! She doesn't use her Positioning movement, but doesn't retreat just yet.

Just look at Chloe's state...

ADRIA: CHLOE! CATCH!

She tosses Chloe the Excalibri (after spending 15 Flux on it, which thanks to how Nia's Bypass works, sets the Flux to 50-51) with such accuracy that it wouldn't hurt Chloe when it lands.

Finally, Adria retreats to (N12).

The Symbiote uses Hardened Carapace.

...

Despite her outward demeanor right now, Adria knows she's struggling to keep up.

ADRIA: (C-can't... I can't keep g-going like this...)
ADRIA: (Running... o-out of steam...)

At this, she slowly starts storing some of her gear into the inventory... she's likely going to respec slightly next round.

---

Echoss Has Mail

As the title implies, Echoss has mail. Consisting of a single image with a description.

The image shows Spark and Chloe on the Dream of Unity, Chloe battered to near death and sword in pieces, Spark with Greatsword in hand. Attached is a caption from H-47, Adria's drone.

>Adria requested an image and that it be sent to you and our higher ups.
>Do with this information what you will. I am simply following orders.

---

Mari

Adria tilts her head side to side slowly.

ADRIA: Most of it is concern, really...
ADRIA: After reading down through that note of yours from a couple days ago... and hearing what you've been through up until recently...
ADRIA: I figured you would like a nice, relaxing place to stay after all's said and done. At least for a little bit.
ADRIA: ...Plus you've been among the best company I've had in... several months, give or take?
ADRIA: Now, don't feel obligated to go through with this, and I won't hold it against you if you refuse, but...

ADRIA: How would you like to stay at Stasis City?

---

The Wastes

The journey to the center was shockingly uneventful. Well, it was a nice surprise, not being beset by the surrounding Iti.

HANNAH: Well alright then. Works for me.

As the trio approach the vault door, they confirm that the thing was made up of hardened slag. It would be difficult to rip through, even with the Everdrill. So what should they try instead?

SOPHIA: I think we should try an' drill from the sides!
HANNAH: Good idea! Can you dig out a spot in the metal to place the drill?
SOPHIA: oke

Sophia brushes away the ash near the closes side of the door, revealing the metal underneath. She then starts the process by carving a cross into the metal with her blade. She steps back.

Hannah then approaches, and jams the drill into the cross cut, pushing the metal down and allowing the drill to catch.

HANNAH: Ready...
HANNAH: START!

She switches the drill on full force, kicking up ash and debris as she directs the drill downwards, angled about 45 degrees towards the door. Though, the noise it's making is likely to draw attention...

Odds are, Hannah will corrode the opening outward a little more later so that it's an easier fit.

---

The Nest

Shelly unamusedly looks at the pile of insects that just burst out of the Fell Beast.

SHELLY: Now that's just disgusting.

SHELLY: Well, looks like they have a little infestation here.
SHELLY: That might make things easier.

She pulls out an Ablaze Accordion - the closest thing to a Flamethrower the party has - and sprays down the bugs with fire.

SHELLY: Doubt anything too big is coming up this way.
SHELLY: You two hold the fort here.

The other two Shellys nod and leap up onto the rocks above, out of sight of any would-be predators. They start creating hordes of Illusory Shellys at the entrance. Some opt to move in a little to see if they can catch an unsuspecting Fell Beast off-guard.

SHELLY: There we are. They'd be hard-pressed to get through this entrance now.
SHELLY: Now then...

She equips an Ink Charger to help deal with anything big.

SHELLY: Let's push onward.

---

The Fusion

ADRIA: Not the strangest thing ever. I'll give it a shot when I'm done.
ADRIA: Again, thank you for the help, Verdana! If I need anything I'll let you know.

ADRIA: Though... speaking of Chronology and Battles...
ADRIA: The primary 'me' in that battle is having a really difficult time keeping up.
ADRIA: I may need to make a slight detour...

Adria walks away as she muses to herself...

---

Adria prepares

In another time and place, where Chloe is significantly less battered, Adria asks Chloe to find some credits; at least enough to bring the party's total to 300.

Adria then spends it on a Mana Flower at the Triangle Emporium. This also gets the Nuclear Throne for YV... whatever that ends up doing.

Then... she gets to work. It's time for the upgrade that would make the railgun for the Exosuit feel like a children's toy.



If Mari were near she'd probably faint from ecstasy. Nevertheless, with her detour over, Adria starts work on that scanner addon.



Well that was much simpler than the railgun, though not nearly as satisfying or as cool to look at. With everything done, she heads to a very specific place.

The Southern Labs, in the Receptionist's Hall.

---

The Fusion 2: Receptionist's Hall Edition

Adria was a little uncertain about the nearby Chairians being KO'd next to her, wondering if they're conscious or not.

If they're not conscious, she simply opts to adjust their bedding and keep an eye out for any intruders as she works. If they are conscious, then she'll attend to them as they need it.

Once everything's all said and done, she sets up the Scanner and PC on the desk, and gets to work.

...She also briefly whispers "calibri" under her breath. Wouldn't wanna wake the unconscious duo next to her, would she?