Try adding up all the things you might want to bring to level 10.
Scorching Sunlight
Soothing Moonlight
Moon Health
Sun Health
Moon Flight
Sun Flight
Baleful Eclipse
Moon's Scepter
Sun's Scepter
If you try buying them all up to level 10 instead of level 5 that's 3150 EXP that's getting spread out instead of focused.
You could bring 2 items to level 17 with that much EXP. If you picked the Scepters they would have (293 Damage/355,170 Magic Modifier - 650 Damage/1,709 Magic Modifier) vs (63 Damage/5,802 Magic Modifier - 370 Damage/210 Magic Modifier) at level 10, for an example.
>_> And I want to spend EXP plugging in our newest member into the hivemind...
Are you trying to pick specific examples and use them for generalization? It isn't working out very well. Most of those are either unnecessary, or were purchased as part of prerequisites.
Frankly, if we're going a wishlist?
-Sunlight Scepter 15 (270 EXP)
-Veil of the Lunar Goddess 15 (270 EXP)
-Radiant Shine Unbroken (650 EXP)
-Mistress of the Tide (700 EXP)
-Advanced Connection - World Eater (500 EXP)
-Powerful Skin 15 (390 EXP)
-Shedding Skin (1000 EXP)
It currently includes 1890 EXP on behalf of the twins (and 1350 of those are the two Supers), Ana's Advanced Connection (for visual and audial link, 500 EXP), and her own Super (1390 EXP including prerequisites). Take away the Supers, and it's 1040 EXP total.
Are you trying to pick specific examples and use them for generalization? It isn't working out very well. Most of those are either unnecessary, or were purchased as part of prerequisites.
I'm trying to establish the opportunity cost of trying to grab every Ability. Foregoing some Abilities would save you from having to level those prerequisites, and with exponential growth the point where those abilities are more valuable than levels can be rather high. Imagine an Ability that gave 50% End Damage reduction to Moon for 500 EXP, when would that be a better purchase than levels in Veil of the Lunar Goddess?
...You know, it suddenly struck me that Veil of the Solar Goddess effectively grants usAuto Max Charge on Sunlight Scepter already - as well as twice that value on defense strings, immunity to mental effects, and partial resistance to Smite. And that actually getting this Super on the Scepter will do no more and no less than equalize Sun's magic modifier related contributions to offense string and defense string.
I'm trying to establish the opportunity cost of trying to grab every Ability. Foregoing some Abilities would save you from having to level those prerequisites, and with exponential growth the point where those abilities are more valuable than levels can be rather high. Imagine an Ability that gave 50% End Damage reduction to Moon for 500 EXP, when would that be a better purchase than levels in Veil of the Lunar Goddess?
Well, let's see. TLDR version - there really wasn't much of anything we had prerequisites for, that we needn't have purchased those prerequisites. The two purchases I'm willing to categorize as frivolous in any way were the prerequisite to a Super we've yet to purchase (Solar Blessing 10, 350 EXP cost), and one of Moon's abilities we haven't really seen much use of (Otherworldly Radiance, 300 EXP). Everything else remains unpurchased in the first place, had prerequisites that were perfectly justified, or was worth it all by itself.
Primordial Sun presently has ALL of her Shop Items with all prerequisites filled. The abilities that required leveling other abilities, were the following:
1) Radiant Shine Unbroken (650 EXP) - Solar Blessing 10, Magic Modifier 10000+ - is actually the only one we have yet to purchase. And Supers are always worth it.
2) Radiance (150 EXP) - Solar Blessing 5, Shell of Light 5 - well within low-requirements threshold, and the opportunity cost is extremely low - raising a weapon and a spell once would usually more than cover it.
Moving on to other shop items purchased: Flight (100 EXP - always useful), Health and Resilience abilities (100+60 EXP - always necessary), Advanced Catalyst (85 EXP, x2 MM vs 100 EXP, x1.8 MM - better), Incandescent Weapon, Incandescent Armor, and Veil of the Solar Goddess with them as prerequisites... Worth it, IMO.
Primordial Moon presently has ONE of her Shop Items still unfulfilled in levelled abilities - and it's a costly one. I doubt we'd go for it anyway, but here's the full list:
1) Self-Sufficiency (450 EXP) - Moonlight Scepter 10 (350 EXP) - this will apparently improve her Scepter damage (or damage scaling). With Absolute Connection, this is ignoreable.
2) Radiant Conductor (180 EXP) - Soothing Moonlight 5, Lunar Blessing 10 - the other un-purchased ability. Its prerequisites are however beyond reproach, because of the next one.
3) Veil of the Lunar Goddess (500 EXP) - Lunar Blessing 10, Protective Sihlouette 10 - was totally worth it and you can't tell me otherwise - also, shares Lunar Blessing with above.
Moving on to other shop items purchased: Flight (100 EXP - always useful), Health and Resilience abilities (100+50 EXP - always necessary), The Aegis (110 EXP - allowed Sun to power through pain, possibly evolved into now-joint ability of Primordial Aegis), Moonlight: Multi-Target (100 EXP - excellent spell boost we're using now), All is Equal (250 EXP - prevented Bad End at least once), Shining Protector (200 EXP - prevented Bad End at least once), Otherworldly Radiance (300 EXP)...
In all honesty, Otherworldly Radiance is so far the only purchase we have yet to see use of. It was part of the same vote (link to tally) that gave us Solar Blessing 10, Shining Protector and Absolute Connection - and arguably the only EXP plan at the time that was about as good in hindsight had but a single vote - Dragou's plan that also had Solar Blessing 10 and Shining Protector, but also Veil upgrade, Scepter upgrade and another Super instead of Absolute Connection.
Incidentally, I now recall that I expected Otherworldly Radiance to be just that - a 300-exp auto-reduction of incoming damage, to give us effectively a doubled no-sell threshold. Would have become a good option at Veil level 20 or so, objectively.
Well, if you get back to Bianca and spend some time with her as your tutor after buying Applied Teachings, she might not give you Skilled (as she does not have it herself)... but she very well might be able to teach you Superior Discipline.
Especially its secondary property no one but me knows about so far might be interesting to Rico.
Not saying what it is, though.
Given Bianca's latest performance, is that property: "Control damage inflicted by basic attacks with 0.1% margin precision, up to 99.9% damage reduction."?
I am now imagining Pris with Inhuman Skill, Masterful Dodge and Superior Discipline - and smiling.
The thing about OR is that it makes Moon survive a 100% max health unstoppable attack by 700 health. That's really it's primary merit. It also means Moon doesn't need to use Become whole again on herself, because it will take care of any body modifiers, so it saves a spell on healing ourselves.
It hasn't payed off yet or anything. But it does have value.
The thing about OR is that it makes Moon survive a 100% max health unstoppable attack by 700 health. That's really it's primary merit. It also means Moon doesn't need to use Become whole again on herself, because it will take care of any body modifiers, so it saves a spell on healing ourselves.
It hasn't payed off yet or anything. But it does have value.
If we ever level Moon's Scepter (probably so that she has more APT), it also acts as a soft counter to Smite, which would otherwise be a weakness shared with Sun. Since Moon's MM is exponential but her Base Resilience isn't.
Also helps a lot if Moon is off balance because she used Skillful Dodge with fewer than 4 APT. Remember that "-2500 Bad Positioning" that happened to Sun in the Bad End? It protects Moon against that.
Is it just me or do the Primordial Legacy items seem totally useless? I haven't noticed any time-of-day problems cropping up for our intrepid pair, and even if there was something like a 50% damage malus it would seem easier and cheaper to just pick up an extra level or two. The other thought was it would make the special omni-casters easier to use, but PL is apparently standalone. Further confounding investigation is how the hivemind Pris could ever be seperated from herself.
So it's a mystery box with a 300 (600) EXP price tag after the thread had been scolded for chasing mystery boxes without a plan. And it doesn't seem to improve any problems the questers deem important. If you ever want someone to buy these you should give them a better description, because right now it looks perfectly useless.
Another thing I want to bring up is that Primordial Moon's kit has made her increasingly useless in a fight. Some of her upgrades have aggravated this even further, Rico has a serious case of "Mercy Problem" where she's encouraged to hide behind a wall or something while others fight. She used to want to play the role of tank, but with Shining Protector she doesn't need to draw fire to do that and is in fact better if someone with higher defense takes the blow to reduce damage first. If she just takes damage for people she doesn't need to stay nearby to heal, she can just heal herself. And if something hits where her Make Whole Again spell helps she doesn't want to be the one hit with that effect.
Even with complete connection it feels less like she offers anything, just that she can magnify Sun's actually useful effects by being nearby. If you aren't doubling one of Sun's strikes or shooting Baleful Eclipse she's better off staying back to keep an eye on things and offer her actions for Sun's Dodges/Skill negations. Sun can even use all her healing spells at full effectiveness (or better if the caster upgrades go to Sun with some speed boosts). There are a few items that address this, but from an efficiency standpoint they look much worse than focusing on the already potent kit Sun has. Especially since Sun has a set of effects that have been revealed whereas Moon is still to be unlocked. And one of Moon's upgrades outright says it's also a perk for Sun.
Given Bianca's latest performance, is that property: "Control damage inflicted by basic attacks with 0.1% margin precision, up to 99.9% damage reduction."?
All good points. Most of which I hope will be rectified with the next Update; changes have been made in the background already.
However, one thing I do not agree with is the part about Moon. At least not entirely.
Of course Eva could hang out at the sidelines and just take everything, but the enemy will not conveniently always shoot at the others. If they see what she does, they will go after her with a vengeance. With your pitiful Flight, there is no keeping Moon out of a fight that takes more than a turn or two.
Additionally, with your last point... might you be talking about this one? It says that it 'modifies' Sun's damage.
Radiant Conductor
-Whenever Primordial Sun casts Scorching Sunlight, Moon can siphon off up to 25% of its damage in increments of 1%; can be kept for two turns at most and used to increase damage of basic attacks.
An Ability that was unlocked around the time Sun accidentally killed a man.
The reason I am showing you what it does is that it is going to vanish with the following changes. It is overall useless now.
I do see what you mean, though; need to take another look at everything to make sure I got all of this corrected.
Thank you for taking the time.
Yes.
Additionally, I need to retract the statement about her not having Skill. I recently realised it makes little sense for her not to have that.
Primordial Legacy is about only one body being in an encounter.
All good points. Most of which I hope will be rectified with the next Update; changes have been made in the background already.
However, one thing I do not agree with is the part about Moon. At least not entirely.
Of course Eva could hang out at the sidelines and just take everything, but the enemy will not conveniently always shoot at the others. If they see what she does, they will go after her with a vengeance. With your pitiful Flight, there is no keeping Moon out of a fight that takes more than a turn or two.
Additionally, with your last point... might you be talking about this one? It says that it 'modifies' Sun's damage.
An Ability that was unlocked around the time Sun accidentally killed a man.
The reason I am showing you what it does is that it is going to vanish with the following changes. It is overall useless now.
I do see what you mean, though; need to take another look at everything to make sure I got all of this corrected.
Thank you for taking the time.
Honestly, an ability that allows Moon to use Sun's saved Magic Modifier, or even a fraction of it, is what I thought Radiant Conductor would be.
I still think such an ability, even or perhaps especially by siphoning it from Sun proper, would both grant Moon combat viability and grant Pris combat flexibility. And reduce the "lonely Moon" problems.
Sun's damage, bolstered by her Veil, would remain mostly untouched. Synchronized Damage will be untouched in dual scepter attacks (like knocking out), and be variable in scepter+spell attacks (either to kill outright, where it's unneccessary, or to soften them up, where it's welcome).
Also, this kind of ability, if channeled through Absolute Connection and/or Balance Affinity, would lose things like needing to be on the same battlefield - same thing that happened to New Moon's Aegis when it evolved into Primordial Aegis. Thematically using the fact Full Moon shines with the reflected light of the Sun.
Something like this (pre-Absolute Connection and post-Absolute Connection)
Full Moon's Brilliance
When on the same battlefield as Primordial Sun, may borrow up to 25% of saved Magic Modifier to improve Moon's basic damage by the same value. Temporarily lowers Sun's damage and defense by the same value until the end of turn with each attack.
Note - would be implemented as an extra addition to damage string, "+XXX Reflected Sunlight" and "-XXX Borrowed Sunlight" modifiers.
Primordial Brilliance
Freely transfer up to 50% of Primordial Sun's saved Magic Modifier between Primordial Sun and Primordial Moon.
Note - or even up to 100%, with her Veil the Sun will shine as bright as the Moon in that case.
It sounds neat on paper, but what does it actually do? Separate damage from one source to another, without changing anything about it.
In other words, you would have to spend EXP on something that has only the advantage of allowing one or two more attacks liable to deal damage each turn; which is only useful if you fight many mid-level opponents. In any other situation, having all the MM on Sun is more useful than splitting it up. Or rather, splitting up is in no way better.
I would think this kind of Ability is too niche to be viable.
It sounds neat on paper, but what does it actually do? Separate damage from one source to another, without changing anything about it.
In other words, you would have to spend EXP on something that has only the advantage of allowing one or two more attacks liable to deal damage each turn; which is only useful if you fight many mid-level opponents. In any other situation, having all the MM on Sun is more useful than splitting it up. Or rather, splitting up is in no way better.
I would think this kind of Ability is too niche to be viable.
With its upgraded state, it also works to grant additional protection to Moon in case she is hit. Train her up to Block/Intercept, and it's an additional layer of defense for her.
And, it is a workaround to "Moon cannot into combat", especially if the girls are separated. According to Absolute Connection, there really aren't any barriers like distance to using the APT transfer feature. So, presume that Sun is not in combat, but Moon is. Sun transforms, charges up her Magic Modifier, and then lends it to Moon - and even at a great distance, Moon now has 5-6 APT with a really strong punch to them. At Sunlight Scepter 15, it's (5802, 10443, 18797, 33834, 60901, 109621) potentially 80'000 reliable damage Moon can afford to use or block with, even before using it in her Defense String comes up.
EDIT: Actually, Pris' Absolute Connection doesn't indicate that she has APT transfer feature in the first place. This needs rectifying.
This is very much a "for the benefit of Moon" ability, the same as New Moon's Aegis was only granting benefits to Sun.
Add to it the ability to use Shining Protector at Sun even if separated, and the only meaningful difference between Sun and Moon separate and united will be the lack of synchronized attacks and synchronized spells.
Also, depending on how it's realized (whether it has a limit to how many times per turn the transfer may happen or change in intensity), it might mean that both Sun and Moon have an effectively VERY LARGE Damage/Damage Reduction, with the caveat that damage (usually) doesn't really reflect on their Synchronized attacks.
EDIT: With this, Otherworldly Radiance would also help if Moon borrows Sun's MM for her defense string AND gets Smited. So no worries there as well.
EDIT: You may even make the limit to transfer alteration per turn be soft-mechanics locked, and trainable, from "once per turn, all or nothing", to "once per action, in 25-50-75-100% chunks", to "whenever they want, even if meeting people hitting them both in the same turn with 20+ attacks each".
With its upgraded state, it also works to grant additional protection to Moon in case she is hit. Train her up to Block/Intercept, and it's an additional layer of defense for her.
No?
Adding it explicitely on Complete Connection was a mistake in the first place; it is a secondary effect, not a primary one.
Plus, the only thing they can pool their ApT for is Skilled and Skillful Dodge. Nothing else.
No "Sun attacks five times and Moon not at all" or stuff like that.
According to "Strategy Reigns SUPREME" threadmark, Primordial Moon applies her defensive string before applying her Veil of the Lunar Goddess no-sell. So if I have to choose between:
1) Either blocking 24% health in damage, or letting 46% health in damage through
2) Either blocking 24+20=44% health in damage, or letting 46-20=26% health in damage through
I know I'd choose the second one.
Veil of the Lunar Goddess 15 has (98781, 167927, 285475) Health, and correspondingly (24695, 41981, 71368) no-sell threshold.
When choosing between the ability to ignore 71k damage, and the ability to ignore 150k damage, I choose to ignore 150k damage.
When choosing between the ability to lower incoming 160k damage by 80k if it beats the no-sell threshold, and not having the ability to, I know I'd choose to have the ability.
Veil of the Lunar Goddess 16 (150 EXP) would have 485307 Health, and 121326 no-sell threshold. So even from defensive standpoint, it costing 150-200 EXP is fine from that angle alone.
Add to it the damage boost we'd be really hard pressed to match otherwise (as is, Moonlight Scepter 20 - 1800 EXP away - barely gives us some 6k damage, and Self-Sufficiency is costly AND not quite as explicit), AND that said damage boost incidentally scales with Sun's primary defenses, and the choice is even easier.
EDIT: Assuming Moonlight Scepter at Level 15 and Self-Sufficiency would give us those comparable 80k damage/damage reduction, we'd have to pay 350+450+600=1400 EXP to raise it that far. Borrowing half of Sun's damage for those same 80k for 300 EXP? A great bargain.
EDIT cont': This assumes that Self-Sufficiency improves Moonlight Scepter's damage scaling for both damage and magic modifier really good. And even if it does, having to raise TWO abilities for exponential scaling vs having to raise THREE is also a great bargain.
No?
Adding it explicitely on Complete Connection was a mistake in the first place; it is a secondary effect, not a primary one.
Plus, the only thing they can pool their ApT for is Skilled and Skillful Dodge. Nothing else.
No "Sun attacks five times and Moon not at all" or stuff like that.
Hmmm. Okay, I'll stop at this point, but I'll be keeping a tally.
So, abysmal Moon damage, abysmal Moon damage scaling, abysmal performance of Moon in solo combat, abysmal Moon defense against things that pierce her no-sell, zero point in training Moon blocking due to abysmal damage, huge cost of Moon damage increase to par even if scaling is improved, the need for COSTLY leveling of three separate abilities (two scepters and a veil) to raise damage and defenses of both twins well as opposed to raising ONLY two separate abilities (a scepter and a veil) for the same, my idea of borrowed Sun's saved magic modifier giving an actual definite use for Otherworldly Radiance in anti-Smite countermeasures, and... I think those are all the points I draw out from my previous three-four posts. That's what, 8 points all addressed with one idea, one purchase?
It came to my attention that several things need a few tweaks.
Changelog Sun
There was a mention of Sun's Super Ability being objectively stronger than Moon's; after some consideration, I find myself agreeing.
Veil of the Solar Goddess All opposition crumbles on my chosen path, for I guide your way.
-Add 100% of your Magic Modifier to basic attacks and reduce Total End Damage by 100x the sum of all your combined Levels. If you fight alone, also add 25% of your Magic Modifier as aditional resilience.
-Immune to mind-altering effects.
Additional Changes (retroactive):
-Sunlight Scepter's Base Damage now grows by x1.4 per Level (previously x1.25)
-Sunlight Scepter's Magic Modifier now grows by x1.6 per Level (previously x1.8)
Because before, putting a few points in Sun's weapon was casually making her achieve strength she should not have without serious investment.
Sunlight Scepter: Spellslinger removed from the Shop. (I realise it should not have been there in the first place) Primordial Legacy removed from the Shop. (The players do not seem interested in going solo anyway) Consuming Light removed from the Shop. (As it was disregarded as a viable option)
Solar Seal added to the Shop (to make up for the loss in survivability a little) Event Horizon added to the Shop.
Recent discussion makes me realise that while giving one girl linear damage was okay at the start, it is detrimental now.
First thing on the list however... an exponentially scaling damage-nullification appears rather bad to me in hindsight.
Veil of the Lunar Goddess Even in the darkest of nights, even if you can not see me, I will watch over you.
Level 13
-Increases Maximum Health and Base Resilience.
-Total End Damage below 13,000 is nullified; immune to mind-altering effects.
Retroactively:
-Moonlight Scepter's Base Damage now grows by x1.6 per Level (previously +40)
-Moonlight Scepter's Magic Modifier now grows by 50 per Level (previously x1.35)
-Moonlight Scepter's Levitate was replaced with Intercept
-Primordial Moon's Maximum Health now grows by x1.6 (previously x1.7) and starts at Veil level 2 [as it should have]
Moonlight Scepter: Judgement removed from the Shop. Radiant Conductor removed from the Shop. Primordial Legacy removed from the Shop. Self-Sufficiency removed from the Shop.
Moonlight Scepter: Overwhelm added to the Shop. Reflected Godlight added to the Shop.
[X] Plan Baleful Diplomacy v2.5
-[X] Refuse Brave Heart politely and ask her to stand down - you are not here to kill, and the remote detonators in her teammates were disabled already.
--[X] If the opposition isn't attacking and is willing to talk, explain your point of view - their pursuit has gone long enough you were asked to intervene. You hope for a peaceful resolution, but will not back down. Supreme Tech is alive, and if they surrender there will be no harm to them. Also, you have a non-lethal spell so you won't be forced to kill them.
--[X] In case hostilities break out, drop Paladin with Baleful Eclipse and dodge Brave Soul's attack the best you can, to disengage. Chi binds Brave Heart the moment Paladin is no longer an issue. Reassure Brave Heart her teammates will be fine.
---[X] Or, if it's unnecessary or impossible, hit Brave Heart with Sunlight Scepter followed by Baleful Eclipse.
-[X] During battle, Chi is keeping an eye out for the soldiers. After all the girls are secure, or in case of emergency, reports what they're up to. Her main priority is Brave Heart though.
-[X] If Brave Heart refuses to detransform after being caught, drop her defense and then hit her with Baleful Eclipse to knock her out. Soul may also contribute. And if one of the girls is afflicted by Affinity Kill, try dropping and reapplying the transformation once Brave Heart is down.
-[X] Secure everyone and go to Clockwork Queen and Judge to share the news.
There are many things you could do, many things you could try... but in the end, with that feeling of impending doom in the back of your mind, you decide to try talking to her first. Both of your scepters are lowered, but not dropped. Brave Heart relaxes fractionally, yet her gaze is still sharp and switches from left to right in quiet watch.
"I... I can't do that. We are here to capture the three of you, so can you not stand down?"
Soul smirks at the baffled silence; Brave blinks in confusion and Paladin... sighs? "Are you for real? Right now isn't-"
"And what makes you think you can take us in?"
"-you are not seriously doing that?"
You suppress the joy over getting an actual response; it would not help at the moment. She is at least willing to talk to you. Now how to go about it... "Well, we do have Tech's and Paladin's bomb-implants disabled. And the situation does not look that good for you in the first place, is what I think."
Your words only make Brave's eyebrow rise, her scepticism very obvious. This time, Paladin actually snorts. "Those little things? I could take them out myself if I wanted to."
"Uh..."
That was not the response you expected. Brave works the fingers around her blade's handle, maybe she is trying to relax them? Either way, her next words make your hopes of solving this peacefully shrivel up: "I don't think you understand the situation you're in. My orders are to kill every Magical Girl on sight. I can make an exception for the two of you and let the rest go as I escort you back. Don't you want to see your sister?"
Or rather, you could solve this peacefully. But only if you give up here and go with her. Telling her Bianca is orchestrating this is out of the question. For some reason however, Paladin flinched; you almost did not see that, so minor was it.
This is about as clear as it can get: they will not stand down, not like this. You are outclassed and know it. And they know it, too. Her bargain is not even that bad, she would let everyone go and make it so you can see your big sister. You might even think about it if Bianca was not involved in all this already.
In a sense of cosmic irony, both sides in this conflict are probably acting on orders from similar sources; hers issued by the Ministry of Defense, yours by the Minister of Defense herself.
With a doubled sigh, you nod. ""I see; neither of us wants to hurt the other, but we have to finish this somehow. But... heh. I do have one thing you don't. A Spell that doesn't kill no matter how hard it hits.""
You immediately charge to different sides, making use of the split-second of surprise. ""Baleful-""
Brave Heart jumps after Sun, keeping herself between your aim and her ally, who still keeps Soul at bay. ""-Eclipse!""
You can feel magic coalescing within yourself, sunlight and moonlight mixing to form something else; it is still incomplete the moment you let it burst out of your scepters, only barely visible in the dark afternoon. One half passes through Brave Heart's chest without stopping, making the girl stumble on the wet concrete; it starts to bloom into a faint flash only when both parts meet around Unyielding Paladin.
(Baleful Eclipse: +81282 Base Damage, -4064 Passing Through Resistance, no dice, +500 Rebalanced Existence = 77,718 Total Damage
Unyielding Paladin: +9000 Base Resilience, -100 Standing Still, -6750 Juggernaut -2250 Armor Pierce, +1125 Adamantine, -529 Smited, +500 Legendary Existence Out of Balance = 7,246 Total Damage Reduction
70,472 Total End Damage
Unwavering Shield (-4,430): 66,042 Total End Damage Shieldwall (50%): 33,021 Total End Damage
Unyielding Paladin knocked out......
But she refused.)
The ground shakes for a moment, your Spell being much, much stronger than the last time it was cast. Your hope for it having grown stronger paid off.
Unyielding Paladin became unseen within the sphere of dark light for a moment while Brave Heart catches herself and turns around- "pRI??0n of S!&K!" -but gets caught in Chi's web with an indignant scream before she can do anything. "No!... Alicia?"
You stare at the glowing form on the ground; Paladin is on her hands and knees, panting heavily... or at least you guess that this is her. Her transformation is gone, leaving a tall girl with short hair; the rain soaks her blouse within moments, making it cling to her skin while she shakily clenches a fist and pushes herself up.
This is wrong. It should have knocked her out. Why is she still standing?
""Baleful Eclipse!""
(Baleful Eclipse: +81282 Base Damage, no dice = 81,282 Total Damage
Alicia Alessi: +5 Base Resilience, -2000 Unable To Move, -3 Juggernaut, no dice = 1,998 Extra Damage
83,280 Final End Damage
Alicia Alessi Health: 100 - 83,280 = -83,180
Alicia Alessi Knocked Out.....)
Another trail of light crashes into the older girl, making her flinch and fall to the ground with a wet thud. "What... stop! Leave her alone!"
You turn one head to Brave Heart, who is still squirming in her binds and tries to burst them with pure strength. It does not work, but her frantic attempts and the panic in her expression make you feel somewhat bad. "I... I don't know what's going on, but I had to make sure-"
The justification is cut off when you find the girl still concious, her eyes focussed on yours with a fierceness you never saw before.
(But she refused)
You flinch back from the downed girl, who tries to get to her feet again; Paladin helplessly shivers on the cold stone, a slight trickle of blood coming from a scraped knee where she fell on ruptured ground. She can not get back up, her body numb and disobeying. Fingers claw uselessly at the wet concrete, nails breaking and leaving traces of red to mix with the water. They gleam sickly from your own light.
After a moment of thought, you decide against casting at her any more. You put down the Moonlight Scepter and carefully use your magical strength -since when were you that strong?- to prop Paladin up against a bigger piece of rubble. Brave watches your actions suspiciously, but her thrashing grows weaker once she sees you leave her friend alone.
Soul has been watching the whole event from the sidelines, sword lowered and with an expression you can not really read.
"So... are you giving up now? If you promise to be good, I can tell my friend to let you out."
It is really easy to see how unexpected your offer is for both Brave and Soul; they both blink a few times until actually having comprehended the offer. Soul does keep quiet despite her visible displeasure, though; she seems to trust you with this.
Brave Heart, on the other hand, contemplates this for a long time. She weakly tests her bindings a few more times and Chi comes out of her hiding place in the meantime; your light makes their soaked forms shine.
Paladin is still breathing shakily, one arm slung over your shoulder; she does not look as if she can speak and the rest of her is still unable to move. She is not unconcious, but definitely out.
Chi's spiders pull the cocooned form of Supreme Tech back to you as well, presenting Brave with yet more proof of her loss.
That is, until you hear the crunching of boots marching over broken concrete. Soul raises her weapon again and Brave Heart's face lights up... until the first soldier rounds the corner, that is; her hands are raised with their palms facing your way, the rifles slung to her side. Another eleven men and women follow after her until all of them stand arrayed in two rows of six, illuminated by your light.
The rain lets up by now, going to a light drizzle from the merciless storm it was the last few minutes. It does not help any of the soldiers or Paladin, though... Tech is only a little wet because the cocoon kept most of her dry.
"What are you doing?"
"My apologies, ma'am."
One of the men steps forward and gives the three of you a respectful nod before adressing Brave again: "We can't risk any more than this. We are outmatched, even if we could maybe take one of these girls down. With all of you captured, orders are to cut our losses. I believe you are only interested in those three?"
The last part was directed at you, which you confirm with a slight nod after exchanging glances with your friends; Soul grimaces already and you do not like this kind of attitude either.
"Good. Pretty sure whoever sent you will treat them better than the brass does."
This has you reevaluate in an instant, even though you are not sure who he means. The soldier tips his hat before returning Brave's wide-eyed stare sadly. "Contrary to what they told you, Magical Girls are really no different than normal girls. They aren't any more monstrous, either. Getting away from people like us ought to do you good, kid."
He waits for a bit, but the bound Magical Girl is too stupefied to respond; you can see her shivering a little, but are not sure if it is because of the rain or what he said. You yourself feel... warm. It is nice to hear even people on their side saying it.
Soul breaks the silence, a sharp glance at a few soldiers in the second row who are smirking and giggling quietly."What are your subordinates snickering over?"
You noticed them before, but decided not to say anything. When the spokesman turns to look, one of the women speaks up with barely suppressed laughter: "This is a mixed contingent of German and French origin. And it was the Krauts who chose to surrender early."
Both Chi and Soul snort in response, but you have no idea what they mean. No one explains it, either; the soldiers not laughing roll their eyes, but everyone smiles now. Even the spokesman, who waves the other woman off. "Look at that, the Baguettes are getting uppity."
There is more snickering, but it dies down when Brave Heart speaks at last: "...please let me out. I surrender."
She sounds so broken and miserable... you would love to wrap her in a hug, but are not sure if that is okay. There is no fight left in the older girl, so you nod at Chi; she nods back and has the strands loosen, slowly lowering their prisoner to the ground. A faint warmth courses through you from afar, Ana apparently having picked up on your relaxation and content.
Brave Heart detransforms the moment she is free. Her head is down and she bites her lip, though; a lot of her face is hidden by a wave of red hair, almost hiding the gaze directed at the ground. You give the soldiers a look, but some just shake their heads gently and the rest looks unhappy. Their speaker gives one last look to the defeated Magical Girls, then adresses you again: "Say, has any of you seen Nightmare Child recently?"
The name makes Brave look up after all; you decide to respond while switching positions, so that you can warm Paladin with your sunlight. "I did." "She's staying at the place we are at." "Should I tell her something from you?"
This time he directly looks at you, not the group in general. There is a smirk playing around his lips. "Yeah, thank you. Just tell her old Leon is still alive and kicking."
"...okay?"
For some reason, everyone finds your hesitation funny. The soldiers salute, then march off and leave you alone with the girls you caught. Brave is looking down again, standing in the drizzle with just a white blouse and a cream-coloured skirt that quickly get soaked.
You do not get to talk to her; the last duo of soldiers raises their hand at someone right as they pass the corner, alerting everyone to a newcomer. You see her a moment later as she comes the opposite direction, looking perplexed and intrigued.
She strides casually, the long, black hair almost flowing over her back. A simple white blouse and purple skirt is what she wears, with only a buckler strapped to her arm speaking of weaponry. There is still something... odd about her. You can almost see it, a tiny flicker all around her figure as she looks you over. Her eyes finally rest on Chi, who has started gathering her remaining spiders. "Chi." "Queen."
They bump fists before the girl turns back to you... and... bows? "I take it you are the team Strength sent to my assistance. Thank you very much for your aid; I am Clockwork Queen, it is a pleasure to meet you."
You look at her for a moment longer, then try to imitate the gesture as best as you can. "It's nice meeting you, too. I'm Primordial Sun-""-and Primordial Moon."
"Same with me. I'm Soul Queller."
Soul shifts her wings so they form a small roof over her head, however the feathers can align like that. Once she does however, Queen looks around and bows again. "Oh, my apologies. I should have thought of that first."
Then she pushes a hand into the buckler on her arm, up to the elbow... before pulling out several umbrellas in vibrant colours. "Here you go."
Each of you is handed one, but Brave makes no move to take it. Instead of making her, you just wave the new Magical Girl off and hook Moon's arm into Brave's. She looks up in surprise, but does not seem able to meet your smile for long. This way, at least she will not get any more wet.
Not that it helps Paladin much; you can only dry one side at a time and she is still out of it, limp at best. With Clockwork Queen's help however, you manage to get her up and walking; Chi helps while Soul carries Supreme Tech.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
It is like this that you reach a few somewhat stable looking houses close to the city border; there are meadows just a few dozen metres away, stretching near-endlessly into the distance. A road leads right through them.
What tells you this is your destination, however, is the dozen curious girls peeking out here and there. They cheer the moment someone recognises Queen, waving you in with bright laughter and helping you with the girls you carry. Everyone avoids Brave, though.
Oh... that... could be a problem?
She is well-known after all... of course that would happen. At least no one looks angry? Or maybe it is just that the girl you are still clinging to looks so miserable no one feels the need to be angry?
It is no lie; Brave appears as if she might break into a thousand tiny pieces at the slightest gust of wind. Perhaps everyone is just considerate.
"Man, you look as horrible as I feel."
Well, except for Judge. You start to beam the moment you see her nonetheless, even though she sits wrapped in a thick blanket and with some kind of hot drink. Her eyes have dark rings, but twinkle anyway; the first Magical Girl outside Ana you ever actually talked to. ""Judge!""
She blinks and looks your way, then squints. All the other girls watch curiously, but no one says anything; Queen looks interested as well, so everyone is probably wondering how you know her. Judge herself smirks and gives you a mock-salute. "Sun, Moon. When did you start glowing like flashlights?"
Flashlights? You are rather sure you are not that bright. After a moment of thought, you shrug at the older girl... as well as you can with one of your four shoulders right next to Brave's. "Sometime in the last two weeks." "But you're sick, you should rest." "Actually, maybe I can do something about that..." "Oh, how was your journey?"
Soul taps the back of your head with a wing, making you stop babbling; a look around shows most people confused, probably unable to follow. ""...sorry.""
At least Judge is having fun; she snorts and sips from her tea. "Ugh, I'm pretty sure magic ain't doing anything to this. You're sure getting around if you made it here before... what are you doing?"
You snuck up on her as best as you can with a corona of golden light, now you are right in front of her and pat a hand on her forehead. "Tehe, Become Whole Again."
Magic surges right through your limb and into Judge, making her have a corona as well for but a moment. When it fades, she blinks up at your smiling face; the look she has over feeling better makes you giggle. "Spring says this isn't going to cure your sickness, but it can take away the symptoms."
You did play with that idea before and called back to check, but ultimately decided against bringing Judge along. It probably was the right decision with how tired she looks.
Excited chatter is already breaking out while Soul and Queen lift Paladin into another room to change her wet clothes; you can hear your names a few times, but ultimately pay it little attention. Chi keeps by your side, surprisingly unwilling to socialise. A curious glance gives you but a shrug.
Not that you do not understand her, but she seemed rather good at meeting people before. Perhaps it is the unusual situation? Or she feels weird with her skeleton missing? Can a spider-swarm feel weird about that?
"Anyway, we can make it in three days if you take Judge off of our hands; carrying her would slow us down quite a bit and I know Winter likes her schedules."
"The German is strong with this one."
"...I do not disagree with her, you see."
"Ah."
It looks like Soul and Queen get along... somewhat. You wonder a little, but ultimately decide to let it slide again. Instead you focus on Judge with a smile. "Looks like you're coming with us."
"I do? How do you know?"
... Oops?
You heard the older girls talking with Eva, but told Judge with Rico. It is not actually a secret, but you do not feel well talking about it in front of so many strangers. You are going to tell your friends on the way. "I'll tell you later."
"...sure."
Her raised eyebrow does nothing to alleviate your embarassment, but at least you are not blushing.
Brave does not talk to anyone and you feel bad to have her in a situation like this, which is why you say your goodbyes to everyone as soon as possible without seeming rude. Clockwork Queen sees you off with another bow. "It was a delight. May we meet again."
The trek back to your hovercraft goes without a hitch; nobody speaks and the atmosphere feels... not tense, but still loaded. It stopped raining at some point and you have Judge helping out with Paladin, so both of your bodies can focus on Brave.
"It will be okay, I promise."
"..."
Somehow, it does not work.
. . .
That is when you begin to feel it; this weirdness scraping at the back of your mind. A shiver runs over your backs, making you speed up without even realising. There is confusion and panic coming from Ana, so she can tell there is something weird going on. Placating her is difficult without actually knowing what happens.
Once you are all inside and sit in the spacious main cockpit, you gently let go of Brave and turn to everyone. The feeling cycles through your very being, becoming faster; you know what that means. "Um... I am... probably going to fall asleep soon. Don't worry about me, yes?"
"These girls... they are forced and indoctrinated into fighting for ideals not their own, slaughtering those like them. I can't imagine a worse tragedy no matter how hard I try; we were supposed to be the future of humanity, the begin of a new era. Instead we were made fuel for the end times, discarded, and now what remains is again used to incinerate us. It is a masterful mix of pragmatism, efficience and evil. Because, after all, who else but Magical Girls could take the fight against Magical Girls and win?"
-Magical Girl Abyss Knight
Mission Rating: Outstanding
=====
+100xp Dropped Someone Out of Your League (Only Pris)
+20xp Met Division Nightmare (Only Pris)
+15xp Met Clockwork Queen (Only Pris)
+10xp Reunited With Judge (Only Pris)
+400xp Completed Operation Lost Cradle (Only Pris)
+1xp Moral Support (Only Ana)
Just like last time...
EXP gained: 545 + 545 + 1 = 1,091
Total EXP: 1,272
=====
(Unlocked Level 0 Character Sheet: Magical Girl Clockwork Queen)
Ugh...
(Unlocked Level 0 Character Sheet: Magical Girl Unyielding Paladin)
(Unlocked Level 0 Character Sheet: Magical Girl Supreme Tech)
Recovering had been an arduous task, so Gaia found; a great many people had to be observed and nudged onto the right path to avoid total annihilation. She succeeded so far, but things were still not as stable as she would like. Much of her success, on the other hand, was because of her currently favourite human.
"You should take a break, Bianca."
Not that the girl listened to her advice. Working all the time was not good, it gave her deserts... not that it was visible on her avatar.
Much to Gaia's surprise, the brunette actually put down her pen and wandered over to slump onto the couch she was lounging on; one of the sandwiches the girl made for lunch was offered and Gaia took it with a smile. "I'm surprised."
"I can afford to take more breaks at the moment; there is less to do."
Bianca Vescovi in one statement. The girl was smart and a hard worker, not to mention a Magical Girl. She was the perfect choice back in the day already, although a lot of people were in her favour even without some... 'nudging'. She was young for a Minister of Defense, but a great many paradigms had to be ignored these days.
And with that, Gaia's thoughts wandered back to some of her recent plans and how they backfired. Cosmos beyond, it would take centuries to recover from this setback. The results and advancements of her humans were really not worth the losses this time.
In short, Gaia had screwed up. The Will of the Earth, all-knowing in regards to humankind's past, whose manipulations were calculated centuries ahead, had screwed up.
But she had been lamenting about this for years already; right now, tending to Bianca took precedence... even though Gaia knew the girl would not like today's topic. She noticed a few... things going on on her surface.
"You'll have to call your friend in the UD, there is a demon attacking a new Magical Girl in Japan."
"...what? How did it even get there?"
She had her avatar shrug, seeing that the answer was obvious. Teasing Bianca came to mind, but she decided against it; her Magical Girl was a sensitive one, even though she pretended not to be. "Portal."
There was a moment of silence while Bianca swallowed a bite. Their gazes never left the other's eyes in the meantime, though. "Coincidence?"
"Unlikely; I thought the same when the first one showed up half a day ago, but this one popped up in the same area."
"... just let me finish this."
And of course...
"You're not going to tell the twins this year either, will you?"
"..."
No response, just as usual. Not that Bianca needed to speak her mind; Gaia knew it anyway, the anguish and self-loathing hidden behind that stoic expression. Despite the fact that Bianca was the greatest human being ever born, the girl was ashamed of her power. Ashamed of what she used it for.
So very human... and that was what she loved about them all. So many facets to their minds, all the intricacies. This one had a will of iron, but a heart of glass. She kept functioning despite it, though; a most inspiring thing.
Not that she could say that to the girl in front of her. As the silence stretched, Gaia began to figure that this would go like all the other times she brought up the topic. Bianca's mother knew she was a Magical Girl, seeing that anything but the truth would not have helped explaining her absence for months at a time.
Yet, the bond between her and her two half-sisters was far, far deeper for one reason or another. Bianca refused to pull them into her world by bringing up the topic, guilt-ridden as she was.
Just as expected, the girl quietly finished her small meal and went back to work, ignoring Gaia's presence. They discussed this before, but each time ended the same way until Bianca stopped to indulge Gaia; the Earth did not hold it against her.
In the end, Gaia decided not to continue. Bianca would find out soon enough... that things had changed.
A pair of crying twins, soldiers swarming through the city of Verona on the hunt for any more invaders. It was a weak creature, nowhere near the power of the demon that attacked the newly created Heart of Light. Fodder.
That attack was not meant to kill the twins. It was meant to trigger their transformation.
Gaia had accepted the watchers on her surface for now, seeing that they did nothing to endanger her plans. Now they brought a Forgotten and threatened the few things that kept Bianca stable, who she needed. They were waiting now, until they could establish contact with the twins without anyone else nearby.
She felt [AMUSEMENT] course through her entire being at the thought. If the twins would end up anything like their sister, which their attention implied, she would see them tended to. Make sure that they were not alone at any time.
Plans began to form and Gaia had her avatar dissolve.
Your eyes snap open the moment a tremor goes through your ride; it seems to be slowing down.
Bianca...
"Oh, back in the land of the living?"
Judge throws a smirk your way, which you ignore in favour of taking in your surroundings. Tech is still out and Paladin seems to work her arms as best as she can; Brave... sits right by your side, in the same position she had the moment you passed out. Judge and Soul are lounging opposite to you while Chi is further to the front, keeping an eye on the controls.
Big sis...
You do not pay much attention to the metallic and leather-clad interior this time either, your thoughts rushing in a way they never did before. Judge seems to get the message written on your faces, seeing that she becomes serious rather quickly. "Something happen?"
A Magical Girl?
Soul frowns your way also. "If you hadn't warned us in advance, we would have thought you fell into a coma. What was that and how often does it happen?"
Why? How? When? You said you're not!
You almost brush off your friend; then you realise what you are about to do and crush the dread occupying your mind. Calm, I need to do this in order.
After taking a few deep breaths, you let go of the frowns. "I... don't know. It happens once in a while and by now I know the signs." "Each time... I dream of places I never saw, of people I never met... all of them in the past. My sister confirmed that those things actually exist, it's not just dreams."
Bianca told you, right. Now you finally understand where she got all that knowledge; being allied to Gaia, having been out there herself... how did you not see that before?
No, that is not fair. In hindsight there are signs, but you could not put them together before. The thought of Bianca being a Magical Girl never crossed your mind after she denied it. If what you just saw was true... what would make her lie to you? It is not just secrecy, you are sure of that.
"Oh... really? That sounds kind of neat... and disturbing. Saw anything troublesome?"
You just shake your head in response to Judge. Right now is not the time to tell her about this. Or anyone else on this ride. "I... I think I just learned a few really important things. But I need to ask my sister about them first."
No one challenges you on that, even though Brave's eyes narrow; her face is still pale, the fire in her eyes gone... but you can see vague interest. Anything she might have asked is pre-empted by Chi, though: "Good timing then, we're landing in a minute or two."
Bad timing, Chi...
You suppress a sigh and tally up all the things you need to do. It is getting late already...
What do you do with your remaining day? Pick two:
(No Doubling Down; both actions are with both bodies)
[] Call Bianca right now; you need to know if what you dreamt is true.
[] Help Brave get used to her new surroundings and introduce her to your friends
[] Talk to someone about what you saw
-[] Ana
-[] Strength
-[] Spring
-[] Night
[X] Help Brave get used to her new surroundings and introduce her to your friends
[X] Call Bianca right now; you need to know if what you dreamt is true.
[X] EXP-Plan Connecting
-[X] Advanced Connection - 500 XP
1480/1980 XP
Adding Ana to the telepathy on the level of words. Saving the rest until we have a more coherent plan on what to raise, though I personally want to raise Ana's abilities so we can deploy together.
One step at a time.
So theres is more then one Homu in existence? Considering Void is homucifer.
I wonder who it is that is trying to subvert Pris? A faction of the UD that wants to recruit them? Someone that is trying to get them alone for some nefarious purpose...Hmm =/
[X] Help Brave get used to her new surroundings and introduce her to yourfriends
[X] Talk to someone about what you saw
-[X] Night
I have no idea what to do with that much EXP besides buy all the shiniest I can, so I'm gonna let people who actually know what they're doing handle that part
From what I gained out of the mainline-Thread, Crys is using the Homucifer-image more as a metaphor. It fits the concept of Void well with its colouring and appearance.
Clockwork Queen and Void have nothing to do with each other.
Sooo.
1) Paladin, Tech and Heart are still fully revealed. Their nominal Level 0 is probably a "not familiar with a person" bit.
2) Clockwork Queen is surprisingly thoughtful and nice, for the little we actually know on her.
Veil of the Solar Goddess All opposition crumbles on my chosen path, for I guide your way.
-Add 100% of your Magic Modifier to basic attacks and reduce Total End Damage by 100x the sum of all your combined Levels. If you fight alone, also add 25% of your Magic Modifier as aditional resilience.
-Immune to mind-altering effects.
I don't get the "the sum of all combined Levels" bit - what, does it mean that we take all the level-able abilities of both Sun and Moon (including spells, both Flights, and weapons), sum up their levels, and use it as a reduction?
That's 13+19 (Sun), 5+17 (Moon), and 39 (Spells) - for a total of 93 levels, or 9300 Total End Damage reduction.
This is actually not a very good ability, and let me tell you why:
This damage right now, at full tilt, goes only "add 522*12=6264 damage" - less than we get from Magic Modifier, unmodified. @Naron - or does it get boosts also from Modifier Save and/or Veil of the Solar Goddess?
