(Event) Reclamation of Pride | Page 17

• 140 HP
• 128 EN
Sphere 07


-8 for holding lightning

Quinn glared at @Yukisa for attempting to break the 4th wall, which was usually his shtick. If some random-ass guy were to pick up his routine and ran with it, Quinn will lose his purpose in life. As much as he wanted to lecture the guy about it, he had to bite down his pride in order to help Yukisa deal with the puzzle at hand.

And so, Quinn entered the sphere despite Yukisa not explaining the detailed plan. After he drew a deep breath into his lungs, Quinn focused his attention on his surrounding as he recited a spell, filling the sphere with an illusion field in which he appeared as the fabled Zeus, who looks exactly like Zeus. Wait! He thought to himself. That can't be a coincidence, can it? In fact, is Zeus even an NPC? Various questions raced through Quinn's mind as he prepped the sphere.

Then, a lightning bolt came down directly at him. Since it was a weaker spell, Quinn grabbed and held it for exactly 1 second before releasing it. His hand was burnt from attempting such a thing, but he had to go the extra mile to execute the plan Yukisa came up with.

Quinn prayed their effort was not in vain.

Partner: @Yukisa ​

 

• 138/148 HP
• 118/118 EN
Sphere 04

Dad, no...!

The single, thunderous report and telltale sulfuric aftertaste still remained, all these years later. He replayed the scene over and again, but Thom could never stop the bullet.

Sweat beaded on his brow, and the user interface warned him of high stress levels, but the fail-safes that would force him to go offline were not present. Instead of waking up in a cold sweat, shivering in a Brooklyn apartment, Kijin stared off into the darkness absently. The screaming and crackle of flames in his mind subsided only after he heard Mag's voice searching for him.

"No," he spat, "I'm not good! He's dead."

Only one person had died in the current quest, but she was female. Kijin didn't seem to have any connection to her, either. Despite that, the Swordsman raged on.

"I can't save anyone!"

He started to slam his fists against the wall, but Magdalyn grabbed him by the shoulder and quickly led him away before he could stir up a commotion among the group. "Let's do this over here," she entreated, and he followed reluctantly.

The fire rises...

Partner: @Magdalyn ​

 

• 131 HP
• 90 EN
Sphere 09

Valdrada glanced at the holographic sphere that she had entered alongside her partner for this task. Though she and Luna did solve one already, and many more were cracked by others, it wasn't enough to get them out of here yet. So, she had to try again.

This one seemed pretty straightforward, about on par with the one she solved before. The beginning of a hero, and the end. They were all heroes here, right? So, reflecting on their own journeys would be talking about their own beginnings and ends.

Well, that was the plan... Valdrada herself was still very much a beginner. She only just barely figured out how to keep her own limbs untangled from each other when she was trying to hit someone with her sword and block a blow with her shield at the same time. To contrast, Corvella looked every bit the practiced warrior that Val herself wasn't. Her shield was wonderfully made and looked as though it had seen heavy use, and Corvella looked to be the kind of person that was much more at ease in Terrasphere than she was. Sometimes, Val even forgot that she was supposed to be responding to her in-game username!

But, anyway, time to focus. Jawn and Caccu had said that the spheres could possibly be activated through thinking. So, that's what she would have to do: think really, really hard about how she was just starting out as a hero.

Val remembered the day she first logged into Terrasphere, eager to escape from her caged life and do some adventuring. The rush of materializing in a magical world, of being a knight in (not so shining, at least not yet) armor. She didn't have a wealth of experience to draw from, but she knew that she would, one day be able to grow stronger like Corvella, to be so much more than what she was now.

Partner: @Corvella​

 

• 148 HP
• 90 EN
Sphere 09

This sphere should be the last one we needed to activate the teleport mechanism, right? As long as this does not prompt kissing like some other one, this is not going to be hard. Let's see what this is about.

The hero's beginning and end.

Sounds pretty straightforward. So Valdrada is a hero in the making, and Corvella is at her end soon. Wait, that one doesn't seem right.

More like the light blue-haired girl is taking steps towards being a hero, and Corvella herself is towards the goal; the hero? Well, considering all things she had been through, it seems very likely. If this one fails, she would be very, very very very disappointed. At least it should acknowledge her as a hardened hero. Maybe other could grow faster than her, but nothing beats good ol' battle experience.

Okay, let's just start then. The blonde knight made her way to the sphere with her partner and began to focus on her journey that placed her where she is now. The first time she logs into the fantasy world, she immediately fought a gigantic mushroom that is Mycolossus. It has been what, almost a year? The adventures and meeting several people who she had come to admire, like Gwyn and King Astor. It hadn't been long before she fought alongside the people that weren't here anymore, like Ursa, to stop the threat that is Azog, the prince of fire. Eleanor's moment of sacrifice was still clear as day in her memories.

God she misses the days back then. She was that one girl, swinging her sword and shield hoping conflicts could be resolved by talking.

Corvella tries to dig her memory even further, the ones that would certifies her as a rightful hero. She had been to the mountains, fighting the Aesirs, that one battle that permanently scarred her, making her unable to bear swords anymore. Then comes the betrayal, she and the other were put into the prison. Defeated the great warden, almost burned to death and escaped at the cost of a friend's life, she came back to Astorea as it was quickly assaulted by Falderen. There she held against the caenis mercenaries and the famed Lunatic Princess as the elite team brought down King Theo. All of it was written as the damages on her shield, the ones that enabled her to stand here proudly.

"I am a hero." the blonde reassured herself.

Partner: @Valdrada ​

 

• 139 HP
• 122 EN
Sphere 04

Magdalyn’s brows furrowed as she studied her friend. He died? She opened her mouth to question his statement, but his sudden act of physical aggression stopped her. With authority and precision that came from being a teacher, she guided him toward the nearest sphere. It provided nothing more than an excuse for his behavior, which had already attracted attention. If he planned to shout, and throw his weight around, it might appear to be an act. Or, at least, she hoped. Kijin was clearly under immense stress, and, if nothing else, she could help by seeing to his reputation.

“Alright, listen,” she began in a mild, level tone. “That was bad back there, I know, but we’re not out of the woods yet. We’ve got to stay focused, so we can help moving forward, and-“

“Help?” He echoed incredulously, blinking back at her. “Who are you to talk about helping?” Though he was no longer beating his fists against the wall, the red-hot anger in his eyes, and in his tone, was far more potent.

Mags froze, every thought in her head draining. It took her a few seconds to recover. “What do you mean by that?”

Kijin held his hands out, as if surprised by her question. “Seriously? You’ve done nothing. You couldn’t carry a single crown, and everything you killed in that battle came back to life. And what did you do for your wagon? Grow some leaves?” Each word he spoke lashed like a fire-hot whip, licking at her heart, which she always left exposed. His lips twisted into a sneer. “Pathetic. But what can you expect from someone who joins a game like this just to be a farmer?”

The slap of her palm across his cheek plunged the swordsman into stunned silence. His hand rose to it, fingertips gingerly kissing the stinging flesh as if he could not comprehend what had happened. When he finally regained his focus, and studied her face, it was etched in cold fury. The way she stared back at him, stared through him, doused the flames of anger.

Realization did not dawn slowly. Rather, it smacked him with as much force and efficiency as her hand had. “Shit,” Kijin muttered, grimacing. “Shit, Mags, I’m sorry.” Somehow, his using her nickname was salt in her wound. At the word, she visibly flinched, and Kijin sucked in breath. “I didn’t mean any of that.” His hand moved to rub at the back of his neck, a gesture of helpless vulnerability. The remorse was as powerful as the conflagration had been only seconds before, but still, she said nothing.

Partner: @Kijin Shihaku
(All bunnies approved by Kijin.)​

 

• 100 HP
• 90 EN
Zone 7

Through the eyes of the Wise

Eryl Justice saw the massive man slam his powerful ax through the ground. She also saw the timid being on top of the balcony gripping her staff. Judging by the expression on her face, Eryl could guess that she was second guessing the side she chose to be on right now.

That was her fault, and she would pay dearly for it by the time the game was finished.

Eryl evaluated her options. It was tempting to charge in headlong to the ax wielding bandit king, but she knew with her gear and experience level, she would probably suffer for it. Eryl hadn't come this far to be cut down on the last few legs. Her fit shifted in the snow as she scanned the other players in the area for someone who looked strong, able, and capable. Her dark brown eyes settled on one of the stronger arcane spell casters in their group. She had stood out to Eryl at every turn, her power was hardly rivaled. She had picked up the woman's name through their fight so far; Luna. Luna Avalbane. As the snowy winds swept across the fighting arena, stirring up snow, Eryl could see she was already beginning the incantation for a damaging spell.

Eryl knew she could add a little to that with a spell of her own.

Her right and left forefingers touched right in front of her chest as Eryl summoned the energy of the game. Shimmering hexagons formed at her fingertips as she conjured up just enough energy to give Luna an edge of insight. The snow falling around her began to whisp, where it met her fingers, it melted into synthesized steam.

"Videt in animis inimicorum!" Eryl muttered at last.

Shifting her entire body weight, Eryl shoved her hands out, palms open. Trios of white, glowing hexagons fluttered from each, crossing the short distance between her and Luna. Insight would enter the other spell caster's mind, enough for her to be able to get the edge and predict what her foes were about to do,
how the wind would shift, how the very fabric of this simulated reality would move to maximize her damage. The spell didn't give Luna the ability to predict every little thing, but it certainly gave her an edge, and that was what mattered.

Buff Roll and mod

Single buff @Luna Avalbane
4 + 0 = 4
Tracker/Roll​

 

• 121/121 HP
• 100/110 EN
Zone 5


-10 EN for attack
Freezing 1/6 you feel sluggish, if you reach the cap, you will freeze.

Whether or not Luna had been expecting them to come across the bandit king already, she wasn't quite so sure. However, that really didn't matter anymore. Whoever that girl was, she'd chosen her side and Luna could only hope that she was willing to take the consequences. After all, Luna herself was fighting for somebody that she wanted to protect and anybody else on the battlefield only put @Savannah Reed in more and more danger. For her at least, she'd join the fight.

So she moved, racing her way towards a more central point of the battlefield, eyes glancing around as Natiri stuck close to her heel, pulling out her Grimoire and flicking through the pages as she moved, until her eyes fell upon a particular spell. It was powerful, crude and destructive. It'd do.

She frowned, raising the index and middle fingers of her right hand to her forehead as purple and yellow sparks began to flash off her them as she charged and focused her power into such a small focal point. She didn't have much of a chance to practice this spell, since it was such a destructive and deadly one. Now seemed like the best chance she would get.

Just before she fired, a flash of clarity and insight rang through her mind. It was like she'd been sent a photograph, from the future. It wasn't much to work with, but it was enough. Thanks to @Eryl Justice and her spell, Luna's own attack flew true, along with her cry. "Evil Piercing Light Murder Gun!"

Despite the fairly ridiculous name, a thin beam of energy shot from her fingers as she thrust them forward, slamming into the bottom of the balcony, where it exploded and caused the entire platform to shake, clearly destabilizing it a decent amount. Still, she couldn't help but chastise herself. It still wasn't enough.

Attack - Balcony
Tracker / Roll
42 + 25 + 4 *2 = 142
Balcony: 358/500 HP​

 

• 118 HP
• 138 EN
Zone 4

Hey, it worked! Even though it hurt like a bitch to have his tongue bitten off, even though it was a bit of a pain to constantly snap his fingers in order to dispel the fireballs launched in his direction by that righteously angry Lady, Cain was still happy enough about the Sphere being activated that even the relatively gross taste of his own blood in his mouth wasn’t all that bad. As he was showered with the hot air of Annette’s unravelled magic, the Harmonics Mage slunk back into the healing spring and enjoyed its benefits. Yeah, with Lady Blowdryer hard at work, it definitely did feel like he was in a spa, huh?

Then everything lit up and he was plopped back into the reality of this season: blustering winds and cold, icy snow.

Still soaked from his impromptu dip into the springs, Cain’s teeth chattered while his newly regrown tongue slunk against the back of his throat. Yeah, this was definitely cold, and he felt extraordinarily sympathetic to those that had been bathing half naked in the springs before this. It was great that the strange magitech formation had brought them right where they needed to be, but pr-

“Servant of the Vermilion Throne, and the Ice Princess of Oblivion herself!”

Dark eyes flickered, the shivering freezing in an instant as Cain traced the voice to its origins. The diminutive red-cloaked ice mage, Megan. He had fought with her before, had traversed the sewers during the war and enjoyed her own brand of grandstanding, but now…

The Rose bloomed on her wrist, unconcealed by sleeves or gloves. Its scarlet petals remained unaffected by the cold wind, and her voice had not a shred of that undertone of apprehension. If it was the old Megan, he would have shrugged it off, but with that Rose…they were going to talk after this.

For now though, she was naught but a threat.

His heart pounded, virtual hormones starbursting into his mind as his lungs devoured the frosty air. Amethyst light sparked in his right eye, while teal warmth wafted from his left. Double-Blessed, the gold gilded Lute thrummed to life in the hands of the Flagbearer of Miracles, as he smiled directly at Megan with predatorial ferocity.

“Sing, sing, sing! Let the gospel of slaughter ring out!”​

Shadowfire encroached upon Lady Annette, the apocalyptic love song resounding once more.

Single Buff @Lady Annette von Brandt I
18 + 31 = 49
Tracker / Roll​

 

• 138 HP
• 108 EN
Zone 7 > 8


Freezing 1/6 you feel sluggish, if you reach the cap, you will freeze.

His apologies fell on righteously angry, deafened ears, and for the first time in an epoch Thom felt the sting of a real emotion. It was not something conjured by virtual pain that lingered at the surface of his synapses and burned white hot, suggesting that the heat in his cheek was real. No, it was regret, disgust with himself, and an unspoken reminder not to be consumed by the realism of the dive.

But there was no time to sort of feelings of inadequacy, and no time for him to make amends. Between them, silent discontent would be the backdrop to a serious and dangerous boss battle.

Kijin steeled himself to do what had to be done.

The Swordsman drew his Longsword from its place at his back and watched as the battle began to unfold around them, mystically shifted from the dark room into the presence of the Bandit King. Fireballs and mystic wind whipped up and carried out a vicious onslaught as the party hurtled headlong into combat.

Kijin headed toward the group of bandits to their right with a group of fighters, intent on shielding them from harm when the time came.

For now, that meant getting their attention.

His sword struck hard.

Attack - Bandits
Tracker / Roll
45 + 10 = 55
Bandits: 245/300 HP​

 

• 113/113 HP
• 130/140 EN
Zone 7

Vina felt pride as she saw that her's and @Ilya's second attempt succeeded with full marks. Personal preferences aside it was good to know that when it came down to it they had still managed to get the exact answer. However they didn't have much time to feel good about it before the other riddles received their correct answer, at which point all of them were promptly teleported and Vina promptly felt like vomiting. She managed to keep her lunch inside of her stomach, but being teleported was still a very unpleasant sensation when it was done so abruptly.

The new situation forced her to pay attention, however, as it looked like the teleportation had brought them straight to the Bandit King. He didn't look very monstrous, but then again he was supposed to be a leader of bandits trying to claim land for himself, not some kind of demon. However he looked just as impressive as Zeus, if a bit younger... and he didn't look happy to see them either.

Things got significantly worse when one of the other players showed up on a balcony, clearly on the side of the Bandit King since she hadn't showed herself at any point throughout the journey... and the stuff she was shouting wasn't very unambiguous about her allegiance either. Vina really didn't like the idea of fighting another player: that said she wasn't fond of fighting NPCs either...

Shaking her head Vina returned to her comfort zone, supporting and healing others. She'd rather they didn't fight at all, but she didn't think that was an option here... But that didn't mean she wanted to participate in murder either. Seeing Cain focus on @Blank the druidess gathered the frosty winds around them and infused the man with them, whirling around his hands and ready to enhance any attack he launched with the bite of winter's winds.

"Please try to capture them if you can." Was all she said before preparing her next spell. Every time a fight broke out she hoped there was a way to take the enemy down without killing them, but so far it came down to killing. The best she could do was ask and hope the others would oblige. Or at least try.

Single Buff @Cain Darlite for...
8 + 21 = 29
Tracker / Roll​

 

• 150 HP
• 80 EN
Zone 4


-10 EN for attack
Freezing 1/6 you feel sluggish, if you reach the cap, you will freeze.

The battle had truly begun. With nary a thought to spare, Velka let out a burst of fire behind her as she darted closer to the balcony. By coincidence, said ball of fire impacted one of the entrances, not quite destroying it but nonetheless dealing some damage. The bandits that were near the entrance she launched a fireball at? They were unimportant, probably would be taken down by her party members easily. Weak, untrained and wholly unimpressive from what she glimpsed of them. Putting such thoughts away from her mind, she got ready to strike. Any moment now, it would fall and she would be free to wreak havoc on the mage atop. She vaguely recalled meeting with the girl before, something about a slime, but such things were trivial now. All that mattered was that they were enemies. She had one job to do, kill the mage.

Attack - Entrance (8)
Tracker / Roll
38 + 10 = Total
Entrance (B): 152/200 HP​