Thing is, Moon naturally gets aggro by being this healer/damage sponge already. I do not think "wants aggro" is a good way to describe her though, with weakened no-sell it's better to tank powerful attacks on Sun instead, with her MM.
The big change is that Moon's base damage is now exponential and she has Intercept. Intercept means that (via melee) she can force an attack aimed at Sun to target her instead. And the whole point of her kit is NOT to No Sell everything. The point is to take huge amounts of damage and easily heal it off. That's what she's designed to do. Sun on the other hand is designed to be a Glass Cannon.
The reason for Solar Seal is this - Sun's defense was nerfed immensely, and her Smite protection lost. We really do need to know how her advanced health+resilience ability works, so it is also a priority.
The thing is, a Glass Cannon isn't supposed to have much much defense. Moon is her protection, not her own abilities.
And 400 extra reduction to Total End Damage is a negligible benefit. Just means that Shining Protector Mistress of the Tide redirecting the Final End Damage to Moon does a hair less. 400 is a tiny number compared to Moon's Health. It would be a much more significant benefit if the twins were fighting separately.
As for Flight, if only investing a small amount into it, I think raising one body to 10 is more useful than raising both to 7, because HSC has a ton of soft mechanics benefits in general. For instance, even if you can't fly any faster, having quicker reaction speed still makes you better at dodging.
Compare and contrast with Ana, whose ability set is both solid and easy to understand. Compare Sun's previous Veil to her current one to see the overcomplicated mess it turned into.
I unfortunately expect Speed Gap at least to fall into the same category of "overcomplicated mess, not worth it" already. And the added prerequisites have only made me more sure of that.
You do realize that the entire reason why these changes exist is because the old versions were corrupting things into working better when the twins don't do the roles they were designed for, right?
And I doubt that Speed Gap is super complicated. Nothing we have is particularly complicated or specific other than Sun's tiny damage reduction based on sum of all levels (and even that only counts because you can't measure its effect with a quick glance). Everything else is pretty general purpose and easy to understand.
I get the feeling that the additional prereqs were added more as a safeguard to make sure we only buy it when it's actually at its best, so that it doesn't feel like wasted EXP.
I get the feeling that the additional prereqs were added more as a safeguard to make sure we only buy it when it's actually at its best, so that it doesn't feel like wasted EXP.
The additional prereq was added because it is too powerful to just give you like that, actually. If you want it, you need to work for it.
I felt that just increasing the cost would be a lame thing to do, so I wanted to do something more creative.
Besides, the previous one was nonetheless viable (Moon needs to have twice as much speed as Sun); just a matter of expenditure when to get it and when to raise Sun's Flight. It was just not as good as the one I found after that. In fact, it might be even harder to get now because you actually need to find one of the few characters who can fly that fast first.
Just to add to this Faraway, Sun was never meant to be the tank. That was a slight problem in the beginning of the quest where we too much freedom in building the twins and as time went on every time we put more exp into her forced roll the more the problem became apparent. She's the DPS while Moon is the tank with tons of health.
I know you're not happy with the changes but to try and put Sun as the tank now would end up being worse for us then as it previously was.
Edit: I think you should really get Discord and join the server, almost all these questions and thoughts would end being answered one way or another. Or at least have things be clearer.
Edit: I think you should really get Discord and join the server, almost all these questions and thoughts would end being answered one way or another. Or at least have things be clearer.
Edit: I think you should really get Discord and join the server, almost all these questions and thoughts would end being answered one way or another. Or at least have things be clearer.
Before anyone starts accusing me of untrue things...
Let it be said that I mostly talk design and potential ideas on Discord. The rest is bad jokes and sometimes a piece of minor background information that will never be relevant.
Anything relevant to the Quest will always be said in this Thread, no matter if I bring it up on Discord.
I personally abhor QM's that outsource vital discussion from their Thread; I actively refuse to go wherever it is on purpose and drop Quests that do this the instant I notice.
Controlled Connection
-You can control the impulses you send to and receive from Sun and Moon; negates pain-backlash and emotional resonance.
World Eater: New Ability
Advanced Connection
-Capable of auto-synchronising attacks with anyone in the hive mind for 150% Total Damage; all sides know what the other sees and hears. Negates pain-backlash and emotional resonance. More difficult to surprise.
Primordial Sun: Weapon Upgrade
Sunlight Scepter
Level 13 -----> 14 -----> 15
Base Damage: 522 -----> 730 -----> 1,022
Magic Modifier: 7,168 -----> 11,468 -----> 18,348
Attacks Per Turn: 3 -----> 4
Affinities: Sun | Balance
Ability: Modifier Save | Knockback | Batter
Primordial Moon: Ability Upgrade
Veil of the Lunar Goddess
Level 13 -----> 14 -----> 15
Health: 28,051 -----> 44,881 -----> 71,809
Base Resilience: 650 -----> 700 -----> 750
No-Sell: 13,000 -----> 14,000 -----> 15,000
Primordial Moon: Ability Removed
Shining Protector
-Capable of redirecting Final End Damage against an ally to yourself up to twice per turn
Primordial Moon: New Ability
Mistress of the Tide No harm shall come upon you for as long as I stand
-Capable of redirecting any Final End Damage against allies to yourself
-Moon may synchronise Spells with allies at will; Spells generated that way deal 10x their regular damage and automatically have all Abilities evolved to their highest stage, but are never permanently available to anyone involved in the synchronisation.
[X] Call Bianca right now; you need to know if what you dreamt is true.
[X] Help Brave get used to her new surroundings and introduce her to your friends
Deciding what to do first is hard; you have to talk to Bianca yesterday, but leaving Brave alone right now is a decided No, too.
And then, as if you did not have enough problems already, your connection warbles and snaps back into place... much like a lot of your magic did lately; now that you actually think about it, quite a bit about you feels different. Not much, just slightly off. As if something changed.
Ugh...
Only that in this case, it is a familiar feeling. With the connection comes another field of view, showing you half of Kibo's main plaza and bringing excited chatter. It also brings you a wave of surprise and confusion from Ana, but you quickly soothe her. This is not new, though it took much longer when you first developed. Your sister now has to adapt to seeing out of three pairs of eyes and hearing with three sets of ears.
At least now you know that the hovercraft is already visible and slowing down, which is mostly why there are so many people around the plaza. The other reason is Flowey, the weird plant-mutant; she lounges on the concrete with a happy smile while cuddling up to her 'mother', who is busy chatting with some other girls you do not know... and Strength. People seem intrigued, some a little scared... and some blush over a weird comment about tentacles from the Japanese girl.
Anyway... "I'm sorry, Judge... but there are things I have to do today. It's really urgent. I'm... pretty sure Spring or Autumn can show you around."
You do not feel like saying that you can see them waiting for your group already; Chi probably called back once you left Kursk. Arc is around as well, together with a quartet of golems that carry stretchers.
Your friend just makes a dismissive motion before turning back to the window. "It's fine, we've got time."
The craft lands and you wait patiently for the other girls to carry your prisoners outside; Tech and Paladin are placed on a stretcher each, then they are carried off with Spring walking by their side. Soul hops out and wanders away with a casual wave and an actual smile; it is good to know that giving her something to do and succeeding actually made her feel a bit better.
You are next, wandering down the ramp with apprehension; Brave wants to let go of you, but you gently pull her along. She does not protest, though her gaze quickly goes to the ground again; she looks so small even though she is taller than you.
Ana quickly wanders up with a frown, your blank faces ghosting through your vision; she glances around, but pulls you away from the ramp instead of asking immediately while Judge and Chi come out.
But before your sister can ask what happened, you are interrupted: "Friend Pris!"
Namely by a set of slimy tentacles slinging around your waist and pulling you into a squishy hug. "Mph"
Brave flinched at the sight and seems to tense up, but her stance falters almost in the same moment. Her eyes are still on Flowey, though; the plant chatters happily without a care for the mess she makes out of your clothes. "I was so worried when I heard you went out to fight other people, it must have been really dangerous. The sun today is really nice and warm and everyone's so nice and-"
Flower gently pries her off of you with her own leaves by that point. "Be nice, Flowey. That's rude."
"Oh... I'm sorry."
The appendages squirm around you for a moment longer, but then the girl gently sets you down. After a quick transformation and detransformation, you got at least the slime out of it. "It's okay... just... give me a warning next time so I can transform first?"
Your dismissal brings back the smile and a cheery "Okay!", though Flower just shakes her head in exasperation. For some reason, it does not take long for 'mother' and 'daughter' to say their goodbyes after a moment of introductions; maybe Flower saw your expressions earlier and wants to give you some space.
"Looks like everyone made it back alright. Good job, you two."
And there is Strength, coming in with a wave. You nod in return, but the somber mood around your little group does nothing to discourage her from lighting it up. "So you're Brave Heart?"
Brave snaps to attention the moment she is adressed, her posture becoming straight once more. "Yes....um..."
"Transcendent Strength, I'm basically owning the place. Nice to meet you."
They shake hands a little awkwardly, one side tensing up before slumping again and the other obviously ignoring all of it. Actually... "Ana, Strength?"
""Hm?""
"Can you keep Brave company for a bit?" "I need to call my sister over something... right now, that is."
That brings you three sets of curious stares, though one of it is laced with confusion. Brave does not say anything before Strength answers, though: "Sure, just ask Winter to check. You know the way?"
"Yes. Thank you."
The wave of exasperation from Ana precedes her response, even though it does not show in her agreement; you throw her an apologeptic look -as weird as it feels to see it directed at yourself also- before turning back to the girl you 'rescued'. "I'm sorry about this, but I have to do it right now." "I'll introduce you to everyone once I'm done."
"...it's fine."
Your double-frown accurately portrays every thought you have on that quiet answer. With a quick wave to Strength, you run off.
"Alright, let's get you set up. Any of your girls you'd like to share a room with?"
Not that you can not listen in on what they are talking about, after all; Ana keeps watching Brave, taking in every bit of her appearance. The girl looks crestfallen, much different to the proud and fierce figure you met more than two months ago. When she just shakes her head without meeting anyone's eyes, your sister sighs. "Strength? How about we stuff her with the twins? They sleep in the same bed anyway."
""Hey!""
You can feel Ana flinch over hearing your voices; the sudden shift from one perspective to three must be even more jarring for her than going from two to three is for you. "Not that I mind, but you could ask me first."
There is a flicker of a response, but nothing coherent comes over. Oh... uh...
You quickly glance around to make sure no one is nearby, then continue: "We're not far enough to talk telepathically. I had the same thing happen a while ago, my perception just merged together. It took longer than yours, though. We can hear and see everything the other hears and sees, but that is it."
"Hm... would you like that?"
Brave does not respond to Strength's question and Ana is too busy listening to you to say any more. Getting used to this will take a while.
"Well, I didn't hear a no. I'll ask the twins about it later. For now... let's get you some food."
Even with just sight and hearing you can hear Ana's stomach gurgle in response; it makes you giggle a little, despite the indignation she peppers you with.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Sitting in this room all by yourself feels weird. Winter let you in and told you to wait for a bit, so here you are. The time was spent explaining to Ana what is going on as best as you can, even though she can not answer.
You also learned that Strength can hold a conversation all by herself; she has been talking for minutes without stopping, jumping from one topic to another even if Brave does not respond at all.
Your attention is diverted from the other girls by the already lit screen on the wall, it showing a symbol on its uniform blue background all of a sudden; you quickly press the buttons you were told, making all colours dissolve and realign to reveal your big sister. Her suit is the slightest bit wrinkled and she looks tired, but brightens up over seeing you nonetheless.
Both of you just smile at each other for a moment; even if you are half the world away, just seeing Bianca makes you feel better despite everything. "We're going to see each other again soon, right?"
Her response is a determined nod. "Yes, we will. How have you been doing?"
"...a lot happened, now that I think about it."
You ponder what to tell her for a moment, but then sigh and push the thought away. No keeping secrets here. "We just came back from... ah... 'pacifying' Brave Hearts team? It went really well, we got them all. But Brave will need a lot of work is what I think." "And her friend Paladin is really amazing. I hit her with a spell that should have knocked her out... twice... and she still stayed concious."
For some reason, this makes your big sister sigh in response. She rubs her eyes before looking aside. "If you see her, tell her that I'm looking after her sister for now. That should help her relax a little."
""Her sister?""
"Yes. Magical Girl Assassin. She agreed on working for us as long as her sister would be cared for and not sent into the field."
"Oh."
That... explains quite a bit and makes you feel a little bad about having to take the girl away, even though it was necessary. Nonetheless... "It's still amazing, isn't it?"
"Yes. I wish I was half the sister she is."
You can feel Ana being uncomfortable over listening in, so you use some of your capacity to smother her in warmth. Doing that also helps you not becoming indignant over what Bianca just implied. "Going further back, I adopted Ana."
Bianca only blinks once, then she laughs to herself quietly. "Of course you did. Mother will be more than just a little confused."
This has you shrug, seeing that you will not budge on the matter. "I already made my peace with that. You don't think she will refuse?"
"...no, not really. She will just need some time to get used to her. As will I, I think. But that is a two-way street, Anastasia will need time as well."
And all of a sudden, the apprehension turns into relief before flooding back and forth between all of you. That is nice. "It's good that you think that way." "She is a part of my mental link now, which means you could not refuse her even if you wanted to."
You throw a wink at your sister, who raises an eyebrow and offers the ghost of a smile. "Is that so?"
"Yes. In fact, she can hear every word you're saying and see you through my eyes."
"Good to know. Welcome to the family, Anastasia."
Another surge of joy comes from further away, which makes you giggle a little. Bianca's next question has you stop, though. "I am hearing a lot of 'me' and 'I' from the two of you, is there any reason for that? Are you having an argument?"
Right. I never told her.
You shake your heads in response, but pause for a moment. "Um... how to say this..." "I guess you could say..." "There are still only three sisters in this family?" "Well... it's just that both of me turned into one?" "This is hard." "Anyway, I am no longer two people, so saying 'us' or 'we' would sound arrogant."
The realisationg that you are babbling again comes a little late. In difference to most others however, Bianca does not seem bothered by it at all. She just nods in understanding, apparently not at all alienated. "As far as magical effects go, yours does not seem so bad. By what name do you go now?"
"Priscilla."
"...come again? Why Priscilla?"
"Well... Eva and Rico is for each of me, but I myself can't take one of those, right? Gaia gave me the new one. Priscilla Celeste Vescovi."
Her expression falls blank the moment you mention Gaia, but it vanishes once you say your full name. Bianca snorts heavily before breaking into chuckles, much to your surprise and confusion.
"Pfft, tehehe. Yes, that sounds much like her."
You smile over the obvious implications as well, but return to a serious expression soon; now everything has been said and there is only one topic left. Your big sister picks up on the mood as well, dropping her good cheer in an instant to match. The look in her eyes is strange, though; as if she already expects something bad... or maybe it is not dread after all? How confusing. "Bianca... I... I had a dream, right after we finished in Kursk. I just woke up a few minutes ago. It was one of those dreams again."
You only had two of them before. One about the Unified Dark, one about the Unified Light. Bianca only nods in understanding, her expression carefully void. "I see. What did you dream of?"
""Gaia."" "It was about you, too... and..." "I think it was from the day I awakened my powers."
Actually, this is the first time you can put a proper date to one of those visions. Bianca frowns for a moment, though her face quickly relaxes back into a poker face. It would be marvelous against anyone else, hiding everything.
You are not anyone else. This is your big sister, someone you love. Even if she was rarely home, you can read her well enough. You see the tiny wrinkle by her nose where the frown does not completely recede, this slight indention on her left cheek where she is biting on her tongue. You see those tiny signs and already hate yourself for having to do this. "You lied about not being a Magical Girl."
A beat.
Another.
Her pupils dilate, but your sibling does not say anything. Ana pauses in her eating to focus on your conversation, surprise and curiousity evident in her mind.
"No."
Bianca breathes out after this one word before closing her eyes. "I... didn't lie about that. I am no Magical Girl, just a monster masquerading as one."
You only raise an eyebrow over that statement, then another when Bianca does not say any more. "That sounds dumb. There is a lot of horrifying things out there, but all those girls are not bad people. You told me that in the first place... so what makes you different?"
"...that I chose."
"Huh?"
Bianca slowly turns her gaze aside, casting a hateful glare at something you can not see. It quickly withers into something much more miserable. Then you recall the other thing you dreamt about. "That Magical Girl with the UD, the White Reaper... that is you?"
"...yes. I wouldn't have needed to join them, but I took their offer anyway. I could have refused. I could have left at any point. I could have spared the humans I killed. I didn't do any of that."
"And you killed Knight, too?"
"...yes."
You slowly breathe out to get a moment, trying to take in all of this; the implications were already on your mind when you first woke up, but now you got them all confirmed. Your friend... murdered by your big sister. The girl that even Strength is afraid of... is Bianca. She has no idea, if the rest of your dream is as accurate.
"The dragon destroying New York... that wasn't you, was it?"
"No."
Bianca does not meet your gaze; in this very moment, she looks as broken as Brave. Her shoulders are slumped and the woman you always aspired to be like seems so tiny for once in your life.
It stops when you speak again, having made up your mind long ago: "I don't care. Everyone makes mistakes and you're allowed to make yours. The important thing is that you try to make things right... that is what you're doing, right?"
"..."
She does not respond, but that already tells you enough. Bianca would have denied it if she really had other reasons. After giving her a moment to get herself back together, you speak up again to change the topic: "I'm sorry for bringing this up. I just had to know for sure."
There is no movement on the other end for a while; you just look at each other. It was never so visible how much your big sister is actually hurting under her usual behaviour, so much so that you can see on her face how she slowly builds herself back up. How all the pain drains away and is pushed away.
"It's fine", is what she says in the end. "You deserved to know anyway... I just never had the courage to say it."
This statement has so many implications that make you sad. Bianca was scared of your judgement, of being hated by her own family. The fact she even thinks of that makes your chests throb. "You... back then, you said that you would always love me. I think the same. I love you, Bianca. I always have and always will. I don't care what you did in the past and I wouldn't even care if you refused to take responsibility. So please don't ever think I would stop loving you, okay?"
It is sad that you have to tell her this basically over the phone, but there is nothing you can do about it. Tears roll down Bianca's cheeks and she audibly sniffles after you finish; then she slowly wipes them off with a handkerchief, only for more to follow. "T-Thank you. Thank you..."
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Ana stalled Strength and Brave by eating a lot, which is nice of her. You needed a while to talk things out with your sister. Bianca looked at least somewhat happy by the end of it.
Once you get back out and meet with the others however, there is a bark followed by Ludger running up and jumping around your legs in joy. "Oh, there you are! Come here!"
He yips excitedly and runs over to your other body to get cuddled. You notice Ana's eyes closely following the dog, even though she never showed much interest in him; on the other hand, Strength just shakes her head with a smile. "I mean, I've seen a lot of dogs before... but none that were as happy as that Corgi."
You do not bother responding to Strength, instead you hold the dog out to Ana, who hesitantly scratches his head. Ludger starts panting immediately, much to her delight and your amusement.
You stop watching the spectacle with four of your eyes once Strength taps your shoulder, though. "Anyway, I wanted to ask... do you mind Brave staying with you?"
The girl in question is watching Ana play with a faintly curious expression, but you have the feeling she can hear you just fine. You are not far away from her, after all. This is proven correct the moment you respond and see her perk up a little: "I don't mind, there is an unused bed in my room and the company will be nice."
"Good to hear. What about you, Sun?"
You blink up at her the moment she turns around, then tilt your head a little. "Um... you kind of already asked me. I'm no longer twins."
"...that explains a lot. If you excuse me, I think I need a drink over that one."
Strength does not look as dumbfounded as you thought she would, though her being able to get what you mean so fast surprises you a bit. On the other hand, you are rather sure she was not joking right now. "Okay. Don't drink too much, yes?"
"Pff, sure. See you tomorrow."
After an exchange of waves, you are alone in your group of younger girls... and Brave, though she can not be that much older. Even if she is quite a bit taller than you.
There is one thing you know was amiss until now, though. "So, let me guess that Ana was too shy to talk to you so far?" "Hey!"
Brave nods after a moment of thought, turning to your sister with a note of apprehension; Ana just huffs and pushes her indignation away, then shakes the older girl's hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you. I'm Anastasia."
There is a momentary silence and you almost expect her to stay quiet entirely, but Brave does respond in the end: "I-Its nice to meet you, too. I'm Julia."
Julia? That's a cute name.
After thinking it, you actually say it out loud and are rewarded with a light blush. Ana rolls her eyes before letting down the dog, who quickly wanders up to the new person and sniffs her leg. "So... you're new here, I guess it would be good to show you around? Oh, and we usually call each other by our Magical Girl names, but mine is weird to use in conversations so just Ana is okay."
"Um..."
Julia looks as if she expects to be interrupted with how long she draws that pause, but a subtle nudge to Ana makes sure she does not say anything, either. A few moments pass, then the girl seems to have gathered her resolve some more. "I see. If it is okay to ask... what is your Magical Girl name?"
"World Eater."
"..."
She does not seem terribly surprised, though you can tell she is not sure what to say now. "I guess that makes sense... but... please just call me Julia."
"Okay! But then you call me Priscilla, too."
"...that... is not your name, though? Or wait, was it? I think I heard something else-"
Brave is starting to get more animated, but also more flustered. You stop her with a light tap to the shoulder to get her attention. "'I' is both of these bodies, we aren't separated in mind anymore. This part of me is Evangeline-" "-this part of me is Rico-" "-but both of me are Priscilla."
...going by her expression, Brave seems to be wanting one of Strength's drinks right about now as well. Ana giggles a little before giving her shoulder a consoling pat. "On the bright side, I don't think it can get any more weird than Pris. Once you get to terms with her, you're good."
"Okay... I guess?"
You accept this as the best you can get and take both their hands to lead them around. "Anyway, it's time for you to meet all the people."
Except the girls from Yggdrasil, that is. You... rather not have them meet just yet. Julia does not protest your lead and even squeezes back a little bit. You call that a success.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
"What do we have here, a new face?"
For some reason, you never thought to check Ana's room for Sky. Yet this is where she was, so she is the last one you can introduce your new friend to. Julia nods and offers her hand for a shake. "Brave Heart, but please just call me Julia."
She bounced back somewhere between Winter and Chi, regaining some confidence and managing to talk without stuttering. It was really interesting to see how fluidly the transition went; the fact everyone so far welcomed her with open arms probably helped.
Even if the new girls are scared of her, everyone living in this city is so open; they will get around, too. In this case, Sky simply tilts her head before feeling forward. She is not transformed, though Julia has yet to notice her blindness. "A pleasure. I am Black Sky... but please call me-" "Eep!" "-Irene."
Your new friend squeeks in surprise when a hand pushes against her chest, but does not flinch back. Sky's hands wander upward and to her shoulders, then over the one outstretched arm and to her hand. Then do they shake hands. "My bad, I thought you were a little smaller."
You probably should have warned her. On the other hand, now you get to giggle over how flustered she gets.
You chat a little with Sky before leaving Ana with her and heading to your own room. Julia seems much more positive than when you actually returned. Chi even gave you a nightgown that would fit her so she does not have to sleep in her underwear; your clothes are definitely too small to borrow.
Once inside your place however, you can see Julia's face fall visibly. The smile is gone in an instant and she slowly slumps onto the nearest bed -yours- with a sigh. "You're a nice person... just like I thought. But I didn't expect everyone to be so nice..."
It feels as if there is something she does not say, but you are not sure it is a good idea to bring that up. Ana and Sky are chatting over what else you did over the evening, so you ignore that part and keep focussed on Julia; she looks so fragile again... it figures that this whole situation was not just a one-off thing. Right now, though... what do you do? Don't be too overbearing.
"If you want to talk about it, I will always listen. Yes?"
"...Thank you."
She does not say anything else, so you take the dismissal for what it is. Instead you wander over to your wardrobe to pull out your own pyjamas and also spread out Julia's temporary nightgown. "Don't mention it."
"...you're one person? How does that work?"
""Hm?""
You glance back at the unmoving girl from below your shirts, swiftly pulling the rest over your heads and putting them aside. "Oh, I have no idea how it works." "I got a mental connection when both of me awakened their powers." "It grew over time... when we first met, it was still in a really basic form. I only just figured out how to not project pain from one body to the other." "Thinking about it, it has been maybe a week since I became one? I got used to it really quickly."
It really has been but a week, which is incredible. Julia nods in understanding, though curiousity is warring with something else in her posture. You decide to help her along: "Is there something else?"
"...um... yes. You said you were talking to Ms. Vescovi?"
You can guess where this is going; trying to make a secret out of it now is not going to work, so honesty it is. "Bianca? Yes, we did." "I think she is sponsoring Kibo... or something like that." "Either way, she has a lot of intel and useful information for Strength all the time." "And she was the one who asked us to take you all in. I... uh... couldn't really tell you that back there, it's supposed to be a secret." "Everyone here knows, though."
"...at least that explains how you knew."
She says nothing else on the matter, but you can almost hear her previous view of the world take another crack. Poor thing...
In the end, all of you go to sleep quietly.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
[...]
Primordial Moon Health: 74,869 - 70,300 = 4,569
Affinity Kill Triggers!
Primordial Moon's Balance-Affinity has been sealed!
-All is Equal has been sealed!
-Two Minds Joined in Harmony has been sealed!)
You do not know how long it was since everything became dark. Things gradually start to realign, but you do not actually think. You do not need to to know something is missing. Something important.
Some time later, you realise with growing horror.
Eva!
A part of you is missing, a big part. A part that was there for you, that was you. It's gone! The familiar warmth and gentle thoughts are no more, leaving behind a gaping hole where you know they should be. You can not feel anything but yourself. Only Pris... no, Rico. You are no longer Priscilla, can no longer be. Half of you is not there.
It feels so lonely... it is so impossible.
You should be dead.
[ERROR]
. . .
Break Not Found . . .
The first thing you hear upon waking is a faint breathing. Your eyelids slowly slide open to reveal your room, just like you remember it being. Having only one set of eyes is weird.
Your chest clenches horribly, but it brings no pain. Just a feeling of emptiness that already dominated your dreams. With a slight turn, you find Anastasia by your bedside. Her blond hair is disheveled and she naps quietly in a chair.
A girl no older than you, someone whom you cared for enough to include her into what used to be a budding hive mind. But now? Seeing her in such a state does not make you feel anything. It should though, should it not?
What is more, your connection with her is gone as well.
For some reason, it does not bother you next to everything else.
Don't cry.
You just turn your head back towards the ceiling, its pristine white sight allowing you to just lie without having to think. Thoughts of getting up cross your mind, but are quickly discarded. What sense is there in doing anything without you... without Eva?
So you just contemplate everything and nothing, waiting for something to happen.
"Ugh... oh. Pris? You're awake!"
Until Ana wakes up and almost shouts at you. You blink and turn her way in response, keeping down the urge to vomit at the reminder. "Not Pris. Eva is gone, so I'm just Rico."
Pris is the amalgamation of you both. With one missing, you can no longer have that name. Ana flinches and fresh tears gather in her eyes, but she quickly wipes them away with a sad nod. "I know... I... I don't know what to say. It all happened so fast... She hit Eva and then you both screamed and fell and... and she just killed Eva without caring at all. Then I killed her..."
Ana shakes and you have half a mind to take her hand for comfort. But which comfort could you possibly give right now? The question makes you reconsider, dropping the limb again before she notices. There are other urges, to shout or cry or break something... but what good would any of that do?
You can not remember ever having felt like this. Everything is so bleak right now.
"...you've been here a full day, are you hungry?"
"No..."
"Oh, okay... thirsty?"
"No."
It is not even a lie. You do not feel like having anything, your stomach as cold as the rest of you. In fact, you just want her to... "Go away..."
The reaction is instantaneous; Ana's face falls and she slowly lowers her head in response. The shaking gets stronger, but stops when she gets up quietly. "Okay..."
It is little more than a whisper and she sees herself out, making you realise with horror that you just hurt your dearest friend. A part of you wants to call her back, to apologise, but... this is your own fault, is it not?
You do not say anything, just let her leave to cry and silently apologise.
. . .
Line No Longer Recognised . . .
The sun rose behind the curtains and it is brighter outside when Ana returns. She washed up and got changed... and she has a tray with food and juice. "I'm back and I brought breakfast."
You are still not hungry and tell her so, but the girl just purses her lips and shakes her head. "Nope, not having that. You have to eat something or you get sick."
Does that really matter much?
You do not say it out loud, but turning away from Ana and going back to staring at the ceiling ought to get the message across.
It does not, though. She just sits down by your bedside and picks up a fork. "Come on, open up."
You do not and there is a long moment where you stare at each other over the piece of sausage. Ana's expression grows more grim and she slowly pulls back the hand. "Okay, have it your way. You are going to eat."
Then she takes the fork to her own mouth and starts chewing, slowly and deliberately. You watch with a hint of curiousity, wondering what Ana plans to do like this; that is, until she leans forward and presses her lips to yours, exploiting your surprised gasp to force the chewed meat right into your mouth and as deep as she can.
You swallow almost on instinct, coughing a little after the fact. Ana wipes her mouth and glares down at you. "You brought this upon yourself."
She continues to force feed you everything on the plate, including the whole glass of juice. You could resist, but there is no point in doing that, either. She does it again by dinnertime, and next morning and the day after...
It continues like that for a while, with other girls dropping by a few times before staying away. Spring and Flower come by rather often, even though you do not really talk to them. They do not mind just filling the silence with chatter, which is... nice. You can not bring yourself to smile or thank them, though.
Ludger stands guard by your bedside every night, but even he can not keep the nightmares away.
Then Bianca is there, with your mother right by her side. They both look horrified at seeing you, the realisation of how you must look like making you avert your eyes. The only times you take a bath or clean up is when Ana forces you, which is the same as most anything else these days. Strength pulls you out of bed for walks for some reason, but this is all the exposure you have to the outside world.
You can not really remember anything that was said the moment your remaining family left. All that you do recall is the visible pain in your big sister's eyes, sympathy mixed with an understanding deeper than what you could expect. Mother is the only one who stays around, though. Bianca has so much to do... and you can not blame her for that. You want her to stay with you no matter how selfish it is, but in the end all of you know how wrong this is. No one says anything.
You start eating by yourself after their visit, slowly working yourself out of the abyss you fell into. The pain dulls over time, Eva's absence becoming less prominent in your mind at least during daytime.
Don't cry.
At some point, you decide to push it out of your mind. Eva would not want you to be a mess like this forever, too. You are sure of that.
Don't cry.
Getting up by yourself is an ordeal in itself, with every fiber of you wanting to just lie back down a little longer. You force yourself on your belly instead, then push and sit up. Ana flinches out of her seat at the sounds, the book she has been reading dropping to the ground with a dull thud. "Rico? What is it, do you need to go pee?"
"No... I'm going to do something."
"Oh. What is it?"
"Don't know..."
She does not ask any more, just quietly follows you out of the room. Ludger shadows the both of you.
Ana stays by your side and helps with everything she can... she used to try sleeping with you, but her hugs felt way too familiar and you pushed her away with barely suppressed tears at the time. Near everything she does these days reminds you of your sister.
You suppress that thought, too. For right now, you just want to do something, anything.
Several girls you pass on your aimless wandering stop to chat a little, but the conversations do not leave lasting impressions on you; they are not worth remembering anyway, just casual chatter without any meaning overall.
At some point you meet your mother who is talking to Spring, but their attention quickly shifts once they notice you. The same concerned questions, the same answers... Spring does offer you something, though: "Say... if you don't know what to do, how about some sparring? I could make a few summons for you to practice on?"
Your mother does not like the idea at all, you can tell at a glance. To you however, the idea of getting back into shape is tempting. There are still people suffering out there, are there not? If you got stronger... maybe you could protect them from having to feel like this?
So you agree and are led to the training grounds.
"I am the radiance of the future, Magical Girl Primordial Sun!"
There is a bitter feeling on your tongue over the irony in those words, as well as a cold disappointment when the familiar echo of Eva's phrase coming in synch with yours remains absent.
Right after your armour forms itself and the veil brightens up your direct surroundings with sunlight however, you notice that something is different. There used to be five spells you knew; two your own, two from your twin, and one that you cast together.
One of Eva's is still there, warped and weird to your senses even without casting it. The other... is gone, though replaced by something new. Something wrong and also right. The thought of using it makes your fingers twitch, the sense of power its presence provides unsettling to your mind.
After a moment of thought, you decide to test it. "Spring? Can you do something stronger than trees?"
The older girl gives you a surprised look that quickly morphs into a frown, but she nods. "I can, but are you sure?"
"Yes."
There is a small audience is what you notice absentmindedly, not that it matters. Your mother and the Seasons are all there too, watching worriedly.
"Blossom!"
Spring's voice rings loud and clear just as usual, but this time her magic does not form into small forms rising from the ground. It makes a few huge things come.
(Blossom roll: scuttled, set to 100
10 Flora Guardians summoned)
They rise, each one at least eight metres tall. Ethereal fog gently emanates from their green bodies as they regard their summoner, then their surroundings with animalistic interest. All of them together only barely manage to stay within the bound of the open field. There is oooing and aaaing from the audience, even some applause.
You regard them with casual disinterest, then nod at Spring. She quickly leaves to join everyone else at the sidelines.
It does not really matter how pretty they are, though you might have cared in the past. Your scepter rises, but you frown and push it into the ground to stand by your side. This will not be necessary right now. Instead, you raise both hands and grasp this irregularity within your magic, have it rise up and power outward right into the first being. Your voice sounds almost hollow as you intone its name to make the spell take shape: "EmPtY VOiD"
Some people in the audience grab their heads in pained grimaces at the sound... and from your hands forward spills a malevolent vortex to engulf half of the field. It only covers seven of the ten creatures at first, but they are quickly devoured; the rest are pulled inside while the first are still screeching in fright and pain.
(Empty Void: +350000 Base Damage, no dice = 350,000 Total Damage per piece
10 Flora Guardians: +2000 Base Resilience, no dice due to existential terror = 2,000 Total Damage Reduction per piece
348,000 Total End Damage per piece
Large Enemy(50%): 174,000 Total End Damage per piece
They become undone within moments, the vortex swirling for a moment longer before dissolving. You had a hard time not making it suck in the audience; going by their shocked expressions, they definitely felt the pull.
Everything is silent as you regard the patch of nothing that your magic produced. Actually commanding it forward pulled off a plug somewhere within your mind, making all the feelings come back up. You quietly drop to your knees.
Don'tCryDon'tCryDon'tCryDon'tCry-
You do not cry.
You scream, up to the heavens above and hell below. Until your throat burns and your voice becomes hoarse, you scream.
Only then do you cry, feeling arms all around you but not any warmer for it.
All wide eyed in surprise. You leap into action to press the advantage. The blue twin was much sturdier than the pink twin, you'll knock the staff from her hand before she recognizes you're there and-
"Pr1SoN &f Si/k!"
Strands of silk fill your vision and cover your body. Your slightest movements pull them taunt and imprison you totally. The aggravating sensation of magical imprisonment takes hold.
"Not again!" you howl
Unyielding Paladin cuts most of the silk away with a wide swing of her sword, "Here."
You take the offered arm and are yanked free quickly enough to blur your vision. Her aim is something you can trust, so as you fly you shout.
"Avatar-!"
With your unburdened hand you slam the blue twin into the wall.
"-of Retribution!"
Jumping forward on a shaky foothold robs you of your typical speed. A pair of slashes disable your first target, but the other twin barely squeaks out of range.
Right into your comrade's arms. Unyielding Paladin pulls her shield close, trapping the active twin's head under her arm. The black-clad swordswoman hisses in frustration as she fails to get a tighter circle, probably trying to intervene in your capture.
She's going to be tricky to catch. And you still aren't sure where the imprisoning girl is hiding. You crouch to pull the blue twin over your shoulder in a fireman's carry, it wouldn't do to have the hidden girl retrieve her.
"Let them go!" Soul Queller insists.
Unyielding Paladin pokes her sword at the girl she's holding!
"I have a counter proposal. If you release Supreme Tech our arms would be full."
"Hey! You promised!" you protest.
"Lemme go!" the pink twin shouts, muffled by having her head trapped under Paladin's armpit.
"Otherwise," Paladin raises her voice, "I would have to do whatever is necessary to ensure the survival of Supreme Tech. You understand."
What is she doing? These dregs would sacrifice anyone to save their own skins!
You force yourself to calm down. That is what she's offering, they'll have to see that. They drop Tech and everyone walks away for now. Not ideal, but you can't fault her reasoning since these two could escape from your current group even if you weren't weighed down.
"Okay, we'll give you Tech if you-"
Paladin cuts her off, "Nope! What I was pointing out was that you could probably escape if I had to unwrap Tech while carrying this bundle of joy."
Everyone is quiet and still for a moment.
"They'll be fine. Brave Heart says they're healers and they're adorable twins. Everyone would be a lot better off if these two get to spend time healing the sick instead of being chewed up by your pitiful rebellion."
"Scorching"-"Sunlight!"
A bright light erupts from under Unyielding Paladin's shield. A Ray shoots from your shoulder into her's.
"AAA!!!" There's a scream and the smell of burning hair mixed with burnt meat.
Unyielding Paladin's sword arm falls limp, followed by the rest of her in suddenly white-hot armor.
How could this happen? What did you miss?
You were wrong, or even if you were right it's too late now. The twins aren't hero material anymore.
With a curious mix of rage, shock and disappointment you tighten your grip on the twin you were carrying. Blood spurts from the corpse.
Silk shoots out from several directions. You try to avoid some but are entangled anyways.
Soul Queller is screaming something you have no care to understand and shaking the pink twin. She must have burned herself to death killing your friend. Good.
It's not your happiest thought, but it stays with you while Soul Queller cuts your trapped form to ribbons.
Your eyes snap open abruptly, but you only lie to stare at the ceiling. Whatever kind of nightmare that was, it was awful.
A glance at the alarm shows you it is still much too early for even the sun to be up. Going back to sleep seems prudent, though your drowsy mind does take a sharp turn around the moment you hear it. A faint noise, muffled and broken, coming from the other bed.
There is not much of your light to go with, but it is enough to see Julia's covered form. She has the blanket drawn over her head and is sobbing into the pillow, curled up and shaking.
For a moment you consider getting up and comforting her... but this does not feel right. She waited until you fell asleep before even starting to cry, maybe even waited the whole day for you to leave her alone. You know the feeling; sometimes you just wanted to be alone to cry, too.
So you just lie still and wait for sleep to return.
PoV-switch! Choose three!
[] Ginevra Vescovi
[] Ming Lin
[] Mary Coburn
[] Patrizia Alessi
[] Samantha MacArthur
[] EXP-Plan
-[] Write-in what to buy
-[] Save it
=====
+5xp Met Brave Heart (Only Ana)
+5xp An Actual Family (Only Ana)
+10xp The Truth
+25xp Unbalanced Reflection (Only Pris)
EXP gained: 35 + 35 + 20 = 90
Total EXP: 130
=====
(Bianca's Character Sheet was renamed)
(Unlocked Level 4 Character Sheet: Magical Girl Primeval Earth)
(New Shop Item Unlocked: Sun)
[X] Ginevra Vescovi
[X] Mary Coburn
[X] Samantha MacArthur
Our mother, Soul Queller, and an unknown.
EDIT: Forsaken God's name is Ming, so "Ming Lin" is probably her.
EDIT 2: Patrizia Alessi is Magical GIrl Assassin. I am not voting for her anymore.
EDIT 3:
Our mother - because we do need to know about her some more.
Soul Queller - I want to know how her Yggdrassil Friends will react to her no longer feeling useless.
Samantha MacArthur - because she may or may not be that #2 (#3?) Magical Girl, Unwavering Azure. Figuring her out is interesting.
[X] Save EXP
Next three practice sessions:
1) Moon, Sun, and Ana - fool around with spells in any and all combinations - see if any synchronizations happens, or if any weird tactics can be found. Also, see if it's possible to synchronize Baleful Eclipse with something else for a three-way synchronization, and to use Ana's eyes to hit a target neither Sun nor Moon have a clear sight of.
2) Moon, Sun, and Ana - see about learning to suppress some of the extra effects of spells (Nightmare Child did that to suppress Shred and Murder on Absolute Decomposition, and Slaughter on End of the Line).
3) Moon, Sun - Dodge, Dodge, and DODGE again!
It's 600 EXP to raise the spell or ability level from 10 to 15.
Not sure why you'd want to get Grand Devourer, though.
I have my suspicions it might be like that ability Abyss Knight had, that gave her temporary stat boosts for killing non-mooks. To keep in theme with Ana, it's going to be "for eating someone" stat boost, if so.
I want it because I had the same thought about what it does and that seems useful enough to pick up regardless of how Ana feels about eating people. Note, of course, that this is likely just me having odd priorities again
Also I actually went back through the thread and found Ming, when you already had it right there and I feel silly now
I want it because I had the same thought about what it does and that seems useful enough to pick up regardless of how Ana feels about eating people. Note, of course, that this is likely just me having odd priorities again
Also I actually went back through the thread and found Ming, when you already had it right there and I feel silly now
Well, odd priorities aside, I do want the next 1000 EXP sharp to be spent on Veil of the Lunar Goddess 18, Sunlight Scepter 17, and Soothing Moonlight 12 (480+310+210). 285k health on Moon, 45k magic modifier on Sun, and healing of 22744 per beam.
With this should have us heal 155k when Sun and Moon are working on it together with a little training (4+3).
With this, Sun (up to 110k reliable (135k absolute highest) damage with Radiance) could have knocked out our latest enemy, Unyielding Paladin, with a single blow.
With this, our health is and its recovery are high enough to weather the damage from a small army.
Wouldn't be quite enough if Ignition Sentinel decides to dispose of us with Iron Cascade (or another elite unleashes their OP spell), but there should be no reason for her to. And just another 2 levels of Veil give us 756k health, enough to survive even that much power, for the cost of 370 EXP. And if you're really survival-minded, for an additional 1100 EXP (a total of 2470, now), we get Veil of the Lunar Goddess 25 - and with it, roughly 7.9 million health. Hint - Transcendent Strength's spell did less incoming damage to Spring's Dream than that, before the reductions.
Health 71'809---114'894---183'830---294'128---470'604---752'966---1'204'745---1'927'592---3'084'147---4'934'635---7'895'416
And yes, it's approximately an x10 modifier for every 5 levels as a rule of thumb. Slightly greater.
And if you're really survival-minded, for an additional 1100 EXP (a total of 2470, now), we get Veil of the Lunar Goddess 25 - and with it, roughly 8 million health. Hint - Transcendent Strength's spell did less incoming damage to Spring's Dream than that, before the reduction
Not sure why. For her to cast that spell at us would require her to, oh, throw away everything she and her creation Kibo has ever stood for in order to lash out at White Reaper the only way the guesses might hurt her. Possible, but unlikely.
We're in the envious position of having 6/10 of current Top Ten actively leading or being aligned to the faction we belong to, and Abyss Knight's (also Top Ten) OP spell had a max damage of 17000*360=6.12 million damage. Well within Veil 25 tolerance, and "panic purchase" of Scorching Sunlight 15 kill potential. Even if comparing #10 to #1 isn't exactly cosher. And Demon of War should deliver some 250 million damage if used at full blast - Veil 33 tolerance, and hoping Dodge helps reduce the number of targets hit.
EDIT: Since that would cost 1350+930=2280 EXP after Veil 25, we're better off raising scepters and dodge.
EDIT: That said, in any case, see our envious position. If we're in the blast radius of such a spell, then something has gone horribly wrong that we're there and our overpowered allies are not there to pick up the slack.
EDIT: You know, I am starting to guess Supernova LVL 10-15 is likely to get Target: Army.
@Nevill - do you have a third someone you want to have an interlude of?
And then, as if you did not have enough problems already, your connection warbles and snaps back into place... much like a lot of your magic did lately; now that you actually think about it, quite a bit about you feels different. Not much, just slightly off. As if something changed.
I want it because I had the same thought about what it does and that seems useful enough to pick up regardless of how Ana feels about eating people. Note, of course, that this is likely just me having odd priorities again
Also I actually went back through the thread and found Ming, when you already had it right there and I feel silly now
Actually I think Shedding Skin goes a hell lot further. If it works like Charlotte in PMMM, its basically her casting off her body to shed any damage not instantly lethal?
To Stand Amongst Man
-If Total End Damage exceeds 50% Maximum Health, reduce it by 50% [Recursive]
Layer of Moonlight
-Reset Health back to full and remove Body Modifiers each turn
Layer of Sunlight
-When attacking, add a percentage of your Base Damage equal to your modifier roll to your attack.
Undying Loyalty Woof
-Ignore Body Damage Modifiers while protecting either Primordial Sun or Primordial Moon; auto-intercept attacks of any kind against them when in range
Speed Gap
-Veil of the Solar Goddess
-Fight an opponent capable of flying at least 200mph
-600 EXP
Light moves faster than anything else... but you can not do the same.
Overtake Greater
-Have or fight opponents with Skilled, Master Skill, and Inhuman Skill
-Have or fight opponents with Skillful Dodge, Adroit Dodge, and Masterful Dodge
-500 EXP
You may not be the most capable in the world, but you refuse to be outdone.
Radiant Shine Unbroken -Radiance
-Solar Blessing lvl 10
-Magic Modifier > 10,000
-750 EXP
For there is no one who can match the sun's light. Replaces Radiance.
Given what was recently said:
1) Speed Gap and Overtake Greater might be made from the same cloth as negators and/or debuffs against superior opponents. Speed negator and negation disabler, or something.
---Would not be surprised if both are Determination-keyed.
2) We defeated Soldier Supreme, who had Masterful Dodge. We defeated Brave Heart, who had Inhuman Skill. We have both Skilled and Skillful Dodge.
---We also trained with Abyss Knight, who had Master Skill. Should that not count for Overtake Greater? Just curious (we can, after all, train it up if the answer is no).
3) Radiant Shine Unbroken, if it follows the same pattern as Mistress of the Tide, would have something like:
---Halves incoming damage and doubles the damage of Primordial Sun.
---OP extra effect. Possibly a further burst damage increase for Sun. "For there is no one who can match the sun's light".
Any other guesses?
4) Just a note. "My thoughts" sections about family and other people could use a touch-up.
---We also trained with Abyss Knight, who had Master Skill. Should that not count for Overtake Greater? Just curious (we can, after all, train it up if the answer is no).
