Sutoratosu

Arya "Um, well..." Of course the conversation had come back to that. She didn't know what she'd been expecting really. Didn't make it feel any less awkward though, especially since she felt a subtle heat rising to her face. A small part of her considered trying to hide it, but she already knew it was useless, "She... she said it was me. I... never had any idea, all this time. She wanted to tell me how she felt, but... couldn't do it because she was afraid of what people would think. She wanted to try and change, because of it. But when she tried, things ended up going a bit differently than she planned- the girl she was trying to help took things the wrong way... started following her around, dressing like her, mimicking her. She was.... pretty certain all she'd accomplished was changing someone else into the type of person she was trying to stop being. And that's basically been leading to... everything else."

And so Calvera is the very next one young Brachus gets to work healing. In the distance, lucille can be heard playing several notes for the Spider, with the giant growing healthier by the minute. Vera landed in a tree and began to clean her plumage as she eyed Rose; despite the high pitched, chirpy voice, the pigeon's emerald slits for eyes should've made it clear who was dictating the conversation "While he's busy tending to everyone... we found Joe's body in the cabin. Frozen solid when we did, one of us made a memorial of sorts for him. If you want to take the time now to... go say any goodbyes or anything..."

"....Its... Over..." Lucille leaned more on her cane by the minute. Blood trickled from one nostril, staining the snow red. Every breath dulled the edge of her senses. This had been close. Far too close. But the plan had still worked. Almost without a second thought, she exhaled a bit heavier, and a green mist began to fall upon her own body. But even the breath could only dull the pain. With a trembling hand, she retrieved the instrument, probing the spiders mind to know the extent of it's injuries.... At the same time, a very familiar, and very coy steel pigeon swooped over the party, just as a small green dragon flew over and began to spray a healing mist. "It's Done." Vera transmitted "The spider is ours. I don't think I could convince it to leave this area for more than maybe a day at most, so chances are the only time its gonna be able to help is during the siege itself... but that's probably for the best. Brachus will tend to your wounds, I'll do what I can to fix this thing up in the meanwhile. We'll have to leave immediately once everyone's able to travel; it's starting to get late, and there's still a lot of walking to do." The green dragon, as the Pigeon had instructed, was already finishing up bringing jun back from her near dead state, quickly focusing his breath on the next most wounded of the party. In the meantime a certain Cat Dragon was picking over some of what dropped from the fight... Lucille starts healing the Borean Strider using the Heal Kazoo! Brachus starts healing the party with his Restorative Breath! Do collects 2 Ice Shards and 2 pieces of Dense Ice for Lucille!

Just as it was fading, she went flying. The armor had proven to be worthless, battered and broken already and scattering pieces to the winds. She hit the ground hard, bouncing once off the snow and ice, once off of the frozen, compacted earth, and finally stopped once her back slammed into the nearest tree. She could feel the agony of fire with every breath she took, hear the soggy, wet rasp of her lungs, taste the iron as it welled in the back of her throat. It was only through sheer force of will that she pushed herself up, her cane actually serving more than just combative purposes for once. Again, blind eyes leveled a harrowing gaze at the strider. Blind eyes that had changed. shimmering platinum no longer, but the elongated, emerald slits of a dragon, burning with a dull radiance that failed to do her boiling blood justice. She knew naught where the trait was coming from- she still felt Brachus' breath in her searing lungs, there was no other part of him she'd borrowed -but she honestly didn't care. Not like it allowed her to see either way. They bored into, no, through the strider regardless, as Lucille entered it's mind. She was like a roaring tidal wave, a blazing spear peircing the dawn, cutting through what resistance she found with unbridled fury- one message, one and only, was projected as she attempted to find the foothold needed "YIELD OR DIE!! CALL OFF YOUR OFFSPRING, OR WATCH THEM BE SLAUGHTERED TO THE LAST!" And with the emotion that carried through from her end of the link, there should've been no mistaking her conviction on that matter. The spider should've felt it- this was, well and truly, it's only opportunity to yield. No end of malice surged through the blind mage by now, malice that could very easily be turned on the dying beast and it's children like the fury of a thousand splendid suns... Lucille takes every ounce of rage (IE, 7 metric fuck tons) she has in her body and BINDS the Borean Strider! Should she prove successful, she orders it to call off it's offspring! If she senses she doesn't have enough bonds for the strider, she will release the Metal Chameleon before attempting! If even that is not enough, she will release ALL HER BONDED BEASTS before attempting! (Binding a beast is a PERK that requires Lucille to spend her action forming a "Bond" with them, which will expend a number of bonds equal to 1/2 the beast's int. Lucille currently has 6/14 bonds; Releasing beasts can be done as a free action, if the metal chameleon is released, it would free up 2 bonds for 8/14 bonds. If ALL beasts are released, she regains all 14/14 bonds. Will only release if absolute necessary.) Assuming Lucille is still alive (since her armor seems to be fucking worthless), She will use her extra action from Uncanny Senses to cast Restorative Breath on whoever has the lowest HP and is still alive! (Restorative Breath is a mimicked move; Lucille is using Brachus Syn instead of hers. Heals {1d6+Syn(5)} HP, heals {2d10+Syn(5)} instead when used on dragons) Loadout

Something sticks and binds to her armor, fine gosmer threads forming a disgusting prison. Her struggles in the physical form end in vain, but the power welling within grows evermore; like the swell of the ocean tide it rises, becoming a mighty wave of that crashes down upon the world around her in tandem with the steadily increasing wrath. To be bound and helpless, a feeling not unfamiliar, yet foreign enough she cannot recall from where she previously knew it. For the first time in her life, this body feels... stiffling, like a great flame smothered by sand, lightning trapped within a jar. And for the first time in her life, the stopper is removed. She knew not the words pouring off her tongue; for they were not the incantations native to thaumic mages, nor did they hail from any tongue she knew in her homeworld. Yet just as with the sensation of imprisonment, this too is familiar. Far too familiar. Familiar enough that she instinctively knows the words themselves hold no power. Ancient, yes, but deadly? No. They are merely the vehicle by which the power is made manifest, power which could shatter reality. Power which made the Thaumic Arts look like a poor-mans imitation. "MYT SAI-TAL DEVA!" For a moment, nothing. But it is breif, and in the next moment, the power released tore through the air with a baying befitting wolves. Rabid, wild, vile, they shred not only the threads of Gossmer, but of reality itself. Chords are struck, chords are severed. For once, the myriad of background noises makes sense. The resonance of all the things around them, the resonance of this world itself. But as glroious as the period of enlightenment on the phenomenon is, its just as fleeting. There for that moment... already beginning to fade come the next. But one way or another, the beastmancer is freed. Strips of silk encircle her like confetti. Despite seeing nothing, her eyes nonetheless level a vicious glare upon the spider: the glare of a mother quickly losing her patience. Lucille spends her action freeing herself from the webbing (in rather spectacularly mystical fashion) Loadout

The girl's fury does not cease as she assaults the spider; the vicious power of her last shout is succeeded by yet another, this time aimed at the beast's mug. Despite the howling winds the roar of her spell is breifly the only thing that can be heard for miles around, it's thunderous resonance eerily reminscent of a dragon roaring. The same sensation from before is back. The symphony of otherworldly sounds, subtle yet boisterously loud at the same time, filling her ears like water to a basin. But she ignores it, for now. There is resistance to break, monsters to tame, and dominance to be established...far more important than any phantasmal oddities at the edge of her hearing. Lucille will again unleash the alternate version of Edge of Silence, aiming at the Spider's face and attempting to disorient it from the blast! (EoS' standard version deals 2 res-bypassing, undodgeable hits for {1d3+Int(19)}*1.3 each. It's Alternate Version strikes the target with only a single concussive blast, but violently throws them away) Loadout

She was the first to hear it's approach. Already, she'd had the staff in hand, turning to face the monstrosity as it appeared through the trees. By the time the others had noticed and it was leaping through the air, her beasts had scurried off to safety, dragon's breath welled in her chest, and a vicious spell was on the tip of her tongue... "You're mine." Thunderous noise, horrid noise, like a banshees shriek. It shredded the air like fine tissue, sundering the snow laden winds... At the start of the encounter, Lucille Mimicked Brachus' Restorative breath! She will be using his Synergy for the purpose of said skill! (Mimicry allows the user to copy an ability from their bound beasts into their "mimicry" slot, and may be used at the start of encounters as a free action. Brachus' Synergy is 5 for the purpose of this skill. See loadout for further inquiries) Lucille unleashes her standard Edge of Silence against the Borean Strider! (The Darksteel Quartz Cane grants +6 Int to all Thaumic Spells. Edge of Silence's standard version deals 2 undodgeable, res-ignoring hits which deal {1d3+Int(13+6)}*1.3x damage each.) Using her extra action, Lucille will unleash the alternate version of Edge of Silence on the Borean Strider; She aims at it's legs in an attempt to knock it off balance! ("Uncanny Senses" allows the user to make an extra action every 3 turns, starting turn 1. EoS' Alternate Version strikes the target with a single concussive blast that violently throws them away) Loadout

Remmi, Vale 8-26 Basic Attack on whatever Grimm is still alive, with the Plains Slime taking priority.

Solomon would've said something particularly nasty in response, had it not been for Asmodeus shifting the fields and sending them strafing away from the bazarro god. The lasers just barely managed to graze the side of the mech, though the moment they did a flare of green and blue erupted as the vast majority of the energy was dissipated. The aura surged over the whole of Revenant for a brief moment before flickering away again. And in it's place was a crimson one. Faint, so very, very faint, but still noticeable to the sharpest of eyes. "Focus!" Asmodeus again ordered, "You saw that, didn't you? The moment it detonated..." "The fucker's fast, but yeh. Not that fast... not initially, anyways. Even took the damn pulse right to the face like it was nothing. Big whoop, so the gaudy god has a few tricks up his sleeve? How surprising..." The same moment Revenant had been launched away from the approaching God, half a dozen streaks of burning amber had roared towards Swag from across the arena, their prescence announced by thunderous bursts of sound and fury that reveberated all around. They were not the only ones however, as yet more bursts joined the chorus, and within moments half a dozen more joined them; the field was alight with streaks of metal, flying at speeds exceeding a railgun and burning red hot with friction on the air. Their paths unpredictable, their trajectories ever changing, all of them tore through the air like rabid dogs, turning right around for another pass when they failed to strike something and seeking something else to shred along the way. The whine of Ragnorok's shards was like the call of an infernal machine, hungry for blood and sacrifice, and in their ferocious onslaught, they were like a storm of death.

"If no one does anything stupid, I'm certain that everyone can get out alive, and that there's a chance I can get it under our control," she says almost immediately- almost as if... she'd been planning the contingency since the very beginning. Which she had, right from the very minute she'd learned the Wife was still alive. "It's an apex predator defending its territory... or just agitated by some unknown factor. Doesn't matter which. I've had to deal with this type of mess too many times to count; in a lot of those situations, simply getting into their heads is enough... like it was with the worm. The ones who managed to resist those probes, push back against the link- they were almost always smarter than they looked, or driven by pure rage. Sometimes a combination of the two. Those were the ones who needed to be beaten a bit before they'd submitted to my service, or were turned away. From what I've scried and everything I've heard, the frost strider will most definitely fall into the latter category of beast. Like I said, my point wasn't that we stand by and act passive as it murders us. No, quite the opposite, if we've any chance to make it useful, or get out of here alive, we'll most likely have to engage it. There's no chance to make it useful if you go in intending to destroy it though- the fight has to be a display of dominance, a show of might greater than what the strider can muster. Because sometimes, might is the only thing monsters understand.... doesn't matter if it's in the form of a man, or a beast." With that said, she turns to where Calvera's voice had been, before turning to where she sensed each individual's heart beat in turn "Nothing I've learned thus far suggest the Strider had ranged adaptations. Its size, mobility, and ability to lower temperature seems to be it's main advantages. But the size also gives us a bigger target, its mobility can be hampered if we destroy a few of the legs, and given it's habitat and abilities, I wouldn't be surprised if it had vulnerabilities to fire. The woods may provide more cover, but fighting it there would put us inside of a kindling box. The shores of the lake leave us exposed, but we'd be able to exploit that potential weakness with much less risk, if I'm right about the biology. We exploit the weakness, and keep our distance while we attack, we can bring it to it's proverbial knees much faster. From there it's just a matter of me going in and binding it. Her eyes harden, like blank pools of liquid platinum, shimmering in the dim light "If I'm somehow wrong about the fire though, or I can't bind it... then so be it. Do whatever needs doing in that case. But at the very least, we need to be trying to harness any potential resource we have for the invasion. We're already way in over our heads in this world- just the 8 of us and a few villagers against an entire army? That gap has got close somehow, or else it's all over."

Stellio Stellio, upon the AI's (though in all honesty, Stellio just assumed the man was some sort of bizarre phantom. Wouldn't be the first time he'd met one or the last, most likely) inquiry, related to Orion the gist of the groups purpose- how they had been recruited by mysterious benefactors who hoped to prevent worlds from being destroyed by quite literally unimaginable creatures who fed on creation itself like a cancer feeds on the body. He had also briefly explained how they had just departed from one such world when they had received the message that brought them here. Before long however, the ghost merged back into one, and the insufferable voice of a certain golem called from down the hall (Or close enough to a Golem that Stellio just shrugged it off). As some of the others moved to examine the workshop revealed before them, Stellio had done the same. And so it was that in a few minutes, he'd found himself a peice of scrap steel and began to gather his focus, practicing the very same weave spell he'd taught the divine being... "Hmph, still got it afterall..." The knight finally lowers his hands and drops the torrent of mana he channeled, satisfied at the end result. It was a very simple enchantment he'd tried, the same as last time, and lo and behold, there'd been no snags with this one. The scrap steel pulsed with a steady, lavender glow, the outer edges of it's form bathed in a black aura that seemed to suck in nearby light for the purpose of boosting the ominous radiance of it's own. It probably would've made a half decent weapon, but sadly he was no smith... though "Oi, you there!" he called out to the... strange rodent weasel thing that stood atop one workbench. As far as he knew, the little bugger had showed up at some point during the fight (it'd been hard to tell for certain given well... it was a brawl against madmen. And this was stellio one was talking about...) "Hail, traveller, don't think we've met, but I saw you during that engagement. You seem more fit to engineering than I; might you have any interest in enchanted steel? It's more than served my purposes already."

"...you know damn well that's not what I meant" the beastmancer turned dead and center to woman's voice and fixed a glare a thousand times more venomous- the entire day she'd spent with them mostly ignoring when she tried to offer alternatives to whatever idiocy was about to commence. It was getting more than a little bit old... "Obviously it's going to attack us and all- I'm not saying we lie down and let it kill us. Only that there's another way to resolve this mess over than slaughtering a creature that, given our general situation on this island, could help in stopping that hoard of diminutive savages from murdering everyone. Why kill a stray dog when you could establish dominance instead, turn it into a guard hound? I find it ironic how you sit here and spew the sarcasm, when not even a full hour or two ago, I did something very similiar when that fucking abomination of a worm came for us in the corruption. Or do you just conveniently not remember how all of you disregarded my repeated warnings that something wasn't right and we probably shouldn't have stepped beyond the flower barrier?" She doesn't even give the ambassader a chance to respond before turning to where Rose's voice was previously "though, all of that aside, I do admit that knowing the areas it regularly stalks or where it rests would make things much easier, regardless what we do."

"Whoa, whoa, hang on," Lucille interjected "Kill the strider? Are you kidding me? Ha...hahahahahahahaa" she shook her head, with some obvious disdain just beneath that laugh "Oh that's rich. Kill it? And waste the resource of a perfectly good giant monster? Really, even when there's an entire damn army sailing to this island to kill everyone and everything on it, who will be bringing their own giants? No, no it's smarter to make it submit, than it is to just put it down, in this scenario- from everything I've heard, this is a free siege weapon we're talking about. I doubt it really has a mind of it's own, so with enough effort I can probably get it under new management. MY management; I've done it several times with some of the bigger terrors lurking back home. And once I do make it kneel, from there things would be as simple as calling to it once the fleet arrives..."

"...fine," she said in passing "but Belros- look around you. How many people died here? How long have they been picking over these ruins like vultures while the rest of your guild is off goddess knows where further in? Do you really think you're gonna be able to talk that man into stopping?" "If you really do... then fine. Try it. Just keep in mind... There are some things you just can't talk out- this may be one of them. Don't let the man he once might've been cloud your judgement of the man he is now, if it comes down to choosing your life or his."

"Your boss better pray he dies loooong before I get to him," She whispered into the woman's ear, twisting the dagger in her ribcage. Tighter, tighter, until finally, the wench's laugh went silent"You feel that? This is nothing compared to what he'll be getting. Count yourself lucky" And like that, she was gone. Cadence wasted no time, tearing off part of the cloak and wiping the crimson from her once pristine blade. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the dirtied rag over it's owners cooling face, turned on her heels, and left.

N17, Explain the term "To the Pain" to Thief 1 with my Parrying Knife

"Eat you, digest you, then excrete out whatever's left a few days later. At least, that's what tended to happen when people got cocky around the giant biological weapons back home. But I doubt it's much different on other worlds." without waiting for a response from the fishman, or particularly caring how much the others bitched out over her dropping the detail of 'Other worlds' (the guide had basically admitted they were expecting a bunch of 'heroes' from some distant realms for fucks sake) she returned to the actual meat of the topic "Either way, I agree that we might as well stick to the lake... for some reason I doubt being in the forest will really help when that thing comes for us. No point wasting the extra time."

Remi, Vale 9-26: Exploring due North

Remi, Vale 9-25: Exploring to the North East

The killing field was silent. Too silent. Despite his estimate, the soldiers didn't so much as stir. And the sheer number of the fuckers as well... granted, they technically had the advantage- this position would be easily enough defendable. But still, it wasn't that defendable; with numbers like those, they easily break through eventually if they charged. "Neeeeeeeeeeeeeigh!" "Hm? What is it, Lenneth" The pegasus wheeled about towards the east as they were just about to turn back and land, nudging her head towards somewhere on the ground. It took only a few moments for Mercadier himself to spot it... "Well well, look what we have here. Tiny little path just big enough for everyone to walk, poorly defended and out of sight for the rest of them. Perhaps the jest Zant made will prove more practical than it sounded. Hmmmm yes, yes, if we coordinate this just right, it may work. Besides, I'm not eager to see why their waiting- next you know we'll be up to our necks in troops." Snorting in approval, the steed wasted no time as she took off away from the main path, and Mercadier called out to the others as they road overhead "There's nothing for us on that main road besides pain and misery. Too many of the damn bastards to just go charging in, and that's exactly what they're waiting for... probably for reinforcements as well. It's in our best interest if we take Zant's joke earlier seriously- the path east of here has scant but a few men. If we kill them and play our cards right, me and lenneth may well be able to get everyone out mostly undetected... "or at the very least, there'll be far less incidents of people dropping like rocks than if we fight through the main road" He seemed to stare directly at, and through, Tekeshi with the last part... F5

Lucille waited with the others at the bottom of the tower; One of the many stones which had nearly killed jun made for a half decent seat. Before long she heard footsteps descending the stairs- not just one set but two. Turning to the source as Jun finally made it to ground level, she rose from her spot and stretched. Her beast simply stared at the ragged woman the diplomat carried in tow. "So I'm guessing this is her?" she asked "If so, then I'm lucille, and the others can introduce themselves. We should get moving soon though, somethings not quite right about this place... and I want to meet this snow monster for myself."

Looks like Khepri has some competition... and she's lost. Behold, my actual Tertiary! Ole's Known Templates: Blank Loadout:

Cheryn "Beza," Cheryn called as she approached slowly, putting a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder "Beza, I found Caliber. I've handled everything now, it's alright, you don't have to be scared. We're gonna go look for some of the others who haven't been seen in a while. Why don't you go back to the barracks for now, wait there with the others until I'm done?"

Arya Arya ran her hand over one of the arrows, careful, almost afraid she might break the nigh-ethereal construct otherwise. She couldn't help but drop the formal expression by now, replaced by a look of amazement as the shafts danced with images of the fleeting past. Amazement, almost voracious curiosity, and just a hint of confusion, "A Quiver..." she whispered "These arrows, they're like... nothing I've ever seen before. I don't know what to say, Mother Opium..." Of course, the most obvious question in her mind was: where was the bow to fire them? But well, almost as soon as it came to her, so did the answer; She had called forward a copy of mom's sidearm, hadn't she? What would stop her from calling forward a copy of her own bow? Or of dad's bow? If bullets had been ineffective, chances were so would any arrows she conjured with her power. It was the projectiles which mattered, not the delivery system- afterall the gun had remained in hand even after the rounds shattered. And with these...

Arya Arya nodded and strode forward. Her hand approached the jar, dipping beyond it's top, hovering ever closer to the surface of the liquid. There was a second of hesitation before her fingers actually made contact. But it was gone just as quickly as she took a breath... and plunged them in, almost immediately finding something hard and smooth and pulling it out of the vat as Helen had instructed...