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>>929932
Sickly green lightning tears open the sky. Beyond it, you see nothing. Not the sky, not the stars, not more lightning, not even darkness. Your eyes just pass over the Breach and you just know there's nothing there.

There's nothing below the Breach either, which is why you're all looking up at it from the semi-comfort of the Vimana.

"So, this is the Breach," you say. "It's not what I was expecting. I mean, I've seen pictures, but they don't convey just how it's…"

"Weird?" Orianne suggests when you struggle to find the word.

"Close enough," you say. "Anyway, what are we supposed to do about it now?"

"The Breach is currently inactive," Commander Blumstein informs you telepathically, "but oracular Relics suggest it'll become active once you use your powers. I'd recommend doing something to prepare yourself for battle."

Kicking the hornet's net and then setting whatever comes out on fire isn't a bad plan, but it's not exactly a great one either.

Still, you work with what you have.

Your two options at the moment for combat buffs are to borrow some of Orianne's divine power, or asking Selene to prepare one of her orbital arrows so you can increase the power of your first successful attack.

- Borrow some of Orianne's power.
- Let Selene do her thing.

>>929937
>- Let Selene do her thing.
Let's start off with a bang!

>>929937
>- Let Selene do her thing.

>>929937
>- Let Selene do her thing.

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>>929937
Enemy: Balor
Health: 6/6
END: S
SPD: S
DIV: S

"Selene, do your nothing."

"Let us find the monstrosity behind this foul anomaly." She raises her Silver Bow towards the sky, far from the Breach and looses an arrow. It streaks out towards the firmament and finds a place amidst the star. "My arrow shall never stray from its mark."

The Breach reacts immediately. At the outer periphery, the lightning twists and coalesces into faces you recognize well: Wendigo, Lucifer,, Andhaka , Shezmu, Vucub-Caquix, Arachne and Balor.

It isn't their true selves, just a facsimile, but it bodes ill regardless.

Then the heart of the storm starts moving.

It implodes outwards, unfurling into a misshapen face. Its two eyes roll around in their sockets, gazing down at the battlefield and elsewhere.

"hehehehe…" A shrill, cracking voice laughs. "You came… At long last, you came. Tell me… why have you come here? Have you come to learn from your new Master, or…"

Lucifer's face blazes with a blinding white light and a jet of flame shoots out of his mouth towards you.

Choose your defense:
- [DC12] Natsumi can protect you.
- [DC13] Tell Francis to dodge.

Choose your answer to the Master's question:
- "We came here to destroy you."
- "We're here to carry out our orders."
- "We're just out for a walk."

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>930086
>- [DC13] Tell Francis to dodge.

- "We came here to destroy you."

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>930086
>- [DC12] Natsumi can protect you.
>- "We're just out for a walk."
If there was ever a time for bantz

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>930086
>- [DC12] Natsumi can protect you.
- "We're just out for a walk."
But now that we see your ugly ass
>We're going to destroy you

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>>930086
Enemy: The Master
Health: 6/6
END: S
SPD: S
DIV: S

Natsumi summons Ame-no-Ohabari and holds it before her in a defensive posture. To your surprise, the ocean far below you rises and a sharp wave of water crashes into Lucifer's beam of light. The water boils into steam, but not before negating the attack.

"We're here to destroy you," you say."

"Destroy me?" The creature's eyes cross so they can both stare at you. "You seek to destroy me? After all I've done? Did I not bring pleasure to the world? Did I not show you the benefits of freedom?"

"The only thing you've caused is more suffering, demon," Selene snarls. "We will tolerate your corruption no further!"

"No, NO, NO!" The face in the sky howls in rage. "I spent so many years looking for this blissful paradise, and not only to do you reject my gifts, but you dare to take away what is mine? You must be destroyed!"

It's definitely in a bad… well, worse, mood now.

Choose your attack:
- [DC17] Bind the Master, reducing his END to E.
- [DC17] Bind the Master, reducing his SPD to E.
- [DC12] Let Orianne lead an attack.
- [DC13] Have Selene shoot one of her arrows.

Choose your response to the Master:
- "If you wanted bliss, all you had to do was look at the bottom of a bottle."
- "You built your paradise on the misery of others."
- "I don't care what you want."

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>930236
>- [DC17] Bind the Master, reducing his END to E.
>- "If you wanted bliss, all you had to do was look at the bottom of a bottle."
More bantz

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>930236
>- [DC17] Bind the Master, reducing his END to E.
- "You built your paradise on the misery of others."

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>930236
- [DC17] Bind the Master, reducing his END to E.
- "You built your paradise on the misery of others."

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>930236
>- [DC17] Bind the Master, reducing his SPD to E.

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>>930236
Enemy: The Master
Health: 2/2
END: E
SPD: S
DIV: S

"You built your paradise on the misery." You look up and glare at the sky… face… thing. Then you raise your arm and release Gleipnir. "You don't even notice how your actions affect others, do you?"

The Master has no physical form, but Gleipnir doesn't care. Its threads twist around the face, digging into its eye sockets, and entwine themselves around the faces that float around the Breach's periphery.

Once it's wrapped itself around everything, Gleipnir squeezes. It doesn't cause any damage, technically, but as the flow of power is blocked off as if by a tourniquet, the Master weakens.

"It shouldn't take much longer now," Orianne says. "With the attack Selene prepared, we only need one good hit."

"We also need to actually survive," Francis says from the back of the Vimana. "That's kind of important."

Arachne's mouth open and stretches until it's larger than the rest of her head, and she vomits out a stream of black poison. It falls down towards you like rain.

"Others should want what I want," the Master says. "It's only natural; what I want is best. Ungrateful little vermin…"

Choose your defense:
- [DC15] You can't let that poison touch you.
- [DC14] Your body can handle that poison.

Choose your response to the Master:
- "I'm grateful to the people who've done something for me."
- "Why don't you just shut up and die?"
- "Stop projecting your selfishness onto others."

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>930373
>- [DC15] You can't let that poison touch you.
>- "Why don't you just shut up and die?"

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>930373
>- [DC15] You can't let that poison touch you.

>- "Why don't you just shut up and die?"

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>930373
>- [DC15] You can't let that poison touch you.
>- "Why don't you just shut up and die?"

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>930373
>- [DC15] You can't let that poison touch you.
>- "Why don't you just shut up and die?"

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>>930373
Enemy: The Master
Health: 2/2
END: E
SPD: S
DIV: S

You can't let that poison touch you. Fortunately, it comes down in thick streams. It's tricky, but you manage to get out of the way before getting hit. The deck of the Vimana is covered in thick black gunk, but you're not the one who has to clean that shit up, so who cares?

You catch your breath and glare up at the Master. "Why don't you just shut up and die?" Your patience has just about run out with this.

Choose your attack:
- [DC8] Selene has an arrow that can't be dodged...
- [DC12] Attack together.
- [DC9] Let Orianne attack alone.

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>930469
>- [DC8] Selene has an arrow that can't be dodged...

Goodbye Master..

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>930469
>- [DC12] Attack together.

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>930469
>- [DC8] Selene has an arrow that can't be dodged...

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>>930469
Enemy: The Master
Health: 0/2
END: E
SPD: S
DIV: S

"Selene, can you hit him?"

"It's impossible for me to miss at this range." Selene aims her bow at the Master and nocks and arrow. She pulls the string back and releases it.

The Silver Arrow pierces through the sky and flies right through the Breach. The green lightning flounders and loses its energies.

The Master glares down at you with bloodshot eyes.

Then the second Silver Arrow falls. It detonates in the sky, releasing a rippling wave of power all the way to the horizon.

The Master's face shrinks and morphs into a human body. The space surround it bulbs as if to push the Master's body out. It's like squeezing a boil until it pops.

There's one last strike of thunder, and the Breach fades away.

Not so with the Master. He tumbles down towards you and crashes onto the poisonous slime that covers the Vimana, tears streaming down his face.

"This can't be happening," he whimpers. "I was supposed to obtain endless pleasure. It wasn't suppose to be like this!"

- Finish him.
- Bring him in alive.

>>930587
- Finish him.

>>930587
>- Bring him in alive.
I'm actually unsure of what would happen if we killed him.

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>930587
>- Finish him.

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>>930587
You snap your finger and Gleipnir descends from the sky like a bolt of lightning. It wraps himself around his throat as he cries and pulls him up until his feet leave the deck. You all silently stare at him until the body stops moving.

"Let's go home, Francis," you say. "The Commander will want to see the body, I imagine."

"Sure thing, Eamon," Francis says. "Won't take a minute."

"I didn't think it'd be this easy," Orianne says. "After I saw those faces, I thought we'd be up for a more dangerous fight."

"We created a weakness and exploited it," you say. "That's how fights are supposed to go."

"Besides, the true struggle is only beginning," Selene says. "We still need to repair the damage that has been done."

"It is not our task alone," Natsumi says. "I do not believe it will be difficult."

Francis takes you back to New York in under a second and hovers above the landing pad. You drop the corpse at her feet and hop off.

"Your delivery is here, ma'am," you say. "I hope it's satisfactory."

"Extremely so," Commander Blumstein says. "You've done an excellent job. Go have some rest while I find some people to deal with that thing."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Francis cheers and slaps your back. "Where to next?"

- Shower. You're absolutely filthy.
- Drink. It's time to celebrate.
- Bed. You're so goddamn tired.

>>930587
>Bring him in alive

>>930691
>- Shower. You're absolutely filthy.

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>930691
>- Shower. You're absolutely filthy.

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>>930691
"Shower," you say. "I'm drenched in sweat. And possibly poison."

"Yeah, I kind of figured you'd say that," Francis says. Then he leans in to talk quietly. "Shower is code for getting laid, right? 'Cause I've got some 'protection' with me if you need it."

It has been a while, but it would cut down on your party time. At least by several hours. Really.

- You're fairly certain Orianne would be interested.
- Ask Natsumi if she'd like some company.
- Selene needs to get laid at least twice as much as you do.
- Just clean up so you can celebrate.

>>930798
>- You're fairly certain Orianne would be interested.

>>930798
>- You're fairly certain Orianne would be interested.

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>>930798
"Just give me the package," you say.

Francis slips something into your jacket pocket. "Have fun," he says. "I'll head out for a bit, but I should be able to make it back before the end of the party."

You're tempted to make a snide comment about him not being out that look, but he did just do you a solid, so you show a bit of restraint.

Selene and Natsumi walk on ahead, while you fall into step with Orianne. She looks at you and grins.

"Looking for someone to wash your back?"

"Something along those lines," you say. "I thought it'd be nice to be with someone for a bit. It's been a while."

"I know the feeling," Orianne says.

She follows you back to your room. The shower is just big enough for two.

Afterwards you dry yourself off and look for something semi-formal to wear while Orianne helps herself to some of your private stock.

"Is this a one time thing," she says, "or do you want to do this again? Either one is fine with me."

- "One time is good enough for now."
- "How about a one time thing that happens at regular intervals?"
- "I wouldn't mind giving the dating thing a shot."

>>930912
- "I wouldn't mind giving the dating thing a shot."

>>930912
>- "How about a one time thing that happens at regular intervals?"

>>930912
>- "I wouldn't mind giving the dating thing a shot."
I guess we're route locking now.

>>930912
>"I wouldn't mind giving the dating thing a shot."

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>>930912
"I wouldn't mind giving the dating thing a shot."

"Your enthusiasm is truly inspiring," Orianne says.

"Yes, well, things didn't turn out so well the last time I tried," you say. "Women love fixing wounded hearts, right?"

"It does make for an intriguing backstory. Anyway, you should go get dressed. The party should be underway and I would like to be there for some of it."

You settle for your dress uniform, but leave most of it off.

The club is packed with dancing people, the music is too loud for you to hear anything and the empty glasses and bottles are piling up quickly. You take a seat at the bar alongside Natsumi and Selene, and Francis arrives soon after you with a giant shit-eating grin on his face. Even the Commander shows up to join you.

"Since we're all here," Commander Blumstein says, "we should have a toast. Any suggestions?"

- "To the people who died."
- "To those of us still fighting."
- "To humanity."

>>930993
>- "To humanity."

>>930993
>- "To humanity."

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>>930993
"Let's go with a simple one." You raise your glass. "To humanity! We get to survive because our ancestors made up a bunch of crazy shit about their gods!"

Commander Blumstein slaps you upside the head, but there's still a small smile on her face. "It's more complicated than that," she says, "but I'll take it. No one completely understands how Relics work anyway."

"To humanity!"

You take a shot of rum and then order a proper whiskey to keep yourself going. At some point, Orianne sits on your lap and you stealthily grope her ass. Truly, your relationship is off to a great start.

Natsumi and Selene are more subdued, but Francis gets more and more festive and starts telling (other people's) war stories. Sure, he's a glorified taxi driver, but you have to admit he was there when you needed him, and he did follow you to the last battle. If you'd made a mistake or gotten unlucky, that might have gotten him killed. He at least deserves some respect for sticking through.

In defiance of time and human endurance, the party doesn't wind down. If anything, it keeps getting bigger as more people show up. You don't know who most of them are, which raises some questions about base security, but it's not like anyone can start shit here.

Orianne snuggles against you and closes her eyes to rest a little. "We did a great thing today," she says. "Or maybe yesterday. I'm not quite sure."

"That makes two of us," you say. "It's not over though. We still need to mop up and re-establish order."

"We've come this far," Orianne says. "We can keep going a little farther."

Yeah. You definitely can, and with the threat of the Eskathos dealt with, the journey won't be so long anymore.

>>931110
And that is the end of Relic Quest. It was... okay, I guess. Running a combat-focused quest didn't turn out like I thought it would, and I actually thought the quest was going to die three or four times during its run, but people still showed up and that's all that really matters. And 4chan didn't go bankrupt, so that was nice.

Anyway, I will still be running Beleaguered Prince Quest on Fridays, but I'll probably take Sundays off for a bit. I'm probably going to give Anonkun a shot next to see how it goes, but I'm not sure when I'm going to run. I've got too many ideas and very little time to run them, so I might do a poll on twitter. You can follow me @BeleagueredQM if you want in on that.

With all that said, goodnight and thanks for playing. I'll see you all next time.

>>931132
Thanks for running

>>931132
Thanks for the run.

Thanks