Absolution Beyond Cloudburst

ERROR ERROR ERROR​

ERROR ERROR ERROR​

ERROR ERROR ERROR​

Freed from her bondage by Corvella, the heroic girl shone brighter than ever before, a star on the verge of a supernova. The air turned to plasma around her as she hammered down upon the hexagram barricade, each golden blow shattering another section with flame and force, only for the barricade itself to regenerate, reinforcing itself with more. The barrier held her back still, even as her radiant Champion’s Armor, an impossibility that surpassed mere code, made her blows more powerful than ever before.

But it could not hold forever, error messages popping up all around, crimson text amidst the magenta light of the Absolver.

Clad in sunshine turned steel, Seigi pushed and pushed and pushed, until finally, the hexagrams shattered completely, the translucent barrier disintegrating to reveal the thousand cables that had pulled themselves into a defensive pattern. Like scale armor, like a pit of snakes, even Seigi couldn’t break past before her golden regalia shattered, her mind breaking as she crested over the pinnacle of humanity and rose towards divinity.

OVERRIDE OVERRIDE OVERRIDE ​

OVERRIDE OVERRIDE OVERRIDE​

OVERRIDE OVERRIDE OVERRIDE​

But the hero was not alone. No, she was accompanied by one who still held his immortality as a bargaining chip, who still had not yet been chastised by the Gods for abusing their gifts. A hairless madman who staked his own soul in this final gambit, burning everything away to arrive at a place far beyond even the Sunset Sage. For an instance, he transcended the mortal plane. For an instance, he attained the crystallization of a legend. For an instance, he saw himself, his true self, crumbling away as spiritual power overflowed.

In his right hand, he granted life to those that never understood it.

In his left hand, he granted death to those that never understood it.

And at the zenith of divine might, he pulled a thousand newborn souls with him into Deathly Gates, consigning machinery to an oblivion of emptiness and himself to a limbo for the self-sacrificial.

As his soul eroded, assimilated, and was remade, Haru looked into his hands, and knew that he held nothing.

TERMINATE TERMINATE TERMINATE​

TERMINATE TERMINATE TERMINATE​

TERMINATE TERMINATE TERMINATE​

But he did.

The roar of wind, the howl, the rush, red lines bursting against pale flesh as the spindly arachnid was forcibly torn off his form. Through the haze of hallucination, through the despondency of failure, through the blood that poured out from his many, many wounds, Yukisa held onto it still. The promise he made, the declaration of war against the forces that conspired against that young girl’s salvation.

A real smile, and a path that would let her follow whatever happiness she desired.

Corvella had freed the hero.

Seigi had shattered the gates.

Haru had cleared the path.

And now Yukisa stood to reach out towards HORIZON.

RUN!

Metal shrieked all around as the Antibodies rushed in, the great Spirit Mage’s final act only shredding the vanguard, not the main force. Scrambling up the walls, through the pathways, they lunged for him, razor stilettos extended. But the aeromancer was still a beat faster, bolstered by the hammering of his heart and the windward blessings that made his flight so much faster than before. He sailed through the shattered vestiges of the hexagram barrier, glided into the vacuum of destruction left by Haru’s masterwork. Scrambled up. Reached out. And then…

She responded.

Sentience flickered in her eyes like the ghost of a candleflame, her hand twitching as HORIZON reached out as well. Close. So close. Until their fingers laced, until his palm met her own, the warmth of the living interposed with the coldness of the steel-bound.

He did it.

He fu-

A blade sprouted out from his chest. Another through his leg. A third in his outstretched arm. Dozens of Antibodies leapt up, clawing at him, stabbing at him, and even as Yukisa blasted them away with blood splattered winds, more reached up, pulling him away, away, away from her outstretched hand. The hand that still clutched onto the bloodied remains of his arm as one of those metallic beasts tore it right off his socket.

The weight was too much to bear.

The pain was too much to bear.

The promise was too much to bear.

He fell, fell, fell.

And she rebelled, rebelled, rebelled.

WARNING WARNING WARNING​

WARNING WARNING WARNING​

WARNING WARNING WARNING​

The amethyst light glowed brighter than the sun itself, bathing the world in its eradicating brilliance as HORIZON cried out with the ferocity of a newborn clawing herself out of the womb. The Antibodies cowered, the room quaked, the heart of the beast pounded, and within the maelstrom of triumphant light, none could keep their eyes open any longer.

.
.
.
And​

It​

All​

Fell​

Apart.​

They laid against white sand, upon the beaches of Dunnstad.

The sky was gray and dark, the clouds looming above.

Haru was gone. Seigi was unconscious. Yukisa was bleeding out.

Only Corvella remained, even though she was to be their stalwart shield.

A few meters away, the rising tide lapped against what remained of HORIZON’s body.

The head, as perfect as it always was.

The arms, one still holding onto Yukisa’s dismembered hand.

The torso, spilling strange tubes and machinery, discolored guts and organs.

And beneath the torso…nothing else.

They had escaped.

They had freed her.

But was that the right choice?

Ten thousand meters beyond the clouds, the haunting song of an unseen whale resounded, echoing through their bones. Through their flesh. Through their souls.

And with cacophony and desolation, the heavens crashed down, clouds bursting to shower them with cold, cold rain.

Was it the right choice?

No one could answer but themselves.

OOC

@Seigi @Corvella @Yukisa @Haru

• No word limit. Posting is not mandatory.
  
• I will be updating every day at 4PM PST. Sometimes, cycle updates will occur earlier, depending on how quickly players post. Due to the predicted length of this challenge, I may not be available at all times.
• If you have pressing concerns (and not just meme questions), go ping me on #ask_a_dm. Seriously, you nerds.
• If you wanna talk shop and verbally dunk on your newb party members in /all chat, go here and let loose!
• If you need to roll dice because you plan on doing something drastic (or just action-y), go here and say a prayer!
• Remember, this is a semi-freeform challenge. I will provide you actions, but I am also willing to let you do other stupid things, if I don't find them super stupid. So eyyyy, good luck!
• Well done. Looks like the gods were lenient.

Hidden: Post Template

HTML:

[bg] [HP=100]100[/HP] [EN=100]100[/EN] [/bg]
[hr]x[/hr]
-XX EN for action
-XX HP from source
[hr]x[/hr]
Post here. Blah blah blah.


[tracker][d]Action here and target[/d]
[score]Your roll + Modifiers = Total[/score]
Tracker / Roll
Target: 000 / 000 HP
[/tracker]

 

Cycle 17: Cloudburst

<<The Birdcage>>
philosophantastical barricade
[0/1500]
[0/700]
SHATTERED​

Events:
@Corvella is afflicted with the Drug Addict status effect. She longs for the deliciously powdery taste that comes out of that white and blue fruit. Oh, that was truly an exquisite, delectable aftertaste to accompany a good day of BERSERKing.

@Corvella is afflicted with the Berserk Fatigue status effect. All physical actions performed under this state of mind gets a -25 bonus modifier.

@Haru @Yukisa have died. Please post in the Morgue.

@Seigi has unlocked her Limit Break: Seven Virtues of Justice.

Important Notes:
This is the last round. Have a cool last word. End it off with a joke.

Or maybe just fall into despair and despondency.

Actions

As always, there are special actions one can take, depending on whether or not the situation demands it, or whether or not they have an Awakened mastery.

Hidden: Special Actions

Strenuous Effort [Everyone] By permanently sacrificing HP (reduce both your current HP value and your maximum HP value), you can gain a bonus modifier to your roll equal to the amount of HP spent, up to a maximum of 50. This modifier can not be applied to Support actions.

Close Your Eyes [Everyone] Escape with your lives. Close your eyes and pray that the Sky Whale will eject you from this terrible circumstance.

Overdose [Everyone] Perform any action on your Action sheet, and pay for the cost as many times as you'd like, provided you have enough EN. The amount of times you pay for the cost is the value that you multiply your dice result by.

Spirit Burn [Everyone] Consign your soul and push your body to the brink for one last blow. Gain 100 EN. At the end of the cycle, regardless of success or failure, you die and cannot be revived by magic.

Bulldoze [Corvella and Haru Only] Smash into the strange constructs that have grappled Seigi and Yukisa, instantly freeing them.

Limit Break [Seigi Only] Believe in justice and hold your determination in your fist.

Hidden: Awakening

Heroic Aura
Stalwart Passive. No matter what maledictions are poured upon you, a hero will not falter. Excluding Beginner, each tier of Heroic Aura grants you a stack of Stalwart at the beginning of combat. Each stack automatically dispels a magical debuff, before being consumed.

Rouse Free action, costing 20 EN. Establish your Heroic Aura, the radiant banner that empowers all your allies. Grant either a +10 damage buff that stacks over other buffs, a +10 HP Shield, or immunity to a single debuff for the next cycle to everyone in your party.

Warcry Action, costing 20 EN. Can only be used once every three cycles. Unleash a devastating roar, stunning all minions on the battlefield and performing a Disruptive Attack upon all those in the same Zone as you. Use Heroic Might as the modifier. If the resulting score is high enough, enemies in the same Zone will be knocked back one space as well.

Limit Break[Seigi Only] - Seven Virtues of Justice Action, consuming all available EN. Can only be used once per challenge, and only at the DM's discretion. Surpass physical limitations with heroic fervor, delivering seven blows in the span of an instant in order to force back the darker reality that awaits.

Chronomancy
Time Accel Passive. Human might may be limited to one’s muscles, but with the ability to manipulate time, even physical constraints can be overridden. Excluding Beginner, each tier of Chronomancy grants you a stack of Accel at the beginning of combat. Each stack can be consumed during your turn to double the movement speed of either yourself, or your ally. If you choose to, you can consume 3 stacks of Accel instead in order to grant one extra action to yourself or your ally.

Rewind Action, costing 20 EN and 20 max EN. Grasp the fabric of time and pull it back, returning yourself to your original physical state. Set your HP, status, and physical location to what it was in the start of the previous cycle, essentially negating everything that has occurred to your character in the current cycle. This ability can be applied to objects as well.

Terminate Action, costing 30 EN and 30 max EN. Can only be used once every three cycles. Dive into the depths of your time manipulation abilities, locking an enemy or ally in time. If this is used on an ally, they are immune to all enemy attacks for the next round. If this is used on an enemy, they are unable to act during the next cycle, and are immune to all damage from players. If this is used on an unwilling target, a d100, modified by Chronomancy, must be rolled to clear a hidden DC.

Limit Break [Ivan Only] ???

 

Epilogue

​

It seeped out of its womb, thick and raw, an organism of liquid oxygen that writhed, gaining mass gradually with each passing second as it greedily made the surrounding atmosphere its own. But it was a failure.

It slunk out of its womb, leathery and dark, twelve dozen appendages stretching outwards as its sac-like main body twisted, bulged, expanding as its spherical ‘children’ matured rapidly within. But it was a failure.

It crawled out of its womb, a heresy and a blasphemy, a being that even demons would consider taboo, a demented chimera frankensteined into glorious undeath that spewed miasma and flame. But it was a failure.

They were all failures, little more than mindless submonsters that would offer up their lives if he commanded it. No greater mind, no greater purpose, no greater desire. In such regards, no matter how terrible they were, how fiendish they were, how unfair they were, they were naught but worker drones, suicide soldiers, disposable and discardable.

And he had plenty of those already.

A breath. A sigh. A gauntleted hand pressed against a masked face.

Then, a smile.

One of the lights in the room blinked out.

“So Unit 731=Zomoch finally found a way out, hm? My my my, if only my other creations were quite as virile.”

A deep chuckle emanated from the mechanical silhouette, before an array of tools, like the hidden weapons of an assassin, emerged from his once empty hands. Scalpels, drills, scissors, torches, syringes, screwdrivers, chisels. So that was the line, was it? Sentience gained through a forcibly linked mind? Intelligence through osmosis?

“Perhaps I’ll offer something to Shulgana after all.”

A small, furry creature, immortal in constitution and peerless in gluttony, rubbed its soft quills against his face, traces of red still lingering on its hide.

“No, no, not yet. Not until they’ve proven unsuitable.”

And with that, the man began his grim task again.

Break bone. Ruin flesh. Salt Sodom. Extract life. Consume light.

Today’s materials then, will be Samuel Saito, Daisy Jenkins, Arctodus Ursae, Rayvil Zahark, and Anna Fischer.

Oh, these adventurers, filled with otherworldly knowledge and improbably constitution, truly were a blessing for a scientist such as himself!

“Raina Raythean…Freya Eleria…Lucille Cavaliere…Eli Leone…Tomomi Hiraku…Isao Yukimura…”

Cut. Sew. Weld. Puncture. Dissolve. Dissect.

With their names in one hand and their memories in another, the Absolver of Nidhogg carved away, weaving between the boundary of life and death over and over and over and…

Hidden: A Certain Page

Some people did not enjoy loose ends.

Some people cared enough to invade privacy.

Some people wanted to dig deep, as deep as they possibly could.

So some people searched for ‘Trisha Langley’, scouring through online news sites to see if anything had been reported about her.

But it was too early an incident. Too small an incident. Too tragic, yet too personal an incident.

They found a page.

A Facebook page.

“In Memoriam of Trisha Langley.​

May she rest with the Angels now.”​

A status message.

The last status message.

Dated…

Three months back.

Thus, there was the question.

What exactly did they save?

OOC

If you want, you can drop some feedback here. Otherwise, fight hard for your loot. It certainly ended off with a bang, eh?

Hidden: Loot

Each player may only pick one item out of the ones below.

Loot

Machine God's Fragment
<<2H Tower Shield>>
A massive sheet of metal, crafted in an anachronistic factory above a whale. The surface, no matter what abuse it takes, remains unscathed, marking this unorthodox shield as a truly immovable object.

Loot

Glock 22
<<1H Repeating Crossbow>>
Gunmetal black and extraordinarily sleek, this streamlined weapon is lined with a variety of indecipherable runes, allowing it to launch self-generated obsidian shards at supersonic speeds.

Loot

Crown Victoria
<<Great Mount>>
A white magitech carriage, decorated with red and blue stripes, with enough room to comfortably fit six other individuals. On smooth terrain, it can easily outrace even the fastest horses.

Loot

Minerva's Heart
<<Accessory>>
A brass ball inscribed with various aeromancy runes. Once the core of an airship's engine, it is now all that remains of that beautiful boat. Once per challenge/event, you may reduce your weight to zero, enabling superhuman feats of movement at the DM's discretion.

Loot

Remnants of HORIZON
<<Minipet>>
The torso, arms, and head of an unclothed humanoid doll. With limp silver hair, vacant red eyes, and insides that have lost all the organs and gears that made it tick, this now serves only as a reminder, an anchor of guilt.

Loot

5x Happy Candy
<<Consumable>>
Pill shaped fruits with a hard shell and a nutty texture. Though the initial flavor is lacking, the aftertaste that follows is nothing short of amazing. A highly addictive fruit that will leave anyone begging for more.

Loot

1x Eternal Flame
<<Consumable>>
The metaphysical representation of the vigor drawn even when you've exhausted all the strength in your bones. When used, you gain 50 EN and lose 25 HP.

@Iván Carl @Portia Ahrens @Seigi @Corvella @Haru @Yukisa