Huh. Seems really, really strange that "Only surviving member of the Old Guard; Killed the Unkillable; Many other things" doesn't have her own OP and also doesn't have a way to ignore other people's OP. I would think that she has the reputation to earn it.
Just seems rather silly to me that the PVP specialist who's seen everything before can actually fall victim to another MG's Overwhelming Presence.
Edit:
Also, what does the Heroslayer ability on Red Rose's weapon do? I don't see it on the list of canon Slayer abilities.
You got the level 4 sheet, not the complete sheet.
But still, yes, she doesn't have one. Mainly because she tends to not stand in the spotlight.
On who to send back, I'm thinking Samael, Michael, Gabriel, Lucky and Brilliant Key. Samael and Michael are tired, Brilliant Key is rattled, Gabriel is exhausted and Lucky is having a panic attack. None of them are in a safe condition to keep fighting.
Ahh, assumed that the lack of any remaining ????? stuff meant that we got everything. In that case, objection withdrawn.
Just seemed wrong to me for her to be incapable of staring an angry Goddess in the face without flinching. Even more so for staring an angry Seventh Heaven in the face.
On who to send back, I'm thinking Samael, Michael, Gabriel, Lucky and Brilliant Key. Samael and Michael are tired, Brilliant Key is rattled, Gabriel is exhausted and Lucky is having a panic attack. None of them are in a safe condition to keep fighting.
That does make sense. In addition, Gabriel's PoL can help defend the barricade, Brilliant has a very powerful healing spell, and Sam can use his buff spells on the defenders, thereby giving everyone there the ability to permanently put down the Assault Knights.
Speaking of spells...
@crystalwatcher, you still haven't updated Sam's sheet with the six new spells he got from Solar and Lunar.
Ahh, assumed that the lack of any remaining ????? stuff meant that we got everything. In that case, objection withdrawn.
Just seemed wrong to me for her to be incapable of staring an angry Goddess in the face without flinching. Even more so for staring an angry Seventh Heaven in the face.
Alright, here's my newest vote for what we're doing with Solar and Lunar.
[X] Gabriel, Samael, Michael, Lucky, and Brilliant Key will all take the Radiances back to the barricade. After they accomplish this, they will stay at the barricade and help out in whatever way they deem most effective.
[X] Upgrade INDESTRUCTIBLE CORE to level 25 (2050 XP)
Ok, as was stated earlier, these five are no longer in battle-ready condition. Therefore, we'll remove them and the Radiance girls from the battlefield at the same time. The second line is so that they can still help out at the barricade after they get there. Like I said, Gabriel, Sam, and Brilliant could also be useful off the battlefield, and I'm sure Lucky and Michael could be useful without putting themselves in harm's way.
I said stare in the face without flinching, not defeat.
Like how Nepgear (and everyone else) quivered in fear when Rei questioned her in full Serious Business mode. I would think that Red Rose is implacable enough to not shudder in response to that.
"Red Rose! Kill the snake!" The veteran Magical Girl's face twists into a look of anger, but you refuse to be cowed. "Trust us!"
From her perch on Lunar's right most head, she gazes to where you, Brilliant Key, and Michael huddle in cover. Visibly debating with herself on whether or not she should. You meet her gaze, desperately willing her to accept. To trust you where you had no right for such....
It's almost imperceptible when she decides, but the tensing in her legs tells you her decision. It tells everyone her decision. Solar Radiance turns, raising a hand to direct an attack, while Lunar's unoccupied heads collectively lunge as one to her old friend, both intending to stop her however they can. Both of them are too slow.
In a single motion, Red Rose's legs unwind and the force of her jump propels her into the air! A blast of displaced air, and she is in the sky, dozens of feet out of Lunar Radiance's reach! Red Rose shines red, a blood-colored light that seems to subsume everything into itself.
Avatar of Victory: 22,500 Base Damage, +2121 Dice, +4,500 Rain of Blows, +4,500 Rain of Blows, +4,500 Rain of Blows, +4,500 Rain of Blows, +4,500 Rain of Blows, +838 Divine Inspiration, +11,250 Demonslayer, +259 To Victory, +1,000 Offender, +500 Divine Power = 60,968 Total Damage
HE Snake: 2,000 Base Resilience, +2,000 Stone Cold Blooded, +500 Hydra Problem, +672 Dice = 5,172 Damage Reduction
Solar Radiance: 2,500 Base Resilience, +12,500 Dice = 15,000 Damage Reduction
Insurmountable Perfection dice check!
Avatar of Victory: 2121
Solar Radiance: 12,500
Avatar of Victory negated by Insurmountable Perfection!
Total End Damage:
Hyper Evolved Snake: 55,796
Solar Radiance: 0
Hyper Evolved Snake's Horror Affinity has been sealed!
-Hard To Kill has been sealed!
-Toxic Blood has been sealed!
-The Hydra Problemhas been sealed!
Solar Radiance's Sol Affinity has been sealed!
-Excellence In Magic has been sealed!
-Insurmountable Perfection has been sealed!)
"...of Victory."
Red Rose's movement from point A to point B is too fast for you to follow. One heartbeat, she is in the air. The next, she is kneeling on the ground on the far side of Lunar Radiance's snake form. A third heartbeat passes in silence, as if reality was trying to figure out what had just happened.
And then, in a pillar of sudden red light, a roar consumes everything!
Flagstones shatter and turn to dust, loose debris that litters the battlefield, either from the age of the necropolis, or the battle itself, are flung around as if dirt upon the wind. The massive snake's skin seems to crack like a pane of glass as you watch, torrents of blackened magic flooding from it, while Solar Radiance's skin does the same, but with blinding light instead.
Team GEAR is reduced to huddling in their respective covers, desperately trying not to get caught in the gale-winds released by Red Rose's attack as Solar and Lunar are sent reeling. But the #10 Magical Girl is not done yet. Not even close.
She stands, spear spinning in hand to a reverse grip. She takes a new stance, arm raised back, and feet spread apart-
A red line of light dances around and through Lunar Radiance. Hard angles and incredible speed ends it almost as soon as it began. Massive, ragged, holes are torn through scale and flesh. The heads almost collectively explode.
"LUNAR!"
At Solar's scream, the snake dissipates. It's ruined corpse disintegrating as all those that had been on it fall almost in slow motion to the ground.
...
And in the blood-rain and chaos, you see her: Lunar Radiance, eyes wide in surprise, kneeling amongst the carnage. Lucky had been right! Lunar was alive and the Snake was out of the game. But more than that, Everything that had been in your way no longer was.
Core Purge: 63,000 Core Damage
Solar Seal: 500 Base Resilience, no dice, +4,000 Epic Existence, -5,000 Hostile Divinity Exposure = 500 Extra Damage
Lunar Seal: 500 Base Resilience, no dice, +4,000 Epic Existence, -5,000 Hostile Divinity Exposure = 500 Extra Damage
Solar & Lunar Seals take 63,500 Total End Damage
Solar Seal: 5,000 - 63,500 = -58,500 Health Remaining
Lunar Seal: 5,000 - 63,500 = -58,500 Health Remaining
All of Team GEAR toss flashbangs!)
As your light hits them, both Lunar and Solar seize up. Solar lands heavily on the ground as Lunar is driven to her knees when her body tries to curl upon itself. Her eyes roll into the back of her head as she chokes on a scream. Then the seal controlling her finally gives up the ghost and disintegrates just as the dozen or so flashbangs the assault team tossed all go off at the same time and your world goes white.
The first thing to return to you, is sound. Even if it's only a sharp, continuous whine of your ears having been over-strained by so many flashbangs going off all at once. After that, the whiteness of the world fades away into a blurry picture as you realize you wound up on the ground at some point immediately following the stunning weapons going off.
"I think you guys threw too many."
You're uncertain if the soft sounds came from you or Brilliant Key, who is pulling herself off the ground beside you. By degrees the world settles its spinning, coming a little more into focus as Team GEAR picks themselves up. A purple figure that you're pretty sure is Red Rose is kneeling beside Solar and Lunar Radiance's insensate forms. Another you think is Insight is being helped to her feet by who you're positive is Aquila.
The most surprising thing though, is how Lucky is helping Sega of all people pull herself out of a slight indentation in the ground. "I come up over the lip of the courtyard, and the world decides to explode in my face... What the fuck did I miss?"
"Well... you missed a Giant Doom Snake and Miniature Sun-Goddess. So not much?" Is Sam's snarking reply. The wizard hasn't even tried getting to his feet yet, instead choosing to sit against the pillar he had been using as cover until the world stops spinning. Thinking about it, it was probably a pretty good idea, so you remain laying where you dropped.
"... I don't want to know. I really don't. But is everyone alright?" A round of affirmatives greet her, with you simply waving an arm through the air. "So, we have two more captures to bring back to the barricade, and on that note, I should probably give an update. They're mostly alright, just got hit by a rather big rush more or less right after we left, so the barriers have a bit of damage. Otherwise they're good. As far as the medics can tell, Silver Hero will be perfectly fine, just out of it for a while... Any other questions?"
Michael has one, followed by Gabriel, but you don't focus on them. Instead, you focus on a more pressing matter. Namely, Red Rose, who is still beside Solar and Lunar, pulling both of their unconscious forms into a shared hug. The look on her face is such that you're pretty sure she's still trying to decide if she's dreaming or not. That the fact she is holding her friends is actually happening.
Solar Radiance and Lunar Radiance had been the first victims of White Soul after she turned upon the Old Guard. As well as the cruelest of her kills. The mad thing that had replaced the once-immortal hero had crippled the lovers, and sewn their still-living forms together, leaving them to die in an agonizing embrace. When their corpses had been found, the news had hounded the story for weeks afterwards, trying to shake any info about their murder loose that they could. But it hadn't been until Silver Hero was publicly murdered by White Soul that everyone knew what had happened.
So the fact she could hold them. Could feel the beating of their hearts... It is a sensation you can not begrudge Red Rose of being uncertain about. "I trust you." Her words shake you from your reverie. "I... Even after Silver... I didn't believe it. Not even Grey is as hard to beat as these two when they're seriously working together, despite being a lower rank. But sitting here... holding them... I..." She turns, and you try not to flinch.
Tears of blood. Red Rose has never cried as far as you know. But here, in front of you, she is. "Even... Even if we can't save Grey... I... I don't know how to repay you for this. Even... just saying thank you feels like an insult!" Red... no. Amanda squeezes her eyes shut. The oldest Magical Girl to ever live. Who has survived the Discovery of Magic. The Third World War. The Unification Crusade. Who has survived Hope. The woman, who had lost her childhood more than a decade ago before she could even have it, cries over her friends. "Thank you..." You do the only thing you can think of in response.
You kneel beside her and wrap your arms around her shoulders, pulling her close as she cries.
-Operation Soul Collector-
Objective: The neutralization of all Hostile MG Forces within the Dark Hall Necropolis
Optional Objective: The Retrieval of all Mind Controlled Magical Girls within the Dark Hall Necropolis
Failure: Death of the insertion team / Escape of the Unified Darkness task force
[] What do you do with Solar and Lunar Radiance?
Status of Team Gear: Nepgear: Calmed, Ready (Current Health: 12,600) James: Ready Samael: Ready, Tired (Chance of a Spell not going through when cast) Michael: Ready, Tired (Chance of not having an available attack) Gabriel: Ready, Exhausted (Unavailable: Double-Hit, Juggernaut, Flight / ATP reduced to 1) Lucky: Ready, Frightened (Unavailable: Omni-Caster) Aquila: Ready, Slightly Rattled
Sega: Slightly stressed. 1% reduction on Base Resilience and Base Damage.
Status of Assault Team: Red Rose: Ready, Trust Restored Brilliant Key: Rattled (Chance of hesitating on an attack) Insight: Ready, Slightly Rattled
Status of Barricade Forces:
Main Barricade: Minor Breach
Goddess Gold: Pissed, Slightly distracted, (1d10 chance of being taken by surprise if fighting breaks out. Likelihood of bulldozing her way into the Necropolis without warning.)
Barricade Defenders: 'Minor' Wounds
+125xp Red Rose Unleashed
+500xp Butchered a Beast of Gaia, and have proven the Supremacy of Man
+500xp Conquered the Unconquered Sun
So Grey Champion (which is apparently more bullshit than the Solar/Luna combo) and Crazy White left... Well beside the hidden trumpcard that the UD has in reserve and the timer before the defenders are overrun/Rei is killed. Joy.
So Grey Champion (which is apparently more bullshit than the Solar/Luna combo) and Crazy White left... Well beside the hidden trumpcard that the UD has in reserve and the timer before the defenders are overrun/Rei is killed. Joy.
Dude. Goddess Gold, the number 1 Magical Girl, isn't going to be killed by anything the Unified Darkness could pull out for this. The only thing with even a chance of killing her that they could possibly have here would be Juggernaut Drive, and we already know that she's going to pop like a soap bubble the second the fight starts thanks to Rei's Overwhelming Presence.
While I hate to say it the whole fight with Solar/Lunar was simply boring and frustrating so I'm glad it's done.
I think the problem comes from two main sources:
The first is that simply put we, the players, had no idea what we were doing. We had to throw bullshit we barely understand (Team GEAR + Backup) against a mixture of bullshit we don't know and bullshit we don't understand. This made any kind of strategy besides "throw random shit and see what happens" pretty much worthless.
Further complicating matters was that this was an incredibly high stakes battle where Nepgear could die at the drop of a hat, which is fairly frustrating after all the effort we put into ensuring that can't happen, and killing our enemy, even accidentally, was an instant lose condition, or at least presented as such, due to one of our alliesflipping out and teamkilling us.
The second problem is that this was, from the beginning, a battle Team GEAR could not contribute to. I know it's important to other high tier characters are relevant and all but the only effect we had on this battle was telling Red Rose she can win (IE: being her Tuxedo Kamen) and cleaning up (destroying the seals) after she's won.
The entire reason interactive games exist is to let the player(s) get involved and be the hero. Standing back and watching someone else be the hero goes against that and makes you wonder "why am I playing this?"
Of course this raises the question of why it was a problem this mission and not last mission where it was Judgement Core who was the hero who saved the day. Well in part I think that comes down to it effectively being a cutscene, with Nepgear knocked out and all, but I think the real reason, and the same reason we enjoy seeing the rest of Team GEAR be awesome, is because Judgement Core has been built up as a character we like.
Red Rose appeared early on as someone who helped train Nepgear and Team GEAR but she was never really developed. She was just a generic superbadass blowing time by training newbies. After that she disappeared for about nine months IRL and 143k words until she reappeared this mission. At which point her first note worthy action was flipping out and threatening to murder Nepgear.
Basically she's some rando who hasn't left the best impression so seeing her win, especially when all the characters we like are completely useless, gets a solid "meh".
The first is that simply put we, the players, had no idea what we were doing. We had to throw bullshit we barely understand (Team GEAR + Backup) against a mixture of bullshit we don't know and bullshit we don't understand. This made any kind of strategy besides "throw random shit and see what happens" pretty much worthless.
The second problem is that this was, from the beginning, a battle Team GEAR could not contribute to. I know it's important to other high tier characters are relevant and all but the only effect we had on this battle was telling Red Rose she can win (IE: being her Tuxedo Kamen) and cleaning up (destroying the seals) after she's won.
Here's a little detail: if Team GEAR hadn't come on this mission, Red Rose would have succeeded anyway, though quite likely with little to none of the resurrected saved.
Also, there were a few behind-the-scenes issues with the fight.
The entire reason interactive games exist is to let the player(s) get involved and be the hero. Standing back and watching someone else be the hero goes against that and makes you wonder "why am I playing this?"
This, however, I reject. People voted to come here, and sometimes, you're in a situation where you literally can't contribute. If you vote to go onto a battlefield with level 15's to 20's when you're level 10, don't be shocked that there's times you don't actually contribute all that much.
Red Rose is the hero of another story, quite near-literally since she was another of the starting character options.
Well, at least we'll probably be more useful in the upcoming fight against...probably Grey Champion, since she's the last of the non-evil MGs. I honestly wouldn't be too surprised if we confronted White Soul near the getaway...thing that's going to be used to escape. She is a former Number 1, after all.
That would have made things a lot clearer. We'd probably have still taken two updates due to Solar Radiance's Insurmountable Perfection surprise but we'd have had a clear strategy.
Here's a little detail: if Team GEAR hadn't come on this mission, Red Rose would have succeeded anyway, though quite likely with little to none of the resurrected saved.
I'm fairly sure this is something we already knew going into the mission. I vaguely remember it mentioned that Red Rose would win without us but we came to save people.
Also, there were a few behind-the-scenes issues with the snake(mainly me and crystal having different ideas on how it should work) that meant the compromise version wasn't exactly an enemy you could beat.
Well technically it was an enemy we could beat; we'd just die shortly afters to Red Rose.
This, however, I reject. People voted to come here, and sometimes, you're in a situation where you literally can't contribute. If you vote to go onto a battlefield with level 15's to 20's when you're level 10, don't be shocked that there's times you don't actually contribute all that much.
Except there has been nothing so far to indicate we're underleveled for the Necropolis. We got a bad matchup with Solar Radiance's The Unrivaled Radiance of The Sun negating Nepgear's tankiness but then Silver Hero ran into the same problem with Michael and Gabriel no-selling her magic and Nepgear being tanky enough to shrug off her attacks. If anything all the evidance we've encountered shows that Team GEAR is at the level of the Old Guard, excepting Red Rose because she's had years to grow while the rest stagnated thanks to their deaths.
What's more Nepgear has constantly been thrown into battles well over her head and in each and everyone one so far, besides the thing with Sixth Heaven but I already discussed that, she's had ways to significantly contribute. So that's not really a justification.
Honestly I think it's simpler to just write this one off as a boss fight that wasn't planned out as well as it could have been.
Red Rose is the hero of another story, quite near-literally since she was another of the starting character options.
Oh I'm quite sure if we'd spent the time we could have basically become her apprentice instead of Insight. It's just that isn't the path we took so she is, and likely will remain, an undeveloped tertiary character.
Hm. Thinking about it I think this fight could have been done better by altering the Hyper Evolved Snake so that she could be defeated by Team GEAR. Red Rose, Insight, and Brilliant Key would have made a good team for taking on Solar Radiance while Team GEAR took on Lunar Radiance. It would have given the backup crew a chance to show off their stuff without rendering Team GEAR useless. Plus Lunar Radiance is well suited to fighting a large team, all those heads, so our newer members might have got their chance to shine*.
*Our expanded roster (Aquilia, Lucky, and Sega) has fairly consistently been overshadowed by the old Team GEAR (Nepgear, James, Samael, and Michael) and Gabriel.
Hmm, @crystalwatcher, now that she trusts us a ton more, before we proceed onwards, could we ask Red Rose for some intel on the abilities of the remainder of the Old Guard?
Except there has been nothing so far to indicate we're underleveled for the Necropolis. We got a bad matchup with Solar Radiance's The Unrivaled Radiance of The Sun negating Nepgear's tankiness but then Silver Hero ran into the same problem with Michael and Gabriel no-selling her magic and Nepgear being tanky enough to shrug off her attacks. If anything all the evidance we've encountered shows that Team GEAR is at the level of the Old Guard, excepting Red Rose because she's had years to grow while the rest stagnated thanks to their deaths.
What's more Nepgear has constantly been thrown into battles well over her head and in each and everyone one so far, besides the thing with Sixth Heaven but I already discussed that, she's had ways to significantly contribute. So that's not really a justification.
Honestly I think it's simpler to just write this one off as a boss fight that wasn't planned out as well as it could have been.
Okay, I admit that was a bad metaphor. But the thing is, Nepgear and Team GEAR aren't always the best option for a job. They're not invincible heroes who can defeat any enemy, they have weaknesses, flaws and blindspots to go with their strengths.
There's going to be times where there's nothing they can do. There's going to be times where they're the only ones who can do anything. There's going to be enemies that can crush them easily, and enemies they crush easily.
And there's going to be times where they just have to sit down, and trust others to do their job. This fight shows that.
Also, might I remind you that people were complaining that it seemed like Nepgear was the only competent one around, and everything hinged on her. Hell, you were one of them! That just got shown to be false.
Oh I'm quite sure if we'd spent the time we could have basically become her apprentice instead of Insight. It's just that isn't the path we took so she is, and likely will remain, an undeveloped tertiary character.
Eh, maybe, maybe not. Saving the Old Guard will have earned a lot of good will, and the Old Guard are likely going to be stationed near us for the same reason Sega is: so they observe to see if there's any lasting effects/problems.
Hm. Thinking about it I think this fight could have been done better by altering the Hyper Evolved Snake so that she could be defeated by Team GEAR. Red Rose, Insight, and Brilliant Key would have made a good team for taking on Solar Radiance while Team GEAR took on Lunar Radiance. It would have given the backup crew a chance to show off their stuff without rendering Team GEAR useless. Plus Lunar Radiance is well suited to fighting a large team, all those heads, so our newer members might have got their chance to shine*.
Now, I figure since we have a decent XP stockpile, we should upgrade our abilities. And since we're going up against someone who has access to that "turn healing into damage" super ability, I think we should upgrade our health. More base health means more health gained from Segarite Core, and therefore we gain a bigger buffer before that ability becomes a serious threat.
[X] Upgrade INDESTRUCTIBLE CORE to level 25 (2050 XP)
This vastly increases our base health, the amount of health we get from Segarite Core, our survivability in general, and will hopefully buy us time to defeat Grey Champion, or White Soul, or whoever it is with the spell.
Buying ICORE will not help with the healing->damage girl because Segarite Core works on Nepgear's maximum Health. Actually I'd say buying levels in ICORE shortens the amount of time we have. The trick is that since Segarite Core's effect is being flipped from positive to negative what matters is how many turns it has been active. If we have 5 turns of Segarite Core boosting Nepgear then it will take 5 turns of draining Nepgear before we start loosing normal Health.
The problem with rising ICORE's level is that due to the increase in Segarite Core's effectiveness it effectively shortens the counter since earlier turns of healing count for less.
Right now Nepgear has 12,600 Health. For simplicity lets say the next enemy we face is the healing->damage girl and that five turns pass between then and now. At our current ICORE level this brings Nepgear to 28,350 Health and so we would have 9 turns, barring any additional damage, before Segarite Core kills Nepgear. Meanwhile if we upgrade ICORE to level 25 Nepgear's Health should (assuming it doesn't take the bonus Health from our excecsss) jump to 14,400 and after 5 turns be at 36,900 at which point it will take 8.2 turns for Segarite Core to kill Nepgear.
I think we're better off holding onto our XP for now. [X]Save it~
allies
