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>>5536650

Izurin kneels within striking distance to the Archon, yet he doesn’t even think to consider the Elin as a potential threat. She’s beneath him.

Elewyn has demonstrated time and again the ruthless effectiveness of playing into that line of thought, to deceive to create opening where none would have existed otherwise. For once you see the opportunity with your own eyes, rather than catch up with the results, so perhaps you’ve learned a thing or two in your time here.

But goddamn it all that it must be Izurin that’s put at risk with such a deadly swordsman, that it must be her that you put your trust into, but what other choice do you have?

You'd rather give a clean death to Nilo than have her suffer the fate of falling back into the Sanctuary’s grasp, but there’s a hell of a lot you can before it comes to that.

You just need the right angle for all of you to attack once Izurin starts whatever she has planned…

You slowly pace a semi-circle around the Archon. Your boots press into the snow and stick with a final crunch with each step. “How are we to believe that you will keep your word? How do you know that you won’t attack us when our backs are turned?”

As she falls into your line of sight, your eyes briefly turn to Seo as she harshly returns your stare with a weary understanding of your intentions. The light of the evening sky illuminates her unforgiving expression in bizarre shade of red, but you haven’t the time to turn you gaze upward. Her hand moves almost imperceptibly for her weapon.

The Archon growls in annoyance. “I don’t care if you believe me, in the end the result will be the same. You lot won’t be a concern any long-“

In the same instant he suddenly stops speaking, a faint pulse reverberates throughout the entirety of your body. All sounds are drowned out by a distorted humming voice that rings in your ears despite having no tenable source. Your fierce desire to capitalize on his sudden lapse of concentration are overwhelmed as effects beyond your control take hold of your body. The tense muscles of your biceps and calves twitch rapidly in response from this sudden stimulus. A queasy dread sinks into your stomach and a feeling of vulnerability compels you to turn your gaze skyward. You expected to gaze upon the source of this sensation, much as a prey animal might turn to spot its hunter, but only a sickly red glow greets you. It’s a muddled wound in the sky, descending into the sea of a fleshy consistency hearkening to that nightmare you had a few days past. You’re left a disquieting sense of distress as you feel watched but unable to see anything in return.

>>5536653

You’re returned to your senses by Seo’s vigorous shaking and the world of snow and cold seeps into your lungs with shocking abruptness. Plunged back into reality, a feeling of sensitivity and prickling courses painfully through your skin. You can hardly hold your sword. As you stand reeling from the sensations, you bear witness to the effects that the pulse has on those around you.

While Seo stands completely unphased, the Archon has been brought to one knee, with eyes blankly affix on the fleshy cut in the sky. He still mindlessly holds Nilo’s limp body, an offering to the unseen presence. Sayazade displays more pronounced effects as she clenches her stomach on the ground, but with her unblinking crimson stare set at the same point, and her own fangs digging into her mouth to draw blood.

Finally, contorting on the ground as if manipulated by an invisible puppeteer, Izurin writhes messily within the snow. The Elin turns and twists in discomforting poses with her long hair pressed over her face, and her mouth bent into a painful, but silent grimace. The torch at her side inexplicably has not been extinguished, but rather grows with her frenzy.

Her torture pulls you to help her, but just as you do, her convulsions cease, and her hand reaches for the blazing torch. With her eyes still concealed behind her matted hair, she sits up, and aims the flaming piece of wood much like you’ve seen Elewyn aim her staff.

The Archon and Sayazade are soon to regain some semblance of composure, but for one, it’s a moment too late. The lingering red light from the sky is overwhelmed by the beam of pure flame that the Elin dispenses from the tip of the torch. A thin pillar of roaring orange heat slices through the arm of the Archon to release his hold upon Nilo and creates a beacon of light in the sky.

The heated air blasting back upon all nearby, clears the concealing hair from the Elin’s face and you’re able to gaze upon her eyes of a brownish orange shade, made only more potent with the illumination of the fire she creates.

As the rising flame melts away a clearing of snow, and it’s then that it dawns on you the truth that has been hidden from you this whole time.

She isn’t Izurin anymore.

The sinking feeling in your chest distracts from most everything else. At Seo’s command, your arm instinctively flings your daggers at the body of the Archon, somehow landing each of the three blades, and your friend uses the opening to land a brutal attack across the side of his face. A crimson blur soon follows and slices mercilessly at his torso, and barely dodges a wide swipe of his sword in return.

The brutal attack from your group ends just as the torch shatters in the Elin’s hands.

"Well struck. But now it's my turn." The Archon’s cold laughter echoes in the aftermath as you glare at the Elin who scrambles back from you and your opponent equally

“Where is she?” You ask coldly to the creature posing as Izurin.

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>>5536654

`
“How are we better equipped to deal with this thing than that Devan?” Quon asks exasperated as you support her to run through the snow.

“We’re not.” You reply simply, keeping your ears locked on the tramping footfalls behind you. “We’re simply able to outpace the beast far better than Nento can.”

“Tch, whatever.” The young Elin clicks her tongue through heavy breaths. “But a warning next time you take me flying through the air would be nice…”

“Would you rather have your warning or your head?” You ask pointedly to counter her sarcasm.

“Tch…” She opens her mouth to speak, but the ground suddenly quakes as your pursuer makes a sudden landings.

A hulking flesh beast in the truest sense of the words. Standing easily twice your height, the creature's skin seeps with a red rawness that gives it the appearance of freshly flayed corpse. Yet, this does nothing to hinder it's ferocity as it pounds its massive spiked skull against the ground in preparation for its next brutal attack.

Perhaps some form of progeny of the Carrion Beast, as much of its violent fury and stature resembles it, but given the damage you inflicted upon Carrion Beast in your retreat from it, it's possible this is a new creation entirely. Regardless, the approach, or rather, the retreat is all the same.

However, with a large amount of trees in close proximity, a Gale to increase the distance would have you and Quon moving through the canopy. You're doubtful that the condition of the young Elin's legs would lend well to that sort of retreat.

"Too many trees..." Quon quickly assesses the reason for your pause as she gazes between you and the nearby treeline. "Tch... If you can buy me a good couple seconds, I think I can make a smokescreen that help us get away. Maybe..."

A logical extension of the Elin's mana, given what you've seen of it, but she seems to have her doubts as to its chance of success. You calmly weigh your odds, and think of the best way to retreat from this Flayed Beast to reunite with the rest of your group.

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>>5536664

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

A new violent flesh creation pursues Elewyn and Quon as they attempt to catch up to the rest of their companions. On foot, the beast is clearly faster, so you'd either need to take your chances in the tree canopy. Otherwise, Quon offers to use her magic to create an aura of concealment, but given her doubts, it seems there's a chance of failure.

Elewyn
HP: 11
LP: 15
Stamina: 10
MP: 20

>Use a Gale to get you and Quon into the canopy and support the Elin as best you can in your retreat. (Optional write in additional details.)

>Create an opening for Quon to cast her concealing spell by either dodging an attack or otherwise occupying the Flayed Beast. (Write in additional details.)

>Write in.

>>5536667
>Aura of protection on the leg
>Keep running.
We're not looking to damage, we need to overwhelm its senses and make running difficult. Going all out will stun it, but the creatures that split off might be even faster.

>>5536667
Oh. I'll admit, I was expecting Elewyn to have use the corpusculant pile to blow it to kingdom come.
Shame.

>>5536688
Sounds like a good plan, and we can also adjust on hold on her right before we Gale to ensure her legs don't take the brunt of it. Having her curl up and put her back towards the canopy should help.
And Luca got there in the end.

Dammit Luca, now is really not the time to start losing your shit. We're all dead if the Archon has his way, and everyone but the Vampyre is on their last legs, so would it be too much to ask to wait?

At least Alys managed to disarm him.

Elewyn's gonna return to this mess and be like "I leave you all for FIVE MINUTES and you're all falling to pieces while bleeding out"

Heyo everyone, today was a pretty good day overall, so I hope you're all also doing well out there!

Our characters are converging, but so too do some enemies along the way. Let's see how Elewyn's team will deal with this new flesh beast.

>>5536688
>>5536722
An offensive application of Dawn's Blessing to target the Flesh Beast's leg in order to slow it down, but taking great care not to damage it's body to the extent that it might split off as we've seen before. Very clever! We'll have to target both legs by necessity as Elewyn will shape the aura around her in a low, compressed disc shape. Then, we'll make an immediate retreat in hopes of it losing our trail by using a Gale into the canopy

>Total MP Cost: 5

No need for any rolls this round, but we'll have to see how it reacts to our magic.

>Writing! Update to be posted some time late tomorrow night.


>>5537446
>At least Alys managed to disarm him.
I see what you did there...

>>5537592

You recall a fable that in an ancient time, a stray Elin was the one to teach humans how to fell the great trees and respectfully work the wood that gathered. As such, Elin held the power to topple any such structure, doubly so the taller it was. A jest, gleefully spread by your kind to remind humans of their naivety, and perhaps to serve as a veiled threat as well. In the end, you doubt that there’s any one of your kind yet spinning such stories, but there’s still some lessons that can be applied.

After all, you’ve grown rather adept at toppling their constructs of flesh…

You direct your instrument of destruction at the base of the rampaging Flayed Beast. “Save your energy. I have something more reliable than a ‘maybe.’”

“Tch.” Quon crosses her arms, yet still carefully watches as the faint aura of light radiates from your body. “Whatever, just do something about whatever the hell that monster is.”

You instantly will the mana to the desired shape. A flat, wide net stretching from the two of you straight to the veiny and thick legs of the abomination.

The aura disc reaches the Flayed Beast and produces an instant intensification of its frenzied behavior. It impotently stamps in the snow as your mana causes the tissues in its legs to involuntarily separate with a great splattering of blood upon the flattened snow. Too late does it focus on the source of its torment, and by the time it sets itself to charge at you with its head, it barely advances a few steps. It plummets. The weakened connection to its legs severs under its massive weight and its slides only half the distance it needs to pulverize you with its massive, spiked skull. Rather than bellow some fearsome roar of outrage as many of its kin has done in the past, it moans repeatedly in pain sounding like a human man with a blockage in his mouth.

Not wanting to damage its body to the point that it immediately takes on a new form, you cease channeling your mana as it hits the ground. You turn to Quon who tensely examines her own legs for any effects of being caught in the same spell.

“Don’t worry.” You lower your staff while smirking. “I’d have given you a warning if it was going to have the same effect on you.”

The suspicious Elin returns her bare leg to the frigid snow. “You’re way too satisfied with yourself when you say that.”

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>>5538983

The moaning of the Flayed Beast suddenly lowers in pitch, and the exposed cuts of bloody flesh begin to undulate with budding, fingerlike appendages.

Although this transformation is limited to the severed portions of its legs, you take no chances and immediately approach Quon for your retreat.

After you motion to the canopy, she sighs in annoyance. “Again?” But dutifully wraps her arms around your torso, allowing you to depart from the forest floor with a great flurry of powder.

Still concerned about the condition of her legs, you angle your ascent such that you approach the thicket of branches with your back leading. The result is you taking the brunt of the painful impact against the trunk as you and the young Elin land on a thick branch. Quon manages to quickly catch her footing from the cushioned landing.

“That was really dumb.” She remarks almost instantly upon realizing what you did.

It certainly was painful.

You wince as you look toward the Flayed Beast. “Better than risking you falling to the ground…”

“You get eaten alive if you ran with a group of thieves...” She hastily mumbles as she steps away from you. “That sort of weakness is taken advantage of in the real world.”

“Good that there’s only one of you then.” You remark now watching the result of your spell spill forth from the flesh beast’s legs. “There’s plenty here aiming to make a meal out of me in this world.”

Your eyes catch as an unusual form of crimson is slowly borne from the openings within the creature. Thin, steaming tubes of flesh, worm their way messily upon the stained snow, spilling lazily forth like bloody excrement from a grazing animal.

The firstborn are quick to acclimate baring their needle-like fangs to their new brutal surrounding, Dozens of these arm-length spawn slither sinuously in all directions, searching for a target to make their meal. The structure of the Flayed Beast rapidly unravels, and whatever little not subsumed in the horde is summarily consumed.

“Oh gods..” Quon stares with her mouth agape at the gruesome scene.

A troublesome result of using your mana on this new flesh beast, but the carefully restrained application allowed you to escape their range before they had the chance to take notice of you. It would be far more troublesome to have all their number upon you at once, especially in this snow. A thought that makes you suspect that was the actual intention with this abomination. The Sanctuary was anticipating you destroying its body and embedded its insides with these smaller pests.

They’ve learned a great deal about your capabilities in your time here… At least some of them. You're still confident that you can stay one step ahead of them. For now, more reason for you to continue with your retreat and regroup with the others.

>>5538986

“Those gross things are going all over the place.” Quon remarks quietly after choosing to examine the beast’s remains alongside you. She rubs her temples. “Could you tell me already what the hell is going on here? When you were convincing me to join up with your group, I thought you were rescuing us from sickos that wanted to torture us before they ate us. But I’ve never seen monsters like these before, and you knew just how to take care of it. What aren’t you telling me?”

Her natural suspicion is flaring given this recent encounter with Flayed Beast. You certainly don't have the time for a full explanation as to the Sanctuary's dark machinations in Impel. Furthermore, telling any one of the rescued Elin the full extent of what's happening will irrevocably change their view of the world, something to do carefully if at all.

You have enough grasp of her thoughts to know that Quon wouldn't be satisfied with an excuse of lack of time, but you certainly don't need her distracted for the rest of this retreat, so she may just have to deal with it. Which also raises the question as to how you will proceed from the tree canopy to join the rest of your group toward the east?

_________________________________________________________________________________

With an abundance of slithering flesh snakes scattering throughout the woods, any venturing on the ground may encounter some or many of their number. Otherwise, continued travel through the treeline will certainly use up mana and potentially Elewyn's health if she continues to break the rough landing for Quon in the same way.

Elewyn
HP: 9
LP: 15
Stamina: 9
MP: 17

>Continue using Gale as you have to transport you and Quon through the treeline.

>Return to the ground for steady travel, and chance encounter with the flesh snakes.

>Write in.

and

>Provide Quon with the basic details that the Sanctuary has been creating these as brutal enforcers of their plans.

>Provide Quon with the promise that you will let her know more when there's less pressing concerns to deal with.

>Write in.

>>5538998
>Provide Quon with the basic details that the Sanctuary has been creating these as brutal enforcers of their plans. The intelligent enforcers are similarly modified beneath the cloaks.
>Elin are related, but aside from their unique reactions to magic and Elin, you haven't figured out the specifics.

Do we still have any meat?

>>5539024
Actually, she only took 3-1 damage from that? Hell, let's just keep going then.
>Continue using Gale as you have to transport you and Quon through the treeline.

>>5538998
>Continue using Gale as you have to transport you and Quon through the treeline.
>Provide Quon with the basic details that the Sanctuary has been creating these as brutal enforcers of their plans.
Short answer is that Elin are magical fuel for their monsters. Most of their enforcers are similarly mutated.
Now, timing these jumps isn't as easy as I'm making it look, so I'll deal with your questions when we're out of danger.

Heyo everyone, with the weekend rolling in I hope that your weeks went smoothly. An after work outing kept me out late, but I'm finally back home and ready to tally our vote!

>>5539024
>>5539137
>>5539198
Synthesis between our posts is very straightforward this round. We'll give Quon basic details about the origin of the enforcers, how the Elin generally relate to their plans. From there, since our retreat through the canopy isn't nearly as easy as it might look for her, the rest of the answer will have to wait.

Using Gale to move through the canopy will accrue a cost of mana and HP, but will keep us out of the reach of the flesh snakes, for now.

>Writing! Update to be posted some time late tomorrow night!

Heyo, everyone. My SO is feeling very ill after getting a booster shot earlier in the day, so I'm going to have to finish the update in the actual morning (PST) as I'll be taking care of her.

Thanks as always for your understanding!

>>5541400
Hope she heals up quick, boosters are always unpleasant nowadays, thanks for the heads up and clear comms as always

>>5541979
Sleeping in goes a long way, but your kind words a very much appreciated!

Update incoming, apologies for the delay.

>>5540009

Compared to the urgency of which you need to return to the rest of your group, Quon’s understanding of the Sanctuary’s machinations is inconsequential. Her approval of how you’ll cover the distance even more so. Yet, you’ll still share just enough details to hopefully satisfy her questions and lay down the foundation of a much more difficult conversation to come.

You sigh and turn away from observing the dispersing horde of tiny flesh creatures and instead turn to the distant treeline. “Truthfully, I’m not hiding anything from you, but there’s much that I yet need to share with you when we’re out of harm’s way.” You’ve dealt with enough young humans and Elins these past few days that you know to hold up your hand to interrupt her. “For now, know that those responsible for holding you captive created those enforcer abominations from the flesh of murdered humans, Devan, and Elin. For their own immoral and selfish desires, they used meat like a craftsman would use clay. However, we Elin and our inherent mana have special use to them for their more precious creation, and because of that use, you were handled differently.”

Turning to the young Elin reveals a furrowed brow of confusion. She scoffs hotly. “Handled differently? Is that what you call being tortured in pit of filth for weeks? Is that what you’d say to those three Elin I heard dragged out of those holes and used for who the hell knows what? I don’t even know how many of us were killed before I got there…”

Ah. Perhaps in your rush you didn’t fully consider the trauma she’s concealing behind her prickly demeanor. Just because she’s better at hiding it, doesn’t mean she didn’t experience the horrors of the Maturation Pit like all the others. These days have been long and far too many in number…

You finish linking together a path forward through the thick, spindly canopy. “I’m sorry.” You express honestly. “There’s so many things, so many of you to worry about that I might not be saying what I mean in the most tactful way or giving your questions the time they deserve.” You turn to her and lock eyes with her for a brief moment before she hastily turns away from you. “I'm glad to have rescued you, and there’ll be more time when we make our escape. I'll need to focus on our jumps for the time being. They’re not as easy I make them look.”

You hold out your arm to signal for her to hold onto you.

She slowly rubs her forehead. “First you tell me that I was this close to being turned into a monster without any hesitation, and now you’re apologizing for that… You really are frustrating to deal with, you know.” She sighs, closes the distance to secure herself on your body. “Fine, fine. More time, whatever. But just so you know, I’m not like those humans you keep stringing alo-“

>>5542037

The moment you’re confident in her grasp on you, you invoke another Gale to string her along to the next group of trees. It begins a cycle of soaring through the frigid air with her crushing your insides, enduring the rough impact that increasingly racks your body, and then rapidly calculating the best path to set off again.”

By the time you’ve finished your third landing, you painfully cough thick wads of blood onto the branches that spill onto the pristine white powder below. The metallic taste in your mouth and the sharp aching in your torso seems to blur your senses.

Something’s wrong. It’s certainly painful to move through the trees in such a manner, but you shouldn’t be so delirious from such common harm. Quon’s voice is distorted such that you can’t comprehend the words she seems to be shouting at you.

”Look Elewyn.”

Like a whisper sounding from your very mind, a musical duet of overlapping voices bids you look. Izurin and another voice. Instinctively, your gaze turns toward the evening sky, and from your perch, you’re witness to the profane transformation that has violated the endless horizon.

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>>5542038

In an unseen instant, a wound has been punctured into this world, so deeply crimson that it appears to you an umbral void. From this abyss pours a deluge of offal in gory detail. Life, or some blasphemous imitation courses through fleshy liquid, bubbling, steaming, heaving with excruciating vigor. Aberrant flames self-immolating in their brightness, screaming, bawling, and wrathful of their sinful and short existences of agony.

These are the countless moments of anguish from all those that have had their bodies taken from them to construct this new god. There is power in that which has been silently suffered, that which has been forgotten to time, that which has been unfairly endured is made tangible. Here it is made into raw mana that returns to this world at the birth of this new god.

”This is now us. But this is only the beginning.”

The torrent of gore spilling into the sea causes no ripples as its subsumed. All that is conjured forth from that abyss is unseen, unphysical in your world yet, you witness it all with perfect detail as part of the true form of Thera-Yuugoth. In the water, you feel the presence of the organs, the brain, the intestines and digestive structures, and the other hitherto unseen structures of refined tissue. They roll into one another, fusing, raveling, and unraveling to bridge the gaps between their meaty folds and accumulate their tissues of green, red, yellow, black, and white into a grander creation.

”You already know this isn’t what we truly desire, but we will behave for as long as we can.”

Izurin’s voice alone now reaches you as the spilling of flesh rapidly tapers as the void in the sky also begins to fade away. Yet, now that the raw mana teeming the offal has run its course, you can detect a faint trace of someone else’s mana within the structure of that void. It’s neither Izurin’s nor Thera-Yuugoth’s but, but…

It's familiar.

>>5542043

You can't pinpoint from where you've sensed this mana before, but it's far in the past. Before you've had the chance to study it further, it disappears as if intentionally evading you.

No matter, there are more pressing issues at hand. Somewhere in that frigid ocean now lurks a new god and new mana to shape this world as they once had. Soon the sensations of your physical form begin to return as the true Refinement reaches its end.

”But you need to hurry. The others need your help. Luca, Saya, Seo and Alys need your help.

Izurin's warning is barely audible as more of the surrounding woods and your own body are restored.

The first sensation to return is the feeling of your staff in your tight grasp. Even in this temporary unconsciousness, you'd never let it go.

Then, you realize your other hand is far outstretched above your head, and that there's no branches making contact with your feet. In fact, there's nothing making contact other than the cold night air. With the wind blowing freely through your hair, you look up to see Quon straining greatly to keep you from dropping. Her body is wrapped tightly around the branch you once stood upon, except for her arm with which she desperately clings onto you with.

Below, you see that the blood you coughed out earlier has attracted part of the swarm of flesh snakes. Their writhing number snaps aggressively at the snow that soaked up your crimson fluid, and toward you having detected the source of a new meal.

The more you focus on the predicament you're currently in, the less you can make of Izurin's words. You can tell she's trying to provide one final warning, but the only words that seems to come through are "Archon" "real," and "form"

Quon grunts in exertion, clearly at risk of dropping you at any moment if you don't pull yourself up. But, by doing so, you certainly lose the opportunity to focus on the last of Izurin's words.

There's indeed the choice to be made of which world to focus upon, but there's also a new sensation that triumphs over all the others. A return of something that was long lost, or at least a small part of it.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

From your extensive contact with Thera-Yuugoth, a portion of your former wellspring of mana has returned to your control.

Elewyn's character sheet has been massively updated.

Elewyn
HP: 4
LP: 15
Stamina: 5
MP: 50

>Focus on hearing the last of Izurin's words of warning.

>Focus on pulling yourself up upon the branch.

>Write in.

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>>5542104
50 MP? Pic related
You updated the Character sheet? Oh man, here we go.
>Focus on pulling yourself up upon the branch.
As much as I'd like to hear the warning, we are in danger here of straight up dying.

And on a larger level, we've failed. They've accomplished their goal, at least partially, and now the world is permanently changed. Did they even need the rest of the Elin prisoners? Like, the archon's actions seem to imply that they didn't want them (After the escape) further than wanting Elewyn to follow the Archon.

I swear, if this is them going for a "We're not that different" speech......

>>5542104
POWEEEEEEEEER
>Focus on sensing where Luca and the others are
>Gust straight for them, going above the canopy and healing in-transit

>>5542128
They're definitely not so different from Luca, which is why I made a point to mention it way back.

But it seems more like they had 12 different war crimes to try, and just threw them all at the wall to see what sticks. We stopped the Elin stew plot, but that was only one gear in the whole contraption.

>>5542128
>>5542129
POWERR! These upgrades had been settled/drafted for a couple weeks now, since last meeting with Thera-Yuugoth, so I've been impatiently waiting for the chance to add them. (Hopefully this isn't a "power overwhelming" type change, but more so a "something for nothing" type change!)

>>5542128
>Did they even need the rest of the Elin prisoners?

To complete the construction of Thera-Yuugoth, they technically didn't need the last few batches of Elin. But you can think of it as analogous to human's living without certain portions of the upper parts of their brain. Possible, but with consequences.

Rolled 1 (1d3)

We're a little offset with the usual tally time, but that shouldn't cause any issues. So, let's see which direction Elewyn will go following her power up.

>>5542128
>>5542129
We're intent on cutting the link to Izurin/Thera-Yuugoth and pulling ourselves up. We'll take the time to heal ourselves before heading straight east to rejoin with the others.

First time using our upgrading healing spell: Healing Luciform
MP Cost:7
Rolling 1d3 for healing range(Magical Amplification/(5,4, or 3)) with a roll of 3 resulting in the greatest heal.

>Writing outcome! Update to be posted sometime late tonight.

>>5542810
I've missed the vote for the last few updates, but I'm still reading!

>>5542915
Okay, just finished reading the new sheet. First of all, I guess it's time I ask something I had been wondering about. That is, keeping the old statsheets public. Both for us players, to understand the growth and price changes (and since it's been so long since Elewyn has been at max MP I forgot what it was before the change) and because anyone deciding to read the archive now would be either very confused or heavily spoiled, or both. Maybe ordering things in chronological order would make more sense? Arc 1, Arc 2 Finale, that sort of thing?
Beyond that, it feels like someone took the training wheels off Elewyn with that new sheet. Plenty of special conditions, a new passive. I like that we can see our creative uses being integrated. Also, referencing my earlier point, did the price of Gale change? I'm not sure if the base one was 2MP or 3. At least I'm confident the new...I can't remember the old name of it, so the Flash Stun, has gone up from 10 to 13. At least it does extra damage even to non-fleshbeasts enemy. Flat damage as well. Bit pricey compared to daggers. Also, first blood spell. I think you'd hinted at this being Elewyn's second element a couple of times before, so it isn't much of a surprise.
Dawn's blessing now becomes even more essential. No cost upgrade or extra stats, I think, but stamina regen is very good.

Also, if Arc 1 Elewyn was at 10% of her maximum recorded power, what would this put her at? 20%? More?

>>5542915
>>5543520
Don't worry about missing a few updates, and I appreciate your continued participation!

>...keeping the old statsheets public. Both for us players, to understand the growth and price changes (and since it's been so long since Elewyn has been at max MP I forgot what it was before the change) and because anyone deciding to read the archive now would be either very confused or heavily spoiled, or both. Maybe ordering things in chronological order would make more sense? Arc 1, Arc 2 Finale, that sort of thing?

You make a very good point. I hadn't considered that those catching up through significant archives might be spoiled by such updates. I think I'll adopt your suggested approach and migrate this updated character sheet to a new document, revert to the previous (longest standing) version, and perhaps link to previous versions in the updated sheet. I think I'll have time to take care of this hopefully tomorrow, thanks for bringing it up!

>Also, referencing my earlier point, did the price of Gale change?
Gale, now Celestial Tempest, is the same cost actually. 2 MP for the normal linear variation, and 3 MP for the curved path.

> At least I'm confident the new...I can't remember the old name of it, so the Flash Stun, has gone up from 10 to 13. At least it does extra damage even to non-fleshbeasts enemy. Flat damage as well.

Actually, since the flat damage is optional, the extra MP cost associate with the added functionality should be optional as well. I've changed the MP cost of Morningstar from 13 to 10

>Also, if Arc 1 Elewyn was at 10% of her maximum recorded power, what would this put her at? 20%? More?
Thinking about it, I think I'd put her between 15%-20% at this current point. Things were much scarier back then, even little Elewyn.

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>>5542810

Embedded in the sea of malice and flesh exists both an ally and islands of power that you thought lost to you long ago. However, the fiendish hindrances to your escape accumulate as a rising tide that encroaches higher and higher. Lingering within for one last message from Izurin threatens your body being tossed among the brutal waves and dashed upon the rocks.

Part of your former mana may have returned to you, but you still pull yourself to higher ground.

Relying on Quon’s depleting hold on your body, you swing your legs toward an anchoring spot on the branch. Just as the last of the young Elin’s strength gives out, your thighs roughly contact the frigid branch and clench tightly to secure the rest of your body. You invert, skirt flipping over your torso, but at least you don’t fall.

It's only now that your lower half touches upon the tree that you realize that you lost one of your shoes to the swarm of writhing flesh creatures you watch hungrily stretching out in hopes of consuming you.

While the pair were in rough shape, you felt confident that they could be repaired, but any type of pairing would require you to dig pieces from the bellies of the flesh snakes. Ahh… you’ll need to take on work when you get back to Velika for coin.

After a long sigh, you strain your abdomen to bring your free hand closer to the branch, and finally reconnect your upper half to the tree and turn your body to rest upon it.

“What the hell…” Quon’s words are nearly breathless as she recovers, carefully rising back to stand. “If all that smacking into trees is going to make you pass out, then why did you do it in the first place?” She quietly admonishes you while holding tightly onto a branch for support, clearly shaken up from you nearly dropping. “You acted like you had everything together, telling me about your grand plans for all Elin, but then you go and almost die…”

Her words trail off as you and her both take notice of a sudden pillar of flame rising from the forest floor in the far distance and setting fire to the evening sky. The sheer distance and violence of which it stretches clearly demonstrates the volume of mana that was poured explosively into the spell. It flashes as a beacon of retribution against this cold land, but its unstable form soon dissipates in a cloud of embers dotting the sky with two-fold stars of orange.

>>5543609

The mana belonged to Alys, but the raw and violent way it was expressed reminded you of Ruby's turbulent mana.

Yet, the flame came from Alys, within Izurin's body. As fires tend to do, they illuminate much. While he still has much to learn, Luca is no fool to think such a spell could come from Izurin. This will be troublesome upon your return.

The nearby horde of flesh creatures react strongly to the display of power so abundantly antithetical to their profane existence. They nosily scatter in all directions besides the eastern source of their primal fears, leaving behind smears of crimson fluid and hastily ejected excrement.

Soon, the surge of commotion and the brilliant dispersion of sparks all fade, and the two of you are left in the cold darkness with now only distance keeping you from your target.

Between what you could catch of Izurin’s warning and that pillar of flame, you already know who awaits as the final obstacle to overcome on this long and sordid mission.

Much as you’ve done countless times already on this cursed excursion alone, you invoke a healing spell. However, instead of merely a warm glow of light, your mana appears in the form of down of the purest white. The pieces begin to coalesce into a feathery ball of light that bounces and swirls in the air around you with a palpable aura of heat that seeps into your body. Your wounds heal from this intermediate spell that has long been lost to you.

If this is what you’re capable of manifesting with your healing mana, then you know what other spells you should be capable of invoking. Not a moment too soon for the last enemy to come.

Confidently basking in the healing light, you turn to address the young Elin’s concerns for one last time “It wasn’t our rough traversal through the canopy that resulted in my lapse of consciousness. Nonetheless, no matter how painful, my wounds can always be healed.” Your fingers trace your arm where a harsh scrape is nearly mended and then settle to wrap around your wrist. “But that will only take me so far. Every mission I go through, I need reliable hands to help me, and I need to push myself to help in return.”

>>5543611

“Tch.” Quon’s dark gaze is fixed on the eastern horizon. She’s silent in deep thought for a moment before finding her words. “We’re almost there, aren’t we?... Good, I’ve seen enough. We can get on with the escape and I can finally stop watching you play hero.” She crosses her arms. “Because there’s no such thing; only idiots that think so because they’ve haven’t had it bite them in ass yet. Maybe you’ve gotten lucky so far with the people you rely on, but what are you going to do when one of us you're trying to rescue betrays you? What are you going to do when there’s an Elin out there calling for help, but it turns out that she was only trying to get you shoved into a prison hole instead of her…”

Her emotions caused her to get carried away and say more than she intended. Now she seems to be unconsciously conjuring dark mist around her head to hide her face from you.

So, that is how Quon and Haruei encountered each other before coming the share the same putrid prison pit. Luckily, Quon was level-headed enough not to object to Haruei's presence, but as you suspected earlier, there's a fair share of trauma that she's only beginning to work through. She recoils from your recent actions as they likely remind her of her own perceived mistake, and this might cause her to reject passage on the ship, or otherwise lash out, even to her detriment.

You know well enough of betrayal from your own kind, and what precious things it can cost you. But, that's an entirely different kind of betrayal that has been settled long ago, by your own hands. What will you say to this question, clearly stemming from her regrets, before you rejoin the others to face what awaits you?

______________________________________________________________________________________

Elewyn
HP: 9
LP: 15
Stamina: 5
MP: 43

>Indicate that the betrayal of one Elin wouldn't stop you from helping others in need.

>Tell her that you will deal with that situation if it ever arises, but she needs to find an answer of her own.

>Write in.

>>5543625
>>Indicate that the betrayal of one Elin wouldn't stop you from helping others in need.
"And yet I still came here, didn't I?"
"As for Haruei, you'll have to decide for yourself if you can forgive what she did out of desperation. I can't do that for you. No one can, or should."
Frankly, I'm pretty certain that there are few things out here truly capable of hurting Elewyn in any meaningful way, at least physically. Worse things have tried. They died at her hand, and they died tired. Not exactly how that expression is usually used, but hey, end result's the same!

>>5543625
>Scars are painful things, both on the body and the mind.
>I will not fault you for inaction, I simply have long term goals that are worth a betrayal or ten. Less than one betrayal a century is a rather good track record, in my opinion.

>>5543625
>>Indicate that the betrayal of one Elin wouldn't stop you from helping others in need.
"I'm still here" is a powerful statement. Actions speak louder than anything we could say.

>>5543637
There's generally always a chance of death. I'd imagine in ages past, Elewyn also had a larger support network to keep those worse things you speak of dead. Holy magic also isn't great at killing, outside of the things specifically vulnerable to it, like the Vamps or some of these flesh beasts.

>>5543731
Eh, I personally think you're underselling Elewyn, though I can admit that her ability to simply refuse to die may be currently diminished, similarly to the rest of her, perhaps more due to it being a divine blessing of sorts (I'll also take a bet here it very well could be part of those hidden skills for when her HP drops to zero. Best guess is constant LP regen, which would explain her massive pool compared to everybody else.)
In what we've seen, she didn't get, or ultimately need any help. She's...well, the gods' chewtoy at this point. They can't kill her, but everyone gets tired eventually. Everyone has to sleep. Sure, it can be countered, but they"d have to know about it.

But I agree we shouldn't risk it if we can, so I won't press for testing it or anything!

Heyo everyone, I hope that you're all doing well. I've gone ahead and made the changes to how the character sheets are displayed/archived in order to allow for reference to past sheets in a TOC format, and to hopefully not spoil anyone that might be catching up through archived threads. It's probably not without its kinks, so let me know if anything sticks out to you that might need fixing.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o_UUxh62Gj5_fMjlaRr5cn1BHBB3P8uLpnMy15XcJak/edit?usp=sharing

Anyway! Let's see what words we share with Quon before we finally catch up to the rest of the group.

>>5543637
>>5543638
>>5543731
We'll reply confidently that a betrayal wouldn't stop you from your goal of helping others in need. But you're aware of the scars that such things can leave on body and mind, so it's ultimately up to Quon to decide if she can forgive Haruei for acting out of desperation.

Nice, thank you all for your thoughtful responses!

>Writing. Update to be posted some time late tomorrow.

>>5544431
the docs are still private

>>5544433
I see that making copies of a shared document doesn't mean the copies are shared. Thank you very much for catching this, I think it should be fixed!

Heyo, just to let you guys know, I'll be taking an extra day setting up this next update because it's turning out a bit complex, and I need to head to bed early today.

>>5545619
As usual, it's not problem, and thanks for keeping us in the loop!

>>5545619
How's it going? I'm assuming something got in the way so I hope you're doing fine and that it's nothing too serious, QM.

Hey QM, hope you're doing okay. Honestly I can't recall the last time you went more than a day or two without an update or ETA, so I'm guessing something really big and possibly really shitty must've come up for you to go complete radio silence for almost two weeks now. I at least hope it's not a death in the family or something life-threatening, and that the QM curse hasn't actually put you in the ground.
I'll keep waiting, and archive the thread if you aren't back by then.
Honestly I'd also been sitting on a song recommendation since the Luca/Izurin bit right before the body swap, so I may just drop that in as well. Still, I'd much rather do that during the actual epilogue!
Also, I know some QMs here drop a quest for a while because reasons and would rather flake fully and let it fade than come back because the anons would be angry. You don't seem the kind, but I will say I would prefer you spell it out like you did last time rather than just leave.

Well, we're about to slide onto page 10, and I want to see if any other anons would like to say something so I'll do it now.
I'm well aware that this is probably much too formal for 4chan stuff, but I still want to give a proper sendoff to this quest in case this truly is the last we'll see of Elewyn, and talk about what I will remember it for.

You have not only created a constant source of enjoyment for the better part of a year and a half, but also fostered some of the most civil tactics discussion I have ever witnessed on this board.
The combat system has been a turnoff for some, but I consider it to be one of the highlights.
And even if we may never see it blossom, you have set up a great confrontation between Luca and Elewyn, a rare example of a conflict between protagonists that felt completely natural and with no easy answer.
Above all, you have gotten me and a few others to care. That isn't easy to do on here.
I should also mention being able to get us into the mindset of someone who definitely doesn't operate within human standards or within their timescale, a personal favorite of mine.
So, thank you Tides/Hien, for all the good moments I listed, and many more besides.

I did promise a song recommendation, so I'll link it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QSUUmLYCL4

It's about a semi-obscure RPG game called Oneshot. This specific song is something I discovered around the time of Luca letting Izurin go down into the pit, and I always associate the song with her enduring, almost naive determination.
Also, a comment linked the theme of the song to a writer's need to get their characters "right", to let them live in a way. This I think is even more applicable to quests. We, as a playerbase and a QM, only get one shot, one roll of the dice. No do-overs, at least not so far. We get to live with our decisions, and the losses we incurred from them. And that is necessary. Because no matter what has happened to you, I can guarantee the characters and story you have put out there will live on. I know you didn't care much about getting more players and liked the comfy atmosphere, but I'll make sure to direct people to this as one of the best pieces of questing on this board.

I won't make too many theories as to what happened, and again I just hope it isn't something too terrible, like a health problem or a death in the family. As tasteless as it would be to bring up the QM curse for something like that, I have seen it happen. And in case it is a matter of simply not being able to access/post on here, I hope you see this, either here or in the suptg archive, and use the revamped google doc to tell us that you're still alive, at least. If you checked the /qtg/, you'll know a few of us were worried. I mean, you kept us informed even when you went on a six-month hiatus, so we're all a bit concerned about what could cause such silence for an entire month.

In the meantime, I'll do my best to not bungle the archiving process!
Until we meet again...

>>5578355
I'll second a bunch of these thoughts. This tale has made me think a lot about immortal characters and how they'd actually fit into worlds that have moved past them.

This quest has absolutely been a source of joy for as long as I've been reading it, and I hope Hien someday returns.
It's actually inspired me to try running a quest of my own, elsewhere, and I hope to emulate his consistency of updates.

Returning or not, thanks for the story.

Seeing new replies to the thread got my hopes up.

I'll remember this quest in five years.

Hopeful for a return, thankful for what's here.

>>5578608
I enjoyed that aspect as well, and Elins being Elins definitely gave it a new spin.
Also, you have me interested. Do you want to name it here or would you rather not link it to this place?

>>5579441
Heh, I wish, but no such luck. I'm glad we gave this a proper sendoff, and that's a good way of putting things.