Another heroic deed by Sakura! Beating up a bunch of random jerks who may or may not have been Chi's backup, which she refused to tell her about. But... what the hell was that about? Even though she said she was about to go and explore some caverns, it wouldn't hurt to get some answers first, right?

SAKURA: If I recall, she was like... back at Switchback One?
SAKURA: Shouldn't be that far.

Exactly three switchbacks later, an exhausted Sakura stumbles to the south. She bursts directly onto the scene of the Fragment.

SAKURA: G-God damnit, how'd you c-climb this entire mountain so f-fast?
SAKURA: Anyway, Chi! Quick questio-

Word, that's a lot of Iti. And Chi's definitely seen better days. Though she'd love to snicker at the fallen Chi, getting devoured by Iti... not exactly pleasant, is it? Plus, she kinda needs Chi alive.

SAKURA: Yeah, question. What the gorilla?
SAKURA: Guess your lovely princess has to bail you out, then.
SAKURA: No need to thank me.
SAKURA: Actually, you know what? Thank me. Profusely.
SAKURA: After we're done here, of course.

---

The Fragment:
- Act after Eroa.
- Spawn in, wave hello to your minions!~
- Move to (L4), and cast Decaying Sigil (Armorbreak) on (J7).
- Assign Basil as your faithful simp.

Exiting the cave, Acerola nimbly steps through the snow, unphased by the temperature despite her fairly light clothing. As she does so, however, Doc calls out to her from just inside the cave.

Doc: Just a moment, Lady Acerola!

Acerola turns backward to see Doc approaching.

ACEROLA: Oh. The fashion consultant.
ACEROLA: ...Can I help you?
Doc: ...Fashion consultant?
Doc: Ahem! The others tasked me with making sure you found your way to our camp safely.
Doc: Knowing where you’re going isn’t any good if you don’t know where you’re going.

Acerola pokes at the snow with her staff, creating an indentation near a set of footprints. The shoe type seems to belong to Doc himself.

ACEROLA: You know you guys leave tracks, right?
ACEROLA: I just have to follow them, backwards.
ACEROLA: Unless you went in circles to get here.

Doc nods.

Doc: That was not something I had considered.
Doc: In that case, I shall accompany you to ensure you are not regarded as potentially hostile by our party.
Doc: A preventative measure, as it were. And, if you wish, we may converse as we traverse.

Acerola shrugs.

ACEROLA: Sure.
ACEROLA: Didn’t think you were the types to attack random people on sight. But sure.

She continues walking. Doc walks alongside her, rummaging through his belt of potions.
Doc: I don’t suspect we are - but to see someone out here is unusual.
Doc: At the very least, I know I would be wary of someone I don’t know showing up without warning.
ACEROLA: It’s not like this area is completely uninhabited.
ACEROLA: The Iti drove a lot of people from the outskirts to Amora during the Sphere crisis. Or killed them.
ACEROLA: But there used to be small villages even up in the mountains.
ACEROLA: There’s probably still some stragglers.

Doc nods at this.

Doc: Unfortunately, I haven’t seen anyone in my admittedly few wanderings.
Doc: Although I do think it was fortunate our wreckage was relatively isolated.
Doc: The number of things that could have happened to someone caught nearby...

Doc trails off, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Then, with almost a snap, he turns back to Acerola.

Doc: Oh, that reminds me!
Doc: I don’t know how long you’ll stay with us, but I figured I ought to give you one of these...
Doc: Let me make sure I still have some... one moment...

Doc rifles through his belt until he pulls out a small cloth bundle, with a few lumps in it. Acerola stares suspiciously at the bundle.

ACEROLA: What is that.
Doc: This is a bundle I use for carrying filtration devices. And a screwdriver.
Doc: The bundle isn’t as important as the contents. One more moment, if you please.

Doc procures a small, cupped device from the bundle, along with an even smaller screwdriver. He applies the screwdriver to the concave end of the device, and twists it twice. There is a sound not entirely unlike a growling cat, and then a sound like a guitar being strummed, capped off with what is very distinctly the crash of a cymbal. Doc then removes the screwdriver and offers the device to Acerola. She takes it.

ACEROLA: You still haven’t told me what this is.
Doc: This is a respiratory filtration device.
Doc: It keeps all manner of aerosols and foreign agents from the air out of your body, to stave off infection from airborne diseases or prevent exposure to harmful gasses.
Doc: As a positive side effect it makes your breath feel minty fresh.
ACEROLA: Oh. Okay.
ACEROLA: Cool, I guess.

Acerola pockets the filter in her robe. Doc stares at her. But just a little bit.

Doc: You’re not going to try it on?
Doc: You’ll want to make sure it fits.
ACEROLA: Nah.
ACEROLA: I’m good.
Doc: You’re free to not do so, but if you end up needing that filter, you’ll have a lot more trouble with one you haven’t tried on before.
Doc: If nothing else, you should know how to put it on and take it off.
ACEROLA: Like I said. I’m good.
ACEROLA: I’ll do it later. When the vibes are right.

Doc stops staring at Acerola, having progressively stared at her more for the duration of the exchange.

Doc: ...I admit this is not the first time I have been perplexed by another’s actions, but it is among the most confusing of perplexions.

Acerola smiles.

ACEROLA: Yeah, well, get used to it.
Doc: You’ll have to forgive me if I am being too insistent on your use of the filter.
Doc: As a traveling doctor, I would feel myself in grave error if I put one of my allies at risk.
Doc: When I can put others at risk with little to no warning... well, I only aim to give them the tools they need to survive.
ACEROLA: ...Okay.
ACEROLA: Are you sure you’re not a full-time fashion consultant?
ACEROLA: I can’t actually tell how much of the thing you have going with Sakura is a bit.
ACEROLA: Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s not a bit at all to her. That girl clearly hasn’t heard of irony.
Doc: I, um. That seems to be a non sequitur.
Doc: But to answer your question, no. I have some experience with fashion, but I am a traveling doctor by trade.
Doc: I have offered fashion advice to Sakura before, but that is as close as I have come to being a “fashion consultant.”
Doc: ...But yes, how exactly is that related to the filtration devices?
ACEROLA: It isn’t.

Acerola punctuates this statement as if it is extremely obvious. Doc seems confused for a moment before finally nodding.

Doc: I suppose this is another one of your perplexions.
Doc: I digress, then. Please continue.
ACEROLA: Continue what?
Doc:
Doc:
Doc:
Doc: Do you have any other questions, then?
ACEROLA: Not really.

Doc nods slightly, acknowledging the response. The rest of the walk to the camp is silent.

Eventually, the two reach the crash site... which is empty, aside from a sleeping(?) Alicia and Auth. Seems everyone else is hiking. Or fighting for their life against an Iti onslaught.

ACEROLA: ...Are those the rest of you?
Doc: There are more of us, scattered about.
Doc: It’s possible there was an altercation elsewhere that is occupying some of them.
Doc: I couldn’t say.
ACEROLA: Alright.
ACEROLA: I’ll attune to the mystic confluence of energy sitting in the middle of your camp, I guess.

She heads over to the spawn point, which, if he hadn’t seen several others respawn from it earlier, Doc would probably think was a completely normal area of snow and dirt.

Doc, meanwhile, moves back toward his makeshift workshop. He hefts his large syringe off of its resting place on his back and sets it down, frowning (not that anyone would be able to tell).

Doc: Hmm.
Doc: I haven't needed this syringe nearly so often as I'd thought.
Doc: I used it for sample collecting, but not much more than that.
Doc: I think I might be better off with something a bit easier to carry.

Doc picks up a bundle of sticks from nearby in the campsite. Procuring a vial, he dips each one into it in turn until he has a decently sized bundle of stuck-together sticks. He then procures a Lifegem, sticking it to the top of the bundle where it fits decently well.

For an indeterminate amount of time, Doc pours various chemicals onto the collection of sticks as he whittles them down. Among other things, the cane becomes treated with so many medicinal chemicals that even standing near it is likely to sharpen your mind and cleanse your soul. The main intent, however, is to put a smooth finish on the wood. Between the chemical treatments and the whittling, after a great amount of time, the bundle of sticks takes on the form it was always meant to take - the Fancy Cane, superlative Fancy and superlative Cane all at once.

Offtopic goes back to the Rock Tunnel and enters the southern unexplored entrance.

Eroa begins her mass movement adventure. She starts by using Flirt on Ohmnic3, then moving to L6. Using her Alluring power, she moves Ohmnic2 to I7, Pin3 to O10 and Needles to J8. She proceeds to look at Arkwind 1, and activates Siren.

The Arkwind's brain comes under mass assault, thousands of commands given to it in an instant, filling every moment in mind. Its thoughts become dormant, replaced with those that are not their own. It tells them...
Come. Closer.
It can think of nothing more. Arkwind 1 moves to K8.

Once that is done, Eroa casts Abduction, ripping the Bouquet from its position and relocating it to K7.

After Eroa, Bass briefly reactivates his trait because of smoke bomb, moves to K5, flirts the chimes, and attacks the Bouquet.

After Sakura, Basil moves to K6, scans the Needles, and uses Battering Ram southwest.

Des meditates, activating Time to Fold.

<ROUND 23>

Rhiannon respecs! Her character sheet is updated accordingly.

She also appears in the battle (along with Sakura). Just in time.

---

Debbie continues up the mountain.

She enters a rocky, icy slope heading steeply up the remaining length of the mountain to the summit. From here, leaving the tree cover fully behind, it becomes clear how high up Debbie is – and how much higher some of the surrounding mountains go. It’s a good thing all of this hiking got narrated instead of done manually, huh?

---

Doc chats with Acerola. He also does some crafting.

The Fancy Cane is created! Fancy. For now, it goes unequipped. Don’t try to steal it before Doc decides to equip it, though, or I will bap you with a newspaper.

---

Offtopic explores eastward in the Rock Tunnel.

He finds a dark crevice, absent of any convenient bioluminescent cave moss. With his own lighting, he manages to see… the corpse of a strange Chairian.

…

---

<BATTLES: THE FRAGMENT, ROUND 4>
You’ve made considerable progress pushing back the Iti, but party members keep dropping. Worse, still… that Eliti is here. She’ll wreak havoc on your back line if she gets there.
…Hey, is Eliti Bulwark worded differently in this game?

quick post for the preious doppitydoo

Skaige moves to L3. If there are still 2 enemies alive at J7, it casts Nanostorm: if not, she basic attacks the Bouquet at K7.

Battle - The Fragment

Quickpost for previous dop.


Blacklight stays silent for now. He's clearly quite tense though, given the current circumstances.

"..."


Blacklight backs up to M3 if available, then shoots Ohmnic 3, which should be on M8 by now and thus a valid target.

The Climb is Long

Debbie looks up at the mountain. Still a while to go yet. If only she could bore through the mountain... then, she involuntarily inhales and-

DEBBIE: Ah-choo.

After that sneeze, she sniffles and tries to wipe her nose. Despite being "important", not in terms of status but in terms of this "story", she's still very much living and mortal. And very chilly at the moment.

And yet, she pushes forth. Analyzing the area around her, Debbie plans out a route through the mountain pass as she pushes the snow aside with her air magic. West to (BS21), North to (BX21).

The ice is a problem, though... sure, it's no problem for Debbie herself, but for anyone else it represents a slipping hazard. For the (BX22-BZ22) patch, she pushes up a wide plate from the earth, erupting from West and moving East. The ice, in turn, is pushed further East and snapping in half, stacked into the single tile of (BX24) with the plate taking up (BX23-BY23). Debbie pushes onward to (BZ21).

The rock walls at (CA20-CB20) are probably easier to get around than the giant patch of ice. So it's time to make a small tunnel on the side of it. Debbie places her left foot near the wall, delicately balancing on one foot all the while, and jets a load of air into said wall to dust the interior enough to walk under. Fluidsand dirties the tunnel floor, but all it takes is Debbie moving through it to scatter.

To make sure there's no cave-ins, Debbie puts up some bracing in the form of stone pillars as she moves through to (CC20). From there, it's a straight shot to (CF23). So close to the summit...

Doc equips the Fancy Cane.

Pardon sighs as the Iti continues their onslaught. He looks at Maria who’s already giving out plans for the next bit of the fight and performs the role he’s made for. He sights Eroa and revivfy’s her up with another Resurrect as powder of life flies from his peach blossom to land onto her.

Just as well as the act promptly gets her out of the Arkwind’s grasp. And into the void. All part of the plan.

Making sure Eroa is safely at the spawn point, he retreats to N3.

Rhiannon acts first and revives Des again.

EROA: Fall into oblivion and respawn on M2. Move to N3, use Allure once on Mitocyst2 and twice on Arkwind2. Finish movement at L6. Use Berry Power to restore 12 MP.

the bupp

As Sakura trots off to go fight in the war battle, Keane pops into the dark crevice.

KEANE: Oh. Ooh. Yikes.
KEANE: ...Looks like we've got an investigation on our hands.
KEANE: Let's just...

Keane squeezes forward, snapping on an inexplicable glove made from Fell Beast hide and gently removing the mask to see what's underneath. If possible, the mask enters the inventory.

(pinging @OffAndSphere just in case you want to do some RP)

---

Paige sneefs the air again, still half-asleep.

PAIGE: ...Zzz... mmmmm, blood... zzzzz...
SKYLAR: !!!!!

SKAIGE: Go after Basil and before Sakura. If all enemies between J7 and L8 are not dead, use Nanostorm on K7. Otherwise, tap the Petal and attack the J5 Seeker.

oh hey it's that lady again. the big lady. the iti lady. At least, Sakura's pretty sure they're a lady.

SAKURA: Y-You again?
SAKURA: How the hell did you end up here? Wherever the hell here is?
SAKURA: Actually, answer this for me real quick: where the gorilla are we?
SAKURA: You seem... sociable enough. The hell is a place like this doing in a mountain?
SAKURA: Unless Cypy really wanted to deck out this random cave in the middle of nowhere, this place is... questionably located.

That being said though, what's in the vending machine? Sakura attempts to factor in "reaching the vending machine" into her tactical considerations this round, though it's likely a little bit too far away.

---

The Fragment:
- There's a turn order, but wait until Skylar and Paige act.
- Move to (I7).
- Designate Bass as a loyal simp.
- Engage the power of Eternal Princess, slashing the Patche and the Chimes.
- Set your Specials Used count to 2. It wasn't incremented for last battle.

Battle: Great Googly Moogly It's All Going Wrong

Below is a turn order. Not all information is within the turn order, but the Turn Order information is always accurate.

RHIANNON: Cast Ressurect on Des.
PARDON: Cast Ressurect on Eroa.
EROA: Fall into oblivion and respawn on M2. Move to N3, use Allure once on Mitocyst2 and twice on Arkwind2. Finish movement at L6. Use Berry Power to restore 12 MP.
LEPIDODENDRON: Use Flicker of Insanity on the Seeker at J6. Command it to scan a Mitocyst.
BLACKLIGHT: Use Sapping Sigil (Armorbreak) on K8, hitting 3/5 Seekers, both Mitocysts, hopefully not the Pin so it burns all its DGE.
DES: Use Ebb & Flow. Target Eroa, Mitocyst1, Eroa again, Mitocyst2, Eroa again. (preemptive calculations say Eroa should heal a total of 28 HP while Mitocyst1 takes 9 damage and Mitocyst2 takes 10, before AC.)
MARIA: Use Sapping Sigil (Uninspired) on K8, also hitting 3/5 Seekers, both Mitocysts, and maybe help erase Pin DGE if previous attack hit.
BASIl: Use your bonus action scan on anything that doesn't have 0 DGE at this point. Use Battering Ram immediately south. Seekers, Mitocysts and Pin should all die of this.
SKAIGE: If all enemies between J7 and L8 are not dead, use Nanostorm on K7. Otherwise, tap the Petal and attack the J5 Seeker.
SAKURA: Move to I7, Use special to murderize both the Patche and the Chimes.
BASS: Use Special, covering Eroa, Sakura and Basil and setting Illusory Traps preferrably in any space in the formation that would leave a 2x2 gap in the middle.
WOOLY MOLLUSK: Attack Arkwind2.

In keeping with the above-Maria waits for Des and others, then moves to K4 and uses Sapping Sigil on K8, utilizing Uninspired mode in the vain hope skills used thereafter aren't as devastating. Damage roll is set to 8 due to Helixical Blessing, and it benefits from Drone Targeting if the Grey Iti still counts as an ally. Rolling in the Deep will target Des. Maria will not retreat.

(I did not consider how healing would work with multi-target attacks here so for now I'll suggest following AoE SP rules: Highest damage for base, then +5 for every target thereafter for the total damage, then divide that by 20% to get the healing.)

"Oh, hey again! You're really big! What's your name? Why are you here? Is this really necessary? I don't mind fighting you but I think some other people here consider this a hassle! Also did you know giant exploded beavers make good tents if you're not too stressed out about being covered in blood?"

Meanwhile, the Wooly Mollusk will ignore whatever Maria just said and stab the Arkwind conveniently close to it with its basic attack. All told it'll only do 2-3 damage after SHP but it's better than nothing.

---

Other Notes

Rhiannon's character sheet doesn't take into account her INT for the amount of HP restored on revive. (It should be 18.)

52: Reckless Revenge
29: Ebb and Flow
25: Transfusion

Des casts Ebb and Flow [GDG Buff Levels] on: Eroa (9hp), Mitocyst 1 (9+3 damage), Eroa (9hp), Mitocyst 2 (10+3 damage), Eroa (10hp). -23 MP, +46 SP.

<ROUND 24>

Debbie navigates the ice field. Using her magic to create a path, she makes her way up through the snow, ice, and rocks to the mountain’s summit.

At the top, she finds a rough, handmade “plaque,” as well as a floating Grey Meteos. The Meteos merely observes Debbie, not bothering to move from its elevated position. Looking down the mountain, Debbie can see a valley in the land below. An icy river cuts the valley in two, but beyond it are brownish dots that might be… buildings? A town of some kind, perhaps? Maybe even the one they’re looking for.

---

Doc equips the fancy cane.

Unfortunately, I do not have the technology to make the doc itself fancy. Maybe next year.

---

Keane heads to the dark crevice and removes the mask of the dead Chairian.

Underneath is… a Chairian. They look fairly normal, except for the “being dead” situation. The mask is placed in the inventory… In the “other items” section, not the hats section. In case you were curious.

---

<BATTLES: THE FRAGMENT, ROUND 4>
Well, well, well, look at you go. You’ve turned this battle around quite nicely! All that remains is to deal with the… quite threatening Eliti in front of you, plus that persistent Mitocyst infestation and some other stragglers. Good luck.

Basil scans an enemy that still has DGE, or otherwise the Mitocyst. She then uses Battering Ram to the south.