The creature below you darts its head around while you fly into Wave Force range. You pull on the substance of reality around you to wind it taut. The instants seem to drag as you shift it just so, underneath you the large demon coils around to face the giant spiders that just squeezed their way out of the tunnel.
"What did this?! And where is it?!" it shouts.
One of the spiders responds by stretching a leg to point above the weird sort of demon centipede. Everything feels on edge, you're nearly ready to unleash your attack, but if it uses the remaining fraction of a second to interrupt you….
It contorts itself to look up and spends the remaining time by blinking once.
"Wave Force!"
(Wave Force: 64,000 Base Damage, +72 Dice, +1,047 Spell Boost = 65,119 Damage
Demon Supervisor: 2,250 Resilience, +170 Dice, -675 Not the Face! = 1745 Damage Reduction Unstoppable.
65,119 End Damage
50% Large Enemy
-2,000 Ever Twisting Flesh
30,560 Final End Damage
Toxic Blood Triggers! Summit is Poisoned! Thick Armor prevents Poisoning!
Demon Supervisor: 80,000 - 30,560 = 49,440 Health)
Light splashes out over the oversized demon. The rapid changes in space induced by your spell make black blood fountain out of a dozen places. Beneath it a wave of colors emerges from the ground.
Your target lets out a gurgling howl then screams, "Recall! Bring me back!"
It flattens itself against the ground and tries to cover itself with its arms. You gather energy once more, a brilliant light growing from your hand.
"Wave Force!"
(Wave Force: 64,000 Base Damage, +27 Dice, +1273 Spell Boost, -400 Lessened Intensity = 64,900 Damage
Demon Supervisor: 2,250 Resilience, +1173 Dice, -2,250 Aftershock = 1,173 Damage Reduction Unstoppable
64,900 End Damage
50% Large Enemy
-2,000 Ever Twisting Flesh
30,450 Final End Damage
Toxic Blood Triggers! Summit is Poisoned! Thick Armor prevents Poisoning!
Demon Supervisor: 49,440 - 30,450 = 18,990 Health)
Another blast of disruptive power sweeps over and through your target. A large portion of its body simply falls off, the rearmost part to be specific. The demon keeps moving, its flesh changing before your eyes to hold the rest of it together in the face of your fury.
The colors spraying from beneath the ground and the Light of your most recent spell have combined somehow. You have the impression of a girl standing still, her skin glittering like the edge of a thousand blades.
The vision is interrupted by the injured demon speaking very rapidly.
"Wait! Spare me Anna! I am at your mercy and will see that you are granted all the bounty offered for you. You know I dare not betray such a powerful warrior. You could live in a peaceful demesne as queen! You can avoid being killed by Goddess Grey! Just let the gateway open once more!"
Join him? The thought of years confined in darkness and hiding for your life, of-.
"Wave Force!" you say with the force of your anger bleeding through.
There's a sound like cloth tearing. The light of your attack lingers and blocks your view of its effect.
(Wave Force: 64,000 Base Damage, +45 Dice, +1353 Spell Boost, -4,000 Low Intensity = 61,398 Damage
Demon Supervisor: 2,250 Resilience, +1945 Dice, -2,250 Aftershock = 1945 Damage Reduction Unstoppable
61,398 End Damage
50% Large Enemy
-2,000 Ever Twisting Flesh
28,699 Final End Damage
Demon Supervisor: 18,990 - 28,699 = -9,709 Health)
The Light is much less distinct now. Vague figures beckon at you from all sides. More appear around you, over and behind the previous apparitions. A peculiar lightness washes over you, there's more to this vision than you can keep track of -- thousands of things have appeared in just the first second.
You don't have time for this. You grit your teeth and ignore the dizziness that has fallen over you and rise out of the curtain of Light. It's quite small once you're out of it, just a few meters in diameter and dwindling before your sight.
Below you the remains of the large demon are oozing blood and other things from dozens of deep lacerations. It's still and its magic has departed, it's dead. And whatever it used to get here is well and truly broken.
The world seems to spin around you in a nauseating manner, but you've nearly won this. Nothing that comes out of the tunnel will get close enough to you to matter, and all the Hell Beasts are either crippled or retreating.
You should feel satisfied, instead you feel like you're about to throw up. Your own mind betrays you as you recall what was left of that Counter-Force base after Grey annihilated it. Gouges in the runway large enough to fit an Anti-Demon Tank, buildings reduced to rubble and filled with swords, places where soldiers had made their stand and been pulverized into the earth.
You do throw up, your Panoply opening to let the sick fall to the ground. Why did you agree to leave Firebase Momo? You could have hidden behind one of the Goddesses or Hero WEAPON there.
"Are you holding up okay?" the person on the other end of your datamine asks.
You directly manipulate the microphone while spitting, "I think I overdid it. Give me a minute and I'll resume."
"Just get to cover then. Laurence is nearly there."
You stop holding yourself aloft and dive to place the huge demon's remains between you and the spider-riding casters. There was something beneath it that let it teleport in, let the Summoners act. You would like to take a look at it.
The change in position comes not a moment too soon. A series of rocks dart at your position from the spider jockeys, missing you by much less than you're comfortable with. Behind you streaks of light (Hope, Light) fly out from behind a mountain peak and hit one of the fleeing groups of Hell Beasts. A head flies away from the beast to which it once belonged.
"I think he's here. His squad is collecting heads. There's at least nine giant spiders with spellcasters riding them."
"You don't say. I just heard him talk -- sounds like you really cleaned up there."
You spit out another foul-tasting mouthful and force down another spat of retching, "I think there's more waiting in that tunnel. I want to dig up whatever was here before I start shooting at them."
"Odd time for archaeology, don't you think? Keep an eye out for when Abby uses her trick, you won't want to be underground when that happens."
One of the angels, a little smaller than the other three zipping around at high speed, waves a staff. Flaming hail erupts from nowhere to engulf another group of Hell Beasts.
The pack of demons furthest away appears to have flown too high. Black clouds of flak appear within them. A half dozen Hell Beasts tumble on shredded wings.
A bit of manipulation of your Panoply lets you look around the stinking bulk of the former-demon-turned-to-cover. Two spiders are moving to get a different angle from the other thirteen that are just charging straight at you. The closer half-dozen have hovering platforms over them, but the more recently emerged spiders are going without.
A conveniently timed burst of artillery lands, sending dirt and spider-bits flying. The first shot hit a covering platform, but the barrage swept over the exit of the tunnel and destroyed the disturbing creatures. The covered spider seems none the worse for the impact, it strides forward with worrying swiftness.
Spiked probes into the earth and rock aren't finding anything despite your Elsewhere sense pointing you at a particular… well, point. You've got at least a few more seconds before moving becomes urgent. Enough time for a few more pokes at the anomaly.
Using your unnatural senses upon the mystery gives you the chance to try and pull at it. A disc appears. It looks like smoky glass inset with gold geometric patterns. Along the outside edge are three scorch marks set equidistantly on the circumference. Its diameter is within your ability to Fuse, so you do just that.
Just the thing for dizziness, it appears. Everything stops spinning and whatever was making space wobble stopped, presumably because you either absorbed the cause or just improved your space warping enough to ignore it. Always satisfying to feel yourself getting stronger.
Another peek around your cover shows that the spiders are almost on top of you. Impressive morale if nothing else, this would be a little easier if they scattered like the Hell Beasts. Said Hell Beasts are either dying at a rapid rate from the angel group that arrived or grounded. If the grounded ones grouped up with the spiders that might give them enough numbers to feel confident. And yes, the pair of spiders you thought were trying to flank you are getting further away to join up with the nearby Hell Beasts.
Now is a good time to open up some space. In more ways than one, since the spot you are currently occupying has 'slippery' space moving in an agitated way. Once you've gotten the better part of a thousand meters away from it you should be able to resume teleporting.
You shoot out of your cover at speed. Jinking upwards sees you clear of a gob of sticky webbing. A few of the crippled demons spit fire at you, but you started too far away to reach.
"I believe I have absorbed the item that allowed teleportation."
"Outstanding," Commander Black's voice comes through on your datamine, "Withdraw and guard Angel Abaddon. Once she's destroyed their newest tunnel you will follow them back to the command post."
"I'll do that. The demon I just killed mentioned-"
"I'll worry about Goddess Grey. Her name is invoked all the damned time by desperate hellspawn, she seldom makes an appearance."
While you were talking and ascending the group of angels was not idle. They fly between the scattering Hell Beasts, swords flashing, at a speed that can only be explained by some sort of magic empowering them. At the rate they're going you anticipate that all of the enemy fliers will be dead or disabled by the time you reach them.
Closer to ground, one of the casters riding those spiders tilts the stone platform protecting him to try aiming a spell at you. Or so you presume, since you let out a burst of shots when the opportunity presents itself.
(Panoply: 1040 Base Damage, +258 Dice, +1040 Laser, +200 Light of Discovery, +400 Messenger of Ruin, +104 Clean Shot = 3042 Damage
Panoply: 1040 Base Damage, +258 Dice, +1040 Laser, +200 Light of Discovery, +400 Messenger of Ruin, +104 Clean Shot = 3042 Damage
Panoply: 1040 Base Damage, +258 Dice, +1040 Laser, +200 Light of Discovery, +400 Messenger of Ruin, +104 Clean Shot = 3042 Damage
9126 Total Damage
Spider Jockey (x2): 200 Resilience, +92 Dice, +200 Using Mount as Cover = 492 Damage Reduction
Zombie Spider: 450 Resilience, No Dice = 450 Damage Reduction
Spider Jockey (x2): 800 - 8634 = -7834 Health
8672 End Damage
75% Huge Enemy
2169 Final End Damage
Zombie Spider: 3000-2169 = 831 Health)
The casters disappear under the blast, and the spider has a large gogue where your attack struck. Without its riders the spider steadies itself, but otherwise keeps still.
In front of you the angels have finished cutting down their foes. They form into a line and fly towards you. A bit of turning and banking corrects your course so you can have them match speed while flying towards the tunnel exit.
"Nice work. Our mission is to flatten the tunnel and escort you to the command post." Laurence explains.
"How are we dealing with the tunnel? It doesn't look like you have explosives." you ask.
Abaddon waves her staff, "I can do it!"
"I see."
You've only seen her sleeping before, but Abaddon doesn't seem to quite 'mesh' with the other angels. It reminds you a bit of Gabriel, eager but nervous.
"What about the remaining demons?" you add.
"I believe the term is cannon fodder. Some men with hungry cannons will take care of them." Laurence answers.
(Summit's Health is restored by Presence of Light!)
One of the angels you don't recognize, the one with the laser cannon, takes a shot at one of the spiders. A body tumbles to the ground trailing smoke and the spider stops moving.
As high as your group is there isn't anything that can reach you. In short order the group of angels is hovering over the tunnel exit. Abaddon points her staff at the tunnel and speaks in a voice that shakes the mountains.
"Collapse."
(Collapse:1,800 Base Damage, No Dice, +347 Spell Boost +9,000 Earthslayer = 11,147 Damage
Anti-Structure! x6 Damage!
66,882 Total Damage
Reinforced Tunnel: Defenses Bypassed!
Reinforced Tunnel: 15,000 - 66,882 = -51,882 Health)
The ground lets out a long groan, a line of sunken earth leads away from the targeted point. The stream that runs through the valley is cut off and flows into the new divot. Some dust wafts from where the entrance used to be situated.
The surviving demons stop to stare at the aftermath. You are grabbed by the laser cannon angel and pulled at an impressive speed. This is probably the escorting part of their orders.
"I can teleport or fly without assistance." you point out.
These angels are all flying faster than you could manage, but not by so much that you're comfortable being literally pulled by the arm.
"No teleporting. The Emissaries tried warping to you and found that this place is unreachable at the moment. We were accelerated by Adam to fly over and bring you back with best speed." the angel gripping your arm explains.
The valley and the surviving demons grow further away. It feels a bit like running, even if all the survivors are cowed or crippled. That feeling gets worse when you notice one of the surviving giant spiders galloping up a steep cliff face.
"They're getting away." you point at the mountaineering arachnid.
The angel conveying you doesn't look back, "Doesn't matter. Those things aren't especially sneaky, and we are all badly needed elsewhere."
There's little else to say while you are brought at high speed around mountain peaks with unnatural impassibility and into the main fortress of Milidia. The path dives down into the wide area and turns towards your lodgings. In and around the yard dozens of vehicles are parked, as well as over a hundred Fairies and dozens of Magical Girls and human spellcasters sorted out in rough blocks.
"May I join my team? I can see Steel Monsoon." you shake your held arm for emphasis.
"We've got to show them that we've recovered you first. And yes, in person specifically." Laurence explains while landing.
"Everyone worries about Magical Girls if you end up in combat unexpectedly. I think your commander has an idea for you." Abaddon adds.
Someone shouts a congratulations at 'Abby' as the group proceeds into one of the trailers, with much crouching on the part of the angels. Inside three officers are crowded on one end with headphones and several monitors apiece, a map of the local area is projected on the ceiling with red diamonds filling up the areas outside the fortifications, in the side opposite of the human officers a Fairy (Wind) is softly speaking into a stone held near his mouth, and in the middle Commander Black is holding a large datamine in one hand while splitting his attention to a bank of screens that take up most of the wall of the trailer.
"One maiden rescued, as ordered." the angel holding you says with a amused tone.
"I saw the feeds, she didn't need that much rescuing." Commander Black replies, "Which was a very welcome bit of good news after the Dark launched their attack early."
He tucks his hands and datamine behind his back and continues, "Magical Girl Summit, are you currently capable of fighting effectively? Are you free from any injuries, poisons, or curses that reduce your strength?"
You can't adjust your stance while being dangled by one arm, so you just answer while suspended, "I am, Commander."
"Join your team. Everything is holding right now and you've blocked an attack on our flank. It's time to counterattack. Something I've wanted to do for months." he brings his datamine back around, "Which means let her go Shamed, you need to get back in position too."
You Shift away to arrive at Steel Monsoon's location as soon as you lose patience in waiting for Shamed to let go (about a second-and-a-half), how long it would have taken for them to make their way out of the door also factored in. This takes you a dozen meters directly overhead and you drift down to land next to her.
Besides Flawless Paladin and Steel Monsoon you can see Arc Mastermind, a dragon that you're pretty sure is actually a Magical Girl (Rule | Fire | Legend), and a girl in a red outfit (Fear | Insanity | Myth) with a huge wolf-like creature (Fear | Change). There's also a black armored robot pacing in a good imitation of restlessness. It strikes you are rather curious that an unenchanted robot (bipedal at that!) is apparently waiting with a group that is otherwise purely Magical Girls.
"I'm here. Is there something DIFFICULTY SPIKE needs me to be doing?" you ask.
"Hey, I saw you being dragged in," Steel Monsoon says while tilting her head to look at you and giving a slight wave of her hand, "you seem to know what you're doing. So I want you to fly nearby and provide air support for us, keep the fliers from giving us grief and all that. Did you see what they want us to do? I've only seen them roll up the command trailer and wake up all the Girls a couple times."
"I'm not entirely sure. Black mentioned a counterattack, but there's a lot I still haven't learned about how everything is supposed to work." you offer.
The nearby robot's pacing brought it near you while you were talking. You almost feel disdain from electronic eyes, odd as that thought is.
"Do you know anything about the robot? It's creepy." you ask.
Steel Monsoon shrugs.
"There's a few robots, but I'd say most of them are menacing or goofy instead of creepy. Could you be more specific?" Flawless Paladin replies.
You point, "That one, the one right next to us."
A jolt passes through the nearby Girls as they all find some way to move a little bit further away from you. The armored robot strides towards you, it's red glow strengthened and the whips that extend from it thrashing in a manner reminiscent of anger. It stops just under half a meter away, close enough that the tendrils nearly reach you. Everyone takes a few obvious steps back.
"Didn't your mother teach you it's not polite to point?" It says with a voice like an upended bucket of gravel, "And I am not a robot, stop saying I am."
"When I scanned you I couldn't-" you throw your Panoply one direction and yourself in another to let it's fist pass harmlessly through the air.
This turns out to not have been the wisest of moves. The construct? moves with unnatural speed, throwing itself forward and slamming a spiked tendril through your deflections and defenses with outrageous force. You feel your rib crack and have a couple of scratches draw blood. A hurried exertion of effort blinks you into the air away from the assault.
(Combat Report:
Magical Girl Dark Steel: 2000 Base Damage, 1d800 Dice, -800 Bare-Handed Strikes, Gets 50% bonus Damage on Intercepts and force Intercept when countered.
Intercept! 2164 - 1040+76+200 = 848+215 = 1063-(640+159+407) = Blocked
Intercept! 1795 - 1040+399+200 = 156+750 = 906-(640+135+390) Blocked!
1330-(640+480+199) = 11 End Damage
1328-(640+374+199) = 115 End Damage
1828-(640+489+274) = 425 End Damage
Summit: 4220 - 551 = 3669 Health)
The armored figure whirls in place, spotting you quickly, "Get back here you coward! You haven't finished being sorry for spying on me!"
"Summit, why did you set her off!" Steel Monsoon shouts.
So much for leaping to your defense. What did they want? Other than to stay away from… whatever that thing was.
Something clicks. The mystery armored figure must be a Magical Girl, probably one with paranoia as a theme or something.
"I couldn't get a read on you at all. You were confusing because I've always been able to see magic." you offer to the annoyed armored girl.
She stays motionless for several seconds, then lunges for Steel Monsoon. With a snarl she yanks the sword out of Monsoon's hands and whips it into the gun mode. You Shift away before the armored girl can line up a shot on you with her stolen weapon.
"Die, spy!" she waves Steel Monsoon's weapon around while it's owner dives away.
You're saved discovering what the bezerk girl can do with her plundered weapon by the appearance of Sakura Saber and a girl you haven't seen before (Inevitability | Death | Epic).
"Can't you prepare for a fight without killing your allies?" the Epic girl asks in a soft voice that the rest of the world respects with silence, "Where's the unfortunate?"
Sakura Saber points to you, "Summit looks alive, actually."
The fully armored Magical Girl starts from the revere that had fallen on everyone. She drops Steel Monsoon's weapon and strides away without saying anything else. You drift back down again.
The newest arrival runs a hand through her hair before giving you a thorough look, "I am Madame Morte, Master of Life and Death. As we are moments away from battle I will make you whole… miss?"
"Summit." Steel Monsoon and Sakura Saber chime in at the same time.
"Magical Girl Summit. It Is Not Yet Your Time. Be healed." Madame Morte says with a voice that commands more than sound.
Magic surges throughout you. When it recedes the injuries you sustained have vanished and your eyes make an unfamiliar sound as they twitch.
You slide your Panoply away so you can remove your eye patches and see with your actual eyes once again, "Thanks, the empty sockets kept itching."
"Be ready to fight. Dark Steel was lingering near your group because you've got scouting duties, and get sent in first." Sakura Saber says while shifting from one foot to the other with nervous energy, "They're mustering us for a Magical Girl based attack! It's going to be awesome! Did you see anything when you flew over about what we're going to be doing?"
Recalling the map on the ceiling and pushing your thoughts into overdrive does give you some ideas.
----
The attack on Moral High Ground is floundering, as attacks there are wont to do, and the main fortresses of Milidia are being hit by annoying necromancer tactics to preserve the hole they've knocked in the wall. Scarlet Empress and one of the High Threat Response teams are supporting a small army of fairies and an army of elves in stopping them from getting closer. Commander Achilles Black has mustered most of the Magical Girls on base, as well as Laurence's angels, the most veteran Suicide Squad present (Squad Eta "Immortals"), and dozens of heroic humans and elves to counter actions of the United Darkness.
With your actions at the overhang he's betting that he has the chance to take an active stance.
Surveillance has spotted a 'blind spot' where the UD is making extra effort to keep something hidden as it travels towards the main gates (artillery-blocking sphere of darkness). The stream of lesser demons is fairly light, and mostly headed for Moral High Ground.
What does Summit expect the tactics to be?
(The first three options will be more strategic. The last two are much like the preceding updates and will give fine control of actions.)
[X] [Bonus Mission]
-[X] Indecisive
Sally from the gates with army support.
-[X] Cautious
Use gunships or The Emmisseries' Warp spell to arrive behind the interesting enemy group as soon as it leaves the area the UD has fortified. Once deployed charge back to the main gates, smashing the enemy against the anvil of the army guarding the gate.
-[X] Daring
Use gunships or The Emmisseries' Warp spell to arrive behind the interesting enemy group as soon as it leaves the area the UD has fortified. Destroy the group and press on into UD territory. Even a brief push would allow our group many opportunities to disrupt their defenses.
-[X] The Height of Foolishness
They actually give you a map! You are to assist a team of combat engineers-slash-mages in creating locations that can act as teleport destinations. Black has contacted other forces to arrange for reinforcements to be gated in if your group can construct a destination without the UD noticing. Success may allow for the Hell Gates to be closes once more.
-[X] Hold My Beer and Watch This!
As before, but you're being teleported to a point within the bounds of the fallen fortress of BoatShrieks. So that the attack really comes from an unexpected direction. Perhaps a careful review of your options is in order…
----
And who's guarding the gates right now?
[LOCKED] Scarlet Empress
[X] [Guard] ACES HIGH
Night Sky, and Co. will be defending instead of assisting the attack. This means staggering magical firepower Night Sky possesses will be focused on protecting the fortifications of Milidia's main entrance.
Magical Girl Raging Heart
Magical Girl Destined Lightning
Magical Girl Night Sky ★
Nightmare of the Night
[X] [Guard] ATLANTIA
Atlantis Blade and Co. A very versatile team will patrol the gate.
Magical Girl Atlantis Thunder
Magical Girl Atlantis Flame
Magical Girl Atlantis Blade
Magical Girl Atlantis Guardian
Magical Girl Atlantis Ether
[X] [Guard] The Emissaries of Light
A very potent support team. This option must Not be selected to use the "Height of Foolishness" and "Hold My Beer" options for the bonus mission.
Warrior of Light
Monk of Light
Bard of Light
Caster of Light
Scholar of Light
Ninja of Light
[-] WILDWOOD [Unavailable!]
Still on vacation, the lucky jerks!
----
+300 EXP Killed Demon Supervisor!
+200 EXP Beat something that should have scared you away
+200 EXP Foiled a flanking attack on Moral High Ground!
+2 EXP Visions…
+200 EXP 10 Zombie Spiders defeated
+110 EXP 11 Hell Beasts Decapitated
+75 EXP Fused Teleport Homer
+50 EXP Met Magical Girl Dark Steel!
+5 EXP Met Magical Girl Madame Morte!
+2 EXP Plus Two Eyes
443 + 1144 = 1587 Total EXP
[X] [EXP] EXP Plan?
New items have been added to the shop!
