The Avenger -> Paved Wilderness- Hammerhead Lvl 9 Zenkichi (4/90) +4 Collab XP -> Lvl 9 (9/90) Word count: 456 words
As he, Sandalphon, Roland, and Captain Falcon filtered out from the Stolen Moments bar, Zenkichi made sure to make a stop to grab some water before the Avenger landed. They touched down in a scrublands of sorts, which wasn’t an environment Zenkichi was familiar with at all. He only managed to get in a few seconds of sightseeing, especially at the strange crescent-shaped mountain in the distance, before the Armadillos interrupted and triggered a flurry of activity. Once he took a seat onboard one of the ATVs, he kicked back for the ride.
Edelgard, however, chose to stay behind, looking over the map of the World of Light on the bridge. ”Enbarr…”” She muttered, eyes focused intently on the city’s name. ”I’ve spent too long away already. As much as this battle matters…so too do my people.”
Back at Hammerhead, Zenkichi hopped out of the Armadillo and took a good look around the place, letting out a low whistle at the refinery. That was an impressive piece of work, and must have kept these guys in business pretty darn well, he thought.
Nadia’s return from her chat with news of loot, though her cat burglar antics gave Zenkichi pause. ”Wait, I thought we were supposed to be the good guys…” He breathed quietly, not quite under his breath, but certainly not at full volume either. Still, it wasn’t like he couldn’t just return the equipment for the money. Regardless, he hustled over to the map board after her, using his height to get a good look over the others’ shoulders at the surrounding area.
Plenty of options to choose from, but that Hightower sounded the most promising to him, so Zenkichi set about finding a way to get there. From the looks of it, Roland was headed up that way with Therion, but he wasn’t about to ride in the bed of his pickup through that terrain, so that was out. He could try talking with that guy to get his own car, but his pockets weren’t exactly deep. When Sectonia made her decision on which way to go, he approached the odd Giant Bee Lady and swallowed, a little nervous.
”Hello, Sectonia. Your…majesty.” He belatedly added, remembering her claim to royalty from her world and her obsession with beauty. ”If it wouldn’t be too much a bother, would I be able to hitch a ride? I know you’ve helped carry some of us before, and I certainly wouldn’t hold you back in combat if it came to it, either. Dealing with low-level punks is sort of my specialty, leaving the big guys to the heavy hitters like you.” A little bit of flattery, but he wasn’t lying about culling the chaff being his specialty, either.
The Avenger Lvl 14 Geralt (109/140) -> Lvl 14 (111/140) 140% OL Charged (Lvl 1) Word count: 825 words
Tora’s reaction to the barbed wire mines made Geralt’s eyebrows climb a little. A barbed wire mine sounded nasty, but what did Tora mean about turning three-hundred sixty degrees and walking away? That was just a full circle. Mentally shoving that question aside, he shrugged when Tora asked what he wanted to do with them. “Frankly, I’m a little bogged down by gear as it is. Was just planning to give them to you to tinker with or use them for scrap.”
The question of what to do with the Hateful Flesh was a more pressing one. “A handle would be fine. It’d let me use the damn thing like a regular weapon, too.” Tora’s resolve shone through when what happened to Goldlewis and Midna almost managed to get him down, but he bulled right through the pain and set himself onto doing something practical, both for the Lost Numbers and himself. It wasn’t too far from how he’d reacted to Poppi’s destruction at first, throwing himself into his work to try and help bring her back.
As far as donations went for the cause, Geralt shrugged and gestured to the mines. “Can always use those for parts. As far as money goes, my coinpurse is far from bursting, unfortunately. Might be able to spare a bit, but it’d be pocket change at most.”
Tora shrugged as best he could without discernible shoulders. "That fine, will take whatever can get. Now, give strange weapon here." While he rifled through his meager stock of spare parts for something that could serve as a suitable handle -taking a second on the way to ascertain the dimensions of Geralt's hand- Poppi grabbed the necessary tools. Despite his preference for metalworking, he ended up picking some scraps of bone he'd been messing around with the day before. After all the preparations had been made, affixing the new parts and modifying the Hateful Flesh took only a couple minutes. Once the sparks stopped flying, Poppi passed the weapon back to the Witcher, its appearance evidence that he'd managed to get creative. It looked a little less magical, though clusters of crimson nodules still pulsated inside the weapon, but it looked more symmetrical and easier to handle. "Since cleaver no good for stabby-stab anyway, Tora attach grips to both ends!" he explained. "Now, Ger-Ger can use both hands to carve with double force, meh. What think? Even with weird magic blade, am engineering mastermind, no?"
Poppi seemed eager to be rid of the thing. "Truly, masterpon genius almost frightening to behold..."
Looking over the cleaver, Geralt nodded. “Well, that’ll certainly be a lot more convenient to use in battle. Thanks for that, Tora. I’ll have to give it a try later on.” Lifting the Hateful Flesh and returning it to its eldritch resting spot inside of him, Geralt gave the Nopon and his Synthetic Blade grateful nods. “And good luck with your chore golem.” He added, giving Tora a pat on the shoulder and making his way out of the Proving Ground.
His business there concluded, Geralt stopped at a small map of the Avenger. First, he figured it was time for a proper meal. Most of the others had come here first, then split off, but Geralt had wanted to give Tora the news and see what he could do about the Orphan’s cleaver first and foremost. Once his belly was full, he made his way down to the Mysticenter.
The assorted magical research stations caught his eye, though he certainly couldn’t begin to fathom where to start. He had learned some magic thanks to his fusion with Flynn Scifo’s spirit, but how exactly he possessed that knowledge of some fairly advanced spellcraft was beyond him. Whether or not he could research the same and learn more magic was similarly outside of his grasp, but he was willing to try. The miniature shrines to various kinds of magic stood out, but none existed for Light, which the paladin he’d fused with seemed to specialize in.
He chose not to interrupt Mona’s scrying, instead spending his time looking at all of the ingredients and keeping a mental stock of them. Once he was finished, the Witcher took a minute to think over what he could make with those, before settling on an old classic he hadn’t managed to get his hands on here in the World of Light. Grabbing some spirits, a particular fungus, and the embryo of an insectoid monster, he was able to craft a potion of Thunderbolt. “If those damned Consuls keep showing their faces, I’ll be needing this and more.” He muttered, looking over his work.
It wasn’t his best potion by far, but the ingredients and time needed to refine his potions further were harder to come by, so this would have to suffice for now. His work completed, Geralt returned to looking over the spellcraft station, poring over every bit of magical knowledge he could.
The Final Hollow- Vs Gravemind -> The Avenger Lvl 14 Geralt (106/140) -> Lvl 14 (109/140) 140% OL Charged (Lvl 1) Lvl 9 Zenkichi (1/90) -> (4/90) Lvl 4 Edelgard (36/40) -> Level 4 (39/40) Word count: 1,816 words
Geralt dove to the ground, barely avoiding a hail of fireballs from Consul D, forcing himself to stand and scan the area for the next incoming attack. However, none came. D was merely…floating there, silently. For a moment, he snarled and seemed ready to attack with renewed vigor, but it seems he knew when he was beat. Though the consul could have stayed high above the battlefield and continued fighting, taking Seekers down, with both Consul A nowhere to be found (indicating he’d been slain), and the Gravemind similarly defeated, he would be overwhelmed with sheer numbers soon.
The vampire descended, offering a hollow congratulations and a warning that the next time would go even worse for the Seekers. Geralt scoffed, not necessarily taking the threat of a retreating man at face value, but it was no easy battle that they had one. Two of those who had entered would not be showing their faces again. Looking about the battlefield, specifically where the fight with A had occurred, Geralt noticed something: they had not even left Spirits behind. Sighing, his shoulders slumped a little. “Damn. Midna and Goldlewis.” Shaking his head, he turned to the newly-appeared Sandalphon.
Zenkichi and Edelgard, for their parts, had happily allowed Ganondorf to finish off the Gravemind, letting out the tension in their bodies as D left. The departing speech of the deceased Guardian left Zenkichi with the heebie-jeebies, and Edelgard frustrated. What would happen to the Guardians if they failed? Surely Galeem, or the Consuls (Zenkichi couldn’t quite remember how that worked) would just pick more? Though, that raised the question of why more Guardians didn’t simply spring up to make their work harder now? Did it take an accumulation of energy that took a while to gather?
Pushing away that line of thought, Zenkichi also turned to Sandalphon, though unlike Geralt her appearance brought an ill-timed smile to his face. The revelation that they would be escaping via Fulton made him cheer a little, though Edelgard looked uneasy. ”Oh, how I wish I could merely teleport to the ship…” She grumbled, striding forward and taking a pack for herself. ”Nonetheless, Sandalphon, I thank you for your timely intervention earlier, and for the assistance now. I refuse to stay in this damned place a second longer.” And true to her word, the Flame Emperor found herself a clear space, and activated her Fulton without reservation, the device yoinking her into the air mercilessly.
Geralt was more slow, looking about the battlefield somberly. “Don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t gone and given yourselves up. It’s a damned shame. Don’t think we’ll be forgetting this anytime soon, either.” He saw Grimm carrying Goldlewis’ coffin, and walked up to the Neopteron. “Here. Let me.” Kneeling to take UMA’s coffin, Geralt grunted as he hefted the massive weight, then sighed as he realized it wasn’t as heavy as he expected. It wasn’t something he’d thought on much since coming to the World of Light, as people had taken on an even more varied assortment of forms than the Continent, but it was just another reminder that he wasn’t truly human. No normal man could heft this weight without looking like Goldlewis.
As he reached Sandalphon and the others, Geralt began wrapping the coffin’s chain about and through his armor, securing it to his body and ensuring it was on tight. It jostled much of his equipment and dug into some of the lesser-armored parts of his skin, but it would just be until this was over. Taking a Fulton pack, he nodded to Sandalphon and found an open spot to activate it, and within moments he was off.
Zenkichi was the last to take a Fulton, politely waiting behind the others, ushering them forward to take one if they seemed to be hesitant. When it was only him and Sandalphon left, he let his face fall, and he stepped forward not to take a Fulton, but to hug the archangel closely, his breath hitching for a moment. ”That…that was bad.” He admitted, swallowing a lump in his throat. ”I’m already running on empty like Midgar, but this time we’re coming back without a lot of people. I’m glad those cats managed to save a few of ‘em, but Goldlewis and Midna…shit.” Stepping back while still keeping a soft hold on Sandalphon’s arms, he gave the woman a broken smile. ”If anything happens to me while we’re out there…fighting bad guys and saving people…check on Akane every now and then for me? You don’t have to take her in, but I’d really feel better knowing somebody I can trust is helping out.” Closing his eyes with a sigh, Zenkichi carefully took the last Fulton pack and stepped back. ”See you on the ship.” He softly offered, before activating the pack.
As the Seekers awoke on board the Avenger, Geralt unlatched Goldlewis’s coffin from his body and carried it over to one of the walls nearby, setting it down carefully. “We’ll need to figure out what to do with this, now that he’s gone.” He announced dispassionately. It was not out of malice or a lack of care, but a blatant guarding of emotion. Walking over to Bracket Brace, he politely grabbed his fair share of snacks and drinks before addressing the assembled Seekers. “If anybody needs me, I’ll be visiting Tora and Poppi.” And with that, he turned and left to go find his Nopon ally and the restored Blade.
When she came to, Edelgard groaned and pushed herself to her feet, swaying slightly. ”Eugh. That was just as bad as the first time. No matter. Nobody need me.” Mirroring Geralt’s own exit with a dismissive twist, Edelgard quickly made her egress from the bay, but not without grabbing a snack and a bottle of water. Her destination, unsurprisingly, was the mess hall for lunch.
Zenkichi, finally, simply sat up and watched the others with a sigh. Part of him had hoped to see Midna and Goldlewis assembled with the other Seekers, but their absence reminded the detective of what had happened down there. Pain evident on his face, the Phantom Thief collected a shot of laudanum and downed it before grabbing a can of coffee and trudging off without a word in search of his daughter.
A few minutes later, the Witcher found himself inside the Proving Ground, looking at one of the first ‘friends’ he’d made in the Seekers. “Tora.” He greeted simply, approaching the Nopon and pulling out the mine traps he’d gained from the Keeper’s Spirit. “Not sure if there’s anything you can do with these, but I figured they were unique enough you might want to get a look. Not the only reason I came by, though.” He sighed, producing the Hateful Flesh from within himself. “One of those damned Consuls managed to cut the cord on this thing that connected it to me. Made me realize it’s a hell of a weak spot.”
Putting the cleaver down onto a table, he shook his head. “I’m not sure if you heard the news. Goldlewis and Midna…aren’t coming back. The Consuls had something we just…didn’t have an answer for. And they sacrificed themselves for us. We managed to kill two of the Consuls that met us there, as well as the Guardian, but…it cost us two of our own. I thought you ought to hear it from one of us. I know you’ve taken on a roll up here, but you’re still one of the Seekers as far as the rest of us are concerned. Much as that title makes me want to vomit sometimes. Seekers of Light makes me feel like some kind of proper knight.” Letting out a rueful chuckle, he shook his head.
“It’s only going to get worse from here on out. They tried to stop us in Midgar and the Under, and when they realized we were heading for the Dead Zone next, they pulled out all the stops. Get the feeling you’ll be busy going forward.”
In Akane and Zenkichi’s bunk room, the tired Phantom Thief sat on the his bed, slowly sipping coffee. Roxas had already come to collect his Pokemon, and the pair sat in silence. While she didn’t know exactly what had happened, Sandalphon and the others got really busy really quickly and started yelling about preparing for casualties. She’d been freaking out until one of the Lost Numbers had told her to get away from the Bridge, that her dad was still okay, and that they’d do everything they could. When Sandalphon herself teleported down to heal everybody, it had been a big load off her mind, but she was still visibly worried.
”So, uh…you remember Mr. Goldlewis and Midna, right? The former Secretary and that weird-looking floaty girl?” Zenkichi asked after a while. Receiving a nod in reply, he continued, head half-hanging. ”They, uh…they didn’t make it.”
“No!” Akane gasped, shooting to her feet and barely keeping a hold of Maru in the process. “What do you mean they didn’t make it!” She yelled, tears starting to form in her eyes. “You were supposed to keep them safe! You were all supposed to keep us safe!” She cried, breathing heavily. Zenkichi stood up, putting the coffee can down on a table, before stepping forward to wrap her in a hug.
”I know, Akane, I know. We…we did our best. If it makes it any better, it was their choice. They stared death in the face, and they made the choice to give themselves over to it instead of making the rest of us do it. I…I’m sorry. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do that to you. Or to myself. I was selfish again.” Sniffling, Akane just hugged him tighter.
“NO! Don’t you dare die on me too!” She sobbed, clinging to Zenkichi as if he’d disappear if she let go. “You can’t leave me, too, dad!” It was a far cry from how she’d acted on the anniversary of Aoi’s death when he showed up with the other Phantom Thieves, but truth be told, it warmed Zenkichi’s heart a bit to know he hadn’t lost her after all.
”I’m not going anywhere, kid. Not if I have anything to say about it, and I’ve got plenty to say still.” He joked somewhat lamely, running a hand through her hair gently. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Maru rubbing against Akane’s legs while her and Zenkichi hugged, before the detective gently pulled away. ”We should probably get some lunch soon. I don’t know about you, but I worked up a hell of an appetite, and granola bars and fruit snacks wasn’t gonna cut it.” Earning a nod from his daughter, Zenkichi gave her a quick squeeze on the shoulder before he led the pair down to the Mess Hall, Maru returned to her pal Sphere.
The Final Hollow- Vs Gravemind Lvl 14 Geralt (88/140) +6 +8 Collab XP -> Lvl 14 (106/140) 120% OL Charged (Lvl 1) Lvl 8 Zenkichi (77/80) -> (1/90) Lvl 4 Edelgard (32/40) -> Level 4 (36/40) Word count: 1,049 words (2x2 exp)
Aether (Vanguard)- The user throws their weapon into the air, leaping to catch it before slamming down onto an enemy, following up with a backflipping slash to retreat from counter attack. The first hit restores the user's vitality equal to half the damage dealt, while the second blow ignores half of the target's defense.
Geralt could not even spare the energy to cast First Aid on anybody as they watched D’s supine form, laid low by Pit and Captain Falcon’s combo attack. As long as the Consul didn’t dissipate into light like Y had, he knew the vampire still lived. His suspicions were proven moments later as D rose once more, flying into the air. So, he truly had been toying with them? So confident in his success, and for once, Geralt wondered if this was where he would die. If this was to be it, then he would not go easily. He transformed into Ardor Blossom, hurling fireballs at the Consul, but there was not even the slightest shred of hope to deal damage- bats took many of the blows, and those they didn’t D simply dodged, while Geralt and the other Seekers were forced to dodge much more from the Consul. Where before he fought a battle, now D was carrying out an extermination. His spells scattered about the battlefield, blasts of energy and swarms of bats edging into the other fights, which until now had been rather self-contained.
Goldlewis’s sacrifice stopped Zenkichi dead in his tracks, even as the Gravemind’s body retreated to the hideous meteoroid above them. The Secretary of Absolute Defense himself…gone. Taken. No. Not taken. Sacrificed. Zenkichi closed his eyes and sighed, almost all the fight leaving his body. He took a deep breath, a single tear running down his cheek, as a voice within spoke to him. Is this the end of your rebellion, then? Will you give in to despair? Invisibly, within his own mindscape, chains constricted Zenkichi and Valjean, dragging them down. Was your will truly so conquerable, oh detective? This is hardly the first defeat you have faced. Outside his mindscape, Zenkichi dropped to his knees, prompting a scornful look from Edelgard.
”Get up, damn it! You can fall to pieces later, after this fight! And did the girl mean so little to you?! Ugh, fine. Wallow in self-pity for all I care.” Standing between Zenkichi and the two pieces of Gravemind, she slammed the flat of Aynr’s blade into her shield, relying on the symbol of her Imperial authority to try to draw their attention. She then hurled Aymr through the air with Returning Axe, following up with her last bouncing Fire spell, catching her axe and rushing in to clash with the Floodfested remnants as her spell launched off into the air, missing the rising chunk of Gravemind as it escaped the battlefield. ”Somebody attack that last piece!” Thankfully, Blazermate was already on it.
So, then, you choose surrender? To lay low down your sword and allow despair to take you? The voice asked, disappointment heavy in its voice. Is this what a man of justice does? Lays down and gives up when the battle grows difficult? Zenkichi grabbed his head with both hands, groaning in anguish. Remember your vow, Phantom Thief. You know what you have to do. Rising, Zenkichi stumbled, regaining his balance quickly as Valjean manifested behind him, largely transparent. ”Condemn the evil, and hunt them down!” He cried, hurling Ragnell into the air. He leapt forward, catching the holy blade before slamming down onto one of the Gravemind fragments, kicking off the ground in a backflip and slicing a deep furrow into it in retreat.
As Geralt dodged another pillar of light from D, he groaned in frustration. “We can’t do anything to this guy. But if we split off, he’s free to kill the others.” He grumbled quietly. His arrows and crossbow bolts were, like his fireballs as Ardor Blossom, simply blocked or dodged. There was nothing he could do to attack D, not enough time to cast a spell, and the Consul was too high up and too agile to attack through other means. Even if he could get a Grapeshot that high, it’d barely do anything, and Dimeritium would buy them a few seconds at most. He didn’t dare transform into the much more sluggish LCCB Assistant Manager, even if the weak pistol shots might be able to deal some light damage to the Consul. No, Geralt was well and truly out of ideas. All he could do was survive. Quen shimmered around him to shield him from blows, but it was taking all his focus and effort to avoid the onslaught of magic and summons that D was producing. “If anybody’s got any bright ideas, now’s the time!”
Edelgard slammed Aymr onto one of the Gravemind fragments, chopping into it with a series of slashes that left the abomination aflame. She slammed it with her shield, stepping around to give Zenkichi an opening, and he took it. Blocking an attack from the fragment he was fighting, he kicked off it, summoning Sosha to leap up and impale the thing from above, giving him time to relieve Edelgard and swap foes with her. He lashed out with Ragnell’s blasts of energy and she charged the one he’d been fighting, bowling it over with sheer momentum before jumping onto it and repeating Sosha’s maneuver from much closer, slamming Aymr’s blade into the thing over and over, leaving scorch marks and a deep axe wound which desperately tried to use biomass to close itself.
Zenkichi carved another line into the fragment he was attacking, the Hitch triggered by Hera’s boon further wounding the fragment Edelgard was now fighting. That boon was pretty useful now that he had more than one thing to fight at once. Feeling relatively tough thanks to all the healing he’d been getting and the re-established buff from Sandalphon’s Covenant, he activated Fury again, bathing himself in Almighty energy and cutting through the animated chunk of Guardian even more brutally. A crimson blade fell on the fragment Edelgard was carving to pieces, further destabilizing it and finally rendering it too unstable to maintain its form, and her next blow tore off a huge chunk of biomass. ”Finally!” Edelgard cried triumphantly, stomping off a chunk of flesh with her boot and chopping off yet another with a blow from Aymr, leaving behind an eviscerated, burning pile of rotting flesh as she joined Zenkichi. Between his enhanced attacks with Fury and Edelgard’s help, they made short work of the other one, destroying it as well.
The Final Hollow- Vs Gravemind Lvl 8 Zenkichi (73/80) -> (77/80) Lvl 4 Edelgard (28/40) -> Level 4 (32/40) Word count: 821 words (2x2 exp)
Aymr hurtled through the air, carving a deep wound into the Flood Tank’s arm and leaving behind a half-attached, smoldering limb. It roared, pain beyond its senses, and trudged forward, scorch marks up and down its body and covered in deep axe wounds. Edelgard shook her head at the pathetic creature, quickly casting Nosferatu to put it out of its misery and regain some more of her lost vitality. As it crumbled to ash, she quickly scooped up the Spirit it left behind and rushed towards the Guardian, careful to avoid the lingering clouds of poison.
Zenkichi sighed when Sandalphon replied: the way forward was the most obvious, and quite possibly the biggest pain in the ass. ”I was worried you’d say that…” he complained in response. Thankfully, Ganondorf, freshly transformed and on full aggro, charged the Guardian and took out one of its heads in the process. Now that was more like it! Even with the vicious counter-attack he suffered, Ganon was still going, and Zenkichi had an idea. He was damn near running on fumes, but who better to give a Heat Riser than that guy? ”Valjean! One last time! Heat Riser!” He cried, the last of his energy going to grant Ganon the coveted omniboost. He would be stronger, hardier, and even faster now, and for a whole minute to boot.
Zenkichi’s shoulders slumped even as Edelgard ran by, his breath coming in deep and heavy. ”I will cover you! Take a step back to recoup yourself!” She called, rushing headlong to attack the Gravemind, a Fire spell flying at one of its remaining heads before ricocheting off into the other remaining head. Her aim with the spell wasn’t sufficient to target the weak points, but it was still damage. No, she was focused on the legs as prescribed by Sandalphon. She’d not wasted Flickering Flower on the Flood Tank, so she unleashed the skill on one of the Gravemind’s legs, her Crest of Seiros glowing as she did. The Gravemind did not take kindly to this attack, turning to crash down on her with its scythe. Knowing she could not evade, she hunkered behind her shield even as the colossal blow landed. The momentum crushed her utterly, and Edelgard felt the bark of the Qliphoth crack and splinter beneath her as her armored form smashed into it, leaving a crater nearly two inches deep in the hardened bark of the demon tree. Groaning, she struggled to move, let alone stand.
Seeing an ally in danger, Zenkichi forced himself forward, swinging Ragnell at the limb Edelgard had attacked, dodging and diving away from toxic grenades and starting to take the long way around clouds of gas that were being placed to form a defensive blockade between the Seekers and the Gravemind’s legs. It seemed the Gravemind had already cottoned on to their ideas, but Zenkichi didn’t back down. He still had a little bit of time left on his last buff from Sandalphon’s covenant, and he planned to use it. Taking a deep breath, he ran straight through a cloud, acid and poison lingering to him and slowly leeching away at his life.
Despite the stinging pain, Zenkichi barreled ahead, slashing into the leg before him with Ragnell. He could feel the hyper-dense flesh resisting each of his blows, and groaned. This would take forever. He had no more energy to call on Valjean, though he did have one thing he could do without his Persona. Lifting the holy blade up and charging, he felt the flames growing around him and his blade, intensifying every second. Even as the leg kicked out and slammed into his body, Zenkichi stood firm as the fire around him grew. Ragnell glowed as the blue flames intensified around him, and finally Zenkichi unleashed Eruption, a series of explosions ringing out around him and consuming the Gravemind’s leg.
Before the dust from the explosions even settled, a great creaking noise could be heard as the Gravemind slowly tried to maintain its balance with one leg missing a good chunk of its lower quarter. Eruption had dealt the finishing blow, removing a solid four feet and change of the limb. Gas and toxin grenades exploded in random bursts around the battlefield as the Gravemind seemed to panic, using its scythe to try and keep its balance, but the sudden loss of a limb was too much, and the Gravemind slowly fell, its long limbs splayed out awkwardly as it crashed into the ground. ”HELL YEAH!” Zenkichi shouted, before running over to Edelgard and offering her a hand up, which she took with a sigh. ”You good there?” He asked with concern.
”Hardly.” She replied with a harsh scoff. ”But slaying this monster shall do wonders for my mood, even if I fear my bones will ache for a year after this. Let us dispose of this ‘Guardian’ and be out of this goddess-forsaken place.”
The Qliphoth Lvl 8 Zenkichi (69/80) -> (73/80) Lvl 4 Edelgard (24/40) -> Level 4 (28/40) Word count: 811 words (2x2 exp)
As Edelgard hacked away at the base of the Gravemind, she was quick to react to its transformation, jumping back as the colossal Floodform consolidated its flesh and began to retract. ”Now what is this?!” She cried out, hefting her shield in preparation for an attack.
Zenkichi, meanwhile, was busy handling the Flood tank form that had been so kindly dropped in by the Gravemind before its transformation. Each swing of Ragnell launched a blast of energy its way, but the monster was undeterred, barreling ahead with reckless abandon and swinging its trunk like limbs violently. He was forced to dodge the attack or be launched away, but the Tank form was quick to stop and turn once it had gone past him. It roared, turning and slamming its massive arm down with enough force to kick up a small cloud of dust and lingering spores. The light of Ragnell’s energy blasts illuminated it as Zenkichi circled around the tank form, calling out to Edelgard. ”Can you handle this thing? I can at least get some ranged hits out on the big guy!” While this earned a huff from the Flame Emperor, she nonetheless obliged.
As he and Edelgard switch targets, Zenkichi rolled to avoid a glob of deadly poison, standing up and pointing his target out for Valjean. ”Agneyastra!” Of all times, now wasn’t the time to hold back, though he could feel just that one attack taking a lot of his reserves of energy. Even as he took in a deep breath, the meteors crashed into the main body of the Gravemind, a few hitting some of its heads and dealing solid damage. He didn’t have too many more of those left in him, even as he felt the three protocols of Sandalphon’s covenant healing and reinforcing him.
Edelgard met the Tank form with a charge, Aymr flashing out with Returning Axe before she even reached the Flood form, already in her hand again by the time the two clashed. The crash of its mighty arm rattled her even through her shield and armor, though the Tank form suffered Doom for its efforts, cursing it to be harmed by a spectral crimson blade a second later. She hadn’t noticed this effect actively until now, given how hectic the battle had been, but Edelgard hummed when she saw it take place, cementing the notion in her mind that taking that boon had been a good idea.
She took the offensive, crashing into the Tank form shield-first and slamming Aymr’s blade into its shoulder before kicking off and circling around to target its larger arm. While others might go for the weaker side, Edelgard meant to dislodge the limb entirely, thus rendering the Flood nearly powerless. Though her target did not give her an easy job, lashing out violently and trying to run the Flame Emperor down any time she put distance between them for even a moment to breathe. The Gravemind’s new form made this all the more treacherous, as the toxin grenades it launched left fields of toxic gas behind to turn the battlefield into a place where not one inch was safe.
As Zenkichi hurled blasts of energy from Ragnell at the now mobile Gravemind, he was forced to take a more passive approach than earlier as two of the three heads nearly continuously belched out globs and grenades of spores and toxins. He’d found himself hit a few times by now, and while the stacking defensive buffs from Preservation Protocol and Ragnell’s magical protection had kept him relatively hale, each projectile still did a noticeable amount of damage. Stashing Ragnell for a moment, he drew his revolvers and fired them at the head firing the lingering toxic clouds, quickly replacing them with the holy sword when they clicked empty and running out of the impact zone of another blast.
As soon as he paused for a moment, he saw the utterly colossal scythe coming his way along the ground in a horizontal sweep, and he hefted Ragnell in time to block the attack, only for the sheer momentum to launch him a few dozen feet away, tumbling head over heels. ”Owww…” He groaned, body aching as he stood. ”This thing is crazy. Agneyastra looked like it barely budged it. The heads are an obvious weak point, but unless we can knock it down…” Now, that was an idea. Though he certainly didn’t know how the heck they’d pull that off. Bringing his finger to his ear, Zenkichi activated the communication glyph Sandalphon had given him. ”Sandalphon, you got any ideas on something we could use to knock this giant thing over? Its heads are the obvious weak point, but half of us can’t even get to them.” It was a long shot, but if they could pull it off…they could put some serious hurt on the Guardian.
The Qliphoth Lvl 14 Geralt (84/140) -> Lvl 14 (88/140) 35% OL charged (Level 0) Lvl 8 Zenkichi (65/80) -> (69/80) Lvl 4 Edelgard (20/40) -> Level 4 (24/40) Word count: 1,065 words (2x2 exp)
New Ability for Geralt:
Overlimit (Paladin) - A powerful technique used by the Imperial Knights of Terca Lumireis. Charged by dealing and receiving damage, Overlimit consists of four distinct levels, each of which can be triggered individually if the user has sufficient levels charged up. Level 1 of Overlimit lasts for 10 seconds and allows unlimited comboing of attacks and artes, reduces the casting time of spells to zero, and enables the use of powerful Burst Artes. Level 2 Overlimit lasts for 12 seconds and increases the damage dealt to knocked down enemies. Level 3 Overlimit lasts for 12 seconds and reduces the cost of Artes to 0 and enables the use of extraordinary Mystic Artes, which instantly end Overlimit when used. Level 4 Overlimit lasts for 12 seconds and prevents the user from taking damage or being staggered when active.
Each level of Overlimit past the previous requires 50% more damage to be dealt/received to fill the meter. Total "points needed" for each level- 1: 100% -> 2: 250% -> 3: 375% -> 4: 713%.
As the Gravemind burned and accumulated more and more damage, its flailing grew more frantic, more violent. More and more Floodfested were flying off the Guardian to attack, keeping Zenkichi occupied with covering his allies’ rears where he could. Triggering Fury to quickly cut down larger groups, and deactivating it to avoid the slow damage it caused him over time while he fought smaller groups, the Phantom Thief was in his element while the others worked on taking out the big boss. He swapped out his Greatsword for Ragnell to use its passive defense boost, while taking advantage of its ranged attacks to knock flying Floodfested out of the air before they could do too much damage.
Edelgard, for her part, was carving into the titanic Flood with Aymr, the flaming axe leaving behind burning furrows in the amalgamated flesh. Her shield gave her protection from the most feeble of the Guardian’s retaliations, though it did also offer a large surface area from grasping limbs to grapple, more than once forcing the Empress to break free from the grabs or cut the arms down on her own. The explosive cysts filled with acidic pus were a much more difficult problem, and when one exploded and covered her in bile, she was forced to retreat to a distance to heal. Once she had, she offered a ricocheting fireball to Zenkichi’s aid, the spell slamming into an infested charger and igniting it, before bouncing and burning a combat form to ash and popping an infection form like the cyst that had burned her.
”Purification Protocol. Tarukaja!” Zenkichi called, giving Edelgard an attack boost and cleansing the lingering acid that was weakening her defenses. Giving the Phantom Thief a nod, Edelgard returned to the fight, but not before sparing a curious glance at the glowing halo that had appeared above the man’s head. ”Alright, now that’s what I’m talking about!” He cried as Sigil Released activated, granting him the effects of Preservation, Restoration, andPurification Protocol all at once. If he kept his head, he’d be damn near unstoppable.
Geralt, not far away and fighting Consul D, meanwhile felt very much stoppable. He had been caught off guard by Dominus Hatred, the first failing to catch him, but the second and third hit him hard, sending Geralt to his knees as a swarm of bats flew his way. Pushing himself up with a grunt, Geralt incinerated the weak group of bats with Igni, after which he felt Junior’s heal on him, releasing a sigh. “Thanks, kid!” He called out over his shoulder as he summoned the Judicator and Monsoon, directing the former to heal him while the latter ran in to attack D’s wolves, throwing his sais while circling to keep them from getting to him before his time ran out.
When D launched a barrage of meteors, Geralt cursed and ran in, drawing his silver sword, bathed in Edward’s flames. He traded blows with D with surprising effectiveness, though even his twice-enhanced body could not match the power of a Consul in single combat. Geralt twirled around a punch only to eat a knee to the gut, followed by the vampire bodily grabbing him about the waist and tossing him into a pool of boiling blood. He rolled out of the liquid soon enough, but Geralt had taken quite a beating after the healing he’d already been given. Pulling out his flask of Swallow while the others kept D distracted, the Witcher downed a dose, feeling himself recovering already. As Nadia and Juri rejoined, Geralt gave the feral a nod of appreciation and pulled himself fully back to his feet, rolling his shoulders as D summoned his scythe. “Oh, we’re bringing out the big weapons now, huh? Well, you can certainly try, Consul. But the Orphan couldn’t do it, Y and C couldn’t do it, and you won’t either.” As he spoke, he sheathed his silver sword and withdrew the Hateful Flesh from his body, the self-inflicted damage quickly healed by the lingering regeneration granted by Swallow.
As the battle against D accelerated, the slow and steady destruction of the Gravemind continued. As the hordes of Floodfested grew larger, Zenkichi decided to rely on more cost-incurring tactics to beat them back. ”Valjean! Deathbound!” He cried out as a swarm of spectral hands appeared from the ground, tearing apart the weaker Floodfested, and grievously wounding anything with a good amount of bulk. Spinning on his heel, he pointed at one of the Gravemind’s three remaining tentacles and cried out. ”One-Shot Kill!” Valjean struck, the bullet slamming into the limb and carving out a great chunk of it, resulting in the Gravemind’s attention turning wholly to Zenkichi for a moment. ”uh oh…” He gulped when the wounded tentacle swiped at him, diving to the ground to avoid the hit, while a new batch of Floodfested appeared, this group lead by a Flood Tank form barreling his way.
Edelgard’s own efforts to fell the fleshy monster continued in earnest, though the Garvemind was beginning to adapt methods to thwart her efforts. Spikes grew faster and sharper, Floodfested came in greater and greater numbers to try and distract her, and once she had been bitten by a mouth that had formed as she tore Aymr from its flesh, the razor-sharp teeth grating her armor and piercing the few weak points they had been channeled to by failing to pierce the steel. Nosferatu could heal the damage she took, but the memory of a disembodied mouth gnawing at her rankled her mind. Like a damned rat. Still, she slashed and carved away at the Guardian, trusting her Crests to help keep her vitality bolstered as she attacked the Gravemind.
Geralt joined the other Seekers in harrying D, this time using the Hateful Flesh to attack from afar, whether it be by launching it from a short distance and withdrawing it using its umbilical cord-like tether, or hurling explosive flesh bombs pulled from the disgusting cleaver. He had reapplied Quen when his stamina revitalized, and when he heard Sandalphon mention the Consul’s weakness, he laughed. “Roxas! This thing’s our prey!” He cried out, knowing the Nobody also used light magic as part of his offensive repertoire. When he did move in to clash with D, he did so aggressively before quickly backing off to let another take D’s attention while he attacked from afar.
Item obtained: Barbed Wire Trap x2 An enigmatic device, there is clearly evil within it. Once laid down, it can be stepped on -or shot from afar- to launch a coil of barbed wire to ensnare anyone in close proximity, inflicting slash damage and bleeding the more the captive struggles. It cannot be safely retrieved once deployed
Items obtained: 750 gold coins, 5x demon fangs, 3x demon scales, 8x demon claws, 20 handgun bullets, one green herb
With the Spirits they’d collected crushed, Geralt and Zenkichi joined the group at large trudging onward deeper into the Demon Tree. It wasn’t terribly slow going, with the group’s sheer numbers being more than enough to wipe out the token resistance left to offer by the Qliphoth. Each of the three had their fair share of demons and undead to destroy, though far from enough to constitute more than a minor effort. By the time they found the central area where the Consuls were lying in wait, they’d had more than enough slow going to clear their heads.
”That’s an ominous entrance…” Zenkichi muttered, while Geralt sighed.
“Reminds me of when we found the Orphan. Be ready for a hell of a fight.” He warned.
”So this is it, then? One of Galeem’s Guardians? They’ve certainly put no shortage of barriers between them and us.” Edelgard inquired, hackles raising.
“Unless they’ve just suddenly gotten smarter for…fuck.” Geralt sighed as the doors opened, realizing the other reason that their enemies would suddenly become more organized, with Zenkichi’s shoulders slumping.
”Consul?” He sighed.
“Consul.” Geralt concurred as the Juggernauts pushed open the gargantuan doors, revealing not one, nor two, but three Consuls waiting for them. “Well, Edelgard, you get quite the introduction to the Seekers. Three Consuls and a Guardian. They’ve certainly gotten fed up with us.” He joked, summoning his twin hydroblades before casting Quen, as Zenkichi summoned Ragnell and Edelgard Aymr.
”Then I’ll be sure not to disappoint.” The Empress replied haughtily, raising her shield.
While the three conversed amongst themselves, the floodfested horde made its break for the throne, ignoring every attack sent their way by the Seekers. They coalesced into a truly colossal form, a hideous amalgamation of the flesh of thousands, if not millions, of denizens of the Dead Zone. As Consul A began his monologue, Geralt rolled his eyes. If the Consuls were supposed to protect the Guardians, they’d been doing a pretty terrible job of it until the Orphan and Red Eye were dead.
As the battle broke out, Geralt, Edelgard, and Zenkichi kept close to the center, each considering the fight. Geralt and Zenkichi’s minds were more occupied with O’s true nature, while Edelgard had her focus on the Gravemind. It was too large to contend with in typical fashion, and would require careful strategy to harm without being crushed beneath its sheer mass.
The Consul, on the other hand, was a more tricky situation. They could be elsewhere, projecting their abilities over great distance, or hidden within the same arena and merely using the great eyes as a distraction from their true form.
The others, of course, charged forward and leapt straight into battle, and though Edelgard was loathe to refrain, she held back. Her limited abilities were frustrating, but little was worse than being harmed due to one’s own rustiness, Galeem-induced or no. So, she stayed back even as Juri and Edward rushed onwards, contemplating her strategy. It seemed that mobility would be key here. Thankfully, with the double dragon dance, she could at least move much faster than normal. When she made her move, it would be easier to avoid being crushed.
Zenkichi, for his part, swapped to Restoration Protocol. The group would need the healing, and he could target his buffs to wounded allies, and try to time his use of offensive skills for when he was near others who needed a hand. He watched O’s actions, or more accurately, the actions of the creatures he’d summoned, and frowned. ”I mean, I know they’re actually pretty dangerous, but…hippos?” It didn’t make sense to him. He did catch, however, the Deimos drones that Gravemind had created and was sending their way. ”Incoming!” He cried, swinging Ragnell to fire a beam of energy into the swarm.
Edelgard, for her part, hefted her blazing Aymr and, memories of a forgotten technique returning to her, hurled the false Hero’s Relic into the incoming drones. The axe blazed through the drones, incinerating a few before dissipating and reappearing in Edelgard’s hand. As the drones flew even closer, Geralt stepped forward, drawing the Sign of Aard to destabilize them with a telekinetic blast.
As Zenkichi leapt forward to carve into the flying monsters, O turned his gaze onto the three isolated Seekers, and worked his magic. Hedges sprung up around them, heralding the arrival of the observation tower he had summoned. ”What the-”
“COVER!” Geralt yelled once the observation deck reached the top and began plummeting down. He cast Quen, focusing the Sign into an active bubble, even as Deimos drones crashed into it and tried to break through. Zenkichi, meanwhile, dismissed Ragnell and summoned the greatsword Sandalphon had bought for him, lifting it up to hide behind while Edelgard huddled behind her shield.
When the deck hit the ground, it exploded with a violent crunch, sending glass shards everywhere in the cramped plaza. The Deimos drones were shredded into nothingness, though not before having grabbed Zenkichi and clearing his dragon dance buffs. Geralt’s bubble shield exploded violently, with shards of glass slicing his face, though the magical properties of his bleed amulet kept the cuts from bleeding toobadly. Zenkichi fared somewhat better, the iron slab of a weapon he used for cover having deflected much of the shrapnel. Edelgard lifted her head and let out a sigh of relief, the glass having been completely blocked by her armor and shield.
They were not given any room to breathe, however, before the Gravemind’s tentacle loomed overhead, threatening to crush them if they remained still. The three scrambled away from the edge of the ruined plaza as the tentacle slammed down, leaving behind infection forms and some lingering floodfested. Geralt rolled his eyes and summoned the Judicator to heal his wounds as he rushed in to destroy the chaff that the Guardian had left behind.
Zenkichi and Edelgard took the chance to make a beeline for the edge of the fenced-in area, easily cutting the hedges down with their flaming weapons, Zenkichi’s empowered by Edward’s spell and Edelgard’s her own fiery determination. The iron fence lasted little longer, and the pair called over to Geralt to break free with them. As they escaped back into the arena proper, the trio got a good look at how things had progressed since they were imprisoned. It looked like the Consuls were commanding the most attention, though that wasn’t terribly surprising. While the Guardians were menacing in their own right, the Consuls commanded attention like little other.
“We should try to bring down the Guardian first.” Geralt suggested. “Each Consul can grow stronger and unleash a form known as Moebius,” he explained to Edelgard. “And if they do, especially if several do at once, things will get hairy fast. Take down the Guardian, though, and one of us can use its power to turn the tide. Considering what that thing looks like, it’ll come at a hell of a cost, but whether we kill it first or last, we have no choice. The Guardian will regenerate if left alone, and its Spirit can’t be destroyed or bound as a Striker.”
”I am loathe to imagine what that would transform somebody into.” Edelgard shuddered. Even the Immaculate One was far from as hideous as this creature. As for the battle, she also could see that the armored figures had taken the focus of their allies. ”Then if these Consuls seek to protect the Guardian, let them lay down their lives to do so.” She threatened, running forward with Aymr held high. Geralt rolled his eyes as he followed her, casting Quen again to protect himself, and Zenkichi lagged a bit behind, giving himself a speed boost with Sukukaja and triggering Preservation Protocol to heal up more of the damage he and Geralt had taken. They had to take a small detour around to the side in order to avoid Juri and Nadia’s fight.
As they neared D’s throne, they saw Roland and Roxas fighting to command the vampire’s attention, while Juri pummeled Nadia. Geralt paid it no mind, though he waved the other two onward, joining Roland’s efforts against the Consul to buy time for Zenkichi and Edelgard to get past the throne and attack the Gravemind directly. Quen shimmering around his form, he leapt at D like a bat out of hell, overwhelming the Consul for a brief and shining moment and landing several slashes with his hydro blades, before jumping back to evade a backhand from D. The Consul retaliated with a series of fireballs before Geralt could reposition, and though he dodged the first, the second and third crashed into him, destroying the shield from Quen and knocking him back. This was not without consequence, as a large pulse of lightning radiated from Geralt, hitting both the Consul and Nadia, mind controlled as she was.
As Geralt took D’s attention, Zenkichi and Edelgard rushed past the throne and the fight to reach the Guardian. Primrose and Midna’s lance of dark energy still pulsed within it, and the pair went to work swiftly at hacking into the overgrown flesh monster. Their weapons, enhanced by fire, dealt noticeable damage, but they were soon set upon by more Deimos drones, causing Zenkichi to sigh and break off from carving at the Guardian. ”Be right back.” He advised Edelgard, letting out a howl as he activated Fury, hefting his greatsword and launching into a combo of attacks, blasts of Almighty energy flying from the end of his blade with each swing and into the debuffers.
As the Phantom Thief fought off the nuisance of the drones, Geralt dismissed his hydro weapons and drew Odysseus’s Bow. He fired a pair of arrows D’s way before casting the Sign of Yrden in its Glyph of Warding configuration to ward off the Consul’s retaliatory projectiles. Once the Glyph was active, he returned to firing at D, while keeping himself wary for counter-attacks. He’d seen D’s speed already, and was prepared to summon the Judicator to buy himself a moment to change tactics if he was rushed.
Zenkichi Hasegawa & Sandalphon The Qliphoth Word count: 1,416 (+3 XP/Rapport)
When Sandalphon mentioned that she'd be returning to the Avenger, Zenkichi nodded in understanding. She was far from the most durable Seeker, and the fights they'd all endured had been pretty damn grueling. When she followed it up by whispering her plans to undo her previous fusions, he gave her a small smile.
”Hey, if that's what you think is gonna work best for you, I'm with you 100%. Humanity and being emotional can be..really complicated. You've gone your whole life until now feeling things completely differently. If you’re afraid of not being able to connect with us again…maybe we could work on that together? It might just take a change in perspective. People can change and grow, and I don't think that's unique to humans.” Giving a halfway-embarrassed smile, he gently squeezed one of Sandalphon's hands reassuringly.
The archangel’s pupils became bright green sparkles when Zenkichi held her hand. She remained quiet for a moment amidst the hubbub of the team as the Seekers wound down, caught up, and sorted through the spoils of war. “As ever, my loyalties are to heaven and humankind. That has not changed, and would not. Yet…” She looked around at her allies, from the good-spirited kids like Junior, Rika, Pit, and Roxas to the dependable warriors like Geralt, Goldlewis, and Roland. “Were I unchanged, however, I would not be here on the front lines.”
Sandalphon reached up and gingerly took hold of her halo, then brought it down to wipe at the xylem-drenched ring with a handkerchief. When the cloth passed over its surface, its luster was restored bit by bit, and she continued to speak as she polished. “It would be more efficient to remain aboard the Avenger, monitor the battle from afar, and intercede only when necessary. I have always wanted to stand alongside my teammates, though. To have…friends.” Her lips pursed together in a slight, sad smile. “Regina seemed to understand that, though I never breathed a word. She was too good to me. Reminds me of you, in some ways. Albeit…a bit more put-together.”
Laughing a little, Zenkichi replied, ”Ouch. Can’t really argue that one, but dang, hold nothing back, huh?” Nonetheless, he gestured for her to continue.
Sandalphon turned her eye to Zenkichi, her pupils shaped like carets. “Forgive me, I meant no offense. All I mean to say is…while humanity is a tactical liability, it offers a great deal of benefit, as well. I can feel more, want more. Be more. In addition, humans can grow and overcome their flaws. It is a daunting prospect to embrace weakness and fear in hopes of one day overcoming them, but if I reverted to my old, mechanical self for short-term gain…I feel as though I would be sacrificing much. So…I didn’t want to throw it away without discussing it beforehand.”
Nodding slowly, Zenkichi gave her words more thought. He’d felt that her mind was pretty set on this before, but now he was realizing just how much doubt she had. Taking a deep breath, he organized his thoughts before replying. ”I think I understand. There’s more to it than just what’s more efficient on the battlefield, or what makes you happy. You’re trying to balance those things, and to avoid getting yourself killed, or holding everybody else back, at the same time. I can tell you this much. Finding a group of people with the same goals, hopes, the same ideals as you, and working with them to do real good, to help improve the world…is an amazing feeling. The pride of knowing that what you’ve done mattered, the camaraderie of working with people you can trust with your life, and the exhilaration of actually doing it. Of fighting for what you believe in. Even after some days when I was sore all over, my feet were begging for a chair, and I could barely keep my eyes open, I felt more alive than I had in years.” He sighed, running his hand through his hair.
At that point, Sandalphon tilted her head, an intrigued look on her face. With her elaborate halo more or less clean she allowed it to slip from her grasp and bob back into place, as if it had been bound to its proper spot above her head by a stretched-out spring.
”Seeing the kids again, the other Phantom Thieves, really helped me remember just how important what we’re doing is. Beyond just…doing the right thing, ya know? The bonds we make with each other, the life-long friendships we forge in fighting for our lives together for a greater cause. They change us, make us better people. For knowing each other, for choosing to stand up and fight, even when it’s hard to.” He was smiling now, looking right into Sandalphon’s eyes as he took each of her hands in his. ”So I take back what I said. I think you should give being human a chance for a little bit longer. It comes with its weaknesses, yes, but now that we’re more aware of them, we can better work around them. Besides, you’ll have me there. Comedic misunderstanding aside, I accepted your covenant for a reason, Sandalphon. I trust you. You helped make sure Aurele got back to Sector V safely back in Midgar, even when splitting your concentration like that could have jeopardized the mission. I’ll be around to help keep you safe. I promise.”
As he spoke, Sandalphon’s pupils looked like loading rings, as if the archangel were downloading every last word. For the most part at least–when Zenkichi held both of her hands, her telltale eyes seemed to glitch, quickly cycling through various symbols until they became sparkles again. Many people had trusted her with their lives throughout her storied career in the Illian Church, Lateran Church, and beyond, but Sandalphon had trusted very few in return. Why put stock in such an abstract concept, after all, when logic and numbers provided such firm footing? But being able to trust in Regina had been an invaluable experience, and now she had the chance to place her trust in someone new. Thanks to their shared covenant, she and Zenkichi were united no matter how far apart they might be. She hadn’t used their bond to spare herself during the fight against Lilith, but the option had been there. Sandalphon believed this man when he said he would keep her safe. She did trust him. When she realized that, a weight seemed to lift from her, and something deep within her was moved.
For a brief moment, the archangel’s pupils became hearts.
Then they reverted back to normal, and the archangel nodded. “I will hold you to that promise, detective,” she told him, her tone solemn. “In accordance with your advice, I will remain as I am for a while longer, and seek the betterment of bonds. Thank you for your counsel.” Though about as stiffly formal as usual, she did not retract her slender fingers from Zenkichi’s grasp.
Zenkichi had gotten pretty good at keeping an eye on Sandalphon’s pupils since that first conversation after the Quarantine Zone, but even still he barely caught the hearts in her eyes, his own skipping a beat at the sight. His lips pulled into a bright smile even as her normally-stoic demeanor started to reappear. ”Of course. I’m just glad to be here for you. I…care deeply for you, Sandalphon. It feels like we’ve known each other longer than we really have.” Gently squeezing her hands again, his gaze turned towards the hole in the Qliphoth that she’d pointed out earlier, where she had planned to have the shuttle return to evacuate Emily and Snake. ”I am really looking forward to getting out of this place. And…if it’s not too much to ask, would you be able to check on Akane? I know she worries, especially with us going up against a Guardian pretty soon.”
Without a moment’s hesitation Sandalphon nodded her agreement. “Consider it done. And…I care for you as well. All my allies, of course, but you in particular.” Her eyes lingered on Zenkichi’s for a moment longer before she looked away. She spotted Grimm on his way back to the group, and observed that the others seemed ready to move on. Sandalphon returned the man’s squeeze and then let him go. When she got to her feet, she seemed steadier than before, and her newly-polished halo shone extra bright in the gloom of the Qliphoth hollow.
Zenkichi pushed himself to his feet even as he began to reload his revolvers, breathing heavily from the damage he’d sustained, even through his defensive buffs. ”Come on, come on, come on!” He hurried himself, pausing to dodge out of the way of a dark lance thrown his way, and finished reloading the first gun. ”Good enough! It’ll have to be.” He sighed, lifting the firearm and letting loose, firing all six shots into Malphas’s bird body, before Ragnell was summoned again. ”Should’ve dropped a Heat Riser…no going back now.” He muttered, firing another series of energy blasts as he rolled past a dark magic lance and rising. ”Valjean, Triple Down!” He called, another healing burst emanating from him as Valjean fired a trio of gun blasts at Malphas and the bird demon body.
After being forcibly brought back down to the ground due to Malphas' dark wave, Primrose found her feet just in time for a swirling portal to open up next to her. She knew what was coming, but the demon bird was fast. The talon that struck out through the portal grazed the dancer as she twisted out of the way. Rather than wait for another portal to appear next to her, Primrose's eyes flickered to Malphas' main body and she quickly crossed the arena with her own teleportation skill.
With Ravaging Confession it wasn't Roxas that appeared behind Malphas, but Primrose. She'd seen the magic the third torso was casting and countered with her own, Black Fire Orbs crashing against the demon's orbs of darkness, showering the immediate area in shadowy embers. She'd cast with one hand, the other wrapped around the hilt of her dagger to follow through with her attack.
"You underestimate us," she hissed at Malphas as she slashed at the demoness.
When Primrose took it upon herself to attack from behind this time, Roxas responded in kind. Rather than open with StepSword again, he instead transformed into a streak of light that zigzagged at Malphas and opened into a Cross Slash from the left side of one of her lower bodies. He got grazed and was knocked back by a couple of incoming spikes, but the Nobody reacted quickly enough. As soon as his feet were on the ground, Roxas summoned Kayano again. But instead of shifting everyone’s positions, she instead swapped Roxas with Primrose. This allowed the Keybearer to resume his assault on Malphas a mere moment after the dancer had neutralized the dark orbs and slashed at the demon herself. And it would hopefully protect her from the inevitable retaliation that Malphas was sure to hit back with.
Once the thundercrack of Valjean’s gunshots echoed off the hollow’s walls, the exasperated detective found himself staring down the demon bird alone, for Grimm had disappeared as well. In a scarlet flash, the Troupe Master warped in to take the fight to Malphas as well. After Primrose’s dagger cut deep through pallid, wormlike flesh and Roxas beat the devil out of Malphas with his key-shaped bludgeon, the nightmare flames of point-blank firebats blossomed amidst the dancer’s darkness. With all three bodies besieged by vicious close-quarters combat, Malphas couldn’t cast. She could only force her lower half forward in a desperate bid to buck the Seekers off, but no matter how it thrashed, the Seekers persisted.
Grimm, especially, would not be dislodged. His savage claws not only slid through her flesh like wet paper, but also set her alight thanks to his reward from the Gaster battle. That kind of punishment could not be tolerated, and in a brief moment between two of Grimm’s attacks, Malphas found her chance to retaliate. A portal appeared behind him, through which the hatchling’s leg extended to snatch the Troupe Master and pull him through. Once lifted up through the second portal beneath the demon’s bird body, the portal closed and the monster’s leg slammed down with Grimm beneath it. He burst into a swarm of tiny bugbats that streamed out between the wicked talons, swarmed up past Malphas into the air.
New ability: Pufferfish While suspended in the air, Grimm can turn himself into a paper lantern in order to inundate the arena with twelve waves of scarlet fireballs, all stronger than their small size would suggest. Each wave has only a couple openings between the fireballs, randomly placed, and the waves come fast, one every .9 seconds. Grimm cannot defend himself otherwise, but he’s extremely difficult to stagger in this state
When Grimm coalesced, he enclosed himself in his cloak, which then bulged outward, covered with spikes and alight with inner fire like a scarlet paper lantern. ”Ssaire!” A deluge of scarlet fireballs rained down indiscriminately, with openings small enough that agile allies could get through, but not Malphas. The demon shrieked as she burned, her attempt to take back some momentum ruined, and the Seekers could finish the fight–as long as they could weather the firestorm.
Left alone on the ground while the others launched themselves into the air to attack Malphas’s actual body, Zenkichi focused on taking out the chicken demon thing again. One, putting this thing down again would take Malphas’s focus off killing them, if only for a few moments, and two, he didn’t fancy his odds of not accidentally hurting one of the others. He’d mostly gotten lucky this far, but her actual body was rather small, so the risk of friendly fire with his more area-oriented attacks would be fairly high. So, he ran in, swinging on and unleashing a combo on the demon’s body, even as Malphas used her portals to attack Grimm.
Roxas followed up on his attacks against Malphas’ actual body by continuing his own assault. When gravity inevitably pulled him back toward the ground, he turned into a streak of light that zagged back upward so he could use Cross Slash and continue his string of Keyblade attacks. Sensing the end wasn’t far away, Roxas became more liberal with throwing spells like Firaga and Blizzaga as well. He noticed them growing in size as they lurched toward their intended target thanks to the boon he had acquired in the previous room. Whether this increased their actual power, he wasn’t sure yet, but increasing a spell’s area or reach certainly had its uses regardless.
After Roxas had shifted places with her, Primrose was in a much more advantageous position from which to avoid Grimm's fiery rain and keep up her own casting. She glanced up at the troupe master's pufferfish form to see if she could note any type of pattern to the fire balls, but finding none she'd just have to rely on her evasiveness as they came down. She moved this way and that, turning gracefully in the space between the troupe master's falling flames as she once more conjured dark magic to her hands. When the Moonlight Waltz was ready she let the spell fly, bursting against Malphas and her bird.
While Zenkichi struck from below, the others bombarded Malphas with elements, and their sheer volume of magic quickly whittled the revived demon’s health back down even after Grimm’s Pufferfish attack concluded. For all of her tricks and sorceries Malphas just couldn’t regain control, and not even an emergency escape through a portal could stave off the onslaught when these Seekers stuck to her like glue. With her challengers going all-out on offense, this fight was a race to the finish, and the heroes turned out to be faster.
At last, the detonation of Primrose’s Moonlight Waltz seemed to do the job, eliciting a distorted wail from the demon as one of her three torsos withered and died, driving the rest of the fused monstrosity to thrash in what seemed to be death throws. Grimm wasn’t taking any chances, however, and whether or not it might be needless excess, the Troupe Master warped in to drive his claws into another torso and tear the pallid scion from the trunk to which it had been grafted. He leaped from the body with his prize just before the frenzied bird slammed to the ground, a wretched croak issuing from between its rotten teeth. Motes of dark magic rose like the sparks of a dying fire, and the demon began to disintegrate into dash. “How…how do you have so much…power!?” The last torso slumped down atop the ashen carcass, and the battle was over.
Grimm narrowed his eyes at the one-armed growth he’d excised as it began to dissolve in his grasp. ”An impassioned dance…I am nearly spent.” He’d lost two thirds of himself amidst the feverish revelry, so while he didn’t appear to be in bad shape, appearances could be deceiving. He tossed the corpse aside with a dramatic air.
"Impassioned is certainly a word for it."
When it was over, Roxas decided to use the last of his MP to cast Curaga. ”Heal!” Similar to when he was casting Firagas and Blizzagas earlier, the green ring for the Curaga expanded outward slightly while the spell took effect. So that Super Nova card he picked up could help his Curaga reach more allies to heal? He couldn’t deny the usefulness of that. The spell washed over the group, Grimm included, and provided those who needed it a solid amount of restoration to their health. A moment, cards appeared from the either, three apiece for the victorious few.
Burnt Offering - increases max life by 50%, but you must sacrifice an ability Funeral of Sensory Pursuivant - whenever an enemy takes damage from your DoT, applies 2 stacks of Suspicion, which increases damage suffered by DoTs. 1 stack of Suspicion is lost every 5 seconds Pie of Five Fruits - all your elemental status effects now deal instant damage instead. This also applies to elemental status effects done to you
Dying Wish - whenever Hitch-afflicted foes are slain, nearby foes take 15% extra damage from the killing blow Frenzy Charm - can be pinned to a persona, a striker, or summon to make it perform its next action twice, but prevents that same action for the rest of the fight Point Blank - ranged weapons fired in melee range deal 30% more damage
Lucid Gain - you slowly regain MP while in contact with your own spells VEP-18 Occipital Lobe - when using a Limit or Limit Break, you penetrate 20% of your targets armor and elemental resist, and each additional enemy caught in the Limit increases that penetration by 3% Old War Stealthkit - every 30 seconds, falling below 25% health will boost your movement speed and make you invisible for 5 seconds (any attack or spell reveals you)
Slow Cooker - deal 2% more damage per Nightmare Flame or Hestia boon Spinal Spur - your basic attacks have a 24% chance to crit Fire Enthusiast - when inflicting a burn, receive a burn, and restore 20% health when burned
For Grimm, this was an easy choice. If burning his foes meant that he’d be burned, and being burned would restore him, then the fact that his previous reward gave him burning attacks meant that he could expect constant healing from now on. Once he made his pick, he felt deep within him an extravagant, soul-soothing warmth, as one might expect of a bowl of warm stew on a cold day. ”Shaaah. May the heat of battle stoke the flames of war, and the fire in our hearts sustain us evermore.”
Roxas stared at the cards before him for what felt like forever. Between the three of them, he was looking between Lucid Gain and VEP-18 Occipital Lobe. On hand, he could increase the hitting power of his Limits and Limit Breaks. On the other hand, he could potentially mitigate his MP consumption, even if only a little. After his gaze shifted between the cards a few more moments, the Nobody finally reached out and touched one, choosing Lucid Gain in the end.
But he didn’t return immediately. Instead the guy who was depicted on the card appeared before him. And then spoke. “Greetings from Olympus and well met, there, sunshine! Look, we can’t get to the Guardian, but if you truly mean to stop it, then the least I can do is light your way down!” But before Roxas could even say anything back in return, things went back to normal and he was among the others in the hollow again.
Primrose looked over her own card choices. Elemental statuses... ah, like the 'scorch' from the last choice. In the thick of battle she'd paid little attention to that boon, especially with the fire of her own and Grimm's magic a consistent presence. Primrose didn't much feel like giving up any of the abilities she'd gained, and though the thought of a slow torture by fire over time had a certain appeal to it, especially for some people she could think of... she wouldn't say no to some instant gratification, particularly if it meant she wouldn't have to suffer any similar effects herself. She selected the last card, and once warped back into the hollow she let out a small sigh.
Another battle won, another trio of cards to choose from. For Zenkichi, the choice was actually fairly easy. While the charm could prove useful in certain situations, losing out on flexibility in combat was not something he had any desire to deal with. And while he sometimes used his revolvers in close quarters as a sort of hidden strike to seriously injure opponents, it wasn’t something he was keen on doing often enough to make that boon worth it. No, the boon that showed the same woman as last time would reinforce his best strength- against large groups of enemies. And who knows, maybe if this sort of thing happened again (once was odd, twice was a pattern), focusing on one type of benefit could start to really work up how useful it was. He chose Dying Wish. Rather than return to the battlefield like last time, however, the woman depicted on the card appeared before him, speaking.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance finally, my dear! Already had enough of this world, yes? Heh, well I promised myself that once you demonstrated your resolve to us, I'd take you under my wing. And I always keep my vows.” That was…ominous, Zenkichi decided. Once she was done, though, he reappeared with the others, confusion evident on his face. ”Did…any of your cards talk to you?” he asked.
”Wait yours did, too?” Roxas almost immediately responded. ”So it’s not just me?”
"I was spoken to briefly before, but not this time," Primrose said. That was curious. Visions aside, it appeared that the rewards were still simply just that: rewards following the battle. And with everyone having chosen said reward, it also stood to reason that they could keep moving on. But before they did, the dancer went to collect Malphas' spirit, and when she returned she produced a small flame of Warmth.
"Does anyone else need a little more patching up?" she asked. Roxas' healing pulse had certainly helped, but she would rather go into whatever next awaited them as healthy as possible.
Zenkichi nodded, and so Primrose pressed the healing flame to him, though his faraway expression indicated he was still thinking about what those cards and the people that spoke to them all meant. If he saw one of them again, he’d have to try and ask.
After being restored by Roxas, Grimm definitely seemed to relax. ”Ssehhh…” Untroubled by any inexplicable visions, he lifted his arm beneath his cloak, and when the fibrous curtain fell open it revealed the Grimmchild dangling from its father’s limb like a bat. Grimm bowed his head to Roxas. ”You could learn much from the spiky one, child,” the Troupe Master rasped, gently prodding the insect’s belly with claws as soft as silk. Seemingly in reply, his progeny let go, then fluttered over toward Roxas to sit in the pointy blonde nest atop his head. After a moment, Grimm glanced over at the spirit of Malphas, then to an untouched Qliphoth vein nestled amidst the iridescent oil shell. ”If this pattern of escalation holds, this next dance may be our most spectacular yet.”
With that Primrose agreed. Though it technically did not bode well for them, it also must have meant they were getting closer and closer to their goal.
"It stands to reason that we'll reunite with more of the others as well," she said. "Moving around like this has been quite... disorienting, but we must be nearing the top of this tree."
”If we are, I can’t tell. This whole tree’s been a confusing mess.” Roxas said, tilting his head in thought. ”It’s weird though. We got split up into twos, then I guess we got put into fours? Almost the exact same thing happened to us in Midgar. Talk about history repeating itself.”
Zenkichi shrugged. ”Yeah, it’s pretty weird. Last time it made sense, super-high tech security system and all that. This is just…weird demon tree thing.” He definitely found it strange, but complaining about it wouldn’t get them anywhere. ”Let’s just hit the top and get this done with. I hate this place.” He started off without further delay, and the others fell in behind him, curious -but not optimistic- about what awaited them beyond this next bloodstream.
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