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>>43926486

“Well!” Amelia announces, the cheerful lilt in her voice betraying the frustration beneath, “You all seem well rested this morning!”

Afternoon, you add quietly, this afternoon.

“Right,” Amelia still sounds distracted as she nods in your direction, “So I don't want to see anyone napping off. Now, Mia, why don't you run us through the plan?”

The plan, of course. The same plan that Cassandra told you last night, in a quick rush of words before she retreated into her borrowed bedroom. You're not quite sure why she isn't the one giving the orders here, but you don't have the time to worry about it. Instead, standing, you run the group through the plan. Meeting up with Sati in the demon world, you would all enter the tunnels beneath the auction house and march to the Lady's domain. When she is out of the way – defeated, forced to surrender or otherwise removed from the equation – you can use her portal to enter the Intoxicating One's fortress. From there, Marco. After rattling that off, you ask if there are any objections.

“Actually,” Cassandra says slowly, “I don't think we should commit all of our forces to one path. A diversion could draw a lot of attention away, maybe you could slip in and out without being noticed.”

A feint, in other words. Biting your lip as you think, you then ask Cassandra if, perhaps, she has some kind of ulterior motive – some other motivation to attack from another angle, perhaps?

“I want the guardian beast dead,” she says simply, “There – it's not ulterior any more, is it? We should divide our forces, half down the tunnels and half above. That way, if something happens – some delay or anything like that – we won't suffer too much.” With her point made Cassandra falls silent, gazing around with defiant eyes.

>We're all taking the tunnels
>Alright, we'll try a feint
>Other

>>43926492
>Alright, we'll try a feint

>>43926492
>Alright, we'll try a feint
But Leon gets to go with Cass. Bastard might end up killing Marco, at this rate.

Petra goes with us. She's not very subtle, but that fire sword means business. Joseph's packing some fire too.

I don't suppose we can item that ice oni into a null ice item for the tunnel team, or just lend it to someone in said tunnel team?

>>43926492
>Alright, we'll try a feint
You are going to need Magic though, so take Elliot with you.

>>43926517
Leon's not going to kill Marco anon.

>>43926572
I don't mean literally. He's loud, drunk, and high on Baphomet.

>>43926492
>>Alright, we'll try a feint
Leon, Cass and Elliot up top. Petra, Mia and Joseph down in the tunnels.

>>43926572
>>43926580
and you know, FULL MOON, so maybe literally isn't too far off the mark.

>>43926517
>I don't suppose we can item that ice oni into a null ice item for the tunnel team, or just lend it to someone in said tunnel team?
Cass should probably keep him with her so she has some kind of magic attack. I think the guardian thing is immune to physical attacks.

>>43926642
good point, Cass isn't doing too hot in the magical department. Hope there's something she can actually do with that knife.

hope Cu gets well fast enough to show up in the fight

>>43926663
Hope he gets well enough to rush over just in time to see Cass crushing who I assume to be Ongyo-ki's head.

>>43926591
>>43926572
>>43926517
>>43926513

Fine, you say as you nod to Cassandra, you'll try this feint of hers. She'll need magic, though – the guardian beast is said to turn aside mundane weapons. This is one fight that Wingless will have to sit out. For the tunnels, you were thinking about-

“I'll go,” Petra announces, tugging at the mantle of white feathers pinned around her throat, “I've got the advantage down there, yes?”

That's... what you were going to say, yes. Joseph mentioned having some firepower – the table groans at your lame pun – so you'll take him with you as well. That leaves the feint with Cassandra, Elliot and Leon. As soon as you announce that, you see those three bristling with suppressed tension. Hopefully, when the time comes, you can rely on them to act professionally. As long as none of them runs off to fight something far beyond their level – and you'd have to be pretty dumb to try something like that - they should be fine.

“Then it's settled,” Amelia says, with the noticeable relief of someone who was expecting a long argument, “You need to be careful though, the full moon has a certain power. It mostly influences demons, but even humans will suffer to a lesser degree. Things might get a little... strange, but try to stay focussed.”

With that, and with a final “good luck”, Amelia vanishes from the room. Looks like there won't be any time for a question and answer session today. Something about her seemed... off. Distracted perhaps, or worried. You don't know if anyone else picked up on it, but there was definitely something going on behind the scenes.

But that's none of your business. You've got important work – possibly the MOST important work – to do. Hopefully this time, nothing goes wrong with the transition.

I think Amelia just realized Nyarly is AWOL

>>43926750
Amelia realized a certain missing stake juggler?

>>43926768
>>43926769

>I wouldn't worry about it!

>>43926750

When you trigger your Gateway app, there is a brief – a few seconds, and nothing more – moment where you are caught, hanging in that familiar blackness that Source calls home. No words are exchanged, but that darkness speaks in a language of its own, reminding you that that unknown presence is still watching. Not just that, but reminding you also of those twin prophecies – you would find your father, only to lose him again, and that you were walking a path towards destruction.

Prophecies. You don't really care for them.

At least the interruption is brief, so short that neither of your escorts noticed a thing. Good thing too – you don't want to get bogged down in a debate about whatever unseen entity has been harassing you. You've got a plan to follow – first, find Sati. Easy enough, Cassandra told you, just look for the biggest fire you can see. True enough, rising up against the darkened horizon is a great tower, the top few floors swathed in flames. Shrugging softly, you begin to march through the deep drifts of snow towards that bright light.

Sati, the maiden guarding the grand bonfire at the bottommost chamber of that tower, does not seem surprised to see you arrive. Indeed, she agrees to travel with you almost immediately. Cassandra, you realised, must have smoothed things over with her before leaving. A contingency plan, perhaps, or had she been planning on this diversion from the start? Either way, you need to decide who will be working with Sati, for the time being at least

>Mia
>Petra
>Joseph

>>43926842
>>Petra
Mia and Joseph already have fire demons.

>>43926842
>>43926873
that works.

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>>43926873
>>43926884

You let Petra – who has, you realise, a severe lack of demons in general – take Sati under her wing for the time being. You can only hope that she doesn't do anything rash, like run off to Scathach to get a second flaming sword or something like that.

Now, with Sati accompanying you, you begin the long slog north to the old auction house. It's become quite the familiar route by now, but the strenuous walk still leaves you aching and sore, your chest tightening up with pain. Although the old mansion itself has a great deal of bad memories associated with it – you still remember the despair you felt when, for a moment, it seemed like your father was gone forever – you're still glad to see it on the horizon, for the shelter it offers if nothing else.

Before you go inside, you glance up at the sky. Although thick black clouds still churn high above you, there is a faint glow struggling to pierce them. The full moon, you realise, but one larger and more luminous than any moon you've ever seen in the human world. You don't feel any different looking at it – yet – but you're not sure what to expect. Shaking the thoughts away, you enter the mansion and follow Petra down the carefully tied rope. Joseph follows you down, keeping a careful eye out for anyone who might have followed.

Down in the tunnels, the biting wind seems to cut right through your heavy coat and freeze you down to your already aching bones. Grimacing, you force yourself to ignore the chill and press onwards. Soon enough, things will start to warm up. The sheer amount of fire you're prepared to throw out will see to that. Onwards, you walk, through winding tunnels of slick and glistening ice, until finally you find yourself at the border of the Lady's domain.

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>>43927059

When you enter the large, hollow cavern, your eyes are drawn to the frozen lump of what you first assume to be stone in the centre of the cave. As you take a closer look, however, you realise that it's the upper body of a woman, her lower half embedded in ice as solid as any crystal. This must be the Lady – and she knows you're here. As soon as you enter, the ice coating her upper body begins to crack and crumble away until she rises up and glares balefully at you.

“Treason,” she croaks, in an ancient voice, “I sent assassins, and they bring their targets back to me. A gift, perhaps, that I might kill her myself? Or do you conspire against me, and spit on the deals that were struck?”

>Kill her if you want, as long as you end those storms afterwards
>We were never assassins. Time to die
>Other

>>43927078
>We were never assassins. Time to die
Hua Po, Salamander, Sait, and Fire Sword Petra.

>>43927078
>>We were never assassins. Time to die
Have Petra be the vanguard seeing that she is Null to ice.

Rolled 1, 68, 35, 5 = 109 (4d100)

>>43927101
>>43927138

Assassins? She must be mistake – you were never assassins, not under her employ at least. You came here for one reason only, and it certainly wasn't to deliver Sati to her on a silver platter. No, you came here to kill her and her alone. Unless, of course, she's prepared to surrender?

“So it is treason,” the Lady sounds somehow pleased by this development, “So be it. I'll be happy to destroy you arrogant fools. Your bones will lie here, decorating this glorious lair of mine, for all eternity!”

“Stand back, Mia,” Petra snarls as she steps in front of you, drawing her sword with a flourish that sends flames rippling down the blade. The collar of white feathers she wears bristles and rustles as a chill wind begins to pick up, sweeping around the chamber as the Lady gathers her power to attack. At your side, Joseph calls up his newest demon – a squat reptile that burns with a bright flame. You add Hua Po to the roster and, warmed by the new warmth that the demons bring, you prepare for battle.

>Please roll 4D100, for Hua Po, Salamander, Sati and Petra. I'll take the highest of the first three!

Rolled 56, 49, 43, 51 = 199 (4d100)

>>43927278
It's treason then.

Rolled 77, 66, 95, 99 = 337 (4d100)

>>43927278
Hua Po stronk

Rolled 75, 11, 46, 8 = 140 (4d100)

>>43927278
Flaming sword and a cloak. Petra is starting to look like some fantasy Hero.

>>43927330
Sati stronk. Petra very stronk! Salamander alright, taking a smoke break.

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>>43927330

The cold wind coiling around you grows colder still as the Lady's hands sweep through the air, forming occult signs and gestures. The cold seems to sink deeper and deeper still into your bones until you feel barely capable of movement, let alone combat. Within your chest, and gripped by a tight fist of pain, your heartbeat begins to slow to a crawl. Just when you think it's about to falter and fail altogether, a new warmth surges through you to banish the Lady's magic.

“Hang in there!” Hua Po, perched on you shoulder, cries out, “I'm doing my best, so you should too!”

That's right, you think with a grin as you feel the little fairy's warming magic loosening up your body. You're all going to do your best! That thought sustains you as the howling air grows still once more, leaving you shaken but still living. Joseph is crouching down, his Salamander curled up and weakened by the mystical assault. The flames running along the length of its body have almost been snuffed out, but there remains a bright spark burning at the end of its tail. He's okay, for now.

A rustle of cloth tears your attention away from Joseph as Petra, her face twisted in a savage and gleeful grin, throw aside her heavy coat. Sleeveless, her body swathed in white feathers, she stands unafraid before the cold. Sati, rising up behind her like some benevolent guardian angel, spreads her arms and calls up great flames. As her black garbed body becomes cloaked in fire, a burning pillar bursts from the ground beneath the Lady, filling the air with a roaring of fire and a hiss of sudden steam. When the explosion clears, leaving you blinking away black spots in your vision, the Lady's armour of ice has been obliterated.

With her enemy exposed, left defenceless and defanged, Petra takes her sword in both hands and advances.

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Rolled 5, 97, 65 = 167 (3d100)

>>43927592

Swinging heavy, with a shout that is less exertion and more satisfaction, Petra buries her sword in the Lady's arm, hastily raised to defend against the incoming blow. Powered by whatever inhuman strength lies within that necklace of teeth, Petra's blow almost shears off the arm completely.

“You can't kill me!” the Lady shrieks with undisguised hatred, “That's not how this is supposed to end! You vile little animals, damn you!”

She could, at the very least, face death with a little dignity. All this shrieking and wailing is just going to make her look bad. That's when you see something that strikes a chill – of fear, this time – into your heart. While Petra was distracted by that villainous, a deep blackness had formed around the Lady's other hand. This one is unharmed, free to move and attack as she likes. If she attacks with ice, Petra has nothing to fear, but something about that Stygian blackness convinces you that it's not ice she plans on using. Darker forces are at work here.

You call out a desperate warning to Petra and urge your demons forwards, pleading with them to make it in time.

>Please roll 3D100, for Hua Po, Sati and Petra. Highest of the first three, as before!

Rolled 81, 1, 49 = 131 (3d100)

>>43927652

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Rolled 1, 75, 67 = 143 (3d100)

>>43927652
>Mudo
Hell no

Rolled 92, 36, 6 = 134 (3d100)

>>43927652
I find myself thankful you don't do critfails Moloch

Hua Po stronk again, Petra passes so I think she is fine, but Sati might be in trouble.

Thankfully since she is under pact, she won't die when killed. She'll at least be able to recover.

>>43927692
>>43927678

Perhaps it is the desperation in your voice that alerts Petra to the gravity of the situation, because she doesn't wait or ask any questions. Any delay that those actions would have inevitably brought about would have been, perhaps, fatal. As it is, she hurls herself backwards and away from the Lady, leaving her sword impaled into the demonic witch's arm. As the redhead dives hastily away, the Lady's hand swipes through the air Petra occupied not a few seconds ago. She lands heavily, but a few bruises and scrapes are a meagre price to pay for such a lucky escape.

Snarling with frustration, the Lady instead slams her fist into the ground, sending a long tongue of darkness that lashes out and strikes Sati in the chest. A piercing scream escapes the black garbed demon and, in that moment, the fires that cling to her are instantly snuffed out. The demon herself vanishes a moment later, coming apart into a shimmering light that looks more like visual static than anything else. Cackling with malice, the Lady turns back towards you.

“You...” Hua Po says quietly, her little face pinched into a fierce scowl. Lifting off from your shoulder, borne into the air on her glowing wings, you feel her retreating body growing far hotter than before. She's gathering power, you realise, more power than you've ever seen her use before. With her tiny fists clenched, like a child preparing to throw a tantrum, Hua Po throws back her head and screams. “Stop it!” she cries, “Stop bullying people!”

Her words would be ridiculous, laughable really, if it wasn't for the fact that they were accompanied by a ball of roaring fire that shoots forth to strike the Lady dead centre. In a flash, the glacial demon is cloaked in brilliant fire and, screaming rage and vengeance all the while, burns away to nothing.

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>>43927890

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>>43927940

>>43927940
>>43927975
Truly the ultimate battle!

>>43927890

In the strange silence that follows, you notice the wall of ice at the back of the Lady's cave melting quickly into nothingness, not even leaving water behind. Another tunnel winds away beyond that barrier, tempting you with the entrance to the Intoxicating One's fortress. Around you, the air slowly begins to warm up as the Lady's influence on the land loosens. The storms that rage above, you imagine, will start to relent as well.

“A close one, that,” Joseph pants as he gets to his feet and brushes a skin of frost from his clothes, “For a moment there...”

“Bah!” Petra curses as she rises to join you, “Nothing to worry about, yes? Everything was under control!”

You're not so sure about that, but you decide against saying anything as Petra scoops her sword – the brilliant steel is undamaged by the fire that Hua Po threw out – up from the scorched earth. Either she's in total denial, or she can't bear to think about how close those last moments really were. You're not sure you want to think about that either, to be honest.

Together, all of you aching from stress and your various injuries, you proceed up the newly exposed tunnel. At the end of it, daubed in curiously glowing paint, is an elaborate glyph of some kind. You've seen this kind of thing before, you realise, in that awful club. People touched it and were pulled into the demon world – within the demon world, then, do these things allow you to shift between places?

Nothing for it, you mutter to yourself as you reach out towards the glyph. Petra and Joseph put a hand each on your shoulders and, without any further hesitation, you touch the marking. Instant dizziness, disorientation, and the sudden sense of movement follows, with darkness your destination.

>The next post will pick up with Cassandra's perspective.

>>43928017

The awkward silence around you draws out, longer and longer, as you stare up at the storm lashed sky. With each moment that passes, you wish for those vile clouds to part – just for an instant – and reassure you that the full moon really is out there somewhere. It must be – there is a phantom glow lurking behind the clouds that could be nothing else – but you so desperately wish to see it for yourself.

And really, you'd welcome the distraction. Elliot and Leon refuse to even look at each other, let alone talk amongst themselves, and you don't much like the dark looks that Leon occasionally shoots your way. Under any other circumstances, you'd rather be anywhere else than this, but this is one task that you refuse to shirk. This whole diversion, this ridiculous feint, was for one purpose only. You're here to kill a white whale, no matter what it costs.

Leon looks your way again, glaring at you with unreadable eyes, and you find your hand slipping into your coat to touch the hilt of that curious obsidian dagger. For a brief moment, you almost wish for him to make a move, to push his luck, but you force those unusually violent thoughts back down. Revenge, you realise, does strange things to a person. Just as you're forcing yourself to let go of that cold blade, a brilliant white light is cast across the entire area. The clouds, at long last, have broken.

“That's our cue,” Elliot murmurs, his voice carrying across the silent wasteland of snow, “So where's this friend of yours?”

You don't know, you tell him as you swap the dagger that was in your grip with your phone, but you're going to find it. Maybe it'll find you first – but that doesn't really matter, does it?

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>>43928197

After a few more long moments of slogging through deep snow, you see a shape rising up in the distance. A castle of some description, but not any description that could be found in the history books of man. This one looks grown, complete with gnarled towers and bulging, tumorous rooms sprouting out at random spots. The entire thing looks like a blight upon the world, even making the human world seem tainted by the mere fact of its existence, and you find yourself wishing absolute destruction upon it.

“Turn back, humans,” a solemn voice says, drifting out from the gloom, “There is nothing here for you in this place.”

Yes there is, you shout back, your voice sounding frail and childlike compared with the vast expanse of open space around you. No matter how weak your defiance might sounds, you shout again into the distance, calling out again and again for the demon to show itself.

“Wait a bloody minute!” Elliot yelps, grabbing your arm and pulling you back a step, trying desperately to calm you, “Don't just invite the bloody thing down here!”

“Call it,” Leon argues quietly, “Fuckin' do it, or I will.”

>Back off. It's not too late to return to the tunnels
>Call out to the guardian beast
>Other

>>43928253
>Call out to the guardian beast

>>43928253
>Call out to the guardian beast

>>43928197
>Revenge
Revenge for what? Getting dragged off by Amelia and leaving him to stupidly get himself killed? Petty bastard.

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>>43928268
>>43928313

Come out and fight, you scream into the darkness, you damn coward!

“I don't think that's such a good idea...” Elliot murmurs, pulling his phone out regardless.

Ignoring his limp protest, you continue hurling insults and abuse into the gloom. Coward! Gutless bastard! Craven fool! Murderous scum! All those and more trip off your tongue as you yell and curse at the empty air around you, sometimes even stamping your foot in childish rage.

And to think, your parents raised you so well. If they saw you know, they'd probably disown you.

As you're busy shouting and swearing, a shining object streaks down from the sky to stab into the ground. A glaive of some kind, a weapon certainly, with edges sharp enough to cut right through the frozen earth here. It stands upright and then, a moment later, a shadow plunges out of the sky to balance neatly upon the other bladed end. It's the hulking shadow of a great monster, his eyes glowing like embers within the dark inkblot of his face. As you watch him his silhouette flickers, briefly dividing into countless identical versions of himself before the moonlight banishes the illusions.

“You chose this battle well,” the demon says with slow patience, “I am Ongyo-Ki, first among my kind. I defend this fortress from all who seek to invade it.”

And you're Cassandra Einhart, you shoot back, and you're here to kill him.

“Bold!” Ongyo-Ki growls with approval, “When I let that whelp of a fairy live, I thought he might send for stronger soldiers, but I never expected humans. Very well then – this should be over quickly!”

“Cassandra!” Elliot hisses desperately, “Just give me a chance to try something, please! I can cripple this monster, I'm sure of it!”

>We FIGHT, understand?
>Fine. Work your magic
>Other

>>43928493
>Fine. Work your magic

>>43928493
>Fine. Work your magic
In the mean time we should summon...Sui-ki. Only one in our roster that has magic and he has good Phys resistances,

>>43928493
>>Fine. Work your magic
I guess we should go with Sui-Ki and Baphomet for Leon. If Elliot can still do stuff, Fortuna for him

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Rolled 66, 72 = 138 (2d75)

>>43928510
>>43928536
>>43928589

Fine, you mutter without looking back at Elliot, he can work his magic if he's so convinced that it'll help. Meanwhile, you summon Sui-Ki – you'll need his magic for this – and throw a quick glance across at Leon. He hesitates for a moment, his eyes seemingly drawn in by the magnificent darkness of Ongyo-Ki's body, but then snaps back to reality. Shaking his head and slapping a hand to his forehead, he calls up a demon. When you see the satanic creature that he pulls from the depths of his reserves, you feel your heart sinking a little.

Baphomet rises up behind Leon, the devil's hands resting on the human's shoulders in a disgustingly over familiar way. The monster looks more like a goat-headed priest, ready to lead a young parishioner down a sinful path. Sneering with involuntary distaste, you tear your eyes away and focus them on the guardian beast once more. At least, you would have done – if it was still there before you. It's vanished, taking the curved glaive with it.

“Just give it your best shot,” Elliot tells you as Fortuna bursts into existence, the wheel set deep within her torso spinning with a steady pace, “I think this is going to be our lucky day...”

Really now.

>Please roll 2D100, for Sui-Ki and Baphomet. I'll take the highest of the first three!
>Ongyo-Ki's rolls take a penalty due to Fortuna's luck manipulation!

Rolled 15, 2 = 17 (2d100)

>>43928751
Ha, he rolled pretty well for low luck.

Rolled 63, 99 = 162 (2d100)

>>43928751
>>43928788
I guess luck isn't everything. Then again, maybe Elliot's bad luck isn't just at the poker table

Rolled 39, 28 = 67 (2d100)

>>43928751
>“I think this is going to be our lucky day...”
Uhhhhh

Rolled 23, 74 = 97 (2d100)

>>43928751
do we get crushed by an elephant too?

>>43928803
Not sure how I feel about Baphomet doing so well, but I'll take it. At least Sui-Ki only lost by 3 points.

By the way, in case Leon tries shit, our Ose essentially hard counters Baphomet. Immune to Mudo, deflects magic, good Phys. Something to keep in mind.

>>43928848
>Not sure how I feel about Baphomet doing so well, but I'll take it
Lucifer's got our back. That's a good thing right?

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>>43928803

Perhaps there is something in Elliot's claims of luck. Certainly, it was only random chance – or perhaps some previously unknown instinct for combat – that caused you to whirl around at the last minute, just early enough to duck under a swing of Ongyo-Ki's lethal glaive. The blade whistles above your head as you scurry behind Sui-Ki just in time for the second half of the attack to come your way. This one, Sui-Ki manages to block with his raised forearms. It's just a shame, then, that the glaive bites deeply into Sui-Ki's flesh, causing dark blood to seep out, staining the pristine snow beneath.

As your Oni drops to his knees and howls, Ongyo-Ki vanishes like a shadow banished by a strong light. As Sui-Ki's shouts fade to a quiet groaning, you become aware of a soft laugh. At first you look around for any sign of the guardian, but then you realise that it's Leon's demon making that sinister noise. It chuckles softly, floating in place with an insulting degree of calm.

“Brawn will not win this fight, Cassandra Einhart,” the devil says, in a grotesquely silky voice, “I fear a more subtle hand is needed here.”

“Knock it off with that “subtle” shite,” Leon snarls, “Burn the fuckin' thing!”

“...Of course,” Baphomet replies, with mocking politeness, before adding, “Master.” Still chuckling to himself, Baphomet presses his hands together for a second before parting them, cold balls of fire springing up from his palms. The devil pauses for only a heartbeat before hurling both fireballs at what you first assume to be a random patch of snow. It's only when an enraged howl emerges that you realise his aim was true. Ongyo-Ki flickers into life a moment later, spinning his glaive in preparation for an attack.

>Order Elliot to fight properly
>Fight without Elliot
>Other

>>43928897
Now that I think about it, I'm a little surprised Amelia hasn't encouraged Lucifer and YHVH to try and take each other out. I mean sure they probably hate her more than each other, but still...

>>43929026
>Fight without Elliot
>Other
Well Bapho the Clown has something to say, so the least we can do is let it talk. Beating back temptation is a virtue, right?

>>43929026
>Fight without Elliot
I assume this means his luck thing is still in play.

>>43929029
The demon world has a restraining order against Amelia. She can't contact anyone.

>>43929065
I think he was just talking shit about Sui-Ki.

>>43929078
>I assume this means his luck thing is still in play.

>Yes, that's what I should have said.

File: Sui-ki.jpg (456 KB, 2028x2212)

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Rolled 5, 6 = 11 (2d75)

>>43929078
>>43929065

Frowning hard, you shoot a pointed glance Elliot's way. “Lucky day,” he said!

“Luck isn't everything,” Elliot shouts back as he reaches around and gives Fortuna's wheel a spin, “Just give me a minute, I'm still trying to figure out how this works.”

Grunting in frustration, you return your attention to Sui-Ki as the taller, shadowy Oni prowls a wide circle around you all. He's biding his time, at least. You realise, a moment later, that he's not used to fighting under a full moon. He's used to toying with his prey, leaping in and out to deliver as many quick strikes as likes from all kinds of angles. His illusions are useless here, but he can still vanish and appear at will. If he attacked directly, things could be over quickly – so why doesn't he?

Because he's waiting, you tell yourself, in the hope that the storm clouds will return. Either that, or he''s waiting for the full moon itself to sink out of sight. You glance at Sui-Ki's wounds and realise the seriousness of them. He won't last long in this state, not without healing magic. That's something that Leanan Sidhe would be able to help with, but...

One look at Leon's grinning face is enough to tell you that he won't be offering any help. You're alone on this, and you need to end things quickly.

>Please roll 2D100, for Sui-Ki and Baphomet. Best of three, as before!

Rolled 93, 22 = 115 (2d100)

>>43929220
Luck.exe just got bugfixed.

Rolled 25, 40 = 65 (2d100)

>>43929220
Spin to win!

Rolled 90, 9 = 99 (2d100)

>>43929220
Come on, sevens!

Rolled 36, 42 = 78 (2d100)

>>43929220
That's more like it. Thanks, Elliot.

>>43929237
>>43929253

Ongyo-Ki continues to circle for a moment longer before vanishing, appearing a split-second later on the opposite side of you. He charges, his glaive raised for a decapitating blow, and darts across the snow towards Baphomet. Sighing with pretentious boredom, the devil throws fire again. Both orbs of glacial flame splash against Ongyo-Ki and knock the charging Oni off balance, burning patches of his dark skin away to reveal the raw red flesh beneath. Grunting with pain, it swings a now clumsy blow at Baphomet – a blow that the goat-headed devil simply drifts away from.

His grunt turning first into a low growl and then into a howl, Ongyo-Ki staggers past Baphomet and spins around with his glaive clutched in one fist. Sui-Ki, his new target, remains kneeling in pain. Or, at the very least, in the appearance of pain. At the last minute, your Oni plunges both of his wounded arms into the ground, causing a great spear of solid ice to burst forth from the snow to impale Ongyo-Ki through the chest.

His howl dies abruptly, turning into a choked cough that causes blood to burst from his mouth. You watch with morbid fascination as he writhes on the frozen spear, his limbs twitching as he struggles to free himself. It won't work – you know from a glance that it's a fatal wound – but he tries anyway. Slowly, before your eyes, his struggles cease and his limbs hang slack. Spiteful satisfaction fills you as you watch the carcass darken and collapse into a stinking dust that is carried away on the breeze. At long last, you give both Elliot and Leon respectful nods – good job, you tell them wearily.

“Now what?” Elliot asks as he returns Fortuna to storage.

Now, you tell him, you... don't know.

>Return home and wait for Mia
>Press on and attack the fortress
>Other

>>43929496
>Press on and attack the fortress
Join the others!

>>43929496
>Press on and attack the fortress
We're the feint aren't we?

>>43929496
>Press on and attack the fortress
We are a feint right? Lets get some attention. We can run if things get bad, by then the other party should have infiltrated and gotten the prisoners.

>>43929518
>>43929532
>>43929559

Now, you tell Elliot after a moment's thought, you're going to attack that damn fortress. You're supposed to be the distraction here, so you'd better do your job. You don't have to raise the entire thing to the ground – although, looking at that ugly thing, you kind of want to – but you need to get their attention. If things turn bad, you'll run. As long as you draw their attention out to the front and away from Mia's party, you'll call your mission a success.

“Aye, so you're sayin' you want us to throw our fuckin' lives away so that little princess can run around and act important?” Leon says bitterly, cracking his knuckles. Once again, your hand slips into your coat to brush against that curious dagger. “I don't fuckin' think so!”

“Come now,” Elliot says, drawing close and draping an arm over Leon's suddenly tense shoulder, “If you're scared, nobody would hold it against you. We can handle this ourselves, so you can run off back to the, ah, pub.”

“Fuck you,” Leon snaps, brushing off Elliot's shoulder, “I ain't scared. Hell, you losers would be dead without me – you NEED me! Just watch!”

With that, along with a barrage of muttered curses, Leon marches off towards the fortress. As soon as his back is turned, Elliot turns to you and gives you a theatrical shrug, rolling his eyes with exaggerated exasperation. Smiling back, you begin to follow in Leon's deep footsteps as Elliot hurries to your side.

“Speaking of Mia,” Elliot murmurs, “I wonder how she's doing. I hope she's found her father...”

>The next post will return to Mia's perspective. Exciting!

>>43929806
>so that little princess can run around and act important?
If I didn't know any better I thought I heard a little jelly in that.

>>43929806
Salty much, Leon?

Also, I've noticed there's been a lot of asian demons this season. Foreshadowing?

>>43929994
I think Moloch wanted to use all the Oni variants.

I don't blame him, they are a cool bunch.

>That dungeon in Nocturne with all of them as bosses.

>>43929806

You are alone.

But that isn't right, is it? You didn't come here alone – no, you came here with allies, the friends you've made since this whole ordeal started. Friends who've been there for you when you needed them, and friends who will, in time, need you help as well. You trusted them to stand by your side at this, what could be your moment of triumph, but now they are nowhere to be seen. Of course, the blame doesn't lie with them, but with the Intoxicating One himself.

From the moment you touched that glyph and felt your body cast out into unseen space, you knew that you weren't going to like what you found when you opened your eyes. Some wicked sorcery has scattered you all throughout the fortress, casting all of you to unknown locations across the grotesque castle. All you can do now, you realise, is explore with as much caution as possible and hope that you run into your allies before your enemies do. Alone, even thee strongest among you is vulnerable.

The corridor you now walk down is rancid with ugly growths that bulge out from the walls, sometimes causing you to twist your way around them. For once, your small and slender frame works to your advantage and soon, before too long, you find your way to a large chamber. Such a thing seems impossible to exist within a castle – it's a huge domed room, like some kind of stadium – so does that mean... underground, perhaps?

Your thoughts on that particular subject die almost instantly as your eyes adjust to the darkness and you see inside the grand structure. At the far end, standing alone, you see your father. Caution and joy war in your heart as you see him alive and well, with joy winning out in the end. With only a cursory glance around for any traps, you rush across the stone floor towards him. Slowly, Marco turns around to look at you.

>>43930090
inb4 CS Source turns out to be wearing his skin, the fucker.

>>43930090
This feels...too easy and convenient. I got a bad feeling about this.

>>43930090

“Mia,” he says with such a heavy weight of relief in his voice that your heart aches to hear it. You were worried about him, worried so much, but you barely stopped to think about how he felt about you. While you were busy rushing about, planning this rescue and making new friends, he had been trapped here. All that time, with nothing to distract him from worrying about you...

“Mia,” he repeats softly, the relief turning into something else – regret, perhaps? “Mia, stop.”

Without really thinking, you obey. You stop dead in your tracks and look at him. At first, you can't imagine why he'd stop you, but then something dawns in the back of your mind. He doesn't look any different, you realise, from the last time you saw him. His clothes are uncreased, he's perfectly groomed and there isn't a single sign of injury or abuse on him. Would he really be allowed to keep such strict standards here, as a lowly slave?

“That's right,” he tells you sadly, “You know what this is, don't you Mia? You've fallen into their trap. This, all this, is an illusion.”

An... illusion, you whisper, but how? The glyph, you tell yourself a moment later, but if he's here telling you that it's an illusion...

“But I'm not here,” a faint smile crosses Marco's lips, “Think Mia, you're a smart girl – what am I, exactly? How am I telling you these things?”

You stammer for a moment, bitter tears stinging in the corners of your eyes. This just isn't fair, you think to yourself. You found your father and now all you get are riddles?

“A tantrum won't help anyone,” Marco scolds you gently, “You NEED to think, Mia. What do you think is happening right now, to you and your friends? You need to think, and quickly. I can't tell you the answers – I can't tell you anything you don't already know.”

Wait...

>I don't care. I just want to be here with you
>You're me, aren't you? You're my own thoughts
>You're doing this to me. You're making this illusion!

>>43930284
>>You're me, aren't you? You're my own thoughts

>>43930284
>You're me, aren't you? You're my own thoughts
We would only see him just as we last saw him since its her memories.

>>43930284
>You're Source, aren't you?

>>43930284
>You're me, aren't you? You're my own thoughts

>>43930323
Or it could just be one of the Fortress's traps.

>>43930350
>>43930319
>>43930302

He's... you, isn't he? What you're hearing is what you should be thinking – what you ARE thinking, without the veil of an illusion concealing them from you. Somehow, some part of your own mind was able to pierce the veil to deliver the important message to you.

“Exactly!” Marco – your version of Marco, at least – says with satisfaction, “Your father would be very proud of you, Mia.”

Wait, does that just mean you told yourself... that you should be proud of yourself? That's a little arrogant, isn't it?

“There's nothing wrong with a little self-confidence,” Marco tells you, “But this isn't really the time for that, is it? Back in the real world, all your friends are fighting as hard as they can, fighting against both illusions of their own, and the master of this realm of delusion. They're all strong, so very powerful in their own way, but they need your help!”

Then you'll fight, you tell yourself with a burst of resolve, you'll do whatever it takes! Just... you don't know what that is. What must you do, you ask, to escape this realm?

“You just need to wake up,” Marco says with a kindly smile – that's the smile you always loved to see the most, a fatherly expression of pride. Seeing that almost makes you want to stay here a while longer, just to catch up on lost time. Even a few minutes would be enough. But that's the insidious nature of the trap, you realise – it's all too easy to succumb to a moment of weakness and become lost forever.

>>43930284
>You're me, aren't you? You're my own thoughts
Wake up and smell the ashes

>>43930597

“That's right,” Marco nods, “Kindness can be the greatest trap of all, but you can't give in. It's difficult, I know it is, but you've got to wake up! That's all I can tell you – that's all you know.”

Just wake up. Right. That shouldn't be too difficult. Closing your eyes tightly shut – looking at that false father would just distract you – you think of reality. You think of all the ugliness, violence and sorrow that can be found there. You remember all that pain, and you choose it. You turn away from the kindly father that was presented to you, and you prepare to return to a world of violence and conflict. At least, you try to. When Marco said it would be difficult, you hadn't believed him, but every time you try to focus on the real world, your thoughts keep returning to the illusion.

Questions haunt you, demanding immediate answers. Why are you aware of the trick – is this illusion really so fragile that you were able to see through it right away? What monster could do this, trapping all of your friends in their own versions of this curious world? They are questions that you know you could never answer, but still the urge to ask them is almost painful in its intensity. Would one question really hurt that much?

>Ask your questions
>Stay here a moment longer, just a few seconds
>Wake up and smell the ashes
>Other

>>43930634
>Wake up and smell the ashes
Time to be a big goddamn hero.

>>43930634
>Wake up and smell the ashes. Slap yourself if you have to.

>>43930634
>Wake up and smell the ashes

>>43930634
>Wake up and smell the ashes
REMOVE MADA

>>43930727
>>43930677
>>43930675
>>43930664

Wake up, you tell yourself, wake up. Wake up. Wake UP. WAKE UP.

And it works.

Gasping with the effort of focussing your mind harder than it has ever been focussed, your body running with sweat, you sit bolt upright. Sheets cling at your arms as you thrash about, fighting against the linen prison that you, inexplicably, have found yourself within. Confusion grips your mind, snuffing out all other thoughts as your mind reels with the strain of returning to the real world. Throwing wild glances around, you try to spot your friends, or whatever bastard is toying with their minds as well. You see... your austere bedroom.

“Calm down, calm down!” a voice snaps, and a pair of firm hands grip your shoulders. You almost shriek out as you are held still and then rational thought returns. It's Petra, it's just Petra, holding you tightly so that you don't hurt yourself in your confusion. Finally, when you grow still, she lets you slump back down to the bed.

“Well,” she sighs, leaning back in her own chair, “We thought you might never wake up, yes? You slept so long, sleeping all the while I carried you out of there...”

She carried you out of there? Out of where?

“The fortress,” Petra gives you a strange look, leaning forwards to examine your scalp for any injuries. You don't know about injuries, but your entire body aches with pain and weariness. “We were tricked,” Petra curses after a while, “An illusion. You were lucky I was there – I've seen that trick before, and I was able to snap out of it. You took longer than the rest – I guess you were having pleasant dreams, yes? Ah, but don't worry about what the others say. Just ignore them.”

Ignore them? What... what are they saying?

“Ah, I forgot,” Petra shakes her head, tutting under her breath, “Water. You need to drink, yes? I'll get some...” As she starts to rise, you can't help but think she was dodging the question.

>>43930634
>Wake up and smell the ashes
Face the music, take the shot?

>>43930939
>>43930621
I-I'm not usually a slowpoke, I swear!

>>43930634
>pinch cheeks to wake up
Risssse and sshine, Miss Vespuuci. Rissse and sshine.

>>43930937

Petra returns some time later with a jug of water and a bowl of something that almost looks like oatmeal. She puts both on a little bedside table and returns to her seat, looking at you with apparent concern.

“No headaches? No sickness?” she asks, “You might have hit your head when that bastard dropped you. Bah, never mind that, I'm not the doctor around here. Joseph will want to see you later, yes? For now, eat.”

Eat what, you ask as you look at the bowl of what might, maybe, be food, eat that?

“I am not a good chef, yes?” Petra mutters, looking surprisingly embarrassed by that admission, “But pizza, rich foods, are no good for sick girls. Bland oatmeal is best, yes?”

Yuck. You take the bowl regardless and stare down into it, like a duellist sizing up their opponent. Rather than eating, though, you might try asking Petra a few questions. Anything, really, to delay this ghastly looking meal

>Where's Marco?
>What are they saying about me?
>You're real, aren't you? You're really real?
>Other

>>43930937
The hell? Was the assault a wash or are we still getting our mind messed with?

>>43931011
>What are they saying about me?
>How do we know you're real?

Mia might not have seen inception, but too many things don't add up.

>>43931011
>You're real, aren't you? You're really real?
"Why aren't we at the fortress fighting? What happened?"
>Where's Marco?

Then
>What are they saying about me?

I'm confused.

>>43931011
"I refuse to believe you all dropped everything mid fight. This isn't adding up. Where's Amelia?"

>>43931126
>>43931046
>>43931045

Marco, you ask hastily, what happened to Marco? Where is he? They did... they did find him, didn't they?

Petra looks down at her hands, tightly clasped together in her lap, for a long time before answering, in a low voice: “Eat your oatmeal, Mia. How do you expect to heal on an empty stomach?”

She's avoiding the question, just blatantly ignoring it. That means, that must mean... But... No, that can't be right. It just can't be right. Shaking your head – the motion causing a tight pain to clamp around your bruised body – you ask another question. What, exactly, are the others saying about you?

“Stupid things,” Petra says quickly, before faltering and adding: “They say you were sleeping through it all. You slept while everyone else thought and bled. They blame you, but... they're angry, that's all.”

No, that can't be right. The Petra you knew wouldn't drop everything and abandon the fight. Something isn't right here. Petra's real, isn't she, you ask desperately, She's really here, and really... real? But if she's real, why isn't she fighting? You said they were fighting!

“We fought,” Petra tells you softly, “And we won. We killed the bastard. But your father...”

This doesn't add up, you snap before she can finish. Lifting yourself up, you are dimly aware of a crash as the bowl of oatmeal tumbles to the ground and shatters. Pulling yourself up as best as you can, you ask after Amelia. Where, you demand, is she?

“She's not here,” Petra snaps back, rising as well, “She IS NOT here!” Before you can react, her strong hands lash out and wrap around your throat, pressing tightly and cutting off your breath. Grunting with pain, you feel bones grinding together in your throat. “SHE CAN'T HELP YOU,” Petra snarls as her grip tightens. This is is, you realise, you're going to die.

I'm subscribing to Amelia's policy for mind affecting demons.

Punch the living shit out of them.

File: Spoiler Image (77 KB, 1001x816)

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>>43931311

And then you wake up.

It wasn't Petra's hands around your throat, because there weren't any hands at all around your throat. A single giant hand holds you in a tight, crushing grip, lifting your struggling body up into the air. As your vision clears, you see the others, Petra and Joseph, scattered about like broken dolls. They barely move, with only the slightest of twitches to suggest life and animation. It's amazing, really, that you even have the chance to notice that much. It's almost as if you're trying to avoid looking at something else. Something terrible.

Finally, forcing your aching head up, you make yourself look. The monster that clutches you, like a toy, in its vast hand seems almost to be made out of black stone, glistening obsidian, and approximates an adult female. Her face is blank, a half-formed cypher dominated by a pair of sneering red lips. Those lips part as she lifts you to her mouth, revealing teeth that loom upwards at you. At that moment, you come close to losing your mind. Maybe you do lose it, plunging into a violent insanity that will, perhaps, be short lived.

“A shame,” the demon says, without ever moving her lips, “You could have died happily, at peace. I wished only to liberate you from this cruel world – why did you fight it?”

Frankly, you don't care to answer, even if you were capable of doing so. You've got one chance, one hope of escape – the dagger Midnight, strapped to your hip, and the hand pinned to your side. If you can reach it...

>Take Midnight and cut your way out
>Take Midnight and teleport away
>Other

>>43931434
>Take Midnight and teleport away

>>43931434
>Take Midnight and teleport away

Holy shit on a pogo stick we are fighting Maya.

>>43931434
>>Take Midnight and teleport away

>>43931434
>Take Midnight and teleport away
>Other
The summon Nadja

File: Things are looking up.jpg (147 KB, 499x642)

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>>43931434
>Take Midnight and teleport away

>Mother Maya
Uh oh.

File: Nadja.jpg (153 KB, 1040x1688)

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>>43931531
>>43931526
>>43931522
>>43931492
>>43931471

Scathach gave you this dagger, in return for a grisly task you'd rather not remember. You're glad she did, you won't like about that, but you've got to wonder. Did she foresee a situation like this, or was it just a lucky guess?

It doesn't really matter now, does it?

Fumbling at your hip, you manage to wrap your hand around Midnight's soft leather grip. Closing your eyes – for a moment, you fear for what you might see upon opening them – you concentrate on the ground below. This time, the dizzying sensation of movement is a beautiful, glorious thing and, upon opening your eyes, you have to fight the urge to kiss the ground in relief. Now, of course, is not the time for that.

“Fool,” the demon says sadly, causing the ground to shake as she turns to track you with her eyeless face, “This could have been quick and easy, but no more.”

Who cares about quick and easy, you spit, who care about that nonsense? You'll never just lie down and die, no matter how quick and easy it might be! Then, grimacing as you realise the scale of the task ahead of you, you summon Nadja and slide Midnight from its sheath. Time to fight – but how are you supposed to kill something that big? Petra and Joseph are slumped down, thrashing gently as some of the demon's grip loosens. It's focussing on you, not them. Maybe, just maybe, you can rouse them.

Then again, you think as you hurl yourself to the side, away from her grasping hand, maybe this isn't so bad. You can teleport, you're far more nimble than she is, and you've got a desperately sharp knife. Maybe you can work with this.

>Focus on rousing the others
>Focus on commanding Nadja
>Focus on fighting personally
>Other

>>43931726
>>Focus on rousing the others
Force multipliers!

>>43931726
>Focus on rousing the others
>Nadja covers us

>>43931726
>Focus on rousing the others
Need more press turns

>>43931492
>Holy shit on a pogo stick we are fighting Maya.
Is that bad? That's bad isn't it?

>>43931726
>>Focus on rousing the others

>>43931726
>Force on rousing the others

"Nadja, cover me!"

Wait, are we still limited to only one demon at a time? Might wanna get Cirnoh Shuvuu in on this otherwise.

>>43931890
>Wait, are we still limited to only one demon at a time?

>You are, yes.

>>43931832
>Is that bad? That's bad isn't it?
One of the hardest bosses in Strange Journey. Least it was for me.

>Petra's face when.
>Wakemeupinside.jpg

>>43932026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZuzw2TCNSU

>>43931890
>>43931832
>>43931783
>>43931776
>>43931762

This isn't something you can do on your own. You need your friends for this. You need them up and about, but you especially need them fighting. Snapping out an order for Nadja to draw attention away from you – it's a few moments before you realise that you didn't speak aloud, but commanded Nadja with your mind – you hurry over to Petra and crouch down next to her. She flinches somewhat at your arrival, which fills you with a little hope. She's not totally lost.

Wake up, you plead with her as you shake her shoulder, wake up! From shaking her shoulder, you graduate to tugging on her braid, slapping her gently on the face and, as your desperation wells up within you, scoring her cheek with the very tip of your dagger. Blood bubbles up from the wound, and finally her eyes fly open.

“No!” she shouts, thrashing about for a moment before her eyes focus on you, “I... Mia, I...”

No time for that, you shout, pointing behind you at the obsidian giant that is, currently, trying to crush Nadja into pulp. As Petra struggles to her feet, you rush across to Joseph and repeat the process. This time, knowing the limitations, you waste little time in gashing his cheek and getting his attention, pointing your now dripping dagger towards the demon.

“That's...” Joseph stammers as he awkwardly rises, “That's... oh...”

“Waah!” Nadja wails, drawing your attention as she runs back to your side, clearly terrified by the experience of winding through the giant's legs. “Boss, what do we do? What CAN we do?”

You... don't know. You really don't know.

>Run. Just... run
>Gather everyone and fight (Select demons)
>Other

>>43932060
>Gather everyone and fight (Select demons)
Dullhan and Arcangel since Sati and Salamander are hurt, Switch Nadja out for Shuvuu

>>43932060
Moloch! What dubuffs does Lilim have? Sukunda?

>>43932060
>Gather everyone and fight (Cirmoh, Dullahan and Archangel)

I'm afraid the intoxicating one's gonna die of cirrhosis.

>>43932102

>Rakunda and Tarunda, unfortunately!

>>43932132
Sonuvah

>>43932060
Moh cause she is fast
Dullahan and Archangel cause no real other options. And they are kind of fast.

>>43932132
Maka- in this setting?

>>43927890
Really like your quest, but the rolling frustrates me, with this style of rolling we almost never fail rolls. Like ever. If you have people rolling 3 sets of 2+ dice and take the best from them, it's statistically crazy how low our chance is for failure.

>>43932166
If he rolled high consistently you'd be saying how unfair it is. Remember we've almost died a few times from him rolling well.

>>43932166

>To be honest, I have thought about that before, but I'm not sure of a better system. I'm open to any suggestions, however!

>>43932184
But it just kinda ruins the chance for a lot of development in the story from losses, not a huge problem, just something I wanted to voice!

But seriously, overall it's an awesome quest

>>43932159

>It does exist, but Lilim doesn't have it.

>>43932214
Just don't take the "best" out of the first three. Take, for example, the first number from post one, the second number from post two, and third number from post three, etc.

>>43932223
Remember Forneus's 100 that had Cass step up for the first time?

Or Dulluhan's failure to beat the Oni that made Petra.

They are there, far and few between, but they are there.

>>43932250
That system is a tad worse in my books.

>>43932250
>>43932214
Lets put this on hold til the end of the thread.

>>43932272
Well, maybe he could do what Thorn does - best of first three, and any critfails override a roll in that department - unless there's also a crit success, in which case they both cancel out.

>>43932315
SMT is a hell of alot more lethal than Persona. You sure you want that?

>>43932060
>Gather everyone and fight (Select demons)

Who do we have, again? Oh, and if this is anything like SJ, DON'T USE ANY MAGIC OTHER THAN DEBUFFS ON MAYA

>>43932472
We'll see how Moh does, but if you are right we'll switch in Lilim and Rakunda the fuck out of her.

>>43932472
>Who do we have, again?
Majority opinion seems to be Moh Shuvuu, Dullahan and Archangel. I think Kin-Ki might work but he's also weak to magic, which would be a problem

>>43932546
We could play support with Lilim. And hell Mia could get some cuts in while thats going on too.

File: Moh Shuvuu.jpg (52 KB, 536x769)

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>>43932158
>>43932122
>>43932095

Nadja's scared, you get that – you're pretty damn scared, yourself – and she's done her bit. She deserves a rest, and so you waste little time in returning her to storage. Instead, you decide to break out the big guns, to unleash your secret weapon. You call up Moh Shuvuu, and point her towards the giant enemy. There, you tell her, a challenge worthy of her great power!

“Uh... uh... uh...” the mouthy demon stammers, straightening her hat with trembling hands, “So I might have maybe, kind of slightly been exaggerating about that, um, a little.”

What? But she said...

“Little bird,” the giant before you rumbles, “I'll swallow you whole!”

The situation, you begin to realise, is perhaps worse than you first thought. Even when Petra and Joseph summon their demons – Dullahan and Archangel, respectively – you can't stop the sinking feeling that begins to fill your body. Before you can sink into despair, however, the giant's palm comes crashing down between you and your friends, causing you all to dive aside. It's that near-miss, ironically, that reignites your spirit. You've come this far, and you won't fail! You will not crack!

“What insects are you,” the demon asks despairingly, “To refuse Mother Maya, and her gift of release? Then come, lash me with magic, scar my hide with your spells! Challenge me, for I have challenged you!”

So it's a challenge she wants, is it? But what was that about using magic?

>Please roll 3D100, for Moh, Dullahan and Archangel. Still using best of three, for the time being.

Rolled 49, 12, 61 = 122 (3d100)

>>43932618

Rolled 65, 83, 71 = 219 (3d120)

>>43932618

>And I forgot my own dice!

Rolled 80, 64, 75 = 219 (3d100)

>>43932618
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3eMjYAOjNo

Rolled 14, 9, 85 = 108 (3d100)

>>43932618
OH, HOW THEY'RE LOST IN THEIR PRAYERS FOR OUR GREATEST GOD

>>43932637
>>43932659
>>43932691
>>43932724
Dullahan why?

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>>43932618
>But what was that about using magic?
Yep she is still the same as Strange Journey. We need to switch out Moh for Lilim next round and play support.

>>43932742
>Addendum
We can also use Moh to heal Dullahan too. She might need it in a second.

So the trick here is going to be preserving our Physical assets which are Dullahan, Archangel, and Petra. Magic is a no go, so we should switch between Lilim to debuff and Moh/Nadja to heal the others when necessary.

>>43932659
>>43932724
>>43932691

“H-here I go!” Moh Shuvuu yelps, taking flight and soaring upwards, towards the ceiling of this vast dome. The room seems to grow taller and taller as she flies upwards, until she is visible as nothing more than a speck in the distance. Did... did she just run away? That rotten little coward! Just as you're about to curse her name, Moh Shuvuu reappears, dropping out of the sky with her hair forming black wings behind her. She plummets towards Mother Maya, only break her fall with a mighty flap that sends a blast of wind towards the giant demon. The blast hits, rippling the air with the force of it.

Nothing happens for a moment, and then a single one of those strange armoured tiles slips free from Maya's hide to shatter on the floor. You are all silent, watching in horror as Maya leans her head around and blasts Moh Shuvuu from the air with a titanic blast of wind, the magic tearing from the red gem in her forehead.

“You can't do this!” Moh Shuvuu protests as she is blasted by the magic, “I'm strong! I'm the strongest! I'm-” Her words are cut off as the mighty wind hurls her into the wall behind her with a resounding crack. She's... not dead. That's about all you can say, however.

Dullahan, drawing her sword and crouching low into a defensive stance, dashes forwards and launches into a series of rolls when she gets close, circling around to stab and slash at Maya's exposed wrist. She actually leaves a mark, a faint gash in the stone, before the giant pivots and slams one palm down upon the armoured warrior, crushing her flat. Things, you start to realise, are not going to plan.

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>>43932986

It's only when Archangel takes flight and lands, behind Mother Maya, that things start to look up. The armoured angel plunges his sword into the exposed “flesh” at the back of the titanic demon's head, digging the blade deeply into the weak spot. Wrenching and twisting the blade, the angel waits until the last minute before taking to the air again, dodging Maya's clumsy attempts at swiping him away.

Focus, you tell yourself, analyse the situation. Dullahan is down, but not out, while Moh Shuvuu is barely clinging to life. Archangel is fit and strong, having dealt a good blow, but Maya might be getting wise to his tricks. Furthermore, magic seems to prompt a lethal counter attack. This fight will be decided by physical strength... or speed, should you choose to quit the field.

“This is fine,” Petra says with a strained smile, drawing her sword once more, “This is good.”

This isn't good, you reply, don't say this is good!

>Summon demons and attack (Which demons?)
>Attack personally, with Midnight
>Run
>Other

>>43933041
>Summon demons and attack (Swap Cirnoh and Dullahan for Lilim and Oni)

Get those buffs going!

>>43933041
>Summon demons and attack (Which demons?)
Nadja. Heal Dullahan. Then summon Lilim and Rakunda

>>43933083
No Oni

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>>Summon demons and attack (Which demons?)
Kin-ki

>>43933041
>>43933101
this

>>43933101
>>43933041
This. Rakunda the fuck out of Maya, make more weakpoints.

Mia could get up there to that weakpoint with a blink, but Maya is probably expecting an attack from there right now. Maybe after a round when she is distracted we'll take a stab.

A fight against a giant woman that requires high agility and good physical prowess.

Heartless would have loved this fight the possibly traitorous bastard.

>>43933260
He probably set this whole thing up. Scathach said something about a silent partner manipulating things from behind the scenes

>>43933260
he's probably lurking and stroking his murderboner waiting for the right time to strike

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Rolled 101, 45, 45 = 191 (3d120)

>>43933163
>>43933123
>>43933101

So when you said Nadja could have a rest, you weren't expecting to need her again quite so soon. You hastily send Moh Shuvuu back to storage – she's no use right now, with most of her brains seeping out of her ears – and call your oldest demon back out. You need a healer right about now, and she fits the bill exactly. Once Dullahan is back on her feet, a little healing magic should take care of that, you can focus on fighting.

“C'mon tin can,” Nadja chirps as she scampers across the room, ducking and weaving around Maya's slow swipes to reach Dullahan's broken body, “We've got a use for that little needle of yours!”

The magic lights up the room with a flash, causing the shadows to dance wildly as Dullahan drags herself to her feet, placing her head back on her body and giving it a firm tap. She's back in the game – now, to take care of that damn armour. Lilim is up next as you swap one legally dubious demon with another. When she appears Lilim, like so many others, is shocked into brief silence at the sight of Mother Maya. It's only when you fire orders straight into her mind – just how do you do that, anyway? - that she starts to weave magic, great steamers of purple light that crawl over Maya, causing tile after tile to drop away and shatter. More of that strange, dark flesh beneath is revealed – a perfect target.

“It's time!” Petra shouts, lunging forwards with her sword at the ready. You scream out a warning as she darts forwards, eyes fixed on the target, but she does not listen.

>Please roll 3D100, for Dullahan, Archangel and Petra. Still using best of three

Rolled 7, 84, 12 = 103 (3d100)

>>43933329
>101
fuuuuuuuuuuuck
Poor dullahan

Rolled 90, 5, 69 = 164 (3d100)

>>43933329
Did Maya just get STRONGER? Poor Dullahan

File: The time has come and so (...).jpg (107 KB, 352x338)

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Rolled 33, 3, 59 = 95 (3d100)

>>43933329
>“It's time!”

>>43933365
Well she only lost by 11, but did Lilim accidently throw in a Tarukaja along with that Rakunda Moloch?

>Basically just described Taunt.

>>43933460

>Maya's always been rolling a D120!

>>43933488
Oh shit I didn't notice. Haha.

>>43933488
You're right, shit.

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>>43933351
>>43933365

Dullahan tries. She really does. She takes her sword in both hands and, as Maya's titanic palm plunges down towards her, she stays firm. Raising her sword , Dullahan thrusts the blade up into the descending hand, slicing clean through the weakened armour and bisecting the hand, even hacking some distance into the arm itself. Black blood rushes out from the wound to splash about the armoured demon's feet. It's a good blow – a genuinely good strike.

And then Maya's palm finishes its descend and crushes Dullahan, this time completely. There is a hollow shriek and a crash of metal being pounded flat, and then there is silence, save for the purr of satisfaction that escapes Mother Maya herself.

“You BITCH!” Petra shrieks, her long braid flying out behind her like a flag as she lunges, hacking and cutting at Maya's exposed legs with her sword. She doesn't even try to fight with skill, pouring all her effort into cutting, sawing and tearing through the giant's black flesh. This feral attack, savage enough to shock both you and Joseph, takes the giant by surprise, causing her low laugh to crack and turn into gasps of pain. While she writhes, trying to pluck Petra free from the wound – the redhead almost seems to be tunnelling her way into Maya, Archangel lands on her vast shoulder and draws his sword.

“Praise God,” the angel says, in a solemn voice, before he swings his blade around in a deadly arc. You'd like to say that it takes Maya's head off in one stroke – nothing would give you more pleasure – but it doesn't. It hacks off one of her ears, along with a chunk of skull, but it doesn't kill her. She's reeling though – and vulnerable. All of a sudden, Midnight's reassuring weight in your hand seems to rise to the surface of your mind.

>Blink up and finish things off
>Press the attack before she can recover
>Flee, while you've got the chance
>Other

>>43933696
>>Blink up and finish things off

>>43933696
>Blink up and finish things off

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>>43933696
>Blink up and finish things off

>>43933696
>>Blink up and finish things off
This some Dragon's Dogma shit right here

>>43933813
Mia is a Hunter class obviously.

>>43933813
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzBwlrHmWcE

Such a good game.

>>43933813
>>43933784
>>43933773
>>43933745

This, you tell yourself, is going to be disgusting. On the other hand, you can't really deny that it's going to be really damn satisfying.

So, a mixed bag in other words.

Tightening your sweat-slick grip on Midnight's grip, you focus on Mother Maya's shoulder and feel yourself being tugged through space, vanishing and reappearing in an instant. Archangel bristles as you appear next to him, taking a smooth step backwards and assuming a guarded posture, but you ignore him. Instead, you fix your gaze upon the oozing wound before you and grimace, thinking of what is to come. Petra isn't the only one who can take matters into her own hands.

Maya shrieks and howls, her maimed hand flapping impotently at you as you hack away at her exposed flesh. Is that bone that you're cutting through, or some other demonic material that cannot be related to human biology? Whatever it is, Midnight's blade slides through it as though it wasn't there, allowing you to carve a neat little pathway towards the crimson gem set in her forehead. When you reach it, Maya begins to spasm madly, but with so little coordination that her efforts are totally futile. You strike the gem over and over again, your magical dagger leaving a spreading web of cracks upon the surface until, at long last, it cracks into several fragments and falls apart.

“Oh, Intoxicating One,” Maya seems to sigh as she dies, “I have failed you!”

But that's all the says, save for a low moan as she collapses to the ground and falls finally still. On trembling legs, you climb down from her corpse and slump to the ground.

“You look filthy,” Joseph, pale and shaken, tells you when he dares approach. True enough – when you look down, you realise you're covered with tar-like blood. That'll never wash out, you think despairingly.

>>43934065

“Ah!” Petra shouts as she emerges from the collapsing, crumbling body, “The thrill of battle!”

If Joseph thought you looked filthy, you think, then Petra would be more dirt than human. Her skin is painted as black as Maya's was, smeared and stained with a thick layer of the viscous gunk. Only her feather mantle, protected by some magic or alchemy, remains a brilliant white. Compared with you and Petra, a pair of bloodstained, savagely grinning warriors, Joseph looks the very model of genteel scholarship. He also looks like he's about to throw up.

“Group hug, yes?” Petra declares, still flush with the excitement of victory. “Come, Joseph, join us!” she adds in a roar as you practically tackle her. She's right about one thing – the battle was terrifying, but there was an undeniable thrill to it.

“I'd... rather not,” Joseph says timidly, looking at the thick blood coating you and thinking, you're quite sure, of a dry-cleaning bill. Honestly, he's as bad as Elliot at times.

>That seems a decent place to finish for tonight. Next thread on Friday, and I'll stick around a while for any questions!

>>43934086
That was a hell of a fight.

And it wasn't even the Intoxicating One.

Thanks for the run Moloch.

>>43934086
Marco is going to flip when he sees us. Both in happiness and in 'why the hell are you covered head to toe in blood.'

Thanks for running boss.

What would have happened if we ran?

>>43934192
>What would have happened if we ran?

You would have been able to find Cassandra and her team!
Dealing with six people would have been a real headache though, so I'm glad you didn't run

>>43932166
>>43932223
I haven't said anything at all because I've seen "We can't ever lose" quests, and Moloch is pretty good about it.

>>43932214
Considering how many characters you have running around, Combat Chain is both too complex and incompatible with your style of writing(although it actually might work with Thorn's quest).

now give me some time to wake up and think

>>43934249
Oh. So we aren't that far into the Fortress are we? That or Cass's team just went 'Fuck it' and turned their feint into a full on assault on the place.

>>43934249
>Immunity to melee
>Immunity to Attack magic

Will the Intoxicating One have immunity to debuffs?

>>43934299
>Combat Chain
Rest in peace Fall Guy. But yeah it wouldn't work well here.

I dunno I am fine with how we've been rolling. I know it stacks the odds a little in our favor, but usually we are outnumbering and exploiting enemies. And even then we can still get desperate moments like right here with Maya or fighting Archangel Michael last cycle. Moloch does a good job with it.

>>43934303

The glyph warped you to what I suppose could be called the foyer. The entrance hall, that kind of thing.

>>43934305

Well, not to give too much away, but you really don't want to punch him!

>>43934384
What were Petra and Joseph seeing during the illusions?

>>43934384
I'm curious to see who he is. You have to have clout to have Maya serve you.

This is going to sound absolutely scrub tier but I really don't mind that the dice are a little tilted in our favor. It's not a power fantasy kind of "always win all the time" quest, but I'd still rather not have characters dying

My 2 cents

>>43934466
Its fine to think like that. SMT is pretty lethal. Hell even with the system we still took alot of casualties today.

Sati KIA
Dullahan KIA
Salamander Injured
Moh Shuvuu Severely Injured
Sui-Ki Injured

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>>43934408

Joseph had a pretty vivid encounter with Gabriel, while Petra was reliving executing those Kobolds, except there was a never ending amount of them.
Joseph got off lightly, considering!

>>43934451

Pic related, but I'll put a spoiler tag on it: It's Mada!

>>43934384
>punching
>with a girl who died of a weak heart
I mean seriously, we're going to need to deal with that at some point. At the risk of being ungrateful, I'm thinking of "a heart filled with hope"

>>43934365
>>43934299
>>43932214
DEFINITELY no modifiers. Adding and subtracting abstract numbers will only hamper Moloch's style of writing at this stage.

What if, instead of best of 3, every roll matters? That is, each character has 3 "press turns" allocated to actions, and each roll corresponds to one "press turn"?
Clumsy/Feral units could deal with failure much more poorly, but be more devastating at high rolls, while Refined/Graceful units are better at surviving poor rolls or being consistent in their efforts.

Enemy still rolls once for every opponent, no real problem there.

The question is whether we stick with d100 or add in another set of dice that adds up to 100 for some bell curving. At this point, it sounds like too much trouble, though.

>>43934525
>Joseph had a pretty vivid encounter with Gabriel,
Was it a pleasant encounter like Mia's?

>>43934525
>Mada
Somebody called that earlier I think.
Yeah >>43930727 here

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>>43934086
>Compared with you and Petra, a pair of bloodstained, savagely grinning warriors

>>43934540
>At this point, it sounds like too much trouble, though.
A little yeah.

Don't get me wrong, I get it, but even if we usually win in the end the fights are interesting and sometimes harrowing enough that I feel satisfied at the end of the day.

Shit I was scared when Petra went up against that Oni, without any magic gear.

>>43934525
Hey Sati's tower isn't freezing over right now right? We couldn't really release her immediately like she wanted cause she died and all.

>>43934567

I'm not so sure Mia had a pleasant encounter! Family reunions and Petra bringing breakfast in bed are pretty nice, but strangulation isn't so much fun!
In either case, Joseph's was much more positive. The details, unfortunately, are lost forever!

>>43934684

There's no need to panic!
Maybe panic a little bit

>>43934540

It certainly sounds like an interesting system, and a fair bit more in-depth than my current one. I'm not 100% sure on how it would work though. Would people only nominate a single press turn each, and the first three posters decide what actions are taken?

>>43934743
>Joseph's was much more positive. The details, unfortunately, are lost forever!
Is he going to be blushing when he sees her again?

>>43934794

LOST. FOREVER.
Maybe. Joseph has an appreciation for older women

>>43934743
>It certainly sounds like an interesting system, and a fair bit more in-depth than my current one. I'm not 100% sure on how it would work though. Would people only nominate a single press turn each, and the first three posters decide what actions are taken?
We plan like usual, only a little bit further ahead. The only extra step is figuring out which bits to split up into each of the 3 dice.

It doesn't even need to be that complicated, like
>Attack(barrage with ice)
>Attack(hamstring)
>Heal(enemy is hopefully too busy standing up)

Unless it's a particularly clutch moment, there's no need to reconfirm with us what each character does.

>>43934743
Are the teams reuniting next thread.

Cause going up against Mada with our current force would be really bad.

>>43934827
Dayum one meeting and he already has a crush.

>>43934827
Well I was thinking it was either lewds of him literally healing her. One could have lead to the other though.


SO who's noticed the storms and shit quitting?

>>43934828
I dunno man. I really like Combat Chain, hell I suggested it to another QM (you probably did too if you follow HSQ) but then I remember that Petra barely avoided getting Mudo'd today. Taking away extra dice against that kind of shit is scary.

>>43934846

I wasn't actually expecting to be going up against Mada yet! This was more of a snatch and grab thing at this stage in the game. That said, if everyone united and went after the Intoxicating One, I'd think of something.

>>43934875

The storms ending have brought quite a lot of attention. The Shackle are looking weaker than ever - the fairies, especially, will be glad!

RE: Joseph: >Touch fluffy wings

>>43934961
>This was more of a snatch and grab thing at this stage in the game.
Thats actually probably for the best. I think I want at least 2 demons out at a time before we tackle him.

Is it a bit tough balancing the demons of 6 Devil Summoners in contrast to only really dealing with 1 and sometimes another 2 in the last cycle

>>43934937
The problem with Combat Chain here is that it adds numbers we don't need.

Rolling low SHOULD matter, but not in a critfail sense where the demon instantly dies no matter what, like it normally does in overrides.

>>43934961
>RE: Joseph
His taste in this iteration is much better.


Can Gabby Since when someone has impure thoughts about her?

About the Fairies Cuh recovering? Is Titania doing a jig on the inside? Since we know her façade never cracks enough to do it on the outside.

>>43935075

Titania is very pleased with current events - she even cracked a smile! Cu Chulainnn is up and about, against doctor's orders of course, although it'll be a while before he can use both hands for anything.

And Gabriel, well, she doesn't have any supernatural mind reading powers or anything. She's a very good guesser though!

>>43935075
>Is Titania doing a jig on the inside?

>'Oh how I missed having these crazy impulsive humans around'

>>43935143
>She's a very good guesser though!
So basically 1 look and the secret is out? I wanna be there when Joseph drops spaghetti.

>she even cracked a smile!
Who is she and what did she do to Titania?

>>43935161
They get results!

>>43935143
Is Mada second guessing his decision to kidnap humans? Seriously he grabs a bunch then suddenly less than a week later his operation is getting blown the fuck up. Auction house is gone and now Lady, Maya, and Ongyo-ki are all dead.

>>43935186
>I wanna be there when Joseph drops spaghetti.

The day will come! It might not be exactly what you're expecting, but it will come.

>Who is she and what did she do to Titania?
Titania smiles! Sometimes. Maybe once or twice a year. She did miss having humans around - kind of like a parent missing their children, in a way!

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>>43935256

He's certainly having some second thoughts! He's still pretty confident though - he's a tough guy, why should he be afraid about some measly humans?

>>43935308
>He's still pretty confident though - he's a tough guy,
At least he can back it up. Right now Petra, Cass, and Joseph are all useless against him for the most part. Damn Drain/Reflect Phys.

>>43935401

Well, there's a reason he's in charge!
Most of his minions are Oni, so they just try and punch him to death. They never learn

>>43935555
Has Moh's Chunni ways deflated at all?

>>43935604

Of course not, she drew first blood! If she hadn't softened Maya up, Mia would have never been able to beat her!

It was all part of THE PLAN

>>43935642
Of Course!

>>43935642
Is Joseph warming up to the group at all? Well at least to Petra and Mia. Petra hasn't been nearly as hostile once Amelia told her to cool it.

>>43935689
I imagine Cass has been cool if not Cordial too, and Elliot doesn't know him enough to be a jerk.

I asked this a while ago, but I've noticed that you've been bringing out a lot of asian demons this season. Is that a coincidence?

>>43935689

Petra has genuinely warmed up a lot to him, largely due to fighting together recently. Cass is also getting used to having him around, and she was able to guess where Joseph got his wounds. That's enough to form something of a bond between them, or the start of one at least.

Elliot and Joseph are pretty tight, and Mia sees him as a friend. Leon's a jerk, but he's a jerk to anyone he can get away with beating on

>>43935745

Well, two factors. I used a lot of European demons previously, so trying to find new ones has forced me to branch out a little. However, I have been fitting the Asian demons mostly into The Shackle, as kind of a unified theme. They're almost like a foreign gang that's moved in, now that Law and Chaos aren't as strong.

There's no significance behind them being Asian specifically though!

>>43935745
Maybe cause YHVH and Lucy are weakened we are seeing other cultures filling on the gaps. Between Maya and Mada we getting Hindu.

>>43935806
>Leon's a jerk, but he's a jerk to anyone he can get away with beating on
Honestly I thought he was going to demand Cass handing Ongyo-ki over to him at the end of the fight and we'd have to have Ose put him back in line. Good thing if didn't though.

>>43935894

There was a murder moon out that night. The only way Ongyo-Ki was going to leave alive was if he killed all the others. Cass wasn't in a "taking prisoners" mood. Probably why she kept feeling up her mystery dagger!

>>43935944
Also cause it'd extremely tough to balance having an ally that can only be hurt on the full moon. ;)

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>>43935984

That definitely comes into things!

>>43936026
Hypothetically what kind of item would he make?

>>43936223

Ongyo-Ki? I envision him as a mask that would allow the wearer to create illusions. Phantom duplicates, that kind of thing. Pretty dangerous, in the wrong hands

>>43936261
Whats scarier than a Petra with a flaming sword and cloak charging at you?

4 Petra's with a flaming sword and cloak charging at you.

Though that kind of misdirection combat is more suited to Cass or maybe Amelia back in the day.

>>43936320
Hell, I could even imagine Mia using it. Teleporting about the place and throwing illusions everywhere, all the while cutting into people with a kukri, would be pretty terrifying to fight.

>>43936378
Oh god the visual image of a young girl with Ongyo's mask on her face, brandishing a knife teleporting around and making clones of herself is terrifying.

>>43936438
It's all fun and games until you remember we're grooming a child soldier

>>43936537
...shit

>>43936537
We're Big Boss?

>>43936622
That actually sounds pretty close to the mark. You've got Cass and Petra almost grooming Mia into a leader.

Plus, Cass = Kaz. Coincidence? I think not.