Phantasmagoria — Ewigkeit in Wiedergeburt




Still under Parou's strict guidance, the Witchy Witches continued to execute their plans somewhat flawlessly.

Despite Seia's efforts, the Bone Giant did not seem to yield as piece after piece broke off it as the golden sword strikes connected — seemingly moving by magic alone. One could only wonder what more damage it could have done if not for Parou putting the aim of its bow off-balance, before Seia truly finished it off with one last, connecting, blow.

Nonetheless, without the feeling of pain or the need of muscle tissue, the 'Archer' had been a dangerous foe even up close, and before it truly crumbled still managed to slap Seia into the rocky ground. It had certainly way less power behind it than one would expect, a last ditch effort mayhaps, but it did its job. For mere moments after the countless stinky, rotten, monsters and human-sized skeletons swarmed the Praetorian. Like a lump of flesh that was thrown into a shark pit, the only solace being that despite countless hands grabbing her, the monsters seemed to obstruct themselves in their greed to fully commit to the cause. There was still hope.

In the meanwhile, Melora had no problem dispatching the other Champion's dirtied armor into tiny bits and pieces without as much as a trace... clearly it just looked intimidating!

One of the cultists did not fare better. If anything, one had to call em either foolish or brave as it made no efforts to dodge the shadowy blades piercing barrier and its body. With the robe now stuck between a sword and a hard place, a black cloud of dust seemed to evaporate from withing its clothes, leaving whatever had once given volume to the robes empty.

The other cultist, however, fared way better. While a bunch of metal did indeed put new holes into its clothes, it did not seem to falter as its chanting became faster and faster...

"...T̨e͢hua̷t͞lk҉ā̕ sḕ ̵w͞ēy̶ y̛o̷lokāyot͝l̢ ҉ā̧xno t͏lá t̨e̢h̶uat͞l͠kā̛ t͜lahtolkuē͡pa̡ ͢i̷ǹin!"

...

Aurora in the meantime did what she was the best at. Screwing up within scope, as quickly as everything started to glow in one moment, it stopped in the next. And in the following moment she seemed simply gone.
Someone, anyone. Please, help! It hurts. It hurts so much. Make it stop.
Instead, the remaining Witches - with the exception of Melora - were suddenly granted a droplet of compassion. A weak, fleeting, feeling that went as quickly as it came. A small urge to go and help. Who? They didn't know, but for those who held onto this ever-so-small emotions could feel themselves drawn towards the Southwest.

Melora, on the other hand, could feel a dark gaze upon her. The piercing gaze of a predator that was beyond her pitiful, mortal, comprehension. It felt terrifying. Not unlike her experience with the Manablight, but much, much more alien. It was as if—

—it was as quickly gone as it happened.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for Melora, however, except maybe confusion. Confusion at the fact it seemed like everybody of her fellow Witches had just skipped a moment of movement. As if watching a magi-movie and someone took out maybe 5 or 10 magi-frames of content! Maybe just her imagination.

Aurora was gone (At least Rune was still around!) Another Shockwave from Sector 4. Dark dust gathering around the base of the towers. Seia in danger. The Undead horde barely thinned.

There was so much going on!
But they had all time in the world, right?

gdwpWGj.png


A rough map of how the Singing Rocks are segmented, for the sake of the mission, with the currently available information.
  • Wads of smoke are coming from Section 4
  • Lemuria-Senpai noticed you!
  • Weather Forecast: Treacherous wind currents
Environmental Hazards
  • Treacherous Wind Currents
    • Staying airborne takes an additional Magic throw that requires 1 progress.
      • Does not count towards the one-action-per-turn limit.
    • Staying airborne keeps you safe against Lemuria Horde!
Threats
  • Onyx Tower I — >>>MISSION TARGET<<<
    • 0/12 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
    • Extra progress may be earned through coordinated effort
  • Onyx Tower II — >>>MISSION TARGET<<<
    • 0/12 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
    • Extra progress may be earned through coordinated effort
  • Onyx Tower II — >>>MISSION TARGET<<<
    • 0/12 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
    • Extra progress may be earned through coordinated effort
  • Shadow Cultist A
    • 1/2 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
    • Magic Defense Type C
  • Lemuria Horde
    • 7/30 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
    • SWARM-type enemy: 1 progress equals 10 monsters
    • Fodder


  • You may make multiple posts but are only allowed one dice-action until the next GM update.
  • Make sure to annotate your post properly with what actions, and dice results, you made.
  • Your roll does not amount to anything until posted.
  • Enjoy and go Wild!
  • Seia has some special instruction on Discord.
  • Aurora has some special instructions on Discord.
  • Melora has some special instructions on Discord.
 
There were so many of these fodder monsters. It was easy to see the scale of all of the beasts from above. But, here on the ground, and being face to face with this gathering of unholy and despicable abominations. Every other part of Seia. Her heart, her primal instincts, her body; all telling the Praetorian to run. Run as far away from all of this. Live and never have to put herself into something like this again.

Still, these monsters had to be taken out. From what Seia had seen, most of the other major targets in this battle was gone. Assuming that this exchange would defeat the rest of those - that left the Lemuria that were rather generously scattered around this area as the only remaining targets of danger. If they could take the rest of these threats out, then surely taking down the three obelisks would be straightforward!

Seia felt like this was the point in the mission where everything could possibly go wrong. She still had her reservations about her team. About their intentions, and their ability to work together. But, this wasn't the place to be giving up on them.


She'd put her trust in them. Seia with some hesitation hoped her doubts would be disproved.
This extra bit of effort would allow this contested area to be cleared and taken!


The greedy monsters had bottlenecked themselves in trying to reach Seia. This allowed for a single strong attack to hit all of them at once! She charge into the zombies who in-turn, seemed to engulf her...

Seia Rolls Attacks Lemuria Horde With Force (4)!
4d6 = (1+6+6+1) = 2 Progress Against Lemuria Horde!


Scorched bones and pieces of some twenty monsters scattered high and far across the area leaving trails of smoke. A single merciless strike had destroyed them with explosive results.

Seia Breathed in. She held out her hand before the rows of zombies closing in through the void Seia's attacked had just cleared.


Not yet.
There was just one person she was doing all of this for. She wanted to see that person more than anything else.

Seia had always imagined her mother tearfully having to submit her child to be sent to the lower levels. Seia imagined her ribbon being carefully tied to her. The ribbon that she cherished so dearly. A promise that would someday unite them together again.

She would make it all come true.

The determination to see that through was what gave her courage.
She had to see mother.
No matter what.
She had to meet her someday.
Whatever it took.

The witches observing from above, and going into their next moves, felt a small anomaly come from Seia's general direction. Though in the heat of battle, and already engaged themselves, this was easy to miss.


Seia uses her Trait: [Follow Up] To Attack Again!
Seia Rolls Attacks Lemuria Horde With Force (4)!
4d6 = (2+5+2+6) = 2 Progress
Seia's Applies a Special Rule: Using 2 Vibrance to add four die to this roll, and gain 2 progress.
4d6 = (5+2+4+2) = 2 Progress + 2 Addl. Progress From Special Rule
Seia Deals 6 Damage to Lemuria Horde!
Seia's Vitality Decreased by 1.
Seia's Force Decreased by 1.



The Praetorian Swiped her sword along the ground. Forward, and towards the zombies. All it visibly did was kick up dust into the air.
Seia then tossed her blade into the air. She vanishes.


The violent sounds of flesh being rended apart, bones being snapped like twigs, and 'parts' flying in all directions as a swath was cut through a portion of the horde easily overcame the dull plop the sword made as if landed.

Her blade ended it's flight stuck into the ground far from where Seia had tossed it. In between was complete and utter carnage. Dozens upon dozens of zombies butchered faster than it took for the first piece of flesh to plop onto the ground with a sickening glup. All this was seemingly done in a mere blink of an eye.

As quickly as she disappeared, Seia inexplicably warps back in beside her blade. Plucking her impaled blade out of the ground, she returns skyward.

Seia Attempts to Return Airborne!
4d6 (3+4+3+6) - (Returns Airborne)



She wasn't without damage however. Engaging the Lemuria directly she did receive wounds. Those injuries were only further agitated due to her performing such an extreme maneuver. Regardless, a stony expression on her face revealed no duress from that fact even as she was visibly doing quick patch-ups of some cuts and scratches.

Curiously, one could barely register magic being used in that attack. Or, to be more accurate, not nearly enough magic to perform something like suspension of time, as the strike seemed to suggest. Going on the line of logic that Seia was a Praetorian - then it likely had to have been a ( Direct Intervention ) which any Good Praetorian would attribute to Seraph Augustus.


As she rose back up. She immediately noticed Aurora was gone even though Rune was still present. She glanced around, only confirming her to be gone and having no immediate idea why. Unless it somehow had to do with the glowing that engulfed all their foes just moments ago.
 
Last edited:
Melora was already scanning for the next big target when she heard...

"...T̨e͢hua̷t͞lk҉ā̕ sḕ ̵w͞ēy̶ y̛o̷lokāyot͝l̢ ҉ā̧xno t͏lá t̨e̢h̶uat͞l͠kā̛ t͜lahtolkuē͡pa̡ ͢i̷ǹin!"

She turned, but halfway through she could feel something. It was dark and angry and... hungry. It was reaching right past the mask... deep into her being and it found her... wanting. She couldn't see anything. It was slowly getting darker... and darker...

Whatever it was happened in the space of a single breath. When Melora blinked again everything was clear and gone. Had Aurora replied to her question? There had been some glowing and... then Aurora was gone. Rune was still up though. Maybe it was just a teleport spell. Melora had heard of some that put you between planes of reality, to keep you safe.

No matter, Melora had other matters to deal with.

With a deep, but still slightly shuddering breath, Melora summon large ice spikes. They sat behind Melora, until the incantation was done. "Strike down my foe with the frost of ancients."

A soft set of words, closer to a prayer. And the ice flew forward seeming to scream towards the cultist. However, just before it hit, Melora blinked and realized that she had been aiming for Parou the whole time. With a grasp and panic, the hastily burned up some of her magic to pull most of it out of the way, but the damage was done and the first had already hit Parou.

Her flight remained steady, but she found it slightly harder to focus on that.

All Melora could do was remain frozen in place. She didn't know how to apologize or even what had happened. She slowly moved her hands up to her face, silent horror clear.

"T-the Cultist did something to me! Kill it! Kill it kill it kill it kill it kill it.."
Melora kept spouting out the words. If she kept her hands close and covered, maybe then she couldn't hurt anyone else. Even if she didn't like Parou she'd never direct magic at the other girl. What if that had hit the others? What if she'd hit Parou without any time to deflect the other two spears of ice?

Parou was right about them being stupid. All that venom had been at the wrong person, though. Melora was the disastrous one of the group.

4d6 [Melora has had enough of that last cultist with MAG] = (2+1+1+4) = 1 progress, one MAG loss
3d6 [Mel stays Airbourne] = (6+1+2) = 1 progress, Melora stays airbourne

This post was made with apologies to: @ERode
 
Llj3KtQ.png


It was all going smoothly enough. Seia had proved competent enough that even though she was grounded after her clash with the bone-archer, Parou had no concerns about whether or not she’d be able to extricate herself from the situation. Melora, though she cared not for the Witch’s games, possessed enough power to practically vaporize the armored warrior as well, while Celestia and Eirlys’s magics were potent as well, one cultist instantly shredded while another was skewered half to death. With all that done, the swelling of magic gathered from Aurora would be enough to finish the deed.

They were on schedule, nothing in particular amiss.

But that changed soon enough. Like the weather, the competence of individuals were oft unpredictable, and from her own vantage point, high above in the skies, Parou could see just how things were falling apart. Aurora’s spell was breaking at the seams, fluctuations of chaotic energy running havoc as the fundamental foundations of her magic were being twisted, going awry. Her mind’s eye saw it all clearly, the vortex that originally swept out all over the horde now turning onto its caster. Before Parou could interject, could use her own magic to stabilize the spell, it burst, leaving nothing but particles of light where Aurora stood.

The silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes. Down below, Seia had turned into a dervish of swordplay, bones and rotten flesh bursting sky-high from the force of her bladework, only to be swept up by powerful winds and tossed out into the blue abyss below. Eirlys and Celestia were both on stand-by, untouched by the maledictions of the horde, while Mel-

Someone, anyone. Please, help! It hurts. It hurts so much. Make it stop.

It was for only an instant, but Parou did care, her violet eyes flickering Southwest.

So she didn’t notice the spear of ice until it was too late to block.

Instinct caused her to twist her body to the side, the magical projectile tearing through skin and cloth, flesh and fat in an instant. Icy pain raced down into ruptured blood vessels, Parou’s wings flickering as her concentration was disrupted by the surprise attack. She hissed in pain, felt the turbulent winds steal more blood from the open wound, but held her tongue. Breathe. Consider. Think. It looked bad, but it wasn’t deep. On a scale of one to ten, this was a three, at best. It’ll clot soon enough. She had more important things to worry about. And whatever that was in the Southwest was definitely Manablight now, or a similarly sinister force, capable of manipulating emotions and speaking into one’s mind.

She breathed in, a stoic expression settling in.

“Eirlys, finish your job. Celestia, give Melora a quick lookover. Determine whether or not she’s still being controlled by the cultist. If not, begin work on the pillar. I’ll deal with Aurora.” Quick and efficient. As it stood, they were disorganized, but it wasn’t bad enough to require them to regroup yet. Reconstructing her magical wings, feathers crystallizing into the air again, the Witch flew down over to Rune, gliding behind the Construct Historia.

“Rune,” Parou called, “Know where Aurora went?”

Rune swerved its head to face the voice, looking just a bit too excited that someone actually used its name. Once it had processed the question, however, Rune swooped its head left then right, searching for an answer. After a few seconds of this, it gave itself a quick hugging gesture, pausing to see if the (mostly)-meat-person understood.

Mute, huh? She’d just have to trust that this unorthodox Historia understood language then. That hug probably meant something, but Parou never won any games of Charade before, and was unlikely to do so now. “Thumbs up for yes, thumbs down for no,” the statuesque Witch spoke, demonstrating. “Is she alive?”

Rune threw a quick thumbs up.

“Is she safe?”

Followed by a shrug and a reluctant thumbs up.

Parou let out a breath. “Can she return here by her own power?”

Rune shook her head… before throwing a thumbs down.

“Then, does she still have a body?”

Parou got a quick shrug.

She narrowed her eyes momentarily. “Do you want Aurora to come back here?”

The question took a surprising while to answer. Her fist with the thumb sticking out started to tilt, but halfway up it had to struggle to complete the journey. It did eventually confirm a ‘yes’ though.

That was enough incentive for the Witch to act. "Stay still. I'll be using you as a catalyst then."

It was convenient that she was already bleeding.

Amidst the howling winds and the moaning rocks, Parou closed her eyes, the world melting away from her as she dug down deep. Spiralling into the abyss of her power, the lawbreaking energies restrained by all manners of tools and contraptions. Without hesitation, she pressed a finger into her wound, dying it red, before pulling out her first Restraining Pin. Like a bedsheet, her voluminous hair unfurled into a long ponytail, flush with a violet glow. Beads and paints colored the silver strands, while sunlight danced off the multitudes of oils and treatments used within. The wind swirled played with them, a myriad of scents made alive in that instant.

Instantly, Parou’s magic swelled, ballooning as ritual implements in her hair resonated and amplified the energy surrounding her. But this was no chaotic vortex, no all-consuming blaze. Even as it rose, it remained within her body, a zone of tranquility rather than might encompassing her. One hand reached out and placed itself onto Rune’s head, gentle but firm. Another hand extended to the side at a right angle, Parou’s own body shifting in accordance. Within her unrestrained hair, lavender spotlights illuminated the necessary materials: the blood of a gelded unicorn, dye made of the skin of a Golden Apple, an ashen ring beneath the Meerlight, and so many more. A starscape of magical regeants dotted her ponytail, while she positioned herself in the standard position of a summoner: an equilateral triangle with catalyst, summoner, and a space for the summoned to manifest in. In terms of catalyst alone, a soul-bound object like a Historia was plenty enough, but Parou didn’t take chances. There was always a possibility that Aurora’s body had disintegrated, or that the ritual would only pull her spiritual form into the present space.

If she only had two spells, she wasn’t going to waste one on the failure.

Dimensions flexed within the summoning circle that manifested around her, crimson script of an alien tongue emerging in space. Runic lines rotated around her like a gyroscope, and from the depths of her being, Parou pronounced the words of power that would enable a second spell to fuse with the first.

“Cantus Belschunt Yendare!”

A pomegranate expanded beyond her outstretched hand, beating like a living heart. From that heart-fruit, blood vessels shot out, entwining with bone and organ, while sinew and muscle formed over. It was terrifying and revolting, but Parou did not look away from her macabre craft. Magic was not built on rational thought, but on intent. As long as one’s willpower was strong enough, nothing would go wrong.

Skin crawled up over the uncovered flesh next, a healthy, flushed pink, before deep, purple eyes popped into the sockets of the skull, shown only temporarily until regenerating eyelids covered the gem-like pair. And from there, black hair streamed out, sitting shoulder-length.

She had reconstructed Aurora’s body.

Now, all that remained was…

“Answer the call of your split soul, your mortal vessel.
I evoke not thine name, nor thine power, but thine soul and thine ego.

Return, return, return.
To the place you belong, the world in which you persist.
I declare myself Conductor, Guidepost to the Stray Artist.

Aqiom Maztui Nezanc!”

A chiming of bells, a replication of an orchestration, and the crimson script shot spiralled up into the sky, a heavensent declaration, a beacon across space and time.

But only time would tell if Parou’s spellwork was successful.

Flight: 5d6 [5, 4, 3, 2, 1] = 2 Successes
Grand Magic: 10d6 [6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2] = 6 + 3 [Forte Bonus] - 1 [Interference] = 8 Successes
Cost: -1 VIT
 
Darkness.
Suddenly, Aurora found herself floating in a dark ocean of nothingness. Her limbs felt heavy — if she even had any considering she couldn't even move her head.
And then, a stinging pain. A sensation. For just a mere moment it felt like every brain cell inside her head burst violently open at once.

Beautiful.
The pitch black sky, or at least the direction Aurora assumed to be up considering it felt like she was lying down, was now basked in a translucent aurora of different colors. Five, were the number the girl could make out. Five colors she had never seen before. Five colors that went without a name. One of them more distinct than the other four.

It was also then that the girl noticed that color had, indeed, returned to her vision. While everything around her still lacked distinct shape and form, the body-less girl could now shift her field of view. A few clouds of color around her, surrounded by a vile purple.

Uninteresting.

For in the distance, between the bottomless pitch black pit below and the aurora skies above, the little girl could discern more colorful clouds. She could tell, for their distance, they were gigantic. And beautiful at that, too! Gosh, if only she could put a name on those newfound tints.

Her attention was quickly called elsewhere however, as she heard a voice. No, she felt a voice. A voice of unbelievable pain and sorrow.

Someone, anyone. Please, help! It hurts. It hurts so much. Make it stop.

Deja Vu? No.

It came from somewhere... there!

Quite close, compared to the landscapes of pure color, but certainly further away than the purple-tinted specks of color around her. And it was now at the latest that anyone would realize: She lacked an actual body.

It wasn't the first time Aurora had lacked a body, and it likely wouldn't be the last. The colors were new though. Pretty.

The mass of consciousness that was Aurora called out into the void, if one could call an echoing of thought patterns a proper shout.

"Hello...?!"

Seconds became minutes after Aurora had called out, the only other thought occupying her being the repeating cry for help, until...

"Mhm?" A different voice. Distinct, familiar, yet foreign. Not inside her mind, but seemingly all around her. "Aurora Avril." It sounded like a statement. A simple observation. "The Witch of Misfortune. How is it that you you ended up here?"

"Oh! Wow...! Hi! I didn't realize there was anything um... sentient... here..."

Aurora might've shuffled around awkwardly if she had any matter to shuffle around.

"Why the selective knowledge though? Most of the other ancient entities knew how I contacted them, but not my name. So ya know, it's kinda weird you being the other way around and all... NOT that I'm judging, I'm sure you're pretty smart in your own way. A lot of people think I'm kinda dense too. But anyway, I got here from uhh... a small mistake."

...

"Is the other one okay? She doesn't sound so good... though it's hard to tell the crying from the freaky laughs ethereal entities sometimes do, but I'm pretty sure that's a bad sorta sound, ya know. Is there anything I can do to help...?"

"An accident." A small pause. "Of course. How foolish of me to even assume otherwise. Ridiculous. Much too early." Was she sighing?

"Aurora Avril, you are not supposed to be here. Thus, your confusion is only natural, and it is not my duty to fix that. That only makes sense, does it not? Of course it does. Good, now that you understand..." With pretty much having said a lot of things without making Aurora any smarter, the pleading thoughts inside her head were still present.

"... I shall shift you back. Simple as that."

Aurora paused a moment.

"Mm, sure, I guess, if you want. It looks like Rune's handling it okay for now though, so there's no rush. Though I guess I could always come back if I tweak that spell just right... tricky, but I bet I could do it! I mean... I don't know if you get lonely, but if I was stuck in another dimension, I think I'd get pretty lonely. At least you have those pretty sky lights though. What're those called again? Northern lights? They really are pretty though! But still not a very good conversation partner! ...ya know, unless that's how this dimension works. Is it? Maybe the screaming is coming from the lights?"

She kept on going.

"Aurora Avril. You will NOT come back here — not in the foreseeable future anyway." The female voice interrupted Aurora with commanding strength.

"Alright. I shall explain to you in greater detail. So that even you may understand: At this given moment in time, there are more reasons to keep you... alive—" She went silent for a moment, maybe thinking? Taking mental notes? "—rather than letting you die. I can't guarantee that this still holds true on your next visit. Was that clear enough? Or would you rather have me reiterate and simplify it further? The next time you come here without having gained any more insight, you will die."

"Hm... I think I'd rather have you complicate it," Aurora answered fairly quickly. "I don't have anything against the simple stuff, but it gets old pretty quickly. Risking the big stuff is a lot more fun. But hey, back to the main topic, what kinda insight? I'm already pretty insightful... depending on what you're talking about I guess. And are we talking about like the full 'dead' death or that sorta 'half-death' Zwei Ningyo always talks about where your conscious wanders around and controls your body with those strand things...? I mean, I don't see any strings or anything so I assume it's number one, but ya know... it's better to be sure, right?"

"Aurora Avril. Do you always talk this much nonsense? I've already disclosed everything you need to know in GREAT detail. Stop wasting each other's time. We are done. My patience, and curiosity, with you is at an end."

"Gee, fine... you sound just like my Pyromancy teacher..." Aurora 'sighed' with a huff."You could at least tell me your name, miss 'spooky voice in the ether-verse with no time to chat.'"

"Aurora Avril. Are you mayhap somewhat de-" Her voice was interrupted as, just for a moment, reality around Aurora flickered — Overlapped. For just a moment, the various shades of colors were replaced by people. By Rune. The Aurora in the black void sky returning to its normal white blue. Only for a moment, however, as it turned back to blackness.

"Mhm. It seems like my assistance is not even required. Your fellow Questing Witches deserve more credits than I had given them." A period of silence followed as the instances of Aurora getting called back grew larger and more frequent.

"In that ca... I ..." She cut. "...ist you." And in! "Us..." It was hard to understand anything as Aurora was now pretty much found herself back in action. "..wisely."

The spooky voice in the ether-verse already more of a faint memory.


Rune wasn’t particularly happy being used as a catalyst. This dissatisfaction came out through a serious of silent glares and ‘hmpfs’ which were, of course, ignored as new-Aurora began to form.

Aurora’s new body began to awake, eyelids beginning to creak open ever so slowly. After a few seconds the process was snapped forward as Rune whacked her on the head.

"Aaawwwww darnit... I wanted to stay a bit longer..." she whined, immediately aware where she was and at least vaguely what’d happened. "Hey, my arm still feels a bit weird, did you maybe form it wrong, cause I ha— oooohhhh..."

A look of pure delight crossed her face as she squeezed her right shoulder with the opposite hand. With no warning whatsoever, Aurora had suddenly lunged forward and hugged Parou. "Thanksoyoumuch," she blubbered, half in tears while Rune quickly kicked a zombie off the rocky plateau before it could do any damage. Thankfully, Aurora’s hugs were as short as her attention span.

"Oh no! I burnt up all my adventuring gear with my other body! That was my favorite thermos..." Rune quickly fire-blasted another zombie off the platform.

"...I guess we can worry about that once we finish this room. Lesson learned: I’ll stick with the easier spells..... ya know, for today at least."

Raising an index finger into the air, Aurora flourished it through the air. It weaved an intricate circle of magic writing in the air, a slow process, but a sure and simple fireball spell just about anyone could cast with enough effort put into memorizing the patterns.

Moments later, the emblem shimmered into a red ball of flame which sat atop Aurora’s hand just waiting for a quick toss. Glancing around, she selected the one unique target that was actually threatening and appeared ready, when something odd seemed to grab her attention.

Aurora shifted her shoulder uncomfortably, chipper little smile slowly fading as a strange green disease seemed to travel down her arm and up to the hand holding the flame. In a mere second, it had morphed into a scaly claw.

"No..." she shook her head in horror... "nonononono...!!"

The fireball began to fluctuate; pulsing like a broken heart.

"Go away!" Was she shouting at her own arm? "Don’t make me cut you off again! I don’t need you; I can grow a new one whenever I want! Maaaybe I’ll even get a METAL one, like HER! You scared yet?! Great: so knock it off!!"

The fireball pulsed stronger and stronger. Before anything could be done, it suddenly burst into flames, enveloping Aurora and setting her completely on fire. Rune was swift to douse her out with its water cannon, but Aurora still released a shrill scream that echoed throughout the chamber.

"W-why...!? Why doesn’t it hurt...!?" She was already writing a familiar spell for a second time. Rune stepped forward only to be downright screamed at, "GO STAND OVER THERE!!" Rune instantly turned away and obeyed. With no delay, Aurora slammed an even greater ball of flame directly on the ground below her.

She stood in the blaze, waiting impatiently. The cloth fabric on her was quick to burn off, revealing a scaly set armor underneath where there should’ve been only flesh. Before there was even time to realize it was spreading, she was already completely covered.

"Pathetic fire...!! You can’t even harm a defenseless witch!?"

She began to mutter a quiet incantation with a deranged rhythm to it. Moments later, the flame exploded out of control, bursting into a striking blue inferno of unbearable heat. The rocky platform Aurora was standing on began to glow like a blade straight out of the forge and even sag downward a bit.

"Agh... it hurts...! It finally hurts! Haha.... hahaha....!!"

Flight roll: 3 Successes
Attacc cultist: (Disaster Witch Failure)
 
Focused on maintaining the delicate balance of Signa, Eirlys had little time for what was going on in the battlefield. She concentrated on the correct movements along with the correct symbols instead, moving her body in sync with a rhythm only she could hear. Her heartbeat hummed in her ear; whether from excitement or fear, she could not tell, but the feeling did not fade as she wound down from her spell. Sparing a few glances at the situation to make sure she got a grip of it, the Witch maintained a few ildle tracings of symbols so her Signa would fall apart - but the inaudible rhythm, along with the invisible guidelines were gone now, replaced with careful observation of her surroundings.

The battle was definitely going in their favour. Not only did Seia do a number on the Lemuria horde, but the more prominent enemies were also dying by the dozens, courtesy of Seia. They would clear the danger soon and-

A spear of ice blitzed by Eirlys, hitting Parou.

At the nearly the same time, she realised she could not find Aurora... and that Melora was the source of the ice spear.

What could have happened? For several moments, Eirlys' head filled with wild speculation. Horrible, horrifying ideas besieged her, making her almost lose track of her own Signa and then Melora called out her warning. The cultists had done something to her and just a second later, Parou ordered her to resume her attack.

With a grim nod, Eirlys returned her attention to the cultist, who had somehow survived, then redoubled her efforts. Flowiron came into existence around her, surging like a tidal wave. She did not even bother pouring it into form or arranging it artistically; whatever grip the cultist had on her team-mate, Eirlys wanted to shatter it as soon as witchily possible.

Eirlys attacks the remaining Cultist with Magic! [2,5,5,4,2,5] Two Progress and two Signa!
Eirlys stays afloat with Magic! [6, 5, 1] Two Progress!
 


Things looked grim. With the disappearance of Aurora, Parou promptly occupied herself in getting her back. Only to be attacked by her very own team-member Melora with icy magics. Ultimately leaving only three of the Witches to do the heavy lifting. With the last of the cultists quickly dispatched by Eirly's metal storm, making Melora feel normal(?) again, it was ultimately Seia's moment to truly shine.

A radiant aura, intense enough to burn half-a-dozen undead by itself, followed by a reality-bending, singular, attack. Too fast for the naked eye to follow, it was over before it even began. Over half the horde decimated in just a mere moment, anywitch could consider themselves lucky to not be under that rain of rot.

Nonetheless, it wasn't over. And as Aurora was given a new vessel of flesh, so too materialized a handful more Cultists from the loose shadows that had come from the tower. Initially combat ready, one observant could notice them hesitating for a moment.

Seia's divine Crusade.
Aurora powering up — at least in the eyes of the enemy.
And another shock-wave, carrying black-ish fragments from the location of the crashed object.

All these lead to the newly arrived Cultists dispersing as quickly as they materialized — their more loose forms drifting towards Section 2.

This left only the horde and towers to deal with... and a crazy going, scaly, Aurora with a weird tattoo on her face to boot! Clearly, after taking care of the remaining undead, they had all time in the world!?

gdwpWGj.png


A rough map of how the Singing Rocks are segmented, for the sake of the mission, with the currently available information.
  • Wads of smoke are coming from Section 4
  • Lemuria-Senpai is making a tactical retreat.
  • Weather Forecast: Treacherous wind currents
Environmental Hazards
  • Treacherous Wind Currents
    • Staying airborne takes an additional Magic throw that requires 1 progress.
      • Does not count towards the one-action-per-turn limit.
    • Staying airborne keeps you safe against Lemuria Horde!
Threats
  • Onyx Tower I — >>>MISSION TARGET<<<
    • 0/11 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
    • Extra progress may be earned through coordinated effort
  • Onyx Tower II — >>>MISSION TARGET<<<
    • 0/11 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
    • Extra progress may be earned through coordinated effort
  • Onyx Tower II — >>>MISSION TARGET<<<
    • 0/11 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
    • Extra progress may be earned through coordinated effort
  • Lemuria Horde
    • 25/30 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
    • SWARM-type enemy: 1 progress equals 10 monsters
    • Fodder


  • Make sure to annotate your post properly with what actions, and dice results, you made.
  • With the threats pretty much taken care of, you don't have to roll anything this round.
    • The Threats are just still listed for completion sake.
    • Without any enemy's around save some stragglers, you essentially can take your time and free-form/finish this Section up.
  • Your roll does not amount to anything until posted.
  • Enjoy and go Wild!
  • Aurora has some special instructions on Discord.
 
Last edited:
  • Spicy
Reactions: Luma
Objectively speaking, things were looking up for the Rune Squad. Most of the high level threats have been neutralized, leaving only a single Cultist and the cannon fodder.

Personally though, Celestia thought that the entire execution of it all was a mess... Seia was downed while fighting the bone construct, Aurora lit up literally like a human torch before vanishing without a trace, one of the cultists managed to make Melora go bonkers before executing some friendly fire on Parou. In short, things were going to shit.

There was a moment of hesitation for Celestia as she tried to decide which takes higher priority, supporting Seia, killing the Cultist, or find out what exactly happened to her friend.

As she stood by, contemplating her course of action, she managed to come to a decision to help Seia... Only to witness her go absolutely berserk on the undead horde.

"Huh, I guess you got that, huh?" she mused.

Next, she was about to attack the Cultist but Parou directed her to check on Melora instead.

Flying cautiously towards the green haired witch, Celestia tried not to startle her in any way to avoid provoking Melora to take any hostile actions. Then, with a calm, soothing voice, she begins addressing the anxious witch while cupping the Girl's cheeks gingerly with her hands.

"Hey there, Mel? Um... Can I call you that? Anyways, it's me, Celestia. Everything is gonna be alright, okay?"

There was a chance that activating a spell right away may be interpreted as a hostile action, so Celestia couldn't risk getting straight to business. She needed to calm Melora first to a certain extent before she could check for any mind tampering spells.

"Let's land on those rocks over there. They're too high and steel for the undead to climb and we should be out of spell range from any enemies."

Celestia gently leads Melora by the hand as the two witches slowly landed on a small plateau. After making some makeshift bedding out of a thin piece of cloth, she helps Melora to lie down.

" Good job, buddy. You didn't try to skewer me on the way. We're making so much progress! I mean, you must be practically freed from that nasty spell's effects. But you know that Parou's the type of person that likes to do things thoroughly so I still need to check whether you're back with us on the rune squad. This will only take a second. "

There was still a chance that Melora may see Celestia as an enemy and attack while she is checking up on her so as much as it pained her to do this to an ally, she can't compromise her own safety either.

After muttering something inaudible, several shadowy ropes erupt from the ground and then proceeded to wrap tightly all around Melora's limbs, waist and torso. While this may look like some inappropriately timed bondage play for some, such steps where necessary to ensure that Melora doesn't end up hurting her or herself during the process.

Before she begins the ritual, Celestia closes her eyes, slows down her breathing while at the same time takes long, heavy breaths, as if entering a trance-like state. Then she wraps her palms around the green haired Witch's head before lowering her own so that their foreheads would touch each other.

As soon as this happened, a searing pain could be experienced by Melora as she felt something invading her mind.

When Celestia opened her eyes, she was no longer at the Singing Rocks. Instead, the rocky landscape was replaced by a scenery filled with bones of all shapes and crystals of various sizes glowing with a corrupted radiance blacker than a moonless night. The same obelisks where there but at the center of it is an altar where a multitude of Cultists had gathered.

Laid before the Altar was Melora or at least the representation of her sanity and consciousness.

As Celestia drew closer to the Altar, she realized that all the other cultists did not take notice of her presence... All except for one.

"Ahh... I didn't expect to encounter a Mind Walker. Have you come to rescue your friend?" the Cultist taunted. "It's a bit too late for that, I'm afraid. Her will is strong, but all eventually fall into our madness. Even if my body were to perish in the real world. What's done is done."

Celestia stayed silent. Mind Walking is a dangerous ability. It gives the chance to recover the minds of people who have been afflicted with madness but it also comes with the risk of turning the Mind Walker insane as well. This had abruptly turned into a battle of wills and falling into the Cultist's trap could mean a fate worse than death for her and Melora.

Upon examining Melora's current state, she realized the truth in the Cultist's words. That meant the usual methods wouldn't work.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue, witch? Didn't they teach you to speak when addressed?" the Cultist continued in a provocative voice.

And still Celestia rained silent... Or it would be more accurate to say that she refused to acknowledge the Cultist's presence.

However, she began muttering something inaudible. Despite the fact that her usual methods won't be enough to treat such advanced stages of mental corruption, there was one simple evocation to cure a person's madness and defeat the foreign will invading Melora's mind.

The Cultist paid no attention to the Witch's murmurings, probably thinking that she, herself, was already succumbing to madness. But soon enough, he realized way too late what Celestia was doing.

"Rwy'n dwyn i gof enw'r Duw Di-wyneb, Ef sy'n rheoli meddyliau meidrolion ar fympwy. Atebwch yr ymosodwr sy'n tresmasu ar feddwl y person ifanc hwn a'i ryddhau o'r felltith! “

As soon as Celestia finished her chant, an otherworldly most manifested in the area, gradually enveloping the cultists one by one. Anything that came in contact with the mist was turned into black ooze. The ooze and mist surrounded the altar until only Celestia, Melora, and the last Cultist remained.

" You fool! You would dare summon the Crawling Mist her-" the Cultist failed to finish his words as legions of black hands grabbed hold of him, covering his arms and legs, torso, then finally his head. The hands melted back into black ooze which ended up entering through all the Cultist's pores and orifices. He opened his mouth, presumably to release one last, blood curdling scream but to no avail. A horrified expression remained on his face as his body became motionless... before his lips slowly formed a mischievous grin.

"Gahahahahahahahaha! It's always a delight when you summon me, child. There's always a treat waiting for me when I arrive!" the black figure that had once been the Cultist gleefully said to the witch.

"So, what brings me here today? I know for a fact that you didn't call upon me just to feed me this.... delicacy."

As she looked at the black figure, Celestia strengthened her resolve. Every time she encountered the Black Entity, she could feel an overwhelming amount of pressure. Truly enough her resolve to face this creature was the only thing keeping her alive during their encounters.

"You're right. I'm not exactly the Cultist type either to summon you just to feed you a sacrifice. I actually need your help with something!" Celestia replied casually like she was asking a favor from a friend.

"Kuhahahahahaha! Even the way you address me is most peculiar. The mere sight of me would make any mortal wish they weren't even born. Even the greatest of my followers address me with the highest reverence. But you... Oh it feels so refreshing to be done away with all those needless formality! Whenever I talk to you, it feels like I am talking to a friend. Tell me, little girl, are we friends? " The Black Entity asked.

" No we are not. You would never degrade yourself to befriend a mortal like me. " Celestia replied nonchalantly.

" Good child, you know your place. Had you answered yes, I would have devoured you right then and there. The only reason you are alive is because I find you to be most peculiar. While others who encounter me always reek of fear... You... reek of hope. Tell me, what kind of mortal looks Death straight in the eye with a sense of hope? "

“A desperate one." She admitted.

"Ding doing! Right again. You're slowly warming up to me, child." The Black Entity replied in a satisfied voice.

Celestia knew better. What it meant by her warming up to him was like a person seeing a cockroach that he decides to spare just to see what it it does.

" Right then, what do you require of me. As much as I want to stay and chat, I am a busy person after all. Does it involve this girl here?" It points to Melora still unconscious on the altar.

"Yes. She is afflicted with advance symptoms of madness and delusions caused by a maddening spell. I wish for you to relieve her of these symptoms and return her mind and sanity back to normal."

"Yes, this afflction is too much for your feeble spells for now... But.." The Black Entity snaps his fingers, still dripping with the black ooze. As if on cue, more of the black ooze seeps out from inside Melora and makes it way back from the pool still surrounding them. " Child's play for me. Now if that would be all, I shall take my leave."

The entity melted back into the black pool of ooze before receding together with the mist. Celestia opened her eyes afterwards and released Melora from her binds once she was certain she was back to normal.
She ended up staying by her side until Melora regained consciousness.

"Wake up, Melora. We got some obelisks to wreck."

" I evoke the name of the Faceless God, He who controls the minds of mortals on a whim. Repel the invader who trespasses in this young one's mind and free her of the maddening curse. "
 
Last edited:
Llj3KtQ.png

As the newly-returned Aurora popped back out, Parou thrust her own hand out, warding off the excitable witch’s spontaneous embrace. Rune, the Historia more competent than its Witch, warded off what undead got close, while Eirlys finished off the last of the Cultists, leaving nothing but the decimated horde. Seia was capable of cleaning that up. After that, they could focus their attentions on crushing the pillars.

Black shards rained down once more, another rumble rocking the floating island.

Parou drew in a sharp breath. They could still do it. Her own injury wasn’t that bad. Melora’s affliction was only mental, and should have been removed with the caster’s death. It cost half her magical power, but Aurora was healthy ag-

What the hell was this?

So soon after returning, the very first spell Aurora cast swelled once more, the convergence of magical energy making goosebumps pop up Parou’s arms. Immediately, white wings burst out from her legs again, kicking off the rocky platform they were all on. One magical disaster was curious, fatal, but a second, from the same person? Parou did care about this. What sort of witch did Melody convince to stay in the Squad? The flames burned blue, the heat burning through the turbulent winds before sucking it all back in like a vacuum. The lavender-haired witch covered her mouth with her hand, violet eyes narrowed, as from the flames, came a new Aurora. Scale-covered, a curious tattoo on her face.

Dragonblood? Or an evolution brought forth by the corruption around them all? The Witch recalled briefly, that there HAD been magical interference when she first cast her mapping magic over the area. Melora’s miscast may be caused by that same thing.

In that case...

“Aurora, calm yourself! Don’t cast magic from now on, unless absolutely necessary. Seia, Melora, Eirlys, physical attacks only. Take down the pillars with the tree-felling plan. Celestia, go check up on Aurora. I need an evaluation on her magical and spiritual state.” The orders came sharp and clear, as her own hand swept into her bag of reagents again. No time for a mapping ritual this time. She’ll use quantity to make up for the lack of a proper circle. A blue ribbon, woven from the hairs of a qilin’s mane, streamed through the wind. Moon-bathed sand streamed into the wind next, before a burst of white flame turned them into bits of glass, artificial gems that surged out into the sky. Pinching powderized kraken-slime, Parou drew the streaming ribbon back, coating it with the translucent material as it began to hum. It had stiffened now, and, drawing in a breath, the Witch resonated her own voice with it.

The scattered glass were lights, the symbol of illumination.

The ribbon was of the sky, the powder of the sea, while the resonation itself symbolized the singing of the rocks.

She poured her magic outwards, blanket this time, threads of mana strengthening as they followed the path carved by glass. The 5th Section, then the 4th.

There was a tense instance.

And then, nothing showed up.

Alright.

All empty.

Looked like whatever lesser lifeforms were in Section 4 had some degree of competence, at least.

Only Section 2 left. Melora looked fine now. Seia, Eirlys, and Celestia remained in top form. Aurora was a mess, but Rune seemed to be able to operate even without her assistance or presence. Parou, herself, only had a single Grand Cast left.

“Section 5 is empty,” Parou announced, letting the spent reagent slip away into the winds, “After we clear up here, take a ten minute break. We’ll head into Section 2 after.”

Who knew Melody would recruit her into such a mess of a team?

“Just a little more effort, Witches, and we can head home!”


Well, no, considering what had happened before, this might make sense after all.
 
Seia observed the happenings on in the wake of her own attack as she leisurely, but surely tended to the wounds she took from her clash on the ground. Wrapping some gauze around a scratch, she eyed the ground below watchfully. Not completely dissuaded from the possibility that somewhere down there, within that accursed and gnarled rocky landscape there may have been another 'special' type of foe who had yet to reveal themselves from the horde of Lemuria. That being said, the horde was most certainly now noticeably smaller in the aftermath of her apparent rampage through them.

Seia didn't immediately notice that Melora had cast Magic against Parou until she heard the former's frantic pleas to finish off the cultist. She turned herself a little in the air. Only seeing the aftermath.

That lone cultist made Melora attack the Squad Leader?

It should've been obvious that Melora wasn't aiming for the right opponent. Melora and her teammates were airborne, and the foe was down on the ground. How could she mess that up?

Despite the case of friendly fire. Parou continued to coordinate. As per orders, Celestia was tasked to look over Melora. This was fortunate. Celestia would likely be more forgiving than Seia would be over something like that - even if it was under the influence of a Cultist.



Parou was focused on finding out what happened to Aurora. After the quick exchange with Aurora's Familiar, she used that familiar in order to return Aurora's physical form into the world. It was amazing.


"This is the Magic of the Opera House..."

Watching as Aurora's form was recreated in midair. Seia's attention was temporarily fixated on the whole ritual as she maneuvered against the current. At the same time the other witches took their turns attacking. Though as the exact details of her reformation became apparent, Seia looked away as her cloaked tinged red.


Looking down towards the action of the ground, she felt a bit more emberassed as her team's attacks were getting denied by the last Cultist. He really looked like they didn't want to die.

But ultimately they were overcome. A final blast from Eirlys destroyed them. This sent the remaining Lemura horde into a complete rout. Clearing the area, and leaving only the Target Obelisks standing.

With the direct threats cleared, Seia descended down to one of the obelisks.

With no threats, they could now destroy these accursed objects without interruption. Seia sought out to destroy the one before her with a powerful hymn. One that would be normally too complex and long to cast in a battle situation, like they had been in this and the previous area.

Seia decided to cast magic. She had the time and peace to cast something that she normally wouldn't consider outside of the training area. It was best to get this over with quickly. The mission was not over yet. She had saved her magic up until now in order to take out the obelisks quickly. It was time to take advantage of that.

The Praetorian raised her blade. Pointing it into the sky. From above she heard Parou's order to refrain from using magic. But it was too late. Already, Seia was chanting.



"Oh powerful and flamboyant flames, I beseach thee."
"Before I, stands a tool of devious power."
"Assist me, make its makers cower!"

The lines of a casting circle formed out from beneath Seia. As the spell continued, a glowing luminous light began to trace over them as the effect continued to manifest.

"Burning fields and raging skies."
"Collapse this foe before mine eyes!"


A bright orb formed at the tip of the blade over Seia's head. It seemed to be drawing power into itself.

"Fires wick and tempest swirl."
"This destructive magic shall soon unfurl!"


Now, the orb began to swirl and fires danced out as if to escape - only to be drawn back into its tempestous core. The circular fiery form contiued to agitate and increase in magnitude. But seemed to be forcibly contained.
At the last moment, Seia's magical manifestation sprouted wings.


"Take this!"
"Impact PHOENIX!"



She swung her sword toward the obelisk. It took flight, rising into the air before diving into the base of the obelisk like a swooping bird of prey. A brilliant explosion rocked the obelisk. Drilling... or blasting an entire section of it's base apart.

Gravity took over. Disattached from it's base, the rest of the target obelisk fell and slammed into the ground - intact. Uprooted from the ground however, it's malicous resonation seemed to cease. Seia confirmed this as she approached the structure as the dust settled.

Pausing for a moment. Seia conteplated for a second. She then realized it:

"Hmm. Wasn't this was Eirlys wanted?" Seia tapped the obsidian with her sword. In this moment of respite, she was curious about the material.
 
Last edited:
The breeze blowing by was blocked by the mask. The passive purple glass seemed to unflinchingly watch over the damage Melora had cause. The exterior of Melora didn't match the interior world fracturing apart. It was all her fault. Her. The unwanted child, who made her own way and told herself she was competent.

Thus, she didn't even register that Eirlys had killed the Cultist, that Parou had dispatched Celestia to come to Melora's aid, or that at some point she'd stopped speaking altogether. Seconds blurred together. Moment to moment became a little fuzzy. It was all her fault. The next moment she was taking off the mask, holding it tightly as Celestia held Melora's face.

Melora slightly turned towards Celestia when addressed, but she wasn't sure what to do, exactly. She didn't feel hostile towards Celestia and even registered that Celestia was trying to help. However, when she'd tried to take out that cultist earlier she'd been so sure... maybe she shouldn't do anything, just in case.

"R-right. I'll follow your lead,"
Melora said. Mel?

This was all weird. What about dark magic allowed Celestia to check her mind? The lying down and all seemed pretty sketchy. Melora stepped back for a second, tightening her grasp on the mask. Celestia seemed to insist on this, and if that meant Melora wasn't going to lose control like that again... it was worth it. As long as Celestia didn't pry too deeply, then maybe Melora could continue her aura of mystery. Her life was private and no one else really needed into it.

Melora laid down, putting the mask over her stomach, where the weight was a comforting presence. A few deep breaths later, she was ready for whatever this was. Something grabbed Melora pulling her tightly into herself, constricting her movements. Panic started to set in, and Melora started to struggle. Her strength was almost nothing, but she still resisted. She tried to wrest her head from the palms of the other witch, and Celestia came closer and closer... Melora struggled harder and harder, to no avail.

Their foreheads touched.

No! No! Leave! No!

The cultists and bones surrounding the altar weren't seen by Melora's eyes. To her, it was all fuzzy. Her masked form laid on the altar, nearly entirely covered from head to toe by the suit and mask. The cape draped across her, it was as thought she was wrapping her true self up in layers of protection from invasion via cultists.

However, the cultists had not fully encroached because of a being wearing a black dress and a blindfold. It stood motionless, but if one twitched, her head swung around, causing the form to withdraw. However, it was still letting few gain ground. This was a tentative peace, and eventually they'd reach Melora. Judgement was waiting for Celestia to arrive since the moment that the other Witch had said she'd be coming.

Judgement said nothing, watching over Melora as the Dark Magic Witch arrived. Judgement didn't really get all this magic nonsense, she was far better at fighting. Melora knew more about this stuff, and even with a bit of Historia powering the golem, it was closer to having a sibling watch over you while you slept than having a doctor fix you.

Holding a conversation with the disease was pointless, but the doctor knew how to fix this and was already hard at work.

As the mist creeped in, Judgement grabbed Melora's hand and vanished with the cultists. When Judgement returned to the deck, Melora was just barely conscious enough in this dreamscape to see... an entity. Her vision faded in and out until Melora fell back asleep in this strange altar.

Her back hurt. The threadbare blanket only seemed to make the rocks even more pointed than usual.

"... Five more minutes... was having a dream 'bout black ooze."
Melora mumbled in a half-awake haze. "And Judgement, for some reason. Stupid golem. More useful in dreams than reality."

Melora sat up and yawned, putting her mask back on in one swift motion. Part of her wanted Celestia to never invade her mind again, and the other just wanted the comfort of anonymity. A wall between her and the others, which was what she needed to get her head back on straight.

"All right, just point me at those towers and the job'll get done."
Melora's tone said, 'confidence, calm' but as soon as the words were out, Melora bit her lower lip in worry that Celestia would dig deeper.

@Accelerator
 
Aurora appeared to be absolutely manic as the flames around her body illuminated the nearby rocks a bright blue. Completely disregarding what she'd just been told, she began to hum some sort of melodic chant horribly out of tune as the rocky platform she was standing on sagged downward, and after about a minute of this, she exploded, leaving no trace of her, nor the fire that was consuming her.

A few moments later, a perfectly normal looking Aurora, completely with human skin and a nice set of clothes appeared standing on the ground nearby, casually smiling as if nothing was wrong.

"Hey... why is my cheek so itchy..." she commented, scratching at a noticeable scar across her cheek. "Rune, come over here!"

Rune was relieved to finally leave the spot it'd been ordered to stand in, and happily hovered down. Aurora grabbed Rune's face and moved it around like a camera, closing her eyes.

"Ehh...?! How'd this scar get here? I don't remember ever having it..." Rune slapped Aurora's hand away to straighten back up and Aurora opened her eyes again. "It's kinda nasty........ Well I guess it's fine for now, I can always fix it later I guess. OH! Melora!"

Rushing over to where Melora had just been revived, Aurora bowed a quick apology bow. "I'm really sorry Melora, but I'm pretty sure the hot chocolate blew up with my body. Uhm... the first time, not the second. That was a little awkward... sorry you all had to see that..."

...cough...

"Aaaanyway, good work team! Let's finish off these towers real quick," Aurora declared, sending Rune off to slowly clean up the remaining targets.

@Karyra
 
More cultists arrived at the scene. Despite her distance, Eirlys could make out their distinctive robes, though not their exact movementes... So it came as a surprise when they immediately retreated. Only the horde remained, but they were easy pickings; without any form of defensive magic or really, any protection at all, they would fall by the dozens to any half-competent witch. Given this lull, Eirlys looked over the battlefield and saw that they did not come out unscarred. Celestia was taking care of Melora - the poor girl - and Aurora...

What in Arcadia happened to Aurora?

Was that even a magical phenomenon?! She changed completely, not to mention she was surrounded by an inferno and... Eirlys worried. Granted, that was like saying that a river flowed downhill, but still. At least two of her team-mates were hurt, one of whom had a penchant for causing trouble along with grand magical accidents. And the latter's skin just transformed completely! For a couple of moments at least, because then she changed back without warning or consequence, besides losing her clothes.

Alas, as much as she wanted to swoop down and examine the unfortunate witch, there were still two obelisks remaining. Seia had felled one, but with the way the teams were right now, she could not expect magical cooperation from everyone. But...

Eirlys did not need it.

Because if Flowiron was good at one thing, it was applying ludicrous amounts of force, given the necessary preparations.

Forcing herself back into the rhythm of Signa, Eirlys laced her fingers togeter in front of her throat, then slowly unravelled her grip before whipping her right hand to her side. A moment later she took a step backwards, ducking her head, and started a methotic waltz of preparation; literally in her case. Precise, elegant, methodical and seated within a slowly-growing fortress of Flowiron, Eirlys danced mid-air. Her wings kept her afloat, their beats becoming one with the rhythm she held. At the same time, Flowiron bloomed from her, symbols growing from her as though they were vines. They wrapped around the obelisks over the course of a minute or two, forming a series of interlocking, floral symbols.

And then, Eirlys finished her dance by bringing her hands together in a loud, resounding clap.

The obelisks did not stand a chance.

Grey metal slammed against their entire surface, balanced just right so their bases would crack and tip over. An overwhelming tide of endless material; even more so than what the other witches have seen Eirlys summon. However, she did not even look at the results of her labour; instead, she immediately zipped over to her two injured team-mates. Her lips pressed into a thin line, she first landed near Melora.

"A-a-are you all right?" she asked, worried as she extended a hand towards the girl in case she needed help. Of course, there was still the matter of Aurora but... As much as she loathed to admit, Parou was right. She needed to be examined just in case.
 
As soon as Melora pleaded for five more minutes of sleep, Celestia breathed out a sigh of relief. Summoning the Black Entity was always a gamble since it always acted upon its whims. The fact that Melora seemed to be back to normal meant that Celestia's gamble paid off but she hoped that she won't have to rely on its powers again in the near future.

"I know you have your reservations against what I just did... I know I don't want someone else snooping around inside my head. But desperate times call for desperate measures." She said in an apologetic tone.

"I assure you, whenever I enter minds to heal them I don't really see anything regarding the person. All I see is a representation of the source of the infection. As for the Obelisks... She had just pointed in their general direction when she saw Eirlys going to work with them... I think our Dear Eirlys already has a handle on those. "

With that said, Celestia stood up just in time to accomplish the next set of orders from Parou. Their leader was kind enough to not let Aurora become a statistic as she managed to reconstruct a body for her friend.

All seemed well and Aurora was back to fighting the last Cultist but she ended up almost going out in a literal blaze of glory and before anyone knew it, her beautiful white skin was replaced by reptilian scales almost resembling those of a dragon. Celestia had been worried sick about Aurora as she witnessed it happened but she couldn't check up on her right away since she was waiting for Melora to regain consciousness.

It turns out that she wouldn't have to move from her spot since Aurora was the one who ended up coming to them.

"Look, Aurora. I know that you're worried about Melora but I'm worried about you as well. Please stand still while I perform a a diagnostic scan of you."

Whether she was ready or not, Celestia raised her palm towards Aurora and muttered a spell. A miniature, gray magic circle materialised over her palm. She then hovered her palm all over Aurora's body. Once the scan was complete, the gray magic circle was now flashing the entire color spectrum, startling her momentarily, but she managed to quickly regain her composure.

"Just as I thought, your new body hasn't adjusted to your magical energies and vice versa. This is causing your mana flow to act erratically which I would bet is the reason why you just transformed into a human torch a few minutes ago. I'm not really that well-versed in restoration magic but I can make an item that should help stabilise your Mana Flow at least until we get back to Phantasmagoria."

Even though Aurora's condition is a bit too complicated for Celestia, creating the item should be simple using Ephemeral. She would use a replica of Gleipnir, the bindings that chained Fenrir, to fashion a scarf for Aurora.

"Gleipnir was forged by combining 6 impossible items. The footsteps of a cat, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish, and the spit of a bird. Normally, acquiring these items is next to impossible. No doubt the Alchemically inclined witches would have some luck producing some of these items."

Shadows swirled in front of Celestia as she did her explanation, turning into vague representations of the items she mentioned.

" Since the items are impossible, it is impossible to ascertain their physical appearance. However, just imbuing the concept behind the materials is enough to create the item."

As if in cue, the six swirling masses merged forming a black scarf. Celestia gingerly hands the scarf to Aurora and smiles reassuringly at her.

" I imagine that you wouldn't like chains, or a collar, so I opted for a scarf instead. Please wear this during the remainder of the mission. You can just throw it away after we get back home."

Finally, she gives Parou two thumbs up, signalling her that both of their injured teammates should be fine. She wondered whether their leader would assign her to check on Seia next.
 
Last edited:


With Melora seemingly cured for good now(?), Aurora calming down after exploding a second time, and the other Witches taking down the remaining towers with continued displays of might, Section 3 was quickly cleaned up, too. Too easy, even.

After having been granted a most benevolent 10 minute break from their self-proclaimed Leader, Parou, the Squad quickly made their way into Section 2!

Only as the group got closer could they truly fathom the size of the rune-adorned central tower. Twice the size of the others was an understatement. At the right angle, it was even able to black out the sun. Still, the next noticeable thing was a distinct lack of wind currents. Where just minutes before each and every single Witch had to take care not to get carried off by the strong currents, there was now simply a distinct lack of it. Was it normal? Likely not. After all, the primer had said nothing about such a central, big, safe zone.

Then there was also a distinct lack of Undead. No weak fodder anywhere. Maybe they were hiding? Maybe the 'Savages' took care of it? Or maybe something more sinister was at work here. Or, maybe, they were just lucky and the place was left totally unguarded for some reason!

... Nope. As they got even closer, they could see them. Countless Cultists. Just like before, spread around the base and around. Their eyes already set onto the Witches, their mouths already moving in weird ways.

Weird indeed.

Hadn't Parou scanned this place before? Some sort of super high threat level? This... seemed like a joke. But maybe, just maybe, their Savage friends truly did help out a lot. Or maybe...

Y3gSHDO.png


A rough map of how the Singing Rocks are segmented, for the sake of the mission, with the currently available information.
  • Wads of smoke are coming from Section 4
  • Lemuria-Senpai is throwing a party in Section 2
  • Weather Forecast: Calm
Environmental Hazards
  • Too calm
    • Rather than the blowing wind being calm, there seems to be a distinct lack of air currents.
Threats
  • Big Tower — >>>MISSION TARGET<<<
    • 0/?? progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
      • Magic Defense Type C-III
    • Extra progress may be earned through coordinated effort
  • Dark Cultists
    • 0/10 progress required
      • May use Magic or Force
      • Magic Defense Type C-I
    • Extra progress may be earned through coordinated effort


  • Make sure to annotate your post properly with what actions, and dice results, you made.
  • There will be a intermission after the Cultists have been taken care of.
  • UNLESS YOU PLAN TO POST SOON AFTER, DO NOT ROLL.
    • This saves you, and me, a lot of already happened headaches.
  • Your roll does not amount to anything until posted.
  • You may do multiple posts, but may only do one dice related action.
  • Enjoy and go Wild!
 
Last edited:
Melora's stretching allowed her eyes to refocus on the reality around them. Oh, that's right, Aurora was having some trouble. Melora looked down just in time to see the other witch explode, stand up, and then walk over to Melora and apologize for her lack of hot chocolate.

THOOM. CRASH.

Eirlys had just finished off the towers, and Melora was glad for a moment's rest from that. If not from the total chaos of watching a teammate blow up for apparently the second time.

"You blew up a first time?"
Melora said, slightly panicked. "No wait, you blew up twice? Is that why you were gone after the cultist did that? Wait, you've got a scar..." Melora pointed at her own cheek to let the other girl see, removing the mask again to make it clearer. "That wasn't there before."

Melora let herself fall back down on the ground as Celestia started in on Aurora. All the assurances in the world couldn't prevent Melora from thinking that Celestia had somehow seen anything. Melora didn't have many secrets, but she was a well-guarded person. People knew what they needed to and nothing else. It kept Melora safe, in a way. Nobody close to her knew much, and in return she didn't need to know much about anyone else. If people got hurt, they got hurt.

Aurora had proved her point. Melora had insisted that she stay, and look at all that had happened. Aurora blew up, twice, and Melora nearly killed somebody because Aurora hadn't done her job and took out the cultist.

"Celestia... thanks. But don't ever do that again. If the infection festers, it'll be my own fault. I don't care about the consequences. I don't want others in my head. Ever."


Drawing lines. Drawing walls.

Safety.

Melora closed her eyes and drifted off for the ten minute rest. It was peaceful, and when she woke up it was just before they were ready to head out. Just enough time to stretch and start flying out again. The winds died down suddenly, but it looked like all that remained were the cultists. Since this was the last tower and since it looked like it didn't matter if she was flying or on the ground to these cultists, it looked like she'd be knocking in some heads.

Charging in, Melora tapped her mask with the Strength card, letting it blossom into a bright red.

She landed hard on a Cultist's head, feeling it crack beneath her feet, and just as fast brought her leg up, and then down, using the momentum of the falling Cultist to add to the damage.

"Come and get it, you Cultist jerks!"
Melora yelled.

The Strength card would wane soon... but not now. Hopefully, it would be safe out here and away from the others, but the more Cultists went down and the sooner, then it would be worth it. Melora allowed the extension click through, and the rush of emotions and clarity started. In a moment, she would see who would in in this battle of will. Her... or the card.

Rolls: [5, 4, 2, 1] Result: 2
Reason: Melora Uses STR to Punch in A Dark Cultists Face and ups STR by Tarot Point
@Luma @Accelerator
 
Llj3KtQ.png

The air was stagnant. That’s what she’d describe it as. Loathsomely still, as if even the air had died in the overwhelming presence of this grand obelisk. Below, cultists writhed, their malicious forms melding into each other until they were naught but a multi-mouthed mass of malcontent, their perverted gibberish horrifying and disgusting. Flying high above all this, Parou gazed down below with a disdainful glare, violet eyes burning bright. This was it. This was all there was left to do. The numbers must have been sheered somewhat by the other creatures that invaded the Singing Rocks, but the tower itself could doubtlessly spawn more of these foul organisms, like a rotting tree spewing out lifeless seed.

It meant, then, that the squad was in for a long fight. It meant, then, that she’d have to keep her final Grand Cast until it was absolutely necessary. She took a breath and ignored the tinge of pain from her side; the healing salve had done enough of a job that Parou was no longer effected by it, but the injury still hurt.

Already, Melora, a berserker at heart, dropped down with violent aplomb. A physical boost gained from her cards, was it? Good, the rest would do well to follow her example. “Seia, Celestia, Eirlys, follow Melora’s lead and eliminate the cultists. Once they’re finished, Seia, Eirlys, you two focus on cutting down the tower; Celestia and Melora, quickly deal with whatever detritus the obelisk spawns in response.” Delegation, swift and clear, but not nearly as taciturn as her first ones. There was no room for interpretation here. Parou wasn’t going to risk misunderstandings messing with the plan this time around, not when even a single cultist proved that it could sow so much chaos. “Aurora, you stay with me and support the rest of the team. We’ll ward off attacks from the cultist and the tower. I’ll focus on psychic attacks, you focus on physical attacks.”

Without pausing for further explanation, the lavender-haired Witch rifled through her bag of reagents again, for the purifying agents to ward off corruption of mind, body, and soul. The basis this time will be cleansing rain. The beard of a serpent-drake, stretched out until it was like a mound of wool. A vial of holy water, consecrated by the Praetorian Order. Crushed fragments of a unicorn’s horn. Once again, Parou didn’t have the time for a proper ritual, but once again, she was fine with just powering through on quantity of mana alone. She slipped her hands through the wool, pulled it apart as if it were cat’s cradle, before slipping the horn fragments over the web-like fibers. Clapping thrice, with each clap further crushing the delicate substance into the drake-beard, Parou clasped her hands together in the last clap. Her fingers interlaced and she allowed her power to push inwards, condensing, condensing, condensing every source of energy she could get her hands upon.

Three seconds passed in silent reverie, before she released her grasp soon after. Swiftly, the Witch unstoppered the vial of holy water, rolled the condensed magical reagent into the vial. Immediately, a reaction occurred, a bright, chromatic mist seeping out, but before too much of it could be lost, Parou immediately stoppered the vial again.

A quick inspection revealed that nothing was amiss, and soon after, she hurled it down towards the ground.

As it shattered against the Singing Rocks, a phantasmal veil immediately burst out. A rainbow mist consumed all who were down below, each sanctified droplet of water serving to deflect and refract any magical attack that may emanate from the cultists or the tower. With luck, it’d be enough to prevent another Witch from having their mind seized by the Lemuria horde. They couldn’t afford to have a third of their Squad incapacitated and occupied by a single spell again.

Psychic Shield: 5d6 [5, 5, 5, 1, 1] = 3 Successes
-1 MAG
 
Last edited:
There was a moment of respite granted to the Rune Squad before moving on to the final section. It gave Celestia enough time to catch her breath and recover a bit of the mana she had expended.

However, she had a grim expression for the rest of the way towards Section 2. Melora really didn't appreciate what she just did even though Celestia was only trying to help, going so far as claiming she would rather succumb to madness instead of experiencing the spell again.

It was absurd. Madness is, more often than not, a fate worse than death. Death was a mercy and the only release somebody who had lost their sanity could ever hope for. And she would willingly accept such a fate? It was like someone contracting the plague and refusing the cure for it.

"If she would rather fall into insanity, does that mean she would rather die? Does that give us the permission to kill her if it ever came to that? Or would she prefer to live on in that state of limbo?" She contemplated.

After flying for several minutes, their destination was in sight. A giant obelisk that made the others look like children's lego loomed ominously in the distance, blotting out the light of the sun in some angles. As they drew closer, the sight of what could only be described as a horde of Cultists made Celestia's eyebrow twitch.

Parou, whether just efficiently handing out orders, or sensitive enough to detect her rising animosity, assigned Celestia to take care of the Cultists alogg with Melora who had taken the initiative.

"If it weren't for these vermin, everything would have been fine. I wouldn't had have to use that spell, I wouldn't had to have called upon the Black Entity, and Melora wouldn't hate me.... I DESPISE YOU!!!!!!! “

Now it was Celestia's turn to feel unhinged. A token that can only be described as blacker than black appeared. It glowed an eerie shade of purple before disintegrating. The purple Aura that once emanated from the coin now covered Celestia's entire body. She opened her palm and quickly clenched her fist afterwards. Simultaneously, shadowy spikes erupted from the ground, impaling a couple of the congregated cultists. Most of them were able to dodge, however, earning a disgusted glare from the sandy blonde witch.

"They scurry like Vermin too... How annoying."

Roll: [6, 4, 4, 2, 2, 2] Result: 3 - 1 = 2

Reason: Celestia uses 1 Vibrance and 1 Void Token to Increase her Magic Stat by +2 and Attack the Cultist Vermin with Magic
 
"Actually, I’m not sure what happened the first time. Maybe it was more of a vaporization? But I got to make friends with a ghost, so it turned out okay."

Aurora pouted a bit at Celestia.

"Wha... diagnostic scan? Now?" She sighed. "Okay, fine, just make it quick..."

Giving a series of nods as Celestia continued to explain, she was finally handed a fluffy black scarf, which she threw around her neck.

"Oo, thanks. This is surprisingly comfy for a stabilizing agent."



"Wow, that’s a lot of cultists... if you listen closely it kinda sounds like they’re singing."

Her random comments were interrupted by Parou’s flurry of orders, one of which caught her attention in particular...

“... you focus on physical attacks.”
“physical attacks.”
"physical attacks."
"physical attacks."

...

For a short moment, a small chuckle escaped Aurora’s lips, before she swiftly noticed how dead serious Parou was acting; that, or she had the most dry humor imaginable. Aurora and Rune shared a look, followed by a quick nod of agreement.

"Err... sorry, but I can’t even open a ketchup bottle, so that’s kind of not going to work. Thoooough, in my defense, Pacifica’s place has the most impenetrable ketchup bottles ever, so it’s technically not just me, but it just kind of gives you a good idea that I’m not the mos— oh hey, is that holy water? I’ve been needing some of that to retry an experiment, but lately it’s been super hard to get someone to sell it."

Aurora’s focus snapped back to the battle as the glass shattered on the ground. Nevertheless, with the whole ‘no magic’ restriction, she simply stood there awkwardly for several moments, worrying over the frontline fighters.

...

"This scarf really is super comfy..."

...

"I wonder if I should start working out...? Nah, I’m sure there’s a spell to do it for me..."

...

"Hey Rune, did you sneak this in my pocket earlier," she asked offhandedly, pulling out a fancy crystal? The golem shook its head, glancing curiously at it.

"Huh... I mean... I know Celestia can’t afford stuff like this, and the others don’t really look like they can either... Maybe an invisible Melody’s following us around? Oh, but she wouldn’t be bothered unless someone forced her. I wonder if it was one of those extradimensional beings?"

After a moment pondering it, she shrugged and held the sparkling gem-device toward the horde of cultists.

"Let’s see what it can do!"


Activate Story Thingamajig
 
@Luma
As Aurora held the sparkling gem-device in her palm, aimed at the cultists, nothing happened! Maybe she had to throw it like a bomb? Or maybe she had to channel some magic of her own into it? Or maybe it just looked fancy and was a souvenir from somewhere!

It did hold a lot of resembles to the 'Witch-made magic spell devices' that some Witches fancied to use. Very high-quality items that were difficult to make but that allowed a Witch to store a spell and even have others use it... at a later point in time.

Either way, too bad about the whole physical deal! Not allowing her to interact with the object at all and such. Although... Parou never had said anything about not using any magic at all, or?