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>>949671

With a bit of a yelp, you slip and tumble downward into a narrow cavern, disappearing into the darkness as you skid along a long, stone slope. Someone calls out to you, but their voice becomes small in the distance behind you as you slide downward. Broken gaps and openings in the narrow space above reveal little glimpses of the cavern above you as you reach out, unable to manage a handhold on the smoothly-carved tunnel.

> [[ HP: 25 / 35 ]]

You pass through a veil of running water, and skid diagonally downward for another short distance before your body crashes through a stalactite, pulverizing it instantly. You roll to a stop, pushing yourself onto your hands and knees. What looks to be the mouth of a cave – opening up into light! – is no more than one or two hundred feet away. But you are still in darkness, now, in a place similar to what you encountered before.

Myriad sets of red eyes dance across the ceiling, fixated on you alone.

You feel a sudden influx of energy; a lance of ice which runs ear-to-ear across the back of your head. Your Celestial Artifact, Strife Memoriam, is ready for use.

> Write-in.

>>949674
>deeper still beneath
how about we make this trip faster, then?

>Activate Artifact
>Ruby
I'm a little afraid that the spiders will be resistant to the lasers though. Fire res or something.

>>949674
Sprint to the mouth of the cave. If we get caught activate our artifact.
Wtf man why did you give zero warning before this thread?

>>949674
Fly with our celestial artifact. AND I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE ALIVE Juggernaut build or riot

>>949788
blech, that wasn't clear
>Fight the spiders, try to collapse the cave further downwards to open up a faster path.

>>949674
>Write-in
That's kind of a terrible way to come back from a hiatus, to be honest.

>>949788
Seconded.

>>949788
I'd rather use marble since the laser might cause a cave in

>>949812
>laser might cause a cave in
that was the intention, so.

Although I understand if you don't want to do it.

>>949674
>What looks to be the mouth of a cave – opening up into light! – is no more than one or two hundred feet away.
Am I the only one who read this?

>>949818
Cave ins are bad news while we're also inside the cave

>>949819
Yes.

>>949674
Sprint for the exit. If we build up enough inertia we'll be unstoppable.

>>949819
>>949834
Supporting. I suspect QM is going to hand us something extremely important there

>>949840
>>949819
I guess it's possible that the seal is already in the cave.

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>>949794
>>949819
>>949834

The mouth of the cave is dead ahead, though you’ve a distance yet to go. Your Artifact is ready, but the Memory of Rust may not serve you here; unfortunately, Strife Memoriam only has the capacity for a single active Memory as of now, and you do not have the luxury of reallocating it on the fly.

You’ll just have to work with what’s available.

Bouncing to your feet, you break into a full sprint. The ground is uneven, making it difficult to get up to speed, but you have to build up enough momentum to…

Golden wings of light – cosmetic, unfortunately – burst into form at your back, hovering above your shoulder blades and illuminating the floor surrounding you. You are as a caravan of warhorses, trampling the earth beneath you into a path more suitable to your inexorable advance.

The Araneids, though, are not satisfied with this turn of events; they appear unwilling to let you leave unchallenged. Massive shadows fall from the ceiling ahead to block your path, turning upright to land on eight massive legs. The flesh of their humanoid bodies – protruding from enormous, segmented abdomens like those of scorpions, complete with a knobbed stinger – is ashen, matte and pale; their red eyes glow faintly, perfectly visible while they stand in eerie silhouette.

They wield… weapons? The two of them move to block your path, leveling large, twisted spears against your charge.

> Draw your sword and utilize inertia to push through.
> Stray from your course to avoid the Araneids.
> Go low, sliding beneath them with your immense momentum.
> Activate Strife Memoriam, and herald your arrival with the ancient flame.

>>949928
> Draw your sword and utilize inertia to push through.
Stun them with a concussive strike.

>>949928
>> Draw your sword and utilize inertia to push through.
CHAAAAAAAAARGE

>>949928
>Draw your sword and utilize inertia to push through.
Guide the spears away while pushing through.

I wonder if Haste procs with parries.

>>949928
>Draw your sword and utilize inertia to push through

>>949928
> Draw your sword and utilize inertia to push through.
> Go low, sliding beneath them with your immense momentum.
Take out their legs as we slide to avoid their stingers and spears.

>>949928
>> Draw your sword and utilize inertia to push through.

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>>949940
>>949941
>>949944
>>949945

Sorry, not sorry. You need these guys out of your way, and the best way you can think of to go about the task is by using what you have on hand: a fuckton of momentum, and a sour attitude.

You wish someone would ask you if you ever get tired of throwing your weight around. You’re pretty sure you’d have a clever answer for them.

You can feel the strength of these foes as they brace themselves against your charge, improvising a defense with skill and apparent presence of mind unusual for normal enemies. But you’re not sure they can be adequately prepared for what you have in store. Drawing your sword, you swing upward as you travel, parrying geminate spears as they zone in on any perceived weaknesses in your armor.

You pass between the Araneid warriors, who skid to either side as you carve your own path toward the cave’s exit, passing into the light as your ethereal wings begin to fade away.

Ahead, the cavern is enormous and wide open, illuminated eerily with white light from somewhere deep below. Somehow, the sight of this place fills you with dread. You are charging toward the edge of a cliff; roughly-hewn paths wind upward along the circumference of this great rift. There must be one accessible a distance below the drop ahead. You’ve only so much time to think, as the Araneids are sure to pursue…

> Jump for it, activating Strife Memoriam to survive a fall if necessary.
> Skid to a stop and climb down.
> Run toward a path traveling upward and try to contact your group.
> Other.

>>950137
>Jump for it, activating Strife Memoriam to survive a fall if necessary.

>>950137
>> Jump for it, activating Strife Memoriam to survive a fall if necessary.
yolo

>>950137
> Run toward a path traveling upward and try to contact your group.
We're really good at climbing with those silverwing armor buffs. And we're gonna need strife memoriam in a fight soon, we can't afford to waste it. Also we can't afford to fight alone even with strife memoriam.

>>950137
>> Run toward a path traveling upward and try to contact your group.

>>950137
> Run toward a path traveling upward and try to contact your group.
This is a really bad time to stay separated from the group and a waste of our artifacts charge

>>950137
>> Run toward a path traveling upward and try to contact your group.

>>950137
>> Run toward a path traveling upward and try to contact your group.

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Skittering footsteps – eight pairs, if you dared to count – echo behind you, tapping strong and flat on the cavern floor as you veer off course. The cliff draws within proximity, and you jump for the very corner, landing on a diagonal path travelling upward a few feet ahead where its height intersects with the plane you’re on.

You can’t afford to stop. Thus, you run, manipulating your UI’s projected screen in front of you as you go, navigating through menus to maneuver back to your party’s group chat.

> [[ Und¼1ðÛYOoK¼und: Tåiô¬üv¿T¼ à¿ Aás CÑU~zúÛ¿ðM ƒþw // PVP Enabled ]]
> [[ o‘oëD¿‹sÿ ÈFÖ[wDþ »¾ªèŸðJŸ ]]

What?

> [[ Communication server unavailable. ]]

This has got to stop.

“Behind you, Ascheritte!” You hear Freya’s voice, calling to you from the path below. A look over your shoulder reveals she’s exiting the mouth of the cave you just left – while the pair of Araneid soldiers tails you, one crawling down to mount the slope you’re on, the other traveling along the cavern wall to intersect with your current route.

“Yeah, thanks!” You shout. “I couldn’t tell!”

> “Come this way! We’ve got to lose them!” Keep running upward.
> “Think you could give me a hand with these guys?” Hold your ground with Freya’s assistance.
> “Where’s everyone else? How did you get down here?”
> Write-in.

>>950339
>“Think you could give me a hand with these guys?” Hold your ground with Freya’s assistance.
>“Where’s everyone else? How did you get down here?”

>>950339
> “Think you could give me a hand with these guys?” Hold your ground with Freya’s assistance.
> “Where’s everyone else? How did you get down here?”

>>950339
> “Think you could give me a hand with these guys?” Hold your ground with Freya’s assistance.
> “Where’s everyone else? How did you get down here?”
Jump down onto the nearest areneid

>>950339
> “Think you could give me a hand with these guys?” Hold your ground with Freya’s assistance.
> “Where’s everyone else? How did you get down here?”

>>950339
> “Think you could give me a hand with these guys?” Hold your ground with Freya’s assistance.
PVP was enabled already right?

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>>950347
>>950361
>>950365

“Think you could give me a hand with these guys?” You ask. Sword drawn, you assume a fighting stance on the rocks, watching as your opponents move around you.

“Since you asked nicely?” Her regalia flutters around her ankles as she strides across the rocks, taking her great scythe into her hands. “Let’s be quick about it.”

She smiles wide, dashing forward to catch up. The closer of the soldiers stops, balancing on the rock wall a distance above you – but your sights are set on the one approaching from below…

> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>950407

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>950407
Hey remember that time we cast meteor?

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>950407

>>950412
>>950424
>>950427
Sweet Jesus these rolls are unbelievable

>>950412
>>950424
>>950427
Well those are some nice rolls.

>>950433
Yeah I forget the exact crit rules but I'm pretty sure that is one.

>>950339
>> [[ Und¼1ðÛYOoK¼und: Tåiô¬üv¿T¼ à¿ Aás CÑU~zúÛ¿ðM ƒþw // PVP Enabled ]]
>> [[ o‘oëD¿‹sÿ ÈFÖ[wDþ »¾ªèŸðJŸ ]]
Confirmed as a special cave.

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>>950424
> [[ 98 ]]

You leap out of the way as the soldier falls towards you from above, approaching your target at unexpected speed with your blade held high. It’s still moving, not quite ready for your attack.

>>950412
>>950427
> [[ Critical Success ]]

A single, decisive swing cleaves the Araneid’s humanoid body asunder, slicing clean from shoulder to waist, burning away writhing threads of sinew that reach into the newly-formed gap from either side. It shrieks for a mere instant before it dies, though its sprint still carries forward; you land halfway down the length of the creature’s abdomen and run along it like a treadmill as it passes beneath you, dodging a flying stinger with forward dive-roll to the ground.

> [[ Ascheritte defeated araneid soldier. ]]

Recovering on one knee, you turn and look past your kill, which collides with the rocks and collapses in a chitinous heap. The other soldier stands in the space you leapt from, with Freya on its back; her scythe is resting with the blade embedded in its body, and she stands adjacent, left hand wrapped around the back of its neck, manicured nails biting deep into mottled flesh. The sleeve of her garment is pulled back, her arm positively glowing; vitality – red threads of life – is surging into her from the point of contact as the Araneid scrambles to throw her off.

The foe slows. Its skin is shriveling, pulling taut over its sunken bones. It cracks, and fades from white to black, ichor pouring out across its form from within as the light behind its eyes falls dead.

> [[ Freya defeated araneid soldier. ]]

“Where’s everyone else?” You ask, after a breath.

“Still above.” She says, recovering her weapon, which comes dislodged with a grotesque noise. “These creatures delight in the kill – in personally undoing their enemies and picking them clean once they’ve been ensnared. It’s highly unlikely a pitfall would have killed you outright. I told them so, but they believed I was attempting to deceive them.”

“So you jumped down after me?” You raise an eyebrow.

“Correct. We’ve little time to delay, which left me with few options.” Freya nods. “The others appear to distrust me, or are heavily reliant on your leadership – I have yet to figure out which.”

You shake your head, gazing out over the edge. There’s a path to the bottom – the way the roads are set along the circumference of this chasm gives the impression of an ancient amphitheater with a white light shining from the very center.

It's calm here now, but you can't shake the feeling...

“Are you in need of life?” Freya asks. Her arm is held up; there are little red motes rising off of her palm. “I have extra, which would otherwise go to waste.”

[[ 1 ]]
> “Sure. So, what – we wait for the others?”
> “No thanks. What do we do now?”

[[ 2 ]]
> Other

>>950600
We're already at full health right?

>>950621
>We're already at full health right?
> [[ HP: 25 / 35 ]]

>>950600
> “Sure. So, what – we wait for the others?”
Use our sniper scope to examine the light and the surrounding area more closely as we wait. Also loot that body.

>>950600
>> “Sure. So, what – we wait for the others?”

Let's look around for anything of note, especially stairs or a ladlder.

>>950628
This. Also let's switch our artifacts memory to something else, we need to try those other two out. I'm more interested in marble personally because I already know what ruby would most likely do.

How long do we have to fight before our combat regeneration starts? I don't remember it ever actually working

>>950600
>> “Sure. So, what – we wait for the others?”

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>>950628
>>950631
>>950760

The feeling that strikes you when Freya lays her hand on your shoulder is not unlike that of laying hands on a stolen item – the fear of persecution, that you are being watched by one who knows you are in possession of something that is clearly not yours.

> [[ HP: 35 / 35 ]]

“That should be enough.” Freya says, looking to you with a smirk.

“What if she finds out?” You cough up.

“What was that?” She tilts her head.

“Nothing—I mean.” You respond. “What do we do now?”

“We can’t exactly call back up to them.” She says, manipulating her own UI menu. “Shouting anywhere in that cave would see an army of Araneids set upon us. Likewise, our communications appear to be jammed here, and given the assumption that the others believe we’ve both fallen to our deaths, it’s unlikely that they follow behind us anytime soon.”

“Could we manage it alone?” You ask, glancing into the white light below. “Do you know what to expect down there?”

“I haven’t a clue.” She shakes her head. “I am certain I’ll be able to accomplish the requisite task. In terms of how long it will take, or what sort of opposition we’ll face? I’m flying blind.”

[[ 1 ]]
> Allocate the Memory of Rust to Strife Memoriam.
> Allocate the Memory of Marble to Strife Memoria.
> Do not change Strife Memoriam’s allocated Memory.

[[ 2 ]]
> Write-in.

>>950825
> Do not change Strife Memoriam’s allocated Memory.

>ask about that feeling when Freya touched us
>scout out for any way up or anything of import.

>>950825
> Allocate the Memory of Marble to Strife Memoria.
Check the area out with the scoped longcaster

>>950825
> Allocate the Memory of Marble to Strife Memoria.
Let's scope it out and then head down there.

>>950825
I really wish I had some idea who "she" is.

>>950825
Don't we already have Rust equipped?
> Do not change Strife Memoriam’s allocated Memory.
Let's head on down.

>>950825
Seconding asking about what's up with the stolen life contraband feeling.

>>950825
>> Allocate the Memory of Ruby to Strife Memoriam.
>Fuck it, let's go.
Maybe the others really will meet us down there.

>>951044
Either it's a constant side effect of Freya's Artifact, making complete ease with handling the feeling a little worrying, or Strife Memoriam is reacting to some past linked to the Artifact/the act of stealing life.

So we've still got that ivory homunculus claw, maybe using items linked to the memories boosts the somehow? Our cloak seems to have at least minimal synergy with the memory of kjorikos.

>>950825
We dead again already?

>>951168
I bet he just fell asleep or decided to end the session for unknown reasons. He's ridiculously bad at communicating with his players but we love him anyway.

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>>950868
>>950847

“What was that feeling I had, just now?” You ask. “When you infused me with life?”

“What did it feel like?” She asks.

“I’m not sure.” You respond. “I felt guilty. Do you get that too?”

“I can’t say so – not to a significant degree. But you would expect to, would you not?” Freya folds her arms. “I’ll admit – it is a bit of a sorry fate to thrive on the life of others. But we should do what we must to survive here, should we not?”

> [[ Continued ]]

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>>951213

You sheathe your sword and heft Rubi, a delicately-crafted gun which feels odd and unfamiliar in your untrained grip. Gazing down the sights, you look deep into the chasm. Paths wind down, with tunnels beneath – caves, leading into small unseen areas carved out of the rock.

In the center of it all, white light pours from an enormous, chiseled icon. It is as a sigil, or some unknown message of the Earthsea, though it appears damaged in a way that leaves you unsure whether mere magic will be able to fix it. Strewn about nearby, you can see bodies, broken Identifiers – fallen Players, no doubt.

She wasn’t lying. This is the place.

You watch the sigil for a little bit. Runes surrounding the outside gradually fill with light, as if they are counting up to something; your impression of it given about twenty seconds of analysis is that there’s twelve of them in total with ten currently to go, and it takes about sixty seconds for one to fill completely.

As you think on your Artifact, a haunting image passes through your mind: the face of Velika, whom you had only recently allowed yourself to forget. A clawed finger reaches out to touch your chest, carving a line down your breastbone. Your flesh parts, giving way not to blood, but to a sheet of cold, unyielding porcelain, clean and immaculate white. Tendrils of ivory creep across your skin from the seam to entomb your invulnerable body beneath, forever locking your features in place.

> With the Memory of Marble, gain a massive increase in damage resistance and health regeneration for a short duration.
> Additionally, deal bonus unarmed damage at the cost of a significant reduction in manual dexterity.
> Strife Memoriam remains inactive for a short time after reallocating equipped Memories.

You take a sharp breath, snapping back suddenly to consciousness; you stand ready, looking like a cloaked gunman briefly as you hold Rubi at the ready, finger running parallel to the trigger guard. It’d probably be best to put this thing away before you shoot your eye out. If you want to switch back, well – it’ll take another few moments, but you get the sense your Artifact will probably be ready by the time you make it down.

Meanwhile, you have no idea what’s become of the remainder of your group, and no way to contact the raid, which you know was due to be overwhelmed. You could give them time; you know they haven’t lost faith in you, but you’re not sure how much time you have to spare. Freya stands by, looking oddly amused as she waits on you with her weapon tossed over one shoulder.

[[ 1 ]]
> Maintain the Memory of Ruby.
> Reactivate the Memory of Rust.

[[ 2 ]]
> Give the group five minutes, allowing the sigil to progress halfway to "completion".
> Give the group ten minutes, and observe the sigil before acting.
> Ask Freya if she’s ready, and head into the Chasm.

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>>951187
Distractions. I'll actually be good to go for quite a while longer but I can't make any promises re: turnaround time.

I haven't eaten today - actually I had a number of plans fall through before I started tonight - and am probably going to do that now, however. Stand by.

>>951220
>> Reactivate the Memory of Rust.
> Give the group ten minutes, and observe the sigil before acting.

>>951220
> Maintain the Memory of Marble
I'm thinking damage resistance and regen will be very useful especially if we start fighting now. I think we should start now and continue fighting until our group shows up. I don't wanna know what happens when that sigil is completed.
> Ask Freya if she’s ready, and head into the Chasm.

>>951234
Sweet, I'll do my best to stay awake. The update time is understandable considering the length of the updates and how long it's been since the last thread.

>>951220
>> Ask Freya if she’s ready, and head into the Chasm.
> Maintain the Memory of Marble
survival skills will be better than raw damage, I guess.

And cave-ins would make it harder for the others to get to us.

So, any bets that whatever Freya's going to do will give her control of the earthsea mobs?

>>951220
> Maintain the Memory of Marble
> Give the group five minutes, allowing the sigil to progress halfway to "completion".

>>951220
Keep the tank memory
Ask Freya what she knows about the seals. Didn't she say that she had some strange Earthsea expertise or something? I think the sooner we get started the better though. We can manage our hp with the high defense and regen as well as her life steal ability. Should be able to survive as a two person team until backup arrives. Assuming they ever show up.

>>951296
She has a mark on her hand that she claims will let her interact with the sigil, we should probably talk to her about the gameplan and let her see the sigils through the scope too.

So while we tank and do unarmed damage with our artifact she should be lifestealing as much as possible. Then while our artifact is recharging we'll both focus on damage output and she can heal us if necessary. Rinse and repeat until the group gets here. Does anybody else have any better ideas? I still don't know what she intends to do with the seals specifically so that's kind of a gap in the plan.

>>951335
Actually the fact that there's a bunch of small tunnels and caves surrounding the sigil makes me think we'll be fighting tons of enemies instead of just one big "boss" enemy. The plan should still work but it's something to consider.

I think being capable of flying is more important. You never know when that will be necessary

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With a resolute nod, you turn to face the chasm.

“What did you see?” Freya asks.

“The seal is counting down to something. I don’t want to wait any longer to find out what it is.” You respond. “Let’s get this over with.”

“My sentiments exactly.” She says, and the two of you begin down the path.

The path is unsteady and narrow in places, but the rock wall at your side provides an excellent handhold. As you progress, the air grows heavy around you. It’s somewhat dizzying, especially when coupled with a curious stench – one of neither strictly death nor rot, but equally repulsive as either. You steel yourself as you approach the bottom.

> [[ Earthsea Pro¼1ðÛYOoK¼de: Calamity Rift // PvP En‡ÊKÙÔɇed ]]

It’s much more intimidating at ground level. The walls around you and the sigil before you leave you feeling smaller than you ever have. You check your corners, ensuring the way ahead is clear of enemies, not sure how to proceed.

Just over nine minutes, by your clock. You wish you had more time, especially given you’re in the dark when it comes to time frame.

“Freya, are you doing this?” You ask, watching her carefully maneuver to the edge of the seal. She holds her staff upright at her side, extending her left hand forward with her palm downturned.

“I’m here, as promised. I have not neglected the duty this power entails.” She scoffs, as her hand begins to glow. The dizzying symbols of her cursed brand are reflected in the enormous mark on the ground at her feet. Her smile grows wide, as she begins to absorb its light.

> [[ Continued ]]

>>951539
Man I know we had to close this thing but I'm getting some real bad vibes from her right now.

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>>951539
A pause, as she turns to face you.

“Ascheritte, I’m going to need a couple of minutes.”

Her smile grows wider as the sigil floods with her own red threads, which quickly begin to stitch the seam closed.

The earth rumbles suddenly, as if displeased with this development.

“Oh, come, now - you really thought I would do as you asked? You wanted lives? Sacrifices? For what, now?” The woman smirks as the very earth before her twists and bucks as if trying to break free. She’s working quickly, but there’s so much yet to do. “Either way, I’ve changed my mind. But I’ll be keeping this power for myself – and putting an end to this exile nonsense while I'm here – and I want something more from you, as well…”

“What?” You ask, moving forward with your weapon at the ready. Something is rising before her – a form is pulling itself free of the crack. “Freya, what are you—“

“Show me the truth. I want to know what you really are – what you’re hiding from us.” She continues, rotating the sigil with a twist of her wrist to work from a different angle. A gauntleted hand breaches the surface, looking for a moment as if it will reach toward her own before planting itself firmly in the earth. There’s something pulling itself out. “Whoever's listening? Teach me what you know, or I’ll bury as many more of your slaves it takes for me to find out myself.”

”Please. You misunderstand.” Face concealed behind a broken helmet, it wears scraps of regal armor, decorated in the color you believe the sky should be. It is tall and wiry, towering over either of you. The sheath of an enormous sword – claw marks in the leather – dangles from its shredded faulds. ”We would have given anything – or paid any price – to protect this place.”

“Yeah,” She says, looking upward. “Right.”

"If you will not help us, then..." Its voice is growing ragged - it sounds wet, and strained through a cage of flesh and metal.

"Ascheritte!" Freya shouts, gritting her teeth. A blast of light - a stroke of the knight's hand - undoes precious seconds of her work, as he pulls himself completely free of the chasm. "Incoming!"

You shake your head, readying your blade as you move into position. He approaches with an inhuman stride, great height falling upon you…

> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>951566
Spooky

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>951566

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>951566
check my 100

>>951572
Noice.
>>951574
At least you tried

>>951566
>“Oh, come, now - you really thought I would do as you asked? You wanted lives? Sacrifices? For what, now?”
Oh so she got the brand from this boss but betrayed him just now. That's interesting.

>>951572
Thanks for saving us

>>951572

> [[ 97 ]]

A sword of black light – a narrow stretch of gleaming white cast in crackling bilateral shadow – forms in the colossal knight’s hands as he falls towards you, and you sidestep to avoid the attack; the umbral weapon explodes on contact with the ground, sending so many little razor-blades flying along the floor to the Rift’s circumference, where they climb the walls and disappear high overhead.

You’ll be sure to watch your step.

The two of you are illuminated in white and red from the sigil below as Freya works carefully a distance to the side. At a glance, you notice that what she’s completed of her apparent patch-up appears at least twice redundant; while certainly a thoughtful measure, you’re not sure it’s one you have the time for.

Meanwhile, the knight’s enormous strides dwarf yours, and you’re forced to do fancy footwork to stay out of range. It seems like each foe you face is unlike any you’ve faced before; his speed is incredible, and his movements…

A fading strike glances off of his armored body – you glimpse diseased flesh beneath – as he spins upward, drawing another shadowed blade from the air to threaten you further away with a spinning attack. The motion carries him upward into a midair pirouette that sends dark projectiles lancing in all directions from the blade’s reach, exploding on the cavern floor and walls. The sound of falling rock echoes around you.

You situate yourself to prepare for his landing, but end up stumbling away. His body twists head-over-heels, the joints of his wrists and ankles cracking and inverting; he lands on all fours and marches ‘backwards’ with his downturned head facing you.

”PLEASE. DO NOT GO FURTHER. DO NOT DO NOT.”

You can barely keep up. He leaps a few feet towards you to build momentum, then spins on his upended hands, claw-tipped gauntlets sparking as they grind against the cavern floor.

> Activate Strife Memoriam and get in close to guarantee time and deal literally any damage.
> Prepare your sword and brace against the spinning charge.
> Leap upward and strike down as he passes beneath.
> Write-in.

>>951671
> Leap upward and strike down as he passes beneath.
Concussive strike to stun, then target the exposed flesh of his torso with a piercing attack. We should hold off on using our artifact for a bit to buy time.

>>951671
> Leap upward and strike down as he passes beneath.
Is there any chance for us to poison him by putting the potion of sickness on our blade or stabbing him with a poisoned wrought-iron spike from our inventory?

>>951688
I think it would take too long but maybe not?
>>951683
This works. Man the players are dropping like flies but I'm still good to go for a while.

>>951671
This is some artorias of the abyss shit.
> Leap upward and strike down as he passes beneath.

BTW, what's up with Diarca? Is he planning to come back some time?

>>951725
How many times has Diarca returned from the realm of the dead already?

>>951683
>>951688
>>951725
As the knight spins, he shapes another blade. You won’t allow yourself to be in danger this time; mustering all your strength, you leap upward and strike down as he passes through the space you previously occupied.

> [[ PP: 3 / 8 (16) ]]

There’s a sudden cacophony of sounds: a dull thud as your Concussive Strike reverberates from the tip of your bastard sword, a hollow whistling as air rushes to fill the resulting vacuum, and the sound of metal colliding with rock as the half-formed shadow blade explodes, the colossal knight splayed supine across the ground hard enough for his helmeted head to rebound off the stones beneath and flop limply back down.

You’re falling now, and you prepare your weapon for another attack. Your foe has yet to recover, presenting you with an opportunity of utmost importance…

> Bear down with a piercing strike at his exposed torso.
> Swing at the base of his helmet, where neck meets head.
> Another fading strike – land, swing, and move away quickly in preparation for the next attack.
> Write-in.

>>951744
> Swing at the base of his helmet, where neck meets head.
Shit man idk. Might have to activate the artifact if this goes poorly.

>>951744
Wait, you mentioned that the helmet was damaged earlier. We should strike the helmet's weak point to break it or at least remove it.

>>951744
>> Bear down with a piercing strike at his exposed torso.

>>951759
> Bear down with a piercing strike at his exposed torso.
Fuck. I'm really torn right now but I'm gonna change my vote. Getting a good gut wound in now will help us a lot in the rest of the fight.

I'm excited to see what kind of ability we get from this guy. Speed and that sword magic would be nice.

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>>951715
I might just break until tomorrow. I've been trying to get my head together at the right time to run for quite a while now - and decided to do it out of nowhere today because running without warning is, in my mind, a more forgivable crime than setting dates I can't be sure I'll adhere to.

>>951775
>>951783
> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>951795
Whatever you wanna do man, I think we've got enough people to keep going tonight but it's up to you. I'm mostly just glad you're back.

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>951795
Come on dice gods.

Rolled 63 (1d100)

>>951795

>>951804
Shit. Well maybe this is good enough? Shouldn't be too hard to fall on an unmoving enemy in the right place. We will be kinda vulnerable after a downward plunging attack though.

>>951804
Not too bad

>>951808
As long as we don't die immediately we should be able to activate Strife Memoriam.

I doubt 63 is good enough to end the fight though, best of 3 rolls of d100 is roughly 70 or better half the time, so this is below average.

>>951813
I just hope it's good enough to significantly wound him and slow him down a bit.

>>951742
He was in school when he kept disappearing, this time he just stopped running because of the shift to /QST/

>>951804
> [[ 63 ]]

He springs back up, arcing onto his hands and feet as you fall, and pushing himself into your blade in doing so. You cut deep into his gut with the intent and requisite force to tear him to ribbons – black blood surging from the wound, the knight escapes via a macabre-looking crab-walk, blade cutting out of his side as he maneuvers.

You’re cautious, but you approach this time, your foe sideways-somersaulting into a standing position and lashing out with twinned shadows, pulled suddenly from overhead. You move back as blades cross, extending their reach further – you can feel cold through your armor as they come within inches – to rend you asunder. You duck a horizontal swipe and sidestep a thrust, circling around as white, black, and red threads dance along the caverns adjacent.

The second blade comes diagonally upward, sweeping from below as the next step in the lithe tower’s whirling dance. You move, instinctively bringing your blade low to parry.

> [[ HP: 31 / 35 ]]

Energy from the spirit weapon rushes along your blade, burning as it sinks beneath your fingernails and digs into your pores, creeping up your wrist.

> [[ HP: 20 / 35 ]]

You half leap backwards and are half blown away; he presses his blade into yours, keeping them locked together, and his weapon explodes moments later, bladed lights cutting into you as they lurch outward in all directions. He screams, a ragged howl spewing droplets of blood from his cracked helmet as he continues to bear down on you. The cavern wall is drawing close behind, now.

“Freya—!”

“I can see…” You hear her call out. “I’m only halfway done, but I’m so close…”

You’re running out of room.

> He’s all about offense. See if he likes your charge.
> No more games – activate Strife Memoriam.
> Go low and try to maneuver past him.
> Wall-run? Wall-run.
> Write-in.

>>951852
>Wall-run? Wall-run.

>>951852
>> No more games – activate Strife Memoriam.

>>951852
> Wall-run? Wall-run.
> No more games – activate Strife Memoriam.
wall run upwards and then jump down at him while activating strife memoriam in midair, turning into a marble cannonball with sharp claws

>>951852
> No more games – activate Strife Memoriam.

>>951852
>> No more games – activate Strife Memoriam.
>> Wall-run? Wall-run.
He's quicker, charging would just mean WE become the bull boss that gets tricked.

>>951852
>No more games – activate Strife Memoriam

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> [[ HP: 21 / 35 ]]

You turn and leap, running away from the knight. You don’t have much room, but you build enough energy to carry yourself up a short distance as you plant your feet on the wall – the knight stops at the base of the cliff, looking up at you as you leap and turn.

There’s a dozen little hisses, clicks, and chirps as abstract forms – like little squares, cubes, tesseracts, you’re not really sure how many dimensions they have – unfold behind your head, intertwining and intersecting, crossing through one another before locking into place. The light that swirls into being at the center is Strife Memoriam, your third eye, a mirror which reflects the past.

You love this part.

Imprinted upon you suddenly and forcefully is a tale of a love so pure and so perverse, it would drive one to violate existential law to keep it within reach. You envision abominations rejected by nature, immaculate in their beauty but abhorrent in their existence. Your heart quivers – you remember what it’s like to feel fear for the first time.

> [[ HP: 21 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 22 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 23 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 24 / 35 ]]

You’d be grinning, but you can’t seem to move your face. Your features are frozen in place, and they ache a bit. Every one of your bones and joints hurts, but in a good way – a cathartic soreness, like a heavy-handed massage, a post-workout stretch, the cracking of knuckles, neck, back and shoulders.

> [[ HP: 25 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 26 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 27 / 35 ]]

The knight staggers suddenly a distance beneath you, and you take advantage of the sudden stall, catching his face in one of your oversized bony claws as you fall. You squeeze, and crush; he gurgles, and you feel metal giving way beneath your fingertips and hear rivets popping loose.

> [[ Continued ]]

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>>951888

> [[ HP: 28 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 29 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 30 / 35 ]]

Your every waking moment is a nightmare. The miscreation whose skin you wear exists as a mockery of life itself, but also – in the character of your existence, transitory, artificial, and predicated strictly on visual beauty – of love. You beg, in your mind, for your creator to end you. Your lips are stiff and unmoving.

> [[ HP: 17 / 35 ]]

There’s a sudden pause as you fall. You bear down with your weight, attempting to ride the knight in your clutch to the ground, but his other hand snaps up suddenly, wrapping around your neck and slinging you over his head, the rest of your body ragdolling behind you with a sickening pop. You’re not sure the sound is of your spine or his; he carries the motion through, bending over backwards and slamming you into the ground hard enough to craterize it around you.

> [[ HP: 18 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 19 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 20 / 35 ]]

You roll to the side to avoid a downward lunge from your opponent. It’s actually rather hard to move in this form; your motions aren’t smooth, but jerky and slightly displaced in time like a horror-movie hallucination. You manage to pull yourself to your feet – dainty little obsidian things, filed to razor-points – and draw your sword, moving back into reach.

> [[ HP: 21 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 22 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 18 / 35 ]]

Your swing rebounds limply off his armor, and he shoves your blade aside with a gauntleted hand, ramming into you with his shoulder to send you skidding a few feet backward. You can’t get a good swing off – it’s too damn hard to hold your sword properly with these hands.

A lull in the fighting, as your health continues to rapidly regenerate. The knight levels a spirit blade overhead, but remains poised to strike. A thick, olive-colored liquid is pouring down his neck from the cracks of his ruined headpiece, streaking his armor and pooling on the floor beneath. He’s waiting for you.

> Write-in.

>>951892
Sheathe the blade or put it back into our inventory. Use our jerky movements to bait and then dodge his attack. Then climb onto him and skewer him with our feet and tear him to shreds with our claws.

>>951892
darn, PP hasn't regenerated enough for a concussive.
>Throw the poisoned spikes
stalling tactics go
>Focus on unarmed attacks afterwards

Whatever we do please never activate this memory again

>>951892
Let our health regenerate a bit more and then climb him and maim him like the horror movie creature we are. Hamstring him if possible. I kinda wanna see if the ivory homunculus claw reacts with our form too.

>>951899
>tells us what to do
>doesn't vote
what the fuck man? vote!

>>951899
Why? I think it's great. I bet Freya is pretty spooked though.

ok wow I really need to sleep now. thanks for running sylv I'm really glad you're back

>>951892
Our goal isn't to necessarily kill the knight, it's just to buy enough time for Freya to finish the somewhat suspicious thing she's doing. We should just let him wait. Only strike once he goes to make a move again and be sure not to let him go after Freya.

>>951909
That's true but at the same time I want to make the most of our limited time with this memory use

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>>951892
Breaking here for tonight to continue after some sleep. Will give some notice via the usual services when I do so - when I return I'll check for a consensus and maybe answer some questions if there are any floating around for me.

Thanks for showing back up, and even more for riding this clusterfuck of a train into the early hours of the morning - as usual, you're the ones putting in the real work.

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>>951913
Good to have you back.

>>951913
Thanks for running! Good stuff as always.

>>951909
>somewhat suspicious
>only somewhat

>>951913
>>949671
> [[ Quest Notes / Reader Stuff ]]
https://titanpad.com/kZOMVYSrMv

>>951913
Thanks for running. It's incredibly refreshing to have a quest come back to life for once.

/qst/ has been pretty dire.

>>951906
Poor Mobility is usually a good way to get deaded.

>>951888
Keep stalling

We should probably hold off on questioning Little Miss Coy here. We'd probably be better off finding someone from the Writ Keepers who can into magic seals to figure out what just happened. Screenshots are a thing, right?

>>951936
> With the Memory of Marble, gain a massive increase in damage resistance and health regeneration for a short duration.
High defense and regen is the most reliable way to not get deaded though

>>951892
Just stay there waiting and circling him.

Either he waits until his time runs out or attacks us. If we act unsure as if we might actually wander into range then we might be able to prolong this stand off. Afterall, we dont need to win outright, just buy time.

>>952450
We still need to kill this guy eventually so I'd like to do as much damage as possible with our memory before it runs out. We're a tank with insane regen right now so any time spent not being aggressive is time wasted.

>>952452
On the one hand: true, but on the other, this guy is about to bring out the bullshit moves, evidently must be something with which they can deal with our insane regen.

Its not really an ideal situation for us.

>>952455
I'd rather deal with his bullshit moves with high defense and insane regen than without

>>952460
Eh, very well. I still say we should try fuck with him into wasting his first attack.

>>952462
Yeah I can definitely agree with that

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“A few seconds more, Ascheritte!” Freya calls. Her voice is sounding much airier than usual. “Do hold on… I should be available to help…”

You cannot respond in a meaningful way.

Sheathing your blade for the time being, you totter into range on perfect, handcrafted tiptoes. The knight’s stance shifts as he prepares his strike, but you lurch back and forth, body quivering in and out of his weapon’s maximum reach as if pulled on unseen, indecisive strings.

Your health is full.

When the blade sweeps past you, spilling black flame through the air in its wake, the minute movements at play are so many and so difficult to read that it’s functionally impossible to determine whether you dodged or he missed. You know only that this is an opportunity that you cannot afford to waste, and you seize it, closing the gap at barely-perceptible speed and leaping toward your opponent’s torso.

He flails, doing everything he can to throw you off as your clawed hands and spiked feet bite into his timeworn armor, piercing flesh beneath and keeping you pinned in place. Your wiry, clawed fingers dig deep beneath the links of chain mail. You are taken, completely and suddenly, by an insatiable bloodlust that compels you to peel back this armor, tearing it apart link by link to strip the flesh beneath.

The knight tumbles backwards, throaty and profane utterances spilling from the grated skin of his neck as he collapses in a crumpled heap. You crash face-first on the ground behind him, a forehead-to-shoulder crack evolving in your immaculate, self-healing skin. If your lips could part, you would cry out at this sudden, unacceptable affront to your beauty. These vestiges of Celestial power are slipping from your grip, though, as your Artifact’s duration comes to a close. Still, you need more.

You are wobbling and unsteady, the way you pull yourself to your feet. The knight is rising, inverted on all fours, though visibly slower in the way he executes his movements. Freya’s work is almost complete, but light is welling up in the room. You’re not immediately sure how much time has passed, but it can’t be that long…

> Tear his head from his shoulders.
> Jump back on and cleave open his chest.
> Release the effect of Strife Memoriam and strike with your sword before he rises.
> Write-in.

>>953096
> Tear his head from his shoulders.

>>953096
> Release the effect of Strife Memoriam and strike with your sword before he rises.

behead him. Better to kill as a man than a monster.

>>953096
>> Tear his head from his shoulders.
This memory is 2spooky4me

>>953096
> Tear his head from his shoulders.

>>953108
>>953126
>>953129

You lurch forward, your jittery movements beginning to run together. Your bones are aching, and you move ever closer as you reach out, each additional step compensating for your shrinking arm, which slowly returns to color and form as it withers back to the correct length.

Time is of the essence.

Your clawed hand wraps about the top of the knight’s armored skull. With a single, decisive motion – fingers clutch, wrist flicks – you crush the head, feeling flesh and bone give way beneath the immense strength of your fingertips.

> [[ Ascheritte defeated Cidren, Hand of the Earthsea King. ]]
> [[ Ascheritte, your journey ends here. ]]

The marble coating your body like a second skin slowly flakes away, fluttering toward the ground at your feet and slowly dissolving like a strange snowfall. You hold a wet and bloody helmet in your hand; the vitreous black fluid spilling ceaselessly from the head-hole is thick, and writhes like a mass of leeches as it spreads out on the ground.

Suddenly casting the headpiece aside, you look over to Freya. She appears strained in her stance, clutching her left wrist with her right hand as she completes her work. The last threads that she extends to close shut the seam – still working triply redundant – are almost complete.

The last stitch falls into place.

The clock stops, and the earth seals.

She falls to her knees, trembling with wide eyes. An explosion of light from the core of the sigil blasts her away, sending her rolling limply toward the cavern's opposite wall with her scythe landing beside her.

> Write-in.

>>953096
Loot corpse then set it on fire. Apply first aid to Freya keep an eye on the sigil ward thing.

>>953208
>>953198
Suppoting this and checking with communication is unjammed now.
> [[ Ascheritte, your journey ends here. ]]
We never received such message before.

>>953208
Seconding this.

Hopefully we dont need to set a watch on this ward from being disturbed.

Right now we are in bad shape in hostile territory with a whole horde of bastard ambush monsters between us and safety. What ever else we think of our current companion, we need her and she needs us.

Clearing the trogs is going to be a ball ache.

>>953198
Loot and then run to check on Freya.

>>953212
>with
if*

>>953208
seconded

>>953208
How are we gonna set it on fire? Why would we?

>>953255
We have our sword with the fire stone, and black ichor screams "CORRUPTIVE SHIT" at me.

>>953269
Seems like a waste of time to me but whatever floats your boat I guess

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>>953208
>>953218
>>953222
>>953240

The headless knight lies on his back, body broken on the rocks.

You move over, inspecting the corpse for loot.

> [[ HP: 22 / 35 ]]

There’s a familiar, unearthly howl as his chest expands outward, a thick and heavy fog emerging with surprising force, exploding in all directions among broken chainmail links and shattered bones. It exits, rising, pulling with it whatever impure vitality is left inside his body, which lurches and arches upward a bit, dragged like a marionette by the presence within. Thrown backwards, you shield yourself with your cloak, barely managing to avoid an even worse blow.

It rises on six knobbed limbs of black, wearing his broken body like armor with a split, shadow-wreathed ribcage sticking upward. A white fire-light you’ve seen before flickers to life in the hole where his head once was.

It twitches in place before lunging in your direction, stretching as it does so, body crackling like static.

> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>953293
Check my 1

Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>953293

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>953293

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>953293

* ??? (+1) [[ Unknown Effect ]]
Did we have a +1 before?

>>953302
Decidedly mediocre.

We are about to get possessed by something very pissed off.

>>953311
I think we got that after that time we got transported to a forest and fought the observer and his beast after logging in that one time.

>>953311
I think that was added that time we logged into a boss fight.

Hopefully we lvl up after this fight

So what's the plan here? Fight as is? Bide time for our artifact to recharge? Grab Freya and GTFO?

>>953337
The second one, so he doesn't fuckup the wards.

>>953342
It'd be sweet if we could use a memory of Cidren, Hand of the Earthsea King immediately but we can't actually change it while in combat I think.

Speaking of artifacts when we get the opportunity should we improve what we have or create something new?

>>953361
I think we should either improve what we have or do something cool with the observatory. I don't wanna get spread too thin.

>>953361
Either bolster Memoriam or get the time hacks stopwatch.

>>953302

> [[ 67 ]]

> [[ HP: 23 / 35 ]]

You dive-roll out of the way, still coming to your senses. The armored shadow shifts, white eye extending out of its enclosure in a tendril of black fog which periscopes to look in your direction. It passes through your leg as it moves behind you; worse than the collision of your plated armor with the knight’s, though, is the feeling that it’s taken a piece of you with it as it moves on.

> [[ Armor Pierced ]]
> [[ HP: 13 / 35 ]]
> [[ Weakened ]]

“It’s done. I—“ A distance away from you, Freya stirs. She’s pulling herself to her feet, braced on her scythe. “Ascheritte… what’s happening?”

You’re not entirely sure, honestly. The fiend’s body contorts, knobbed appendages evolving claws of darkness that dig deep into the earth beneath them. It skids back and forth, tearing little trenches in the rock as it slides, before stopping in a spot it deems favorable and marching toward you like a juggernaut.

> Write-in.

>>953370
Drink a healing potions and wall run to avoid it while we heal.

>>953370
Run away and drink potion until she can help us

>>953370
Well I was checking the corpse for loot and to make sure he'd stay dead and THIS happened. I could use a hand. I ran into one of these when I logged in and it took a lot of abuse. Doesn't like Artifact wielders. Dodge and use heals. Try to coordinate a team up with Freya.

>>953370
Run and heal. Tell Freya that this thing really hates us. And she should avoid the mist. Build up some inertia and after we've healed enough charge at the monster with our sword and knock it to the ground so that we can damage it together.

Now would be a really great time for our team to show up. Although if they still aren't here by now they're probably stuck helping the main forces fight.

>>953370
>marching toward you like a juggernaut.
so...slowly, for once?

>get some distance
>drink potion
>throw poisoned spikes
>Let Freya take a crack at it
we should buy some time for the others.

>>953453
poisoned spikes are more of stabbing weapons than throwing weapons but I like your moxie

>>953386
>>953378

> [[ HP: 25 / 35 ]]
> [[ HP: 26 / 35 ]]

You slam back a healing potion as you flee, the infusion of vitality putting a sudden spring in your step that guides you away from the fiend’s footfalls.

“Long story short, this thing hates us!” You say, gritting your teeth as you spin on a heel, bastard sword at the ready. “I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I might have encountered one before. They can take a lot of punishment, so…”

“Good.” She looks to be in the habit of shaking off the worst of her weakness, and strides toward you with her scythe prepared. “I’ve plenty to give. Are you ready?”

> Full power inertial charge.
> Upswing as it draws close to cut apart anything you can.
> Keep running, and stall for the necessary minutes it will take Strife Memoriam to recharge.
> Write-in.

>>953461
> Full power inertial charge.
Leading with a sword thrust of course. Ideally we can knock it over and just tear it apart with Freya.

>>953461
>> Full power inertial charge.

>>953456
buying. time. It's not so much about actual dps but seeing if it will even bother to dodge. If the poison procs, all the better.

>>953461
>Keep running, and stall for the necessary minutes it will take Strife Memoriam to recharge.

>>953461
> Full power inertial charge.
We're not helpless without our artifact, we shouldn't rely on it entirely.

>>953461
>> Full power inertial charge.

>>953466
>>953467
>>953482

The fiend is larger than you, and appears heavier, but the factors contributing to your momentum may be more complicated than appearance might suggest.

When two bodies so collide, the stronger will prevail, and the weaker – well, let’s just hope that’s not you. Golden wings evolve at your back, illuminating the space behind you and immediately over your shoulders, a regal illustration of the path you've walked thus far and the only road along which you can proceed. The hoofbeats of unseen horses herald your coming as you dart forward, prepared to meet in the middle with your sword pointed ahead.

> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>953506
Yolo

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>953506

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>953506

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>953506

>>953506
Lets hope the old addage: Power to a point, to wit: a sword point, really has value here.

The dice gods have forsaken us...

File: dice gods.png (193 KB, 640x400)

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Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>953529
It could've been a lot worse.

Since BSO is back from the dead what are the odds of BQ coming back too?

>>953548
I'm sure it'll come back sometime, it just might not be soon

>>953524
I bet we'll do some damage but get pretty badly injured while doing so

>>953513

> [[ 60 ]]

You drive your sword ahead with the force of your unyielding charge, piercing into the beast’s body, sending a sudden blast of flame throughout which stretches and strains its shadow from within. But your charge is far from unstoppable. You embed your blade to the hilt and collide limply with the trampling body, golden wings instantly vanishing from your back as the air is forced from your lungs by the impact.

> [[ HP: 15 / 35 ]]

An appendage emerges, pressing into your chest, claws of dark gripping your armor. It shoves you away and turns upward, limbs flailing useless beneath you as it launches you skyward and lets go, throwing you high off the cavern floor. Far beneath you now, you can see Freya, who’s come within range of the creature; it seems to ignore her as she cleaves its body away layer by layer with wide, sweeping scythe swings. The fiery eye is facing you alone.

Projectiles – aphotic razors like the blade of the King’s Hand – fly upward towards you, and you spin to dodge them as you begin falling. The observer first appears to give up, before shaping its body anew; it begins to spread black wings which rise from the center of the knight’s upturned ribcage, extending out across the cavern and spilling a spreading shadow beneath its feet.

> Write-in.

>>953581
Maybe we should keep dodging it while Freya kills it since it appears to be focused only on us.

>>953581
Well all we can really do is fall onto it with inertia. Go swordpoint first and hope for the best. I'd like to drink another health potion first if possible.

>>953603
Try to aim for the fiery eye also
>>953581
We are currently falling towards it and it seems to be trying to fly towards us in midair

>>953581
Any potions we have left need chugging now.

Also, do we have any other abilities? Its been a while. Did we ever make a weapon out of that laser eye?

>>953581
Hit him with The Peoples Elbow. Also ask Freya to drain life from it and be ready to heal us when we land

>>953620
http://pastebin.com/pZv3XUPQ

>>953623
Appreciated.

I like how our fighting style is like extreme jousting

>>953634
Really do need to invest in a fighting style though, spreading our skills out is only going to bite us in the later stages.

>>953637
I still want to save up some materials to make a massive greathammer or greataxe or something. We really already have a fighting style, which is mostly focused on doing as much damage as possible with each attack rather than attacking quickly or constantly

I vote for improving our Concussive Strike with the next level up

>>953642
A great weapon is fine, we just need to choose one.

Great sword or axe would be more versatile than a hammer, but a hammer would be more useful vs heavy armored foes, if nomminal real world physics applies.

>>953654
Really need a passive regen of our ability power desu. That stuff runs out way too much.

>>953654
I'd rather do a fleetfoot skill since we're a really mobile fighter while also being a heavy hitter

>>953665
Basically a mobility fighter who does a power strike at an opportune time.

Hard style to master, but very rewarding vs unusual foes and people not familiar with it. Problems when facing speed specalists who use lots of little attacks.

>>953603
>>953622

> [[ HP: 16 / 35 ]]

“Freya! I might need an assist!” You call out, raising your sword high as you fall.

“I’m not sure—“ She begins, as a gust from the beating of its newly formed wings shoves her backward, sending her stumbling. “—I can help with whatever you’ve got in mind!”

It’s trying to rise upward to meet you. You’re not sure what this thing is capable of, but you know the last thing you want is to deal with it flying around the place.

Falling on a clear-cut vector, you proceed along one road. You have to find a weak spot, and set your sight upon the eye, the Observer’s flame.

> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>953722

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>953722

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>953722
Gandalf that balrog

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>953722
dice gods have mercy

>all these rolls below 70 in a row
this is fucked up.
>>953733
REEEEEEE

>>953733
Mercy denied.

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>>953733
Guess not then.

Maybe we need to roll more slowly instead of making them all seconds apart since the result is based on the time.

It defies belief that the last 4 best of 3 rolls have been below 70. I guess we did have a bunch of 90s or higher earlier though.

>>953745
It only uses the time as a seed for the randomizer IIRC, unless you hit the exact same time it shouldn't make a difference.
Just bad luck at this point.

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>>953731

> [[ 67 ]]

[[ HP: 17 / 35 ]]

You force yourself downward, but can’t generate any additional momentum on top of your fall. The beast leaps up to meet your descent, a dangling bit of armor about its ribcage deflecting the worst of your blade in a hopefully-damaging spark of flame, the arms and legs of the King’s Hand dangling dead below the beast’s evolving limbs.

> [[ HP: 9 / 35 ]]
> [[ Poisoned ]]

Your knees buckle, and your body is pressed flat against sharkskin darkness. It threads needles beneath your flesh. Blood streams down your face, coating your lips and chin in scarlet. The walls of the cavern are rushing downward around you.

You hear nothing but the beating of wings as you struggle to get a grip, the beast’s broken ribs pressing into your own chest. Everything seems to be spinning, while it seeks to throw you to your death against the rock wall.

Red light dances from the tip of your weapon to your arm, suffusing you with supernatural attack speed.

> [[ Haste ]]

There’s a grave whistling from above.

A bird-of-paradise touches down on your shoulder, more than a hundred feet above the cavern floor.

> [[ HP: 11 / 35 ]]
> [[ Empowered ]]

Eunoia gives you a nod of unshakable confidence. Its tail is sparkling with all of the colors.

You stand up.

> Stab downward and force this fiend to the ground.
> Clip its wings with your improved attack speed.
> Jump for the nearby cavern wall.
> Write-in.

>>953815
> Clip its wings with your improved attack speed.
Aelriss is best girl.

>>953815
>> Clip its wings with your improved attack speed.

>>953815
>> Clip its wings with your improved attack speed.
Saved.
>>953824
Anaximander is going to teleport behind her and stab her with his nodachi

>>953815
>Jump for the nearby cavern wall.
climb motherfucker climb

clipping the wings might give us an elemental core though. Shadow core? (*%$%^&*^ core?

>>953815
Try to do as much damage as possible to its main body with a flurry of strikes ending with the wings. Nows as good a chance as any.

HOL UP! We gotta data drain this boss

>>953815
>> Clip its wings with your improved attack speed.

>>953847
uh... what?

>>953847
I don't......THINK our ??? skill is data drain.

>>953844
Actually we should probably hit the wings first to keep it from throwing us into the wall. I'd like to continue the flurry with some more solid damage to the main body though.

>>953847
Oh wait do you mean we need to copy his skills? Nah that is just based on our own memories of the fight I think.

>>953875
You should download .hack ASAP

>>953824
>>953831
>>953833

You are positively glowing, but aren’t sure how you feel. Your foothold on this fiend is unsteady, as is your life-force; your hit points rubber-band three points in either direction of a perceived actual total, and you can’t tell if that number is climbing or falling at a glance.

You cast the thought aside and attack, unleashing a flurry of sword swings.

With a blade sparking with fire-light, you part the darkness, cutting chunks from the fiend’s wings, carving into them at their base, slashing downward and slicing vestigial flesh to ribbons to get at the body of the creature beneath.

> [[ Dazed ]]

It unleashes a low, droning call – a psychic cry from somewhere deep within its form that makes your bones tingle. You feel for a moment as if you could jump out of your skin. Your teeth chatter. You swing downward again, striking the base of a wing which falls flat at the beast’s side. The flight path hangs suddenly to one side; one wing is not enough to compensate.

It collides with the rocks, skidding in a wide circle around the circumference of the Calamity Rift, the arms and legs of the King’s Hand tearing off and bouncing along the cavern paths in its wake. You’re riding on top of the unsteady foothold with your sword leveled, bouncing the whole way. Far below, it looks like Freya might be preparing to meet you at the bottom.

A hand shaped from darkness emerges from between its ribs, wrapping around your ankle as if to drag you into the grave alongside it.

> Write-in.

>>953969
Cut the thing around our ankle. Then kick it away.

>>953969
Continue hacking at the beast like a frenzied madman, both at the hand and the ribcage that it originates from.

>>953969
Use that foot as an anchor point to go berserk on this thing with our sword, then attack the hand and escape before impact with the ground.

>>953986
>>953976
>>953980
> [[ 1d100 ]]

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>954101

Rolled 22 (1d100)

>>954101
MERCY!

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>954101

Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>954101

This is starting to get silly.

>>954131
we ded

Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>954131
The ride never ends

>>954104

> [[ 59 ]]

> [[ HP: 9 / 35 ]]
> [[ Cursed ]]

Its touch scorches a black handprint into your greaves, tainting the flesh beneath. A powerful shock courses through you, arcing from its body to yours. Your sword is deflected once or twice – from an apparently unarmored surface – before you can cut yourself free from its grip, delivering another quick series of slashes.

You shake your head, teeth grit. The ground is fast approaching, and you jump, landing rather ungracefully and rolling heavily, skidding across the rocks beneath you. Freya has since abandoned her position, no longer ready to intercept; she’s by your side instead, prepared to drag you to your feet by the back of your neck.

> [[ HP: 21 / 35 ]]

“Having a good rest?” She teases. The left sleeve of her garment is in tatters, now that you’ve got a good look at her; her arm, up to the elbow, appears to have been scorched several measures darker than even her ashen skin. You feel strange when she offers you life, this time – you don’t even know where it’s coming from.

“Feels like I deserve one.” You say, almost rolling your eyes at her, teeth grit.

“We don’t appear to be making significant headway. Even damaged, it looks ready to fight.” Freya watches as Eunoia attacks the fiend, blasting it repeatedly with orange beams while it struggles to its feet. “Is that Aelriss’s bird?”

> [[ HP: 19 / 35 ]]

“Yeah.” You nod. “Anyway – I weakened it on one side. Or, I should have.”

“Let’s try again?” She glances toward you, brandishing her scythe, taking it horizontally in her hands with an elaborate flourish. “We might as well give it all we have.”

You shrug. You’re kind of tapped out on tricks. You feel a little clumsy, and your veins are aching.

> Attack together while it’s down.
> You’ve got its attention, mostly – keep switching off, with one of you on backup.
> Attempt to escape combat.
> Write-in.

>>954278
>> You’ve got its attention, mostly – keep switching off, with one of you on backup.

>>954278
Yo Sylv how long does it usually take for our artifact to recharge? Does it seem like we could be close?

>>954278
>> You’ve got its attention, mostly – keep switching off, with one of you on backup.

>>954278
> Attack together while it’s down.
When in doubt I usually just attack the glowy bits on bosses, might as well try it here

>>954288
It seems to take a good bit of time, but has no indicators as to how long. As of now, it's not ready for use again.

>>954278
> You’ve got its attention, mostly – keep switching off, with one of you on backup.
Well if we last long enough for our artifact to recharge it should really help our chances

>>954317
Or help might arrive.

>>954332
Ideally we can finish him off first and get a bigger share of the loot

>>954278
>We should chug potions because that curse is acting FAST

>>954278
>> You’ve got its attention, mostly – keep switching off, with one of you on backup.

>Local boss is fucking invincible

>>954364
Hopefully Eunoia will perch on our shoulder again to heal us. So I was thinking Aelriss bound all her PP into her bird right? If she's fighting somewhere else she's pretty much screwed without her bird.

>>954382
She already got a few level since then

Taking a short break, but should get a couple more in before bedtime.

How do you think we should upgrade Strife Memoriam if we do? There are a lot of pretty appealing options imo

Shorter cooldown
Multiple uses before recharge
Swap memories on the fly
Multiple memories at once

I think multiple uses before needing to recharge would be the best. On the other hand there's also more creative ideas for upgrades, like maybe commiting PP for a limited version of a memory that's perpetually active, like Velika's regen or Kjorikos' flight. Or we could just buy a new artifact altogether.

>>954631
All of those sounds good honestly. however, Multiple at once will likely need ALL the previous ones to be usable IF it's allowed at all. That said I do want tick tock time watch.