129 HP MAX 129 HP 170 EN MAX 195 EN 1 STK Dissonance -15 EN for Single Buff Alright. So the slugs were literally impossible to not kill with like... a casual glance. The polyp things on the other hand looked to be far more formidable. It would take the combined strength of Nalla and... that column of fire that just blew the thing right to hell and didn't leave so much as the hand basket. Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? Wait, whaaaaaaaaaat? Had Rat gotten a walking volcano onto her team? She had indedily. Good work, Rat! Three pats for you! Congratulating herself for Nalla's swift kill, she turned to one of the others on Team People Who Keep Their Distance. @Gwyn ap Herne seemed to be focusing in on a kill, ready to fell it... but nice as arrows were, they weren't atomic fire bombs. Magic was just bullshit like that, sometimes! So, wanting to give the archer lass a bit of a boost, Rat ran over and threw an orb of light towards the bow woman, which settled upon the string of the bow and filled it with a soft light, making it easier to draw back and get more power from it. Buffing Gwyn 18 + 21 + 10 = +49 damage for 3 posts Makin' It Rain Pain (vicariously) Tracker / Roll
187 HP MAX 187 HP 141 EN MAX 156 EN 01 STK Dissonance -15 EN for ACTION Terrasphere had offered many a strange sight in her nearing a year within its strange reality, decorated with the projections of the UI and full to bursting of strange creatures and stranger allies against them. The huntress had followed, like too many times before, on the heels of a false king with little protest. There were nations involved, sure. But the peoples of all nations were at risk from this threat. That and she'd heard tell of a massive beast ripe for the slaughter and had come flying from the wilds to join in the hunt. She left the dogs and serpents behind, worried they'd lag behind the endurance demanding march of the army of players. Not to mention her concerns about this supposed corruption. There was too high a chance one of the twins would take an interest. So she followed into the depths of an eerily fleshy tunnel alone in the company of many. Too many were strangers to her and Gwyn wondered if she had drifted too far for too long. She didn't see Kyupin, Aalam, or Corvella. She didn't see Ashiore, Alpha, or Cai- No. She was lagging far enough back and to the side not to see him, but that voice was clear as a bell echoing in the underground. With a snort, she forced a clipper pace and moved forward to join the pack beneath... a suspended forest on the ceiling? Or rather, they appeared to be on the cavern's ceiling. The sight of grotesque creatures moving through the trees immediately caught her attention and a feral grin began to settle in place of her withdrawn expression from before. This was why she came. The rush of the climb was something, but only Terrasphere could give her this. They were exposed to her strange bird's eye view of a sort and her aim was found with little struggle. The strain of the longbow was nothing against her tried and true strength. The paused as she lined up a shot on the bulb-like pustule of a creature. It was enough of a delay to feel the radiating warm pulse from her bow that radiated up her arm where her hand held the string taut. A buff so early, lucky her. She fired and watched with a predatory glee as it dropped like a rock. Attacking Polyptus 36 + 35 + 20 + 21 + 49 = 161 Killed Tracker / Roll
125 HP MAX 125 HP 143 EN MAX 173 EN 03 STK Dissonance -20 EN for Reckless Attack The first one she had struck down was simple enough. Staring at it's bubbling, slimy corpse, a shiver came down her spine. What a squalid foe. How horrid! Then, an idea came to her mind. Perhaps, if she managed to burn it enough, it would go away! Yes, that was the answer! What other answer could there possibly be?! "Of course we're the good guys!!" She responded to @Rat, "Kill them all!" Isn't this a little excessive? A sane voice within her conscious whispered. "Of course not!" She shouted back aloud, charging up an even larger bolt in her palm this time, she shook her head. "No, no, no. These are bad things. We're cleaning!" With teeth grit, she smiled with what seemed more like a malicious grin than a pleasant expression. All the preparations were made! In a moment, that little pile of goop would be nothing more than a smoldering fireplace! If it wasn't flammable, well, it certainly would be made so in just a moment! "No way..." That's when something else caught her eye. Something even larger... And the worse detail, even more unclean. This crimson ooze streaked horrid trails across the ground like the last she had slain, but it was larger, and thus, more skeevy. Some unpleasant creation could not exist, no. At least, it would not exist after she was finished with it. "They come in different sizes?!" She could only imagine the horror of the biggest one of them all. Perhaps that is the great monstrosity that they were approaching? Gods, she hoped not. Quickly, before her bolt was released, she turned her aim towards the larger, still moving foe. She took a final step forward to assure accuracy in her attack, before firing away. The blast erupted in a not only a colorful, but a loud and effective manner! How lovely! She did not dare inhale, fearing what the horrible scent of these obscene creatures could possibly contain. "Be cleansed, uglies!" Attacking Polyptus 86 + 97 + 55 = 238 Killed Tracker / Roll
ATTACKING (-10 EN) 100 HP MAX 100 HP 90 EN MAX 100 EN 1 STK DissonanceA journey! Rook the Quick came into this world with a hop and a skip as if his sandaled feet had landed upon the deck of a rocking ship instead of the dusty canyon road, head turning, neck craning, people of all shapes and sizes all around him. (A migration!) His eyes, beady as beach glass, as beetle-backs, were bright. (An expedition!) Pale fog spilled from his mask in the morning chill as his breath condensed into mist, into smoke, into anticipation. (A departure!) He fell into rank and file as any soldier does, walked ten days as any wanderer does, kept his head down but his feet facing forward and his eyes ahead (always looking ahead!). With each day of travel another line or curve or random squiggle joined the others on his map, marking how far they'd come (and how far they had to go.) And now, at last, the Canyon. Down, down, down. Rook tested his footing, hopped from one foot to the other and shook his head at the strangeness, the unsureness. Trees which slept top-down like bats, root-feet in the sky! Breath-rock walls with sides that rose and fell as ribs did, colonized by scuttling sacs of toe-colored lip-colored tongue-colored pink! Trotting up to one, Rook drew his rapier in a blur and pierced it swiftly (like a hot needle through a swollen tic). His eyes widened as he saw the point of his blade come out the other end and he lashed out with one foot to push it back, leaping backwards away from the globe as it deflated with a noise like air leaking from a balloon, trickling a wet stream puff-ball spores. He looked down at his rapier and flicked the dribble of strange dust off the tip. Mutely—as if he didn't understand—he cocked his head. Careful Attack - Sac'ling 37+5=42 Killed Tracker / Roll
134 HP MAX 134 HP 126 EN MAX 136 EN 01 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Attacking By the tenth day of their expedition, Portia realized there was something greatly bothering her. On the past few days, ever since their expedition had first started, she had managed to catch a few hints of silver hair here and there, and it was only when he was standing a few meters away from her, on that upside down forest, that she recognized the reason behind her own reaction. It was him, he had joined them. And they needed to talk while there wasn't the imminent threat of danger looming over them. ''Hey,'' was her initial greeting to the person in front of her, @Yukisa. But before she could do much else and engage in proper conversation, there was a noise coming from behind her, a noise belonging only to a new-looking adventurer struggling against a beast much more dangerous than what his level currently demanded of him. She equipped her weapons and approached the distracted foe, breaking off into a hasty dash to close the gap between the two and kicking off her rear foot into a front flip that would allow her to bring her heel down in an ax kick, delivering a finishing blow to the creature. ''We're trying to kill a massive monster, not get killed by the bunnies roaming around its territory,'' were the words offered to the male, annoyance clear in her tone as the words fell from her lips. A sigh later and she was already folding her arms over her chest and offering him a shrug of her shoulders, throwing a final glance in his general direction as she turned on her heels. ''You would do well to remember that and try your best not to die.'' Upon returning her gaze to the road ahead of her, she found the companion she had kept around for many years now, and couldn't stomach to face him. The memories of the fight that had transpired between the two swarmed her mind. All the names he had called her: a traitor, a torturer, a murderer. A murderer. ''Nevermind.'' She walked past him in a series of light movements, brushing her shoulder against his as she pushed her old friend aside and continued on her path, the single word that she spoke under her breath leaving a sour taste in her mouth. Things were never going back to the way they were before. Combined attack on Polyptus with @Arwyn 86 + 25 = 111 Killed Tracker / Roll
127 HP MAX 100 HP 104 EN MAX 114 EN 01 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Scouting So, this was it. The hunt for the world boss had begun, and Ashnor was a part of it. The ten-day march was a grueling one but it certainly got them to their destination. On the way, Ashnor saw some familiar faces like the two girls - Alphabet and Seigi that he had met while investigating the fade. Finally, they reached their destination, Nayru Canyon, where their hunt for search would begin. Ashnor began his descent down into the canyon with the group, and into the upside-down forest the came out. as they set up a minor camp, it seemed like they were in need of some scouts. Figuring that was a simple enough task, Ashnor walked to the edge of the camp. kneeling down on the ground and placing his on it. Attempting to sense where the forest paths lead, Ashnor concentrated. Faintly, Ashnor could sense impacts on the ground coming from behind him. Standing up and quickly turning around, he points excitedly, towards where he sensed it. That excitement quickly turns to embarrassment as Ashnor realizes that what he was actually sensing was just their group milling around the campsite. Ashnor turns back to the forest around him like nothing just happened. 7 + 15 = 22 Tracker / Roll Scouting: 904 / 2000
116 HP MAX 100 HP 139 EN MAX 100 EN 01 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Scouting Madison scuttled her way away from the majority of the scuffles, finding a nice little nook among the rocks in which to hide while she collected herself. Everyone seemed to be more than happy to fight the giant monsters, so why should she bother? They looked like crosses between Eldrazi and giant hairless scros. Let those who'd love to be up close and personal with the pink dust barf-bags get their kicks plunging blades into them.; the briar witch had other things to do. She found the whole upside-down forest an incredibly strange place to traverse. Her first inkling was to go through the house and end up on the "ceiling", among the trees. Perhaps in hindsight her idea would've worked better there. The woman knelt down, laying out a spread of five cards. While everyone was fighting the walking mutated pitcher plants or whatever, Madison worked to grow her own kind of vegetation. The cards lifted inches off the ground and hummed with a soft green aura. Vines burst from the ground at her knees, wrapping themselves around her gloved hands. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mind's eye and watched as the vines traversed through the ground, spreading out, mapping the area. Madison was on the hunt for any secret passageways that might prove useful to the small army that was assembled, as well as any possible ambush points the monsters could have set up. As she continued to read the earth, a sense of unease grew in her, seeping into her veins from the very ground itself. A wave of uncertainty and anxiety that grew and grew into this inexplicable wave of you better get out of here-- The witch tore her hands from the vines, which immediately disintegrated into ash as the mana was severed from the spell. 23 + 20 = 43 Tracker / Roll Scouting: 947 / 2000
157 HP MAX 157 HP 128 EN MAX 138 EN 01 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Scouting Difficult travels over new and mysterious terrains were not strange to the pink-haired woman. From previous battles long trips had to be made. It was a sacrifice to some, but almost heaven to explorer. Her interests lay in the surroundings. Too many things were passed by - pointed out by her observant nature - during the 10 days of taking in all her emerald eyes could. Titanius' influence brought fear to this wonder. However, that wouldn't be allowed during battle or anywhere else for that matter. Preparation physically began at the start of the game. Mentally, regarding a situation involving such dark forces, that time of becoming stronger was much shorter. She found herself gripping thin arms roughly. What mattered happened to lay on the inside, she decided. Comet knew she'd try her best and try to last long. Disappointment nearly burnt out the rush of excitement now fueling her movement. She overcame this, looking forward to becoming stronger, and moved along. Comet pushed to explore immediately. Knowing where to go would be of upmost importance if the group had to traverse the new region. Her attentive eyes, astonishing memory, and mapping skills improved the ability to scout. Being somewhere foreign to the foot increased an already present timidity within. This turned into a job not fitting with her usual level of talent regarding exploration, but a job done nonetheless. Every little bit would help, she knew, before the true battle began. Still, insecurity prompted a desire to be with someone. To push back emotion or feeling or distraction by negative thoughts. She recognized someone afar, and fortunately a picture painted itself of @Alkaid Zexis in her mind quickly. The pretty face certainly would be hard to get for anyone, really. "Hey," the pink-haired woman strode towards Alkaid, waving, calling out to make her presence known. "Long time no see," she smirked upon reaching the other. Comet made quick but personally important conversation. "A lot of scouting'll need to be done around here before we get moving, I'm sure. Mind if I join you? I think killing those animals is a waste of time anyways, and a buddy never hurts." Hopefully, Alkaid wouldn't mind some company. 22 + 40 = 62 Tracker / Roll Scouting: 1009 / 2000
SCOUTING (-10 EN) 100 HP MAX 100 HP 80 EN MAX 100 EN 2 STK DissonanceThey did not fight back. The things, the crawling hands-and-round-bodies. The one Rook had slain lay in a crumpled sack before him like an empty plastic bag, discarded, garbage. "..." He clicked his tongue, turning away. The swordsman's eyes were dull again, restless, flickering, searching. They passed over scuttling pink vermin and around swollen Polyptus with their quivering blood-sacs (but what was ahead? What lay beyond them?) Pat-pat-patpatpat! His feet moved in a blur of one-after-the-otherness and he wove like a rubber band through the nest, through the crowd, through the fireworks and arrows with the single-minded focus of a man in a grocery store who'd come for one aisle, one shelf, one item. What was ahead? He clicked his tongue again beneath the mask as a hand flashed out and he wrenched the door open of the house in the wall, peeking inside with an air of mild curiosity. Gravity seemed to reverse itself as he went on, perching beside the blonde Jawn-man and casting the bespectacled figure a funny look, an odd glance. Then he was off again in a flurry of footsteps and motion and quick-quick-quickness far ahead, far beyond, pattering past the lead scouts, past Alkaid and Comet, venturing into a terrible unknown. Why should he be afraid? (He was immortal.) 1 Tracker / Roll Scouting: 1010 / 2000
116 HP MAX 116 HP 136 EN MAX 146 EN 01 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Scouting Vina's Dissonance Sensor gave the impression that it was going to overload and stop working, the way it kept resonating in response to the location. The druidess had come here because she was told that people would be fighting a giant monster, one which had been corrupting the western countryside and which showed no signs of stopping. No fighter herself she'd support the heroes who'd be facing the eldritch abomination head on, healing and protecting them from behind. However the closer they got to the target the more the little pendant she had received resonated, and it worried Vina. It was useful to be able to detect the Dissonance, but for the Sensor to react this strongly meant that whatever they were facing had to be far worse than those angels they had dealt with before. The surroundings had also begun to look more and more like something was seriously wrong, until in the end even gravity apparently had given up. As intriguing it was to see people able to travel from floor to ceiling and back (there was a lot of fun to be had with that. Imagine city design if people could imitate that!) it was also a sign of the wrongness. The little things that were crawling around were cute though. Strange, but Vina saw no reason to go attacking them since there was much worse on the horizon. Leaving the fighting of the bigger monsters to those more suited for such a task Vina stroked the beak of her animal companion Fjær, the white hawk riding on her shoulder. The large bird looked at the strange blobby creatures in the area, then spread his wings and flew onwards, exploring the surroundings as Vina herself kept an eye on the blob things. Cute or not, the others weren't necessarily wrong for attacking them, since the Dissonance was everywhere and these little things could become dangerous if left alone. 47 + 30 = 77 Tracker / Roll Scouting: 1086 / 2000
164 HP MAX 164 HP 159 EN MAX 179 EN 02 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Scouting If Alpha took the chance to look around, she probably would've noticed a few familiar faces in the crowd. As it was, the singing voice of Cain Darlite tickled some part of her mind but, amidst the chaos, there wasn't much time for her to think long on it. Potato neighed, skipping through the carcasses of bulb-shaped monstrosities as he rounded the corners and went frolicking into the night. The wind brushed through Alpha's hair like a furious comb. By the time Potato had stilled, content with his wild outburst, Alpha's head was all frizzled and sticking out at the oddest places. It looked like it was frayed by a lightning strike of some sort and the tangles that Alpha had obtained through poor hygienic care were all matted. She ran her hands through Potato's immaculate mane, slightly envious of how soft the horse had maintained his proud plumage. "I swear, I spend more money on your L'Oreal hair products than a teenager with a no-limit credit card," she grumbled. She couldn't say she was too regretful. Potato's hair was like silk and every stroke was smooth and fine as if Alpha was brushing through a waft of cotton or a formation of pillowy clouds. Somewhat worth it, if only for aesthetic reasons and for her sanity should Potato throw another drama queen temper tantrum. She took another look around, only to find that the battlefield was nowhere in sight. Even the malicious little creatures were completely absent, all concentrated in the brutal fight. She looked left, then right, and then up and down. Nothing. "Oh well." Alpha grabbed her knapsack and leaped off Potato's saddle with a beat, brushing the little drops of plant blood (from the Polyptus) off her. A minute later, she was leaning in on Potato's resting form, chewing on a granola bar as the war raged on behind her. "This is...mph...scouting!" she said in-between bites. Just as she said that, a familiar snout poked through the bushes. "Mmm...Hector...you gotta...try this!" Bits of food spat out with every syllable and Hector, who had wandered away while Alpha was painting rocks, looked at her in pure disgust. 30 + 60 = 90 (Tracker) Ancient Dissonance / (Roll) Darkness Rises Scouting: 1176 / 2000
121 HP MAX 121 HP 107 EN MAX 117 EN 01 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Scouting At long last Alkaid was getting to properly explore the Canyon, even if it was due to efforts not entirely her own. Not even the kids who had school could afford to play uninterrupted for a trek that took more than several days, and a mixture of personal and work-related issues meant that the seeress spent the majority of the journey resting in-game while Kyouko was off being Miss IT. It wasn't exactly like the desolate villages and desaturated lands were something to miss, either, although when it seemed they were finally closing in, Alkaid was more than ready to let off some steam in Terrasphere's next big battle. And, perhaps, more than a bit intrigued by the nature of the land around them. She wasn't sure where they were in game, or how far they had actually traveled, given how distances in game tended to work. Wherever it was, it almost had more of a Wonderland-esque feel to it in comparison to dried out, drained lands on Astorea's borders. Wonderland mixed with a bit of Lovecraft, rather. It was clear that these lands didn't follow the same rules as anywhere else. With a mixture of curiosity and caution, Alkaid pushed foward past the main group, albeit not too far, a fact that proved fortunate when a familiar face dropped by. Alkaid turned around, pausing shortly as she tried to place just where they had met before giving @Comet a brilliant smile, "I don't mind at all. Heck, I'll be glad to have a partner out here so if something pops up we can kick its ass." As if one was already present, the woman threw her fist into an open palm. "Besides, good company has been rare for me nowadays." Briefly, Alkaid's mind flashed to her friend's list. Alex. Freja. Even Emerath. All seemingly missing from this grand challenge. "But that's enough of that. What have you been up to? I've got plenty of stories, like this time I got hired to kill some rats, or this big event where we took down the Bandit King. I bet you've got a lot compared to my noob stuff, th..." She trailed off, a blur of a figure, @Rook the Quick , stealing her attention for a moment. "Hey! Slow down a bit there, kid! Save some of that energy for the big boss!" 17 + 30 = 47 (Tracker) Ancient Dissonance / (Roll) Darkness Rises Scouting: 1223 / 2000
187 HP MAX 187 HP 131 EN MAX 156 EN 02 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Scouting Emboldened by the lethality of her firing arm and the lingering buff, Gwyn finally saw fit to move beyond the blank ceiling below the forest. Others around her had moved out as well, though a few were scattered in their attempts to kill off the abominations littering the area, in an attempt to sift through the forest for whatever dark secrets it held. Knowing the wiles of the game, she doubted it was free of worse than the nasty beasts harrying them at present. She kept her hand tight on the center of the gilded longbow that had served her well thus far and set to seeing the sights rather than picking fights. The faint gleam to the string remained, aching to be used and offering confidence to the huntress. There were more targets to lay low, but with this many people in such a mind-bending locale? They couldn't afford to walk into an ambush or get lost in a maze of nonsense. If she found something on her exploration? Well, the humming weaponry was primed to help her put it to rest like many enemies before. The woman sought her center and focused past the shouting players and their various attacks. Ignored the small sacs and the larger, bulbous monsters. She forced it all away and let her senses reign. Between the sharply honed investigation mode of her mastery over hunting and the feral inclinations of her bonded beasts? Gwyn finally began to pick up on the familiar faces and voices she had missed before. Alphabet, Roland, Ashiore, Corvella, Velka, Comet, and Cain confirmed, noticed, their locations noted. Allies. People to be protected and aided when able. Another caught her eye that she couldn't put a name to. White hair, sharp blue eyes, but unknown. Something about @Alkaid Zexis sang of an ally. Noted. Now move. She moved on all the same. Her real targets were the winding paths of the topsy-turvy forest and the shadows that moved within. The goal on the other side and the monstrosity begging for a quiver full of agony. 31 + 70 = 101 Tracker / Roll Scouting: 1324 / 2000
120 HP MAX 120 HP 160 EN MAX 170 EN 01 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Scouting Life worked in strange ways. Ilusa herself had not been in the game for quite some time. The person behind the avatar had been overwhelmed by real life issues so much that she had barely been able to log in for fifteen minutes once per week. When so many livelihood s were dependant on her, the game, no matter how enjoyable had to take a back-seat. And the life truly worked in amusing ways for the moment she had gained enough breathing room to actually check on the situation, a new large event was beginning. It was amusing and somewhat ironic. The last day had been spent on almost mad scramble to understand exactly just what had been missed, the few times she had logged in the past were a small relaxation and the happenings of the virtual world were deemed as unimportant. Which was why she had so much to read, find out and understand. It had been complicated, though no less than the problem in the real-life and the speed with which she was trying to find out all those details happened as they did only because of the upcoming event. It was luck that the day of the event she had actually cleared free. That meant that she could focus on rejoining the game and its wonders. She… Missed the magic and lack of the pain from her scars there, she missed doing more then mentioning hi and bye to the rare few she befriended, she missed having more time to speak with the king. She missed it something fierce… She even missed having a tail and ears, as odd as it was. But now, maybe now she could do it all. …After the event of course. The time spent travelling was still spent trying to learn more details of the situation… And looking around for the old and new faces. And then seeing the twisted world she stepped into. “…What.” Ilusa’s voice was flat and her ears flattened against her hair. Then she shook her head. Checking the area came first and doing the scouting and mapping out the area she could get used to the frankly bizarre dimension and its space, along with the gravity. The small monsters were mainly left to others and as she was scouting, she saw the people easily killing those odd things. Her acrobatic Mastery allowed her to scout quite a bit, even if she was bit out of practice. 31 + 30 = 61 (Tracker) Ancient Dissonance / (Roll) Darkness Rises Scouting: 1385 / 2000
139 HP MAX 139 HP 116 EN MAX 126 EN 01 STK Dissonance -10 EN for Scouting She wished she had more time to train before it all began, but it looked like time wasn't a limitless resource in this case. The old god wasn't following any schedule other than its own, and they would have to adapt to its pace, unless they wanted to try facing it after it had already taken half of Astorea for itself. Still, at least the training had some results, as she had managed to improve the efficiency of her energy use and in the process also crafted herself a necklace of fangs to act as her magic tool. Crude but effective, as there was power in the remains of the hunted. Mizuki considered joining the others in killing as many of the strange creatures in the area as possible, since she doubted they would remain peaceful for long. However the others seemed to be doing a fine job of it, and she'd have to conserve her energy for the big fight. They all would have to conserve as much energy as possible, since this wasn't going to be easy by any definition of the word. Leaving the extermination to the others Mizuki took on her wolf form and moved forward, nose close to the ground as she made her way through the strange landscape. It all smelled faint, as devoid of life as it had been before. The only things moving here were those strange things, and Mizuki wasn't sure if those counted as alive. Now that she thought more about it, what were those things? It was easy to see them as random Dissonance monsters, but what if they held more important than that? Looking behind and ahead she narrowed her asymmetrical eyes, the wolf swiveling her ears to check for sounds around them while she pondered. 13+ 70 = 83 Tracker / Roll Scouting: 1468 / 2000
