"James, Aquila." The two look to you. "You guys bring Grey Champion back to the barricade."
"You sure you want both of us to go?" James looks to Red Rose's sister with a wary expression. "I'm not sure if we should let you leave our sight."
"Hey, I'm not that bad! Besides. I've got my sis with me!" The older Boheart waves a hand from her position behind Insight. Your sister was probably feeling slightly left out by now. "Anyway, I want you guys to go back to the barricade because it's likely they'll need your help more than we will."
"You mean the missing undead."
"Right. Goddess Gold won't be able to help a whole lot herself out front, so if they're under attack, I think they'll need your help more than us. And on that note, Insight, do you want to go with them, or will you stick with us? I'm not sure how much help you'll be in the upcoming battle."
The older girl shrugs, "I'll stick with you and Red for now. Gut tells me you'll need me more than the barricade forces will soon enough."
You nod. "Alright." You pick up Grey, before handing her off to James, who grunts at the sudden weight. Even though it's almost insignificant thanks to his armor-enhanced strength. "Once we come to the split, you and Aquila head to the barricade. Make sure to keep Grey alive, alright?"
"Alright... Since when did you become so bossy?" You smile and stick your tongue out at him as Sega leads the way to the courtyard exit.
(5 Turns
Segarite Core: +22,500
Anarite Generators: +11,060
Solid Core: 29,610 + 22,500 = 52,110
Solid Drive: 18,407 + 11,060 = 29,467)
With James and Aquila splitting off at the pass with Grey Champion, you're left with only Red Rose, Insight, and your sister as backup for the final confirmed girl in the necropolis: White Soul.
"Hey, Red Rose?"
The whole party slows as you speak up.
"Yeah, kid?"
"Um..." You fidget with the Purifier Beam, careful to keep your finger off the trigger. "How do you... how do you want to deal with White Soul? I mean... the Old Guard were close, but I'm not sure how you want to handle her."
Red Rose comes to a stop behind you, placing her hands on her hips and taps a foot against the ground in thought. Though, after a moment, she heaves a sigh before running her left hand through her hair. "I'm honestly not sure, kid. White and I loved each other. Not as...
that... but more platonic. Or at least, I did. We realized early on, and she'd readily admitted it, that there was something deeply wrong with the way she thought. She could get... obsessed is the best way to describe it. And at some point, she apparently decided her obsession was me, I think. Whatever it was sent her off the deep end, started killing both sides in droves." She gives a smile filled with melancholy as she gazes into the middle distance. "I think the best we can do for her is to put her down. Before she can cause even more damage."
"Any suggestions on how to do that though?" Sega interrupts. "Because as strong as we are, I can't really think of a way for the four of us to kill her outside of how you did it the first time."
"True. But the problem with that is the same things don't tend to work on her twice." Red's melancholy fades as she crosses her arms and looks at your sister. "So just rushing in and flinging my
Sudden Death at her won't work. She'll know to keep an eye out for it. If anything our best bet will be to hit her with a large area of effect attack like Solid Core's
Starshine, or one of Insight's grenades."
"I don't think my grenades would work." Insight chimes in this time. "The delay would give her too much of a chance to leap out of the way before they go off. I mostly brought the damned things to deal with adds."
"Something we haven't needed to deal with thanks to my Team's added firepower."
Insight nods at you. "Exactly. So the most I'll be able to do is point out possible traps."
"If it comes down to a straight battle, I'm pretty sure I'll be tough enough to at least hold her in one place long enough for Red to catch her." You look at Red Rose. "Think that might be enough?"
Red pinches her bottom lip as she mulls your suggestion over. "That might work. Regardless, it's all we really got."
"Then let's get going."
Once again, you take point as the Assault Team — or what's left of it — goes up the narrow path towards the center of the necropolis. The vine-ridden walls give a slightly disturbing backdrop through the dim light that manages to make it through the thick foliage overhead.
(5 Turns
Segarite Core: +22,500
Anarite Generators:+11,060
Solid Core: 52,110 + 22,500 = 74,610
Solid Drive: 29,467 + 11,060 = 40,527)
"Assault Team, this is Basilicom! You hear me?"
"We hear you Basilicom. Loud and clear." You manage to cut off Sega before she makes a smart-ass comment.
"I've been following your progress through the team-cam in your communicator, and noticed something. At the end of this stretch, there's a Brand-Craft array lining the changeover. It's pretty obvious you're going to be walking into a trap."
"Can you identify what kind of array it is?"
"According to my database, it's some kind of shield, or barrier. Likely meant to trap something on one side or the other. It'll be tied to something, likely an enemy in the area to keep it going."
"...Thanks for the heads up. Red, what do you think?"
The older girl frowns. "It's likely White. The barrier will probably activate once we're all through to trap us into the next path segment with her."
"Sounds straightforward." You heft your Purifier Beam over your shoulder. "What's the catch?"
"I'm not sure if it's some way to separate us. Seems like the most likely solution."
"Then it's simple: We rush the barrier." Sega slaps a hand onto Red's shoulder. "If it wasn't meant to separate us, then good. If it does, then more than one of us are likely to make it across."
"Then let's do that." You turn back around. "On the count of three, we run for it."
You hear the other three take sprinting position.
"
One." You spread your feet, pulling your weapon into position.
"Two." Your muscles tense.
"Three!" You all kick off together. Instantly though, it is clear you're not all going to make it.
Insight is too slow, and falls into last place almost immediately. Sega more glides across the ground at speed that actually runs, pulling almost even with Red Rose. But just as you cross the threshold you pull ahead of all of them, just enough that the barrier trap snaps shut behind you.
And like that, you're alone on the wrong side of the barrier.
"One little piggy..." You lash out at the ethereal voice. Energy erupts from the Panzer Blade in a wave of destruction, your pink/purple
light ripping through the air seeking a victim...
(Segarite Core: +4,500
Solid Core: 74,610 + 4,500 = 79,110 Health Remaining
Revel In Darkness: -19,777
Solid Core: 79,110 - 19,777 = 59,333 Health Remaining
Panzer Blade: 12,921 Base Damage, +237 Dice, +0 Juggernaut = 13,158 Total Damage
White Soul: 0 Base Resilience, -0 Smite = 0 Damage Reduction
Target isn't there!
Surrounding Zone: 0 Base Resilience, No Dice = 0 Damage Reduction
13,158 Total End Damage
Necropolis Structure: 956,376 - 13,158 = 943,218 Health Remaining)
...and passes through her.
Stone shatters, and rock gives way as your light obliterates all in its path. But when it comes to White Soul, your blade simply passes through her as she fades like an after image.
"Oh? You're a strong one!"
You spin in place, eyes tracking faster than a regular human could follow. Just to come nose-to-nose with the fallen Champion. "Gah!" You flinch backwards in surprise, trying to open distance between the both of you.
You're not fast enough.
(The White River: 1,000 Base Damage, No Dice, +520 Armor Pierce (False) = 1,520 Total Damage
Solid Core: 2,600 Base Resilience, +62 Dice, -1,300 Unstoppable (False) = 1,362 Damage Reduction
158 Total End Damage
Indestructible Core
Murder (False) Blocked by Indestructible Core!
Dazzle (False) Blocked by Indestructible Core!)
The white liquid tries to slam into you. It tries to drill through your seemingly thin armor, and crawl down your throat to drown you. It tries, but fails. That thin barrier of light that once couldn't do so much as slow your foe's attack down stops White Soul's River cold. Drops splash around you with enough force to cut into stone, but against you, the greater bulk of her attack might as well be water from a shower head.
Your foot slams down, digging into the earth below you as your balance returns. White Soul stares at you wide-eyed as you plow clean through her attack like the nothing it is. "
Celestial Severance!"
(Segarite Core: +4,500
Solid Core: 59,333 + 4,500 = 63,833
Revel In Darkness: -15,958
Solid Core: 63,833 - 15,958 = 47,875
Celestial Severance: 3,276,800 Base Damage, +429 Dice, +500 Divine Power = 3,277,729
Celestial Severance: 3,276,800 Base Damage, +192 Dice, +500 Divine Power = 3,277,492
White Soul: 0 Base Resilience, No Dice = 0 Damage Reduction
Target isn't there!
Echo: 0)
Blades of shining white cleave through her fading image, even as the force of your attack blasts her River all around you. Rock and stone hangs in the air as the two of you trade blows back and forth. But it's also obvious what you're at: a stalemate. You finally, perfectly, understand why everyone had considered her unkillable.
Every swing of your blade passes through her as she deletes each instance of herself that comes under attack, even as the other instance casts her cloning spell. Both of her copies are right here, but one makes sure to always be out of reach as the other moves to attack you. Each retaliation is met with the fading of her image.
White Soul splits again as your attack fades, but you don't move to attack her. Instead, you take the sudden lull in the fight to peek over your shoulder towards the barrier separating you from the rest of the assault team.
Red lightning greets you. Sega slams her blade against the wall of light keeping her away from you as Insight presses herself against a wall, while Red Rose is bracing herself to hold back a second barrier that was trying to shrink the space they're in to even smaller proportions. As it is, the space is too small for either Red Rose or your sister to bring enough power to bear against either barrier without killing Insight. Or harming one another.
"When they told me Amanda would be bringing friends, I wasn't expecting this." You return your full attention to White Soul. The crazed woman is almost relaxed, an almost
happy smile on her face as she looks at you. "She was such a loner when I was alive. If it wasn't for me and Michele, she wouldn't have talked with anybody!" She gasps, and brings her hands to her cheeks, giving off a sudden air of shyness. "I was so worried that after I died, she'd become a recluse! A hermit! With no friends!"
You try not to sweatdrop, since that is exactly what happened after White Soul had killed the other members of the Old Guard.
"I must thank you for looking after her..." Her hands drop, along with the cutesy-attitude. All innocence fleeing her form as she glares at you with a killing intent. "But it's about time you curled up and died. Now that I'm back, Amanda doesn't need anyone else."
The White River flows upwards in defiance of gravity, as you ready the Purifier Beam. Sega shouts your name, but it is indistinct through your focus. "You're the last thing Amanda needs."
[] Battle Plan?
-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
Status of Team Gear:
Nepgear: Ready (Current Health: 47,875)
James: Returned to Barricade
Samael: Returned to Barricade, Tired (Chance of a Spell not going through when cast)
Michael: Returned to Barricade, Tired (Chance of not having an available attack)
Gabriel: Returned to Barricade, Exhausted (Unavailable: Double-Hit, Juggernaut, Flight / ATP reduced to 1)
Lucky: Returned to Barricade, Frightened (Unavailable: Omni-Caster)
Aquila: Returned to Barricade, Slightly Rattled
Sega: Trapped behind Brandcraft Seal, Panicked (50% Increase to Damage, 50% Decrease to Resilience) (Current Health: 40,527)
Status of Assault Team:
Red Rose: Trapped behind Brandcraft Seal
Brilliant Key: Returned to Barricade, Unavailable, Rattled (Chance of hesitating on an attack)
Insight: Trapped behind Brandcraft Seal
Status of Barricade Forces:
Main Barricade: Under Seige
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 Healed to Full
+50xp Survived White Soul's initial ambush
50 EXP Gained = 1,000 EXP Total
[] EXP Plan?
[]Save It~