View source for 2698/Dungeons and Dream 5E

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/05/24
|Location=Plot Room #2
|Synopsis=A Paladin, a Monk, a spoony Artiste, a Barbarian, a Ranger, a Wizard, a Vampire, and a HOT ROGUE walk into a castle. No one brought a map and nightmares close in on all sides. Dice are rolled, people forget their initiative, a mysterious magic book is found, and the paladin won't stop spamming Lay On Hugs instead of tanking.
|Cast of Characters=157,202,160,109,182,143,127,200
|Tinyplot=Darkly Dreaming
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Things have been getting weird come bedtime these days... In fact dreams are making less and less sense. Though members of the magical community have thus far been a bit more protected, mentally, the fact of the matter is that... People around Tokyo are beginning to look tired. More instances of people getting poor sleep are starting to become noticeable. Bags under eyes, sagging shoulders... It's not out of hand but it's beginning to get a bit more visibly noticeable.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Going to sleep tonight is... Going to be and adventure. Upon laying down and closing eyes, everything happens as normal. Until several dreamers 'wake up' standing at the edge of a drawbridge. It leads to an old crumbling castle of grey stone; imposing in the gloomy sunset as bats fly screeching from the turrets and ancient stone crumbles.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Welcome to Castle DarkDread.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ariel is looking really shiny tonight. Once again she looks utterly bewildered, but at the same time her brow is knotted in complete worry. Her normal silvery armor is replaced with a suit that is far more ornate and nearly triple as brilliantly silver as normal. She's mounted on Lucky, who is equally decked out with a saddle and dog barding that are just as eye searingly mirror polished, both settled at the start of the drawbridge.

:'''{{#var:202|Tyrfing| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The disadvantage of having two beings in the same body is that occasionally one of them has needs that override the others, and lacking the convenience of being able to stuff himself into subspace while Koji is in charge, the Unison Device known as Tyrfing does what it normally does when the boy is hip deep in homework, or housework, or something else equally boring to the weapon of magical warfare... it relaxes into Koji Silvia's subconscious to idle. In this state of relaxing nothingness he can normally relive some of his time away from Earth, away from the confusion and the constant feeling of 'lacking' he's had for years now, even moreso since merging with the honest and hardworking young man that is, for better or worse, his new Lord.<br /><br />So it's only natural that once more, he's the one who falls a few feet in the air and lands on his back in fantasy-land. Because it's Tyrfing, he appears in his default form from the old days. A six and a half foot tall wall of muscle inside the fur and form of a Shutran snow leopard. Sitting back up and rubbing at his thick muzzle, teal eyes scan until he sees the Dog, the Unicorn, and the armor. One black brow arches as he pushes up to standing and rolls his back, "You again. Allright... what is it this time. Death by checkers?"

:'''{{#var:160|Norie Okana| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima arrives into the dream. She always looks like she does when she's in these dreams. Like Lacrima. In the fancy gown, and the purple features- however, she doesn't quite have the paleness, and seems less 'wrong' in a few ways- the perfect spitting of Spanish nobility.<br /><br />She looks to the left and right. She blinks at Ariel.<br /><br />"Oh dear." she says as she looks up to the castle. Is this another castle like the last one?<br /><br />"Hrmmm..." she says. "I wonder what's going to happen tonight, Ari-chan." she says softly in her light deadpan.<br /><br />She frowns a bit. Castles... familiarity from the life she didn't live.<br /><br />She looks over and eyes Tyfring regarding him merely with a quirked brow.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Six and a half feet tall appears to be a Thing tonight. Kunzite looks the way Kunzite looks: apparently he doesn't find dreaming of himself in uniform at all unusual. Though, granted, in the dream he's wearing a sword at his side as well, something that doesn't appear with him quite so often in Tokyo.<br /><br />He glances around, taking in the environment, and focuses on Ariel. Bows to her, gravely. Bows a second time, because Lucky is also there. Inclines his head to Lacrima, and eyes Tyrfing almost in unison with her.<br /><br />"Well," he says. "That's new."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And then there's an european there too.<br /><br />Alex is not used to the whole concept of lucid dreaming -- so when he doth appear there, before the drawbridge, decked out with his typical brown leather jacket (because of course he identifies the most with that), he doesn't... really seem to have his bearings all that much. His eyes shift rapidly from side to side in a groggy haze. As far as he knows, this is just another dream, for the time being.<br /><br />And it's perhaps precisely because of that, that when he sees two faces he recognizes - those of Lacrima and Kunzite - he sends a confused look at them and actually goes on to ask;<br /><br />"...What are you doing here?"

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>A moment earlier, Hoshi had been at a party. A grand party full of dignified people celebrating electoral victory, celebrating that Hoshi was about to become Prime Minister of Japan. As such, she actually looks a fair bit older, even in her dreams Hoshi does not presume this would happen before her thirties, and so the blonde woman is recognizable to her friends less by her usual appearance.<br /><br />And more by the fact she is accompanied by a pair of stars as she arrives upon the bridge, and she blinks. "Huh. I think I must've taken a wrong turn." The star on the left is taking quick notes on a notebook, and the star on the right pulls out a map and a phone, trying to determine the way back to the party.<br /><br />It doesn't take too long for the remnants of that old dream to fade, and Hoshi to shrink to her normal size and age.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Things are getting weird, which pretty much defines how Tokyo is all of the time. Tired and vaguely stressed and overtired isn't at all odd in Naru's world either.<br /><br />The dream as it resolves prompts Naru to look around. She looks, well, rather like Naru to be perfectly honest. No uniform, no extra weapons. She doesn't look especially startled at arriving to a dream that includes people she knows, and those she doesn't, but there's a polite nod, a rueful little twist of a half smile. "Apparently it's going to be one of /those/ nights, is it?"

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blink. Blink blink blink.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It takes a second or two for Kokoro to register what's going on. Her previous dream had been... well. Long story short, she's already transformed, hammer resting over one shoulder.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...we got pulled into a dream," she says in Alex's direction after a moment. "You're not just dreaming all of us, we're all here. Or something." She then lifts an arm and points at Ariel. "We gotta help her. Probably."

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;People are arriving...<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wait. People are arriving. Again. This could be good, or it could be bad. Actually, Ariel's brow knots further, the frown on her face saying this is, in fact, very bad, for some reason. Especially when so many of them are familiar faces. Tyrfing's landing and arrival seems to startle her out of whatever internal world the tiny unicorn had been in, making both she and Lucky turn in time to catch others. "Mn... Hello again." She replies to the Unison Device, shaking her head. "I think we're ah... Supposed to go in."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"This is getting kind of bad." She replies to Lacrima, biting on her lip. "It shouldn't be this easy for anyone to just... Wander into other dreams like this." Even Lucky whines. Though the unicorn manages to put on a wan smile, dipping her head in a mounted bow to Kunzite, Lucky lifting a paw with a low 'wurf'. Admittedly, between Tyrfing, Lacrima, and Kunzite, she knows she's in reliable company, but then more arrive. In fact, Alexis is possibly the only person she's never met, present as her own classmate arrives, wandering in from another dream as Prime Minister before becoming a more familiar sight. "A-ah... hello Hoshi." And then Naru and Kokoro. By now Ariel is actually looking much more relaxed, if still... Disgruntled. "I guess it is going to be one of those nights. ... S-sorry to put this on all of you." The last part there directed to Kokoro, but meant for everyone anyway. "She's right, this is a dream but... All of you being here again isn't... Natural. It's not right." It doesn't seem to be easy for her to give an actual explanation why.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Possibly because she's honestly not sure.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But a sigh and she tugs gently on Lucky's reigns. "I guess the only way to figure it out is to explore it a bit. There's probably a reason we were all pulled here. Shall we?"<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So the intrepid tiny paladin and her floofy steed start to march across the drawbridge. And as everyone may or may not follow, a [TEXT BOX] suddenly appears at the bottom of everyone's vision...<br /><br />********************************* [THE PARTY] **********************************<br />Ariel    Class: Chevalier       STR: +1 END: +5 DEX: +0 INT: +1 WIS: +1 CHA: +4<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Kokoro   Class: Really Angry    STR: +5 END: +3 DEX: +0 INT: +0 WIS: +0 CHA: -4<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Alexis   Class: Ascetic Brawler STR: +2 END: +2 DEX: +3 INT: +2 WIS: +3 CHA: +0<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Hoshi    Class: Wizmage         STR: -2 END: -2 DEX: -2 INT: +4 WIS: +3 CHA: +2<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Naru     Class: Artiste         STR: +0 END: +0 DEX: +0 INT: +3 WIS: +3 CHA: +4<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Tyrfing  Class: Strider         STR: +1 END: +2 DEX: +5 INT: +3 WIS: +2 CHA: +0<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Lacrima  Class: Shadowpriest    STR: +0 END: +2 DEX: +0 INT: +3 WIS: +5 CHA: -1<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Kunzite  Class: Hot Rogue       STR: +1 END: +2 DEX: +5 INT: +3 WIS: +1 CHA: Yes<br />********************************************************************************<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And so inventories and equipment are slapped on and the quest begins. On crossing the drawbridge into the castle, the entry hall is wide and expansive, lit ominously by torches and many lit candles with long dripping trails of wax. The door slams shut behind everyone and the portcullis drops down, locking our heroes inside. A set of dusty stairs lead up to the second floor where there is no light, and on the first floor there is a locked door to the west and a dim hall to the east. It is cold, and forebodingly silent, even lonely feeling despite the other stalwart adventurers present.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ariel looks her way, and Kokoro gives her a faint nod. Some of that usual disgruntled hostility briefly disappears. "Look, don't worry about it. I got the gist of what's going on from a couple people. If you need me to start readjusting faces to settle whatever's going on, I ain't bothered by it." The thundergirl hefts her hammer up onto her shoulder and starts walking right along-<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;-and suddenly Kokoro's outfit looks a lot more... wild. Furs instead of fabric and leather. More rugged, rough plating. The girl herself stops, looks down over herself... and makes a faintly irritated noise. But says no more until they're inside.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I vote we go up. Big dark castle like this, the goal line's always either all the way up, or all the way down."

:'''{{#var:202|Tyrfing| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I'm a wha-" Tyrfing doesn't get time to really respond as suddenly he's NOT Tyrfing... well not totally.<br /><br />Tyrandel the Ranger adjusts his leather armor around his side, the new stuff still not quite fitting right despite what EVERYONE else has told the massive beastman Strider. He strikes almost a classic image with the dark green scarf wrapped heavily around his neck and trailing down the front and back, backed up by the polished leather of his chest armor, leather gauntlets, and chaps over green leggings. As is typical when he sets out for an adventure like this, he's got his massive oaken recurved longbow, and his trusty bastard sword on his back, as well as his short axe and long knife at his belt. Always favoring travelling light since he lives off the land, the beast only wears what someone else could wear as a backpack at the base of his base, split bags going over the back to allow his tail to sway free. Toeless boots round it out, because well... why would someone want leather to get chewed up by their claws anyways.<br /><br />From out under his scarf and sniffing at the air is his small woodland companion, a pine marten, who's eyes gleam with mischief.<br /><br />But then reality reasserts itself a moment as the beastman shakes his head, trying to kick the odd sensations of knowing (And having a player WAY TOO invested in the RP aspects of the game if you ask his friends), so that he can respond, "Why do I have a sudden urge for... Doritos... bleh."

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Hoshi ends up wearing a robe and wizard hat, along with a staff with a knob on its end, and all other tropy elements of the role. Her stars have shifted to match, too. One of them is wielding a broom and dusting the ground in front of Hoshi's feet, the other is organizing the many scrolls of a nonexistent library. once they go in, Hoshi knocks her staff on the ground, and the knob turns into a star, glowing brightly to serve as a torch. "Make your choices wisely, for they may be our salvation and our ruin both."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is a phrase people do not often hear from Kunzite in isolation.<br /><br />"-- the ''hell''?!?"<br /><br />That would be his reaction to the discovery that his cape has had a hood attached, and become yet more voluminous. And solid black. Also that his uniform has transmuted itself quietly into (a) black (b) rather a lot of leather that is (c) somewhat closer to form-fitting than he's used to. It is ostensibly armor. His opinion of armor that leaves that much of his chest bare is ''palpably'' not high.<br /><br />Also that's kind of a lot of knives.<br /><br />At least he's had enough experience in dreams that after that first moment he rolls his eyes and keeps moving. (It's probably good if nobody tells him about the gratuitous braid at the side of his head, under the hood.)<br /><br />"There are bats nesting in the turrets," he notes to Kokoro. "Nothing's likely to be up there."<br /><br />(Unless it's another vampire.)

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Oh," Alex lets out in response to Kokoro, with his eyes blinking at her. "THat makes sense."<br /><br />It really doesn't. But he's sorta running with it for the time being, honestly. He's still not entirely caught on that this isn't his own dream.<br /><br />And then inexplicably his clothes are gone. Or, no, not so much gone as 'changed'. Gone are the jeans and the boots and the leather. Instead, there's sandals and loose breeches and a sleeveless brown vest that's... left open for some reason. With nothing underneath it.<br /><br />For SOME REASON:<br />This is when Alex starts to look equal amounts confused and concerned while he looks at his suddenly-much-more-revealing self, blinking rapidly at his outfit first and...<br /><br />The text. And numbers. THe confusion just rises.<br /><br />".............................What is all this."

:'''{{#var:160|Norie Okana| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima starts to move and suddenly she's in weird nobleman's clothes and looks like a Dracula expy, very similar to her halloween costume, except she also has a dagger and some sort of 'Dark Emblem of a Dark God' hooked to her side that looks like a hideous stone skull with ruby red eyes and ivory sharp teeth. Text scrolls by. She purses her lips and head tilts a little at the various texts. Including hers. She looks up and down at herself before she continues on with the group.<br /><br />She purses her lips with a frown and then she looks at Kunzite. Oh god is that a blush across her face. It is. She just quickly turns back around. Lucky for her, her expression barely changes, as she glances at the others instead-- and then.<br /><br />"Alexis-kun." she blinks. "You're here?" she asks. "This is a dream. We're gonna most likely face a nightmare." she says. "I think the dreamer likes tabletop roleplaying games. If the stats and costumes and classes are any indication." she says frankly.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The clang of the portcullis, prompts Naru to turn to glance back at it and by the time she looks ahead again at the rest of the group, Kunzite is .. well.. /goodness/.<br /><br />Immaterial of her own acquisition of a beret and a paint splattered apron over what can only be best described as ebay-medieval dress. She glances from Kunzite to Alexis and then back again and she starts to giggle. "Oh it's gonna be one of /those/ kinda dreams."<br /><br />Naru is still giggling as she moves forward a little, peering down the dim hallway as she lifts a lantern. The pansy ones always have the lantern. It's a rule.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Eh?!" Alex lets out in response to Lacrima's explanation-- and his eyes sweep over to her, and then over to Naru, and *suddenly* he feels very self conscious about the fact that his chest is entirely in the open and promptly wraps his arms together in front of him in some vain effort to cover himself up. ".......................Why?!"

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So that... That just happened. Ariel may have poked ahead on the bridge at least, if she was already 'In Character' by the time the others arrived, but now the party is assembled, ready, and making decisions. Ariel does a quick check of her Status.<br /><br />HP: 89<br />AC: 20<br />Divine Spells: 6.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Huhhhh..."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lacrima hits the nail on the head, whoever's dream this is must like tabletops and oldschool 8-bit JRPGs. Nevertheless, Hoshi speaks words most wise, and it's time to explore. Naru's lamp sheds light down the hall, revealing a path lined with stone arches, pillars, and armor suits, but the concensus reaches another decision, and it becomes time to ascend.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I've never played an RPG. How does Initiative work?" Ariel asks like a total noob as everyone makes their way up the dusty stairs. The red carpet must have been magnificent at one time but now it's worm eaten and covered in dust and mud as Lucky carries her up, her shield in hand. Her sword pointedly remaining in the scabbard.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though she pauses to peer over her shoulder at Lacrima. "Oh? That's Alexis?" Asked as she looks to the monk. "Eheh... Nice to meet you."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For the record Kunzite's lockpicks are, thankfully, not in his pockets. Nothing can fit in those pockets.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arriving on the landing of the next floor, the heavy set of doors waiting at the top throw themselves open, leading into a ballroom. The floor is rotten places, no longer a mirror sheen, and the gloomy light from one high chandelier reveals precipitous holes leading to blackness below dot the floor. There are skeletons all over the place and...<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They get up!<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's too spooky for Ariel, and she bleats sharply as initiatives are rolled. The skeletons are clad in ballroom attire and wield impovised weapons of chair legs, cutlery, or throw old and chipped plates, starting a flurry of violence as Ariel's horn glimmers and...<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Everyone arbitrarily feels more protected as all party members get +2 to AC.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ariel has cast: Protection From Jerks.

:'''{{#var:202|Tyrfing| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>When Tyrfing sees the Skeletons, some other things click in his head, and suddenly it's like he was back in development again, and his life is a series of statistics on a sheet. But it does tell him one thing. <br /><br />The longbow comes up and he reaches back to take several arrows in hand. Thankfully all his skills are annotated (for some reason no one can fathom, INCLUDING PAGE NUMBERS), so he starts mumbling to himself, "Okay, so a plus 5 means I can shoot that many arrows plus one on my attack using this Hail of Arrows skill..."<br /><br />Then his hand strays lower like he's running it along lines of text, "And These... huh.. Feats? Okay... Pinning Shot... got it." <br /><br />Nodding to himself, the beastman Ranger lines up for firing from the back of the group and because some of that Mahou-ness still carries through, he calls out, "HAIL OF ARROWS!"<br /><br />And a half-dozen almost javelin-sized arrows lance out and around the party to strike that many Skeletons... a pretty cool feat, and also physically impossible for most. Those arrows are not actually going to hit to destroy the skeletons, but rather to pin them to the ground or the walls so that the party Rogue can do his thing!

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mutter mutter tabletops mutter dumb mutter rather play a console RPG mutter.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kokoro doesn't seem to mind marching out near the front of the pack, probably alongside Ariel. They are technically in hostile territory, probably, so despite the odd glance here and there back at the rest of the group - Lacrima in particular, though she eyes Kunzite as well - the Angry One's eyes are mostly sweeping the area ahead of them. Which of course means that she's watching when the Hole-y Ballroom proves to be a most unholy place. Skeletons are rising up to attack them. Skeletons. ''Skeletons''.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Freaking ''skeletons''? Really?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of all the cliched possible monsters to throw at them in a spooky castle. Kokoro lets out an irritated growl and unshoulders her hammer, taking a few lumbering steps forward and swings her Portable Bone-Breaking Apparatus right through the ribcage of the nearest one - and then one right beside it, without stopping her swing. Her eyes might be glowing a faint red color.

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>And so they go up, and Hoshi keeps a light steady for the group, until they reach skeletons and she pauses, opens up a spellbook and gets reading. She mutters some things to herself, things like 'animating energies' and 'lunar cycles' until she bothers to actually look at the enemies they are fighting and lightly lifts her staff, and utters some words in the Mystical Arcane Tongue known to some as English. "Dispell Necromancy." Around one cluster of skeletons, a vague yellow light appears with a 'pop' and the very fabric of their being gets torn asunder.

:'''{{#var:160|Norie Okana| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>A ballroom. A familiar and usually /happy/ location for Lacrima as far as 'happy' as she can get. Which is comfortable. Even a dreary horrible one which may only entice her further because this is how the manor's small ballroom looked when she took over the place.<br /><br />Oh but the skeletons littering the place. Awww. But then they begin to animate. ShadowPriest.... ShadowPriest.<br /><br />Lacrima pulls out a book. It is clearly labeled 'Darkinomicon'. She begins to flip through it quick.<br /><br />She waves a hand and casts 'Summon Undead'. Perhaps some roll happens she can't see 1d6!? 2. Two Zombies sort of crawl up from the ground, berthed in a purple glow as they lumber towards the skeletons to clash with them.<br /><br />Lacrima then unseathes her dagger to begin to bash into the odd skeleton or two.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Just for the record, Ariel's question of "That's Alexis" probably earned a very indignified "What's that supposed to mean?!" and a suspicious look from the barely-dressed german boy.<br /><br />He keeps himself quiet for most of the way through, though-- up until they end up in a dark room full of SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS!<br /><br />Having acknowledge at least to some level that this is a dream, Alex thus has very little reason to stay back now, too. He's just about to charge in...<br /><br />When a list of what look like pages and sheet lines appear in front of him. He stops. he stares. He reaches his hand over to swipe his fingers over them like they were a touch screen to move and turn them about.<br /><br />More staring.<br /><br />"I DON'T KNOW WHAT ANY OF THIS MEANS:"<br /><br />That yelled right before a skeleton slumbers up to him from the side, and almost just as an afterthought while he's *still* exasperated by that whole situation, he just *backhands* the thing's skull and shatters it into several pieces.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>... pinning ''skeletons'' to walls. Well. It could be worse, and weirder. Protesting biology in dreams is not going to get anyone anywhere. It's the tricks the subconscious mind plays --<br /><br />-- which provides Kunzite with exactly what he needs to follow up on Tyrfing's setup.<br /><br />He sets his jaw, takes a breath, and then flings knives. They need to strike ''precisely'' on curved bones, and they do, striking hollow little percussive notes in harmony with the (unpleasant) bass provided by Kokoro's Portable Bone-Breaking Apparatus and Alexis's, well, fist. Resonating with Hoshi's spell, amplifying it to echo into and disintegrate Tyrfing's prisoners.<br /><br />It leaves Lacrima's zombies alone, though. It is after all tuned to a...<br /><br />"Skeleton key," Kunzite mutters. "We cannot ''possibly'' be done with this fast enough."

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Up they go, and in spite of Hoshi's magical light, Naru keeps a hold of her lantern, high up in front of her. Because what every non-combatant should be.. a glowing bloody target.<br /><br />To be fair, generally anything labelled as 'Artiste' is a target. Often from their own group for being poncy beggers.<br /><br />Naru pauses as they arrive in the ballroom, looking around as others get to bashing and smashing. "This really must have been nice before the undead infestation." She pauses a moment and then adds. "Unthinking undead. Most of my friends are technically undead of some flavour." She edges around the holes in the floor, dodging skeletons as best she can as she goes exploring, leaving the others to take out the animated bones.<br /><br />At least until one skeleton reaches out to take a smack at Naru as she doesn't /quite/ leave enough leeway around it. "Ow! Hey!"

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The skeletons prove no match for our intrepid party. Despite their number, they are of a low challeng rating. Cliche or not, though, at least they aren't throwing their own bones during the fight as arrows pin, hammer cleaves, some are simply removed from existence through arcane means, undead rise and fight their bony kin, Alexis' mighty fist reminds the damned that They Are Already Dead. Again. The whole ordeal is over with a series of ranged Sneak Attacks and coup de graces, and the ballroom goes quiet and still.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The door on the other end opens up into a hall, apparently leading to the guest rooms, considering the decayed opulence. Cobwebs span from wall to ceiling, no corner is without silk, dotted with dead insects and curled up spiders. A now ratty carpet makes up the floor and tarnished candlestands do almost nothing to light the way, flares of lightning and crashes of thunder from outside giving flashes of light and make Ariel jumpy.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Experience and Gold are distrubuted automatically but there is a moment where Ariel pauses, eyeing Naru with a silent concern for a moment. She dismounts from her noble steed, armor clanking as she skitters over. She has to get on her tiptoes to get her arms around Naru's waist in a gentle squeeze.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ariel has used Chevalier ability: Lay On Hugs. Naru should instantly feel better.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On to an earlier topic. "Huh? It doesn't mean anything?" Ariel replies to Alexis. "I've just heard about you from a few of my other friends." She says before the all too important question comes next: "Uhhhh... Which way?" It's her job as Paladin to be at the lead with Beefdamage McPaintrain, Kokoro.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because the hall leads on to a curved set of stairs up a spiralling tower, or to an ajar door, where a treasure chest can be seen just inside the next room.

:'''{{#var:202|Tyrfing| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>From the back of the party, "Okay, so this... whatever it is has a lot of these things called... Proficiences. Apparently they're some way of saying what we can do."<br /><br />Another few moments, "According to this? There's this thing called Dungeoneering." A pause from the big beastman, "Really? Dungeoneering? Huh... hold on a sec."<br /><br />There's a few more moments of grumbling in a particular style of German before the big male grins and slaps the black-clad Kunzite on the back, "Apparently, only Hot Rogues and Spoony Bards... whatever those are... get Dungeoneering. Says they can find traps in rooms and on chest."<br /><br />The grin turns HUGE and fangy as he says to the hot piece in all the buckles and knives, "Well? Your show, hot stuff."

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The angrymancer turns to stare straight at Alex at about the moment he backhands a skeleton. And then gives him a slow, approving nod. That's about all she has to say before they get moving, though. Not much of a talker. Naru does get a few concerned glances, but Ariel seems to have that covered.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the group continues to walk, there's a short-lived moment following a thunderclap, where Kokoro turns her head slightly and looks at Ariel out of the corner of her eye. She turns her gaze back to the path ahead soon enough, but there's a quiet, "Hey. Don't worry. The thunder's on ''your'' side tonight."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But here's another fork in the road. She looks at the treasure chest, then looks at the stairs, and finally just swings her hammer down to let the head rest on the ground. "We can't take treasure with us when we wake up anyway," she points out. "But whatever."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Grumble.

:'''{{#var:160|Norie Okana| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima ahs. "Alexis-kun. Ari-chan is a friend of mine. She's one of the others I'd talked about you with in the past." she says. She looks back and forward as she watches Ariel hug Naru and she purses her lips. "We probably wanna go up that staircase, but... there's a chest over there." she says bemusedly.<br /><br />She looks to Kokoro. "But it may contain something to help us right now, besides 'treasure'." she says. "Maybe a sword that or weapon that'll let us beat the.... end dungeon boss or something. Or a key that opens that room." she says as she stands in front of the staircase and looks upwards.

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"We cannot, but defying the fantasy may yet lead to our doom." Hoshi answers Kokoro, and meanwhile she starts to work magic on the door. Rather than touch it, or otherwise directly handle it, she starts to work with the fundamental nature of the object. When she begins, the door is ajar. By the time she's done, should she not have screwed up, the door ought to be a jar. Full of jam.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite narrows his eyes at Tyrfing. "I had no idea you were ambitious to resemble a pirate."<br /><br />(Naru may possibly be the only one present who has seen near-identical interactions play out between Kunzite and Nephrite.)<br /><br />Both Hoshi and Lacrima are in agreement on the logic of this thing, though, and therefore Kunzite exhales and moves somewhat grumpily to examine the chest. By which he means 'start by checking the doorway and then the room it's in because this thing has trap painted in glow-in-the-dark letters five feet high.'<br /><br />... possibly literally, for all he knows till he gets a better look inside.

:'''{{#var:127|Naru Osaka| (127)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Naru was happpily ignoring the pain in her side from a skeleton swat, curious as to what's ahead. She blinks as experience points appear in her vision, blinking again as they fade away and she holds up her lantern again to get a better view.<br /><br />A little crouch to let Ariel hug her as the small girl clanks over and the blink that comes after that is a whole different kind, her expression clearing a little. "Well that's handy. Thank you." She hugs back, briefly, before turning back to watch the discussion about the treasure chest. There's just a bit of a smirk at the pirate comments, but she doesn't wait to see, instead going to take a few steps up the spiral stairs, peering up.<br /><br />Clearly no one's told Naru about the 'never split the party' rule.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hoshi may add a jar of jam to her inventory. It can be consumed at any time to restore health and sate hunger. It may be thrown as an improvised weapon and get glass and sticky jam everywhere. If the ajar door was trapped it sure isn't ''anymore'' now that it's a jar. But... The room beyond seems entirely out of place.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Everything up to this point was riches of a time long gone and time worn opulence left to rot. The room with the chest is barren, formed of rough cut black stone in giant square blocks and bricks. The temperature plummets precipitously enough to see breath hanging on the air, and it feels like a different castle entirely. No it feels like... Something ELSE entirely. Something that makes Lucky shy away from the door with Ariel on his back. "It's not the thunder I'm worried about." Whispered to Kokoro.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The chest looks so old that the wood is probably brittle enough to bash, or any complex lock mechanism rendered a breeze to crack.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Naru starts to roam towards the stairs a torch on the wall lights itself. She gets closer. Another one lights on its own. She reaches the foot of the stairs... A third flares to life. Taking a few steps up another flares on. It's a creepy final boss stairwell, but that's not the issue once Kunzite finds no traps.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As soon as the chest is opened... There is nothing inside it. It's empty, forlornly barren and without treasure as-- everything slowly fades to white and voices begin to whisper. Some young, some old. Some men, some women. Each line of an ancient tale recited by the whispers of people long past over centuries...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''Once there was a boy...''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''Who was so very, very, alone...''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''So he dreamed up a friend to call his very own.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''A prince, dashing, daring, and noble...''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''On adventures they did roam.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''When he slept, each night they met...''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''And in his dreams, delight they would get.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''But it did not last, it was not to be.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''The little boy lost, his will, you see.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''His dreams taken, claimed and devoured... The prince of dreams, his heart did sour...''<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The voices fade. And the chest is no longer empty, now bearing a tattered old book, time worn moth eaten leather binding and falling apart. The title is ''Memories''.

:'''{{#var:202|Tyrfing| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Sniffing once, Tyrfing rubs under his muzzle, and rumbles back as his tail flicks a few times as he replies to Kunzite, "Sorry. I don't get sailing for a couple more levels the way this reads."<br /><br />But with the 'rogue' engaged with the chest, and the rest of the group spreading out, he decides to be social and ambles on over to where Naru is, leaning against the wall and looks down at her. His eyes seem to have this oddly flinty, sort of neutral cast to them before he asks, "SO..." Not really a question, but more of a beginning. Then he leans in closer, going almost eye to eye... and suddenly smiles very brightly and with a lot of fangs, "Did you really like the cupcakes?" His hands suddenly press together in a prayer-like gesture, and his tail curls and flicks, looking more like a housecat wanting his human's attention than a gigantic and potent beast of war.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kokoro looks like she's about to heft up her hammer and turn to leave, when-<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is a story. Murmured by many, told as one. The rage mage halts in her tracks, eyes going unfocused briefly as she simply... listens. Listens, to the simple tale of a boy whose only refuge against the cruelty of the world has been invaded and rendered barren. When the light fades and the girl's attention returns to the present... she's still. Utterly, perfectly still. Save for the clenching of her hand around her hammer's grip.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She has a sudden, intense need to hurt this Prince of Dreams. She's not sure why.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...we got a nightmare to smash," she finally says, hefting the hammer up on her shoulder. The tall girl intends to turn and head straight upstairs, whether people follow her or not.

:'''{{#var:160|Norie Okana| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima watches those flames flick on as she hears that whispering story as the world turns white for a moment and she blinks and takes a mental note of it. She'll remember. For now, she picks up her book, the one labeled 'Darkinomicon' and flips a page again and casts 'Summon Familiar'. Which means. She summons this little adorable shadow bat and she stares it at a little.<br /><br />"Go explore up there." she says as she sends the bat flying up the spiraling staircase to explore. This doesn't stop her from looking back.<br /><br />"We should start up the stairs." she says as she follows after Kokoro.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite stares down at the book, as the dream settles back around them again. No treasure. Of course no treasure. Not more than, oh, a bowl of quasi-arcane candies floating around a certain set of apartments.<br /><br />He tucks the book away into the shadows under his cloak as he straightens. Safest possible place for it. He's seen Nephrite play enough of these ridiculous games to know that as long as its precise placement is unspecified, any attack that actually gets through to hurt him will coincidentally leave the book itself unharmed.<br /><br />"She really liked the cupcakes," he tells Tyrfing evenly, and goes to join the girls. In the wake of the ... adorable ... shadow ... bat.<br /><br />She's going to figure out how to shape that one in the real world, isn't she.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ariel is halted for a long moment, the tinydin clinging to Lucky's reigns like a lifeline, floppy ears pricked up as she listens to the ancient tale, eyes distant and unfocused until it comes to an end. She bites her lip, letting her ears droop. "That's so sad..."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But the only path left is the stairs, and Ariel is actually lagging a bit after the book's tale is told.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lacrima summons her familiar, the shadow bat giving the vampire the ability to see through its eyes; in as much as a bat can see poorly. But it also grants her its echolocation, which means when it reaches the top of the staircase and the chamber at the top, she will be aware of the massive throne there; the bulky figure in said throne ... And another figure sprawled and unmoving on the floor. That's all that's up there as the party files upwards, torches lighting up ominously until they crest the final step.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The figure in the throne is still as stone, shrouded entirely in shadow. But the one one the floor is an odd sight. It's a corpse... There is blood. A blocky 'pool' of pixellated black-grey squares spreading out from beneath the unmoving blocky body of an 8-bit overlord in dark armor, a villain if there ever was one, and it reeks of dark energy and magic. It's... A dead nightmare.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And it was killed by something bigger. Something nastier. That something on the throne that opens one gleaming blue eye, wide and wild with visible pain, rage, and madness. And it stands; a figure in heavy plated black armor; wielding a dark shield and drawing a heavy lance from behind the throne.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ariel goes as still as a statue seeing it, eyes as wide as dinner plates.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"N-... No..." She whispers...<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the Black Knight stands... And with an old, gay, terrible cry of ruin lunges from her resting place, voice beauteous and horrifying all at once, charging the gathered heroes with the speed and force of a typhoon in black steel. While Ariel remains locked in place.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ariel suffers status: Terrified.

:'''{{#var:202|Tyrfing| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tch. "Ah hell."<br /><br />As if those words were the understatement of the year, Tyrfing drops the bow and goes right for the bastard sword. As he draws it, the weapon begins to glow blue along the blade as his voice takes on the slightly mechanical echo that is familiar from all Devices since the first ones seen. <br /><br /> &lt;&lt;Entzunden!&gt;&gt; <br /><br />Thankfully someone's been reading their sheet enough now to know that whomever he's supposed to be, and the long knife comes out next, the same energy of Void mana crackling off of it as he dashes forwards, using his superior speed to position himself in front of Ariel and Norie, pushing himself deliberately into harms way with the huge ebon knight. Once there, he crosses his swords and braces. <br /><br />Feat Engaged: Two Weapon Defense <br /><br />Dropping himself into Tank Mode, the beastman snarls out, "Hey Hammer Girl! How about you give this walking tin can a hello!"

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For a moment, even Kokoro is utterly stunned. The slain overlord. The nightmare they came for. And something bigger, badder, much much worse - something with a horrifying cry that seems to send a shudder through every fiber of her being. For just a moment, Akakuma Kokoro's rising ire is quelled by an instinctive, primal fear.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But it lunges at them. Maybe even at Ariel. While Ariel herself cannot so much as move.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The typhoon slams into a thunderstorm.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kokoro crackles as she lunges into the charge. Her own full strength, all the momentum she can put into herself, arcs of lightning dancing across her hammer and body alike. She slams into a lock-up with the Black Knight, roaring with fury, violet eyes briefly glowing their own natural color. "I'm... gonna give it... a ''lot more than that''...!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The glow shifts from purple to red. The Barbarian is now berserking.

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite's ''instincts'' say: stand in place, shield, deflect that lance to one side.<br /><br />Kunzite's ''character sheet'' says something else. But there's one point of ''almost'' overlap.<br /><br />He ''moves''; flings an arm out, his cloak a flare of darkness behind Ariel's ornate and brilliant silver armor; gathers her in against his side ...<br /><br />(Acrobatics is not one of his skills in the ''real'' world.)<br /><br />And gathers enough speed in those moments to vault them both ''over'' the Black Knight's charge, landing on their feet balanced on the back of the throne. Obligatory Dashing Rescue, accomplished.<br /><br />Kunzite lets go of the little unicorn in haste, because right now his character class has the potential for many more unfortunate implications than he wants, and draws a breath. "Lacrima! If there's any priest in that shadow -- ''try to exorcise the Knight!''"<br /><br />That might be better directed to Ariel, really. But he doesn't know classes, and Ariel's ... not all that moving, right now.

:'''{{#var:160|Norie Okana| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima purses her lips as she listens through the bat's eyes and echolocation and.... there's a nightmare. But it's dead. It's very dead. Her first thought is one that is actually optimistic a little. That someone was here and slayed the nightmare already. Good. Then back to pessimism when there's another figure there...<br /><br />A figure that makes her eyes open wide as she tries to make a move to do something not from the book but then Kunzite yells out about Exorcism. She purses her lips and huffs as she sits behind a wrecked wooden support and begins flipping through the book. The closest she comes to is 'Consume Specter'. Well. Um.<br /><br />She sighs a bit and raises her hands and speaks whatever tounge this book is in as she attempts to 'Exorcise' via 'consuming evil spirit within'. This probably won't really end well.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It is in situations like these that Lucky knows just what to do. The snarling canine steed however drops all signs of aggression once he ''sees'' the Black Knight, and actually whines. Lucky disengages, not out of fear, but mainly to allow Kunzite to grab ahold on Ariel and get her somewhere safer, as he does. Her voice is so utterly tiny as she pleas:<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Don't hurt her..."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That blunt little horn glimmers though. It's not the same spell she had cast before, but should provide a measure of bolstering protection to those engaged with the Black Knight...<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Protection From Divine.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Even still, fighting the dark armored figure is like fighting a wild beast, as though an entire pack of rabid wolves were encased in that midnight colored steel and given a weapon. Perhaps what might be most terrifying is that it matches Kokoro's berserking, already inhuman and now utterly unreasonable strength with its own twisted fury, blow for blow. The lance is wielded with both ages of skill at times, and unreasoning fury at others, shield used for defense, and battering blows as the knight meets Tyrfing and Kokoro in a vicious melee that leaves no room for error. Because it is NOT playing by the rules of the dream. It does not roll for attacks and it ignored initiative.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But it does bleed. Hits that do strike true and dent armor or get between plating earns a curious sight, liquid silver flowing from injuries. It reels to deal a heavy handed blow against the canny ranger, when it grinds to a halt, darkness trailing like whispy smoke from armored joints, trailing towards Lacrima. This... Seems to slow the knight, blows able to get in with more openings but...<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The black knight ''roars''. It is a sound that could only be heard in a dream; a wailing cry of ineffable agonized rage between the proud cry of a lion and the clarion toll of great church bells... As it wheels around to launch murder-first towards Lacrima.

:'''{{#var:160|Norie Okana| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima can feel that energy seep back into her. It feels like any other energy drain to her, though dark energy so it's not sustenance in so far as when she actually 'feeds'. But she frowns and she nods. "WHAT Ariel-chan said. Please." she says.<br /><br />Then the thing comes for her directly. She frowns and grits her teeth. She wishes she was a more powerful dark entity for purely benevolent reasons right now. She could just. Take control. Make it stand down. Or take whatever out and repurpose it. But she isn't. But if she was as such. Maybe she wouldn't want to do such a thing anyways.<br /><br />She decides to sue a 'trait' on her character sheet and turn into a fine mist that can't be effected by physical objects. Black and horrible for a second. As not to let herself be an actual target. She tries to move to the other side of the room. Maybe she'll follow and give time for people to hit her as she flails ineffectually.

:'''{{#var:202|Tyrfing| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The honest truth is, as long as Tyrfing is obeying the rules of the game, he's in a losing battle. His AC is overwhelmed, his HP is just a count-down to his 'death' on the board, and one more swing from the monster Knight tosses him to one side and leaves him without his weapons. So as he skids away from the group, and then has to roll to a stop, he reaches up to wipe the blood off his muzzle.<br /><br />Back in the real world, Koji reaches up and touches to his nose in time to see a single droplet of blood land on his homework notes.<br /><br />Standing back up, the Shutran beastman reaches up and *YANKS* the entire outfit off, throwing it to one side and revealing his barechested and armored form that was his Unity Knight self. Spitting some blood to one side, he grins and his eyes begin to glow hard, "Hey Kokoro..." He says in a gruffly confident tone, "This guy doesn't wanna play nice. So let's not play nice back."<br /><br />Pushing back a moment, he begins charging the Black Knight hard, loosing an animal cry as he ends up with his path right towards... Kokoro. And he yells out, &lt;&lt;INITIATE GUEST MODE!&gt;&gt; <br /><br />Back in the real world, the fingers that go towards the spot of blood, trembling as new fear of what's happening goes through young Koji, vanish... just like the rest of him... going into the Device's subspace.<br /><br />Back in the dream, the large beastman turns into a blue-silver phantom and wraps himself AROUND Kokoro, the light of the transformation blinding everyone for a moment as what appears in her place is seven feet of mecha-armored, tech-hammered, visor-slitted Mecha-Knight Thunder Goddess.<br /><br />(And you all know this because her new title scrolls under for everyone to see!)<br /><br />In Kokoro's mind, she hears, 'We've got some of the spells that Rashmi uses. Strength Boost, and Speed Boost. Now..."<br /><br />"Kick his ass."

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Under the effects of that berserker fury, it seems almost counterintuitive that Kokoro begins to fight smarter. Her blows seem to find their mark a little better, she seems more able to anticipate the Black Knight's strikes; she seems to have a natural instinct of battle, and sweeping away all her youthful hesitation and fear has put her far more deeply in touch with that side of her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's probably the only thing keeping the hits that keep landing from being fatal.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A cut here. A puncture there. The warrior of thunder doesn't seem to even notice them, focusing only on parrying, blocking, turning aside a fatal hit - and snagging every opening she can. It is only when the Black Knight decides to focus all that murderous intent on Lacrima that Kokoro's hammer finally swings through empty space. She's about to turn with a mindless fury to chase...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When someone calls her name.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It stops her. Long enough for Tyrfing to envelop her, to arm her. To infuse her with power, and return her conscious thought to her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She has only one response. "Nothin' I'd rather do. Gimme ''everything you got''!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The armored thunder knight explodes forward. Already fast naturally thanks to sheer brute strength, Tyrfing's speed boost temporarily turns her into a missile. Lightning crackles off her, floods into that hammer, until the weapon looks like the center of a plasma globe. And with a tremendous strength augmented far beyond her limits by the Device's power, Kokoro Akakuma hurls herself into arm's reach of the knight, and swings with everything she's got. "HAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tyrfing isn't the only one to look away from the character sheet right now. Kunzite lifts both his hands, as he does when he's building a particularly strong and complex shield -- shapes sigils in the air, drawing it fast and precise as Kokoro floods the hammer with lightning --<br /><br />-- but his shadows aren't visible. Because his are intensifying the shadows ''beneath the armor the Black Knight wears.''<br /><br />He has no illusions about the effectiveness of his shields against that attack. Kokoro was strong to begin with. Enhanced, and with his having long since discarded the tainted and corrupt energy that strengthened his power, she'll go through that little bubble of darkness and barely be slowed down. But barely is ''something.'' Barely might save a brain, or a heart, or a horn for all he knows. And barely is something he can ''reflect,'' pushing more impact back into the armor, for an instant making an anvil for her hammerblow to come down against.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lacrima takes on the form of mist with perfect timing. The monstrous knight's speed is still nothing to take lightly even as she saps it of strength, and the heavy handed blow intended to skewer the Shadowpriest on that lance never connects. The nightmare Knight is left swinging at empty air, snarling like a dog and off balanced. The opening is perfect.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Without the Shadowpriest remaining in place as a target, the Knight shifts all of its aggression and hate back upon Kokoro and Tyrfing. ... Except one of them is gone. And the other has taken a level in badass. At least two, maybe three, levels in badass.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Heedless of danger, utterly lacking in self preserving instinct, and with that wild eye completely engulfed by madness, the Nightmare turns to face the newly formed Mecha-Knight Thunder Goddess. Boots dig briefly into the stone floor before lance is hoisted. Kokoro is off like a missile. The black knight throws itself forward with the speed of a bullet... The two meet in the center of the room, and it seems to happen so fast that time slows. The lance raises, poised for a vicious stroke. The plasma-glow of that divine hammer intensifies, bearing in for a thundrous blow... And Kokoro's swing outpaces the armored figure, hammer careening towards black breastplate faster than the point of that lance can go anywhere dangerous- even with an advantage of reach. The impact is calamitous, dark metal crumpling like a tin can with a crash that resounds almost through the whole castle. The dark knight is not simply knocked off feet, but instantly and almost without visible transition of motion, put into the nearest wall with a bone-jarring slam. A slam hard enough to shake dust from the rafters as the room goes silent for a long, tense moment.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But it still breathes. Kunzite's shielding saw to that. The fact that one gauntlet-clad hand clutches to the wall, trembling, speaks volumes of an already behemoth stamina. But without it the results doubtlessly would have been far worse.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Liquid silver trails from cracks in plating. Joints creak as it draws a ragged breath and lets it out in a hiss of steam from visored helmet. It should not be rising. It should not be moving. But it slowly, painfully, drags itself back to a wobbling stance, armore falling apart and crumbling. Greaves and braces; pauldrons, cuirass, harnesses snapping and causing dark steel to slough off as the helmet splits down the middle and lets snowy hair fall free.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That lone, insane, blue eye regards Kokoro-Tyrfing for a long, silent, beat, before sliding towards Kunzite-- and Ariel by proxy where she remains so close to him. There is no other eye; just a long jagged scar dominating the entirety of the elder unicorn's face as she draws a ragged breath and snarls. Before staggering and leaping out of the tower's nearest window into the darkness and night beyond.

:'''{{#var:202|Tyrfing| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Into Kokoro's mind, Tyrfing says, ''Well... I did NOT see that one coming.''<br /><br />Unbidden and because this is a dream, twin tri-gram formulae appear in the air behind the combined pair's shoulders to act as thrusters and verniers for flight, another pair appearing over the backs of the calves. But while the new Heads-up Display tracks the leap for a probable landing point, the Unity Knight leaves it in his current Lord's hands to decide whether or not to chase after the rather ANGRY looking unicorn.<br /><br />''We can go, I'll back your play... but something my first Lord, Seraphim, told me. There are some battles that we aren't meant to fight. Because even if we win them, we still lose what's important.''

:'''{{#var:160|Norie Okana| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima reforms herself somewhere just as she turns to face what actually happens. Her eyes go wide and she's about to run forward when the now unclad elder unicorn goes toward's Kunzite and Ariel when she does something else and jumps out the window. She frowns at this quite heavily and walks over to Ariel.<br /><br />"I'm sorry. I tried to eat whatever was in there with her." she says. "I don't think it worked very well." she says silently.<br /><br />She kind of awkwardly stays near Ariel. Like. She doesn't know if she should be hugging or not. Or placing an arm on her shoulder and she's bad at this and she knows Ariel knows but still.<br /><br />"I promise I'll try harder next time." she says quietly.

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once Kokoro sees the face behind that armor, all of her fury and determination stall out. She comes to a complete stop, staring in quiet shock. She might not be a great thinker, but she's more aware and quick-witted than she often seems, and the fact Ariel said 'don't hurt her' didn't go unnoticed. She's motionless, not moving to pursue, not even ''thinking'' of it. If it's something Tyrfing can notice, he probably didn't even have to give her that piece of advice. "...yeah. I don't know what the hell that was, but..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She lets the head of her hammer rest against the ground again, turning to look Ariel's way. "We're done here for now. Nightmare's dead. You mind, uh, disengaging or whatever?"

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>That blue eye slides toward Kunzite, and he stays still -- not with a hand on Ariel, not quite. Only near her. "Your family still loves you," he says aloud, nevermind that it's in that neutral, matter-of-fact tone he uses with so many things. "Still misses you. You can still come back to them."<br /><br />... those words are overrun by the snarl, and said to air as their target makes for the window. It's only then that he bows his head for a moment, then glances aside at Lacrima. "It made a difference. Ariel, is her armor important? Would it help to take it to your mother?"<br /><br />The armor that's more or less strewn across the floor, at this point, courtesy Kokoro and Tyrfing.

:'''{{#var:157|Ariel Theodore| (157)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That's it. It's over and the castle has gone silent. The original nightmare is dead and the Black Knight has retreated. Ariel is visibly shaken, Lucky already nosing at her side. She flinches from the contact at first, as it pulls her back into the moment, and in the next beat, Norie will find her arm quietly hugged against Ariel's chest.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You did your best." She replies, at first, before peeking over her shoulder at Kunzite after his attempt to reason with the ancient knight. She then looks to the wreckage that used to be the armor, now on the floor. "It might be a good idea." She concedes, really just taking the moment to try and breathe again. She had been holding her breath almost that entire fight. "Thank you."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a long moment before she calms enough to let go of her cling on Lacrima's arm, there is a matter she has to attend to. The manner in which she approaches Kokoro is almost timid. Slow and cautious, like she were approaching someone that posed threat to her.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The tiny arms that go round Kokoro's waist in a gentle squeeze in the next moment, however, show that Ariel is not afraid as she uses Lay On Hugs for the final time she can cast it for the night.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And in solemn whispers, the book within the folds of Kunzite's cloak adds more to its tale.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''His dearest friend lost...''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''The Prince learned defeat and its cost.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''All gone, joy replaced with misery, the pain did brew...''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''Eventually he thought, 'Perhaps, maybe one day I'll find love anew.' ''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''High and low he searched and searched.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''But it was all in vain, a thirst that could not be quenched.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''Finally, he found another, or so he thought.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''To him a new dreamer gave call.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''For this one too, he bled and he fought.''<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''And this is how the Prince of Dreams began his fall...''

:'''{{#var:200|Kokoro Akakuma| (200)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tiny arms wrap around Kokoro's waist. She goes tense, but not out of anger; it's sheer surprise.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a few seconds of hesitation. Relief washes over her as her wounds knit closed. But it takes a moment before she can bring herself up in a slow, uncertain movement, to... pat Ariel on the head. Pat... p-pat pat...?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She may in fact be looking off to one side and blushing faintly.

:'''{{#var:202|Tyrfing| (202)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Just before Ariel comes in contact with Kokoro, Tyrfing disengage the Merge, and becomes nothing more than blue light until about six feet behind the pair, he coalesces once more into his solid form. Leaving the girls there for the moment, he walks over to the pair he knows better, allowing for the tender moment to happen.<br /><br />But he just looks back and forth between them, Lacrima and Kunzite, something passing there in his eyes... a thousand things to be asked, but pride won't allow him. A hollow and glaring pain that this entire ordeal has dredged up... but it cannot be formed in words. Instead he just starts walks past and away from them towards the steps and the exit of the castle.<br /><br />But another dozen steps away, he says over his shoulder, "Hey."<br /><br />Closing his eyes, he goes on, unable to face either Lacrima or Kunzite, "I've got an image of her. Stored in memory. I'll have the kid swing by later and see if your people can take a crack at it."

:'''{{#var:109|Kazuo Takeba| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite's nod to Tyrfing's back is curt, and the words that go with it at first are just as terse: "Do that."<br /><br />He relents a moment later. "You're in this story now. You've got a right to know what's going on with it."

:'''{{#var:160|Norie Okana| (160)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lacrima nods to Ariel. "I know." she says. She looks to Kunzite and what he says as she looks back to Ariel as she then hugs Kokoro and takes a deep breath. "Thank you for your help again." she says quietly. She turns back to Tyrfing. "And you to." she says.<br /><br />She looks back at Kunzite, and frowns a bit. "I... need to think on some things. I think." she says gently.
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