>>32444254
It's been long

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Recent Events Summary:

Erebus has returned.

Donovan, Auriel, Abigail, and the others barely escaped from the oncoming Vigil cruiser by slipping through the Skysever. The winds themselves seem hell-bent on holding back Erebus - but it's only a matter of time before he breaks through into Venia. At the same time, the core of the world has reached its breaking point. Without Shadow's help, Venia will be anihillated in the unleashed energies of Chaos.

Donovan worked with his allies to travel inside Geb and destroy the parasite of Light keeping him maddened. Two other goals remain: to restore Leviathan, and gain control of Xile, so that the Skysever might be used to attack Erebus more directly.

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Donovan - http://pastebin.com/HNXEzeXv

HP: 25/25
Mana: 324/400
Mana Barrier: 100/100

Current Location: Southeastern Wasteland

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>>32444254
It's back! It's finally back!

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ITS TIME

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTN87eD3Skc

The ground beneath you begins to tremble.

It shifts. Cracks in the earth begin to open at an alarming rate.

"Uh...not good!"

"Shield yourselves!"

"The chamber is collapsing," Steward says. "Use magic to levitate."

"I don't know how to do that!"

"Hold on, Donny!" Auriel grabs your arm.

A crevice opens below you, and above you. Rock and dust spills from the ceiling in waves. Auriel contains you both in a sphere of light, but you're buried by the avalanche in seconds. You hang onto her for dear life as you're rattled around like a nut in a can.

Eventually, you come to stop.

And then you start moving again. You're picked up, and you feel yourself press down into the bottom of the shield. "What's going on?!"

"I think something is lifting us!"

"Thanks for the update!" you shout at her.

The rumbling slowly halts once again. And this time, it doesn't restart.

"...ok. I'm going to lower the shield. Stay close."

Auriel waves a hand in front of her face. The opaque white magic vanishes.

You're on the ground. Except, it's not the ground. It's a hand, that sort of looks like the ground. And it's attached to the arm of a massive mountain man who is probably named Geb. The mouth of the rocky face that looms before you opens.

"YOU KILL LIGHT."

You shield yourself from the spray of dust and air that comes out of it. "Uh...uh...sure."

"THANK YOU, L̶̷I̧G̵̴H̨̧̕TL̶I̷̶NG̵͠. ARE YOU HURT?"

"Um...no."

"GOOD. TIME TO BE PUT DOWN, NOW."

You feel your stomach punch into your throat as you plummet toward the ground at high speed. You cling to Auriel for the second time in so few seconds. She's laughing. Oh, elements, you've fallen in love with a madwoman.

There's a rush of dust as the bottom of Geb's hand strikes the earth. You manage to disembark before collapsing onto the actual ground.

Everyone's there - safe and sound. Geb takes a few steps back. The earth rumbles with each of his movements. The air rushes to get out of his way. You struggle to get back on your feet.

"HMM. THE D̸A̴̧R̢̨K̶̢͘ IS STILL GONE. HMM. WHERE ARE W̧̢I͏̀N҉D̕ AND L̸͢͏Į̛͡G̸H̶Ţ͞? HMM. WELL. HMM. I AM NOT SAD THAT THEY ARE GONE. NO. HMM."

He sure rumbles a lot.

"Um...Geb! Hey, Geb!"

Geb's face roars down toward you. A blast of wind follows the motion of his upper body. "HMMMMM?"

"Uh...hopefully...this...isn't too much trouble, but...uh...we need some help. Things are kinda...well..."

"Sir Flint, why don't I do the talking?" Queen Kalladar says. "Lord Geb! I am Queen Ellendra Kalladar, inheritor of the rule of your people. It is my honor and my pleasure to meet you at last!"

"KALLADAR? HMM. YES. I REMEMBER. YOU ARE TOO YOUNG, THOUGH."

"You must have known my grandmother!"

"HMM. TELLA'DI. HMM. A GOOD T͡Ŗ҉E͏É͞LI҉̧͘N͢҉G͠͏. YOU ARE OF HER BLOOD. HMM. THIS REMINDS ME OF THE R̢O͟͝C͜͏K̸͘L̢͡҉I̸Ǹ̢G̷̢S."

Geb plunges a hand into his own stomach. And he withdraws something. It's...rock. But a long, strange rock, lined with smaller rocks. It's...a lot of rock.

It also feels just like that strange chronomancy you sensed earlier.

Geb sets the strange branching rock on the ground. There must be hundreds of boulders all connected to one single center. It almost looks like a tree.

And then strange sensation fades, and the rock collapses to dust, all at once. Things fall out of the debris.

"Those are people!" Abigail says.

>con't

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It has been so long!

And then you see them - they aren't just people. They're short. Too short. And stout. Almost inhuman in proportion.

Or, exactly inhuman in proportion.

"Dwarves," Auriel whispers. "I thought they were all dead. Has he been protecting them all this time?"

"Incredible," Adavan says.

"NOW. WHERE IS THE D̸A̴̧R̢̨K̶̢͘?"

The shy shakes. A darkness roils in the distance, far to the west, at the edge of the sea. You can feel it. It's stronger than before. Erebus is still attacking the Skysever, every hour, like clockwork.

"AH. THERE IT IS."

"Lord Geb, Erebus is against us! He betrayed you in your battle against Aeolus and Hyperion."

"I KNOW," Geb says. "I AM GOING TO HIT HIM VERY HARD."

Coming from anyone else, that would almost seem silly, but when you look at Geb's sheer size, you're glad he's not threatening you with his elemental-sized fists.

"It's a bit more complex than that!" Queen Kalladar shouts. "Maybe - ah, do you think you could, say, make it easier for us to speak? If you would, my lord!"

"HMM. YES."

Geb shrinks.

It's not a slow, grinding shift, an avalanche of trees and rock. There isn't a massive blast of air, and explosion, the feeling of tremendous power. Nothing special, actually. You hear a sort of -pop-, and suddenly, the massive mountain that dominated the entire landscape is gone, and standing a few feet in front of you is a tiny man, about the height of a dwarf, made of dirt and rock. There's a tree sprouted from his head, and the roots curl and tangle together like hair. His eyes glow green.

His voice, though, is still heavy and hard. "HMM. BETTER." Geb sits. "NOW. EXPLAIN? TIME FIRST. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? IT HAS FELT LIKE A LONG TIME."

>con't

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>>32444254
Erebus does nothing wrong
well his back-up plan is better than his main plan but nevermind

>>32444368
>"I KNOW," Geb says. "I AM GOING TO HIT HIM VERY HARD."

Geb is now my favorite ELord, holy shit

>>32444329
>"GOOD. TIME TO BE PUT DOWN, NOW."
How did this not give Don an heart attack?

Hecate is there, then, a moment later. She smiles at Geb. "I shall Impress upon you the situation, yes?"

"HELLO HE-CATE."

"It's Hecate, Geb. Heh-cah-tea."

"SORRY. I FORGOT."

"You tend to do that." Hecate, though, doesn't seem annoyed - if anything, it's like watching an older sister toy with a younger brother. She holds out a hand toward the shrunken Geb. "Here."

A moment passes.

"OH. OHHH. OH NO!"

"Unfortunately, that's how things are."

"THEN WE NEED TO GET WATER AND SAVE THE - UH - OTHER DARK. FROM THE BAD DARK. THERE WAS A GOOD DARK INSIDE? HMM. THIS IS CONFUSING."

"Umm...my lord Geb?" Abigail takes a step closer. "I'm Abigail Fang. I...please. I want to try to stop Erebus without hurting Shadow."

"HMMMMMM." Geb fingers his chin. Bits of stone and dirt fall off his face as his rock fingers scrape his jaw. They sink into the ground at his feet. "I WILL HIT HIM VERY HARD. MAYBE THAT WILL WAKE THE GOOD SHADOW UP."

Hecate clears his throat. "Well, I suppose it's worth a try. I'll go for something a bit more subtle, in the meantime."

"Lord Geb!!" Everyone turns at the new voice. It's one of the dwarves - an old, bearded man with thick overalls and a shiny bald head. "Lord Geb, by the light in the dark! Where are we? What happened to Va'ad?"

"VA'AD." Geb lowers his head. His next word is quiet, and soft, like the whisper of sand in a desert. "...gone."

"But it is being rebuilt," Steward's voice intones. He marches up to the dwarf mechanically. "Facial recognition identifies you as Tal'ok, Citizen ID 345-B, Master Mechanist."

>con't

"Hah! Dwarven engineering at its finest! Hmph. Never seen a model like you before, though. And that can't be, because every model on the city streets goes through my workshop!"

"You made me," Steward says, "but I was not complete when you left. I am Steward."

"Steward?" The dwarf peers at Steward like a man inspecting an insect through a glass-walled cage. "Construct, what is your designation?"

"Self-designated Steward 001."

"Core?"

"Dynamo."

"Program shell?"

"Bi-layer primary logical circuitry, standard 04-tL, secondary self-deterministic prototype."

The dwarf adjusts his overalls, raises himself up, and locks gazes with the robot. "What is the meaning of life?"

"I believe that life has whatever meaning you give it," Steward answers immediately.

"BY THE LORD OF THE EARTH, I'VE DONE IT! THAT'LL SHOW THOSE - " The dwarf's elated fists slowly fall. The gleam in his eyes fades. "...redstone and brimstone, I'm getting ahead of myself. What's going on? Who are all you people? I mean, besides yourself, Lady Hecate."

"Hello, Tal'ok," Hecate says. "It has been a long time since I spoke with you."

--------
--------

A long conversation follows. Tal'ok is now the highest-ranked living dwarf, going by their stratified caste system. While he is giddy about Steward, almost prodding the construct in his excitement, Steward seems to be taking the relevation with a neutral attitude.

Geb, Hecate, and your allies consult and decide that as soon as your father, Ila, and Yi Fang are done with Xile, you need to revive Leviathan and prepare to deal with Erebus. It's only a matter of time until he breaks through the undirected Skysever.

It seems you have a moment, though you figure you'll be hearing from the Xile party any time now...

What do you do?

>speak to Tal'ok
>speak to Steward
>speak to Geb
>Speak to Auriel
>change control to Yi Fang, who is on Xile
>change control to Ila Marril, who is on Xile
>suggest you depart to free Leviathan immediately
>some other strategy

>>32444387
Geb. Please stop being so based.

>>32444387
>"HELLO HE-CATE."
>"It's Hecate, Geb. Heh-cah-tea."
>"SORRY. I FORGOT."

Welp, now I feel retarded, that's how I've been pronouncing it in my head for Hyperion knows how many threads

>>32444423

It's ok anon, you just forgot.

>>32444408
>speak to Tal'ok

>>32444408
>speak to Tal'ok
>speak to Geb

I love our new rockbros already

>>32444387
>"It's Hecate, Geb. Heh-cah-tea."
Hecate isn't using telepathy?

>Hecate clears his throat.
>his
Hecate no keep your tongue to yourself

>>32444272
>Two other goals remain: to restore Leviathan, and gain control of Xile, so that the Skysever might be used to attack Erebus more directly.
Don't we have to release the "higher" Elemental lords?
>>32444408
>speak to Tal'ok
Shouldn't be too bad

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>>32444387
>"I AM GOING TO HIT HIM VERY HARD."
>No Lord, we need to save Shadow.
>"OK. WELL."
>"I WILL HIT HIM VERY HARD. MAYBE THAT WILL WAKE THE GOOD SHADOW UP."

someone explain this 2 me plz

>>32444531
read the archives.

look, they're linked in the OP.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=Shadow+Quest+

>>32444492

Yeah it's been a while.

>>32444531
We have a miniscule chance of keeping Erebus from destroying the world and not freeing chaos completely.

>>32444408
>suggest you depart to free Leviathan immediately
>change control to Yi Fang, who is on Xile
multitask.

Yi Fang every day

>>32444408
>Make love to Auriel
>Switch to Yi

>>32444566
>suggest you depart to free Leviathan immediately
>change control to Yi Fang, who is on Xile
not Illa
I realy want to get her sheet

>>32444531
Daean pls go and stay go

>>32444531
>Shadow little girl deads walk. People fight loli saved. Waifu acquired big boss wins.
Now we are here.

Geb a best.

>>32444408
>speak to Tal'ok
>speak to Queen Kalladar
>speak to Geb
I'm kind of curious as to how the suddenly-returned Dwarves are going to view the Elves after all these years. Would be kind of a shame if they came back only to get right back into the old disagreements and make Geb sad again.

It's not directly relevant to our current predicament, but if they're going to have to collaborate short-term to handle the Erebus situation, it'd be nice to make sure the alliance is going to be tenable.

>>32444408
>suggest you depart to free Leviathan immediately
>speak to Tal'ok
>speak to Geb
>change control to Yi Fang, who is on Xile
I'm assuming we can talk along the way.

>>32444408

>suggest we depart to free Leviathan immediately

"While it's tremendously exciting that the dwarves are alive and well after all these years, every second counts. Erebus will not be held by the Skysever forever. We need Leviathan's assistance as well. With the three remaining Lower Elementals together, we stand a fighting chance.

You decide to speak with the dwarf.

Tal'ok seems to be an animated fellow - quite animated. He has that mad glint in his eye the reminds you a bit of Auriel. And Abigail, on her off days. And Abigail's uncle. Not to mention Duke Vellik, or your father, when he gets going about war. Or even Shadow, depending on whether...

Light. You never realized it, but everyone you know is absolutely insane.

"Mr. Tal'ok." You give the dwarf a slight bow as he turns to you. "Sir Donovan Flint, at your service. On behalf of the people of Arland, I welcome you back to the - "

"Shove it," Tal'ok says. His good humor fades quickly. "If you got something to say, light-boy, say it and get out of my face."

You blink and stand straight. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Just get to the point. I don't like wasting time talking with self-righteous blustering fools that judge people by their element."

"...it's been 700 years since the war, you know," you remind him. "I don't know if you noticed, but we've got a lot of elements here. I don't judge people, I'm just saying hello."

"And you said that. And the Lord Geb seems to find your presence acceptable, considering a tree isn't sprouting up your ass and out your mouth, so I suppose I can tolerate you for the time being. So what is it you want?"

>point out his hypocrisy
>try to see if he'll be willing to work with you to save Venia, and if he has insights on the matter
>some other topic

>>32444756
>>some other topic
"So... did you hear my bloodline is the heirs to Xile, too?"

>>32444756
based dwarves
>try to see if he'll be willing to work with you to save Venia, and if he has insights on the matter
>>32444795
Do you want an axe in our head?

>>32444795
"I've been on a quest to revive Aeolus's Order, by the way. Would you like to join?"

>>32444820
Obviously.

>>32444756
I don't know what to talk to him about. The help thing is completely up to Geb, if he decides to help Dwarves will help.

>>32444756
>>point out his hypocrisy
If we're going to dialog let's do it then.

>>32444756
>try to see if he'll be willing to work with you to save Venia, and if he has insights on the matter
He doesn't have to like working with us or anyone of the Greater Elements, but he needs to realize that we're all on the same ship and it's just about to go up in shadowy fire.

>>32444756
Man, this is gonna take some work, isn't it.

We know he's had contact with both Geb and Hecate; does he have any personal insights on Leviathan (or even Erebus) from back in the day? We're going to have to deal with them soon enough, so more first-hand knowledge can't hurt.

Having information about Leviathan from Hecate is nice, but having the perspective from someone who isn't also an inscrutable elemental being might be good too.

>>32444756
>point out his hypocrisy

>>32444756
>try to see if he'll be willing to work with you to save Venia, and if he has insights on the matter
let's not die in an argument with a dwarf

"Well, you know the situation as it stands," you say. "You don't have to like working with me, or anyone else, but if the Barrier breaks then we're all going down together."

"Stuck in a collapsing mineshaft together, just like blood brothers, eh? Yeah, I have some insights. What the hell were you people doing that cracked the barrier?!"

"Fighting wars, mostly." You decide to omit the part about Sandalphon attacking the Black Lady resulting in a clash of power that created the Lady's Finger and pierced the barrier. Just for the time being.

"Oh, yes, fantastic. War's over, says the knight. Nothing to see here, move along, no problems at all. For the sake of the elements, even we can't fix everything faster than you people can break it." The dwarf points a finger at your face. "Listen up, Sir Flint. We created the dynamos by studying the barrier. Making those things is hard enough. We could probably repair them, but if a dynamo shell is damaged, we tossed it and made a new one because that's a hell of a lot easier. We can't exactly toss out the core of the world, though, but I shudder to think what we'll have to sacrifice to repair the damn thing. It's gonna take power. A lot of power. More than an Elemental's worth, I'd wager." The dwarf sighs. "Anyway, Hecate seems to be invested in this whole thing, and Geb generally does what she advises, no matter how much the rest of us kick and scream. The High Council is dead. The King and all the nobles are dead. I'm barely minor blood myself, but I'm all my people have left. So I suppose that, in deference to Geb, I'll be helping you for the time being. If I've got anything else to contribute, I'll come to you. Or to someone that actually matters."

>con't

>>32444976
Hey we got multiple POVs now, so if we do die it's not the end anymore.

>>32445077
>Or to someone that actually matters.
Oh you

You decide to prudently place hacking out friendships and the rest of that until later. "...well, I've got a lot of power," you say. "Let me know if I can help."

"Sure. Oh, and tell the needle-eared green-skinned tree-fuckers that if they keep staring at me like that I'll tell Steward to shove his metal feet up their collective assholes. Damn elves." He marches off toward the other dwarves, muttering to himself.

Adavan plants himself next to you. "I guess that went about as well as could be expected."

"...he's...a little standoffish, isn't he?"

"I understand how he feels," he says. "You wake up. 700 years have passed. War's over. Your home is gone. Everything you've ever known has changed. It will take time, but he seems an intelligent sort. He'll come around. I did."

"I hope you're right."

What do you do now?

>suggestions

>>32445077
>>32445230

sorry about the delay there I didn't realize I got the red "WRONG CAPTCHA FUCKFACE" error

>>32445230
>Go summon water monster and destroy Kan Abar already
>Be Yi Fang

>>32445230
>Oh, and tell the needle-eared green-skinned tree-fuckers that if they keep staring at me like that I'll tell Steward to shove his metal feet up their collective assholes. Damn elves.
I like him

SM! It's great to have you back. I was worried that my supply of HAPPENING was running low.

>>32445230
>Destroy Kan Abar with the water elemental lord
>Illa time

>>32445230
>suggest you depart to free Leviathan immediately
>change control to Yi Fang, who is on Xile
I don't think we're going to learn much from Geb, based as he is.

I guess it's time, for the dumplings.
I want to see a Yi Fang/Dorf scene, it's bound to be illarious

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>>32445275

It's dangerous to go alone, take this

Ask the dorf if hed like to get stoned

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>>32445230
Free the water elemental far away from kan-abar.

This is bad I can't even remember NPC names anymore, I filled a notebook with my own world in your absence

So, the current party on Xile is a small contingent - Yi Fang, Ila, Hamil, Arcturis, and Gerald. They're heading for the Sky Engine, where the core of the Skysever is located. Others are on-board the Nemesis.

The current group will move with all due haste to restore Leviathan. The current strategy is putting the pieces of his crystal back together at the edge of the East Wasteland, far from any civilization. The Prince of Atlantis has already been made aware of the situation.

How do you want to proceed?

Vote 1:
>switch to Yi Fang

Vote 2:
>switch to Ila

>>32445339
I bet the elves can hook us up with some magic weed.

...this is a point of worldbuilding that has yet to be explored, SM.

>>32445427
2

So what exactly is the plan to get the "greater" ELords out? I mean, they're stuck inside the core of the world right? The core that just so happens to be full of chaos, demon lords, and David?
Not to mention they probably won't be friendly to begin with

>>32445427
2

>>32445427
ask the short people how it felt to get stoned

>>32445427
2

>>32445455
That's were our plan ends.

>>32445427
1

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>>32445473

>>32445427
2

>>32445427
2

>>32445427
1

>>32445427
1

>>32445427
2

>>32445427
2

>>32445427
2

>>32445427

ok, switching to Ila Marril!

>>32445544
All hail Ereb... ehm Shadow

>>32445427
god damn this vote sure brought out a lot of lurkers.

>>32445544
time for good old order magic

>>32445558
Reminder that Consumefags ruined everything.

>>32445558
No no, you had it right the first time.

>>32445581
Oh come on.
Letting Chaos a.k.a. "humanity" burn him was never likely to pass

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>>32445607
>>32445612

>>32445607
Beware the "there has to be a way" players.
I still belive that there's nearly no chance of winning against Erebus AND Chaos

>>32445581
>Implying we've ever been able to resist exp
I'd almost say that getting a little too greedy for the huge power up was in character, Shadow's always been a bit reckless when presented with that kind of thing

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>>32445662
Erebus is right

>>32445663
We could have beaten Erebus right there, but nooooo, y'all had to act like -idiots- and vote to consume.

You know what? Fuck this. I'm done arguing about this. You idiots never learn.

>>32445766
Were you there? Were you one of the.... two people who voted to burn him to ash?

>>32445782
Yes. SM warned us.

>>32445612
Seriously. He's acting like it's some single faction that loves to CONSUME when it is literally everybody.

As encouraged by SM always clarifying it isn't consume, it's CONSUME.

>>32445806
Doompaul spam isn't a warning

>>32445806
Yeah it was pretty obvious Erebus was lying and telling you what you wanted to hear. No way did he want to die.

>>32445833
And what do you call Erebus nearly taking us over with a single touch at the beginning of the fight?

>>32445861
Well I never intended to win that fight.
Erebus is right and Shadow a naive child/rouge ai

Ila - http://pastebin.com/PrDaQiPu

HP: 15/15
Mana: 80/80
Mana Barrier: 35/35

-----------
-----------

You are Ila Marril, and you are standing at the end of what has been a long trek through the underbelly of the island.

The corridors are made of a strange black steel. There are small lights embedded in the corners of the walls and the intersection of hallways. They cast the space in a dim teal glow.

Strange beasts lurk in the deep cracks and crevices here. For now, they've kept their distance. You think Yi Fang has something to do with that, but he hasn't told you anything. He's a secretive fellow. You don't like him much. He antagonizes people for the sake of it.

Maybe you just don't have his sense of humor. Or, then again, maybe he's an arrogant prick.

Gerald isn't much better. He's the same - arrogant - only he isn't competent to make up the difference. He paws after his father like a lost puppy, staring wide-eyed at the strange forgotten structures and wires and lights. Arcturis, to his credit, is marching along quite purposefully.

Out of the bunch, the only one you feel any affection for is Hamil - an angel. Imagine that.

There was a time when you would have given up quite a bit to get the chance to rip an angel's wings off their back.

As usual, you keep all that to yourself, mouth shut, eyes and ears open. You've repeated those lines many times, to yourself, and to others. Some people think you're quiet. And it's true. Talking is overrated.

Ahead is the door leading to the Skysever. It's a great, double-hinged affair, but as silent as the steel walls.

There's a clatter of metal against metal.

Everyone jumps. You swivel. You eyes search the darkness.

You feel something slink away, briefly, and then it's too far for you to sense.

>con't

>>32445896
My brother.

>>32445907
>Out of the bunch, the only one you feel any affection for is Hamil - an angel. Imagine that.

Uh, did you mean Hamil or Tyrael?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1ZydcSgacM

Yi Fang watches the darkness longer than you do. "They're surrounding us."

"...the Wind will keep them back, right?" Gerald asks. "If what Donovan said was true, we just have to touch the door to have it open."

"Maybe. But can you feel what's behind that thing?"

Gerald eyes the entrance to the core. You've all been able to feel it since you arrived. The Wind inside there is angry. You aren't quite sure if you want to go inside. You aren't sure how exactly they're going to do anything.

In any case, it's the Flints that have to do the heavy lifting here, not you. You're here as Shadow's eyes and ears.

At least, you would be. Now...

No. He'll be back soon enough. You can win this fight. Right now, you need to stay focused.

"Alright," Arcturis says. "According to the family histories, the Skysever was never properly controlled because everyone...well, everyone died. Except us. So, we should be able to take the spot of someone directly controlling the spell. We already do that, in a sense, via the Windburn."

"I can do it, father," Gerald says. "You're too valuable to risk."

"It's the other way around," Arcturis says. "You're the backup. I'm old. If I die, life goes on. I've had enough of putting my sons in the line of fire."

"...alright." Gerald folds his arms. He doesn't sound satisfied with the arrangement.

If you had your way, you'd put the bastard down and let Harvan take the throne. He's a bit anti-social, but at least he's got a good head on his shoulders. Not like this pig of a lord's son. You always thought Shadow half-implied it would be better if Gerald wasn't a problem. Sometimes, anyway.

Jeeze. You're still thinking like that, after all this time? You take a small breath. Come on Ila. Head straight.

What do you do?

>suggest a plan of attack (who goes inside, who guards the door?)
>remain silent
>some other strategy

>>32445936

whoops

SHould be Tyrael.

Eesh, it has been a little bit. Getting my third-string NPCs mixed up.

>>32445942
Enter first and SNEAK SNEAK SNEAK to scout around. Have Gerald, Tyrael, and Yi Fang stand guard outside as backup.

>>32445942
what >>32446003 says

>>32445907
>Hamil - an angel. Imagine that.

Yes.

Imagine that.

Tyrael turned his spirit mage boyfriend into an angel?

So that's how Hyperion did it. Buttfucking.

>>32445907
It's been seventy fucking threads and I still feel dread at the thought of Xile.

>>32445942
>remain silent

>>32445942
We are a extremly potent assasin so I would say it's sneaking time

>>32446003
>SNEAK SNEAK SNEAK into the heart of the anti-Shadow mage security system

>>32445942
>remain silent
It's very in-character, anyway. Yi Fang is perfectly capable of assuming a leadership position.

>>32446003
Hell no.

>>32445942
Step 1: Stop concealing Chosen status: additional stealth/defense/HP bonuses are worth maybe making Gerald uncomfortable.

Prepare Flash Powder in case of attack; whatever's sneaking up on us is relying on the darkness for cover, and it'll be helpful both to flush out anything hiding and/or blind them to a counterattack. Unless they're cave-dweller blind, I guess.

What wind magic we've seen has been particularly adamant about shredding Shadow stuff, so we should probably stick to providing a defensive perimeter and not muck around with being on the front lines while we approach the core.

>>32445942
>remain silent

>>32445942
How about you both go first. You need each other's backup.

We'll turn on "Chosen" mode.

Vote 1:
>sneak into the core to scout out the situation

Vote 2:
>take a defensive position outside and ensure the Flints can do their thing

Vote 3:
>remain silent, follow Fang's instructions for the time being

>>32445942
>remain silent
but prepare to unleash chosen power and ready our daggers
let Yi Fang assume controll

>>32446184
Does Chosen mode instantly top off the mana shield or does it just boost the capacity which must then be filled up in an extra step?

>>32446184
2

>>32446184
1

>>32446184
3

>>32446184
2

>>32446210

It'll top it off.

>>32446184
3

>>32446184
1

>>32446184
3

>>32446184
3

>>32446184

Yi Fang in charge nao

>>32446184
3

>>32446324
>implying Fang hasn't plotted everything until now to rule the world

Well Illa 2 abilities we will not use anywhere near Xile
>Sustained flight
>Glide - Use your aura to slow your descent or glide long distances.

>>32446354
Since when were you under the impression that I as implying otherwise?

>>32446184
2

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>>32445820
It's a bit late, but...

>Arbiter Joey

>>32446499
Not enough EXP available.

You relax the mental barrier holding your 'Chosen' power in check. Immediately, the scales of darkness grow from your spine, covering your back and your arms all the way to your wrists, and over your shoulders. It's like a body-hugging cape of magic. It's nice to have the armor watching your back. Wings would probable just get in the way in these cramped hallways, so you leave them sheathed.

You loosen all your daggers and triple-check your satchel. A little flash powder might help stun some of these creatures, especially if they're used to the dark. Reminding yourself of your options helps you relax. You aren't defenseless.

You look to Fang. He nods at you. "Stand guard with the angel. The winds would probably attack you directly." His eyes slide to Gerald. "I'm going to make sure nothing unfortunate happens with our friends from Arland."

Fang walks toward the Flints and raises his voice. "In a way, the fact that Erebus is at the gates is to our advantage. The Skysever should be distracted. I'll help keep it off you while you work your magic. You're ready?"

Arcturis nods. "As ever." Gerald says nothing, but his grips his sword tighter.

Arcturis puts a hand on the door. The great hinges groan as it opens inward. As soon as the gap is large enough for a person, Arcturis dive through, followed closely by Gerald and Fang.

You're about to have a view of the room when a tremendous gust of Wind barrels toward you. You leap to the side. It was targeted at someone else - but the blade-like scraps of the magic bounce and scrape against your scaled armor. The door is bent off its hinges, jamming the entranceway in a mess of iron.

You hear a low moan echo in the hallways.

"They're coming," Tyrael says. "Ready yourself." He draws his sword. It's glowing white with Light.

What do you do?

>use Shadowmeld; stealth and wait for enemies to appear
>ready your daggers and get a fistful of flash powder
>prepare shadow magic to attack the first thing you see (specify)
>other

>>32446514
>tfw no skill tree to argue about
;-; judgement pls come back to us

>>32446354
Ah shit where's my fiddle playing fang pocture when I need it

>>32446529
>use Shadowmeld; stealth and wait for enemies to appear

>>32446529
>shadowmeld for stealth

>>32446529
>use Shadowmeld; stealth and wait for enemies to appear

>>32446529
>use Shadowmeld; stealth and wait for enemies to appear

>>32446529
>use Shadowmeld; stealth and wait for enemies to appear
Also, do we have a pic somewhere for chosen Ila?

>>32446529
>use Shadowmeld; stealth and wait for enemies to appear

File: Ila (7).jpg (26 KB, 406x700)

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>>32446603

Not really.

Here's a normal Ila.

>>32446629
In white?

>>32446660

All the pictures I post are concept art. Your head canon is always more accurate.

>>32446680
even if my headcanon involves chosen shadowy futadicks?

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You use Shadowmeld.

Your aura wraps your body. There's plenty of darkness down here - it's an easy enough feat to manage.

"...Ila. Ila! Are you still there!"

"I'm here," you hiss. "Now stop giving me away."

Tyrael settles back on his heels. "I didn't see you after that explosion. I thought you might be hurt."

"I'm fine. Focus."

"...yeah." The angel narrows his eyes.

A shuffling echoes down one of the hallways. You can sense more of the creatures, but the first has arrived. You remember it from the first time you were here. It's a strange, shadow-wrapped thing, with long, spear-like arms that cover it on all sides. The mask-like face does seem to imply a front and back, though.

You can hear the patter of footsteps. More are coming, and they sound a bit faster than this thing.

What do you do?

>let Tyrael deal with this one; keep waiting
>flash powder, daggers in the back
>shadow magic
>other

>>32446776
OH FUCK ITS PINWHEEL AGAIN

>>32446774

It's times like these I think SB's nazi-style NSFW policy is worth suffering for.

Look man. I ain't the thought police. I ain't gonna tell you what you can or cannot imagine. That's all I got to say.

>>32446776
>keep waiting
when there is a group, second option will be useful

>>32446776
>let Tyrael deal with this one
>prep an ambush for the others

>>32446776
>other
Pray that this is one is weaker than the initial one that had the moonsong shard.

>>32446534
>we'll never know what was past Earth's Gift
Earth Party...

forever....

>>32446809
You're a Spacebattler, SM?

>>32446809
>It's times like these I think SB's nazi-style NSFW policy is worth suffering for.
Speaking of, did you see that... thing that they made over there?

Some bizarre crossover of Shadow Quest and something that I don't know what it was but will assume it's animu.

>>32446776
>let Tyrael deal with this one; keep waiting
We take the next.

>>32446776
>slip behind this one, attack others

>>32446832
>we will never unlock vigil
>we will never get the bonuses for completing any of the shadow trees
>we will never get to the end of the summon tree
>we will never make a Heartsteel Colossus

God damnit I just want my level up fix ;-;

>>32446776
just be ready to support, as ila always is

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>>32446680
I just found a pic that's suprisingly near to my headcanon

>>32446850

No, I'm not.

>>32446854

Actually, yeah, I saw that mentioned in the /qtg/. I had never been on spacebattles until then, but I went to read it for the sake of my own curiosity. I've never seen the other thing it's based on which seems to be 80% of it, so it was hard to follow.

I did some exploring after that. Seems like an alright forum. I checked out the rules, they're really a bit excessively strict about the NSFW thing. One reason I like 4chan because it's very anything goes.

>>32446922
That's pretty good.

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>>32446922

>writing for waiting

>>32446874
>Heartsteel Colossus
...You're doing this on purpose aren't you.

>>32447020
doing what?

>>32447020
Well, there is that one ability after Heartstone Titan...

File: ....jpg (430 KB, 1448x2048)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvONzaYl9gw

You decide to wait. Tyrael can handle this one. Your ambush needs to be saved for the right moment.

The six-armed thing continues to crawl forward. It comes to a few paces before the angel. In one sweeping movement, he steps forward, stabs it through the mask, and rips his sword diagonally down through its flesh. The creature cries out, falls forward, and evaporates into black smoke. The mask clatters to the floor.

A group of feral ghouls runs down one of the hallways - six in total. You can hear something else crawling from the direction that the masked beast originally came in. It sounds significantly larger than the first foe. And there's a group of something else from the third hallway.

The feeling of Wind continues to build in the core room. You're going to have to hold out for a time.

What do you do?

>drop into the ghouls with a Shadow bomb
>flash powder, and then, daggers for everyone!
>let four of them pass, take out the last two stragglers to cut down on Tyrael's workload
>keep waiting
>some other strategy

>>32447157
>drop into the ghouls with a Shadow bomb

>>32447157
>You can hear something else crawling from the direction that the masked beast originally came in. It sounds significantly larger than the first foe.
We take out two ghouls, then re-Shadowmeld for this guy.

>>32447157
give em the ol' flash n stab

>>32447157
>some other strategy
Lets go take out the big one while we're still in stealth, no reason to waste our ambush on small fry

>>32447157
>let four of them pass, take out the last two stragglers to cut down on Tyrael's workload
Hopefully, we're able to kill them with enough time to spare to shadowmeld again and prep an ambush for whatever the hell is coming in after them.

>>32447157
Holy shit, accidentally mouseovered that image on my offscreen with hover preview enabled.

Also, Shadow Bomb since these may very well be the last things in this skirmish that care about that sort of thing.

>>32447157
>drop into the ghouls with a Shadow bomb
It's time for shadow magic

>>32447157
>let four of them pass, take out the last two stragglers to cut down on Tyrael's workload
then re-shadowmeld and ambush the big one

Vote 1:
>shadowbomb

Vote 2:
>stay stealthed for the incoming large foe

Vote 3:
>try to drop the last two with daggers, then restealth for the next enemy

>>32447359
1

>>32447359
1

>>32447359
2

>>32447359
3

>>32447359
2

>>32447359
1

>>32447359
3

>>32447359
2

>>32447359
3

>>32447359
2

>>32446184
1

Ok, I'll call the tiebreaker at staying stealthed for the moment.

>>32447359
1

Again, the best strategy here is staying hidden. They're just ghouls - one easy sweep of that sword should cut them down.

But Tyrael doesn't bother - he raises a palm. A jewel of light floats away from his hand and hovers in midair. The ghouls rush past it. When it's right in their midst, he clenches his hand.

The light explodes. Dozens of needles of energy fly out in a short radius from the spell, shredding the ghouls like cheese. He swivels to face the group from the other hallway.

The big, slithering thing coming in your direction makes an appearance. It's a snake - a giant snake, with short, mishapen wings, a sort of mutated wyvern. Its jaws are nearly a fourth its body, and it's covered with thick scales that shine with Shadow.

What do you do?

>strategy

>>32447549
Gank its ass

>>32447549
Stab it! In the back!

>>32447549
Daggers to the base of the neck

>>32447549
Have it spot Tyrael and aim for the upper part of its neck

>>32447549
Shadow bomb to the face coupled with a smoke bomb first, then blink behind it's head and daggers to the base of the neck.

>>32447549
Unstealth and drop in from behind with daggers to the back of the neck.

If that doesn't do it then roll away with flash powder covering our retreat.

Protip: Shadow magic won't do shit.

Roll 1d100 to GANK

>>32447609
You want to use Shadow Magic on a creature made of Shadow?

>>32447549
Wait for it to come next to us and flash powder it in its face. When it's disoriented we can grapple its back and stab out its eyes. We can then use the cavities where its eyes used to be to give our shadow magic access to the soft meaty bits inside.

Rolled 18

>>32447650
HAHA, DICE!

Rolled 64

>>32447650

Rolled 11

>>32447650
Rollin

Rolled 5

>>32447650
ambush backstab

Rolled 44

>>32447650
HERE WE GO HERE WE GO

>>32447657
Clearly it's a distraction...?

Rolled 26

>>32447650
Shadow dice, here my call!

Rolled 15

>>32447650
dagger right into the cloaka

Rolled 65

>>32447650
best dice eu, I can tell this is going to fail spectacularily

Rolled 45

>>32447650
dem rolls mon.

Ah SQ dice, I've missed you so

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Rolled 59

>>32447650
Fukken dice

>>32447718
not one roll higher than 65, in 10 rolls. not one.

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Rolled 85

>>32447650

time for hundreds of reasons ila isn't awful

>>32447668
Not bad, it's above average plus we're getting how many bonuses for being all sneaky.

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>>32447775
>Not bad
>it's above average

don't SM use a 'two dice must be above the DC' system.

>>32447811
It does.

Rolled 20

>>32447811
>>32447549


Yup. 18, 11, 64 vs ??? difficulty #

You drop from where you were waiting on the ceiling and plunge two daggers into the base of the snake's neck. One of your punching daggers catches a scale and glances away - but the second sinks in.

That, unfortunately, is not enough to kill it.

The wyvern shrieks and thrashes about. You leap off its back before you slam into the wall and roll to a stop. The worm is in pain, confused - distracted, but unpredictable. Your right-hand dagger is still stuck into its neck.

You can feel another presence coming down the tunnel - it's another wyvern. Or, at least, something that feels just like it.

"Ash Wraiths, incoming!" Tyrael shouts. He's pointing down one of the other halls.

You've never heard of an Ash Wraith before, but it doesn't sound very friendly.

Meanwhile, explosions of Wind and Spirit are rocking the walls of the island. The disturbance is sure to draw even more monsters your way...

What do you do?

>try to use a shadow attack to stun it
>flash powder should work
>attack outright, try to finish it off
>ask Tyrael to cast a quick spell to end it
>some other strategy

>>32447837
>flash powder should work

>>32447837
>>try to use a shadow attack to stun it

>>32447837
How on earth would a shadow attack stun a beast like this?
>flash powder
>call for Tyrael to help finishing it fast
>attempt to get the mainhand dagger back
doesn't she have a large numer of extra daggers?

>>32447837
I'll agree with this course of action.
>>32447913

We've lost the element of surprise and we're not punchy enough to instakill it since it should have resistance against our shadow magics.

>>32447913
>doesn't she have a large numer of extra daggers?

Certainly. Not the main punching type that she uses.

Also, I like your plan.

Roll 1d100

Rolled 57

>>32448041

Rolled 10

>>32448041
We gotta start rolling well eventually!

Rolled 7

>>32448041
The curse of being a mil trained leader but not caring enough if there's a chance someone else may do something

Rolled 21

>>32448041
Rollin'

Rolled 92

>>32448041
haha oh wow these rolls

These rolls, man. These fucking rolls.

Rolled 29

>>32448041
Maybe you guys set up and exchange program with some quests. Hellborn quest use a reserve d+100 system, lower is better, and most of the time they roll high.
They'd kill to have your rolls.

Rolled 51

>>32448041
>Roll 1d100
Illlaaaaa

I missed these dice.
Also, what is this spacebattles shadow quest thing? And how terrible is it?

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>>32448064
>>32448107
its one of these days.

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SM's face when he realizes that Ila is going to die for no real reason.

>>32448187
not sure if it's good have not read it but here is a link.

http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/killer-for-hire-quest . 263505/

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuVs-AFvjB8

You grab for your flash powder and toss a rolled ball of it at your enemy. You briefly turn your gaze away.

The burning light still leaves spots on your eyes. The snake spins, shrieking. The tail catches you in in the gut and sends you tumbling across the room. Your mana barrier cushions the blow, but you can feel it weaken slightly.

"Tyrael, finish it!"

Tyrael snaps his head toward you. He points his finger. A line of light shoots out of it, then bends at a sharp angle. The spell impacts the snake's neck directly where your dagger pierced its scales. Another light flashes, and the snake drops dead.

He barely whips his sword around in time to meet the claws of an ash wraith. The wraith blocks his blow with both hands, but a light-sheathed gauntlet takes it in the stomach. It shatters into dust. There's at least ten more of the things soaring your way.

A heavy thud from back down the hall gets your attention. It's another worm - but it's not like the snake. It's larger, thicker, with pustules that spew a green gas into the hall. Its maw is wide enough to nearly fit the hallway.

What do you do?

>try to help Tyrael with the Ash Wraiths
>attack the worm creature
>other

>>32448359
>>attack the worm creature

Let's distract it with our wings and better mobility until our canon finishes up, rather than engage it directly.

>>32448359
>with pustules that spew a green gas into the hall.
We have pestilence immunity at least right. cuz Chosen.

Only we can take this thing.

>>32448359
>pustules that spew a green gas
If this is some kind of disease or poison, Ila should handle it before it can hit Tyrael.

>>32448359
>attack the worm creature
Fucking poison worm thing.

>>32448359
do these wraiths explode on contact? if so, do we have throwing knives or something, to make quick work of them?

>>32448359
goddamn captcha glitched and I lost the post I wrote
short edition:
>shadow attack against worm
>attack its eyes if it slows down

>>32448519

They apparently die from a strong enough blow. Tyrael's punch was backed with Light magic.

>>32448425
>>32448434
>>32448440

How do you attack?

>distract it with Shadow assault, stab it a lot
>use a smoke bomb to cloud its vision, stab it a lot
>shoot a Shadow Bomb down its gullet
>some other strategy

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>>32448519
>contact
You don't think the "glowing with Light energy" had to do with it

>>32448563
>use smoke bomb to cloud its vision
>shoot a Shadow Bomb down its gullet

>>32448563
Multishade, Blink on top of it, stab it a lot.

>>32448563
Having it eat a shadow bomb sounds at first like a good idea, but with any luck it'd just cause the worm to blow up and spread poison everywhere.

>shadow blast right above the maw

There should be a heavy amount of nerves behind the eyes, logically.

I like this
>>32448664

followed by this
>>32448653

Roll 1d100

Rolled 19

>>32448724
Let's see if the rolling trend continues

Rolled 66

>>32448724

Rolled 39

>>32448724

Rolled 86

>>32448724

Rolled 32

>>32448724

fucking /tg/ dice

Guys, summon a Spirit to fight with us pls.

This may be our only chance to use Summoning for once.

Rolled 98

>>32448724
Dice y u do this

Rolled 43

>>32448724

Rolled 56

>>32448724

Rolled 19

>>32448724

Your wings snap out over your back at you run toward the worm. You jump. The maw stretches to clip you as you fly through the gap between the worm's body and the ceiling, but your wings flap once, giving you the extra burst of momentum you need to make the jump. The mouth snaps closed on air.

Your wings snap shut. You flip in midair. Your point your hand down toward the worm, aiming for the back of its eyes. Your Shadow Blast erupts a foot away from its slimy shell.

The worm's jaw is slammed into the ground by the force of the blast. The shadow roils over it, mostly deflected, but you hear a nasty crunch as the full weight of the worm's body forces its mouth closed.

You're suddenly surrounded by the greenish gas, but you don't notice anything. Just like breathing air. Shadow might be out of the game, but his magic is working fine.

You take the opportunity to stab the worm in the belly. You drag your punching dagger through its flesh, tearing through several of the poison pustules. Green liquid splashes out from the wound, but it runs off you faster than rainwater without harm.

The worm tries to roll and crush you against the wall. But you've already blinked away. You repeat your attack, flipping your cuff dagger into your right hand and stabbing with both arms at the same time. In a few seconds, the worm is oozing poison from a dozen wounds.

Flashes of light mark Tyrael's continued fight against the Ash Wraiths. You can't see much through the gas.

You feel a tremendous amount of Spirit just on the other side of the door. Something's about to happen.

What do you do?

>hunker down. You don't want to be near what Fang has planned
>keep attacking the worm, finish it off
>other

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>>32448724
time to get our shit slapped by a book

>>32448996
>>keep attacking the worm, finish it off
Let it come. We gotta save Tyrael.

Rolled 52

>>32448996
>hunker down. You don't want to be near what Fang has planned

>>32448996
>summon Spirit to shield Tyrael/help with ash wraiths
>keep killing it

Rolled 98

>>32448996
>hunker down. You don't want to be near what Fang has planned

And for once all of that ailment resist is actually useful, I thought I'd never see the day

Rolled 66

>>32449115
>the poison demon lord

>>32448996
Put some distance between the doorway and us. Leave the worm there, if it follows us that's fine - it's slowed down by the wounds.
Tyrael has hopefully noticed the growing spirit and is taking precautions of his own.
Avoid getting crushed between... Anything, in case there's a huge explosion the sort that tends to happen in a situation like this.

>>32449137
>one example in 120 threads where we weren't even playing the fight, just observing it from another characters point of view

Vote 1:
>bunker up, avoid the building Spirit magic

Vote 2:
>continue to kill worm. Summon a spirit to assist Tyrael

>>32449221
2

>>32449221
1

>>32449221
2

>>32449221
2

>>32449221
1

>>32449221
1

>>32449221
2

>>32449221
1

>>32449221
2

Ok, calling the tiebreak at hunkering down.

Roll 1d100

Rolled 49

>>32449341
here we go

>>32449340

Well, that's a tiebreaker, but it was just after the 5 minute mark. We'll just go with hunkering down since I already called it.

Rolled 79

>>32449341
Roll

Rolled 95

>>32449341
Good rolls now pls?

>>32449384
Apparently so.

Self preservation pays off! Who knew.

Rolled 88

>>32449341


>>32449384
>>32449367
>>32449381
nice

What are the odds though, that Yi Fang is doing something explode-y instead of mind-y with Spirit?