10/29 --- Δ Haggard Traveler’s Reprieve?????

[gluttoning]

Who: ??? & you!
What: Something's starting...
Where: Δ Haggard Traveler’s Reprieve (Twilight Shoreline)
When: Sunday, 10/29
Warnings: Will be added as needed.

( Perhaps intrigued by the mail allegedly sent by CC Corp, perhaps visiting the Shoreline by chance, gating into the Area goes as it always does, until the music stays cut for longer than it should, and the black, liminal transition screen lingers for a little too long. The seconds tick on. They near turn to minutes. You can't struggle, you can't argue— you can only simply be, and it occurs to you that maybe you'll be trapped midway here, conscious, for maybe forever.

And then you hear static. Your vision warps; pixels strain into words, blurred and unstable. You see them combat for your attention; you see— )



( And then you load in. )

( POST NAVIGATION )
( Sign-in Comment (Mandatory) • How to Play • Mechanics

Phase 1 • Round 1 • Round 2 • Round 3 • Round 4 • Round 5 • Round 6

Phase 2 • Round 7 • Round 8 • Round 9 • Round 10 •
Round 11 • Round 12

Epilogue )

Comments

ROUND 9 1/2

[gluttoning]

((REMAINING CORE USES:

VOGEL - 2/3
MICHEL - 2/3
LEO - 2/3
HARU - 1/3
LEVI - 2/3))

---

[As the chaos thrives like prey in a frenzy, Tarvos takes the opportunity to move. Though his desire is to drive forward and dig claws in and let blood shed... Macha is down. And loveless or not,

T̸̺̘̻͛̊̿́͂̉̚͝a̶̠̒r̸̩͕̥̟͚̈́̇̕͜v̵̢̝̻̂͜ò̴͎̈́͝s̸̢̱͇̭̹̤̟̋͗̌̀̈͝͠ ̴͙̖͇͐͊̓̂̓̓͒ͅm̷̰͆̎͒̑̈́͛̓̋ą̵̤̩͎̖̱̓̈́̌̓̌͗d̶͎̳̝̮̈́͌̃e̸͎̗͕͚̥̥̍̈́̊̓̀̂̀͛ ̷͙̽ą̵̳͇͚̈́̓͜ͅ ̴̥̼̪̗̣̼̋̍̒p̴̙̿̔̌̃̋͘r̵̘̫̘̽͋́͒ő̸͚̰͎͔͎̇̈́̊̔̍̇̅m̶͉̬̔͝ͅi̵͖̞͂̓̽̋͐͂̔͜͠s̶̺̣̖͓͚̦̦̹͛͌ê̴͖͎͔̹̿́̓̈͗̈͝.̵͔̙̔.

When people start righting themselves, to attack either Tarvos or Macha or both, the larger of the two bosses now stands as a battered brick wall, wings spread wide with all eyes glaring at anyone that approaches, lashing out. Even when he takes two more HP drains, even when Vax Maxima and MeRai Don shudder through him with flame and lightning alike, leaving the chitin-like structure of limbs and horns and wings all sizzling, popping. He is in obvious pain.

But he does not move. Only to lash out. Only to make noise and let his anger try to reach a middle ground he cannot reach. Which does he care about more? Taking the aggression, dishing it out in return? Or--

Michel blinds, and Leviathan stuns, and the beast freezes on the spot as Macha starts to take hits in the interim from those freed from their charms. He chokes out his words to those that his eyes reach in hatred, dripping in bloodshed that comes from a heart that swirls with nothing but a despair that's been twisted so out of form that it no longer belongs. Words yank at its form, trying to make sense of it, to pound it back to shape. It hurts. He doesn't understand.

But the sound of Macha's despair where he cannot see or interact, even for such a short moment, snaps something inside him.

As soon as STUN has released from Tarvos, Tarvos lashes out - first physically with the length of his enormous spear, barreling against Miharu and Oria, but too wild and broad to hit. (3, 1)

Then comes Piercing Heaven against Hector (15), which sends him flying across the arena.

Hani has not been ignored, either - Tarvos attempts a watered slash of Rue Break immediately after Hector's gone airborne, but it too misses its mark (6). And once again, anger takes control, anger lashes out.

His spear raises towards GANYMEDE once again.

A figure forms in the center of the area, sand and stone and sugar and ash. The spear crashes down.

As Tarvos is BLIND - Ganymede may make THREE saving rolls of 1d20 and take your HIGHEST as your save.

A 12 or lower will be a kill.]

ROUND 9 (2/2)

[tablescraps]

( Macha's HP was brutally low and dropping lower still, before the light of Haru's full heal washed over Macha, draining data from Tarvos to restore him, negating Ramiel's earlier AoE that struck him.

Macha has little time to dwell on this kindness (wrought by charm, granted), however, as the damage keeps coming. Ramiel, Kara, and Noé, buffed by Ganymede's Physical Attack Increase, come in hot; Noé holds back on the damage, but Ramiel more than makes up for it with his 200% ATK increase and critical hit. Had these attacks hit, Macha would be in critical levels of HP right now. Tarvos tanks them instead.

Despite what his programming tells him, Macha is not yet alone. He's not yet truly vulnerable.


But darting in quick and slipping past Tarvos's wingspan as Tarvos is blinded and stunned, Kara dives in for a brutal blow— just as Deto emerges from behind Tarvos's wingspan and scampers back toward the battlefield, narrowly passing by each other. He's soaked with blood and meat juice. Don't worry about it.

Darting in agile and quick, Kara deals a devastating blow to Macha in a clean sort of vengeance— one that splits the crevice of his body deeper: it splits up across his face, his halo, the light behind him flickering, the roses there wilting. Blood links the two split sides of him, threatening to fall into two entirely. Macha, strangely, does not react; he'd been left stunned by Deto, Kara's hit landing with critical damage.

Kara withdraws just in time for Leo's Data Drain to ripple across Macha's code, his form stuttering and bubbling and boiling as his data is ripped out and used to inject health into Leo's allies. Haru had healed him, but it had not healed the instability being beat into the ground the first time had inflicted.

Macha drips, drips, drips, the blood that comprises the bleeding heart of his body spilling and sinking into the heart-meat ocean, disappearing in the pouring rain. With each pulse of red light he looks just a little smaller, just a little more helpless. His voice rasps, his throat parting into two, sounding less like Macha, and more— )

. . . Ah . . . Ah . . . Ah . . .

( . . . like Mithrun. )

. . . Ah . . .

( Macha's breathing heavy, like a cornered animal, though he's not yet alone. He wraps an arm around his abdomen, as if trying to keep the two halves from falling apart completely, as if— trying to protect something he'd just recognized was there. He reaches out, blindly grabbing for Tarvos. "All people are alone in death," he'd said. He sees it coming, and he fears it. Or maybe it's that, as long as he's not separated from Tarvos, isn't vulnerable to defeat. So long as he's not alone, he won't let his heartbreak guide him to death, the way it used to (when was that?).

Macha's HP's starting to dip below the 50% mark. It's only then you see it: data swirling before him, the way it does in the moments before someone uses Data Drain.

A core of energy gathering in the split-empty opening in his abdomen, there's a flash of static— your stomachs lurching— a sense of things being wrong— before streaks of code in white and scarlet shoot out at Michel, Data Draining him. And in that moment you feel as though you are undone: flesh stripped layer by layer, bones ground down to fine powder, memories unraveled, your body split open, again, and again, and again, reduced to your barest parts, the smallest digits of code. Peeling through you, the cold light whips back, returning to Macha, leaving Michel collapsed on the ground.

Michel has a critical amount of HP left, and it's ticking down fast!

Michel has been inflicted with the following status ailments: Frozen, Burn, Bleed, Blind, Seal, Curse, Physical Defense Down, Magical Defense Down

Michel will die if at least at least one character—the more the better—with healing cores/abilities do not stop what they're doing to focus on healing/cleansing him this round!

Anyone healing Michel will not be able to attempt any attack actions against the bosses this round!

Michel is in shock! He cannot attempt any attack actions against the bosses this round, even if cured! )

[secondthoughts]

[ Oh, it hurts.

Hector's already beaten and battered and bruised, but he's going to keep standing up, no matter how many times it takes. His health may be edging dangerously low from Tarvos's attack, but that's about the last thing he notices.

He gets up just in time to watch Data Drain go off on one of their own, and he panics. ]

—Winter!

[ He rushes forward, gripping his staff, and casts Pha Repth on the injured man.

Except he doesn't realize his armor has a little side effect, triggered when he had felt sorry for himself for falling, albeit briefly, to Macha's charm.

His guilt.

No healing happens. Instead, he watches as an indicator appears in his UI to show that Winter's attack power has now doubled, and his already-critical HP ticks down again. Because of him. ]

No.

[ Because of him. ]

No, no, no, why— Why didn't it work? I—

[ He panics. His guilt mounts in a sadistic feedback effect. This isn't supposed to happen, this isn't supposed to happen, he's supposed to heal him— ]

Someone! [ He shouts, whipping his head around to all those nearby. ] Help him!

[justonezero]

-!

I've got him!

[Nanashi will cast his own Pha Repth - which comes with a 100% Magic and Phys Attack boost on Michel, to boot.]

core use 2/3

[insinning]

[ Ah. Sinclair doesn't' need to be told. He was already reaching for his core before then.

Not while he's here. Locking in on Tarvos--]

Data drain--

[He focuses, holding up his core for Data Drain Type: H single and directs it at Michel]

core use 2/3

[ophidie]

[Her gaze flicks over to what-remains-of-what-was-Macha, remembering the stuttering, screeching error message that launched through all their screens earlier. She makes an educated bet.

Miharu will use her core, targeting Tarvos, to cast Data Drain Type H: Status, which she is gambling will be able to trigger now that the one who held them so steadfast in his grasp has been reminded of something important.

Because otherwise the healing is still just what it's always been all fight. Water through a sieve. Sand through the cracks of your fingers.]

[tylorific]

[ Charmed and cured, through the wringer of heartbreak and love, clunking the already dented atria, ventricles, messy yet persistently, defiantly steady. Avoidance with a smile, fighting the ache with optimism that never falters, even at the deepest depths of despair.

Because being charmed is little different than the love he still has for them all, in one way or another. Just as imbedded as the blood spilled, flesh scraped. His goal has been to protect in this fight, brandishing aggro even to take friendly fire. He's got potions, burning through them to quietly keep himself on his feet without worrying anyone else.

But now, now it's family targeted again. He spares Ganymede a salute, with some measure of finality in his smile.

His oldest, most used skill, lance appearing in hand again as he brandishes (16) at Tarvos. To buy them time to help Michel. To avoid hurting Bear, Morgan, anyone. But he can take it. Even if he can't. ]

[curvaceous]

[ Kara's attempt to assist in being a distraction whiffs completely (2), but she's here for support! ]

GET HIS ASS, TYLOR!

[gluttoning]

[Brandish is immediately successful.

Tylor will now have Tarvos's immediate attention for the next 2 turns. For sake of your other players and for our planning of the next round, just confirm where Tylor will be leading him in tag form!]

[tylorific]

[ Tylor attempts to lead him away from everyone else best he can, even if it means taking the brunt of what he cannot dodge from Tarvos or anyone else. ]

[legendofthelion]

[While Tylor is drawing Tarvos' attention and leading him away from everyone, Dehya comes charging from the side with her blade full of flames, letting out a battle cry as she strikes with Vak Maxima again (20) to knock him even farther from the group (and Tylor so he doesn't have to tank too much).]

[trashtier]

[As Tylor and Dehya work on getting Tarvos away from Macha and the rest of the players, Leviathan transforms his staff into a pair of fans and follows up with a debuff to drastically reduce movement speed (14):]

I promise you, Barrett, this is all gonna work out in the end.

Dek Do!

[Getting back should be harder now!]

[ganymed]

[ ...And that is why he manages to toss something like a buff towards Justy after taking care of Michel in his own way (and I guess technically all his allies due to La Vorv.)

Enjoy your increased physical defense. ]

[murrmoire]

[ While people are distracted with healing Michel, Memoir will glance over at the nearest Zelkova member – Swallow! – and beckon her to follow his lead.

He swoops in and grabs Macha (no roll needed per Tuesday), and sprints away from the rest of the group, carrying him like a sack of potatoes.

Then, he'll (surprisingly gently) place Macha down on the nearest mass. This is alone status, right...! But he'll also go down with Macha to make sure the guy doesn't try to crawl away. ]

Keep Tarvos at bay!

[ He'll yell it to people from across the way, then to Macha: ]

Give him back.

[ Take it away, Shoka! ]

[tablescraps]

Stop—

( JUST AS NOE THINKS THAT he can see Macha trying to dig his fingers into the meat to crawl back to Tarvos!!!

He only uses one hand, though. The other still cradles his abdomen, trying not just to keep it together, but to keep the insides (even though there's surely nothing inside) from falling out. )

I am . . . I am . . . Macha—?

( But as you've dragged him further away, and as he tries to pull himself against the slick-meat ground, his form begins to drip and drag and slip from his body, leaving his mass less, and less, and less . . .

But as this happens too, the crack split across him only grows wider, and it's a struggle to try to pull himself back to the person waiting for him, and to keep himself together. )

[murrmoire]

NO!

[ His grip on Macha tightens, and he pushes him further into the ground. His voice is raised significantly, and his determination is clear. There's fire behind his words, a desire to end this once and for all: ]

YOU ARE MITHRUN!!

[deto]

[ shouting from a distance away, covered in Stuff: ]

IT'S SPELLED M-I-T-H-R-U-N-ONE.

[userunfriendly]

[ Throughout the battle, Winter has hardly responded to injury. Not the falling shards of arena that tore at all of them, not the blasts of magic that have buffeted him. He retains so much data still. Responding to these things only shows where you can be hurt.

But the data drain catches him, sinks hooks inside him into some core layer of self still encoded, despite everything. It tugs; he unravels. And the scream it rips from him as he collapses is, for a single second, purely Michel. ]

[tinged]

[ michel-

for all they claim these injuries don't - can't - hurt them, every single one has taken a toll on their body. but if they couldn't walk, they would have crawled to michel's side, let fragment split apart and try to stop them.

as it is, it's with slow, limping steps that they make their way to him. they collapse by his head, curling over him. ]

Michel, Michel. It's me - it's - ah - it's Hani. And you will stay with me, with us forever.

[ pressing a kiss on his forehead, hani begins casting ul repth after ul repth, healing him 100 HP at a time, burning through their SP. it's fine; they don't need any. ]

[ganymed]

MICHEL!

[ Ganymede immediately abandons everything for a moment, just to run back on over to him, falling to his knees, and at his side.

He is cradles his head gently in his arms.

He might have caught Tylor's look, but, first...it won't take long to stuff some healing items down his throat, right? Because of this, his next action can't be anything like an "attack".

...But, he doesn't need for it to be. ]

[dissimulative]

[ Wow, the entire place is in chaos. Regardless, Oria shoots a Vak Doom at Tarvos (5), but he's getting tired and everyone is screaming. ]

[aphonik]

[ walks back in with a smoothie

Dosei’s stomach churns at the light, the scream, the surge; nothing is ever easy around here. And for all this talk of unrequited junk, these two sure are fucking glued at the hip.

He has no heals, no skills to be of use, and even if he did, he has other priorities than playing doctor to someone. While Tarvos is distracted, aggro’d by Tylor, Dosei will swoop in the assist in the chase.

One swift slice of the scythe to Tarvos (13), and while it doesn’t feel as strong as some other hits he’s gotten, it’s still satisfying. ]

CORE USE 2/3

[deto]

[ staggering as far away from macha as possible, the mess deto's covered in making it hard for him to see. he aims data drain type D: blind blindly (lol) at one of the bosses and manages to hit tarvos as he scampers away. at this point he's not even sure switching skins would help because his hair and vision are the problems here; eventually he just pushes it messily out of his face - who cares about looks, who cares about being dry of (censored bad things, worst day of his life tbh)

he only cares about finding nanashi at the moment. is he ok?! ]

[justonezero]

[He's here, and he's fired off his one heal for the round, and now he's looking around frantically for Deto.]

Akira!

CORE USE 2/3

[rebelles]

[ Shakily back on her feet, Haru's not sure she trusts herself anymore, but she's going to hold her Core close to her heart and use Data Drain Type H: Status to cure Michel of all status effects. ]