[X] EXP Plan Survivor (140)
-[X] Aetheric Tide LVL 3 (30)
-[X] Conundrum LVL 5 (100)
-[X] That Which Is Forbidden LVL 2 (10)
[X] Plan Steady
-[X] Trust in your magic and in your instincts. Cast Conundrum and move to confront the demon with Aetheric Tide
-[X] Do not overcommit to a reckless attack, but do not hesitate. Defeat him quickly. Do not forget to dodge either.
APT is usually 1 per 5 levels, and I think I have a quote from CW or LDj somewhere that it's the default progression. I think there's only one or two MGs with a lower rate of gains (notably, Summit, and I think I've seen someone who doesn't progress in it at all), and quite a few MGs get a higher rate of gains, usually the melee specialists that is.
1/5 growth is the baseline standard. There are girls who are faster, and a (very) few who are slower, but 1/5 is usually your safest bet if apt growth is unknown.
By the power of Love, Sunday Morning Hero Shows, and Being a Fucking Idiot.
[X] Plan Steady
-[X] Trust in your magic and in your instincts. Cast Conundrum and move to confront the demon with Aetheric Tide
-[X] Do not overcommit to a reckless attack, but do not hesitate. Defeat him quickly. Do not forget to dodge either.
He's a big guy and we probably don't want to overexert ourselves now.
I mean I don't know about the rest of y'all, but we should probably take the word of beings who are literally born because someone broke a promise with a grain of salt.
Defiance doesn't have very much tactical thought, she stands and watches while a pack of demons runs up to her...
I'm running off a few assumptions for my plan. First, that Talky is being honest and values his subordinates, he'll stick to his word if Defiance proves she's too strong for his group. Second, that Heidi isn't interested in battle or war or getting a pile of kills. And Third, that I can abuse Priority-1 and Indestructible to make Orux's life miserable.
[X] Plan Bloodless Parry
-[X] Weapon set to Aetheric Tide (for longer reach)
-[X] Try to bait attacks and rush out of the way or batter them aside with your spear. If possible try to attack Orux's ax directly. Put Aertheric Tide between you the ax swings if you're too close.
-[X] Use your flexibility to spin on a dime while fighting. Try to interrupt the bigger swings. If grabbed try to slip loose, triple-jointedness should help there.
-[X] Smack Orux about the head and back if you get behind him, attempt to avoid stabbing him - you aren't a killer. Keep it up until he yields or falls over.
I think Heidi is Myth-tier, so a single critter isn't a huge problem as long as she fights to her strengths. Even if these demons are far enough out that they haven't heard of humans or Magical Girls they still know more about where we are than we do, might be worth the effort to get on their good side (Summit: "Demons show their good side when you turn them inside-out."). Future actions may be more productive if Heidi avoids killing things for now and I don't think she's got the MG bloodlust flowing yet, I'll let her put it off for the time being.
Defiance doesn't have very much tactical thought, she stands and watches while a pack of demons runs up to her...
I'm running off a few assumptions for my plan. First, that Talky is being honest and values his subordinates, he'll stick to his word if Defiance proves she's too strong for his group. Second, that Heidi isn't interested in battle or war or getting a pile of kills. And Third, that I can abuse Priority-1 and Indestructible to make Orux's life miserable.
[X] Plan Bloodless Parry
-[X] Weapon set to Aetheric Tide (for longer reach)
-[X] Try to bait attacks and rush out of the way or batter them aside with your spear. If possible try to attack Orux's ax directly. Put Aertheric Tide between you the ax swings if you're too close.
-[X] Use your flexibility to spin on a dime while fighting. Try to interrupt the bigger swings. If grabbed try to slip loose, triple-jointedness should help there.
-[X] Smack Orux about the head and back if you get behind him, attempt to avoid stabbing him - you aren't a killer. Keep it up until he yields or falls over.
I think Heidi is Myth-tier, so a single critter isn't a huge problem as long as she fights to her strengths. Even if these demons are far enough out that they haven't heard of humans or Magical Girls they still know more about where we are than we do, might be worth the effort to get on their good side (Summit: "Demons show their good side when you turn them inside-out."). Future actions may be more productive if Heidi avoids killing things for now and I don't think she's got the MG bloodlust flowing yet, I'll let her put it off for the time being.
Why not? With the upgrade we're getting base damage of The Handle to 60 anyway, which counters the resilience Orux has.
Honestly though, you'll probably get better mileage if you specify that you're willing to wound and knock out once the demon is weakened, as opposed to whacking him over the head with the stick over and over.
-[X] Try to bait attacks and rush out of the way or batter them aside with your spear. If possible try to attack Orux's ax directly. Put Aertheric Tide between you the ax swings if you're too close.
The first is explicitely an application of Skillful Dodge/Skilled. Even if I let this stand without her actually having the Ability, it would still require four actions to do as usual.
-[X] Smack Orux about the head and back if you get behind him, attempt to avoid stabbing him - you aren't a killer. Keep it up until he yields or falls over.
I will let these slide because it is early in and they are not too egregious, but... do refrain from telling Heidi what she is or is not, or how to feel. Those two things get a lot of additional attention and may likely get vetoed or simply ignored by Heidi herself.
You are allowed to tell her what to do, but she will not let you influence her feelings.
I will let these slide because it is early in and they are not too egregious, but... do refrain from telling Heidi what she is or is not, or how to feel. Those two things get a lot of additional attention and may likely get vetoed or simply ignored by Heidi herself.
You are allowed to tell her what to do, but she will not let you influence her feelings.
Right, Magical Girl Defiance, whose personality is... difficult to say the least, and probably got boosted by her magical girl Affinities now.
It would be entirely in character to be contrarian if we try to get her to feel/think what she doesn't want to.
The first is explicitely an application of Skillful Dodge/Skilled. Even if I let this stand without her actually having the Ability, it would still require four actions to do as usual.
I'm pretty sure Magical Girl Truth and Magical Girl Death Art managed to fight in a similar-ish way without Skill or Dodge. I was mostly thinking Intercept (False) and trying to put that Agility to use by darting around like an anime character in one of those dumb 'sword vs gun' scenes. There's some quick math I did that makes me think that Defiance can wear this guy out even at level 1 provided she keeps Orux from taking advantage of his Crush Ability.
Sorry about the emotion impact bit. >.> I was thinking about how we might not want to start things off by killing the subordinate of one of the few peeps we can talk to or ask for information.
(Re: Tactics. Look for somewhere where it isn't so easy to get surrounded, like on top of a slope, next to some big rocks, or even up a tree if there's a big one around...)
I'm pretty sure Magical Girl Truth and Magical Girl Death Art managed to fight in a similar-ish way without Skill or Dodge. I was mostly thinking Intercept (False) and trying to put that Agility to use by darting around like an anime character in one of those dumb 'sword vs gun' scenes.
Intercept (False) is blocking. Slapping their weapon away is negation and thus falls under Skilled. No idea about Death Art, but Truth is a highly experienced girl and thus has a certain leeway there... aside from early installment weirdness.
Adhoc vote count started by Naron on May 28, 2019 at 3:41 PM, finished with 89 posts and 10 votes.
[X] Plan Steady
-[X] Trust in your magic and in your instincts. Cast Conundrum and move to confront the demon with Aetheric Tide
-[X] Do not overcommit to a reckless attack, but do not hesitate. Defeat him quickly. Do not forget to dodge either.
That Which is Forbidden
Level 1 -----> 2
Health: 150 -----> 300
140 EXP spent
5 remain
[X] Plan Steady
-[X] Trust in your magic and in your instincts. Cast Conundrum and move to confront the demon with Aetheric Tide
-[X] Do not overcommit to a reckless attack, but do not hesitate. Defeat him quickly. Do not forget to dodge either.
You move in an instant.
Priority is determined based on to narrative importance. Outside of ambushes, the main character always goes first. Due to Priority-1, Heidi in particular goes first even if she gets into an ambush. 'Going first' means that she takes her first action before the rest; if both sides have more than one, there is no clear order after the first.
If two characters have roughly the same narrative weight, the number of their ApT and their level of High-Speed Combat usually decide who goes first.
Before the Demon can so much as raise his weapon, you pull your magic up again. "Conundrum!" He takes a guard stance while the shroud bubbles from your skin, wary of what you are doing.
(Conundrum: +375 Base Boost, +403 dice = 778 Additional Resilience)
While the base value is always applied, all spells and most weapons also roll a die as seen above. Their Magic Modifier determines the number of sides on the die. Modifier dice are always rolled on defensive strings.
It encloses you before he can do anything, and it takes him a moment longer to realise no attack is coming. Then he moves forward before you can use his caution to your advantage; the one step you could take back is quickly made up for and he swings his ax.
You are not fast enough to dodge it entirely; all you can do is lean aside as far as possible without losing your balance.
(Bladed Ax: +220 Base Damage, +7 dice, -55 Nimble Opponent = 172 Total Damage
Defiance: +100 Base Resilience, +55 dice, +778 Conundrum = 933 Total Damage Reduction
Attack Ineffective)
Situational modifiers are additional effects on an offensive or defensive string. In this case, Orux takes a malus of 25% of his Base Damage because his target is much smaller and much more nimble than himself.
Instead of a heavy impact and pain however, you barely feel the blade scrape off your magical shroud. It blinks weakly as the weapon moves past you, bringing your opponent right into your reach. Smirking, you command the handle to change and it shines.
ApT, or Attacks per Turn, denote the number of actions a character may take each turn. A turn encompasses an interval of about ten seconds. Having 5 ApT means that under good conditions, a swordsman can fully swing his weapon five times in these ten seconds.
Not all ApT are used each turn, skilled enough fighters may trip up their opponents to lower their effective ApT, and actions may also be taken to traverse the battlefield or do other things aside from attacking.
The red centerpiece slides into the casing, the handle itself elongates a little, an almost diamond-like blade grows out of one end and a pair of metre-long ribbons floats out of the other. You can almost see his eyes widen when you stab forward twice in rapid succession.
(Aetheric Tide: +120 Base Damage, +37 dice = 157 Total Damage
Aetheric Tide: +120 Base Damage, +37 dice = 157 Total Damage
314 Unified damage
Orux: +60 Base Resilience, +6 dice = 66 Total Damage Reduction
248 Final End Damage
Orux Health: 900 - 248 = 652)
The spear leaves two nasty gashes in his chest, making the Demon stumble back with a pained grunt. No one interferes and you begin to smirk; your superiority is already clear, proven by the bloodstains on Orux' hide.
You never thought fighting would come so easily; between your instincts guiding your steps and adrenaline rushing through your veins, you hardly care that one of you may very well die. Even if it happens, it will not be you!
However, your opponent seems to think similarly. He follows your example and growls "Blood Lust" as rusty red magic seeps over and through his body.
(Blood Lust: +150 Base Boost, no dice = 150 Additional Damage)
Spells are special cases. Some are quite generic, as each demonic foot soldier possesses the Blood Lust spell; most are more unique. Every combatant can cast a single spell per turn unless they have a way to cast more. Spells can not be negated or intercepted in the same way as regular attacks; they require dedicated Abilities to do it.
You are a little worried about the way he grabs his ax with both hands, but push back your hesitation. When he raises the weapon, you quickly dart in to stab his chest again.
(Aetheric Tide: +120 Base Damage, +52 dice, +10 Busy Target = 182 Total Damage
Aetheric Tide: +120 Base Damage, +52 dice, +10 Busy Target = 182 Total Damage
364 Unified Damage
Orux: +60 Base Resilience, +1 dice = 61 Total Damage Reduction
303 Final End Damage
Orux Health: 652 - 303 = 349)
It's not enough, he barely reacts to your lightning-fast strikes, even though the Tide's blade tears open his chest and sprinkles you with Demon blood. Then he roars and swings his ax with all the strength he has.
You're too close, his reach is too high, jump-
(Bladed Ax: +220 Base Damage, +10 dice, +150 Blood Lust, -55 Nimble Opponent, x3 Crush = 975 Total Damage
Defiance: +100 Base Resilience, +46 dice, +778 Conundrum = 924 Total Damage Reduction
51 Final End Damage
Defiance Health: 300 - 51 = 249)
Conundrum's shroud flashes brightly when the force of his swing hits, bleeding off momentum but ultimately cutting through it. Pain surges through your side where it tears past your outfit and nicks skin, then the momentum throws you aside with a surprised squeak. Instincts take hold and you bend your arms to catch the fall, rolling with one hand pulling Aetheric Tide's ribbon along. You stand a moment later, flicking the weapon into your hand and bringing it up, trying not to wince as the cut on your side burns painfully.
But your enemy did not pursue. He eyes you carefully for a moment, then lowers his weapon and has it vanish into thin air. "Your victory." The other Demons are quiet; nobody refutes his words and when no follow-up attack happens, you slowly relax your stance. Then you dismiss your weapon as well, gathering some surprised mumbling from the crowd.
When he cancels his spell, you remove Conundrum in turn and carefully look over your side; the ax cut right above your hip, leaving a thin line that feels much more painful than it looks. A few drops of blood, but nothing particularly bad. The Demons watch you carefully, but wait until you are done inspecting your injury.
"Very well," the leader speaks up in a slightly less antagonistic growl. "As promised, we will escort you to the Keep as our guest. The commander will sort out whatever business you have here on Sheol." Some of his soldiers whisper with each other while Orux retreats to join their number, but the leader pays them no mind as he waits for your response.
Sheol. You are tempted to ask if that is the world you landed on, but hold it back cautiously; from what you remember, Demons respect strength. So if you can project a strong front, things might just work out. And if not... well, you still have Voyage, no matter how little you want to use it.
With your decision made, you step forward. "Alright. Lead me to them." He nods and turns, then bellows for his soldiers to get moving; all of them start marching at a comfortable pace, taking you in the center of their formation with the leader. Your previous opponent marches at the side, with those closest to him laughing and taunting about his loss to a fighter of your size.
You frown but say nothing, fully alert just in case one of the Demons all around you tries something. They keep a bit of distance from you, which you are quite grateful for; it is no secret that Demons rape their prisoners, so you will not give them the slightest chance to catch you off-guard.
Your guarded behaviour does dwindle over the following hour, though; nobody tries anything and the most you get is some curious looks from one Demon or another. The soldiers mostly march quietly, though it is interspersed with some chatter about this and that.
"Hey, I heard the Fallen One is coming here tomorrow. Think that means something?" One mutters this to his neighbours, most of which shrug. One sneers, but you decide not to ask lest they turn their attention back to you.
Soon after, you forget all about it when the place comes in sight. Five grand stone spires reach into the sky, four of them arrayed in a diamond shape around the fifth. And below, spread out far beyond those spires, are huts and houses that form a large village.
You did not even notice you stopped to gawk until a large hand roughly slaps your back, making you flinch forward. "Nothing grand to see here," the leader grunts, then leers down at you: "Welcome to Charon's Keep." His voice is not antagonistic for some reason, but you rather take some distance between you and him instead of thinking about it.
You take a deep breath to steady your heartbeat and get back to walking, following the Demons into their base. You never thought such a sequence of events would ever happen to you; just teleporting out of the place is oh so tempting, but you are still not in immediate danger.
The village is odd; it looks medieval, but the place is filled with all kinds of Demons. Male, female, bestial, little wiggly monster, it is many different shapes and sizes. You are particularly disturbed by a Demon woman who could be human if not for the prominent pair of horns; she walks a hellhound almost your size on an iron leash, the beast snapping at people as they pass.
Amusingly, some Demons snap back until the hound whines and hides behind its mistress. That is the last you see of the matter as the group marches on; all the soldiers disperse on the way to the central spire, with only the officer staying around. He eyes a glowing rune on the ground, but then shakes his head and motions for you to follow.
He leads you up a spiral staircase that makes even your magically enhanced legs ache by the time you stop going higher; that is not even the end of it, and looking back down makes you dearly happy to have no problem with heights.
The many layers of the vast building held all kinds of things; you saw more Demons and some of what had to be Dark Stars; purely magical and with bodies that appear more ethereal than solid. They paid special attention to you when you passed by, but no one pursued.
In the end, you stand in front of a large double door; the Demon leading you motions to wait and gives you a look. "You are no Demon, so I will give you some advice: know that the Ashen Maiden may appear benign, but she will not let you get away with disrespect." His words, while helpful, make your blood boil as your mind finally connects the dots.
The base commander or someone of similar station is behind this door. They will demand you be all respectful and whatever else high-ranking Demons expect. Just the thought already makes you want to smash open the door and just march in.
Your guide already turned back to the door and does not see your frown; what he does next makes your thoughts stumble: he knocks. And not even a banging kind of knock one would expect of something so packed with muscles, but a soft rapping that conveys respect all by itself. You eye the Demon owlishly, but find no explanation before a feminine voice answers to enter.
He gives you a warning look and pushes the door open; you follow right after him.
Of all the things you expected to find, it was not a cozy office as big as your entire home. Wide and circular, the space allows quite a few people in and even has a big wooden table placed at the side. Potted plants you could not even hope to name stand in the corners, the walls a dark grey.
She sits behind a gracefully decorated desk, a feather in one delicate hand. Her eyes are hidden by an ornate mixture of blindfold and mask; it sits on her nose and reaches around her head, black and silver except for a blue gem between where her eyes would be. Pale lips pull up into a polite smile at your sight, the creamy white of her face and fingers the only skin she shows; all the rest of her is layered in black and dark blue with golden embroidery, a simple yet elegant gown.
The room smells faintly of smoke and fire, exuding from her without doubt.
"That is a surprise; I have not seen this one before. Your name," she asks of the Demon that led you in; her voice is soft, but you can pick out the note of steel behind it. Your guide is folded at the waist, however he managed that with his build.
"Songraran, twenty-sixth scouting group." She nods once and makes a note after tapping the feather's tip into a vial of ink. Then her head turns to you and you can almost feel her attention. "And yours?"
The urge to give a scathing response is there, almost overwhelmingly so. You bear with it for now, at least until you have an actual reason to make her mad. "Adelheid, just visiting." But you can not stop the quip despite your best intentions.
Thankfully, the feather only pauses for an instant; then the woman raises her other hand in front of her mouth and chuckles quietly. "My, how interesting."
She puts the feather down and rises.
"It is a pleasure to have you then, Adelheid." The Ashen Maiden pronounces your name with curiousity, apparently unused to the sound. She walks around the desk and motions for the much nicer-looking table to the side. "Why, please take a seat while I listen to the scout commander's report. I had the pot refilled earlier, do help yourself to a cup of tea if you wish."
Her smile does not waver at all as she strides past you, standing a full head taller than yourself. You reluctantly follow her invitation, unsure if it was really meant as friendly as it sounded. If it was an order, she hid it well enough to not make your defiant side rear up.
You slowly slide onto the large chair and look around, finding a simple pot and several cups around an array of symbols you have no idea about. The circle around them tells you all you need to know, though. Checking the pot and finding it almost full, you finally realise that you are quite thirsty after two hours of distracting yourself, your first real fight in your entire life, and an hour of tense marching.
So you carefully push the pot forward until it stands on the circle, which begins to shine and pulls the thing into its center. A careful waving of your hand finds no heat around except for what steams out of the utensil.
You are curious what the writing says, but push it aside for now and look back; the Demons are talking on the other side of the room, another array preventing any sound from reaching your ears. Curious. So curious.
Yet she also appears intimidating to you. Close to 170 centimetres, you are quite tall for a fifteen-year-old girl; she still stands a head taller than you, and one of the guys who is stronger than the guy you beat earlier cowers before her.
You shake it off and return your attention to the steaming pot; it slides off the array by itself and sits there innocently, waiting for someone to make use of it. A small bag of leaves sits next to the cups, so you pick one cup and slowly put some into it; the few times you drink tea is with teabags, how does this work?
A soft chuckle makes your head snap around to the tall woman, who is standing right behind you now. "You are supposed to put the leaves into the pot," she offers and demonstrates while you blush; at least the other Demon is gone and has not seen your blunder. She leans past you without a care, giving you a good look at the fine material her clothes are made out of. Once she is done adding leaves to the hot water, you quickly flick the few from your pot back into the bag.
That is... decidedly not what you expected from a Demon commander.
"Now with this out of the way..." she strides over and sits down across from you, lips curled into another polite smile. "...I heard about the previous events. You are neither Demon nor Nightmare, yet claim to be no Elf. Not to mention your most peculiar magic; would you be willing to demonstrate the anonymity field I was told about?"
You blink at her, then think back to it and sigh; she is nice enough so far, and that irks you. Something is really wrong here; Magical Girls are well known, yet someone as influential as this women says she also never heard of them?
You swallow it for now and drop your transformation; her smile drops in an instant, but you speak before she does: "Still me, I'm also Magical Girl Defiance."
She halts and looks you over once more, taking in your change of clothes before slowly nodding. "I see." Curiousity seeped into her voice now and you clearly heard it; this is getting weirder by the minute.
You wait for a moment as she pours both of you a cup of tea, then takes a long sip of her own. You can barely even hold the hot material and know it would burn your tongue if you tried. When she tilts her head, you shake yours. "Too hot." At which she looks down at her cup and back at you.
"Very well. While we wait for your tea to cool, would you tell me about your origins and species? I do not believe I ever heard of either."
You frown this time and eye her guardedly. This is not possible. "You know, humans. From Earth." No response except for a light frown from her, so you continue with a note of confusion: "Uh... the place that didn't have magic twenty years ago, right in the middle of the Local Dimensional Cluster?"
Now you get a reaction, and what a reaction it is; what little skin you can see of the Ashen Maiden turns white as a sheet. "I-Impossible..." she whispers before darting out of her chair; she moves so fast you can barely follow her, to her desk and back. A map is almost slammed onto the table, holding a field of hexagonal fields and some denotions.
Except that there is a black spot in the center for some reason.
"P-Point at where this 'Earth' is," she all but orders you; the weirdness makes you let it slide, eyeing the map instead. You have to be absolutely certain here. Come on Heidi, which worlds were where?
"Can't read your script. Can I ask for some dimensions first?"
She nods shakily, hands clenching and unclenching where you can almost not see it. So first you point at the one denoted in yellow and with a black X. It is not directly adjacent to the black spot, a little more to the left, but it stands out and you focus on that first. "Heaven," the Demon tells you and you nod. Then you point at one hexagon within the vast of red 'above' the black part, marked with a crown. "Hell."
Okay, the positions fit with what you remember from the maps you studied. Sheol, this world, is probably somewhere in the red bulk. Actually... "Where are we?"
Her head raises and you feel her gaze, but she quietly puts a finger on the leftmost red hexagon, the one that touches the darker parts of Dark Star territory above and Heaven's territory below. "Sheol is in this dimension." You nod and then point at one last spot, the place directly to the right of the blacked out hexagon. It is held in the same green a vast part of the 'south' holds, denoting the Elvin Empire. Except that it should be red.
It should be. "Reluxus," she says. A world that fell to the Unified Darkness only a few years ago, together with Hope which the map denotes as colourless.
It does not make sense. Something is wrong.
You sigh nonetheless and answer her question, putting a finger at the center. "Then yes. This is where I'm from."
"...from the death zone. How can anything live there without magic?" Her question is not even directed at you; your words must have shaken the woman before you more than you thought. "No magic at all, nothing to live off of... first we join the war, now you... what is next?"
...wait.
Your breathing stops as understanding clicks into place. She has no idea about humans, Earth is still a death zone, Hell just started to wage war. Your vision constricts as reality asserts itself, your magic finally giving you the piece of Voyage you had not yet understood.
"What's wrong?" You can barely hear her over your heavily beating heart, eyes wide as you stare at the map. A hand closes around your shoulder and you shriek, stumbling back and almost topping the chair over; the Demon's grip keeps you in place as you heave, trying not to vomit over the truth.
There is no smile this time, she simply holds you steady; it feels like the only constant you have right now, and you are incredibly grateful for it. "What's wrong? Are you certain you are alright?"
Instead of answering her, you take a shuddering breath and focus your gaze. "W-What year is it?" She just tilts her head and you quickly backtrack. "When did the war start?" Your hysteria slowly weakens and you force yourself to take deep breaths while she thinks.
Then she answers: "A litte more than three thousand years ago."
There you have it. You slump back into your chair, your eyes beginning to prickle with tears.
The Eternal War has been going for a little over eight thousand years. Your instincts tell the truth after all, yet you dare not even think it. Mute horror seeps into your very being as you realise just how much trouble you got into.
You are lost in time.
You do not watch what the Ashen Maiden does, only listen to some shuffling and clinking. Then a glass is pressed into your hand, the act garnering your attention; amber liquid sits quietly in front of you, the Demon holding a similarly filled glass. She slowly sits down and motions for you to take a sip, which you do.
Something fruity and soothing runs down your dry throat, the taste like nothing you ever had before. You peer down at the glass, then at the bottle standing between you two. "Is that alcohol?"
"You look like you need it." You do not even want to know how you look like, but her words hold a tender note that surprises you. Demons are not supposed to be like that. But it is just as well, does not matter right now.
You know you are too young to drink. Right now though, you could not care less and gulp it all down in one stroke. Holding back the tears and hiccups is hard, but you refuse to cry in front of a stranger. You refuse to cry at all, but the urge is there and oh so strong.
After a few seconds of oppressive silence, the Maiden sips from her own drink and sighs. "Tell me what is going on." She sounds defeated for some reason, maybe even anxious. You furiously wipe your ears and try to think of a way to get around this, but you have nothing. No way out, no way away.
So you have to be honest and lower your head. "I... come from a few thousand years in the future. That spot," you tap on the death zone, "got magic some time ago. Don't ask me why, I don't know." Your voice is cold and listless as you note it; she does not respond at first.
In fact, she is quiet for a long time; you are happy for it, that gives you time to force yourself to calm down.
When she speaks, her voice is a mix of emotions that you can make little sense of: "You... I will accomodate you for the time being; you can have one of the empty quarters at this spire's base. Take a week... or maybe two, yes two. Take two weeks to sort this out and...."
She trails off for some reason, but you are still thinking about her words. She is... kind. Unexpectedly so. "That's really nice of you." You can hardly believe it, but the other woman just smiles.
She collects herself for a moment and nods. "What is your Affinity?" The question is more calm now, grounding you in the reality of your situation.
You push it away and shrug helplessly. "No idea, I couldn't get tested yet." Papa could have used his magic, but neither of you thought of it. Papa... you shake off the thought of him and quietly endure how your chest constricts.
Thankfully, the Maiden provides you something to keep your mind occupied: "You should head to R&D to get that sorted, then." After a moment of thought, she adds something else: "Oh, and pay Maya in logistics a visit. She can get you some more clothes and other necessities. Actually, you should see her first; she can check you for injuries, too."
You nod quietly and stand to leave, then turn back for a moment. "Okay, um... how should I call you?" It does bother you not to know how to speak to her.
The Maiden made to stand as well, now she pauses for a long moment. Her thoughts remain a mystery, though she offers you a smile once more. "Just Elisabeth is fine. Now run along, I will have an Imp lead you shortly." She quickly bustles over to a large rune on the ground, steps on it... and vanishes, leaving you alone in her office.
You know better than to poke around. After downing the still warm tea as well and shuddering under the bittersweet taste, you leave the room.
-------------
[] Get started on stuff at once
[] Go to your room and sort out your thoughts before you do anything
[]EXP-Plan
-[] Write-in what to buy
-[] Save it
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Class 4 Demons: These are the things that the Counter Force breaks out the True Anti-Demon Tanks for, not those flamethrowers with treads from the beginning. These fuckers are the badasses that tend to send the infantry scrambling for cover. From this point and up, battles tend to become clashes between champions. Anything short of heavy armor, or being a Magical Girl, means that most mortals that try to take these things on tend to die.
+50xp Defeated Orux
+10xp Met The Ashen Maiden
+75xp That is a Class 4 Demon
+15xp What Are Humans?
+50xp In An Unfamiliar Time
EXP gained: 200 Total EXP: 205
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(Revealed Journey on Voyage)
(Unlocked Level 1 Character Sheet: The Ashen Maiden)
(Unlocked Level 5 Sheet: Charon's Keep)
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For those new, here is a map of the Local Dimensional Cluster from Heidi's time. The only worlds of different occupation are Reluxus (to the right of Earth) and Hope (above Earth and adjacent to Reluxus). Sheol is the one world bordering both Dark Star's and Heaven's territory.
I don't think we need to spend all our EXP immediately. Our best choices, I think, will be one of the following options:
Curiosity - 40 EXP: Upgrade each weapon once, except for Aetheric Tide. Mostly for MM and to see if any of them affects Resilience, not that I think it too likely. Good Guess - 60 EXP: Upgrade each weapon once, except for The Handle, which goes to LVL 3, and Aetheric Tide, which stays on the same level. Since AT gained a new ability at level 3, it's possible The Handle does the same. Certainty - 130 EXP: The Handle to level 5, other weapons to level 2. Near-certain to give us APT, and has enough left for a last minute boost to HP, one of the weapons, or Conundrum.
For now, making a plan for Good Guess.
[X] EXP Plan Good Guess (60)
-[X] Upgrade The Handle to LVL 3 (30)
-[X] Upgrade Stardust Striker to LVL 2 (10)
-[X] Upgrade Stygian Tempest to LVL 2 (10)
-[X] Upgrade Reaper's Will to LVL 2 (10)
Whoo boy, that's a long way from home
I wonder whether we'll get a 'return' ability, learn to master Voyage enough to decide where we go, or be doomed to jump around time randomly
[X] Go to your room and sort out your thoughts before you do anything
[X] EXP Plan Good Guess (60)
Spells are special cases. Some are quite generic, as each demonic foot soldier possesses the Blood Lust spell; most are more unique. Every combatant can cast a single spell per turn unless they have a way to cast more. Spells can not be negated or intercepted in the same way as regular attacks; they require dedicated Abilities to do it.
