Sub-Turn 67.04:
Durst the Rock Seer"I will tell you more, but I feel you should awake your guard leader. There is trouble afoot. Monsters directly below us are fighting something, and the perpetually angry and suspicious lady has vanished."
You point out to Hertomal what you sensed. He lets out a surprised voice, before lamenting.
"Those hired adventurers can't even do their jobs right. THAT is why humans are such disappointing creatures, opposed to monsters !"
He doesn't bother himself waking them up nicely, as he shakes Gardo vigorously.
"Wake up your boys useless captain ! Durst the Rock Monster sensed fighting near the camp, and your cold companion has disappeared !"
"WHAT ?!" shouts Gardo in panic.
He hastily wakes up the other adventurers and they rush to the fighting location.
[3] They arrive just in time to see Vanessa fighting a group of Rocky Giant Moles. Gardo readies his cleaver like two-handed sword and jumps into the fray. The three other adventurers are not yet fully awake though, and stay above for now.
Gardo Roll : [4] vs [2]
Gardo lands on a Rock Mole, cleaving it brutally with his sword. The surprised mole lets out a scream of pain, as the blade penetrates deeply into its body. Blood spills out everywhere as Gardo pulls the sword out with force.
You hear the panicked yelling of the moles. The child is crying, his brother having been critically struck by Vanessa's blades.
"Brother ! Brother !...Hang in there !"
Enemies :
-Three Adult Rock'n Moles
>1 dying
>1 heavily hurt by Gardo's sword
-One Child Rock'n Mole
Allies:
-Dr Hertomal
Neutral:
-Gardo: In the Hole and battle-ready
-Vanessa: Status Unknown
-3 as of yet unnamed adventurers
HP: 15/15
MP: 12/12
Status : Mostly Okay. Memory Loss ?
ZoomochScoomtarto the Four-Eyed BeholderI Try to float directly up with enough force to remove those rocks...
[4] You gather your strength and focus your floating upward, hoping to get out of your rock prison. A small boulder serving as a keystone for the whole cage slips out as you struggle, allowing you to free yourself.
Reinforcement Roll : [5]
You hear creeping sound behind you. As you turn back, you see Glar the Mind-Devourer, he must have heard the detonation. He muffles something, but you can't understand it.
Anyway he immediately understands the situation and attacks the Magalime.
[1] vs [1] Glar fires his Mindjack Neurocord toward the Magalime after getting closer.
Sensing the attack, the Magalime fires a hurried bolt in panic toward his aggressor, but fails to aim properly. The bolt fires upward and make a part of the ceiling explodes, which then comes crashing on it.
The Neurocord glances on the rock and is redirected toward the Algyniad ! Glar's friend is promptly stabbed by the Neurocord.
T. Magalime Roll : [5]
The tentacled being emerges wounded from the rock debris, and enraged. Charging its tentacles left with electricity-element, it lashes at Glar and his friend.
Glar:[1]
Friend:[5]
Glar tries to take his Neurocord out as the Magalime comes rushing toward him, he fails to do so, and can't dodge the incoming attack. Taking three electrified tentacles at full force, he is sent slamming on an upward stalactite and the Neurocord is severed.
Glar's friend nimbly dodges the tentacles despite bleeding from the Neurocord. It even manages to sever two tentacles in the process.
Algyniad Roll : [5] vs [1]
The Algyniad rushes forward, still dodging the attacks and lacerates the Magalime with four long algae sharper than a sword. The monster tries to defend itself by releasing a point blank bolt of thunder coming from its eye, but the Algyniad dodges the attack and inflicts a slash that makes the Magalime reels in pain.
The bold continues upward, making a huge rock stalactite falls upon it, impaling it.
The Algyniad comes rushing at Glar's help, not before absorbing the Magalime's essence. It then gives half to Glar.
Enemies:
-Tentalant Magalime: Defeated
Neutral:
-Blue Algyniad: Badly Wounded/Algae Mass Greatly Reduced
-Glar the Mind Devourer: Heavily Wounded/Neurocord Cut
HP: 9/17
MP: 3/17
Status:
-Internal Injuries
Roeway the Hell Wolf Find a hole to hide in and sleep
[4] You manage to find an abandoned lair nearby, and rest there.
You recover 3HP
You are no longer Exhausted
Your Leg wound is better
You wake up ready to resume your journey.
HP: 10/10
MP: 10/10
Status:
-Leg Stiff, minor pain
Ulkas the Sorcerous Osyluth of LiesUlkas signed in relief. Not only Astrosa forgave him, she also listened to his words. Of course, questioning part went a bit different from what he envisioned, since first question was meant to take Astrosa mind off the second one, but it worked out in the end - well, mostly.
"I, too, think that revenge would be rushed now. But this does not prevent us from sharing information and planning ahead, so that we'll arrive prepared in the end, isn't it? So, let's begin with this 'emerging demonic society' thing. When I were in Hell last time, this term was yet to be used. Can you tell me more about it?.
[First, here is what you know about last Demonic Society]
Demons were amongst the most organized monster species of the world. It didn't mean they had a complex and model-like society as humans. No.
Last you knew, demons lived in tribes and clans, always waging war against other groups to vie for territory. Also demons avoided the surface, as for some reason those who stayed too long outside ended up debilitated and turned feral. Only the strongest could resist losing their minds, but still ended up greatly weakened outside.
You were part of a pretty standard tribe of demons. Managing to survive the harsh conditions of the infernal realms despite only being a black imp, you eventually decided to leave. [GM note: Infernal Realms are not another plane or dimension]
The strongest demons were warlords, with great clans and influence. Also, you remember that there were some kind of "Great Demon King" title, given to the strongest demon. He was self-appointed ruler of the infernal world and gathered powerful allies. The last Demon King name was named Briseflame.
You explain what you knew about Demonic Society as a whole. Astrosa listens well and answers :
"You must have left before the huge change occurred then. I will have to start from scratch then."
Then she begins her story.
"As you know, "Old" Demonic Society was a hugely divided and merciless anarchy. But it all changed a year ago, when I was still a...prisoner.
Anyway. As you know, the main reason the Infernal Realms was in such a chaotic state was because of the huge number of demons for the too small territories of the underworld. And no one could leave the Infernal Realms, as one would inevitably lose its mind and become a mindless beast.
But a year ago, the strongest demons suddenly felt a change. For some reason, they felt the outside of the Infernal Realms would no longer destroy a demon's mind. Each Warlord quickly sent scouts to verify the claim, and it was confirmed demons would no longer lose their minds in the outside.
This sudden change solved all problems of the Demonic Society. Now no longer confined to the Infernal Realms, demons would no longer have to fight for land. As such, the strongest of the Demonic Society joined together to form the "New Demonic Society", the Neodemonium.
Of course, the unification wasn't met with full approval. There was an initial period of intense war, where all opposition to the unification was eliminated. It set back the Neodemonium plans by a few months. Now, it is different. Finally united, the demons intends to colonize the surface."
She pauses for a moment and continues by explaining the new hierarchy :
"The Neodemonium is still based on strength, but everything is more organized.
The demon that stands at the top of the Neodemonium is still called the Demon King. The position is no longer occupied by the old Briseflame, the new King is named Noirdesastre.
Under the King are the 10 Demon Lords, each of them commanding a Legion. I know of only four Demon Lords : Malderuine the 2nd, Immondeuil the 5th, Morterror the 6th and Devorio the 9th."
She then goes on to explain more about the object of her revenge :
Malderuine...is one of the second Demon Lord of the Neodemonium. His Legion mainly gathers physically very strong demons, and he himself is rumored unbeatable in direct battle. With great justification, as his strength is probably the greatest of the 10 Demon Lords.
I... seriously didn't see any weakness in him, having seen him crush countless challengers. His sole weakness seems to be his overinflated ego and pride. But in battle... I have seen him shrug off spells that would kill a demon instantly, overpower mind control or illusions with his pure mind, and obliterated many with one attack."
She pauses a bit to let you process everything.
HP: 19/22
MP: 36/36
Status : Okay.
Companion :
-Astrosa:
Stormslayer the Aradian Mirage Beetle Mystic Now is the chance! I surge forward, using my adrenaline rush to boost me further and tackle the medic before dragging them off, dead or alive. I mentally give the soldier orders to remain unconscious until dark, and then get the gates open again provided he is still alive.
(Ashbloom is not present.)
[3] Despite being in prime form, you manage to bring out a bit of your Adrenaline Rush to give you a boost of speed. You surge forward, emerging from the dark forest and closing the distance.
Humans roll : [5]
The soldiers you are rushing toward notice you clearly in the night because of your size and unusual color. Immediately they ring some sort of loud object, as a signal of danger to the attention of the Fort.
"Unidentified Monster ! Retreat for now !"
Furthermore, though you didn't know, night sorties are monitored extremely closely by the humans. From the watchtowers of the Fort, scouts equipped with magical googles keep watch of the surroundings, especially when soldiers are sent outside. They know night is not their ally when in foreign territory. As such they act with ten-time more prudence when acting at night.
The group retreats immediately, with an incredibly strong soldier managing to carry the body with one arm and running fast. From the Fort, you see strange lights and signs at the watchtowers level.
Long-Range Spells.
Dodge Roll : [6]
A beam of red light shoots upward, disappearing in the clouds. Then it suddenly comes crashing from above on your position after emerging again from the clouds.
You dodge the red explosion narrowly, and the wind blast makes you lose balance, exposing you to a future attack and allowing the humans to escape further.
You hear the heavy noise of hundred running steps. You look back and see the Sylvarians emerging from the forest, launching their offensive.
(...)
You remember the war meeting of the Sylvarians. A front force composed of Sylvarian warriors specialized in defensive tactics will rush at the Fort to draw fire from spells and arrows. In the meantime, the most mobile and stealthy assets of the army will try to execute a sneak attack on the flank of the Fortress.
(...)
The battle is about to begin. What will you do ?
Allies:
-6 Sylvarian Scouts
>3 Stunned and on the ground
-Sylvarian Army: Attacking
>Front Force
>Special Ops Force
>Main Force
Enemies:
-Human Group: Fleeing, good advance
-Human Army: Garrisoned
>Watchtower Scouts
>Watchtower Battlemagi
>Main Army
HP: 24/24
MP: 19/19
Status : Stunned
T946 the Security Bot I think that i ought run away
Flee from the armored golem
[4] You wheel back out of the corridor, and the construct immediately stops pursuing you. It must be protecting the area.
You wait a bit for your reparation to kick in.
You recover 1HP
The large Crustiliac explains to you :
"The metalwatcher everstands forth, allbarring the path there. No fellowclaw knows what lie beyond this passage."
HP: 13/15
MP: 12/12
Status: Left Arm [Taser and E. Pistol] Disabled
Snehk the UnseenDisappearance, help humans at left, them attack front enemy forces from the flank (claw attacks).
[1] You suddenly disappear, shocking the humans in the cart.
You lose 3MP
You head for the left side invisible, intending to operate a sneak attack on whoever is attacking the caravan.
You release your claws, and approach a nearby humanoid figure. It is armored and wielding a sword.
Then some clouds move apart, letting some of the moonlight go through, revealing your enemy...
...An horribly disfigured and wounded "human". Bit of flesh are pending out of the blood-stained armor, and its skull is visible through the lacerated skin. It is an undead.
The attackers are undead warriors. You spot 4 undead soldiers left on the left side.
As you lunge forward to claw the rotten swordsman, it suddenly turns toward you and stabs you with its sword, despite you being Invisible.
[2] Surprised by the attack, you fail to dodge or deflect the steel sword. It ends up stabbing you in the shoulder, tearing apart flesh, muscles and ligaments. How could it know you were here ? An undead doesn't see or smell : it senses the lifeforce of living beings and possesses some sort of super spatial sense.
Left Arm Crippled
You lose 5HP
[1] vs [6] You attempt to claw at the undead who is in range of you. And you are astonished at the speed and precise movements of what should be a mere corpse. It jumps backward, pulling the sword out and making you fall forward because of the pull and your own momentum. Your wound spills blood now that the sword isn't lodged there anymore.
You lose 2HP
You fall on the ground, open for a future attack. But the undead swordsman made a too wide leap, arriving just in front of a human soldier.
[5] Once again, the undead deftly avoid the attack by parrying the incoming sword, even knocking the soldier on the ground.
Human Soldiers Roll : Left:[4] Right:[2] Back:[5]
Unknown Figures Roll : Left:[1] Right:[2] Back:[3]
F: The Front attackers progresses further. They have now reached a civilian cart and are beginning a slaughter. You can hear the terrified scream of the defenseless, and panic eventually spreads through the whole convoy.
Civilian Roll: [3]
A few of the civilians under attack manage to flee into the wilderness. The others are mercilessly killed.
L: The tide has turned at the left side. Before you arrived, the two soldiers left managed to fend off and beat their opponents despite being outnumbered with impressive skill.
Loss U-1d6: [2] Two undead soldiers are eliminated. There are only two left, amongst them the skilled undead swordsman.
R: The battle on the right has entered a stalemate. The figures are acting more carefully.
Loss H-1d6/2 U-1d6/2: [3]/2 [2]/2 Two human soldiers are killed with the one that was wounded included. One figure is eliminated.
B: The rearguard manages to recover their senses, and realizes the incoming group of soldiers is not part of the enemy. Seeing their own raises their morale, as they believe reinforcements are arriving.
Loss H-1d4 U-1d6+1: [4] [1]+1
It seems the moral boost was a fatal occurrence for the humans. They fell right into a trap sprung by the figures, and the three soldiers left disappeared screaming in pain in the night, taking two figures with them.
Allies:
4 Human Soldiers (0, 2, 2, 0)
Losses: 16
Enemies:
Undead Soldier (?, 2, ?, ?)
? undefinable figures (?, 0, ?, ?)
Losses: F0 L4 R4 B8 Total:16
HP: 13/20
MP: 6/14
Status:
-Suspected by humans
-Left Arm Crippled
-On the Ground - Open for attack
Gray the Metalslinger and Glint the True Arcanivore"All the humans we've met so far have tried to fight us. Maybe there are some good ones out there, but we'll never find out if we aren't strong enough to fight the bad ones. But speaking of getting stronger, my other half found some multicolored crystals in the vein. Maybe we can get essence from those. I'll try to bring some back."
If there are plenty of crystals, eat my fill, then Engulf some of them to carry back to the others. Don't digest the crystals I engulfed, though. If there aren't many, eat a couple then Engulf the rest and head back to the group. Preferably by eating through the dirt to them. Or overland, if it's clear.
Rest & recover while Gray does his thing.
While Gray is rustling about something, you just wait in a safe place with Vagush and Tirim.
[6] You fall deeply asleep, and so does Vagush. Both of you heal your wounds and recover your energy.
You recover all your HP
You recover 10MP
You are asleep
You begin dreaming. You remember the crystal steppes. How you miss them, the reflected light of the sun on the quartz structures, shining and brimming like thousand mirrors. In your dream, you also reminisce your life back there.
How was your life before your adventure ? Did you live alone ? With your fellow kin ?[Dream sequence to expand on your backstory if you want. Just to keep you busy while Gray does stuff. And if what you say seems too farfetched, we will just say it was "all just a dream"]
Gray:
[GM: I assume here that your main body is staying back, while the half is engulfing crystals. Correct me if my assumption is wrong]
[6] Your half eats some elemental-energy dense crystals, absorbing them. As a result, the contained energy releases violently in the half body. There is another short burst of elemental energy, badly damaging the half.
Half loses 5HP
Half is elementally charged
Because of its reduced size, the half can't carry as much crystals as intended. Eating through the dirt will take a moment, enough for Glint to finish his nap.
[GM note: Do note that Gray can't convert Elemental Energy into Essence, as his body isn't optimized for this. Upon next transformation though, the Elementally Charged attribute may grant him free Trait or Skill. Guaranteed if it absorbs more crystals.]
Brown is waddling around. Playing with Tirim.
In the meantime, I presume Gray rests a little.
[2] The link prevents you from resting properly.
You recover 1HP
Glint :
HP: 21/21
MP: 23/25
Status:
-Asleep
Companions:
-Vagush: Asleep
-Tirim
Gray :
HP: 9/20 - 3/8
MP: 14/14
Status:
-Split in Two
-Elementally Charged
Companion:
-Brown
Caedan the Bloody ImpalerAs they distance themselves from the guard post, Caedan quietly talks to Ramas, so that no one else hears. "As much as I'd love to stay here for a while and observe humans, I'd rather not have any more close calls like that. Do you have anything you'd like to do here or shall we head out?"
If Ramas would like to do something while we're still in Eastarm, we do that. If not, we're back to going west.
"To say my goodbyes to Firande. After that, I will follow you. I don't want to die, nor to kill a human."
So be it. You follow Hark to the clinic, and wait patiently in a waiting room. Simple but rather crowded, which makes you feel uneasy. You observe the room in the meantime. Made of some rock bricks held together with some white substance. There is a round carpet on the ground with some pretty patterns, but nothing outstanding.
You stay like this for a whole half an hour. You wonder. How would you feel if you had to part with someone you held dear.
Urg. These memories are coming back. Manor...maid...friends... You feel sadness.
You shrug off these distant memories. You are not even sure those are true, but it feels so... so vivid.
Firande's Decision : [5]
Ramas eventually comes out of the room. To your surprise, he is not alone. The young girl with clear brown hair called Firande is accompanying him. You can't help but be surprised.
"What happened ?"
"I told her everything. My condition. My decision. And event hen she..."
"I made my own decision. I will follow you, no matter what you tell me. We lost everything back then. You know I have no one left, they all died in front my eyes... I choose to stay by your side, even if it will lead me to a dangerous path."
She tells this heated answer in front of all the waiting patient, who feel embarrassed by such conviction.
"I told her that the decision lies in you, and she agreed. If you refuse her presence, she won't follow us."
Despite him saying that, when you look at her eyes... you see so much determination it frightens you more than it makes you feel respect.
HP: 21/21
MP: 25/25
Status: Okay
Companion:
-Ramas: Okay
Dahak the Fear Lord((:v i thought the corruptor died after dissolving into dust. I'll just assume it died for now))
YIIIISSSS
You have no idea where that song came from, but ITS PRETTY AWESOME so you dont care if your mind ocasionaly throws random stuff at you.
Looking around, though, you realized you nearly got trashed by the corruptor spirit thing. Delinde is partially disabled and exhausted, Nihil is still busy emulating a headless chicken, and seems a bit thinner now. Things are prob going to get scarier from now on.
Welp, I assume that was the spirit thing you wanted to deal with? What the hell was it doing with a corruptor? Not that I'm complaining, but I didn't think the invasion would be so widespread already :v
Not getting an immediate answer, Dahak decides he should prob find a safe place to rest soon.
Anyway, better get you dweebs to some place where we can rest. No stealing produce this time
Put Delinde and Nihil on your shoulders, find a safe place as stealthly as a huge skeleton can.
You throw the unconscious Nihil on your shoulder like the useless snotsack he is, and approach Delinde to do the same.
"Hey hey Dahak, I'm wounded and bleeding... Be gentler than with Nihil please."
You try your best to lift her with gently and put her on the free shoulder. Then you head off toward what you hope will be a safe place for a very tall and big skeleton.
[2] You find no such place, to your dismay. The place doesn't feel safe nor stealthy, with spirits wandering around close. You hope it will be okay.
From afar you see smoke rising in the sky, coming from behind a hill. Judging from the color of the smoke, the fire must have extinguished some time ago.
You recover 3HP
You recover 6MP [Spirit Grounds]
You are Not Stealthy at all
Delinde:[5]
Nihil:[5]
By some sort of strange miracle, Delinde's wounds heal incredibly fast. Even she is baffled. Nihil also wakes up, feeling better physically, but know his pride has managed to reach the bottom of the abyss and dig in said bottom.
HP: 15/21
MP: 18/25
Corruptor Core Expansion : 60%
Status:
Wounded and Skull Crackled
Not Stealthy
+6Essence to add to next Annex
Companions:
-Delinde: Miraculously Healed
-Nihil: Miraculously Healed but still Useless
Author
Topic: You are a Monster RTD - Epilogues (Read 300542 times)