Complete Story Quest Isulus Crocodile Quartet (Mega Slimodile)

[Cain Darlite]

Four days had elapsed since the fall of the Broodmother. Since a reunion most unexpected. Since his world had changed, and perhaps not fully for the better.

Still, it had been four days since he felt like himself again, and Cain was ready to start working again. Beyond whatever the factions offered up, there remained plenty of work to do to make Camp Nislus a comfortable place to inhabit, especially when it looked to be quite literally at the forefront of Astorea’s activities. Was the reclamation of Yladia at hand? What of further ventures into the ancient ruins that the Explorer’s League had uncovered? No matter what, a base camp was the backbone of a raid, and with his work as a healer completed at this point…well, Cain was feeling just a little bit antsy.

He was looking for something to fight, something to distract him from the humidity that he still hadn’t truly gotten himself accustomed to, and amongst the bounties that the Adventurer Guild had pinned to the bulletin board, the most dangerous one called for him, that of a crocodile composed of slime, made gargantuan by the consumption of its brethren. A true behemoth of the swamp, this king amongst its kind stalked a peat bog from which the very edges of a magitech ruin could be seen, perhaps a ruin that was even perfectly preserved by the peat that had so wholly enveloped it.

Certainly, if there was knowledge to be plundered, that would be where the plunder began, and so, Cain reached to take it…right as another hand raised up as well, just barely grazing the bottom of the bounty.

Ah. Lady N, on the tips of her toes.

“Allow me,” the Flagbearer said, tearing it off. “I suppose, with your own desire for advancements, that such a bounty would be of interest to you, Ace of Steel Wings?”

 

[Lady N]

Camp Nisus

Well, that logout had been a mistake.

Chelsea found herself in the same crater she had left Seigi in a couple of days ago. She had been spending time trying to hire a certain blogger along with being pulled in what felt like a hundred directions by an acquaintance.

.Now she had to trudge all the way back to Camp Nisus Sigh...

At least her health and energy had replenished.

Once she finally returned and used whatever means available to clean herself up (those means were limited but thankfully she was not the only one who wanted to get the grime off of her).

After that, time seemed to become... fluid? Chelsea was not even sure if there was another logout mixed in there. Eventually, though, she would find herself sitting alone in a corner as she always did. Looking at her bracelet while her UI friendlist was open.

One would think she was a player killer with how barren it was.

Very few got on it, too many employees of VRS would make her suspicious if a VRSA member figured her out. Yeesh, she didn't need friends anyway. She barely needed to be in this game at all.

Closing the screen she yanked on the bracelet some. Chelsea was a weakling without her suit yes but... it was becoming a concern how the bracelet simply would NOT budge from her wrist. What had been convenient now made her wonder.

So her gaze shifted to the bounties board. She heard random people mentioning a magitech ruin in the swamps. It was one of those the Nexon assumed she had ended up in when she found the gear she dubbed an N-Suit. Up until then, she had just been kicking things and using her own gadgets to defend herself. Her skills had increased dramatically since then but still paled compared to what the suit offered her.

"Even then that AI monkey could just use me as a footstool."

Was that what Guts and Effort did for her, or was it just system favoritism?

Getting up and quietly crossing the room like a vertically challenged ghost. Chelsea decided to take a look for herself. She reached...

Seriously?

She had to get on her tiptoes. This was discrimination against the vertically challenged! She wasn't even that short anyway!

"Allow me,"

That coat and hat.. that smug face.

Chelsea didn't offer many reactions besides her usual cold look, but... she didn't like him.

"I suppose, with your own desire for advancements, that such a bounty would be of interest to you, Ace of Steel Wings?"

Two hands raised as she shook her head quickly,, no way would she let this annoying stupid give her some silly title. He did have a tendency to do that and she needed to nip it in the bud IMMEDIATELY.

"Just Lady N, or N. I don't need your theatrical titles Cain. I suppose I should say... congratulations on not dying."

As for his question. she gave no answer to him even if there was one. Sometimes, she was not even sure why she did what she did herself.

At least the other stupid was not here. One alone was semi-tolerable.

@Cain Darlite @Seigi Ling Ling @Celestine

 

[Celestine]

Celestine offered a little salute as their de-facto leader pointed out the bounty board. As a part of AG, this was pretty much her thing now, she supposed, and it was perfect because it meant more money.

Striding up to the board, she noticed a familiar face and waved, offering a simple "Hello again" which was lost to their present argument, while she perused the catalogue of bounties.

Cheap, cheap, easy, cheap, too much walking, too hard for soloing…

More challenge meant more money and more money hardly needed explanation. Sadly, none of these appeared to be worthwhile. That was, until Celestine caught a glimpse of the tantalizing sum, showing through the back of the paper Cain was holding to his friend, if only due to its bold yellow color.

She circled around to stand next to the short, snooty lady, reading the bounty aloud (sorta).

"Do a kill of the Mega Slim-odill. Slime-o-dill? Slimeo-dile? Slimy… crocodile... Hm." Sadly, she’d have to split it in two… maybe even three if the perpetually-annoyed one was also in. But doing the math, it was still considerably better than most of these, and there was no way it was more than she could handle.

"Well, I would be happy to do you a team again. Unless you two were wanting to be making it the date~" She smiled pleasantly, awaiting the inevitable. They obviously weren’t about to make romance out of combat in a slimy swamp, but Maya knew TV Tropes like the back of her hand, and this kind of character was always the best to tease~!


@Cain Darlite @Seigi Ling Ling @Lady N

 

[Seigi Ling Ling]

"Who's having a date?" A voice appeared behind @Celestine as a certain individual creeped out of the shadows. The bounty board and the works surrounding it had been her home ever since the defeat of the Broodmother. While there were all kinds of quest, the fighting ones were obviously the most comfortable.

"You and the Ace of Steel Wings?" She asked, leaving it up to interpretation who the 'you' of the two was! Whatever happened a few days ago, Seigi didn't seem to feel or behave much more differently around @Lady N than before. Instead, gently grabbing the bounty out of @Cain Darlite hands.

"Hmm, that's a big one...." She nodded. "And slimy, too!" She slightly frowned, before pushing the paper back onto Cain's chest. "Mud wrestling a crocodile has been something I've always wanted to do ever since Zeus mentioned it! It's like, on the bucket list for Heroes!" Maybe less mud, but then again, mud was like rain just with a bit of dirt.

Turning to N and Celestine, Seigi gave them a nod. "With four of us, it should quickly die to death...." Seems like Seigi had invited herself in...

 

[Cain Darlite]

“Such titles aren’t for you, m’lady,” Cain replied, “But rather for those who’ll hear tales of your valor and breakthroughs for generations to come, whilst still obfuscating your true identity. It’s simply…rational, no?”

Well, perhaps there was a line of logic there, but the fact of the matter was that Chelsea was pretty fun to tease, in an entirely different way than some others were. His lips quirked up though, at the quieter phrase.

“Thanks. I’m glad you made it out too. Both times around.”

Neither had much time to dwell in that moment though, before both facades were slipped back on at the emergence of Celestine, that light-show illusionist from the music collab he had way back then. “Not a date, alas,” the Flagbearer said. “Terrasphere has little respect for the power of love, after all, so it would be foolhardy to challenge anything of note with only a duo. It’s heartening that you’d like to join us though, Celestine. I hadn’t expected you to be interested in taking up bounties though! Did the camp’s residents already tire of your illusionary exhibitions? Or have you come here to stretch out your legs a bit?”

And with Seigi’s arrival, the party had truly become solid. It was nice to see her in a brighter mood now, compared to where they had both been in a while. A sense of normalcy, perhaps, the sort of sense that returned them to the older times. Seeking heroic achievements and wishing to witness great labours. Time changed everything, but they could still act the part.

Was he acting the part?

“With the three of you then, I shall wholly entrust the matters of destruction to you, whilst I weave the arias and hymns that shall keep your vigor unflagging and your blood inside your bodies. I’ve heard that a beast so terrible as the Slimodile possesses a most grotesque bite though, the sort that could even pin down the mightiest warriors amongst the Landers, so I must ask. How do all your reflexes feel today?”

 

[Lady N]

Camp Nisus

"Sigh... it's not like I expected you to listen to me."

Shaking her head with her eyes closed, the quiet Nexon would just let it be for now. There were only so many times she could argue with people before it became old hat. She certainly had no intention of liking it.

"Stare*

The new girl that showed up was doing.. some sort of skit maybe? Was her VR device malfunctioning? The investigation mode showed a name: Celestine. So she wasn't a NPC that spoke a strange dialect. The mention of a date was very clear, however.

"...W-What?"

This made her think of a tease she faced before. Why did everyone want her to date? This was not a Chelsea dating sim! She would have said something more... maybe, but that was when the "other" stupid finally did appear. Somehow it was not surprising at this point. It was almost like there might be more than one Seigi clone the way this was happening.

So here she was, suddenly for no reason whatsoever about to go on a hunting trip into a swamp (again) with a bunch of people she didn't want to be around.

Yet they all seemed bigger than her somehow, and it wasn't just stats or height.

"... My suit can handle high speeds. I'll be fine .*

Chelsea nodded before staying quiet and letting the others lead. In real life she was a leader, she had to be. Here she just didn't have the energy these people did. The Nexon would rather react than be on the forefront right now.

How her suit and her own emotions had failed her the last time.
Being on the forefront, was not always as effective as she'd like these days.
It's very possible she would not be fine.

@Cain Darlite @Seigi Ling Ling @Celestine

 

[Celestine]

Cel turned to see another approach. One she’d never seen before, but one she’d heard of. The young founder of the Lion’s Arms… or someone else who looked exactly as described. Either way, everyone here looked awfully capable, so that was comforting.

"Wait… you did yourself a name of ’Ace of Steel Wings…?’" Celestine‘s mouth curled up and she covered her mouth, not bothering to check the investigation mode. Instead, she’d just imagine she’d actually put that whole thing there and enjoy the humor of it. "Pfft, heheheh~!"

"There is the very simple reason I am doing myself a bounty instead!" Cel nodded slowly towards Cain, rubbing her fingers together. "They were not doing me a pay! No one is doing an entertainer the appreciate when everyone is having the blood and gut coverings, it is seeming…" She shrugged.

And to the more important question of reflexes… "Absolutely of the slothfulness! Let us do us the bounty!" She’d taken a golem space-sword to the face; she wasn’t about to be scared off by some mid-tier fungible mob! Cel had already followed the Adventurer’s Guild to the swamp, so the path was fresh in her memory, and she was a quick leader.

"Pffteheh… Ace of Steel Wings…!"


@Cain Darlite @Seigi Ling Ling @Lady N

 

[Seigi Ling Ling]

Seigi clasped her hands together as the bickering continued.

"Don't say that, Cain! Love, Justice, and Peace always win out in the end! We're living examples of that! I am a living example of that. A very dear friend told me that once. And she will be right." Despite the silliness in her words, there seemed to be a certain seriousness below the surface, before her face softened. "And you don't have to worry about me, Cain. Even if it kills me I won't die..." Though she had heard the rumors too. "And, ultimately, we just have to punch it faster than it can bite us!"

"But Celestine is right. Let's go punch a crocodile thingy! How much are we getting paid anyway?" Making it clear that Seigi, in fact, was not in it for the money. "And what kind of things have you tried to get paid anyway?" She remembered the girl, somewhat. Back in the Titanius battle. She wasn't as memorable and flashy as Cain, but did certainly still leave a presence... .

@Celestine @Cain Darlite @Lady N

 

[Cain Darlite]

110 / 170

"It looks like..."

Oh, huh! Interesting!

As the quartet strode off, Cain pointed the bounty out to them once more. "...the Adventurer's Guild actually appears to be starting up a new exchangeable currency that they've named Hero Coins, presumably tokens that can be swapped over for real Gold once one returns to Astorea or Falderen. With the difficulty of generating and minting tangible gold pieces out in the wilderness, they've decided to adopt these tokens as a measure instead, for their further-flung outposts." It was all in such microscopic fineprint that he had to really put it up to his face to read it, but the topic was indeed quite fascinating. "As of now, 10,000 Hero Coins would translate into 2000 gold coins, but if we hold onto it, there's quite a good possibility that the price will rise even higher, possibly even matching gold to a 1:1 value!"

Certainly, it was something worth getting excited about. Two thousand and five hundred coins was many times more than what they even got paid for after slaying Titania and Titanius, and everyone looked like they needed it. Lady N's suit required constant upkeep and expensive materials, Seigi had a gambling habit to fund, and Celestine wanted money...because it was shiny? Cain didn't know, but the man had a taste for expensive clothing himself, despite the fact that getting a mightier weapon would be for the better instead. So, with greed in their hearts as adventurers are wont to possess, they continued their way into Isulus, until the swamp transformed into the bogs that they sought the peat-fused slimodile in. Each step sucked at their feet, the ground a slurry of water and decayed vegetation, but the very tip of a collapsed ruin could be seen now.

It was silent here, but it was silence that was meant to be broken by violence and chutzpah!

"Make it look easy, ladies!"

The Battle-Banner thrust into the ground, Harmonic ripples resonating with the very souls of his party members and at the same time drawing out the ire of the black slimodile that surged out from the earth itself! It slammed snout-first into Cain, sending him flying into a tree, but that pain was just another day at work, and the beast's over-aggressiveness had landed it straight into a nest of true monsters

Rolls

Buff (AoE)
1d100 (48) + 25 + 20 + 20 = 38 (Total divided by 3)
+38 buff to 3 targets for 1 post @Seigi Ling Ling @Celestine @Lady N
Harmonic Magic | Cain Darlite | 1063C1

Playsheet

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Mega Slimodile of the Boglands

LP 6
DC 140
Retal 60

Gore Twister EX. After attacking this enemy, make a Save (Reflex - 70) to avoid getting a limb or two snapped up by the Slimodile, which will try to spin to twist your limbs out of their socket. If you fail, you can consider yourself narratively held by this enemy. Take 120 damage (before modifier) instead of 60 the next time you attack and the DC increases to 200 (it's just so much more difficult to hit them when they have taken ahold of you).

 

[Lady N]

Bounty: Mega Slimodile

40 / 160

"Hero Coins? ...Play money for people dying?"

Chelsea wasn't surprised about all of this gamification of death. That was the point as far as she was concerned anyway. This only confirmed it for her.

Chelsea was not exactly thrilled to get grime all over her again but here she was. The moment they reach the area this slimodile thing was supposed to be, Chelsea pulled back her leave and prepared to press her bracelet.

How the N-Suit actually worked was beyond her, she could only see what it was made up of or any details about it AFTER it was equipped. This made maintenance a chore since as far as she could tell, the bracelet just had one press panel and no openings.

This meant, she was giving this a go for the first time since... well, looking like a fool and getting nearly murdered by Kurungar Mother. All of this for play money... and a magitech ruin, but still!

Fingers to pressure point...

"..."

"Make it look easy, ladies!"

Easy? Since when was anything easy with this!?

A creature that looked sort of like a crocodile if it was mixed with some sick slime fetish emerged. Rather than green, it was very dark, maybe black, and for its size and shape. it moved VERY fast. As always, monsters here never followed conventional logic or anything sane ever.

As Cain flew back from the emerging lizard's(?) arrival move, Chelsea strafed to the side and would attempt to glide over the sludge in an attempt to flank the slimy, nasty, likely broken monster. Unfortunately, the suit was not exactly capable of this as well as she had thought since the swamp water just engulfed her feet and lower legs quickly.

Pfft, she was going to be filthy again after this was done.

Chelsea kicked her thrusters up to the next level and shot from the slime beneath her to slimodile before her. A quick spin as she rapidly attempted to slash the thick scales. The monster's clawed hind leg came down. Somehow this led to her being under it...

How?! Who could say?!

The foot raised and the raven hair laid there crushed but alive.
Like some sort of bunny cookie. about to be covered in slime frosting.

She couldn't help it. She just laughed.
She wasn't dead and that meant she could keep going!

"Hahaha...You big stupid kaiju! I'm just getting started see? I feel fine! I'm not in pain.. at all! Let's... go...!"

Notice

Emotion Energy is in Discord.
Please Replace Core Drive 2 or achieve stabilization via Another Unit until replaced.

"Pfft.. yeesh... what's going on?."

Chelsea's mind was racing as she realized for some reason she was feeling similar to her time with the fever. For now, there wasn't time to focus on it, so she just literally grinned and bore it.

Rolls

Burst Attack
13d20 exploding (17 + 6 + 6 + 10 + 2 + 1 + 13 + 2 + 16 + 3 + 8 + 8 + 4) + 25 + 38 = 159
159 damage (Explosions: 0)
Gain the Vulnerable state
Dynamism | Lady N | 1063C1

Save
1d100 (10) + 60 + 5 = 75
Reflex | Lady N | 1063C1

Playsheet

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Mega Slimodile of the Boglands

LP 6 (-1)
DC 140
Retal 60

Gore Twister EX. After attacking this enemy, make a Save (Reflex - 70) to avoid getting a limb or two snapped up by the Slimodile, which will try to spin to twist your limbs out of their socket. If you fail, you can consider yourself narratively held by this enemy. Take 120 damage (before modifier) instead of 60 the next time you attack and the DC increases to 200 (it's just so much more difficult to hit them when they have taken ahold of you).

@Cain Darlite @Seigi Ling Ling @Celestine

 

[Celestine]

Critical Failure

1

DECAPITATED / 160

Celestine wasn’t a real fan of this stupid swamp, but loved her some obscenely flashy outfits, and those didn’t come cheap. Just the floating hat had pretty much bankrupt her earlier. Lots of astral mages were gunning for lil’ hat-chan, and the right price for her in the auction was "Any."

Of course, these clothes would need a serious scrubbing after the past few days.

"It should be doing a reside somewhere near here," Cel nodded as she began to notice the familiar chasm in the distance. "I am not doing much of the expectations. The slimes were not much of the danger, so the slime-o-dile should not do much danger either, I am thinking."

As they caught sight of the massive black beast lurking in the oozing slime, the crew launched into action.

… So that’s where they got their names. That made a lotta sense.

Cel felt her soul emboldened, resonating in tune with the well of magic inside. Such power! She truly felt like she could do anything! That thing might be aggressive, but it was nothing compared to the one who was to claim the title of goddess! And if she aspired to fill the role of moon goddess on behalf of that half-baked absentee, she would show this lowly creature who it was dealing with!

Suddenly, the spindly swamp trees above faded away, and the murky twilight was replaced with a sea of stars. Celestine stepped forward, her hair glowing with the light of a dying sun, hand raised to the sky. "Lowly creature, do yourself the behold of the wrath of the goddess of the moon~!"

Meteor Strike!

From above, a star twinkled and then began to fall, the great ball of fire careening down upon the swamp. One hand remained to the sky, summoning the great, flaming meteor, while the other danced through the air, weaving illusions like an expert seamstress weaved a beautiful dress. Reality and fantasy blurred into one, and it was beautiful!

Swamp became an endless field of stars, which all turned their ire towards their goddess’s foe, until all that could be seen was an endless stream of bullet-like comets. The slime monster furiously snapped and swatted away at them, dispelling the illusions to nothing. A distraction to keep it in place: but nonetheless beautiful, and very effective at keeping it in place, until the great ball of flaming rock fell from heaven, sending a tidal wave of slime skyward!

Celestine tried her best to hide it, but after that, she was exhausted, and her breathing heavy. Still, she turned to the rest of her party and smiled. "See? It is not so much of the hard," she smiled, not noticing the black shadow looming behind her.

This! This obnoxious, glowing head was the cause of all that nonsense which had dared defy him!? The KING!? No more mercy: he would go right for the source.

"Let us be going and doing the moneys a colle— eh!?" Chomp. Twist. Rrrrrrip! Before she had time to understand what’d happened, Celestine’s body fell down beside her dismembered head, the starry illusion in her hair fading to black along with the light in her eyes.

The king slimeodile stood victorious over the dead lady, snapping its jaws in defiance. This was his territory, and he’d do the same to the rest of these fools if they didn’t beat it right away!

Rolls

Burst Attack
16d20 exploding (13 + 16 + 20 + 12 + 11 + 7 + 14 + 8 + 17 + 13 + 18 + 14 + 4 + 10 + 14 + 1 + 6) + 38 + 80 = 316
316 damage (Explosions: 1)
Gain the Vulnerable state
Pyromancy | Celestine | 1063C1

Surge Activated (+80 to a roll/+4 to Haste/+20 to Inspire/+4 revive targets) | Celestine | 1063C1

Save
1d100 (1) + 0 = 1 (Critical Failure!)
Reflex | Celestine | 1063C1

Play sheet

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Mega Slimodile of the Boglands

LP 6 (-3)
DC 140
Retal 60

Gore Twister EX. After attacking this enemy, make a Save (Reflex - 70) to avoid getting a limb or two snapped up by the Slimodile, which will try to spin to twist your limbs out of their socket. If you fail, you can consider yourself narratively held by this enemy. Take 120 damage (before modifier) instead of 60 the next time you attack and the DC increases to 200 (it's just so much more difficult to hit them when they have taken ahold of you).

@Cain Darlite @Seigi Ling Ling @Lady N

 

[Seigi Ling Ling]

100 / 220

"That sounds like a scam!" Seigi called out at @Cain Darlite's explanation about the currency exchange as they moved deeper into the swamp. "Hey, Ace Wing." She tapped @Lady N's shoulder, carefully slogging through the swamp. "You got your flying suit and all, you sure we can't just hang on?" Although Seigi only got a Tsundere hmpf from her as a reaction.

As they ventured deeper into the swamp, the Slime Crocodile also finally made its appearance. "Alrighty, let's turn it into Croc-jerkey!" Quite motivated as Cain buffed them with music. N and @Celestine went right to work! But then, as the super flashy meteor dropped, things quickly changed.

"Watch ou-!"

CHOMP

She died.
The weirdo girl died.
She did an utterly, complete, dead.
How many would that be for her?
The first, the third?
....

'C'mon! I won't allow you to die even if it kills you!' Was a sentence Seigi would have loved to drop if this death-trap game wasn't just like any other cliché, alas.
"..."

A̛h̵a͡hahah͡a! Wh̵at ̵ą t҉ool͘! Sḩe just li͝k̸e,̷ BOOM҉ ̸FLAS͜H̢Y̶ METEOR̛,͟ ̧bu҉t̡ sh͝e was ͜t͘h͟e one ̸w͝ho̷ GOT̢ REKŢ.
W-͜We ͟to͝ld͠ y͝o̷u͝ ͏s̴o!͞ Why don't ͟we l͝istȩn!? Ju͏s͘t҉.͏.. ever͡ỳthing͡'s meani͝n̶g͝less͢!
O̧ne more ҉you coul̸dn̡'t̛ sav̢e̵,͏ ͝Her͢o͏...͜
I̛f͟ only̛ y̧ơu'd̡ a҉ccept it͘. If̡ o͢nly you'͢d ̵acc̨e͜p̶t y͞oursel̶f.͠ Nobody w̸ould̢ have tơ suff͘er...̛ an̸y̧moŗe͢.

"..." Without a word, Seigi's battle spirits engulfed her. Her usual red-yellow glow was tainted by a hint of crimson red. Stronger than usual. A twisted feeling of... dread? The girl took one step forward, then another, then, a full-on run.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Dropping all kind of defensive moves, Seigi jumped straight at the crocodile and... she just punched away.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE!" They exchanged blow for blow. Flesh for flesh. Muscles torn. Bones were broken. Her body moving through willpower alone.

Rolls

Burst Attack
18d20 exploding (15 + 3 + 2 + 7 + 9 + 20 + 7 + 13 + 15 + 1 + 9 + 10 + 15 + 9 + 5 + 2 + 17 + 3 + 19) + 20 + 38 + 20 = 259
259 damage (Explosions: 1)
Gain the Vulnerable state
Martial Arts | Seigi Ling Ling | 1063C1

Save
1d100 (20) + 20 + 10 = 50
Reflex | Seigi Ling Ling | 1063C1

Playsheet

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Mega Slimodile of the Boglands

LP 6 (-4)
DC 140
Retal 60

Gore Twister EX. After attacking this enemy, make a Save (Reflex - 70) to avoid getting a limb or two snapped up by the Slimodile, which will try to spin to twist your limbs out of their socket. If you fail, you can consider yourself narratively held by this enemy. Take 120 damage (before modifier) instead of 60 the next time you attack and the DC increases to 200 (it's just so much more difficult to hit them when they have taken ahold of you).

 

[Cain Darlite]

75 / 170

Huh.

The situation, with the Slimodile itself being ripped up to shreds but basically almost everyone else on death's door as well, was...a questionable scenario, so to say! Perhaps the beast was mightier than expected, or perhaps they had all become rusty since the Kurungaar Broodmother battle, but with Lady N getting flattened, Celestine on the verge of being decapitated, and Seigi recklessly launching herself into the fray, things were perhaps getting a bit too heavy for a fight that had originally been something to be engaged in with total confidence.

This was still fine though. This was certainly still going to be fine. Indeed, if things didn't turn out to be fine, then he will step in and handle all this himself.

But until that point?

"Seigi! Lady!" Cain's voice projected brightly, the astral banner reverberating with his cry to war. "Steady yourselves and do not give in to the darkness! Wrathful blows will only reflect violence back unto yourselves! Work as one, and we may still save Celestine from the unrevivable demise of being swallowed whole!"

And with those same words, their injuries were mended, their spirits raised. Enough so that they, perhaps, had one or two blows left inside them.

Enough so, that if they failed, Cain too would have one strike left.

Rolls

Heal (AoE)
1d20 (9) + 25 + 20 + 20 = 25 (Total divided by 3)
+25 HP to 3 targets @Cain Darlite @Lady N @Seigi Ling Ling
Harmonic Magic | Cain Darlite | 1063C2

Playsheet

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Mega Slimodile of the Boglands

LP 2
DC 140
Retal 60

Gore Twister EX. After attacking this enemy, make a Save (Reflex - 70) to avoid getting a limb or two snapped up by the Slimodile, which will try to spin to twist your limbs out of their socket. If you fail, you can consider yourself narratively held by this enemy. Take 120 damage (before modifier) instead of 60 the next time you attack and the DC increases to 200 (it's just so much more difficult to hit them when they have taken ahold of you).

 

[Lady N]

Bounty: Mega Slimodile

0 / 160

KO'ed

It all happened so fast.

Stupids running into a giant monster and getting absolutely destroyed, and she was one of them. Was this a nightmare? Was Chelsea R. Nexon right now in her bed and moon bunny pajamas (that no one anywhere at all even knows about... seriously), sleeping after a long day?

These people were not safe
This was not safe

Laughing like an idiot because of a corrupted Core or whatever was ABSOLUTELY NOT SAFE. Certain bloggers should post about not doing these things maybe. As she fought the slimodile mentally addled and weakened from the prior blow she tried to be elsewhere only to be slammed down by its massive tail.

Her armor was dented, her face bruised and blood running down her lip.

Even though she was with others here. This was the first time in a very long time the feeling of being alone was noticeable to the tsun. Alone in her thoughts for certain as her consciousness started to black out.

Whether she died here again after all these years, or just awoke in the slime... or woke up in her bed.

Chelsea would probably send a text she hadn't sent in a while...

Fade to black...

​

Rolls

Burst Attack
13d20 exploding (13 + 10 + 2 + 10 + 16 + 11 + 19 + 2 + 9 + 18 + 5 + 9 + 17) + 25 = 166
166 damage (Explosions: 0)
Gain the Vulnerable state
Dynamism | Lady N | 1063C2

KOed

Playsheet

Mega Slimodile of the Boglands

LP 1
DC 140
Retal 60

Gore Twister EX. After attacking this enemy, make a Save (Reflex - 70) to avoid getting a limb or two snapped up by the Slimodile, which will try to spin to twist your limbs out of their socket. If you fail, you can consider yourself narratively held by this enemy. Take 120 damage (before modifier) instead of 60 the next time you attack and the DC increases to 200 (it's just so much more difficult to hit them when they have taken ahold of you).

@Cain Darlite @Seigi Ling Ling @Celestine

 

[Seigi Ling Ling]

-75 / 220

-220 Crocodile CHOMP
+40 Armor ability
+25 Heal

Seigi kept punching away. Trading her own life bar with that of the crocodile. At least, until @Cain Darlite called out to her.

Seigi

Just like that.
He mentioned her name.
The voices subdued.
Was that the power of love, or?..

"H-Huh?" Snapping back to reality just long enough to realize the situation she was in, the girl found herself twisted in ways not thought possible. Entangled by the crocodile's tail. The situation didn't look much better as @Lady N was out cold too, Seigi suddenly found the slime monster's maw getting closer and closer. Clearly wanting to swallow Seigi whole. "Ohnononono!"

Chomp

Throwing Seigi like a ragdoll into its maw, it pressed down and was done.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Just so that seconds after a broken, bloodied, and quite dirty hero could burst out through the monster's supposed to be cranium. A move that had by now overstayed its use.

Landing somehow on her two legs, standing. Seigi turned to Cain, and to the others. "Cain, I...." Before losing consciousness on the spot. With how she looked, one had to wonder if she didn't just lose another life.

@Celestine

Rolls

Burst Attack
18d20 exploding (14 + 2 + 6 + 8 + 17 + 9 + 12 + 13 + 11 + 18 + 3 + 8 + 10 + 1 + 13 + 1 + 18 + 8) + 20 + 20 = 212
212 damage (Explosions: 0)
Gain the Vulnerable state
Martial Arts | Seigi Ling Ling | 1063C2

KOed

Playsheet
[HR=3][/HR]

Mega Slimodile of the Boglands

LP 0
DC 140
Retal 60

Gore Twister EX. After attacking this enemy, make a Save (Reflex - 70) to avoid getting a limb or two snapped up by the Slimodile, which will try to spin to twist your limbs out of their socket. If you fail, you can consider yourself narratively held by this enemy. Take 120 damage (before modifier) instead of 60 the next time you attack and the DC increases to 200 (it's just so much more difficult to hit them when they have taken ahold of you).

 

[Cain Darlite]

This was no great evil.

This was no dragon who’d raze a village.

No King to oppress the populace.

No Demon to wreck countries.

This was an oversized beast, powerful but insignificant. If things got dangerous, he had presumed, perhaps foolishly so, that they would agree to leave and try again later. Celestine was a bit of an accident, perhaps, but they could patch her up before death truly sunk in. The others though. They were more confusing. Lady N lost control, became reckless. And Seigi…Seigi fell into her old habits again.

In the peat bog, four bodies laid, slowly sinking into the too-soft mud. A crocodile broken to bits, and three young girls, bloodied and savaged.

There was no song to be composed here.

And so, Cain…

---

They woke to the crackling of fire and fat, the gamey smell of spitroasted meat. Perhaps only an hour had passed since the three of them fell alongside the great beast that was guarding an archaeological treasure box, but it certainly felt longer. Especially for Celestine, whose head remained attached to her neck, even though the entirety of her throat still ached from the wound that had been there.

In the shadows cast by the bonfire, that heady bonfire that only intensified the smell of the bogwoods, the midnight-haired muse smiled at them.

“T’was a ferocious battle indeed, to my surprise. Has the Kurungaar’s near-manifestation of that demon inspired greater haste in the ascent to power?” With a knife, he sliced cuts of the meat and offered it to them. It was slimodile, cleaned and spiced. “Or was this just a day to act recklessly?”

 

[Celestine]

Celestine gulped, rubbing what might’ve qualified as stitches for her neck. That certainly had a lingering pain she wasn’t happy to deal with, but much worse, was the harm to her dignity, especially after she’d gone on the whole "moon goddess" tirade.

With a pout, she grabbed a fork and stabbed a chunk of meat Cain was offering. She bit in, tearing the piece of meat with a vigor that went well-beyond simple hunger and into the realm of vengeance. "It just did itself the incredible luck," Cel insisted, wincing as the meat went down her still-sore throat. "If it had not done me the sneak attack, I would have done it a simple and easy kill."

She glanced off to the side. "And maybe let us not do this the tell to anyone...? If anyone is asking, let us be saying it was beneath us. It is sort of the truth, but with the flavors, if you do it the think. Reputation is a great importance, you know." Given how literally everyone here had given themselves some weird title, surely she wasn’t alone here…!

"… Also, thank you."


@Cain Darlite @Seigi Ling Ling @Lady N

 

[Lady N]

Bounty: Mega Slimodile

And so her eyes did open.
There was no ceiling and no pajamas.
Only swamp, a starry sky, and a pungent odor.

Chelsea would sit up and see the makeshift camp Cain had created. The meat of the slimodile is now the nourishment for the victor. She never liked hunting, and this wasn't any different. Her stomach turned, not just from the disgust of eating something slimy that no matter how *cooked* was likely still contaminated.

The raven hair would head towards the fire but keep her distance, staying at the farthest point of its dim light. Ironically the often annoying man showed awareness at the recklessness displayed here.

Yes, playing this at all is reckless, stupid!

Or that's what she would have said any other time. Now she was dealing with personal issues, and not the same as her normal ones... or perhaps... it was just the natural evolution of her inner turmoil.

"....Everyone is alive. Good. ..I... I am done here."

Chelsea did not care if she logged back in the same place, she didn't care about any of this right now. She needed to leave. Once again the Nexon had lost herself emotionally and it almost killed her. She could no longer ignore her suits condition.

This MUST be dealt with, but first, she needed a break.
From Terrasphere, and Virtual Reality Strategy.
Now Chelsea had to figure out how to do that since her natural inclination is just to work more.

<Exit>

@Cain Darlite @Celestine @Seigi Ling Ling