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[2/2]

“If you mean ‘know’ you mean ‘attempted to kill us several times’, then yes we do know them.” Mochire chides watching a mute TV program.

“It confirms the theory that I had of Shouko and John Doe working together, but such a possibility was already akin to 83.831 percent before.” Osvald replies after listening to the recording.

“I calculated 85.091 percent.” Zanna replies to Osvald.

“At least we have a better idea of who this John Doe is. He’s probably the right hand man of the Illuminati head or something similar to that.” Wendy replies.

“Those guys? Yea, they are. Anytime you encounter those guys it means you *definitely* got the attention of someone up above, and usually not in the good way.” Mochire replies. “If this John Doe is who he claims he is, then that means something must’ve really fucked up here on the island for him to be involved.”

“You mean us escaping wasn’t enough?” Wendy asks.

“I calculate a very high likelihood that John Doe is also here resolving other incidents occurring around the city, not all of them necessarily Alchemical related.” Osvald replies.

“Which would be what? Looters exactly? I’m not wholesale dismissing the idea, but the idea that something exists here on this island which nearly the full bulk of the military cannot handle to be somewhat skeptical.” Alvin says carefully putting down his cup of tea before turning towards you. “Hibiki, you’ve been silent throughout this entire conversation. Do you have any thoughts to add?”

Your attention snaps back towards the conversation happening in the room, your half distracted mind forming back into clarity once more.

- “I was thinking about my sister. It appears that she’s an outsider in this entire ordeal, just like the rest of us. For someone flaunting about how she’s in some sort of secret world order yet is still forbidding to leave makes me wonder what’s exactly going on here.”

- “John Doe is after me personally, but I’m not sure exactly why. I suspect it has something to do with being an Alchemical that Doctor Trine had serviced with a special interest in me as I was the first to have my programming altered.” (Tell the others about the reason why you think John Doe has an interest in you)

- Other

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>What is this quest?

Alchemical Blade Prequel Quest, a quest set in the Modern version of Creation from the Exalted setting, focusing on how the robotic Alchemical Exalted came to be within the setting. If you love hints of Cyberpunk and high action quests, then you may enjoy this quest.

>Who are we?

The quest is mainly going to be played out in flashbacks, in which during the flashbacks we take control of the Moonsilver caste Alchemical Exalted Junpaku Hibiki, while in the current time you play as “Anonymous”. The game will take place within the city of Versino within the central continent of Creation Meruvia. Labelled as a dangerous and murderous science experiment gone rogue, you need to evade forces of the mightiest army within Creation sprinkled with the powerful Elemental supersoldiers known as the Dragonblooded, trying to find out who is responsible for what you’ve become and how to escape their clutches once and for all.

>Alchemical? Moonsilver? I don’t know anything about Exalted, much less Modern Exalted...

I’ve made this quest to be as friendly to newbies as possible, and I also see it as an introductory guide to the World of Modern Exalted. You can google “1d4chan Exalted” for information on the general vanilla setting, but what I’ll be using is the Modern Version of Exalted as shown in “Shards of the Exalted Dream” book, in where its Alchemicals are quite different than those of Vanilla Exalted. Feel free to ask any question about Exalted in the thread and I will do my best to answer it.

>Archive?

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Alchemical+Blade+Quest

>System?

Dicepool system. When performing an action, everyone rolls a number of d10’s based on what the action is (I will list the pools for most actions, but if you want to have a roll for an action, ask and I’ll make the dicepool for it). The first roll is the one that’ll be used, but if someone makes another roll for a different action and more people vote for that, I’ll be using that one instead.

>This seems hella complicated, is there any way you can boil things down for me?

http://pastebin.com/NexXpPC1

>XP?

Favored Attributes cost 4 XP per dot to increase (Underlined on stat sheet when released) while non-favored ones cost 5 XP. Abilities themselves cost 3 XP per dot to increase naturally. All charms cost 6 XP per purchase with Dedicated slots costing 4 XP each and General ones costing 6 XP each. At the end of every “mission” (In game objectives set by either me or some goal the audience desires) you will be presented with a possible acquisition list of charms. Experience can also be gained by developing the character, learning about the world, or just in general things people find interesting.

>Twitter?

@Sandact6

>Where can I yell at you and your players?

https://discord.gg/wuGZxyN

>>1141358
>>- “I was thinking about my sister. It appears that she’s an outsider in this entire ordeal, just like the rest of us. For someone flaunting about how she’s in some sort of secret world order yet is still forbidding to leave makes me wonder what’s exactly going on here.”

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[1/3]

“I was thinking about my sister. It appears that she’s an outsider in this entire ordeal, just like the rest of us. For someone flaunting about how she’s in some sort of secret world order yet is still forbidding to leave makes me wonder what’s exactly going on here.” you reply as you peel yourself off the wall.

“I doubt there’s any conspiracy behind that. Sounds like your sister was snorting coke in celebration before we escaped.” Mochire replies.

“I do not know this Shouko person personally, but I calculate a 0.002 percent chance that such a thing happened.” Zanna replies to Mochire.

“Mochire speaks in metaphors and sarcasm often.” Osvald replies to Zanna.

“Despite his gross metaphor I think Mochire has it right.” Wendy says as she looks over towards you. “Shouko stayed here not only because of a small celebration, but to make it look like she was playing the dutiful sister and waiting for your return from the university.”

“That sounds like her. Shouko was always one to count her chickens before they hatched.” you reply back to Wendy.

“To be fair if we didn’t get rid of that fucking programming then we might as well been counted as dead.” Mochire chides as he looks over the news channels.

“If it wasn’t for Hibiki then we’d still all be down in Sub-Basement 8, plus there was an 81.259 percent chance of them killing all the Alchemicals when the program was completed.” Osvald replies.

“We only need to remove the GPS trackers, which is far harder than I had originally calculated if the Doctor is correct.” Zanna replies, likely hearing it from Doctor Rosenberg as well.

“I have faith that we’ll make it off this island alive, fate doesn’t let an event this large simply vanish.” Alvin says as he puts down his teacup. “Now Wendy, Osvald, I believe that you wanted to talk about long term operations together?”

“Yes, we’ll need your cooperation to run some dummy attacks for us once we find out who the other Trine Alchemicals are.” Wendy says to Alvin as she begins discussing the outlying issues of the plan.

With a small sigh you peel yourself up off the wall, heading upstairs to have some space to yourself. Marina and Dexter were sent out on an assignment together, and while you have full confidence in both of their skills it does leave you quite anxious. Your recent pattern of life, as morbid as it may be, was to head out out nearly every day to either scout or cause small interferences around the city with the occasional major operation every now and again. The very fact that you’re told ‘just stay home’ for now doesn’t sit right with you. Even if Osvald wanted you to stay at the base to hear the conversation between John Doe and Shouko, it makes you wonder why he didn’t have something planned for you after the conversation itself.

“Couldn’t handle the tactics talk?” Mochire asks walking up behind you.

[2/3]

“I’ll leave the long term operational forecasts to those who are the experts in it.” you reply before coming to a realization. “I know that Marina and Dexter are on assignment, but where’s Father Marcellius?”

“Probably in his church right now.” Mochire replies. “I’m bored as hell right now, so I was thinking about paying him a visit. You want to come with?”

“Didn’t Wendy tell us to stay here?” you ask Mochire.

“Alvin alone can melt an entire row of tanks. They’re fine.” Mochire waves off with his hand before walking down the hallway. “Now are you coming or what?”

“Fine, but you’re going to be getting my earful of Wendy’s rant when we come back.” you reply as your mask snaps shut, trailing behind Osvald.

******

“So... The best part was during the celebration we had the other night was that Micky D actually overdosed on Celestial Coke and started flipping out on the floor thinking he was seeing dragons or some shit!” Mochire says finishing up his story with you, Mochire himself incessantly giggling the entire time he continues his story. “It was so funny that I nearly pissed myself! You should’ve been there!”

“Yea such a shame I wasn’t there.” you mutter to yourself as you continue scanning the church for Father Marcellius, your eyes cutting down the church layer by layer as you continuously scan it. “The population around the church seems to have nearly doubled... no more than that since we were last here.”

“It’s not like Father Marcellius is hard to spot. I mean he’s wearing a large suit of power armour.” Mochire replies back to you.

“You’d think finding a man wearing a golden suit of armour would be easy to find, but no. He’s not in the church at all.” you reply.

“That’s because he’s not in the church.” A voice rings out behind you.

Mochire nearly jumps out of his skin as he hears Zanna behind him, his face full of shock slowly winding down before he clutches his chest. “Damnit Zanna don’t do that! You nearly scared the life out of me!”

You jolted from the shock as well, but you don’t let that leave your lips.

[3/3]

“Have you been following us the entire time?” you ask.

“91.731 percent of it.” Zanna replies behind you. “I was attempting to deduce why you were leaving the building, but now I know why.”

- “Don’t ever sneak up behind me again, I nearly cut you in two on reflex.”

- “You’re not planning with the others? With the way you speak like Osvald I thought that you’d be planning along with the rest of them.”

- “Father Marcellius isn’t in the church? What do you mean? Where is he then?”

- Other

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>>1141678

“You’re not planning with the others? With the way you speak like Osvald I thought that you’d be planning along with the rest of them.

Anyway where is Father Marcellius?”

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>>1142307

wondering has it ever occurred to Shouko that she may be considered by john doe to be expendable?

[1/3]

“You’re not planning with the others?” you ask Zanna. “With the way you speak like Osvald I thought that you’d be planning along with the rest of them.”

“Osvald and I are in this condition as we have restricted our emotions for maximum efficiency for any task related at hand. Not everyone who has shut off their emotional processors are good at formulating long term plans. My primary specialities include stealth, tracking, and mid-range combat.” Zanna replies to you.

(“O_o”) Mochire texts you after Zanna explains this.

As creepy as you find this, you decide to press on with the current matter at hand. “Anyways, where is Father Marcellius?”

“According to my personal profile on him and the tracks departing from the church, he departed from the church no more than a half hour ago.” Zanna says as she turns around towards the roof of the building. “I can trace his trail to his current location.”

“Father Marcellius is heading out without us? Why’s he going ahead without us?” you ask.

“Unknown, but from by sweep of the church he’s been heading out very frequently.” Zanna replies as she leaps towards the next rooftop.

“What? Why would he do that? Unlike the rest of us Father Marcellius is a bleeding heart. He wouldn’t head out without backup, he’s too much of a goodie two shoes.” Mochire replies as he follows behind the both of you, his body flickering in and out of sight as his cloaking program struggles to keep up with you.

“Whatever it is I’m not liking the sounds of it. Let’s go.” you say continuing to run after Zanna as she continues to chase after Father Marcellius’s trail.

The trail continues for the better part of a half hour as Zanna attempts to follow the trail as best as she can while avoiding any unnecessary military patrols. As you approach the ruined section of the city, Zanna stops on top of a nearby building overlooking the street.

“We’re getting close now. 92.612 percent chance that Father Marcellius was in this area.” Zanna states as she scans the area.

Mochire shivers as he walks in this area, rubbing his arms up and down. “I’m not getting a good feeling from this place.”

“What do you mean?” you ask Mochire.

Mochire seems to bite his lip as he looks around the area, as if searching for something himself. “It’s the life in the air, or rather the complete perversion of it, and I don’t mean the sexy kind of perversion either. If I had to use smell as an example, it's like walking into a room where someone left a dead body in the center of it to rot for several weeks.”

“Dead body?” you ask as you begin to search down the street below. “I don’t get what you mean Mochire. I mean the power’s out but there’s nothing in this area that looks odd.”

“There is a strong possibility Mochire may be correct. My entire body feels as if it's twitching, but I am unsure about how this phenomena came to be in me.” Zanna asks.

[2/2]

“Osvald said something a while back about certain sections of the city appearing to be odd as of late.” you reply out loud as you look down at the streets. “Maybe this area has something to do with it?”

“I don’t know, but let's get in and out as quickly as possible. It feels like the very air is screaming at me to leave.” Mochire says as he places a hand on your shoulder, waiting for your to leap off the building.

As Zanna leads you down the streets herself, you suddenly begin feeling the same way yourself. A constant tingle at the back of your neck as if someone directly behind you. Your skin constantly crawling all over like that time you went into the haunted school building when you were younger. The general atmosphere doesn’t help in the slightest either. Normally even destroyed sections of the city have life in them, burning drums of fire or the murmurs of people heard from abandoned buildings. Here there appears to be nothing of the sort, only an uneasy silence that is practically deafening. Even the everpresent sounds of gunfire from the city appear to be completely absent.

As Zanna leads you around a nearby corner and into an alleyway, you can see Father Marcellius leaning against a wall, his anima systems venting as obvious dents in his armour and cuts along his body can be seen.

“Target located.” Zanna states as Father Marcellius comes into view.

“Father!” Mochire says rushing over to him.

“Oh... Hibiki, Mochire... You didn’t have to come all the way here for me.” Father Marcellius says immediately standing back up straight with the help of Mochire.

“Judging by the damage on your armour, I think we definitely needed to come all the way here.” you reply back to Father Marcellius. “What was it that you were doing that was so dangerous or important that you didn’t feel the need to contact us.”

“That... is a difficult question to answer. But you are right, I have been acting selfishly as of late and I do apologize. I thought I’d be able to contain the threat myself but it’s become far more complex as of late.” Father Marcellius replies.

“What threat is that?” you ask.

“In orders that you’d understand, zombies.” Father Marcellius replies.

“Zombies, you mean metaphorical zombies. The easily drugged, uneducated celebrity worshipping masses correct?” Zanna asks.

“More of the kind out of the Meruvian movies.” Father Marcellius replies.

- “Zombies? Even after all that has happened I’m having a hard time believing that zombies of all things exist in this world.”

- “What exactly were you fighting to make you go all out like this? Also where are they now?”

- “Why are the zombies located here? Is there any danger of them spreading?”

- Other

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>>1142467

“ Considering my sister turned into a demon i should not be surprised but i still am surprised.

Seriously Zombies? Why are the zombies located here? Is there any danger of them spreading?”

>>1142492


Drat came in too late to add in the tactical planning why we think john doe is intrested in us.

Oh do we have the alchemical core from the apostate we killed? would Rosenberg be able to get some info from that core?

>>1142525

You mean the one you learned Tiger Style from?

We do yes, but specifically you'd need the Alchemicals that Doctor Trine worked on. As far as you know Doctor Trine wasn't involved with the Tiger Apostate.

>>1142535

Ah thanks for the clarification.

[1/2]

Upon hearing Father Marcellius’s speech you give depressed sigh. “Considering my sister turned into a demon I shouldn’t be surprised by this, yet more bizzare things keep happening that I can’t help but to be surprised by.”

“Seriously!? Fucking Zombies!?” Mochire gasps out in shock.

“I know it sounds unbelievable, but I swear in the name of Mal that I speak the truth.” Father Marcellius explains.

“I’ll ignore the improbabilities for now.” Zanna says as she listens into the conversation. “Why are the zombies located here? Is there any danger of them spreading?”

“I’m not sure myself, as I only heard them as tales from other priest, but from what I understand this area is partially connected to Tierra de la Muerte.” Father Marcellius replies.

“Land of the Dead.” you reply.

“Yes, but in Meruvian it's called the Underworld, a form of limbo that exists just above hell.” Father Marcellius explains.

Mochire’s eyes go wide as if he’s seen a ghost. “Woah! Hold on there! Are you saying that we’re in the Underworld!?”

“You’re the occult specialist and you didn’t know that?” you ask Mochire.

“I was never in one before, and for good reason! These damned places are hated by both us and the people controlling Creation. The only thing they spawn forth are undying horrors that can shatter a man’s mind like a faberge egg. I’ve never been in one until now, but I’d rather not press my luck and remain here after nightfall.” Mochire replies.

“A likely conclusion is that far more of these creatures come out at night?” Zanna asks.

“That’s correct, they do. In fact part of the reason I had been coming here is to thin out their numbers during the day, fighting the ones that would strike back while putting any corpses I found back of peace by elevating their souls to heavenly Lethe.” Father Marcellius replies. “However as of late I’ve been encountering far more powerful and numerous creatures. I suspect something or someone has been powering them up.”

“Probably an Apostate.” you reply.

“You’re probably wrong, but in this case I really hope that you’re right.” Mochire says back to you with a face half filled with fear. “From some of the tales and folklore I’ve heard from these places an Apostate would be a kitten in comparison to something like a Nightmare Relic.”

“That’s like expecting to walk into a graveyard and find a priceless sword just laying on the ground in the middle of it. I do not expect that to happen.” Father Marcellius asks.

“What about Zanna’s earlier question? How are we going to stop these zombies from spreading?” you ask.

“I use zombies as that’s a word you’d easily understand, but in technical terms each of the zombies are actually like ghosts, ghosts that only form when those who passed away did so under great duress.” Father Marcellius replies.

[2/2]

“Oh perfect, that’s something that’s been happening in abundance around here as of late.” Mochire chimes in with a sarcastic comment.

“I do not see the purpose of replying with a self-evident comment.” Zanna replies back to Mochire.

“Tha- Nevermind.” Mochire says with a sigh as he shakes his head.

“Mochire’s joke does have a bit of unfortunate truth mixed inside of it. With all the recent deaths within the city and all the improper or utter lack of burial rites for those who have died, the land itself has become tainted with the cries of the dead driven mad from their deaths.” Father Marcellius replies. “Those who are bitten do not become a zombie, that only happens in movies. But anyone who dies here at the hands of one of the undead have a strong chance of rising again as a hungry ghost who seeks nothing more to exact revenge upon the living.”

“I maintain that the speculation of these entities as ‘ghosts’ are highly impractical, as is the idea of a soul.” Zanna replies.

- “You’d best start believing in ghost stories now Zanna, we’re in one.”

- “Souls exist Zanna, trust me. They’re the very definition of human willpower and drive.”

And

- “How are we going to get rid of this Land of the Dead then?” *Look at Mochire*

- “Father Marcellius I commend you for listening to your heart, but there’s a bigger issue at hand here. Such a place like this isn’t natural, and we if don’t find the creature that did it then we’re going to be in big trouble.”

- Other

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>>1142571
>“You’d best start believing in ghost stories now Zanna, we’re in one.”

“How are we going to get rid of this Land of the Dead then?” *Look at Mochire*

>>1142584
should add in "knowing our luck we could run into the tiger apostate we took down."

OK its about time I start heading to bed, so we'll be continuing this tomorrow!

(Sorry this took so long!)

[1/3]

“You’d best start believing in ghost stories now Zanna, we’re in one.” you say before turning towards Mochire. “How are we going to get rid of this land of the dead?”

“What are you looking at me for!?” Mochire asks in a confused tone. “My speciality is dealing in things that are still living! Not damn zombie ghosts!”

“A magician of your caliber has no idea how to get rid of places such as this at all?” you ask skeptically.

Mochire gives a small sigh and rolls his eyes. “You’re asking me to mix oil and water. Sorcery is living, breathing! This place is stagnant and dead! I mean you could in theory brute force such a thing to go away but that’s very difficult to pull off. Honestly our best hope is to wait for it to go away.”

“Father Marcellius said this place was expanding.” Zanna replies to Mochire.

“Yes, and that the cause for expansion was under the influence or something in this area. If we take out that expanding influence, then Dead Zones like these just shrink over time.” Mochire replies. “As long as we finish up before sundown, then we should be fine.”

“What happens after sundown? Do they come out at night?” you ask.

“That and no one has ever come back out of such places after night.” Father Marcellius warns.

“It’s only 2 PM, we should have plenty of time.” you reply. “Father Marcellius, you’ve been here the longest. I assume that you have an idea of who’s causing this disturbance at least?”

“No, but from what I could tell the area downtown had the highest concentration of ghosts.” Father Marcellius says. “We could perhaps start there by surveying the buildings.”

“Perfect timing, I just got X-Ray vision. Let’s go test that out.” you say as you gesture towards the exit of the alleyway. “You first Father.”

“What about the military?” Mochire asks as the group heads to leave.

Father Marcellius shakes his head. “They don’t come here. I’ve went full out several times and I haven’t even encountered so much of a drone in this area.”

“Oh so when there’s actually a threat to Creation they just plain ignore it. Figures.” Mochire chides as the group exits the alleyway.

******

The search progresses rather quickly thanks to your ability to see through buildings themselves, only really needing a few seconds to scan each building before moving onto the next before resting for a bit for your energy to replenish itself. Remaining on the rooftops is considered to be vital for the entire part as apparently Mochire and Zanna claim there are various invisible ‘things’ they can briefly see inside each and every building itself.

“...Woah woah hold on a second.” Mochire says as you’re just about to walk past a nearby abandoned hospital. “Zanna, do you see that?”

“...Yes I do. Two of them in front. Just in the shade itself.” Zanna says after several seconds of looking around.

[2/2]

“What do you see?” Father Marcellius asks the pair.

“There’s like... two *things* standing in front of the hospital entrance.” Mochire says squinting his eyes, putting his hand above his brows. “It appears to be just a cloud of bloody chains impaled with screaming victims attached to them.”

“Those poor souls.” Father Mochire says in shock before muttering a small prayer.

“I’m detecting several solidified shapes in the the Eastern Wing of the hospital at the ground floor.” Zanna announces. “Four solidified shapes, many other shapes that are currently phased out of local reality.”

Zooming into the place where Zanna says, you can see what appears to be a surreal shape. An mourge room that is patrolled by several figures with flesh as white as your own but with long claws like the Lynx Gremlins have. However standing in the middle a single man in a doctor’s blood stained doctor’s uniform can be seen, setting a nearby dinner table with such precision that he’s even attempting to angle the candles just right. His skin appears to be a dull grey colour like Mochire’s and his hair being nothing but wispy grey strands on top of his head.

“Yea that’s an apostate.” you say looking inside.

“I arrive at the same conclusion with a 91.541 percent accuracy rating.” Zanna says looking down below.

“Great, second insane butcher we fought at a hospital. How fitting.” Mochire chimes in after.

“Good, it means we can use the same strategy as last time. A small group heads in to attack the apostate while two others delay any incoming reinforcements.” you say to the group.

“We know gremlins, we don’t know these things.” Mochire replies.

“I know enough about them.” Zanna replies. “Putting a bullet inside of their craniums results in their death.”

“Here I thought you and Osvald weren’t any good at humor.” Mochire replies.

“I wasn’t trying to be humorous.” Zanna replies.

“Hm... I can still see several ways of how to approach this...” you reply as you continue to look down at the hospital below.

- Have one group perform and surprise attack on the Apostate while the other delays any incoming defense. (Con: Reinforcements during boss battle are very likely)

- Do the same plan as last time, have all of you clean out the forces inside in the main reception area before moving onto the Apostate boss. (Con: Boss will certainly be aware of your presence)

- You’re good at stealth, so why not use it to your advantage? Have you and Zanna head inside the build and destroy as many gremlins as possible before moving onto the head apostate (Con: If you’re caught then retreat will be difficult)

- Other

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>>1144296
>- You’re good at stealth, so why not use it to your advantage? Have you and Zanna head inside the build and destroy as many gremlins as possible before moving onto the head apostate (Con: If you’re caught then retreat will be difficult)

"Do you know if ghosts stay dead when killed? if not we may have a problem"

Thinking of doing this unless anyone disagrees. I am tempted to try to preform a tag and bag on this guy as he may have info. Besides if he is a ghost i doubt he will stay dead by punching him to death...

[1/2]

“Do ghosts stay ‘dead’ once you kill them?” you ask.

“No, unless you destroy their fetters they’ll come back at the next sunset.” Father Marcellius replies.

“Good, that gives us more than enough time to finish this place up.” you reply before turning back around to face the others. “Zanna and I will head inside and begin clearing out the place before you two arrive. With any luck things should be far easier when the actual fighting starts.”

“Is that wise Hibiki? If you two are caught then it's going to take some time before Mochire and I are able to provide support.” Father Marcellius warns.

“I easily possess the durability to hold out for allied reinforcements in the event that either Hibiki or I have our cover blown.” Zanna replies.

“I’ve grown a lot since our last gremlin encounter Father. I’ll be fine.” you reply as you look over the edge again.

Zanna takes out her dual pitch black pistols, screwing what appears to be silencers on the barrels of her weapon. “I will take care of the central atrium where there is less cover. You handle the corridors in the Eastern wing.”

“Got it.” you reply before your stealth systems activate, leaping off the side of the building before heading directly to the hospital. Thanks to your new updates you no longer need to concentrate in order to maintain your cloaking field, allowing you directly run towards the building itself while hardly making a sound any greater than an actual whisper.

As you climb up to the roof of the hospital and look down through the floor itself, you can see that you have several plans of attack. The first is that you can head down through the halls leading up to the morgue where the apostate is himself. This will let you clear out the trail through the halls themselves with what appear to be a cluster of weak looking and shambling ghosts with assault rifles. You have a feeling that the intelligence of these creatures is no more than the average zombie, so cutting them down wouldn’t raise that many alarms. On the other hand you could try assaulting some of the more tougher looking ghosts in the area, the ones with large claws and the shambling corpses of what appear to be Strike Force Zero members, their blank stares constantly keeping an eye ahead for any sign of trouble. Taking them out would be tougher, but if you’re successful you wouldn’t have to worry about them rushing to the aid of the apostate when it's his turn.

There’s also the Apostate as well of course, but with how durable Alchemicals are you’re not sure if you could kill him in a single stroke. You make an idle note for yourself to improve that in the future.

[2/2]

TURN ORDER
Hibiki: 14i
Fancy Apostate: 14i
Zombie Soldiers: 10i
Heavy Zombie Gunner 1: 10i
Heavy Zombie Gunner 2: 10i
Zombie Lynx: 9i

- Eff: With (Liquid Steel Flow, Double Attack Technique, 8m 1WP, 18d10) “Begin picking off the zombie soldiers one by one. They don’t have the awareness to notice if their numbers are being thinned out.”

- Pow: Des (Liquid Steel Flow, Shining Starfall Execution, 13m 1WP, 13d10) “Head towards one of the Heavy Gunners and cause a minor distraction before immediately attempting to execute one of them.”

- Other

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>>1145066

Forgot the status screen

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>>1145066
>- Pow: Des (Liquid Steel Flow, Shining Starfall Execution, 13m 1WP, 13d10) “Head towards one of the Heavy Gunners and cause a minor distraction before immediately attempting to execute one of them.”


Lets spend 1 willpower and 3 motes

lets try to get one that is isolated or try to get one isolated by the distraction then kock it off. Hide the body and slowly pick them off one at a time. by the time they figure out what is going on hopefully we will have gotten rid of most of them

Rolled 2, 2, 3, 3, 6, 8, 6, 5, 7, 7, 6, 7, 9 = 71 (13d10)

>>1145164

Forgot to roll

>>1145164

>Lets spend 1 willpower and 3 motes

As a point of clarification you can't actually spend less than what is listed in the charms. If you want to spend less then not all the charms in the option selected would actually go through.

>>1145205

Ah. then for simplicity's sake will just pay the full amount

[1/2]

The deployed zombies seem so impractical that you doubt they’ll be much of an active thread outside of their raw numbers, but the elite soldiers are going to be the biggest problem. If they’re the corpses of Strike Force Zer0 personnel and possess even half the skill they had when they were living then you’re going to be trouble when battle eventually breaks out. They have to go first.

You slice the lock off the roof access before slowly opening the door and heading down inside, blades silently coming out from your shoulder blades and smoothly into your hands. As you head down into the depths of the hospital below, the only light entering the building are from the sparse rays of light entering in from boarded up windows, where even the witless zombies seem to avoid them purely by instinct. Your enhanced vision is capable of amplifying the meager light that exists down here, which is good as otherwise you’d be almost completely blind down here.

As you head deeper into the hospital towards the morgue, you can see the two Strike Force Zer0 Heavy Zombies standing by on the door. One of them is holding up his massive assault cannon with one hand as his other arm is missing from the elbow down while the other zombie has multiple holes blown in the chest of his armour while the gun appears to be resting against the floor itself.

The single piece of loose debris rolls around your hand as you psychologically prepare yourself for the next step. Taking the piece of debris you immediately hurl it towards a broken fluorescent light in the ceiling, the sound of glass shattering echos through the halls before the soft crinkles the shards make as they impact the ground.

Heading back around around the corner you can see both of the Strike Force Zer0 zombies are heading directly towards the source of the disturbance. The one with the gun dragging along the ground heading towards the location slightly slower than the one missing his arm.

You don’t waste a second to seize this opportunity, quickly moving behind the dragging gun zombie, covering its mouth and stabbing your blade directly through his body in one smooth movement. The zombie itself convulses for a second before finally going limp in your arms.

(Hibiki sneak attacks Heavy Gunner Zombie 1, dealing 15 lethal levels of damage! Destroying it!)

As his partner moves around the corner, you don’t have much time to hide the body. Quickly dragging it into a nearby abandoned waiting room and slowly easing it over the desk itself. You are so thankful that you possess a full bodied suit of armour right now rather than being forced to touch the diseased and decaying blood of that zombie.

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[2/2]

As you head back towards the intersection location the remaining Strike Force Zer0 zombie appears to have noticed his friend has disappeared. Looking around with a blank stare, it begins to wander down through the halls nearby in search of his ally.

You’re not sure you can eliminate this guy in one hit unlike his friend. He’s too aware of his surroundings right now. You could attack him normally, but if he survives then he’s going to be firing that weapon of his and attract everyone inside of the hospital. Of course there are ways around that, but it could be risky depending on how good of a grip he has on his cannon.

TURN ORDER
Fancy Apostate: 14i
Zombie Soldiers: 10i
Heavy Zombie Gunner 2: 10i
Zombie Lynx: 9i
Hibiki: 7i

- Eff: Dis (Disarm gambit on Heavy Gunner Zombie 2, about 50/50 odds of success, 13d10) “If he doesn’t have his cannon, then he’s nothing more than a punching bag.”

- Eff: With (Double Attack Technique, 3m, 18d10) “The remaining Strike Force Zer0 Zombie is too risky to take out. My only chance now is to eliminate the rabble zombies before he finds his friend again.”

- Other

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Rolled 4, 9, 1, 10, 5, 4, 3, 6, 3, 2, 9, 3, 7 = 66 (13d10)

>>1145261
>- Eff: Dis (Disarm gambit on Heavy Gunner Zombie 2, about 50/50 odds of success, 13d10) “If he doesn’t have his cannon, then he’s nothing more than a punching bag.”

going with this as more importantly if we succeed he can't alert his friends with gun fire.

>>1145275
drat hope he rolls lower

>>1145261
>Eff: Dis (Disarm gambit on Heavy Gunner Zombie 2, about 50/50 odds of success, 13d10) “If he doesn’t have his cannon, then he’s nothing more than a punching bag.”

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It’ll only be a matter of time before that Heavy Gunner zombies finds his friend and the entire base will be up in arms. Taking this guy out is one of the highest priorities right now.

Sneaking back into the room your hid the first Heavy Gunner in, you quickly take another piece of debris and this time throw it as hard as you can towards a computer monitor on the desk, a loud crash being heard as the computer falls down to the ground on the floor.

The second zombie soldier seems to notice this, a dull hiss escaping from its throat as it shambles into the office room. As you stand next to the door opening you can see the creature exhaling, a dark mist escaping through the damaged flesh on its face as nearly half of the combat mask hangs from it.

As it shambles into the room towards the crashed monitor, you are quick to react by immediately making a strike towards his hand with your blade. His armour is thick, preventing you from cutting off his hand completely but still having enough force in the blow to scatter his weapon across the floor.

(Hibiki manages to disarm Heavy Zombie Gunner 2 successfully!)

The zombie reacts with a surprising swiftness, swinging its arm through the air in an attempt to catch you. As you leap back away from his assault, time seems to slow down as the weapon falls on the floor, a large sigh of relief escaping from your lips when it clatters to the floor without any misfirings.

As your cloaking field reactivates once more, the zombie groans in front of you as he turns to face you. Hiding isn’t going to be much use now that the heavy zombie knows you’re there. Though apart from the unexpected this should be pretty easy now.

TURN ORDER
Fancy Apostate: 14i
Zombie Soldiers: 10i
Heavy Zombie Gunner 2: 10i (Unarmed)
Zombie Lynx: 9i
Hibiki: 3i

- Pow: With (Double Attack Technique attempting to activate Steel Devil Strike, 8m 1WP, 18d10, increases anima by one level) “Attempt to go all out in annihilating this creature before it can start any sort of cute tricks.”

- Eff: With (Double Attack Technique, 3m, 18d10) “Conserve your resources for future battles, you still have the Apostate to fight after all.”

- Other

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>>1146763
>- Eff: With (Double Attack Technique, 3m, 18d10) “Conserve your resources for future battles, you still have the Apostate to fight after all.”

Lets try to save our strength for the apostate.

You still have the apostate to fight after this, so it's a wise idea to try and conserve whatever resources you have in preparation for the fight again.

The Zombie Soldier itself seems to react to your presence with just the right answer by reaching for a grenade on his chest. You don’t let have another second as you immediately rush towards him, stabbing your blade through his hand before the other gives a flourishing uppercut cutting the zombie into pieces on the floor.

(Hibiki Triple Attacks Heavy Gunner Zombie 2 dealing 12 levels of damage and killing it instantly!)

You exhale a small breath as you flick your blades clean once again. If that zombie had even one more second then things would’ve gone very poorly for you.

“No no NO NO!” A voice nearly screams from down inside the hospital. “This will not do! She’s deserving of far better than this! But dinner is so close... You two! Fix the table! I’m going to see what Gwendolyn wants for dinner today, and so help me if even a single LEAF is out of place I’m going tear apart each and every one of you as scrap for the others!”

Your eyes immediately go wide in fear. While hiding against zombies is easy enough going against an Apostate is another matter entirely. Not only that the body of the soldier is still against your feet and if anyone so much as even glanced inside of the room they’ll see the pieces all over the floor. As the apostate stomps down the hallway towards your location, you need to make up your mind fast.

TURN ORDER
Fancy Apostate: 14i
Hibiki: 13i (Charge: 1)
Zombie Soldiers: 10i
Zombie Lynx: 9i

- Pow: Slth (Spend up to +7m for +7 dice on stealth roll, 12d10) “Quickly move the body to the corner of the room then hide. The Apostate may be able to hear the shuffling of the body, but if it stands in the doorway then your cover may as well be blown anyways!”

- Eff: Slth (Normal Stealth roll, 16d10) “Even if the alarm is raised, you have enough upgrades in stealth to continue on as normal. Text Zanna a warning before moving to hide.”

- Other

(Status remains unchanged from >>1146763 )

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Rolled 10, 3, 5, 1, 3, 6, 6, 9, 5, 8, 4, 6, 2, 4, 10, 4 = 86 (16d10)

>>1147527
>- Eff: Slth (Normal Stealth roll, 16d10) “Even if the alarm is raised, you have enough upgrades in stealth to continue on as normal. Text Zanna a warning before moving to hide.”


Think this is as far as we can get on stealth alone. Even if we move the body he will see all the pieces left behind and their is a good change he will see us anyway.

Better we be prepared for our cover to get blown. Even alert they will still need to find us.

Btw Snag the bandoleer of grenades from the dead zombie

>>1147527
>Eff: Slth (Normal Stealth roll, 16d10) “Even if the alarm is raised, you have enough upgrades in stealth to continue on as normal. Text Zanna a warning before moving to hide.”

Rolled 10, 4, 4, 7, 9, 6, 8, 3, 9, 8, 5, 9, 6, 6, 5, 5 = 104 (16d10)

>>1147527
- Eff: Slth (Normal Stealth roll, 16d10) “Even if the alarm is raised, you have enough upgrades in stealth to continue on as normal. Text Zanna a warning before moving to hide.”

It doesn’t matter if the base is on high alert so long as you remain hidden. Hiding the body would generate too much noise, so your only chance now is to ride out the storm itself.

(“Zanna, base is about to go into high alert.”) you warn her as you take the few grenades the zombie has himself, panels opening up and storing them inside of your body for later use.

(“Why?”) she texts back almost immediately.

You can hear the fevered pace of the Apostate’s footprints directly behind you down the hall, quickly heading around a corner in order to remain out of sight. (“The Apostate is coming and I couldn’t hide a body in time. He’s going to see it and the last thing I want is to be caught by him.”)

(“Acknowledged.”) Zanna sends her brief text back almost instantly.

As soon as you say this, you hear the feet of the Apostate down the hall suddenly stop in his tracks, entering the side office room where the Heavy Gunner Zombies lay on the floor. A small scream of frustration can be heard which sounds intermingled with some sort of mechanical wail. The Apostate storms back out of the room, loud footprints stomping down the hallway. “We have an intruderWHY do we have one NOW of all times! You, head to Gwendolyn and apologize that our dinner will late due to unexpected guests. You head into the facility and inform the others inside of the facility, two thirds with me and the rest guarding Gwndolyn. Gather the Jiang Shi and start combing the area! If it's the military dogs then kill them on spot, if it's an Alchemical then I’ll wish to speak with them. They’d best have a good reason to why they ruined dinner tonight of all times.”

With a low growl the apostate turns back around, heading into the morgue area once again, a nearby ‘Lynx’ seeming to rush down the hall. As you get a good look at the ‘Lynx’ as they run by you notice that it barely has any mechanical bits and pieces at all, rather stitched up together of multiple corpses and long claws before it runs down the hallways itself towards the center atrium. Whatever these things are, they’re fast.

TURN ORDER
Fancy Apostate: 14i
Hibiki: 13i (Charge: 1)
Zombie Soldiers: 10i
Zombie Lynx: 9i

- This “Gwendolyn” figure sounds important if the Apostate is sending this many guards to her. Let’s investigate this.

- Send in Father Marcellius to talk to the Apostate. An apostate that wants to talk rather than gut you for parts is rare, and Father Marcellius is good at talking to people.

- Tell the others to standby as you trail behind the Apostate. You’ve still got the upper hand with your concealed presence, so you should start the battle on your own terms.

- Jiang Shi? Where have you heard that before... (Roll 5d10 to see if you learn any information regarding them)

- Other

Rolled 9, 1, 6, 10, 4, 6, 2, 5 = 43 (8d10)

>>1149661
>- Jiang Shi? Where have you heard that before... (Roll 5d10 to see if you learn any information regarding them)
If we can spend motes to add dice to that, add three as noted in my roll above.

>- Send in Father Marcellius to talk to the Apostate. An apostate that wants to talk rather than gut you for parts is rare, and Father Marcellius is good at talking to people.

>- This “Gwendolyn” figure sounds important if the Apostate is sending this many guards to her. Let’s investigate this.

[1/2]

Jiang Shi... You’ve heard of that name before. They’re a special type of zombie from An-Teng folklore, a spirit of revenge capable of not only great power but also capable of draining an enemy’s own lifeforce with their very claws. People like Marina or Alvin who rely largely on their armour could very well be torn to ribbons by this guy. Not only that Jiang Shi’s are no low class zombie in Tengese lore, often requiring elaborate or complex rituals. How did this gremlin figure out ever producing such a thing here on the mainland? He certainly didn’t sound Tengese either.

(“Father Marcellius, I have an idea that I need you to trust me on.”) you text him.

(“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”) Mochire texts.

(“I’m all hears Shinobi.”) Father Marcellius replies.

(“The apostate doesn’t want to kill us, but actually wants to talk to us.”) you reply.

(“lol, like hell we’re taking that.”) Mochire texts.

(“If there’s a chance to resolve this peacefully, I will go to see this apostate.”) Father Marcellius texts.

(“WTF, Father no.”) Mochire texts. (“If he’s an apostate then he’s so far gone that any shred of him being reasoned with is gone. You’re going to be walking into a trap.”)

(“I reached the same conclusion as Mochire, there is an 89.712 percent chance that the Apostate will attack you during the meeting.”) Zanna warns.

(“Nevertheless I must try. At the very least I could try and convince the Apostate to leave the souls of the dead alone.”) Father Marcellius texts back.

(“This is dumb, we’re pissing away a huge advantage just for the sake of being nice to an enemy that is going to kill us anyways.”) Mochire chides.

(“I believe I’ll be in good care so long as Hibiki is watching over me.”) Father Marcellius texts.

(“I dodged his gaze the first time, I think I can do so again. Zanna, the Apostate mentioned something about a ‘Gwendolyn’, to the point where he’s sending nearly a third of his forces to protect her. Find out what this Gwendolyn is.”) You text Zanna.

(“Roger.”) Zanna texts back.

(“I’m on my way now Hibiki, let’s hope everything goes as planned.”) Father Marcellius texts back one final time.

You can hear Father Marcellius approaching the hospital up front, loudly announcing his presence before escorts from within the building come and escort inside. As you look down the hallway, you can see Father Marcellius walking down the halls with two Jiang Shi and what you assume to be the ghosts that the others saw outside the hospital. Two blood red clouds completely made of shifting chains, a sorrowful face appearing from the mist along each and every link of the chain as it continues to glide down the room to escort Father Marcellius.

[2/3]

As you escort him down the hallways and to the morgue where the apostate is waiting, you can see that many dozens of more zombies, all armed with weaponry from pistols to submachine guns have now shambled directly in front of the morgue, a tide of flesh that only parts for the escort itself. This is going to be extremely tricky you figure, as all these zombies are going to a tide of flesh that’s going to be difficult to cleave through.

As you and Father Marcellius enter the morgue, you can see that the entire place is done up rather impressively despite the current state of the city. A single grand piano with only scuffs and scrapes sits in the corner with a trio of candles sitting on top of it. Elaborate cloth hangs from the walls nearby using candlelight to draw attention towards the curtains rather than the surgical tools hiding behind them. In the center sits a large table with an elaborate tea set in the middle of the room, cups made of the finest china while sitting on top of an elaborately decorated tablecloth.

The stark contrast to this sits on the other end of the table, the apostate dressed up in what appears to be a suit with a bloodied doctor’s robe as a twisted form of ‘coat’, tumors bulge out of various tears all over his misshapen body that seem to throb every few seconds or so. The apostate having what appears to be wispy strands of hair in various patches over his head while a single monocle rests over what appears to be half of a broken visor.

“Oh hello! I was hoping to invite those who have been snooping around my hospital, but it appears that I’ve caught a bigger fish! Someone who’s been snooping around my own territory far longer. But I apologize! Where are my manners?” The Gentleman Apostate says snapping his fingers, making a nearby zombie carefully pour tea in cups on both sides of the able as a chair is pulled out for Father Marcellius. “My name is Mortwright, the proud owner of this little circle of the apocalypse.”

[3/3]

TURN ORDER
Fancy Apostate: 14i
Hibiki: 13i (Charge: 1)
Father Marcellius: 13i
Zombie Soldiers: 10i (Size: 3)
Zombie Lynx x4: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 1: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 2: 8i

(NOTE: Since Hibiki is hiding in the room, you’ll be selecting Father Marcellius’s dialogue options)

- Graciously accept the tea, he might get more worked up if you refuse his offer.

- “I’m not terribly thristy right now, but thank you for the offer.” This tea could be poisoned.

And

- “Mortwright, something tells me that’s not your real name. I don’t recall any apostates from Subbasement 8 who had that name either.”

- “I apologize for my actions against your ‘employees’ earlier, the stigma against the undead is great and we do live in trying times. I hope you take no offense. May I inquire to what they were doing in the city?” (13d10 to try and explain why you attacked his underlings and why he was ordering them)

- “This... area you live in. Why does the air feel so strange here?”

- "Circle of the Apocalypse? You don't see yourself as being a harbinger of the end times do you?"

- Other

Rolled 10, 8, 6, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 1, 8, 4, 7, 5 = 66 (13d10)

>>1150401
>- Graciously accept the tea, he might get more worked up if you refuse his offer.

>- “This... area you live in. Why does the air feel so strange here?

>- “I apologize for my actions against your ‘employees’ earlier, the stigma against the undead is great and we do live in trying times. I hope you take no offense. May I inquire to what they were doing in the city?” (13d10 to try and explain why you attacked his underlings and why he was ordering them) +WP

>- Custom: “Mortwright, something tells me that’s not your given name. I don’t recall any apostates from Subbasement 8 who had that name either.”

“I thank you for the tea, by any chance do you have any cream?” Father Marcellius asks as he sits down at the table.

“Only sugar I’m afraid, fresh cream is hard to come by due to the military rationing.” Mortwright says in an apologetic tone of voice as he places his hands together.

“Sugar would be lovely then, thank you very much.” Father Marcellius says as the nearby servant zombie slowly puts two cubes of sugar into Father Marcellius’s tea. “I apologize for my actions against your ‘employees’ earlier, the stigma against the undead is great and we do live in trying times. I hope you take no offense.”

“Think nothing of it Mr...” Mortwright lets the word drag on for a bit.

“Father Marcellius Rodriguez.” Father Marcellius says picking up and gently stirring his tea with a spoon.

“Think nothing of it Father. Between the military, Alchemicals, and Apostates I’ve been losing a fair amount of my servants on various supply runs into the city at large.” Mortwright says as he picks up his own cup of tea. “We make due with what we have, even it may not be that much.”

You can see Father Marcellius getting visibility irritated in his face, but he seems to keep it under wraps for now, covering it up with a sip of the tea. “Your own name is unfamiliar to me. I don’t recall anyone in Subbasement 8 with such a name. I assume such a name isn’t your given name am I correct?”

“Only if by given you mean given to me by myself. I changed it shortly after leaving Subbasement 8, for personal reasons mainly.” Mortwright replies to Father Marcellius.

You notice Mortwright doesn’t say anything for several seconds after this, perhaps a hint of how he wanted to just drop the subject. “This... area of the city you live in. Why does the air feel so strange here?”

“Hm? Oh you must mean the Shadowland.” Mortwright clarifies afterwards.

“Shadowland?” Father Marcellius asks.

“An area of reality where the boundary between the living and the dead is at its weakest. Such a boundary has always existed, but it's only due to the horrors within the city as of late that the local boundary here was shattered. It is said when too many people enter the Underworld at once that a Shadowland can spawn, and this area was one of the more conflict rich areas just after the escape from Subbasement 8.” Mortwright explains. “After my studies, I believe that our event here is only one more symptom for the end times themselves.”

- “End times? What it's happening now may be horrible, but it shouldn’t be the end times themselves.”

- “We all have our own stories here Mortwright. Why did you change your name? What drove you to this path?” (Roll 13d10, may add up to +6 dice)

- *Send Father Marcellius a text about the Jiang Shi* “These zombies here, they’re Tengese based zombies. Meruvia wouldn’t let An-Teng near the Alchemical project so where did you learn to make such creatures?”

- Other

Rolled 9, 8, 7, 5, 8, 5, 8, 2, 2, 2, 4, 6, 8, 6, 5, 8, 7, 7, 9 = 116 (19d10)

>>1150669
>- “End times? What it's happening now may be horrible, but it shouldn’t be the end times themselves.”

>- “We all have our own stories here Mortwright. Why did you change your name? What drove you to this path?” (Roll 19d10, may add up to 6m for 6 dice)

>- *Send Father Marcellius a text about the Jiang Shi* “These zombies here, they’re Tengese based zombies. Meruvia wouldn’t let An-Teng near the Alchemical project so where did you learn to make such creatures?”

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>>1150669
>- “We all have our own stories here Mortwright. Why did you change your name? What drove you to this path?” (Roll 13d10, may add up to +6 dice)

Trying to get more info before asking more questions as we have no idea how he will react to other questions.

>>1150741
Actually, we can roll Insight to try to see how he'll react to certain things.

>>1150865

Yea rolling Insight would be an 8d10 roll for Hibiki, capable of adding +5 dice for 5m

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>>1150865

Hum can we do that? how many dice would that be?

Rolled 6, 6, 3, 9, 6, 3, 1, 9, 7, 5, 5, 1 = 61 (12d10)

>>1150878
Alright, lets do that to help guide things. 4 motes for +4 dice.

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Rolled 3, 4, 9, 7, 4, 1, 4, 3, 9, 8, 3, 8, 3 = 66 (13d10)

>>1150878

ok rolling insight

[1/2]

Father Marcellius takes a long sip from the teacup on the table before gently placing the cup on the table, looking towards Mortwright with a face of the utmost compassion and pity as arcs of electricity begin to arc from his armour. “We all have our own stories here Mortwright. Why did you change your name? What drove you to this path?”

Mortwright leans back in his chair, deep in thought as he pauses to answer that question. “Back in Subbasement 8 the only that kept me going from each day to the next was the thought of seeing my dear fiance Gwendolyn. The unthinkable hell and cruelty that followed each and every day, all because I wanted the money to purchase both a wedding ring for her and the money needed to pay for the wedding she deserved.”

Father Marcellius continues to look on at Mortwright, face full of sympathy as Mortwright continues his tale. “She lived in this area didn’t she, the same area where the most conflict happened directly after the escape?”

“That’s correct. I tried getting to her shortly after my escape from Subbasement 8, nearly all of my group dying in the process of getting here. It was after I got to her apartment building that I discovered most of the floors had been torn apart by Dragonblooded and Alchemical battles. Gwendolyn was severely wounded, to the point where even after getting her to the hospital I could do nothing to save her. After she died on the operating table, I can’t remember what I did next, but I can only remember being in a sea of dead bodies. Crying, in tears, cursing at the world for what it did to me.” Mortwright explains. “But see that’s... that’s when I encountered a new benefactor and reason for living.”

“Benefactor? On this island? Where they with the military?” you ask.

“Perish the thought! No, I don’t know who my benefactor was persay, in fact I don’t even know his face. From his lessons I learned that he was from the Underworld itself, a place Creation has largely forgotten over the millennia, a land where the dead and the living work together in perfect harmony. In order for my to survive in this wasteland, he taught me the secrets of Necromancy itself.” Mortwright explains.

“Necromancy? You mean the vile art the Sijanese practiced centuries ago before they were overthrown by the Guild?” Father Marcellius asks.

“The very same, only the secrets this man taught me were secrets so advanced the Sijanese rituals to control the dead may have well been parlor tricks.” Mortwright explained. “It was upon after learning Necromancy I changed my name. He also warned that soon the barriers that keep the Underworld and Creation apart are weakening, and that soon the dead would walk the earth. I’ve been given the holy purpose to help... transition people for when the two worlds merge.”

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[2/2]

(“He’s leaving something out of this.”) You text to Father Marcellius.

(“I agree. You don’t just make a deal for something as major as necromancy and have it be one sided. Whoever taught him necromancy certainly wanted something in return.”) Father Marcellius replies.

(“Hibiki, I have located Gwendolyn. She appears to be some sort of patchwork human who responds to no external stimuli in her environment.”) Zanna texts back.

“You see Father, I am going to be the herald of a new world. A world where people don’t need need to die if they don’t want to. A world where a father no longer has to live in agony for the rest of his life when his son passes away. A brave, new world where even death itself has been conquered!” Mortwright boldly says, his voice filled with conviction.

(Insight roll shows that Mortwright cares about Gwendolyn very deeply. Asking him to foresake her would likely

- “The two worlds merging? Such an event would be biblical in scale. There’s no way the people wouldn’t know about such a thing or the government capable of covering such a thing up.”

- “Mortwright, your intentions are good, but Gwendolyn is dead. Her soul moved on and not even necromancy is capable of bringing her back.” (13d10, may add up to +6 dice, WARNING, very high likelihood of Mortwright resisting and lashing out at you)

- “Tell me more about this benefactor, do they oppose the government like we do?” (13d10, may add up to +6 dice. Cannot be combined with the above)

- “Even if the fights were fierce in this area there should still be some left over, what happened to those people?”

- Other

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>>1150950

“Tell me more about this benefactor, do they oppose the government like we do?” (13d10, may add up to +6 dice. Cannot be combined with the above)

adding 4 dice

“Even if the fights were fierce in this area there should still be some left over, what happened to those people?”

Currently trying to keep the conversation going to get more info and possibly to start building a case

What do we know of the afterlife and the undead? if we are going to try to talk this guy down we need to get him to come to the conclusion that what he is doing is wrong rather than us telling him. If we just force this he will no longer listen to us. Trying to talk down the apostate is far more effort and highly risky but it is something Father Marcellius would try i think.

Rolled 3, 8, 7, 7, 9, 3, 10, 10, 8, 3, 3, 10, 8, 10, 8, 7, 10 = 124 (17d10)

>>1151071

Forgot dice

>>1150950
Supporting >>1151071

Suggesting several ideas below:
>- "Have you been able to find Gwendolyn's soul?"
>- "I also noticed that your employees don't seem to be that talkative. They can at least speak to you and have free will?"

>>1151071

>What do we know of the afterlife and the undead?

Only what's commonly known in the setting. Like IRL there are many theories of what happens when one dies. The religion Father Marcellius believes in, has a heaven and hell afterlife, but most religions in Creation have the "Underworld" as a form of purgatory. Most people know of the Underworld as a concept, but react to it with the same attitude as one would of Oz in real life.

>>1151107

Ah

[1/2]

“What else can you tell about this benefactor?” Father Marcellius asks as vents open up on his body, golden exhaust spewing out into the room as the conversation continues. “Do they oppose the government like we do?”

“Father, I want you to imagine a scenario. If the military beat us but let us live, then forced us to remain on Versino in a far more degraded state than what exists currently and do so for thousands of years.” Mortwright says moving his hand through the air as if painting a picture. “Can you imagine what this could do a person?”

“Such a thing would test the character of any man.” Father Marcellius says as he folds his own hands.

“You do not need to think then, because this situation is the exact same thing that happened to such people. The ones who were sentenced to the Underworld; banished before even history began to be recorded by the then rulers of the world. Cleaning up the mess people have been leaving behind for thousands of years and never allowed to speak out against them. Can you imagine the resentment, the ire of such people expected to live for thousands of years in an environment which wanted to kill them at every waking moment.” Mortwright asks before pointing his gloved hand at Father Marcellius. “It sounds familiar because we’re currently experiencing the same hell as they did, so in a sense my benefactor only saw a kindred spirit he wanted to help.”

“Why didn’t they decide to help all of Alchemicals then?” Father Marcellius asks.

“I asked the same question, with him replying something about ‘we can’t risk them knowing’. Likely he means the people who are also organizing the effort to manufacture the Alchemicals and this event to try and kill us all for being failed experiments. As much as I hate to admit it, they’re winning. More and more of our brothers and sisters are falling every day. No matter what losses the military has for this operation, they’ll consider it a victory if we never leave this island.” Mortwright explains.

“You seem to be an intelligent man, so I assume you found a way around the tracking program?” Father Marcellius asks.

Mortwright claps his hands merrily before pulling them apart. “Exactly my old boy! You see this ‘shadowland’ you’re a part of right now? The military can’t track us here. Any drone they send in crashes to the earth, communications become jammed, and their equipment is liable to become possessed but the innumerable restless spirits that exist within these lands. If wish to escape Versino, then all we need to do is simply expand the Shadowland to any area we wish to go towards.”

Father Marcellius seems to think intensely for a few moments before a large frown spreads across his face, coming to the conclusion of a horrible epiphany. “Earlier you said that Shadowlands could only be spread by death, does that mean you’ve been killing the people here to fuel that growth?”

[2/2]

Father Marcellius hangs his own head. “Then all of those people from the church who said their loved ones were missing in this area...”

“Reborn with a new sense of purpose in life once more!” Mortwright boasts loudly, arms being thrown open wide like that of a religious figure. “They’re the first to enter a new era for mankind, the trailblazers that shall serve as an example for all of those yet to come!”

TURN ORDER
Mortwright: 14i
Hibiki: 13i (Charge: 1)
Father Marcellius: 13i
Zombie Soldiers: 10i (Size: 3)
Zombie Lynx x4: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 1: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 2: 8i

- “Mortwright, I do not feel hatred for you. Only the most pity I’ve ever felt for a person to stray so far off the path of morality that you’ve become completely and utterly blind to other alternatives. I can only feel shame for you not to live up the potential you were capable of.”

- “Did these people go willingly Mortwright? Judging by the stitchings on these corpses around us and the agonizing faces in those bloody clouds behind us, I don’t think you asked for their consent.”

- “A new era? Mortwright you’re not creating new people, but abominations of man. Gwendolyn may be intact in body but the mind is gone, Gwendolyn has moved on because she was happy that she could spend her last moments in the arms of the man she loved the most. You’re honouring her memory or anyone else’s memory Mortwright, you’re defacing it.”

- Other

>>1151235
>- “Mortwright, I do not feel hatred for you. Only the most pity I’ve ever felt for a person to stray so far off the path of morality that you’ve become completely and utterly blind to other alternatives. I can only feel shame for you not to live up the potential you were capable of.”

>>1151235
>- “Did these people go willingly Mortwright? Judging by the stitchings on these corpses around us and the agonizing faces in those bloody clouds behind us, I don’t think you asked for their consent.”

>- Custom: "What would Gwendolyn think of taking people against their will? You're a calm man with a rich education and a sharp mind. Science cannot work via war, only through peace, cooperation, and constant testing. This isn't what she would want you to accomplish."

Can we also roll insight to try to help here? I think I phrased it right, but just in case, if there's something viable here that can be done with it, I'd like to do so.

>>1151235
Goodnight, btw.

>>1151332

You can roll insight if you wish, 8d10 with adding up to 5 dice for 5m, but another question would be do you want to try and talk him down? Mortwright is an Apostate through and through. You may be able to convince him of some things, but apostates in the end will see humanity as nothing but expendable and generally try to kill them. Also the irreversible mental insanity that goes with it.

Think of Gremlinism like AIDS that also makes you go insane. You can possibly treat it, but even with all the tools Alchemicals had and all the knowledge Subbasement 8 had, they couldn't find a cure for it.

>>1151371
Good point. I suppose we should get ready to attack, if a surprise round is possible at this point.

Rolled 8, 9, 2, 4, 6, 2, 5, 6 = 42 (8d10)

>>1151235
Alright, so, based on >>1151371 lets use insight with no booster and change my vote >>1151332 to
>- “Did these people go willingly Mortwright? Judging by the stitchings on these corpses around us and the agonizing faces in those bloody clouds behind us, I don’t think you asked for their consent.”

>- “Mortwright, I do not feel hatred for you. Only the most pity I’ve ever felt for a person to stray so far off the path of morality that you’ve become completely and utterly blind to other alternatives. I can only feel shame for you not to live up the potential you were capable of.”

>>1152724

Noted!

Let's see if we can do a few posts for this evening then. Apologies if its a bit slower on the weekend, but I'll still try my best!

[1/2]

“Did these people go willingly Mortwright? Judging by the stitchings on these corpses around us and the agonizing faces in those bloody clouds behind us, I don’t think you asked for their consent.” Father Marcellius says to Mortwright as his hands slowly curl up into balled fists.

“Unfortunate growing pains from the infancy of my goal! Names which will be remembered for all of time as the noble who sacrificed themselves for the greater good!” Mortwright’s own voice booms out with self assurance. “I admit their loss is sad Father, but their sacrifices were not in vain, that I assure you of.”

Father Marcellius own anger seems to boil hotter and hotter, his fists literally shaking in rage before finally relaxing into open palms once again. “Mortwright, I do not feel hatred for you. Only the most pity I’ve ever felt for a person to stray so far off the path of morality that you’ve become completely and utterly blind to any other alternatives. I can only feel shame for you not to live up the potential you were capable of.”

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

“So this means you condone the torture of our kind to those monsters that existed in Subbasement 8?” Mortwright asks Father Marcellius, his eye narrowing.

“I never implied such a thing, but two wrongs don’t make a right. Our powers should be used to guide people into a new world, not one where they’re dragged kicking and screaming.” Father Marcellius replies.

“I see.” Mortwright says calmly picking up his glass of tea. “You won’t ascribe to my idea and I won’t ascribe to yours. I believe this is what they call an impasse.”

“That would be correct.” Father Marcellius replies picking up the teacup.

“You realize in that case that only one of us will be leaving this building alive in that case, correct?” Mortwright asks.

“That’s correct.” Father Marcellius replies, his face unflinching as he calmly announces his resolve.

“Very well, but let us enjoy this tea first. Always a shame to let good tea go to waste.” Mortwright says as he calmly brings the cup to his swollen lips.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Father Marcellius replies bringing the teacup to his own lips as well.

Despite how calmly both of the bitter enemies are drinking tea directly across from one another, all of the monsters in the room have their eyes on edge they all have their focus training on them both, waiting as if for the slightest hostile twitch from either one of them before the entire room erupts into chaos.

[2/2]


Your own hand taps silently on the edge of your blade, your own heart beating so loudly as your mind spins with too many variables to keep a clear head. Does Mortwright have some sort of trick up his sleeve? What’s his fighting style like? How are you going to deal with his own minions?

TURN ORDER
Mortwright: 14i
Hibiki: 13i (Charge: 1)
Father Marcellius: 13i
Zombie Soldiers: 10i (Size: 3)
Zombie Lynx x4: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 1: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 2: 8i

- Pow: Des (Shining Starfall Execution, 6m, 15d10) “Attempt to finish this before it even starts! Jam your blade directly through Mortwright’s power core and destroy him immediately!”

- Pow: Des (Single Point Form, Void Slicing Wind, Double Attack Technique, 19m 1WP, 15d10) “Let Father Marcellius deal with Mortwright! Line yourself up and see just how many of these creatures you can take out in a single attack! Sure Kill: Thousand Strike Unsheathed!”

- Eff: With (Double Attack Technique, 3m, 18d10) “Attempt to make his footing loose as soon as the battle starts so Father Marcellius will find it all the more easier to get an attack off on Mortwright!”

- Other

(Status remains unchanged from >>1150950 )

>>1154250
>- Custom: Pow: Des (Single Point Form, Blinding Nova Flash, Shining Starfall Execution, Liquid Steel Flow, 7m for 7 dice, 28m, 19d10)

Rolled 2, 1, 5, 4, 9, 3, 9, 9, 2, 8, 1, 1, 2, 2, 8, 2, 10, 3, 1 = 82 (19d10)

>>1154753

Rolled 8, 3, 6, 2, 8, 9, 10, 9, 8, 1, 6, 4, 9, 8, 6 = 97 (15d10)

>>1154758
So, I think that's the gambit, but I'm not sure. I can roll 15 dice if not.

[1/2]

You decide to make it clear that you’re ending the entire battle right here and now. Your invisible form seems to crackle with energy as you assume your own stance for combat. You can see that Mortwright manages you see you out of the corner of his eye as you dash towards him, but he’s not able to move away in time before you slam your blade through the chair and out the exact center of his chest.

“You can apologize to those you have wronged in the Underworld.” you say coldly as your form shimmers back to full view once again, exhaust ports opening up on your armour to vent clouds of silver dust.

Mortwright’s own eyes go wide for a second before slowly going limp in in chair. You can feel your blade twitch in your hand, and it doesn’t take a millisecond for you to leap away from Mortwright, with Mortwright flipping over the table and reaching out to punch Father Marcellius through the table with an immediate growing cancerous growth of hewered bone coming out from Mortwright’s own hands. The blade doesn’t even seem to slow him down from attacking Father Marcellius who skids to a stop a few meters away.

(Hibiki attacks Mortwright dealing 11 lethal damage! Mortwright attacks Father Marcellius and deals 3 withering damage!)

“You won’t kill me that easily little moonsilver.” Mortwright casually says as he pulls your Fujinsen blade from out of his chest as casually as one would removing a bandaid.

“Hibiki I thought you hit his core!” Father Marcellius asks.

“It was a direct hit through his core! No Alchemical should’ve been able to survive that!” you protest as you take out your dual katana’s next, preparing for the long battle that now awaits you.

“Go on my creations! Kill those who stand between us and our dream!” Mortwright points out to his creations, causing all hell to immediately break lose in the room.

“Hibiki, stay next to me!” Father Marcellius proclaims as the tide of rotten flesh slams into you. Two Jiang Shi’’s immediately seem to head for Father Marcellius while one heads for you. The twin blood clouds seem to reach back with their chains before whipping them directly towards both you and Father Marcellius all while the incoming zombie horde that was standing in front of the morgue begins to shamble in, assault rifles blazing as a tide of lead washes both over you and Father Marcellius.

Father Marcellius begins to move with a speed you’ve never seen him move at before, deflecting bullets away from both himself and you as he takes the majority of the onslaught. The rare attack that does bypass his defense is easily deflected by yourself as you use both of your blades to block the incoming attacks.

(Father Marcellius used Defend Other on Hibiki! 1 Jiang Shi, two Blood Chain Clouds, and Zombie Horde all attack Hibiki and miss with Father Marcellius’s help!)

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[2/2]

Which is good as you distracted with how Mortwright managed to survive that hit. Stabbing an Alchemical through his reactor core is akin to stabbing someone through the heart, something literally no one can survive yet Mortwright didn’t even seem phased by such a thing. As you deflect the claws of the first Jiang Shi you immediately notice something, that one of the Jiang Shi’s appears to be dead the moment the battle started. You leave your defenses to your automated footwork for a few precious seconds before finally coming to a realization: Mortwright shunted all of the damage he took and transferred it over to the Jiang Shi. Meaning so long as these ghosts are here there might be no way to actually damage Mortwright!

TURN ORDER
Mortwright: 18i
Father Marcellius: 9i
Zombie Soldiers: 10i (Size: 3)
Zombie Lynx x3: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 1: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 2: 8i
Hibiki’s Sword: 3i
Hibiki: 3i (Charge: 1)

- Pow: Chk (Attempt to learn about the spell yourself, 5d10, may add up to +3 dice for 3m) “There has to be some flaw in this spell!”

- Eff: Call (Contact Mochire) “Mochire I don’t know where you are but IT WOULD BE REALLY NICE TO HAVE SORCEROUS SUPPORT AND TELL US WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW!”

- Eff: Call (Contact Zanna) “Zanna start attacking the forces outside Gwendolyn’s room! Let’s see if Mortwright will leave this battle behind!” or call her towards you.

- Pow: With (Switch to Dual Slaying Stance, Double Attack Technique 3m, 18d10) “Father go handle Mortwright! I will handle these Jiang Shi for you!”

- Eff: With (Double Attack Technique, 3m, 18d10) “With all the souls in these blood clouds I don’t want to give them the chance to do anything with them!”

- Other

Rolled 3, 4, 4, 8, 7, 7, 4, 4 = 41 (8d10)

>>1155057
>- Pow: Chk (Attempt to learn about the spell yourself, 3 dice for 3m, 8d10) “There has to be some flaw in this spell!”

>>1155057

Question arn't the Jiang Shi really good very high soke chars? if so maybe we should handle the Jiang Shi

>>1155738
I mean, there is another thing here. It could be that Mortwrieght is easier to kill than some of these minions, so we could focus him to kill them more efficiently.

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>>1155753

Thinking he is shunting damage like a warlock similar to the table top game hordes. I wonder if it has limited range.

>>1155658

Single Point form still allows you to make another attack action, do you wish to do that?

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>>1156059
>“Father go handle Mortwright! I will handle these Jiang Shi for you! Be careful he is somehow shunting damage to his minions somehow.

Sure how many dice do we roll?

>>1156302

18d10 for the attack roll

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>>1156370

>>1156413

dice did not roll last time

Rolled 2, 10, 5, 5, 3, 6, 7, 6, 8, 1, 7, 8, 8, 10, 2, 2, 5, 3 = 98 (18d10)

>>1156413

Garr third try

Rolled 5, 3, 7, 3, 5, 9, 4, 4, 4, 10, 5, 6, 10, 10, 10, 1, 9, 5 = 110 (18d10)

>>1156059
Yeah, lets attack one of the Blood Clouds.

[1/2]

“Father! He’s transferring any of the wounds he takes to his minions in this room!” you point out to Father Marcellius as you’re all slowly surrounded.

“Well that just makes things more complicated now doesn’t it...” Father Marcellius mutters as he maintains his own stance.

Mortwright seems to chuckle behind his tide of flesh. “It was foolish to even try and oppose me. My victory is all but assured on this island.”

Mortwright then claps his hands together, streams of sickly black electricity arcing in between his fingers as a foreign tongue begins to chant from his lips.

“He’s chanting a spell!” Father Marcellius immediately warns before attempt to split off you.

You immediately split off from Father Marcellius as well, most of the enemies seeming to go after him but a few tend to remain on you. Your immediate rush triggers a response from one of the nearby Jiang Shi, his own claws raking his own claws against your armour. It feels as if your very vitality is sharply drained from your body as the slides slide against your armour. This comes at the worst possible moment as the hordes of gunfire coming from the zombies down the hall impact against the side of your armour, the tide of lead also bouncing off your suit before warnings of power draining come up on your visor, your own suit unable to take much more punishment before the hailstorm of lead begins to punch through your body rather than bounce harmlessly off of it.

(Jiang Shi attacks Hibiki for 1 point of initiative damage! Hibiki’s soak is reduced by 1! Zombie Soldiers attack Hibiki and deal 2 points of initiative damage, crashing her!)

The pain that ripped through your body back at the John Doe ambush is still fresh in your mind, desperation partially setting is as never want to feel such a thing ever again. You quickly rush the nearby mass of bloody chains, throwing everything you’ve got into your offensive strikes as attack the bloody mass of chains in a whirling dervish. The screams and moans being emitted from the mass indicating that at least this creature is taking damage. As your vicious offense carries you around the blood pillar and away from the constant barrage of fire your suit seems to slowly regain power once again.

(Hibiki triple attacks the Blood Chain Cloud dealing 15 points of damage!)

The Blood Chain Clouds both give off a loud droning moan of agony, blood soaked chains landing on the ground with a crinkle and a wet splat. As they stand on the ground creatures rapidly begin to grow out of them, creature appearing as little more than lumps of gore, teeth, and claws. The souls that empower these creatures being turned into unholy blasphemies literally chained to the twisted service of these blood chains.

(Gorebeasts have joined the fray!)

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[2/2]

You can only recoil at the sheer disgusting sight of such creatures, as literally any other sane mind would upon seeing such a thing. Your mind tries to go into overtime, attempting to puzzle out any weakness to Mortwright’s own sorcerous powers, but nearly all the processing power your mind has is consumed at trying to figure out how such abominations exist.

TURN ORDER
Mortwright: 18i
Father Marcellius: 9i
Zombie Soldiers: 10i (Size: 3)
Jiang Shi x3: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 1: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 2: 8i
Gorebeasts: 7i (Size: 2)
Hibiki: 7i (Charge: 3)
Hibiki’s Sword: 3i

- Eff: Msg (Message for assistance) “Morchire! Zanna! The situation is getting out of hand! We need support right now!”

- Eff:With (Normal attack on the Blood Chain Cloud, 0m, 18d10) “I’m no occult expert, but that sounded like a scream of pain. It must be weakened, so I’ll finish it off before it’s minions can do anything to me!”

- Eff: With (Double Attack Technique, Kaarashi, 4m, 18d10) “The more these Jiang Shi hit me the weaker I’ll become. I need to deal with them before I’m defenseless!”

- Pow: Any (Switch into Dual-Slaying Stance, 1WP) “Fool! Do you think numbers alone will best me!?” (This option can be used with any of the above options)

- Other

(One post for the night, we'll continue properly tomorrow at the usual time after my job)

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>>1158842
>- Pow: Any (Switch into Dual-Slaying Stance, 1WP) “Fool! Do you think numbers alone will best me!?” (This option can be used with any of the above options)

- Eff: With (Double Attack Technique, Kaarashi, 4m, 18d10) “The more these Jiang Shi hit me the weaker I’ll become. I need to deal with them before I’m defenseless!”

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>>1160956

dice did not roll

Rolled 3, 1, 10, 9, 2, 7, 8, 9, 2, 3, 9, 9, 3, 7, 3, 1, 7, 3 = 96 (18d10)

>>1160980

[1/2]

If this battle is going to be long and drawn out then these Jiang Shi need to go first. You had a close call back there already and you can’t afford for any more persistent holes in your defense walking around the area.

“I’ve enjoyed our talk Father, but now its time for these games to come to an end! GOODBYE!” Mortwright roars as the black lightning in his hands finished forming up into a ball, crushing it into his fist before slamming it into the ground. Pillars of thick pure white bone seem erupt from the ground itself, roaring out from the ground like a twisted shockwave of power, the pillars of bone seeming to ignore the servants of the dead.

You quickly slam your own blades into the ground in response, the pillar of bone meant for you splitting in two between you. Father Marcellius however takes a bigger hit, a piece of bone breaking through his armoured leg as he attempts futility dodge it.

The tides of the undead also don’t let up on you either. The Zombie soldiers continuing their unceasing fire from afar, their own shots seeming to hit the Gorebeasts themselves who then seem to pay no heed to any losses that come from their own allies, howling before bringing down their overmuscled arms against you again and again, fed by the unearthly moans coming from each of the writhing mass of bloody chains.

Your swipes from your blade parry clumsy assault coming from each of the hellbeasts, but the torrent of bullets coming from the zombie soldiers in the back cannot be ignored. Ripping their own allies in order to attack both you and Father Marcellius, large amounts of energy diverted to your armour so the bullets turn into fragments of metal and bone.

(Gorebeast group attacks Hibiki and misses! Zombie Soldiers attack Hibiki dealing 3 initiative damage!)

The Jiang Shi that was on your tail from earlier attempts to sneak up behind you while you are distracted from the Gorebeasts, the sharp claws slicing clean through a tapestry before you respond by using the momentum of a Gorebeast strike to go into a spin, changing your footwork and instant in the span of a heartbeat before unleashing a devastating counterattack on the Jiang Shi, it's bloody chunks being carried by its own momentum past you and onto the floor.

(Jiang Shi attacks Hibiki and misses! Hibiki double attacks the Jiang Shi and deals 12 damage, destroying it!)

“Fools! Do you think numbers alone will beat me!?” you roar out as you assume the stance of the iron sentinel.

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[2/2]

Father Marcellius appears to be doing a bit worse for wear as the battle continues to drag on, the Jiang Shi around him being horribly relentless as their claws tear into his golden power armour, held down by the bone spike in the ground. With a mighty roar of pain coming from his mouth he snaps off the bone piece embedded in his leg, his own kiai distracting a nearby Jiang Shi before his claws rake across its chest in a mighty swipe. Rotting disease organs pour out from the Jiang Shi as it seems to try to hold its disgusting matter inside before using his own strike to meet Father Marcellius’s in kind.

(“Hibiki, you’re uh... getting some company.”) Mochire says on your intercom.

“What!?” you immediately hiss out.

(“That was my reaction. It appears to be some sort of biker dude in a black bodysuit.”) Mochire replies.

(“There are also more reinforcements headed your way now, some of the forces guarding Gwendolyn’s room are heading towards your location with all due haste.”) Zanna adds.

Great. That’s the last thing you need right now.

TURN ORDER
Mortwright: 18i
Father Marcellius: 10i
Hibiki: 10i (Charge: 6)
Zombie Soldiers: 10i (Size: 3)
Jiang Shi x2: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 1: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 2: 8i
Gorebeasts: 7i (Size: 2)

- Eff: With (Normal Attack, 0m, 18d10) “The mass of Bloody Chains seems to be increasing the ferocity of these zombies, time to finish off the one you have on the ropes!”

- Eff: With (Double Attack Technique, 3m, 18d10) “These damn Gorebeasts are nothing but meatshields! Get rid of these damn things now!”

- Eff: Dis (Move towards Jiang Shi, 0m 2i, 16d10) “Father Marcellius is on the ropes, I need to provide support by taking those Jiang Shi off of his back before he’s torn to pieces!”

- Other

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>>1161143
>- Eff: Dis (Move towards Jiang Shi, 0m 2i, 16d10) “Father Marcellius is on the ropes, I need to provide support by taking those Jiang Shi off of his back before he’s torn to pieces!”


Mochire and Zanna; any idea who's side this biker is on? me and father are barely holding out. we can use some assistance. the apostate is shunting his damage to his minions somehow.

>>1161176

Rolled 7, 8, 6, 5, 10, 1, 5, 6, 4, 9, 5, 7, 8, 9, 8, 7 = 105 (16d10)

>>1161193

>>1161143
>- "Zanna, distraction, don't destroy the cadavar but destroy its guards in a moment, except for one. Get them as they're leaving, then grab that thing and keep the doctor in the area."

[1/3]

Mortwright gives a merry laugh as he sees Father Marcellius disembowel his own minion. “You’re still moving like that even after the damage to your leg!? Quite impressive Father! I guess we’ll just have to settle things the old fashioned way!”

A sort of reverse afterimage trails from Mortwright to Father Marcellius, as if deliberately calling out his attack ahead of time and daring his opponent to block it. A single heartbeat later Mortwright appears in front of Father Marcellius, the boney growths on his hand roaring to life as they spin around like giant drill that crackles with electricity. Father Marcellius attempts to dodge, but the flinch of pain that comes from his leg causes the attack to just graze his own armour in a shower of sparks.

This can’t be allowed to continue, you need to provide aid to Father Marcellius while you still can. You crouch down low in your stance, vents blasting out silver exhaust en mass as the Gorebeasts attempt to dogpile you. In a snap burst of speed you react, slicing to pieces with an X-Scissor slash before rushing over to Father Marcellius’s own side.

(Gorebeasts attack Hibiki and miss! Hibiki counterattacks for 2 damage!)

“Who’s side is this guy on? Father Marcellius and I are barely holding on right now and we REALLY don’t want anyone complicating matters further!” you reply back to Mochire.

“I don’t know, I only heard his motorcycle roaring down the hall after my trip to the kitchen.” Mochire replies.

“THE KITCHEN!? WHY ARE YOU IN THE KITCHEN!?” you immediately scream at Mochire in anger.

“You’ll see~.” he merrily replies on the other end.

(“MOCHIRE YOU IDIOT!”) you roar out in your native tongue as a hailstorm of bullets immediately start to wash over you from both the Zombie Soldiers, the Gorebeasts giving out beastial roars as they descend upon both you and Father Marcellius.

A maelstrom of jade, fire, and wind surround you as you return the favor Father Marcellius paid to you earlier, deflecting the hailstorm of bullets from the zombie soldiers and forcing the Gorebeasts to hold their ground with the pillar of flame in front of them. Unfortunately the Jiang Shi pay little to no attention to you, continuing to go straight for Father Marcellius. The injured Jiang Shi attempts to use his single hand to swing at Father Marcellius’s head, forcing him to pull back into a perfectly timed swing from the clawed zombie behind him. The claws seem to rake against his armour with a thin trickle of blood coming out. Father Marcellius pays no heed to his, grabbing the injured Jiang Shi by the neck before crushing its neck and throat in his metallic hand, the Jiang Shi collapsing to the floor like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

[2/3]

“Seems like your minions are falling one by one! Pretty soon there won’t be anything stopping me from having your head!” you roar out to Mortwright as you lash out at a nearby Gorebeast.

“On the contrary, this is only the beginning!” Mortwright laughs as he points his bone covered fist towards one of the swirling masses of clouds, a chain seeming to rip out and impale the corpse of the Jiang Shi Father Marcellius had just killed. The corpse shambling back to life, a rasping voice emanating from its mouth as a new soul is forced inside of it.

Your eyes can only go wide in terror upon seeing this. Having abilities as equally as horrific as their appearance, there’s almost no way you’ll be able to thin the numbers significantly if these monsters are able to bring the dead back to life!

The powerful roar of a nearby motor seems to burn through the hallways itself, the revving of a powerful engine being heard as a single black racing motorcycle emerging from the darkness behind the gunner zombies themselves. The rider being nothing more than a masculine figure wearing a full body black leather body suit while wearing a pitch black helmet that shines with the flashes of muzzle fire in the room.

The figure on the motorcycle seems to land gracefully on top of a nearby Gorebeast, the sudden revving of the motorcycle tearing apart the Gorebeast’s head in an eruption of gore before spinning around on the ground, sending several more Gorebeasts flying through the air in order to make room for himself. Combat itself comes to a dead halt, even the mindless zombies now looking towards the newly arrived figure as if waiting to see what to do next.

“M-Master! What a surprise! You’re just in time to see me deal with these unruly guests who dare oppose our world vision!” Mortwright says estatically.

The Black Biker remains silent for a moment, calmly looking around the area before holding his hand out in the air, forming what appears to be a black and silver naginata out tendrils of darkness that swirl about in the air. “Don’t put words in my mouth Mortwright.” The Black Biker says in a hoarse but otherwise husky voice.

“W-Wa!?” Mortwright gasps in shock. “T-Then what are you here to do!?”

“My job.” The Black Biker replies as he leans down into his motorbike, one hand on the handlebars and the other on his weapon. Silver wisps slowly seem to form above his head, appearing as lost souls of the dead as they slowly float above him.

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[3/3]

TURN ORDER
Mortwright: 26i
Black Biker: 12i
Zombie Soldiers: 10i (Size: 3)
Jiang Shi x2: 9i
Blood Chain Cloud 1: 9i
Hibiki: 8i (Charge: 6)
Blood Chain Cloud 2: 8i
Gorebeasts: 7i (Size: 2)
Father Marcellius: 5i

- Pow:With (Double Attack Technique, 3m, 18d10) “The best defense is a good offense! These Jiang Shi won’t be of any use if I cut them into pieces!”

- Eff:Odr (Contact Zanna) “Don't destroy Gwendolyn but destroy the guards around her in a moment, except for one. Get them as they're leaving, and if we have Gwendolyn then Mortwright should listen to whatever we say.”

- Eff:Def (Defend Other on Father Marcellius, no roll needed) “Father Marcellius desperately needs a breather, give him one by redoubling your efforts to defend him!”

- Other

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>>1161302
>- Eff:Def (Defend Other on Father Marcellius, no roll needed) “Father Marcellius desperately needs a breather, give him one by redoubling your efforts to defend him!”

Can we also message Zanna as well? “Don't destroy Gwendolyn but destroy the guards around her in a moment, except for one. Get them as they're leaving, and if we have Gwendolyn then Mortwright should listen to whatever we say.”

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>>1161321

Oh should add. "This looks like it became far more complicated." asking the black rider "So may i ask what is your job and what the hell is going on?"

>>1161302
>- Eff:Odr (Contact Zanna) “Don't destroy Gwendolyn but destroy the guards around her in a moment, except for one. Get them as they're leaving, and if we have Gwendolyn then Mortwright should listen to whatever we say.”

>- Eff:Def (Defend Other on Father Marcellius, no roll needed) “Father Marcellius desperately needs a breather, give him one by redoubling your efforts to defend him!”

[1/2]

“W-What!? Master what on earth do you mean!?” Mortwright stammers in pure shock unable to comprehend what her just heard.

“I warned against using those powers I gave you recklessly. The dangers they can bring to the living. You didn’t heed my warnings, so I’m here to clean up after the mess.” The Black Biker says before giving a solid rev of his motorcycle, his visor reflecting Mortwright’s own horrified expression.

As if responding to the threat, the bloody pillars begin to howl in fury at the new interloper, the Gorebeasts seeming to break off from dealing with you towards the Black Biker. Even the Jiang Shi’s that were attacking Father Marcellius immediately lose interest in him and divert it towards the Black Biker himself.

The Black Biker doesn’t flinch at the incoming reinforcements, instead kicking his bike up to an explosive burst of speed as he charges directly towards the undead horde. The ghostly wisps floating around his head immediately bolt towards his weapon, the blade of the naginata glowing a brilliant white before the Black Bike makes a quick donut with his motorbike, screech of rubber can be seen as a single metallic flash can be heard echoing inside of the air. A second later the undead rushing towards him simply fall to pieces on the ground nearly the entirety of the room cleaned out in what seemed like a literal instant.

(“W-What the!?”) you gasp in shock as you see the attack in action. You never thought you’d see that material art in action, the one made for soldiers to take on armies thousands strong without taking a single scratch before crushing their commander in a single stroke.

Mortwright’s own face goes wide with fear and panic, the elites of his army mowed down in literally an instant by his ex-master. “Why!? Why are you doing this!? Are you planning on killing me too!?”

“I will do no such thing.” The Black Biker says as he swings his naginata, the blood from its blade splattering on the ground before using it point towards Father Marcellius. “He’ll be the one to do so.”

Father Marcellius’s own eyes go wide in confusion for a second before turning back towards Mortwright, the grotesque tumors on his body pulsing more and more with each passing second. Mortwright finally roars in rage, veins bulging from his body before finally dissolving to make room for the purple vents that open up on his body. The air making a sonic crack as Mortwright moves in to attack Father Marcellius in a desperate final struggle.

The very second that Mortwright’s own attack makes contact with Father Marcellius’s own body, you can see the shrapnel of bone fly off from Mortwright’s own fist, shattered to pieces upon making impact with Father Marcellius’s own armour. Mortwright slowly pulls his fist away, hand hanging limply from his own wrist as it snapped from the impact against Father Marcellius.

[2/2]

Even with the helmet covering his face, you can feel the pressure emanating from Father Marcellius. It isn’t the kind and gentle demeanor he always has, but rather one of pure contempt as he stares down Mortwright, standing strong despite the wounds covering his body.

“F-Father... Y-You’re a man of the cloth right!? I-I wish to confess my sins! I want to redeem myself!” Mortwright squeaks out in fear as he slowly backs away from the advancing Father Marcellius.

“Oh don’t worry Mortwright. The Lord is a kind and forgiving soul.” Father Marcellius replies, his kind and gentle voice now replaced with a growling sound that only rumbles with murderous intent. “You can confess to him yourself after I send you there.”

“F-Father!” You call out to him, but your rush towards him is cut off as the Black Biker moves his naginata in front of your face.

“Leave him.” The Black Biker simply orders.

“I don’t take orders from you.” you snap back, raising his naginata above your head before walking under it.

“Your friend is a man of the cloth, the one who is known to properly guide those who have perished into the next life. Mortwright made the sin of interrupting that cycle, and now your friend here wishes to ‘correct’ the cycle all over again.” The Black Biker replies.

You pause for a second to consider what the Black Biker has just told you. He’s right, Father Marcellius is honour bound to help people find their way, even to the afterlife. But at the same time you cannot help but feeling pulled towards the Father, wanting to lend him your aid in his time of greatest need as he’s helped you in yours.

TURN ORDER
Black Biker: 35i (Already moved)
Zombie Soldiers: 10i (Size: 3) (Confused)
Hibiki: 8i (Charge: 6)
Father Marcellius: 5i
Mortwright: 3i (Already moved)

- “...You are right. This is a personal journey for Father Marcellius. I’ve helped him through this journey, but he must be the one to take the steps to complete it.” (Let Father Marcellius fight Mortwight alone)

- “Father Marcellius may be a shepherd, but he is also my friend. A sheepdog would not let his master go astray, and neither will I abandon Father Marcellius during this trying time.” (Attack Mortwright along with Father Marcellius)

- Other

(Don’t worry, I’ll continue the options suggested in the thread [minus defending Father Marcellius if you choose to let him fight by himself])

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>>1162745
>- “...You are right. This is a personal journey for Father Marcellius. I’ve helped him through this journey, but he must be the one to take the steps to complete it.” (Let Father Marcellius fight Mortwight alone)

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>>1163149

Oh should add

"however i can get rid of Mortwright's "extra lives"..."

start attacking the minions

Call zanna "The biker seems to be on our side. Father Marcellius is in a duel with mort and i am dealing with morts minions. Zanna how quickly can you get here?"

>>1163149
>>1163209
I think the minions are dealt with.

>>1162745
>- (Custom) “Father Marcellius may be a shepherd, but he is also my friend. A sheepdog would not let his master go astray, and neither will I abandon Father Marcellius during this trying time. But I will not interfere unless he needs it.” (Let Father Marcellius fight this battle, but be there with moral support, and physical support if Mortwright proves to powerful our unstable)

>>1163232

I think he meant the Zombie soldiers.

>>1163254

yep those. no matter how many time the father "Kills" Mort he will just have a random zombi pop.

>>1162745
If there are still minions lying around, like the gunner zombies, add to my post >>1163232
>- "Like those undead. If this is a duel between Marcellius and Mortwright, they shouldn't interfere. I can stop them, unless your Art would grant them peace." (Attempt to have the Biker use his Martial Art again in addition to learning if merely destroying undead I'm Shadowlands is enough to release them)

>>1163254
>>1163267

See >>1163269

[1/2]

“Father Marcellius may be a shepherd, but he is also my friend. A sheepdog would not let his master go astray, and neither will I abandon Father Marcellius during this trying time. But I will not interfere unless he needs it.” You say as you stay your own blade.

“Wise choice.” The Black Biker replies.

“Is that a threat?” you reply.

“No, its for his growth.” The Black Biker replies. “With the forces you are all up against, you will need to become far stronger than you are now if you hope accomplish your goal.”

“You know who’s doing this to us? Who are you?” you immediately ask the Black Biker.

“A ferryman, nothing more or less.” The Black Biker replies, keeping an eye on both Father Marcellius and Mortwright.

As the Black Biker finishes his sentence, a hailstorm of bullets pours out from the back of the room. You dive for cover while the Black Biker doesn’t even move a muscle, the bullets seeming to go wide around him as the zombies themselves seem to miss every single one of their marks.

"Speaking of those interruptions, those undead are providing plenty. If this is a duel between Father Marcellius and Mortwright, they shouldn't interfere. I can stop them, unless your Art would grant them peace." You say, hoping you can see that martial arts in action once again.

“No, your friends are going to do that for me.” The Black Biker replies.

You quickly bob your head around the corner to see what he means. Butterflies glowing in bright purple light explode from the other head of the hallwall, shredding apart legions of the undead zombie soldiers joining what appears to be another figure that moves too fast to track, teleporting between each undead zombie and executing them with a single shot to the head point blank before moving towards the next zombie in a cloud of arid black smoke.

“Zanna! Mochire!” you yell out to them.

“Yea, sorry we’re late.” Mochire says holding what appears to be two boxes in his hand.

“We need to hurry, more undead are rapidly approaching Zanna asks as magazines pop out of her weapons only for new ones to pop out of her wrists before catching sight of the Black Biker. “Who is that man?”

“Nobody.” Both you and the Black Biker reply in unison.

“Mochire, what is that in your hands?” you point to the boxes in his hand.

“Table salt.” Mochire replies as he opens the tab on the side and begins to pour it down the hallway intersections.

“Salt... You endangered our lives for salt!?” you yell at him.

“Salt is a symbol of purity. The undead can’t cross it.” The Black Biker replies in a flat tone as he continues to watch the battle.

[2/3]

“Tall, dark, and mysterious is correct! We used this on our bases up north to keep them away from vital areas.” Mochire says as he finishes up the boxes.

“I fail to see any conclusive evidence or theory that supports this hypothesis.” Zanna replies.

“I deal with these creatures all the time, it’ll hold them back.” The Black Biker replies.

“Shall we assist Father Marcellius?” Zanna asks you, seeming to drop the subject for her own sanity, walking towards you with her entire frame smoking.

As you turn towards the battle between Father Marcellius and Mortwright, the tables have completely turned. Mortwright is desperately attempting to defend himself against Father Marcellius’s attacks. His sorcerous spells and Alchemical techology proving futile before Father Marcellius’s might. Each and every one of Father Marcellius’s blows carrying a horrific amount of killing intent as it seems to bypass Mortwright’s innate Alchemical force field and into his flesh below. Splattered of lumpy Alchemical blood spilling onto the floor with each and every attack, Father Marcellius cutting off Mortwright at every turn of his body only to lash out with his claws.

“Is that... Father Marcellius!?” Mochire asks in amazement.

“Yes, he’s using the full extent of Tiger Style now.” you reply. “Before Father Marcellius’s gentle soul made him hold back, but Mortwright must’ve pushed him over the edge.”

“It’s... like he’s a completely different person.” Mochire says staring at the one sided battle.

As Mortwright lunges at Father Marcellius with a punch thrown out of desperation, Father Marcellius immediately reacts by punching Mortwright in the side of his body, his claws blasting through the diseased flesh and reinforced ribcage to score a clean hit on Mortwright’s reactor core. Mortwright still lives through the attack despite all odds, collapsing to the floor as all non-vital systems begin to power down one by one.

“No! Mercy! Please Father grant me mercy!” Mortwright says slowly backing away from Father Marcellius on his back, his last remaining good hand slowly backing away from him.

Father Marcellius slowly walks towards Mortwright splayed on the ground, a brilliant golden light filling the room to nearly blinding levels, his cracked faceplate showing snarl underneath his mask while his eyes glow a burning red. “Did those people you kill ask for mercy just before you and your minions cut them down!? Did they beg you to stop when you denied them eternal peace and instead forced them to live in this hellhole for even longer!?”

[3/3]


Mortwright slowly backs himself up into a corner, tears streaming down his eyes as he continues to plead for his life. “No please! I’m sorry! I only wanted to be with Gwendolyn!”

“I’d say you’d be meeting her, but you won’t be seeing her where you’re going next!” Father Marcellius roars as vast plumes of golden exhaust roar out from his back, preparing for the killing blow.

- *Grab him by the shoulder* “Father! Just before the battle started you said that you didn’t hate Mortwright, but pitied him! We live in trying times but you can’t betray who you are! I’m not saying to give mercy, but don’t give into the anger.”

- Let Father Marcellius continue as normal, everyone has their own unique way to vent in this post-apocalyptic hellhole.

- Other

>>1163445
>- *Grab him by the shoulder* “Father! Just before the battle started you said that you didn’t hate Mortwright, but pitied him! We live in trying times but you can’t betray who you are! I’m not saying to give mercy, but don’t give into the anger.”

>- Keep on eye on the Biker.

[1/2]

You can’t let this hellhole corrupt another life, especially not one as noble as Father Marcellius. You quickly run over and grab Father Marcellius’s own fist just as it’s about to be brought down on top of Mortwright. “Father! Just before the battle started you said that you didn’t hate Mortwright, but pitied him! We live in trying times but you can’t betray who you are! I’m not saying to give mercy, but don’t give into the anger.”

You can feel Father Marcellius’s own glare piercing through you as you grasp his fist, the animalistic side of him seeming to hate you for doing this to him, but ever so slowly you can see the humanity return to him. The grip on his arm slowly relaxing before finally letting go. “...Yes, you’re right. I thank you Hibiki, you saved me from going down a dark path.”

“You would’ve done the same for me.” you reply to Father Marcellius as you let go of his hand.

As the conversation between you and Father Marcellius continues, Mortwright attempts to crawl away on the floor, only to be stopped by a blast of neon light and bullet from both Zanna and Mochire near the front of the room, Mortwright immediately recoiling back from the assault.

“N-No wait!” Mortwright says slowly moving away from Father Marcellius on his back once again. “Y-Your religion! Killing is a mortal sin for you! You couldn’t possibly kill a helpless man like me!”

Father Marcellius stops mid stride towards Mortwright, pausing to think for several seconds. “You are correct. The Lord would look down upon me defeating a helpless man... however know that I have helped you to the best of my ability Mortwright. While I cannot in good conscious assault you while you’re helpless, it doesn’t mean others are bound by the same restrictions.”

Father Marcellius glances back at you, instantly knowing what he’s referring to before giving a solemn nod in return. You reach down you grab the Kaze no Ken from the floor, spinning it around in a small flourish as you approach him.

“NO! NO WAIT!” Mortwright begs, his teary eyed reflection visible within the blade in your hand.

Mortwright’s pleas fall on deaf ears, your only response being snapping your sword directly across his body with a horizontal slice straight across. Mortwright remains silent as his body slowly begins to glide apart into two separate pieces.

“Save your words for your ancestors.” you coldly reply as you slowly sheath your blade.

“Gwen... I’m... Sorry...” Mortwright gasps out in his last remaining breath as rays of light arc out from his chest, the pieces of his entire body glowing before finally exploding into a purple prismatic explosion. All that remains of Mortwright on the ground after is a scorched outline of his body with a single bright blue gem on top of it.

“Well... That was certainly an adventure!” Mochire says with a smile as he looks down at the remains of the defeated apostate.

[2/2]

“I lack a proper adjective to describe the experience of what we just went through.” Zanna replies.

“Creepy, unearthly, gross, I’d imagine any one of those would do the trick.” Mochire replies.

Father Marcellius kneels in front of Mortwright’s own Soulgem, muttering a small prayer in his clasped hands. “O Lord, please find it within your mercy to guide this lost soul to a better path and let those he had mistreated find the peace they so rightly deserve.”

After watching the entire scene silently, the Black Biker lets go of his naginata and has it evaporate into thin air. With a loud growl of the motorcycle, he spins around on the spot in preperation for him leaving the scene.

- “Wait! What are you!? Do you know anything that’s happening on this island!?” (To the Black Biker)

- “Father, I know enough about martial arts to know when someone has been holding back, and you were definitely holding back. I’m not angry, but why did you deliberately restrain yourself?”

- Other

>>1165044
>- To the Biker: "Are you leaving just like that? No explanation of why you wanted to create this place or even a thank you?"
>- “Father, I know enough about martial arts to know when someone has been holding back, and you were definitely holding back. I’m not angry, but why did you deliberately restrain yourself?”

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>>1165044
>- “Wait! What are you!? Do you know anything that’s happening on this island!?” (To the Black Biker)


>- “Father, I know enough about martial arts to know when someone has been holding back, and you were definitely holding back. I’m not angry, but why did you deliberately restrain yourself?”

I kind of want to ask both of those questions

[1/2]

"Are you leaving just like that? No explanation of why you wanted to create this place or even a thank you?" you ask the Black Biker.

“My reasons are my own. I could’ve wiped out this entire hospital but I wanted to see how you machines fight. Needless to say it’s far better than I had expected.” The Black Biker.

“That is the single biggest load of shit I’ve heard today. It's like that guy in group work projects who do none of the work but claim they could’ve done everything by themselves.” Mochire snaps back to the Black Biker.

“I care little if you believe me or not. Good luck, you’ll need it for escaping this hellhole.” The Black Biker biker says before he revs up his bike, pulling a wheelie before driving up the staircase and back out of the hospital.

“...Damnit why do the assholes always act so cool!?” Mochire barks as he kicks a lump of flesh on the ground.

Not the answer you were hoping for from the Black Biker. You want to believe that Mochire is right and he’s idly boasting, but mortals can’t use the enlightened form of martial arts. He didn’t appear to be an Alchemical and the feeling he gives off compared to Shouko or John Doe... He must be something else entirely, but what you’re not sure.

With a small sigh you return to the matters at hand, flicking the blood off your blade before putting it back into its sheath. “Father, I know enough about martial arts to know when someone has been holding back, and you were. I’m not angry, but why did you deliberately restrain yourself?”

Father Marcellius rises up to his feet with a troubled sigh. “You could say that during my youth I was rather... volatile. I did a lot of things I am not proud of.”

“Volatile?” Mochire asks Father Marcellius.

“I used to be part of a major gang, fairly high up as one of the founding members. Tigre Demonio is what they called me. I know you don’t understand my native tongue but the words should be similar enough for you to recognize.” Father Marcellius replies.

“The Demon Tiger.” Zanna casually replies.

“I assumed you lived up to that name?” you ask.

“Yes, I was known and feared across my city. It wasn’t until we decided to assault a church for having one of their pastors ‘disrespect’ our gang. A foolish gesture, but back then pride and respect meant everything to us.” Father Marcellius says.

“You couldn’t go through with it?” you ask.

“On the contrary, I did. However the pastor of the church knew the lessons of Crane Style.” Father Marcellius replies.

“Oh, I see where this is going.” you reply.

“Mind filling in those who are not natural born martial art prodigies?” Mochire chides

[2/2]

“Crane Style is a defensive martial art that takes inspiration from several other known martial arts styles, including Aikido. It specializes heavily in counterattacks.” Zanna states.

“Correct. It wasn’t until the pastor took on myself and my gang that I realized where true strength actually lied. While I was strong in body, I was weak in spirit. The pastor knew I wouldn’t listen with words, so he beat that lesson into me.” Father Marcellius replies, before looking down at the spot where Mortwright died. “I left that life behind, promising to do everything I could to lead others away from dangerous paths just as that unknown pastor did for me. I was holding back Hibiki, but only because I did not to wish to bring back the man I once was.”

“You’re afraid of going over the edge like Mortwright?” you ask.

“Before you stopped me, I might’ve gone that path. But with everything that’s been happening to us as of late, it’s selfish of me to hold back because of my own personal feelings with other’s lives are at stake.” Father Marcellius says turning towards you all, placing his hand against his chest and giving a deep bow of respect. “I only ask of your forgiveness for my own selfish desire.”

“I understand your personal goals and accept your apology.” Zanna replies.

“Hey, I’d be the pot calling the kettle black if I wasn’t cool with this Father.” Mochire replies with a smile.

“We all have personal demons we wish to conquer Father, and I am proud that you wish to confront these demons rather than hide away from them.” you reply to Father Marcellius with a nod. “Now come, we need to head back. You’re damaged and Wendy is going to wonder where we’ve been.”

Mochire’s eyes are immediately filled with terror as you mention Wendy’s name. “Oh Mela Wendy is going to kill us.”

“She will not harm an ally. That is not in her profile.” Zanna states.

“She’s a mother! She doesn’t have to use physical violence to make you wish you were dead!” Mochire yells out as he immediately starts running for the hospital exit.

A small chuckle escape from both you and Father Marcellius, the latter grabbing the Exaltation core of Mortwright before trailing after Mochire as he runs to the exit.

******

MISSION 16 COMPLETE!

+10 Normal XP gained!

+10 Alchemical XP gained!

+1 Alchemical XP for taking out the Heavy Zombies with Stealth!

+1 Alchemical XP for making Father Marcellius confront his past!

+1 Alchemical XP for increasing the relationship value of Father Marcellius!

Your current Normal XP values are:

Available/spent/Total = 10 / 185 / 195

Your current Alchemical XP values are:

Available/spent/Total = 15 / 211 / 226

Vote on what mission you'll like to start next!

1) Peering through the Lock (STORY) - In order to find out just what systems exist inside of you, Dr. Rosenberg needs to get an Alchemical Cradle with deep scanning Technology... that only exist inside of heavily guarded military bases. (Reward: Bonus XP and more story based missions. Difficulty: EXTREME, more allies can bring this difficulty down)

2) Get This Party Started! (STORY) - You know the names of the Alchemicals who Doctor Trine worked on but not their locations. A known criminal boss has access to those said locations. What can go wrong!? (Reward: More story missions + Final Osvald relationship missions)

3) I Smell a Rat... - John Doe has now outsourced people trying to kill you, quality and efficiency in one low murderous package price! (Reward: New Martial Art Style + Weapon)

4) The Wyld Hunter Part 2 - With Meruvian reinforcements comes more Wyld Hunters, only this time he doesn’t walk softly and carries a really big hammer. (Reward: Doctor Ledeel + New Wyld Hunter no longer randomly appear on missions)

5) Night of the Mechanical Dead (Part 2) - The Black Biker seems to know some things but doesn’t want to share, time to do some ‘convincing’. (Reward: New Martial Arts Style + Weapon)

6) Growing Pains (Mochire Emergency Mission) - Elemental gangsters may be brave, but against tanks and helicopters they’re going to need more than gusto. (Reward: Mochire Power up) (Time Limit: Two remaining)

7) The Hurricane Huntress - No seriously Shouko that’s annoying, stop it. (Reward: Demons will stop randomly appearing on missions to try and kill Hibiki)

8) Other - Want to do something else or in addition to the above? Drop a line and we’ll see what we can do!

ADA recommendations:
Recommended Normal XP Purchases

- Optical Shroud “Dynamic Cloaking Module”: Able to move at much faster speeds while cloaked, extending the range one can move while cloaked (Slow speed -> Normal Movement -> Running speed -> Any distance), in addition each additional purchase lowers the penalty of moving while cloaked by 1 (3 XP each)

- Optical Enhancement “Diagnostic Overlay”: Tell the health of a subject with just a few seconds scanning them, listing all health problems and issues. Can also tell the exact health levels of all opponents. (6 XP)

- Optical Enhancement “Thermal Vision”: See in Infrared spectrum, allowing you to see heat of the target. (6 XP)

- Advanced Stalker Protocols “Maximized Damage Processor”: When making an attack from stealth, up to [Appearance] threshold successes on the roll are doubled while on a decisive attack a likewise amount of threshold successes are added to the damage. That’s right, the prettier you are the harder you hit. (6 XP)

- Advanced Stalker Protocols “Split Second Reactionary Attack”: If Hibiki’s sneak attack is enough to KO or kill her opponent, than she may immediately make a second surprise attack against an opponent within close range of her target provided that she was not seen by either of them. The damage for the second attack is any damage dice that failed to show up as a success on the last damage roll plus any 10s that shown up during it (6 XP)

- Celerity Enabling Module “Rapid Weakness Analysis Stance”: A small computer is installed with Celerity Enabling Module, pointing out ever so subtle mistakes in the opponent’s posture. When Celerity Enabling Module is active, have a small chance to gain extra defense in order to avoid attacks. (3 XP)

- Secondary Sensory Upgrades “Expanded Input Processor”: Adamant wires are threaded throughout Hibiki’s energy body while an Orichalcum processor analyzes large volumes of data. Hibiki’s sense of touch and hearing are amplified to such extreme degrees that she’s able to do things such as hearing a conversation that took place hours ago in a room or feel an ant crawling on the ground without a few dozen meters of her. (6 XP)

- Charm “Strain-Resistant Chassis Modification”: Hibiki’s bones are now coated in Moonsilver lathe, allowing them to actually bend in order to absorb blows better rather than outright breaking. Hibiki gains additional health levels, the more stamina she has the more health she gets.

- Charm “Electric Attraction Generator (HC)”: Magnetic attractors are activated in Hibiki’s arms, allowing her to better maintain a grip on struggling opponents. When attacked Hibiki may pay a small cost in order to maintain her grip on opponents, allowing them to be grappled for much longer.

Recommended Alchemical XP Purchases

- Strength Up (5 XP per dot, maximum 5) [Suggested for Tiger Style]

- Manipulation Up (4 XP per dot, maximum 5)

- Athletics (3 XP per dot, maximum 5)

- Steel Devil Style “Seconds Between Strife” (8 XP): When making a rush towards an enemy, may convert charge into automatic successes on the rush attempt. If the Rush is successful, the charge spent on the Rush is refunded. Meaning it makes you really fast.

- Steel Devil Style “Sonic Slash” (8 XP): Whenever you chase after an opponent using Seconds Between Strike, you can create a cutting blast of wind from your blades that slice apart flesh and steel with equal efficiency. (Must know Seconds Between Strife)

- Steel Devil Style “Iron Lotus Unfurling” (8 XP): By parrying with a certain amount of charge, Hibiki can immediately attempt to disarm her opponent without needing to take an action. In addition if Hibiki knows Sonic Slash, then that charm is automatically activated upon the opponent for a double whammie.

- Air Dragon Style "Tornado Offensive Technique" (8 XP): Lance out at all opponents in range of Hibiki with powerful gusts of wind and electricity, extra effective against enemy battle groups.

- Air Dragon Style "Cloud Treading Method": Hibiki becomes literally able to walk on clouds, car exhaust, or any other similar object. Charm can be reactivated to provide 'cloud steps' that allow Hibiki to walk straight up and remain in the air. [Requires Air Dragon Form]

- Tiger Style “Iron Claw Grip” (8 XP): Pounce on an enemy and to grapple them, gaining a possible increase to the amount of turns a target can remain grappled. Targets who are grappled cannot defend against your attacks.

- Tiger Style “Spine Shattering Bite” (8 XP): Upon inflicting damage upon an enemy you make decrease the damage dealt to maim or cripple the enemy by slashing tendons or shattering the targets back. For supernatural opponents this is temporary, but until they shake it off they are forbidden to take movement actions.

>>1166461
6) Growing Pains (Mochire Emergency Mission)

>>1166465
>- Optical Shroud “Dynamic Cloaking Module”
I thought this maxed at 3 points, not 4? Still worth it.

>- Secondary Sensory Upgrades “Expanded Input Processor”:

>>1166469
>- Air Dragon Style "Tornado Offensive Technique" (8 XP)

>>1167861

Dynamic Cloaking Module is currently purchased twice. One more purchase will max it out.

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61 KB JPG

>>1166461
>6) Growing Pains (Mochire Emergency Mission) - Elemental gangsters may be brave, but against tanks and helicopters they’re going to need more than gusto. (Reward: Mochire Power up) (Time Limit: Two remaining)


seconding this. Just wondering can we record all the intell we have on all the bad stuff the government has been doing on the chakram's we got from doctor ledeel along with a message? I was thinking of switching our weapons with hers so we can pass on intell to her. While she may be against I think we want her to know the truth behind this disaster. Also a possible warning about John Doe. Of course making sure no data that could be used against us is present of course. If we do so we should i think we should consult Wendy before doing this stupid gambit.

>>1168243
Nope, it was purchased for the third time last thread and has been purchased twice.

>>1168875
>>1168243
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/779604/#p787059
Purchased twice several threads ago and once last thread.

>>1168875
>>1168907

I stand corrected then.

Remove that option off the list.

>>1168544

Sure you want to switch out weapons so casually like that? You'd be gambling with a different power and there's no grantee you'd get her chakram in the fight to replace it.

You can certainly record what the Government has been doing now that Hibiki is capable of recording then upload it to any medium you want with Omnitool.