And now I'm remembering all the club bangers the music producer RedOne made in the late 2000s and early 2010s. I will have vintage Gaga, Pitbull, and Usher stuck in my head!
Oh dear.... now I really want to get to Akemis spirits soon, not because it will give us a new form, but to give our first spirits some reinforcements from the gremlins. I wonder if Rei's head has some biomes in it, like here is the area for Cyberse, this area is for spellcasters, theres the area for warriors and this area is for the eldrich horrors.
I wonder if Rei's head has some biomes in it, like here is the area for Cyberse, this area is for spellcasters, theres the area for warriors and this area is for the eldrich horrors.
Here we go! I think I like these ones the most, I also though about some Etrian Odessy themes, but I dont want to flood the chat. I leave these somgs to your judgement MrKermie!
Here we go! I think I like these ones the most, I also though about some Etrian Odessy themes, but I dont want to flood the chat. I leave these somgs to your judgement MrKermie!
I mean, I would suggest any of the "You Will Know our Names" versions/equivalents from the Xenoblade series, which are played during the fights against Unique Monsters, significantly stronger versions of regular monsters that can drop rare or special loot.
I like my choices, especially the octopath 2 one, but i guess ill add some more in case people want some more options.
Most of these are probably not that appropriate fot tje next battle, biput hey who knows mYbe they can be used later.
From getting critted to getting crits Himari has evolved into a proper protag(in training), I guess she REALLY does not care for the Labrynth huh? Hmm... i guess it makes sense. A place filled with traps and mind fuckery would not be appreciated by a very smart person.
From getting critted to getting crits Himari has evolved into a proper protag(in training), I guess she REALLY does not care for the Labrynth huh? Hmm... i guess it makes sense. A place filled with traps and mind fuckery would not be appreciated by a very smart person.
YIPEE!
Also yeah, poor Akemi. The writers dont want to give her screen time, all the while the fans screech at being teased a new character and suddenly loosing her again (temporaly). They pushing that Himari agenda.
The strange castle is still so cold, but you and Himari are making good progress. She vaults over another set of stairs, as you and Purrson trail behind her.
"Yo, talking cat!" Himari yells. "How long is it until we get to Akemi?"
Purrson rolls his eyes (or tries to), but complies with Himari's request. "After you both fell down that slide, Akemi said that she would try and make it upstairs to try and climb down from there. So… we're about halfway there."
As for you, you just keep on walking. There hasn't been anything interesting around here. Just another cramped hallway with more obvious clocks filled with arrows to dodge.
"Hahaha—"
You stop dead in your tracks, and look around. "Himari. Did you hear that?"
Himari looks back at you with a bewildered look on her face. "No, I thought that was you. It was coming from behind, after all."
You turn around to look. Nothing. You look to the side… nada. Is there an evil spider on the ceiling? Nope.
"Why is there so much laughing? …where's that laughter coming from?" you ask.
Hell if I know.
[WAIT] [A] [MIN]
Gargoyle appears in front of you, a yellow sprite of energy vaguely in the shape of a dragon's head. He points right behind you.
You reach a hand behind your back, and when you touch nothing, you retract it back… before instantly spinning around to see the culprits.
There are five characters behind you. Characters is the best way to describe them, since they're chibis the size of your palm. They… look like anime characters. Or game avatars. One of them, a girl dressed in an elegant black dress with needles surrounding her, waves at you. She notices that you've seen her, and bows.
Red_I
>Hey there! I was hoping that you'd notice us!
…I am already too old for this.
[BUT] [YOU'RE] [<30]
It sounds less like you're hearing them inside your head, like you do with Atry. It's more like you can… see what they're trying to say as text inside your head.
Himari walks back over to you, spots the chibis now in the palm of your hand, and just shrugs when she sees what you're dealing with. "I gave you some gacha game and 4koma characters? That sounds about right. Catch up to me and Purrson in a bit." She then walks over to the door of the hallway.
Red_I
>Allow us to introduce ourselves! We don't normally downsize our file size like this, but it's convenient, since it looks like we're stuck with you for the time being, Ms…
"Rei. It's Rei."
Another girl in red, though this time in a beautiful queenly dress adorned with red hearts and gems, floats up to your face.
Hearts_II >I'm the Queen Of Hearts, though you could also call me Hearts. Together with all my other girls here, we're M∀LICE! We're classified as "cyberse flow organisms", but basically, we're sentient beings that happen to be AIs who love to hack stuff for fun!
"I am genuinely scared of what you all consider fun, and I'm also scared that I might be hallucinating right now."
In the background, you hear a clattering, and then the woosh of something being set on fire. "Nope! I think this is real, unfortunately!" Himari cries out, stomping on something.
Another girl floats up to you as Red steps back. She's got… mouse ears? And a yellow-white dress, but with a see through skirt (you can see some black shorts underneath). Unlike the other two you've heard so far, she speaks in a more… quiet? tone. You honestly don't know. Getting text blasted into your brain is not very fun or something you're used to.
DorMous_III
>I'm Mouse, and me and the rest of us who haven't been introduced are the cronies/Pawns to Red and Hearts. Also, like Alice said, we're pretty good hackers. We crashed one or two national banks this year. That was fun.
"National… really?! Why?!"
DorMous_III >Affiliated with megacorps. Fuck those guys on principle. Also, it's just fun to be a bit mad sometimes.
Oh. Oh. You get it now. It's Alice In Wonderland themed.
This is gonna suck.
Please tell me I don't have to hear you guys whenever you try to talk to Rei.
Red_I >LOL of course you do
From inside of your head, you hear Atry take a sharp breath in. As she's doing that, the two last chibis/M∀LICEs float forward. One of them has rabbit ears, a white-red dress, and a long pair of curvy drill-shaped pigtails. The other one is a catgirl with sleek black streetwear on, and a smug grin. If you had seen her in Harajuku at normal size, you likely would have never pinned her as any sort of AI.
Rabbit_IV
>Hello! I'm the White Rabbit (not my real name) and I'm one of our Queens' best assistants! I keep time, do some espionage when opening firewalls and look pretty…
Cheshire_V >We all look pretty man, it's VR >But anyways I'm Cheshire, I do trolling lmao
You take a deep breath, and nod. "Ok, thanks, all of you. I hope you all are useful in combat as well. Now can you give me a breather?"
You clutch your head to dull the pain, but all this noise in your head is already super overstimulating. It feels like something in your brain's going to burst… or you might have a bloody nose underneath the helmet. You genuinely don't know.
"Perhaps I could teach you a technique to talk to the spirits in your head without speaking out loud, Rei. That might help." Purrson says from the other side of the room.
You take a step towards him and Himari, and set off a tripwire, which immediately shoots an arrow straight into your armored shoulder. Ah.
[Rei takes 5 Pierce damage!]
This has been a long day. It's about to get much longer. Fuuuuu…
Rabbit_IV >But it's only been an hour or two.
Cheshire_V
>I don't think you get the point dude What Used To Be Rensoku Apartments
10:07 AM
You are Kaneko Akemi, and this castle is really starting to get on your nerves! And that's saying a lot, considering the last time that something got on your nerves, you almost lost a hand. Long story.
As you continue your walk through the castle, you start to think to yourself. Illusions like this are something you've seen before, but never on this scale. The museums you've went to at most had this on one or two rooms. Not a whole building, and especially not with this many physical objects created.
It does make sense why Umbra would target here, however. If you had to get human test subjects (or at least that's what you assume Umbra needs) where else would you look other than here, the one place where everyone's already given up their identities?
You shake your head to clear your thoughts. Enough thinking about that, you can pay attention to that when you aren't in immediate danger.
Ahead of you is another gray door. Just go through that like you have before and you'll be one floor closer to the top, where you should be able to climb down from a fire escape ladder. You gently open the door and—
The smell of smoke hits your nose. The room in front of you is engulfed in flames. The gray walls and glass mirrors are torn and shattered. Beautiful paintings, and sturdy wood all burn down and fall to the ground around you.
Nothing in this room is sacred. There is no magic here, no god here, no good here. If a room is filled with emotion in the best of times, this is an empty box. You take one step in, sword almost unconsciously raised up.
You regret it instantly. There are screams. A deafening scream cuts through the air, along with a simply ear splitting laugh, like a mockery of the villains of the children's shows you will always be too old and too tired to watch. There is a striped horn on the floor. It has been broken off from someone, or something.
And somehow, you hear a woman's voice in your ear. And what she says chills whatever was left in your heart into ice.
"Murderers. Murderers, all of you. You're just someone who fights for money, not any of the good things in this world! You're no better than your bloody swords and your empty churches."
"I'll see you soon in hell."
It's too much. Too much. You slam the door shut, and jump back into the hallway behind you. That was… hell. That may not have been your personal hell, but it was someone else's for sure. Dear god.
With your sword up and pointed in the door's direction and shaky hands, you slowly open the door again. But there's nothing there this time. It's just an average hallway. Gray and glass filled like all the rest.
…no. Just no. You'll be taking the long route.
[Akemi will have minus 20 on her next Mental throw here!] What Used To Be Rensoku Apartments
10:10 AM
You are Himari Kuromi. And right now, you're in… a library? Or what should be one. Illusions are weird.
Then again, you're a magical girl who isn't even wearing a dress, and you are currently trusting a talking cat with your life. Not a good look for a genius like you.
Rei walks behind you, and squints. Or to be more accurate the eyes on her helmet shrink a bit. You'll have to ask about how that works, because that's impressive. "No, Red, I will not be attempting to jump out the window… that's stupid, and we can't. Himari, what do you think this place was?"
You walk around the place, skimming through books. (How long has it been since you read something that wasn't code again?) but it's no use. It's not Japanese or in English, and your phone's translator isn't on the premium offline version, so no luck there.
On a whim, you push a book into the wall, looking for a secret entrance, like in an anime or shitty visual novel.
But you overestimate your Magical strength a bit, because you push the entire book case. Which then sinks into the floor. You, Purrson and Rei lean over the bookcase, now embedded into the floor.
"…I think we might be in what used to be the pool room." You say, after some bewilderment.
"How awful. That's at least a small fortune's worth of books, no-clipping into the ground."
With a sigh, you start floating, and check out the other side of the room. Eventually, you find something of interest. "Rei! Check this out."
Rei crouches a bit, and jumps clear across the room, before crouching down to see what you've found. "What's this? Some sort of engraving?"
It's a dusty plaque, with an indecipherable message carved into its black metal. Over it, there is a painted picture of a woman in a beautiful white dress.
You dust off the metal plate, and squint. You stare at the picture a bit longer, before dusting it off again. There has to be something you and Rei are missing…
You look a bit closer, and then it hits you. "I think I recognize this. Looks like German. Old German, but I should still be able to decipher it."
Rei looks at you in disbelief. "You know German?"
"I had some free time. Now get closer, I should be able to read it."
It wasn't really that hard. Just some occasional readings of language textbooks on your lunch breaks, and taking an AP exam for fun. You also know Mandarin, English (In most accents), and for some god forsaken reason, Korean. (Damn Hina and her K-pop phase!)
Brushing those thoughts out of your mind, you get closer, and begin to read out loud.
"Ahem, this might take a bit longer for me to read since I'm translating, but I'll do my best. Let's see. Those who read this and are of pure heart will find the truth—"
The pedestal seems to glow the second you read those words. The words shift around and move, before rearranging themselves into a comprehensible Japanese. Purrson jumps back, and you and Rei share a look of confusion. Now that it's in Japanese, you start to read again, this time more fluently.
Day 1 of Universal Calendar, Year 5 of Lumos Cycle
If you're reading this, it means that you are likely one of the Labrynth staff members. Hey there, Arianne, get out of my stuff.
But anyways, Lady wanted me to start this magical diary, just because I'm "the one that does the thinking!" So there. I'll be reviewing the events of each day until the end of the year, so everybody has a basic idea of what they should be doing.
Gods know we need it. At least five traps were accidentally triggered yesterday. Sincerely, Arias.
You look at Rei, but she seems engrossed as well. You keep reading.
Day 5 of Universal Calendar, Year 5 of Lumos Cycle.
I mean, where should I start? Writer's block is a powerful thing. I see why they say "publish or perish" in some circles. Allegedly.
Introductions would be nice, so we'll start there. My name is Arias. I am the butler and trained bodyguard to the Lady of the Labrynth, who is… well, she used to be a lesser demon like me, but now she's essentially the personification of the treacherous castle we live in. Demons and Fiends like me and her like to inhabit empty places of grandeur like this. Basic magical curses, really. I have four younger siblings, but the last one says that she'll be taking this diary over in a bit, so I'll focus on the three youngest.
Ariane is the trouble maker. Arianna, meanwhile, is the calm one. They're twins.
There's also Archfiend. He was a wandering spirit that apparently got easily demolished by some magician over in the Magistus nation. Nasty work, really. Lady found him and bound him to a spare suit of armor. Besides, it's not like any of us were going to wear it. Suits and dresses are just better.
Even if we aren't related by a direct line of mana or blood, he's still my brother, just as Lady is our oldest sister. That's just the life we've chosen.
Sincerely, Arias.
Day 20 of Universal Calendar, Year 500 of the Tierra Cycle
We set up traps, mostly to ward off invaders. Friendly things, like arrow shooting walls and ice slipping slides. We also have one or two familiars to man the traps… Stovie Torbie's my favorite. (Don't tell Cooclock, he's just mad that he can only hit tall people.) Apparently, the adventurers are looking for the "lost treasure" within this castle. Bullshit. We checked the treasury on five different occasions, there's nothing more valuable than the decorations and silverware.
There is one person that consistently comes, and gets past all our defenses. We've nicknamed her "the Knight". She's a wonder to see in motion… a blonde and gray blur of motion. I've gotten in a fistfight or two with her, and she always sends me to the floor in a few seconds. She's also great at dodging our traps. Any spike pit that we have just always got completely ignored by her, and her armor's so strong that she just no-sells any arrows.
Lady always waits for her to come on over to the castle. Makes us prepare hours in advance. Once per week on a Tuesday, they fight. Though really, it's more of a friendly spar by now.
Everyone says that Lady's as straight as an arrow. I honestly don't see it.
Besides, don't all our arrows bend once they hit the walls, anyways?
"Why can I just hear this woman smirking when she wrote that?"
"A self proclaimed witty genius."
Sincerely, Arias.
With that entry's end, instead of the words changing immediately, the picture shifts. You and Rei look and with a blink, and the picture is incredibly different. The Lady is in a beautiful suit of gray armor, and stands in a fencing position. She has a sword in her hands and a joyful grin on her face.
On the other side of her, is a blonde woman in a similar set of armor, her hair set in a ponytail. She's also smiling, ready for a fight.
They look… so cool.
"Ladies with swords are always awesome. That seems to be a recurring thing I've run into so far." Purrson observes.
Day 25 of Universal Calendar, Year 500 of Lumos Cycle
The Knight didn't come today. Maybe she's just sick.
Instead, we got some random group of adventurers. Weirdos with skulls on their shoulders and strange shadow creatures on their backs. They almost busted the door right off with a huge battering ram. They were yelling about some "Void" and that they'd be "taking the castle for themselves."
Ugh. I wish the Knight could just live with us. I wish we didn't have to be so bothered by all these rumors about some "curse". Can't we just be normal? It's fine. It's fine.
Sincerely, Arias.
Rei looks at you when you finish that page. "You done? This is really interesting, but all it's told us is that whatever's here is nominally good at fencing."
You hold up a hand to shush her. "Don't worry, I have a good feeling about this, ok?" You clear your throat, and begin to read again. "Sincerely, Arias."
The plaque's words begin to move again. But this time—
There is no end to this part. For a second, it looks like the words continue, before spilling clean off the plaque. You and Rei both take a step away from the plaque, before you clap your hands and hit it with an electric shock. The words pause, before retracting back into the metal. A new message is revealed, kanji scribbled in desperate strokes.
If you're reading this, I messed up. I'm no good as a servant, and no good as a protector.
So many people came. Shadow monsters and humans alike came through the windows. They broke through the top, the glass roof of our castle. We never prepared for that. I should've— fuck, can't think. Lady is holding them off in her armor, but she told us all to run. I don't think she'll live.
I've been fatally wounded. There is currently a halberd tip embedded in my gut, and I have multiple bone fractures. My arm is almost in too much pain to move, and I have no more illusions of being useful anymore.
If you're reading this, the magic of this labyrinth must have liked you. It tends to like stupidly honest people. Listen closely, because this message will only play once.
One of us will likely live. That's just how it works— there's always a survivor out of sheer dumb luck. If I had to make a final bet… it's Archfiend. They won't dismantle him or melt down the armor he inhabits, since they'll be too busy looking for the treasure.
He and whoever's left will do anything in their power to bring Lady back. Anything. Gods know I would have done the same. Chances are, they'd make any deal, and do any atrocity. This library was always my territory, but they likely are using the rest of this castle as some sort of… moving trap.
Save my siblings, please.
I'm so sorry. Arias
The pedestal tips, and then tumbles, before it spins around into the wall. Behind the pedestal, there is an old rusty ladder that seems to go farther up than any staircase you've seen so far.
Rei and you both stare in disbelief. That was… a lot.
Rei coughs, before putting an armored hand on the ladder. "No, Cheshire, this is not a "poggers" moment. C'mon, Himari, let's move."
"I can just float up, I don't need to climb. I'm not a cat." Purrson groans out.
You roll your eyes, and begin to climb. "You're right, let's just go. Chances are high that we're gonna stumble onto a fight, so let's make this quick."
As you go up, you can't help but think about the Lady of this place, that Knight, and Arias. Would they have wanted something better for this place?
Who knows. For now, all you can do is put one foot in front of the other.
[Himari Kuromi has gained access to the project (A New Suit For a New Me) an arc or two early. It will be available next week.]
[Himari Kuromi's Initiative will be set to 20 during the upcoming fight!] What Used To Be Rensoku Apartments
10:12 AM
You are Kaneko Akemi. This is not good.
You took the alternate route after not wanting to fall into literal hell. Unfortunately, hell seems to be the theme of this place.
You look around, up and down, before dashing across the living room you seem to have stumbled into. You go forward, past more pieces of furniture clipping into the walls. You stop in the center of a room, to catch your breath.
And that's when the chandelier falls on you.
[Akemi takes 8 piercing damage!]
You're instantly knocked down. Glass shards pierce your kimono, a few managing to pierce through your outfit and into your back. It hurts a lot. Through your pain, you vaguely manage to see a small metallic dragon's head laughing at you, before disappearing. It must have been what dropped a whole chandelier on you.
With an exhausting level of effort, you manage to make your way out of the living room and get to a kitchen. You parry knives that get flung at you, and dodge past a few dozen jars that get knocked over aiming for your head. You barely manage to get to the end of that horrendously cramped room, and you take your last step onto the stairwell—
And that's when the fireplace pops out of the wall, and opens its eyes.
You barely have any time to react, as tired mentally and physically as you are. And you get a mouthful of fire to the face for your trouble.
[Akemi takes 7 fire damage!]
Your face is covered in soot and at minimum a second degree burn. You're just gonna… lay down… for maybe a few minutes. Or ten minutes. That sounds nice.
Ow. What Used To Be Rensoku Apartments
10:15 AM
You are Rei Maruki, and with a quick exertion, you finish pulling yourself up past the ladder's end. You meet Himari at the top, and high five her. Purrson scans the room, and seems to growl when he doesn't see Akemi. "Can you two stay here for a second? I think Akemi's a bit late."
Himari kneels down to pet Purrson, readjusting her goggles on her forehead with her other hand. "Alright, but be back soon, Schrodinger's Kitty. This place gives me the creeps, and the sooner we get away, the better."
"Schrodinger's! …well, I suppose it's better than talking cat." Purrson rolls his cat eyes, before sinking through the floor.
The second Purrson leaves, Himari's smile seems to fall off her face. She scans the room, before scoffing. "Rei. Do you see it?"
"See what?"
Cheshire_V
> Goofy ahh blind woman
DorMouse_III
>Don't make me tackle you.
Red_I
>CALM DOWN ALL OF YOU or I'm taking away your chatting privileges.
Himari continues, ignorant to the chatter in your head. "This isn't the top floor yet, but it's likely has some way to get up to the roof easily from this position, if I remember correctly from what I know about medieval castles. But since this castle is filled with traps, there would be one more defense measure left. A bodyguard."
You scan the room yourself. There's nothing that seems off about this room. Two staircases in the back, a chandelier that you might need to dodge later. And of course, the same gray and glass aesthetic you're staring to get used to. Then, you spot it. In the back… a suit of armor. With horns on its head, and metallic wings jutting out of its back.
Wait a minute.
You summon your spear, and point it towards the armor. You feel a dark surge of aggression color your words, but you bite it down. "Hey! Are you the guard here?"
The suit is silent, crouching with a sword in its hands. It doesn't move at all.
But then, the helmet snaps up, and stares at you and Himari with one yellow eye. A dark aura permeates the room, and it begins to speak. Every word it says booms with an imposing presence, almost no emotion behind it.
"I AM. AND I APOLOGIZE, BUT YOU WILL GO NO FURTHER."
You desummon your spear for a second, and try and put in a friendlier tone. It's hard, considering that everything in you wants to lash out right now, but you barely manage to fight the urge to jump across the room right now. "We just wanna make it to the roof to meet with my friend, Akemi. Nothing else."
Atry appears in her ghostly form next to you, and it seems like she's trying to talk to the suit of armor. "You're… that Archfiend that magical diary mentioned, right? What happened to the people living here?"
The Archfiend goes silent, yellow eye closing and opening slowly. Then he replies.
"THEY WILL HAVE TO BE NECESSARY SACRIFICES TO BRING BACK MY LADY, THE ONE WHO SAVED ME WHEN I WAS AT DEATH'S DOOR. YOU WILL BE TOO."
Sacrificing innocent people? You bastard…!
Himari shakes her head. "Arias is dead. So is the Lady you served. You have no more reason to fight. So let go, man. You need to let us leave. Dispel this illusion, and tell us who you're working for."
In one smooth motion, the hulking armor pulls its sword out of its pedestal, and points it at you. "NO. BESIDES, WHAT REASON DO YOU HAVE FOR FIGHTING, INTRUDER?"
Inside your head, you hear the new girls scoff.
Red_I >Reason? We are without reason here! If they hit us with an answerless question, we'll tell them an answer that needs its own question!
Hearts_II
>Let's give them a good show, Rei!
Right next to you, you hear Himari crack her neck, and rub her hands together. Electric sparks fly dangerously close to your faces. "Don't make me laugh. You're fighting for a dead woman, and nothing you can do will bring her back. If you still wanna fight, don't complain when we kick your ass."
The Archfiend makes a backhanded waving gesture with its armor, before two women come down from each stairways. One in a white maid dress, and the other in the same maid dress, but considerably more chipper. They both have demonic horns on their heads and tails, green and pink respectively. "THE VOID BROUGHT THEM BACK. IT CAN BRING HER BACK AS WELL. I WILL NOT LOSE THOSE I LOVE AGAIN. I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND, FOR THIS HALL WILL BE YOUR BURIAL GROUND."
[…] [HOW SAD.]
Himari puts on her goggles, and readies her fighting stance. You can see a clear scowl on her face now. "I've got people I love as well, you hunk of metal. Get ready for a beatdown."
As for you? You just put your hands up and ready yourself, as the whole world seems to hold its breath.
Himari+Rei 3/6 Progress
Rei takes damage.
Akemi takes (mental) damage.
Himari+Rei 6/6 Progress.
Himari rolls a Nat 100 on that mental check. (awesome)
Akemi fails another check! She takes more damage, and is currently at ⅖ Progress.
Environmental Effect Active: Labrynth Labyrinth Complex It's so lonely in this place.
…maybe it wasn't always like this.
[Every turn of navigation, and on your turn in combat, make a DC 20 Mental Saving Throw. On failure, take damage from one of these hazards:]
1: 2d6 slashing.
2: 1d6+2 blunt.
3: 1d4+4 pierce.
4: 1d8+1 fire.
5: Minus 20 to the next two Mental rolls. DC does not reset.
6: Roll for two of the above and suffer. [On success, DC increases by 10. Failure resets DC back to 20.]
[It will likely take 5 successful rolls per person to get out of here and find the Shade at the center of this apartment. However, rolling above 80 could speed this process up somewhat.]
[Currently, both you and Himari are 6/6 out and in the main part of the castle. Akemi is 2/5 out. (Oof)]
[Rolling above 80 speeds up the process for you and the other person in your group, if you are in one.]
Lost, Lonesome Labrynth Archfiend
Greater Shade
Was there ever any true owner of this strange labyrinthine castle? Where did the laughter reverberating through these halls come from?
Perhaps… only this hulking armor knows. And it is determined to bring those secrets to the grave. By force, if necessary. Stats:
Physical: 30
Magical: 35
Social: -10 (literally a suit of armor) (and depressed)
Mental: 20 (+15=35, in his home turf)
Health: 65
Resistances: Slash, Pierce
Weaknesses: Emotional/Love, Electric
Passives:
[Temporary Lordship of The Labrynth]
Unaffected by the effects of Labrynth Labyrinth Complex.
[Archfiend's Armor]
Health for this character is calculated as (Physical+Magical=Health.)
[Summoner]
This Shade can summon Lesser Shades! Take it out, quickly!
Attacks:
Basic Attack
DC: 50
Deals 1d8+2 Slash Damage with a greatsword, gaining 2 extra damage for every 10 rolled over DC.
Big Welcome Labyrnth
DC: 60
Despite sounding so fancy, it really isn't as cool as you think it is. Hits for 3d6+4 Slash damage with a flying greatsword slash.
Farewelcome Labyrnth
DC: 75
Magical
Invokes the Labrynth's power, and on success launches one enemy and one maid into a separate room away from the fight with trap DC doubled. They get out when said maid dies. On failure, this character fizzles the spell and looks embarrassing.
Labyrnth Barrage
DC: 80
Magical
(AoE)
Hit every single enemy in range with one of the first four traps from Labrynth Labyrinth Complex. Next turn, this character cannot act.
Finite Permanence
Automatically used when both maids are dead. Sacrifice 15 health to bring them both back at 7 health, and for the next turn all Shades take halved damage. Cannot be used two turns in a row.
???
Automatically used once this character hits 20 or less health.
Labrynth Servant Arianna
Lesser Shade A strange maid with a frozen neutral expression on her face and two demonic horns. She doesn't speak much. Or at all.
Stats:
Physical: 8
Magical: 14
Health: 15
Passives:
[Undying Devotion]
Unaffected by the effects of Labrynth Labyrinth Complex. Dies when Archfiend dies.
[A Maid's Duty]
If the other maid has been dead for two turns and this maid is still alive, they revive at full health.
Attacks:
Basic Attack
DC: 40
Poke an enemy with your broom. Deals 2d4 Pierce damage.
Re-Set Up
If all enemy combatants succeeded their saving throw for Labrynth Labyrinth Complex on their turns, this character may use this move. Roll a Magical check, and then add ⅓ that roll to one enemy'a DC.
Archfiend's Ghastly Glitch
Magical
DC: 50
Add this to the Labrynth trap table:
[7: Take 2d6+x Magical damage.]
Where x is 2 for every 10 rolled above DC. It gets removed when this character dies or it's rolled.
Labrynth Servant Ariane
Lesser Shade A strange maid with an energetic grin on her face and two demonic horns. She doesn't speak much. Or at all.
Stats:
Physical: 12
Magical: 6
Health: 15
Passives:
[Undying Devotion]
Unaffected by the effects of Labrynth Labyrinth Complex. Dies when Archfiend dies.
[A Maid's Duty]
If the other maid has been dead for two turns and this maid is still alive, they revive at full health.
Attacks:
Basic Attack
DC: 40
Poke an opponent with your trident. Deals 2d4 pierce. damage.
Re-Set Up
If all enemy combatants succeeded their saving throw for Labrynth Labyrinth Complex, you may use this move. Roll a Magical check, and then add ⅓ that roll to one enemy'a DC.
Welcome Labrynth
DC: 60
Punch an enemy (yes, punch them) for 2d6+3 Blunt Damage and then roll for one of the first four traps from Labrynth Labyrinth Complex. It gets summoned as a targetable creature (Health: 5) and does its damage on your turn. It dies when this character dies.
Combat Planning Time!
[ ] Plan Finisher Engine
-[ ] Rei will bring back Plan Start With A Finisher, attempting to use Wake Up Centurion and her gun first turn. She will be targeting Archfiend primarily, but might aim for the maids if she thinks she can easily pick them off.
-[ ] Himari will focus on drawing aggro, and lower Archfiend's crit threshold for better chances of Insta-Kill.
-[ ] When she gets here, Akemi will also draw aggro and finish off the maids with a Black Hole of Sorrow.
We need to strike hard and fast. That's the only thing that can work here.
[ ] Plan Wonderland
-[ ] Rei will swap to MAlice form (this will be treated as a free action) and then attempt to rack up as many debuffs on Archfiend as possible, focusing on weakening him.
-[ ] Himari will spam all the debuffs, and try and taunt Archfiend's attention.
-[ ] When she gets here, Akemi will try and spam Line Of Death, to give out Slash Weaknesses as debuffs. She'll focus on dodging attacks in the meantime.
Red_I Just trust us darling! I'm sure that this will work.
[ ] Plan (Write-in?)
-[ ] Rei will…
-[ ] Himari will…
-[ ] When she gets here, Akemi will…
[YOU'LL] [DO] [FINE]
Hearts_II
>What he said!
QM Notes:
While Rei is still likely to do whatever until Akemi gets here, both Himari and Akemi will follow the plan to a tee until an opportunity to end the fight comes up.
Three sentences per girl, please.
Talking is a free action. Talking may have unexpected effects. Try it out!
Author's Note:
I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Real life kept on stabbing me in the gut. And punching me. And also hyperextending my arm. (fuck Brazilian Jiu-jitsu) And I did an Omake starring Rei (and Shelley) in another quest that ended up taking 2.9k words of my time. And then I hit writer's block.
Also, there's another MAlice monster, that got revealed 8 days ago after the first wave. Fuck. You guys can get her with another Minor Action, same one that had you talking to Atry and Gargoyle.
I'm perfectly normal about all the plans I've had to change for this quest, trust me.
But I hope you enjoy the new characters! MAlice has been added to the Rider Armory, so check that out as well.
And of course, happy voting, heroes. Writing this Quest and seeing your comments is always a joy.
