Huh. Just read through for the first time- I like a lot of what is going on here in this quest, with the social and the introspection and the way that the MC bounces between factions. But- I can't get into the fights. It feels/felt like there was literally no way to lose, regardless of how powerful the enemies are: it's always win or die, and die gets elided away with powers the few times it has happened, so there aren't really any stakes unless someone else is fighting.
It's... a bit railroad-y? Like, our main has less than ten thousand life, and attack damages are getting thrown around in the millions, so it's either win flawlessly or die, and the smugness that comes from flawless win after flawless win kinda grates on me.
Will continue to read, but I hope you lean away from the fight mechanics a bit, it detracts more than it adds from where I sit.
Huh. Just read through for the first time- I like a lot of what is going on here in this quest, with the social and the introspection and the way that the MC bounces between factions. But- I can't get into the fights. It feels/felt like there was literally no way to lose, regardless of how powerful the enemies are: it's always win or die, and die gets elided away with powers the few times it has happened, so there aren't really any stakes unless someone else is fighting.
It's... a bit railroad-y? Like, our main has less than ten thousand life, and attack damages are getting thrown around in the millions, so it's either win flawlessly or die, and the smugness that comes from flawless win after flawless win kinda grates on me.
Will continue to read, but I hope you lean away from the fight mechanics a bit, it detracts more than it adds from where I sit.
That's fair. I'm coming into the setting blind, for what it's worth- the setting is solid, but the story was good enough that I gobbled all 270k and am hoping for more.
Well, this here is the final battle going on right now, but I understand your point. If I were not working on the setting's established mechanics (read, something I can not do much about), fights would have been quite a bit different.
Admittedly, the low statline was by intent because I wanted to prevent entirely the general habit of turtling up whenever possible. Heidi is an offensive fighter, so win and loss for her are supposed to be decided in a direct contest of skill; if she slips up once, she is more or less done for. What lets her fight outside of her weightclass is the fact she got so good the act of actually getting that hit in is incredibly difficult. Plus battle continuation that requires to keep her low for a time.
Or, in short, I made her a cockroach in terms of survivability without giving her the ability to withstand even a single decent blow.
Edit: Anyway, welcome to the Quest.
Edit 2: And while I am at it, votes are closed.
Adhoc vote count started by Naron on Jun 25, 2020 at 12:26 AM, finished with 46 posts and 7 votes.
[x] Plan Adding the Battle Plan to Talk it Out
-[X] You probably will fight before it's all over, but the bow-wielder expresses her lack of desire to fight. So engage in conversation, have the Dames state their desired outcome and see if you cannot find common ground. After all you were intending to leave for your time soon.
-[x] Try to act immediately if battle begins. Do not be afraid to Voyage if it is necessary to escape their first attacks.
-[x] Try Stygian Tempest against Ending, add Arcane Slash if necessary or possible.
-[x] Try cutting Genesis's bow string with Reaper's will or Stygian Tempest.
-[x] Try to target Clockwork over Genesis. When you do target Genesis, try to disable her.
-[x] Try to keep yourself in melee range of only one of them, and try to keep one between you and Genesis.
-[x] Keep cycling through your weapons to keep ahead of Degenerating Core destroying them
-[x] Aetheric Tide is a good idea to get back to positive Health should they trigger Rage against Fate
-[x] Voyage to dodge or get into range as appropriate
[X] Exp Plan Close the Speed Gap (4770 exp, 1025 remaining)
-[X] Upgrade The Handle to level 33 (1770 EXP)
-[X] Upgrade Meaningless Slaughter to level 25 (3000 EXP)
[X] Plan Talk it out (but really, someone make a battle plan in case it doesn't work out)
-[X] You probably will fight before it's all over, but the bow-wielder expresses her lack of desire to fight. So engage in conversation, have the Dames state their desired outcome and see if you cannot find common ground. After all you were intending to leave for your time soon.
Meaningless Slaughter
Level 1 -----> 25
ApT-boost: 1% per opponent -----> 25% per opponent
Enemy Movement Downgrade: 1 level -----> 25 levels
4,770 EXP spent
1,025 remain
[] Plan Adding the Battle Plan to Talk it Out
-[] You probably will fight before it's all over, but the bow-wielder expresses her lack of desire to fight. So engage in conversation, have the Dames state their desired outcome and see if you cannot find common ground. After all you were intending to leave for your time soon.
-[] Try to act immediately if battle begins. Do not be afraid to Voyage if it is necessary to escape their first attacks.
-[] Try Stygian Tempest against Ending, add Arcane Slash if necessary or possible.
-[] Try cutting Genesis's bow string with Reaper's will or Stygian Tempest.
-[] Try to target Clockwork over Genesis. When you do target Genesis, try to disable her.
-[] Try to keep yourself in melee range of only one of them, and try to keep one between you and Genesis.
-[] Keep cycling through your weapons to keep ahead of Degenerating Core destroying them
-[] Aetheric Tide is a good idea to get back to positive Health should they trigger Rage against Fate
-[] Voyage to dodge or get into range as appropriate
Your magic roars and grows, filling your veins and making you feel light. You raise your weapon and the Clockwork Dames follow, but hesitate. A single glance tells you how powerful they are, how much mana races through each one of them.
You are so tired of fighting. After the futility of it all became clear, you just... do not want to, anymore. But you do not want to die, either.
Your eyes focus on the bowwoman and you minutely lower your stave; they all see it, recognise the gesture, and reciprocate it; scythe and sword and bow are no longer held entirely at the ready, which gives you hope. So you speak: "I don't know. Is there a way where I walk out of this alive?"
Dame of Clockwork gives you an owlish look while the yet unannounced two relax a little further; the one with the greatsword huffs and throws her compatriot a grin. "It seems Kagome was right once again."
'Kagome' herself lowers the bow entirely and smiles, answering the question with sudden cheer: "Certainly! We weren't planning on ending you anyway!" Clockwork makes a motion to shush her and sighs when she says it anyway; her words make you relax and the burst of speed fades away as you realise they are not your enemies after all.
You jumped the gun there; you would have actually fought needlessly, again, were it not for that realisation you had just minutes earlier.
Dame of Clockwork puts a hand to her forehead, but her eyes never leave you even when you dismiss your weapon. She waits a moment longer before doing the same and folding her arms. "I admit I am a little disappointed now. We were planning to scare you a little as payback for all the extra work you put on us, but that's out the window now." She throws a look to her companion, who grins and shows a thumbs up after dismissing her bow. "Happy now?"
"Very much so!" she chirps before offering you a bow. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Dame of Genesis!"
You imitate the gesture as best as you can. "Likewise, I'm Defiance."
"Not very defiant right now, I see." The last of the three smirks and offers a sweeping bow of her own. "Regardless, I am Dame of Ending. It is quite sad that we couldn't dance, but I prefer it this way. Fighting without destroying my enemy is not my style."
You nod at her and drop to the ground, sighing. "I guess? And now, I don't feel defiant anymore. There's no point if this isn't about my life." There really never was, you just wish you would have noticed that sooner. The Dames exchange looks between each other, but then Genesis steps forward and sits next to you; she does the japanese thing where she sits on her shins. Clockwork does the same a moment later, sitting opposite to you. Ending, lastly, sprawls onto the ground without any sense of decorum to complete the circle, which earns her long-suffering sighs from the other two. "You seem to be immune to our more dangerous influences, so at least we can talk normally," she notes without acknowledging the other Dames.
You take note of how everything keeps growing and corroding around Genesis and Ending respectively, but do not ask. There is something else you wonder about. "So, why do you show up now, when I'm a few hours from going home?" As you speak, you adjust your posture a little, fold your legs to the side so you can sit more comfortably on the crumbling and morphing earth.
The three communicate with a few glances and Clockwork takes the lead with a dismissive motion. "Various factors. At first we merely observed your actions to get your measure, but then we got caught up in our hobbies again and ran late."
Wait. You blink and look at Clockwork more carefully. "Hold on, your hobbies?"
She tilts her head, but Genesis chimes in almost immediately: "Well, you see, time is a fickle thing. Only one time traveler or one group can go to a given time at once; the timestream can't take the strain of another going to the same time while the first is still there so our boss, Chronos-" "The god of time," Clockwork chimes in which makes Genesis nod, "Yes, the god of time. He inserts us a few years ahead of a given time traveler so we can intercept them. It gets kind of boring after a while, so we found us some hobbies to pass the time."
You look between the three carefully, but find yourself confused. "So... you have to spend years just sitting around and waiting?" Nods. "Can't your boss, I don't know, put you in stasis or something for the time? You don't look that old, either."
The three shrug and Ending answers carelessly: "He sees no problem with it and we adjusted by now."
Then Clockwork responds to your other question with a minute smile: "That aside, we serve the god of time. He can age our bodies however he sees fit, and so we always return to this appearance."
That makes sense and you give an understanding noise before pausing. "Wait, how old are you?"
Now this leads to silence while all three of them fall into deep thought; Genesis counts on her fingers while Clockwork draws lines into the ground. It gives way easily with how Ending's aura corroded it, even though new plants are growing in from Genesis as well.
At a point where you call it awkward, Clockwork looks up and shrugs at you. "We pay less attention to that than we used to. At least fifty, but probably at least a few decades beyond that."
"Okay, grandma." You curse your big mouth the moment it opens, but thankfully none of them take offense; Genesis giggles, Ending huffs, and Clockwork raises an eyebrow but smiles. You avert your gaze. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that."
"It is quite alright," Ending tells you before motioning for Clockwork. "But we digressed for long enough."
"Right." Their apparent leader agrees and clears her throat. "To summarise: you traveled through time within a span of eight thousand years. You affected several important events, though none in a particularly impactful manner, aside from two occurences; the first is a stable time loop regarding an Angel."
You grimace immediately, not needing any explanation for what she means. "Yeah, and believe me, this wouldn't have happened if I had known ahead of time."
"We are aware." Her response is flat and she sighs.
Genesis adds to that with a gentle pat to your shoulder. "Well, travel itself is not a crime, but we kind of have to make sure who is going where. But that time loop, uh, that is a pretty serious thing. It's already there, so we can't break it either without making a big mess. But we know you didn't mean to, so we aren't going to blame you for it."
By the looks the other two throw at her, they might blame you a little bit. You get the conversation back on track: "You said there were two things I did? I can't recall anything else like that time loop."
For some reason, this leads to all three of them groaning gently. You look between them with a quiet "Um?"
It takes a moment for Ending to snap out of it and explain while the other two are still in this weird fugue. "What you did, you do not remember. You died twice during your journey, and broke the Fold one additional time." Wait. "But time is malleable, and Chronos felt to remove those segments from the timeline." Wait "You might have felt a sense of deja vu those times, but you would not know what exactly happened."
"What do you mean, I died?" Your eyes widened as she said it and now Genesis throws her counterpart a glare, who appears completely unrepentant.
"Just that, you died. Twice, to be exact. It is by Chronos' will that you were granted another chance. He, too, recognised that with how long you were afloat in the timestream, the low number of incidents means you were careful." Ending offers you a smile that only shakes you more. "The god of time is benign in nature, though he remains strict in punishment if he feels it justified. For you, our directive was to have a talk and make sure you continue handling this power responsibly."
You are still at the point where you apparently died. You had no idea. You can not even remember anything in that direction. Close calls, yes, but nothing like that. Then lean though muscular arms wrap around you and gentle mana sings the song of life all around, soothing you. "It's okay, it's okay. We all died far more often and are still here. It takes some getting used to." Genesis strokes your back while you hug her, accepting the embrace. "And look at it this way: you do not even have to remember it!"
And there goes the comforting mood; she does not even realise what she said. Maybe it actually is an upside for her.
You take a deep breath and push the feeling away. It just adds to your general understanding that nothing was truly meaningful on this journey. Not even your death remains.
That is beside the point, though. "How is me dying important?"
Genesis lets go and takes her seat again while Clockwork shakes her head. "It isn't. Breaking the Fold is."
"The what?"
All three of them pause and stare at you. You stare back, with no idea what they are talking about. Suddenly, Ending begins to laugh and drops onto her back. Genesis lowers her head and Clockwork facepalms. "That explains it. You didn't even know. How about the Glass, or Gloss?"
You mutely shake your head and Clockwork lowers her hand. "Alright, then- shut up, Amelia." She gives Ending a kick to the armoured side, the other woman slowly calming herself but not getting up. Clockwork turns back to you. "The short of it is that time travel does not work exactly as portrayed in twentieth century media. The Gloss, or Glass as we call it, is a corrective mechanism Chronos employs. If you go to a new point in time, it prevents you from unwantingly affecting the world by filtering your presence out unless you actually wish to interfere."
"And it looks kind of creepy for you," Genesis adds from the side, receiving a nod from her companion. "It makes the natives unable to perceive you and completely prevents interaction unless you want to interact with them."
You just lower your head and tilt it in thought. "I, uh, don't remember anything ever stopping me from interfering?" Except that Voyage is weird and, hm. "But I think I heard something like glass shattering each time I went to a new time period. My spell might break it on its own."
Clockwork and Genesis eye you curiously, then each other. "Is that possible?" Genesis asks and Clockwork shrugs.
"It apparently is. Now that aside, the Glass has a second layer to protect the timestream, the Fold. In general, it is your personal timeline coming with you, so to speak. It keeps your journey consistent with established time," The Dame starts drawing pictures for emphasis while you try to internalise every word. "As the name suggests, it keeps folding over you the more time periods you travel to and only unfolds in two circumstances." She draws two stick figures and a circle that soon looks like Earth, with one figure being pointed that way with an arrow. "Either you return to your own time," the other is crossed out, "or you die. Technically three, but that is the problem.
"The Fold breaks if you create a paradox you are aware of." You make a confused sound and she nods. "Yes, that is the most unintuitive part. What you have to understand is that time is malleable; as long as you do not actually know how something turned out, or why, you can change things without consequences. Time self-corrects to account for all the changes once you close the loop."
She draws a few more stick figures, one of them with wings. "As an example, take Gabriel. You know her time of death and where she dies, so killing her in your duel a little while ago would have broken your Fold." You nod, the example making it more clear now. "Now, going with the same example, if you had not known anything about Gabriel and killed her that day, your Fold would not have broken."
"In short," Ending interjects as she sits up at last, "ignorance is bliss." She receives a nod from her companion and you internalise the information with an understanding noise.
"So, if I get this right, bad things only happen if I do something that I actually know did not happen that way?"
"Correct."
"Okay, then what happens if the Fold breaks?"
Now Clockwork sighs and hammers her fist into the drawings. "Goetia." Dust goes flying and you watch it freeze in time as her mana acts up. "I'll spare you the details and keep it to the important parts: Goetia are godlike monsters keyed onto the race of whoever created them, and move to destroy that race for some reason. Whenever someone breaks their fold with a paradox, they create one. And you did that once."
The dust falls silently while you sigh; at this point the bad news just keep coming. You can not even be upset about it anymore. "How?"
Genesis pipes up gently, interrupting Clockwork: "During your fight with the Dragon, on the first attempt you tried to fight normally. Except no one accounted for its durability and Gabriel ended up growing so far she accidentally cleaved the planet in two. You recognised the paradox, that Sheol is supposed to still be whole by your time, and Chronos cut that out while your Fold was still breaking. The Goetia is weakened greatly because he acted so quickly, but we still need to go and hunt it down later."
"And no," Ending interrupts before you can speak, "you should not get involved. Your strength is considerable, mind, but that does not mean you compare." You shut your mouth again, wondering how she knew you were going to volunteer; then again, it is your mess.
Genesis offers a gentle smile in addition. "A Goetia's powers are always aligned against killing the race it is keyed onto, often as a warped version of that race's own traits. You are human and possess no way of returning from the dead without Chronos' mercy. It would destroy you."
"Coincidentally," Ending chimes in again while pointing into the distance, "I believe that had you fought us, and managed to actually kill even a single one of us, she would have reemerged from somewhere soon after. Our souls belong to Chronos and he may revive us as he pleases."
"I see." That makes sense to you as well, even if you do not really like it. You consider asking how you died, but do not really want to know at the same time.
Clockwork clears her throat and the other two leave it to her again. "To get back on track, we were planning to let you off the hook with this. Now that you know how things work, you should be able to stay out of trouble. And keep in mind that even if we are not around, Chronos is always watching."
You nod and for once in your life, the flare of indignation fails to come. You are tired, so, so tired of all this. You want to go home.
But there is one more thing you need to ask. "Say, I was wondering." All three perk up somewhat and you slowly explain: "If I, um, if I wanted to bring someone from their time to mine, is that okay?"
Glances go back and forth, the three lean together to whisper for a moment, and when they separate Clockwork nods. "Of course. Just make sure they don't die in your time or you have the same issue, and return them on time."
Oh. "I, uh, actually meant to keep someone there, not bring them back. That doesn't work?" All three shake their heads and you slump over. "Figures, but thanks for telling me." At least Lu can come visit you, even if you can not take Orux along.
Silence descends once more and stays for a while, until Clockwork gets up and dusts herself off. "Well, we did everything we set out to do. It is time to go. I believe you will find the way back yourself?" You nod weakly and receive the same in turn; Ending bows lightly as she stands, and Ending pats your shoulder.
Then Clockwork pauses and turns back. "Oh, one more thing; don't try to go back further than the year two thousand on Earth. There was no mana in our home dimension before that point, so you could not transform or travel back out from there."
"Got it." You hope you can keep that in mind, but do not feel like acknowledging them any more than this.
Genesis waves goodbye and then the three are gone, as sudden as they appeared. You do not spend any time wondering, you just lower your head into your arms and cry it all out.
. . .
IDENTIFIED BREAK LINE . . .
You do not know how much time passes, but it does not really matter. You cry and wail at the unfairness of it all, but at some point all your tears are shed and you feel a bit better. After cleaning yourself up as best as you can, you close your eyes and take a deep breath. Only a little more, you can do this.
A mumbled casting of Voyage sends you back to the exact spot where you vanished from, just a few seconds after having left. The ground where Dame of Clockwork stood is ruptured somewhat and there is shouting, but it dies down once your presence reasserts itself. Your friends are already rushing over while the troops calm down.
Elisabeth moves her head ever so slightly, apparently looking you up and down. You give her a weak smile, the same the rest gets once they reach you. Maya makes to fuss over you, but you gently push her off. "I'm fine, there was no fight. We, uh, reached an understanding."
After reassuring everyone that you are fine and they do not need to worry, you figure it is time to get going. You can not bear drawing this out any more.
But before that, you take Orux' hand with a sad smile and step on your weapon to kiss his cheek. "I'm sorry. I asked them if I could take you with me, and they said I can't do that. I really wanted to, but...." You feel new tears prickle in the corners of your eyes, but he just quietly embraces you.
"It is alright, dear." His words are soft, meant for only you; everyone else stepped back to let you have this. "It's not your fault, you tried your best. I will manage, so for this time, you should believe in me instead; I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes!"
It is a declaration that makes your heart almost burst from emotions; you kiss his cheek again, and he kisses yours, then he lets go and smiles at you. "Go on, dear. We will meet again."
All you can do is nod. Taking a deep breath, you take the boxes the Imps prepared for you and shoulder them, then wave at everyone else and focus on the time you hailed from.
Your first leap has been so long ago, yet the moment of your departure is burned into the back of your mind. You could always get back there.
Yet, you figure, reappearing immediately might not do you good. So you carefully track a timespan about a day later; going any further into the future is a big no for you, but a single day should not do much harm. Your father will worry, but he does not have to worry for long.
"V-Voyage...."
Time embraces you and takes the faces of your new friends away.
Health: 3,000
Base Damage: 7,000
Base Resilience: 225
Magic Modifier: 7,000
Affinity: Time | Machinery | Journey | Legend
Weapon
Clockwork Scythe
Level 70
Attacks Per Turn: 26
Affinities: Time | Journey
Ability: Unstoppable | Time Walk | Priority-1
Spells
Mechanical Rain Dame of Clockwork send cogs, clocks, pistons, and other mechanical items rocketing at her opponents with enough force to break bones.
Level 77
Base Damage: 11,550
Magic Modifier: N/A
Affinity: Machinery | Legend
Ability: Rain of Light | Boost by Level | Planet Cracker
Noon to Midnight As the hands turn faster, a life will end. All will turn to dust in time. (Activates if modifier roll is equal to or greater than target's current Health)
Level N/A
Base Damage: N/A
Magic Modifier: 2x Target's max Health
Affinity: Time | Legend
Ability: Undodgeable | Kill by Modifier | Scale to Target
Abilities
Blessing of the Time Deity
-Dame of Clockwork is immune to all Time Altering Effects.
Mechanical Inspiration
Level 65
-Machines in Dame of Clockwork's presence perform 650% more or less effectively, depending on whether they are used by allies or enemies.
Perpetual Machinery
Level 10
-Dame of Clockwork's ability to keep functioning.Doubles current Time Walk stack with every action taken.
Timeless Dodge
-Dame of Clockwork may sacrifice an action and reduce her current Time Walk stack by 1,000 to dodge an incoming attack. The cost is reduced to 100 while Reaper of Time is active.
Chronos' Will be Done
-Noon to Midnight's modifier roll may be increased with points from Dame of Clockwork's Time Walk stack. If it takes no effect upon casting, she regains 2 ApT and may cast Mechanical Rain at the target as a free action.
Reaper of Time (Active)
-Dame of Clockwork sacrifices 10% of her maximum Health each turn; while this Ability is active, all of her attacks gain Anti-Parry and No-Intercept, while opposing instances of Undogeable are suppressed.
-When this Ability is deactivated, Dame of Clockwork adds 25x her current Time Walk to her next basic attack, then resets the counter.
The Clock Strikes Twelve
-If Dame of Clockwork is killed, all non-Dames on the field receive her entire Time Walk stack as damage. Unless the stack was 0, Dame of Clockwork revives on the following turn and resets her Time Walk.
(Chronos) Magical Girl Dame of Genesis
Kagome Higurashi
Stats
Health: 2,550,000
Base Damage: 10,500
Base Resilience: 8,400
Magic Modifier: 21,000
Affinity: Time | Life | Love | Legend
Weapon
Chronomic Bow
Level 70
Attacks Per Turn: 37
Affinities: Time | Legend
Ability: Double Tap | Homing | Laser | Anti-Parry
Spells
Just Surge Dame of Genesis blesses herself and her allies, increasing their damage and defense.
Level 70
Base Damage: 21,000
Magic Modifier: 10,500
Affinity: Life | Love
Ability: Boost-All | Damage Barrier | Boost Weapon | Auto Max Charge
Split Second Surge Allows one ally to not only surpass, but to break the speed limits; increases ApT, movement speed, and adjusts HSC level accordingly.
Level 75
Base Damage: N/A
Magic Modifier: N/A
Affinity: Time | Legend
Ability: Boost-All | Move Boost | Accelerator | Boost by Level
Abilities
Blessing of the Time Deity
-Dame of Genesis is immune to all Time Altering Effects.
Aura of Restoration
Level 65
-All allies in Dame of Genesis' presence recover 9,750 Health each turn.
Time to Shine
-All allied healing effects are ten times as effective and may safely overheal Dame of Genesis; excess Health is shed after battle. Allows allies to synchronise their Spells more easily.
Blooming Season
Level 60
-Governs Health and Base Resilience; Dame of Genesis' Maximum Health is multiplied by 100 and she counts as possessing the Hard to Kill Ability. She may delay damage dealt to her for up to two turns.
Instantaneous Ascent
-Upgrade all allied weapons to the Chronomic Bow's level for as long as they fight by Dame of Genesis' side.
Aeonic Excellence
-Dame of Genesis may pull actions from up to five future turns into the present turn; once this Ability is used, it may not be used again until the last turn ApT were pulled from has passed.
Aeonic Switch
-Dame of Genesis may distribute her own ApT among allies at will. Their perception is temporarily adjusted to accomodate the increased speed; the latter effect also applies when enhanced by Split Second Surge.
God-Splitting Arrow
-Dame of Genesis may bypass Morality Barriers depending on her Laser-charge. 100 actions bypass Edge of Mortality, this amount is doubled once for each step above up to Abstract Morals. Any Laser-charged attacks above 100 charges gain Planet Cracker, Starslayer, and Boost by Modifier. All three Abilities trigger simultaneously.
(Chronos) Magical Girl Dame of Ending
Amelia Jones
Stats
Health: 550
Base Damage: 22,500
Base Resilience: 11,250
Magic Modifier: N/A
Affinity: Time | Destruction | End | Legend
Weapon
Tempus Staff
Level 75
Attacks Per Turn: 25
Affinities: Time | Destruction | Legend
Ability: Smash | Catastrophic Damage | Purge | Erase
Spells
All Things Turn to Dust Dame of Ending calls upon a portion of her patron's power, causing her targets and those around her targets to age into nothing more than dust in mere seconds.
Level 75
Base Damage: 15,000
Magic Modifier: 15,000
Affinity: Destruction | End | Legend
Ability: Apocalypse | Omnipresent | Omni-Magic | Obliterate | Ability Trigger: End Count | Negative Space
Abilities
Blessing of the Time Deity
-Dame of Ending is immune to all Time Altering Effects.
Degenerating Core
-Any enemy weapon lower level than Tempus Staff disintegrates in Dame of Ending's Presence.
Entropic Presence
Level 75
-All non-Dame fighters suffer a decrease of 750% to their defense and damage dealt.
Progressive Enhancement
-Any positive boost applied to Dame of Ending is renewed at the start of the turn. At the end of the turn, Dame of Ending may spread any positive boost she has to all allies upon the field of battle.
Entropic Assault
-At the start of the turn, Dame of Ending may re-fire any and all attacks she has utilized normally over the course of the battle in a single burst. Should another Dame have activated a time-oriented ability, she may mirror that ability until the next turn.
Graceful Degradation
-Dame of Ending must be reduced to 0 HP once for every level she has in Entropic Presence in order to perish. Combined attacks and consecutive attacks do not count towards her death timer. Each time she dies, reset her health to max and double it.
End Count (Active)
-Can only be activated after All Things Turn to Dust has been cast. Every enemy facing Dame of Ending with an active counter (spell, ability, or otherwise) die instantly.
"In short," Ending interjects as she sits up at last, "ignorance is bliss." She receives a nod from her companion and you internalise the information with an understanding noise.
Look at it this way - some of the moments Defiance was most happy with, were when she chose to not fight.
She gave Neverwas a chance to enjoy another's company. She met Duramboros. She managed to become friends with Gabriel. She avoided a needless battle with the Dames.
You land exactly where you started, in your somewhat messy room. It takes a moment to recognise it as yours.
Did you really bunch up your blanket like that?
You shake off the thought and put down your things, the armour, the lightsabers, a few dresses Elisabeth insisted you take along and that are now your most elaborate belongings. All are quietly set onto the floor in their boxes; your alarm shows the time to be an hour past noon, which should mean your father is at work. How are you going to explain this to him? What are you even going to say?
Sighing, you drop your transformation and open the window; it smells different here is the first thing you notice. Sheol's air had a different note to it. There is much less mana all around, too... but the glow of a city-wide array of some kind is clear nonetheless; Magic Binary, probably the one that prevents dimensional travel into the city. Not that it matters to you, time is not concerned by that kind of thing. If you slip in from a point where the ward did not exist yet, you go past it.
It is about as warm as Sheol was, though.
Your school things are neatly arranged on your desk, you notice. Right, the term just ended. Why is school even important if half the people going through it around the world will be dead in ten years? Devoured by the endless grinder.
But your father would be disappointed if you dropped it, so you have to try to make it through and go through all the things you learned and might need again. But you can probably find something lucrative to do with your powers, so an actual job should not be necessary. If need be, maybe you can do something like tutoring people in Brand Craft, or become a combat instructor.
The best way to spite this whole mess is to live a long and fulfilling life, or so you figure.
Looking between your new belongings, you feel how dry your throat is and get up. The kitchen is right out of the door and one door down the hallway; you push it open and hesitate for a moment. Right, no wooden mugs, you need a glass. Water is more than enough, though what comes from the tap feels stale in comparison to what they had at the Keep. It took some getting used to back then, but now not having that taste feels weird.
You hear steps in the hallway.
Quickly putting down the glass, you tense to meet whoever entered your home... only to find your disheveled father staring at you. "...papa? What are you doinmph" You do not even get to finish before he has his arms wrapped around you.
"Oh Heidi, where were you?"
He is quiet, but almost crushing you in his grip. You blink slowly, then smile and hug him back. "It's a long story. Long, long, long. Why aren't you at work?" He does not let go of you even now and you feel something wet hit the back of your head. Oh.
"I took the day off. Now tell me, where did you go?"
"It can wait a little."
You squeeze tightly and stay like that for a while. You really are home now, after all this time. "I'm here."
In the end, you decide, he deserves to know everything. And so you tell him everything.
Only in doing so do you truly understand that your journey is over. You did what you set out to do, but it did not bring you happiness. With everything that happened, your father decides to cook you a nice dinner and send you to bed. You follow without complaint and are out like a light soon after.
What if Heidi had chosen to seek battle? (Non-canon) Your magic roars and grows, filling your veins and making you feel light. Everything seems to slow for a moment and you decide on your target without hesitation, knowing that attempting for peace is useless. As if anyone ever could achieve that in this world. The one with the greatsword feels the most threatening, so you go after her first.
(Three opponents on the field. Heidi's ApT increase by 75%
Bonus: 9 actions)
The Handle in your hand elongates while you make the first step, finding all three Dames reacting too slow. Clockwork is already adjusting her posture when your scythe finishes forming and aims for her unconcerned friend.
(Stygian Tempest: +595 Base Damage, +1568 dice, +4462 Defiant Against Time = 6,625 Total Damage
Dame of Ending: Unstoppable negates
Dame of Ending Health: 550 - 6,625 = -6,075 Graceful Degradation Sudden Death
Bonus ApT reduced to 6)
Her cocky grin does not even fade by the time you take her head clean off. Magic rushes through her body to do something, but that rarely seen property of your scythe becomes active and disperses the effect, making her die on the spot.
You have no time to watch her body, seeing that Clockwork finally got herself in position and charges forward with a swing of her scythe; it cuts through the very air, screaming as she aims to do to you what you did to her friend, the woman's expression unreadable.
(Clockwork Scythe: +7000 Base Damage, dice do not matter = 7000 Total Damage
Attack negated!
Riposte!
Target is not there.
Dame of Clockwork takes 1,000 strain damage
Dame of Clockwork Health: 3,000 - 1,000 = 2,000)
Her face does not change even when you hook your disintegrating scythe into hers and pull her a half-step closer, making the swing miss your neck and cut the ribbon fluttering over your shoulder instead. You are already bringing out Aetheric Tide to capitalise, feel a rush of speed, but your stab for her center meets thin air. Dame of Clockwork flickers aside as if she had never been there, blood running out of her ears when she becomes tangible again.
The other one is still pulling the string of her bow while running backward, so you have some time. Time which you use to immediately place another series of stabs where Clockwork is but which she dodges again in the same way. This time she bleeds from mouth and nose as well.
She raises her scythe and a pair of ethereal arrows scream toward you even faster, followed by what is more of a stream than a barrage.
(Chronomic Bow: +10500 Base Damage, +20361 dice, +7000 Horrific Speed Gap = 37,861 Total Damage
Chronomic Bow: +10500 Base Damage, +20361 dice, +7000 Horrific Speed Gap = 37,861 Total Damage
75,722 Unified Damage
Attack has Anti-Parry Who cares?
Attack negated.
Riposte!
Aetheric Tide: +1400 Base Damage, +842 dice, +10500 Defiant Against Time = 12,742 Total Damage
Aetheric Tide: +1400 Base Damage, +842 dice, +10500 Defiant Against Time = 12,742 Total Damage
Aetheric Tide: +1400 Base Damage, +842 dice, +10500 Defiant Against Time = 12,742 Total Damage
Aetheric Tide: +1400 Base Damage, +842 dice, +10500 Defiant Against Time = 12,742 Total Damage
Aetheric Tide: +1400 Base Damage, +842 dice, +10500 Defiant Against Time = 12,742 Total Damage
63,710 Unified Damage
Dame of Clockwork: +225 Base Resilience, +4630 dice, -225 Already Committed = 4,630 Total Damage Reduction
59,080 Final End Damage
Dame of Clockwork Health: 1,000 - 59,080 = -58,080)
The arrows are ethereal, barely more than wisps as they move to pass right through your spear's shaft. But your magic forces them to solidify, to be pushed off-mark. Speed surges once more in response and you step forward to aim for Clockwork's heart; she is already swinging and does not abort; she is faster than you normally, but right now you are already in motion and sped up further.
Your spear connects and the scythe flies from her hands. Defiant magic roars and her petite body is torn asunder as you stab her repeatedly, making sure she is dead.
A casual flick backward redirects another pair of arrows past left and right of your head, the moment between this and the next pair being enough to turn around and watch to where your last opponent is. She made some distance by now, obviously used to fighting while on the run.
You spend a full second aiming to make certain, calmly deflecting a dozen arrows in that time. Your spear keeps loading you up with speed in response and you can not help but grin. You can do this!
"Voyage!"
A moment through time and you land right behind her; the bowwoman already turns her head and the body follows soon after, but she is too slow to act before you throw everything at her.
(Aetheric Tide: +1400 Base Damage, +633 dice, +10500 Defiant Against Time = 11,533 Total Damage
repeat 34 times
403,655 Unified Damage
Dame of Genesis: +8400 Base Resilience, +15974 dice, -2100 Surprised = 22,274 Total Damage Reduction
381,381 Final End Damage Blooming Season: Damage held until turn 3)
You do not even bother aiming for any vitals, your magic roars so loud you can not hear much else over it; no way any Magical Girl can survive that.
Except she does. For a single moment everything seems to stand still, the other woman smiling serenely while every single strike of yours is caught by something barely visible, layered all over her. They do not vanish, but rather leave imprints all around your target without actually touching her. The veil wobbles gently while she finishes her turn, fluidly drawing her bowstring again. You stab for it and push her shot off the mark, but the steel is too tough for your spear to sever.
You do not even try it with your scythe or the lightsaber, she moved with you right now; had it not been for the spear's self-correction, she would have sidestepped the attempt entirely. Too fast for you to match.
Two arrows form the moment she looses, screaming into the sky instead of your legs. Your eyes meet and that serene smile of hers remains unbroken. You growl and draw your lightsaber instead to strike at her.
(Reaper's Will: +600 Base Damage, +201 dice, +4500 Superslayer, +4500 Defiant Against Time = 9,801 Total Damage
Dame of Genesis: +8400 Base Resilience, +20960 dice = Haha Fuck You
Attack Ineffective, Abrade does not even trigger)
But the burst of mana she brings to bear rebuffs you without even leaving a scratch in her dress. The force of it pushes you back a step and she takes another two in the opposite direction, bow drawn again. Dozens of metres behind her, the armoured Dame's headless body hits the ground.
You can not keep up with how fast she pulls and looses the string, deflecting each pair of arrows forcing you another step back while she takes distance again. Once, twice, thrice, then you manage to duck under one arrow and charge forward, lightsaber switching to Stygian Tempest. Maybe you can do something with that.
More arrows come flying and you hop over another pair, then the shockwave of their impact with the ground propels you forward and into the air, above another pair. You make a snap-decision and consume Reaper's Will for speed; you need it and that thing is basically useless here.
(Reaper's Will sealed, ApT reset
MM increased by 100%, is now 3,510)
The surge of speed is enough to put you on even footing for a moment. Your mind's grasp on your weapon lets you pull yourself out of the next shot before you need to deflect four more, then you hit the ground and dart after your opponent.
Now you are a bit faster than her and gain ground, but it takes time; her smile has not wavered, but she continues to bombard you with arrows at every single step. You need to duck, hop, weave between them to make progress, deflect a few with your swinging scythe, and then even use one as a springboard to leap forward, right at her while she draws the string again.
(Stygian Tempest: +595 Base Damage, +2264 dice, +4462 Defiant Against Time = 7,321 Total Damage
Dame of Genesis: Negated by Unstoppable
7,321 Final End Damage Blooming Season: Damage held until turn 3)
Once again your scythe leaves an imprint in her veil and she steps back, but her being unharmed tells you something useful; she is going to be hurt by this, else the scythe would have cut through the veil.
"Impressive," she compliments while her hand hovers over the bowstring. "Truly, impressive. And yet...."
(Aura of Restoration: Dame of Genesis heals for 9,750 97,500.
Dame of Genesis Health: 2,550,000 + 97,500 = 2,647,500)
You do not let her finish. "Argent Star!!" And with that, five silver spheres form around you. Just to make sure, you take the moment to push for the other ten in rapid succession. Your opponent closes her mouth and moves to dodge, but the orbs follow.
(Argent Star: +1300 Base Damage, +206 dice, +9750 Defiant Against Time, x16 Purge = 164,096 Total Damage
Argent Star: +1300 Base Damage, +206 dice, +9750 Defiant Against Time, x16 Purge = 164,096 Total Damage
Argent Star: +1300 Base Damage, +206 dice, +9750 Defiant Against Time, x16 Purge = 164,096 Total Damage
Argent Star: +1300 Base Damage, +206 dice, +9750 Defiant Against Time, x16 Purge = 164,096 Total Damage
Argent Star: +1300 Base Damage, +206 dice, +9750 Defiant Against Time, x16 Purge = 164,096 Total Damage
820,480 Unified Damage
Dame of Genesis: +8400 Base Resilience, +8538 dice = 16,938 Total Damage Reduction
803,542 Final End Damage
x3 volleys, 2,410,626 Final End Damage
Blooming Season: Damage held until turn 4)
The orbs fade away entirely instead of exploding, becoming a brighter part of her veil that now almost blots her out. She draws her bow again and you make to defend, when hands break through the brittle ground behind her.
Flowers newly blossomed turn to dust as the other two Dames quite literally rise from the grave; glancing aside, you find their corpses still there. Clockwork still has that unamused look on her face while Ending keeps grinning. Her severed head is doing the same thing a bit to the side.
Your weapon flakes off to just the Handle and you dart forward immediately; Clockwork moves at around the same time to intercept you, but she loses a moment striking the ground once with her scythe, activating some kind of shroud around herself.
That exact motion is what gives you enough time. Ducking under more arrows, you bring your scythe around with renewed speed. Your target is still getting into a proper stance, no time to actually strike yet, and so her head comes off again.
Then Clockwork is upon you, a spinning slash of hers being ducked under which you use to strike once more with your spear. Only this time she visibly draws from the shroud around herself and flickers away.
When you adjust to move after her, the shroud suddenly grows.
(Perpetual Machinery: Time Walk doubles; 2,446 x 2 = 4,892)
You pay that no mind and continue to go after her, she has to give you an opening eventually. Your dance is fast and lethal, scythe against spear. Each of you aims to kill in a single stroke but neither hits, the guardian of time finding her blows fall short or go wide, while likewise flowing around your own like mist. Few arrows find their way into the melee, the other Dame apparently making sure not to hit her ally.
Yet she does not stand idle; every single arrow she fires comes supercharged with mana and explodes upon impact, the first of which almost hits you after being redirected into the near ground. The few that follow after, you point into the distance where they tear great craters.
The dance with Dame of Clockwork continues without interruption, high and low and back and forth, neither of you hit and neither willing to give up. You just need a little longer to get her, even though her shroud just keeps growing and growing with every move she makes. Mana continues to float out of her body and bloat the layer of flickering time
In the end, you barely manage to lean out of her attempted strike for your neck, going forward and readying yourself.
(Aura of Restoration: Dame of Genesis heals for 9,750 97,500.
Dame of Genesis Health: 2,647,500 + 97,500 = 2,745,000)
(Dame of Genesis takes 388,702 damage
Dame of Genesis Health: 2,745,000 - 388,702 = 2,357,298)
Your spear melts away while the once-dead Dame appears from another hole further away this time, turning into a vicious scythe while you grin at Clockwork and shout at her: "Arcane Slash!"
Your mana flows freely and surges forward with the swing, cutting through her little flicker-trick and bisecting her cleanly in the center. Only that when she falls, the shroud around her contracts. Arrows are deflected almost absent-mindedly, your scythe blades already disintegrate, but you watch the bubble shrink to become a marble, and then explode outward.
(Everything on the field takes 48,527,900,672 damage, except Dame of Genesis and Dame of Ending Meaningless Slaughter: Defiance is immune
Dame of Clockwork's Time Walk resets.)
What follows is a maelstrom of wounded time screaming in the cacophony of a thousand angrily ticking clocks, surging past you but leaving you unscathed. The ground around you falls to dust over several hundred metres, leaving a perfectly circular crater in which you and the other two Dames now descend. Air howls as it fills the void left behind, making your remaining ribbons flutter.
Weirdly though, the bowwoman is wide-eyed and dropped her bow. She definitely did not expect you to survive that one. More importantly, she is bleeding all over... and the imprints of your spear are gone. You are starting to understand how that veil of hers works.
Next up, you dash for the other easily defeated Dame once more.
. . .
. . .
Do note that had this been the actual encounter, I would have continued writing it; putting it all into text for an Omake would have been too much, though.
The plan was a 3-chapter battle, with breaks being giving after 1 and 3 weapons were sealed for Heidi to keep up with the much faster Dames. It would have continued like this and drawn out mode after mode, until... . . .
. . .
You behold your opponents. Three they are once more, weapons drawn but not yet attacking. Your arms and legs are aching, your hand hurts from punching the armoured one in the face to crack her neck. Not that it helped, she just put herself back together and came at you again.
You have no weapons left, nothing else to turn the tide in your favour again. They just keep coming.
In the end, it was futile.
You hate that, hate it so, so much.
But you are so, so tired.
Your muscles relax ever so slightly, arms sinking to your side, and you bow your head. The Clockwork Dames watch carefully, but then their leader strides toward you with measured steps and raises her scythe.
You want to keep fighting, keep running, but how? Where to? No matter where you go, they will follow. No matter what you do, you can not win. What can you do but give up?
Cool steel kisses your skin as she places the weapon right below your head, ready to end it with a single pull. You close your eyes lest the tears spill over, but... it never ends.
After another moment of waiting for your death, you open your eyes to find Dame of Clockwork giving you an appreciative smile. "And that is for giving us extra work."
The scythe is withdrawn, but you are too flabbergasted to comprehend what is happening. The armoured woman claps her hands slowly. "Fought with the swiftness and ferocity of a cornered beast. Impressive."
The last of the three just sighs and shakes her head. "Can we get to business now?"
And yes, I know how you feel. It always feels odd to close the curtain on a long project.
Good news is that the epilogue has several segments, so you can expect a bit more content before it is truly over.
Heidi rolled her eyes over her friend's tone, but did not comment otherwise. She had called her closest friends together to talk about this matter, after all.
"And that's why you suddenly vanished? What kind of magic does that? Invisibility, teleportation?" Sara continued to pry, but Heidi merely shrugged and sipped from her juice. It became a bit more difficult to stay indifferent when Sara poked her lean arm. "And where do the muscles come from? Instant fitness is unfair, Heidi! And the tan, too!"
Back in the kitchen, Julian Schmeling had to suppress the urge to grab for another beer; he was staying out of his daughter's conversation, yet could not help but listen in while busying himself with cleaning up.
It had been but two days since Heidi returned from her adventure; he still had trouble actually believing it. Even after his little girl simply pulled him along and to Hope, several weeks before the invasion. They just wandered the streets for a bit, talking to people, but it felt surreal nonetheless.
"This is so cool, Stephanie will love it!" That was Anna, a fellow Practitioner. Julian sympathised with Sara, who remained the only one without magic in this circle of friends. Stephanie, he knew from overhearing them before, was a Magical Girl and currently somewhere on the battlefield. Though he heard from her parents that she would return for a while within the next week.
Heidi had a response for that: "I don't think so, you know? Being a Magical Girl is hard." She would not elaborate unless she had to, though. Neither about her actual powers, nor where she went. For now, the two of them would keep this under wraps. For various reasons.
Neither of them was naive enough to believe that his daughter's previous association with the UD could not lead to trouble. Probably not with the Akashic Pillar or the Unified Light in general because it was so long ago, but some individuals would likely take offense.
With a sigh, Julian finished drying off the last plate and put it back into the cupboard; now he had to find something else to do. Heidi had asked for supplemental lessons in Brand Craft the previous day, he mused, so he could start preparing those for her. With how much she learned on her journey, he could actually bring out the advanced materials.
Before he could even start doing that though, the doorbell rung. He was already moving before the children even reacted, passing by the living room where they were seated. No one paid attention to the matter anymore when they saw him walking, the girls getting back to chatting.
Picking up the receiver of the intercom, Julian wondered just who might be there on a Saturday. "Yes?"
"I have a delivery for Schmeling." The voice was deep, much different to the usual postman. Julian's eyebrows rose about the fact that 'delivery' came this far into the weekend, especially because he knew he had not ordered anything.
Cautiously, the man considered the arrays he inscribed around the door; he had made sure that this place was defended if the city ever came under attack. Using them prematurely would not be smart, though. He had his trusted pen, and wore a set of enhanced clothes. Not to mention, a quiet voice in the back of his mind added, his daughter would be able to take care of trouble.
After the moment of consideration was over, he decided to test this person: "Oh, really? How big is it?"
His response was but a chuckle. "I see I have been found out. It's about as tall as I am, sir. The name is Orux."
Now that sent him for a loop. Orux, a name he had heard and was absolutely not sure what to think about. "I... see. Come on up." He was not ready for this, but pressed the button anyway. Letting go after a few seconds, Julian opened the door and tried to calm his racing mind.
Orux. Heidi had spoken about him at length. He was the part of her story that made Julian consider the bottle the most.
His daughter was dating a Demon.
Of course he knew that she would bring a boy home eventually; or a girl, for that matter. He would not judge her for either. For it to be a Demon however, that was different. He expected maybe an elf, but really mostly thought it would be a human.
Was that racist of him? He wondered about that while watching Orux ascend the stairs with measured steps. The Demon appeared paradoxical; clad in a fine yet simple robe, almost scholarly, but a head taller than Julian himself and about twice as wide. His whole expression was calm, with the slightest hint of a smile.
It was suspiciously quiet behind him, but he paid that little more mind than it took to notice the fact.
Orux nodded his head in greeting and Julian quietly stepped aside to let him in. The Demon had to duck his head to enter, but only spoke once the door was closed: "Considering your reaction, I believe Heidi told you."
That was not even a question, but he waited for Julian to nod before continuing. "That is good, it would have been quite awkward to just appear on your doorstep without you having any idea who I am."
"I can imagine that." It was awkward nonetheless, though Julian had to admit this would be much more so if he was not in the know. In front of him stood a Demon, one who could probably tear him apart with a flick of his wrist, being all polite and friendly.
After taking a deep breath, he motioned for the other man to wait and wandered over to the living room; before he even reached it however, his daughter already rounded the corner with a bright smile.
Expecting what was about to happen, Julian quickly stepped aside to let her pass. Heidi rarely displayed that much pure joy, yet there she was falling into this visitor's arms without a word.
He barely managed to stop himself from heaving a sigh; this apparently was his life now.
At least he was polite, Julian figured. Heidi remained a teenager, so she definitely could have made worse choices, and at this point he truly believed that. From what she told him and what he saw so far, Orux appeared much different than one would expect the average Demon to be.
Then again, the gasps from the living room reminded him that without background knowledge, Heidi was currently hugging an unknown Demon. He motioned for Sara and Anna to wait, though he might as well not have bothered; neither of them seemed to have any words, they just quietly stared at the scene in front of them.
"To answer your question," Heidi ultimately spoke from within her boyfriend's arms, "my power is time travel. I've been away a bit longer than a day." And there went keeping things under wraps; then again, they already lost on that end when their visitor made his entrance.
The rumbling chuckle from Orux made both girls flinch. "That is quite an understatement, dear." When Heidi laughed in response, Julian saw a certain sense of irony in the fact both Sara and Anna had gone cross-eyed. Were they older, he would have offered them a drink as well out of sympathy.
After a moment, he decided to do it anyway; they were both sixteen, a beer was fine. "You girls want a bottle, too?" They looked to him as he produced his own from the kitchen, and Anna actually came over to get one. Her helpless gaze was answered with a shrug, the two Practitioners quietly sharing their bewilderment.
His daughter actually giggled over the sight before turning her attention back to Orux. "So you really made it." While saying that, she already pulled him along and through their small flat, into the living room. Sara quickly scrambled to make room.
"I told you I would." His answer came with little hesitation, giving Julian something else to think about. This man had apparently braved five thousand years to be with his woman again. Even still, some part of him did not want what was happening. It went far too fast and unexpected, and he would quite like to just turn it all down and tell his daughter he would not allow it.
Alas, Julian knew her too well. She listened when he called her to order, but she would not concede on this. Not without a good reason, which he could not provide.
"...what?"
That was Sara, still staring at the happy couple. Anna appeared to share the sentiment, though her mouth remained closed. The whole procession wandered back into the living room, with Orux considering the couch for a moment before sitting himself down on the floor. Heidi sat right next to him on the couch, their heads being on roughly the same height. Everyone else took seats around them, with Julian being next to his child and the other girls opposite of Orux.
"Weird way to introduce everyone, but whatever. This is Orux, my... boyfriend, I think? Or are we past that?" She cast a glance over her shoulder with the question, missing the way her friends' eyes closed for long moments. Julian could empathise with them.
Orux, on his part, chuckled about the whole scene once more. "As bold as I recall." His gaze then turned from her to Julian, serious from one moment to the next. "Yes, I am planning to make Heidi my wife, if she is willing."
Heidi's "Yes" was so fast they all missed it for a moment while Orux continued: "Though not immediately, mind. I would want to wait until she is legally of age, and would prefer to have your blessings, sir."
Only then did they realise the answer his daughter gave, leading to some startled looks from her friends. At which Heidi sneered mockingly. "What? He's been waiting for me for ages, I'm pretty sure I won't find a better man."
Julian took a deep breath and sighed while giving the couple a look. "All of this is happening kind of fast. We can talk about it another time."
"Ah, yes. My apologies." Orux actually lowered his head at him for a moment. "My perception of time is different than it used to be. How long has it been since your return, dear?"
Heidi's response was interrupted by Sara taking the partly emptied bottle out of Anna's hand. "Gimme some." It prompted more giggling from his daughter, who seemed to have the time of her life.
Granted, she never managed to make people go for the bottle like this before. Perhaps it was the time of her life.
"Two days and a bit. I took Papa on a trip so he actually believes me."
Curiously, her words made the Demon man cringe before he sighed and turned his head to Julian again. "Then I have to apologise once more. I was planning to make my entrance a week after and got the dates mixed up."
How could a Demon be so considerate? Were they all like that, or just the old ones? Either way, Julian would have really liked to get a few more days for all this to sink in.
"So," Anna chimed in with a look between the two, having freed the bottle from Sara's clutches again, "you've gotta take us on a trip too. And where the hell did you go that you've got that guy as a boyfriend? And why the hell couldn't you pick a pretty one?!"
There it was, the telltale frown that showed Heidi was about to get loud. Julian already prepared himself, but then something happened. Her frown became deeper for a long moment, then ceased as if let out with her sigh. "Sure, tomorrow or so. Five thousand years past, roughly. On a UD-world. And fuck you, I like who I like." She then poked Orux with her elbow. "Mind if I introduce her to Dragul so she can ogle?"
His little girl learned to keep her temper in check. Julian ignored the Demon's dark chuckle in favour of this revelation. Such a response would have been unthinkable just a week ago. Heidi had grown.
"You shouldn't, dear. Dragul is busy winning politics, and generally not a good choice."
"You say that as his friend?"
"Especially as his friend."
The back and forth ended with grins from both while the rest of the room wondered just who this other person was. Though Sara apparently focussed on something else: "How do you win politics?"
She got a rather intimidating grin in response that made her flinch, which prompted Orux to quickly hide his teeth again. "He is the kind that plays to win. I have no idea how he wants to win at politics either, but he seems to be doing well, having risen to the title of Duke by now. Which is doubly impressive because Magical Girls killed all but four over the last decade."
"Ouch, did they suck so much?"
Orux just shook his head while the others listened curiously, Julian wondering just how many influential people his daughter knew now. "Less that and more that the prowess of MGs took many by surprise. I got to, ah, meet Goddess Gold on the field once."
The mention of that name brought him undivided attention from everyone and a swat from Heidi, to which he only stared back at her. "I am not going to hear complaints from the woman who fought an Archangel and a Dragon."
"You did what?"
His mouth was faster than his brain in this moment, but it did not matter; Julian stared at his child with open shock. She had said she went against strong opponents, but he expected something quite a bit lesser than that. Heidi grimaced while getting lightly swatted by Orux in return, then shrugged at Julian. "Fought an Archangel and a Dragon. But not at the same time, don't worry."
'Don't worry', she said. After telling him she went head to head with someone like Gabriel. Julian sighed heavily, again, before looking into his own beer bottle.
"You know, I buy it." Anna blew out some sparks, which told them enough about how she felt, but then her attention returned to Orux. "MGs are strong, but how did you fight Goddess Gold?"
His first response was a chuckle while he leaned back against the wall. "I would not call that a fight, really. Her first spellfire destroyed the entire twenty platoons under my command, the second, third, and fourth tickled me a little, then she got fed up with me not dying and punted me over the horizon. Let me tell you, landing on your face is not enjoyable."
He appeared to enjoy the baffled silence for a moment before shrugging. "I developed my power so it allows me to stay alive. I can crack some necks if I have to, but survival was always my main priority. It turned out to have been a wise choice."
He shuddered and shook his head while the others still considered whether to believe this man on how durable he was. Julian had trouble doing so, but he also just got told his baby girl stood head and shoulders above most elite warriors in the war.
"You're right, I guess. I doubt you'd have survived for so long without focussing on it." Heidi leaned over to pat his shoulder, giving the others some more time.
Julian decided to put it aside for now and spoke up himself, drawing attention from the rest. "I'm actually more curious if you're still active with the UD." Because if he was, that would be major trouble.
Thankfully, Orux shook his head. "No, no. I, well, resigned and left a few weeks after the invasion of Reluxus began."
"And they let you? Can people just leave?" It was Anna who asked, but Sara appeared just as curious. Julian found himself curious as well, having a first chance to hear about the other side in detail.
Orux chuckled again and grinned once more. "Technically no, most of those who leave are deserters that need to find asylum elsewhere. Most leave the LDC or find themselves in the Elvin Empire, but I know there are a few thousand Demons on Earth as well." He thought for a moment before continuing. "Either way, I was General when I retired, and my sturdiness is well-known. Morale would suffer if one of the grunts that rose to greatness was killed after serving for so long. Moreover, it would have taken one of the Dukes or someone similarly powerful to kill me, and I am on good terms with two out of the four."
He actually laughed at that point, perhaps thinking back to something amusing. "Letting me go was by far the better choice they could make."
So much to take in, but at least Julian began to get used to it; or perhaps that was the alcohol. At least the day appeared far less heavy by now. He could probably deal with this, in time. In time.
The Weakling That Beat The Odds He Isn't That Weak Anymore
Rejuvenating Shine If my nature is to fight, conquer, and destroy... I reject it.
Level 35
Base Damage: 175% of Target's Maximum Health
Magic Modifier: 5,250
Affinity: Defiance
Ability: Scale To Target | Overheal
Abilities
Defiant Hide
Level 25
-Reduce Total End Damage by 90% for each Affinity the attacker has over Orux, and for each of their Base Stats that are higher than his corresponding stat. Immune to Auto Kill effects and Body Damage Modifiers.
Not One Of The Faceless Horde
-Any single attack or hostile effect that targets 20 or more beings at once can not also target Orux at the same time.
Counterpoint: Fuck You
-Every time Orux takes damage, he may auto-cast Rejuvenating Shine on himself.
Remnant of Reluxus Orux was among the legions that rolled over Reluxus, part of the neverending tide thrown against its military might as his brethren waged war on Hope. He stood where millions, nay billions, fell as the Avatar of Light descended on the conquerors in her final stand.
-Orux is immune to the Demonslayer-Ability and all hostile Presences or Auras, including Overwhelming Presence. If attacked by a flying attacker, they lose the ability to fly until the end of battle.
Intimidating Presence
-The target of Orux' focused attention has their means of flat damage negation reduced to 50% damage reduction, and all forms of Intercept reduced by one stage.
Defiant Hide
Level 25
-Reduce Total End Damage by 90% for each Affinity the attacker has over Orux, and for each of their Base Stats that are higher than his corresponding stat. Immune to Auto Kill effects and Body Damage Modifiers.
...So, here's a question. If someone does a single hit for over 225,000,000 before this ability, bringing him straight to 0, does Counerpoint: Fuck You get to heal him, or is he just dead?
