Complete Private Hellevator

[Luthien]

She knew her choice had been right when her unnie guided her through attempt after attempt as the elf struggled to get the marbles right. Too big, too small, too wide, too thin. At one point their shape had started to deform as well, becoming more elongated or uneven, before a second perfect marble had finally been crafted.

All the defective ones had been yeeted right into her inventory, she’d worry about what to do with them later.

"I t-think I’m starting to get the hang of it…" It’d been harder than Lúthien had expected, and in her focused state the ranger had missed the fact Lune had slowly been withdrawing her own energy—allowing the blonde to take over almost the entire process.

The back of her leather glove wiped some of the beads of sweat forming against her temple as Luth gazed at the most recent marble, carefully inspecting it to make sure it was exactly what she’d needed, and trying to commit the feeling that had gone into crafting it to memory. While she could always craft a few in advance it would undoubtedly be in Luth’s benefit for the process of making these marbles to become as natural as breathing.

A tall order, but one the ranger felt confident that she could reach—she was quite stubborn after all.

A delicate eyebrow rose high in the air as the word mother rang in the air, it would take a while before Lúthien became used to hearing that being said towards her unnie, before the latest marble disappeared into a small pocket on her vest.

"Ooh, that’s really good Ryu~" Her compliment was genuine as she peered at the marble the younger girl had made, a hand lightly patting her head encouragingly. "You were paying close attention to momma’s lesson, mmm?"

Yup, that still felt fucking weird… but the kid was cute, and it wouldn’t be bad for Ryujin to learn more about magic in a world with creatures—and people—constantly out for their blood.

"Not yet, I wanna try making a couple more first… try and get the feeling of it locked down before I forget." Besides it’s not like Lune would always be available to help her craft the beads, so the quicker Lúthien learned to do them on her own the better. "Let’s see if I can make two more, and then we can test them out."

The plan was to vary the condensed magic into each marble in an attempt to fine-tune how much would be just right for viable ammunition in combat without risking the safety of her friends and/or party members present.

@Lune

 

[Lune]

As the last astral ball disappeared into Luthien's inventory, Lune was glad that the ranger didn't notice the color of the marbles that were gradually cleared of Lune's crimson and purple, and were dominated by the blonde's own mix of energy colors instead.

The silverhead blushed a bit. Somehow, it's fine when Ryujin or herself does it, but when someone else referred to her as a mother, it felt... kinda weird?

The little girl nodded several times enthusiastically at Luthien, growing comfortable enough to allow the elf to pat her on her head. "Mm-hm!" The adoptive daughter then returned to sit on the grass, playing with the marble Lune deemed safe.

"Let’s see if I can make two more, and then we can test them out."

Continuing while the steps are still fresh on her mind, huh? "Still got some juice in you?" Impressed, the white-haired woman smirked. "All right, you're on your own now." Lune took some steps back, relinquishing full control of the process to Luthien, crossing her arms while observing.

"Don't worry, I'm still gonna be here in case the unwanted happens." She ensured, confident enough that the worst won't happen.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

A look towards her unnie confirmed the experience of referring to the woman as a mother had been equally awkward for the both of them, a faint chuckle barely held back as Lúthien prioritized the younger girl for now. She seemed slightly more comfortable around the blonde now, nodding brightly in agreement to Lúthien’s words before going back to her little patch of grass as her attention was reabsorbed by the marble Lune deemed safe enough for Ryujin to keep.

"Still got some juice in you?"

"Surprisingly enough. Normally I’d feel exhausted after this much, but today I’m feeling surprisingly energized." Her voice shifted along with her movements as the ranger allowed herself a moment to stretch her muscles, a glance towards the energy meter on her UI confirming what her body already knew—she could keep going a little bit longer. "Maybe it’s all thanks to you, unnie~"

A harmless enough comment for most and, judging by the eased and relaxed smile on Lúthien’s lips, she seemed oblivious of the deeper meaning it could carry for the older woman. While she knew of Lune’s missing heart and her boyfriend’s involvement in the procedure, she had never suspected that the amethyst the hunter used to replace it came with additional abilities.

　

❰ Crafting Some Marbles for Testing ❱

2d100 (Advantage)
(57, 12) + 25 = 82
DC 75 | Hellevator

❰ Success! ❱

2d100 (Advantage)
(64, 34) + 25 = 89
DC 75 | Hellevator

❰ Success! ❱

Perhaps it wasn’t surprising that Lúthien finally managed to craft two perfectly similar marbles on her own—certainly aided by the lessons and the feelings of how her magic should flow during this process still being fresh in her mind. Gone were the purple and crimson hues that had mingled in their exterior at first, the nebulas now reflected within each sphere colored by a mix of blues and pinks with the occasional verdant streak running through them.

"Oh… well, this is interesting."

In one marble the nebula expanded throughout the full surface, clouding the view regardless of how it was held or turned in one’s hand. "I tried infusing the energy differently for each one, but I didn’t expect them to look so differently because of it." The contrast was quite sharp once it was compared to its sibling, the nebula in the second marble perfectly gathered as it spiraled around a center point.

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"Well, I'm surprised you're not drained yet."

Considering Lune did practically nothing but help mold for the past half an hour, Luthien's energy consumption seemed to be pretty optimized for someone who did this kind of thing for the first time. Perhaps she's more gifted than the white-haired woman realized.

Minutes passed. The elf was still deep in concentration as Lune watched over her using her enhanced magical senses to ensure the process was stable and that the energy flow was under control. After some time, Luthien managed to produce two magic-rich, perfectly-sized marbles.

"Oh… well, this is interesting."

"Hm?" With one brow raised, the woman walked closer, curious to what it was about. "Let me see those..." Taking the small balls, she brought them closer to her eyes, scanning the magical content in detail for a several seconds. "... Huh..." The older woman let out an intrigued, but impressed sound.

"... I know what's up." She showed Luthien the marble in her left hand, starting with the second one. "This one, the astral energy is focused perfectly. There's traces of stray aero magic but it's natural when you control more than one type." Lune pointed at the coloring and the spiraling core, before adding. "This will delete anything that comes in contact."

Her focus shifted to the first one Luth made, "This one though, notice how expanded that is?" She waited to see if Luthien could deduce it herself. "You somehow made astramancy and aeromancy work together, those two different magic intertwining and weaved with each other in this small ball." Which is not a small feat. Combining two vastly different magic was a difficult task, let alone stabilizing both into a tiny marble.

"This one definitely will release a storm." She's unsure how big the explosion would be with this one, but not even her would want to be anywhere close when it detonates.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She had little to compare against when it came to magic usage, especially considering how varied masteries were… and that’s without taking into account the immense number of ways they could be expressed depending on the player and their combination choices. The was no guide to energy usage aside from the tidbits of suggestions the game had offered early on and, while she’d been minddown before, the elf had to admit it had taken quite a bit of exertion to reach that state.

That said, Lúthien wasn’t sure if she had it in here to produce another pair of marbles like the ones she handed over to Lune for inspection… probably best to take a breather just in case the UI—or her body—were lying to her.

"Alright, spill it." Shed watched the older woman as Lune inspected them carefully, before impatience finally took hold as the blonde prodded her for input. "Did ya figure it out?"

Sure enough it sounded like her unnie had unraveled the mystery, one of the marbles held up for Lúthien to look at as the woman mentioned it would delete anything that was unfortunate enough to be struck by it. "W-Wait… you don’t mean delete as in delete though, right?"

However her words confirmed what the blonde had suspected upon seeing the streaks of verdant green in their surfaces, brows furrowed as she thought back to when she’d been focused on creating them. She had pictured each one differently as she hoped to achieve opposite results with them and, as she mulled over it, Lúthien realized her mind had used the wind weave and blend the astral energies into what she desired.

"Yeah… it’s almost like the thick clouds that make up a thunderstorm, but colorful." Pretty really, and she couldn’t help but wonder how far its range would go when Lune confirmed what she had guessed. "Was aiming for a crowd control one when I was crafting it~"

It might not be as deadly as the other one, but each would have their use and purpose in a fight.

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"W-Wait… you don’t mean delete as in delete though, right?"

"Delete delete. Have you seen a dying star?" Lune shrugged, comparing the concentrated astral energy to that of a cosmic object. "Neither have I, but definitely do not shoot this toward something you want alive." She wasn't sure about the effectiveness. There's a chance that it'll just take away a chunk of a gigantic monster due to its focused nature.

"Was aiming for a crowd control one when I was crafting it~"

"Just be careful of releasing this in an enclosed space." The white-haired woman returned both marbles to Luthien, before giving a tip. "Also, it's a good idea to try and make several of these as quick throwables. Might come in handy in a pinch."

"Those crystallized energy marbles actually use the same principle as..." Glancing to the left for a moment, Lune made sure that Ryujin was too busy playing with a marble. Then, with her arms to her side, her upper chest gruesomely opened as easily as unbuttoning a shirt, exposing a crystal embedded inside of her, its rhythmic crimson glow a substitute for a heartbeat. "This one. I know you already saw it in my dreams."

Sighing, the front part of her body quickly closed, leaving no mark or gap as if nothing happened. "Freya didn't say anything, but I'm still the owner of this body. It's hard to hide something from someone who's just a part of themselves."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She vaguely nodded as Lune made clear what she’d meant by delete delete, though a part of her brain still struggled to fully accept that could be possible from such a tiny marble… had the devs truly forgotten to put limiters into this game’s magical components? "R-Right… I’ll keep that in mind."

Perhaps she really should learn better self control over her own techniques.

"You're right, turning them into throwables would be pretty easy." The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind until Lune mentioned it, the blonde having been solely focused on their use with her arrows. "Mmm, I wonder if they’d mix well with other people’s masteries."

Her own musings were cut as she caught the meaning behind her unnie’s words, crimson eyes turning back to the woman just as she confirmed that Ryujin wasn’t paying attention to their conversation. Her face paled as Lune’s chest shifted, flesh ripping open to expose the contents underneath with an ease that shouldn’t have been possible under normal laws and physics.

"Y-Yeah…" The topic had never come up after that night—perhaps a small part of her had hoped the older woman had forgotten some, or most, of it—but the pulsating crystal nestled where Lune’s heart should’ve been was unmistakable from the one she’d witnessed in those flashed memories.

"Look, I’m s-sorry about that. I really thought you’d stopped playing, so when I felt you in the dreamspace, well…" A hand rose to rub the back of her neck as the elf purposely avoided Lune’s gaze while trying to gather her thoughts into words.

"Figured that maybe you’d decided to login for just a peek, so I thought it’d be fun to surprise you—but then you didn’t look like you,and I t-thought…" She’d come to learn that each dreamscape carried its own natural signature of sorts, an essence that Lúthien had thought impossible to replicate by someone else… but the unfamiliar blue-haired woman within Dee’s space had made the elf question it.

"Freya was already quite the surprise the first time around," she said, a light shudder crossing her spine as she remembered her first visit into Dee’s dreamscape. "So finding a second one after you’d suddenly sworn off the game entirely… well, I g-got worried."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

As soon as the elf started avoiding her eye contact, Lune already felt bad. "Sigh," She let out a long exhale, crossing her arms together. "You didn't have to apologize. It's just that..." The woman then paused, at a loss of words. "... Fuck." She let out a curse.

Taking a long inhale, she scratched the back of her white hair. "I know you won't understand it yet, but believe me when I say that we only wanted your safety." She motioned towards the empty field, at the world, in general. "Not getting pulled to all of this... bullshit."

For a while, Lune just looked around. Her eyes wandered towards Ryujin who was still busy playing, before she slowly descended and sat on the grass. "She... they kept me sane," Of course, she was referring to the figures Luthien met inside the dreamworld. "A lot of times, I just sit back and let my mask... take over." Was it normal? Nope, but she never claimed she was sane anyway. "I don't know what to do if I don't have them."

"Since the worst didn't happen, I'll just let you know." The woman turned her head towards the elf again, pointing to her chest. "This was a contingency plan. If we were not able to take down Szofrit during that fight," For a while, she stopped any attempt to mask any energy and magic contained inside the gem. Anyone with a magic affinity could feel the enormous amount and the density stored, especially Luthien, who already had the experience of molding a solid energy firsthand. "This would put her in a one-way elevator to hell with me."

But they took the Mother of Machines down, and now she's kept safely under MIT's custody.

... For now.

"Thankfully, I don't get to do that. But so you know, any threats in the future." Her eyes locked on Luthien's pair of rubies. "Neither Yugam nor I would hesitate if something comes your way."

"Pray it doesn't need to happen."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"I k-know…" She always had, it’s not like their little group was always great at hiding their intentions. She knew they cared for her as much as she did about them, even if certain friendships were currently a bit strained right now. "Little bit late for all of us though, no?"

There was no denying that this game had a firm grasp on each and every one of them, regardless of what reasons they used to justify logging into this death trap on a daily basis, and it was even clearer that none of them would stop playing it any time soon.

The white-haired girl seemed oblivious to their conversation as Ryujin busied herself with the shiny marble she’d managed to craft. It didn’t take long before Lúthien joined her unnie as she sat beside her, a faint chuckle escaping as she took in the view of the empty field—a pity it wasn’t covered in edible gold like the ones in Vikform had been last fall.

"Can’t say I blame ya, the world’s easier to deal with when you have a mask on." She’d be the last person to judge how the woman handled her own sanity—which, far as Lúthien could tell at least, was probably one of the better ones in the group. They all had their pasts, and their secrets, and those weren’t always easy to talk about.

She could feel the boundless amount of energy within her unnie’s chest as Lune let down her walls, the density of it almost palpable to her own heightened senses and her recent lessons in materializing such energies. "What were you planning to do, nuke her?" She had meant it as a joke, a nervous laughter coating the words of a coping mechanism she’d learned long ago and never gotten rid of, but she hadn’t expected to be right about it.

"W-Wait wait wait, you’re not actually serious... right?" For most Lune was just a new face, just another player that had appeared shortly after the chaos that had unfolded in Camp Hope IV, but Lúthien knew better… she had witnessed the memories of those final moments first-hand within the woman’s dreamscape, which meant her unnie only had one more freebie before the game locked her in permanently.

She knew the answer to her question, but despite knowing she hadn’t been able to keep herself from asking it anyways. Dayeon had already proven she was willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good when she’d decapitated Kenji back in Camp Hope IV… and she’d seen first hand how reckless Yugam could be, too.

"I swear, you’re both going to be the death of me." A long and drawn out sigh escaped her as the elf leaned back, allowing herself to rest entirely on the grass now as her gaze looked upwards to the few clouds peppering the baby blue sky above.

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"Never too late for anything." Quitting smoking, alcohol, or even your job. All it takes is a momentary decision.

For a while, the pair looked at the scenery in silence. The abundance of grass in the fields reminded her of their first meeting in Vikform. "Damn, it's been... Time really flies, huh?" Looking back at that time and comparing her current form that was unrecognizable. A lot of things changed, more than just her physical appearance.

"To be honest? I don't know what would happen. The energy stored is of unknown form even to me."

"I swear, you’re both going to be the death of me."

"I hope not." Upon hearing Yugam's mention, she chuckled a bit before exhaling, knowing that perhaps stubbornness ran in their blood. "But I did slowly understand Corvella more now. What that gigantic inanimate armor stood for." Rest in peace, wherever her soul is.

It seemed like Ryujin was either already tired or bored from playing with the energy marble, as she slowly walked towards the pair, Lune nodded, got up, and patted her on the back. "Well, that's enough for the melancholy session."

Her hand motioned to her behind, where empty woods in the distance could be seen.

"Time to show me what the two orbs could do."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

There was some truth to her unnie’s words, it was never too late to do something if you truly wanted to, but that itself was the main problem. None of them wanted to stop playing this game, at least not for the foreseeable near future, which meant they'd always be at risk of suffering the permanent consequences of their actions.

"It really does~" A faint chuckle escaped her as she responded. Not only had time flown by, but so many things had changed too since they’d first met. "Never would’ve thought I’d end up dating the brother of my favorite idol."

That she had met them both IRL before crossing paths within the game made it even more unbelievable, the type of thing people would often joke about only happening when all the stars in the sky aligned or some shit. She would’ve probably had an easier time winning the lottery instead.

"I’ll be sure to give both of you an earful in the afterlife if you do." It was as much of a joke as it was a promise, though like her unnie Lúth could only hope that their recklessness didn’t catch up with them any time soon.

A soft nod was given as Corvella was mentioned, though Lúthien had nothing to add. Her presence within her unnie’s dreamscape was still an enigma for the blonde, though she hoped Lune’s personal fairy godmother would help keep the woman safe.

There was only so much entertainment a child could find from a marble, and Ryujin’s approach served as a reminder of why they’d gathered here today. The elf got back onto her feet before dusting off any lingering grass that clung to her clothes, the comforting pat on her back earning a small smile from the blonde before she nodded.

"Alright… let’s give the AoE one a whirl first." Thankfully the spot they'd picked out was pretty far removed from any settlements, so they wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally hurting a lander with their tests. "I’ll shoot it at that tree."

It stood out on its lonesome about a quarter of a mile away from the rest of the treeline, a perfect target for them to appreciate whatever punch her arrows could pack without accidentally decimating the wildlife around a certain radius in the process.

　

❰ MA: Burst Attack ❱

15d20 (6 + 4 + 6 + 13 + 13 + 13 + 12 + 16 + 20 + 13 + 9 + 8 + 15 + 5 + 10) + 25 = 188 + 5 = 193
Astramancy | Luthien | Hellevator

Sure enough it proved to be quite the dazzling display, a shimmering of stars twinkling against the colorful nebula of pinks, blues, and faint greens that expanded around the tree. "Watcha think unnie? Not too bad, right?" Visually flattering as it was, the damage left behind once the cloud dissipated felt pretty average, with a few broken limbs and fallen branches scattered around the grassy hill where the lone tree stood.

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"Well, thanks for doing so and sparing me the cringe of accidentally hitting on my own brother." She joked. In hindsight, things could have been so much worse. It really felt like the universe was playing games with them sometimes. "Don't die first, then."

Lune braced as Luthien aimed at the tree, while Ryujin was standing behind the older woman, peeking as the explosion ensued.

As the stormy astral energy expanded into the air, with her enhanced senses and hearing, Luthien would notice the soft-spoken, quiet girl muttering to herself in awe. "Wow..." She whispered lowly under her breath, mesmerized. "It's like... powers from anime..."

Meanwhile, Lune was analyzing the explosion and the aftermath with her magically attuned eyes. "Hmm," The woman surveyed, before turning to the elf and concluding. "It's excellent. You might think that it's not powerful enough. But it is, compared to the size of the ball." She emphasized the utility side and practicalness of the method. "And energy efficient too. Once you master it, of course."

She turned back to face the lone tree, noting the numerous fallen branches and the damaged surroundings. "Now I feel bad for the tree." It was still standing, albeit with some minor damage. If the energy were focused, it would have been gone by now. "You want to test the other one? Or do you want to keep it?" Both of her hands on her hips, Lune asked the blonde.

"It is your genuine, first successful one after all. Might make a cool keepsake."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"That’s what friends are for, right?" Things hadn’t always been easy, and there had been a time where Lúthien had wondered if their friendship might’ve not been what she had thought, but time had helped smooth and heal those misunderstandings. "And I don’t plan on dying anytime soon… Yu would have my ass if I did."

An appreciative whistle escaped the elf as she witnessed the fruit of her labors, before the quiet whispers behind Lune had her eyes quietly shift to look at Ryujin. The mesmerized expression on her young face caused the elf to grin, quietly nodding in agreement… until her mind came to a screeching halt as realization dawned on her.

Did she just…! Her brows furrowed as the blonde replayed the words in her mind, certain that she’d hear the young girl talk about anime in her whispers. She shouldn’t… maybe she just picked it up from Lune?

Crimson eyes had long shifted from the girl to look at the grass at her feet instead, not wishing to accidentally startle Ryujin with whatever look was currently plastered in her features as the cogs inside her brain continued to click. Her unnie had said she was from High March, and so Lúthien had naturally assumed that Ryujin was a lander—much like the little Caenis that Yugam and her had eventually brought to an orphanage when his father never returned.

She’d always made sure to keep a tab on Finwid whenever possible, so seeing Lune take a guardian approach to the little lander girl hadn’t really startled her… but what if Ryujin wasn’t one of the People of the Land?

"Mmm—a-ah, right." Lune’s praise finally snapped her from her thoughts, the blonde giving an awkward smile as she turned her attention back to the purple-white haired woman. "Y-Yeah, it’ll be pretty convenient once I master it."

Given her unnie’s reaction Lúthien was almost certain that the woman hadn’t caught the unique word that had slipped out from her charge—or maybe she had, and she was just really good at pretending not to hear it. A sigh escaped the ranger before she picked a second arrow from her quiver, careful as she slotted the next marble into its tip in preparation for the next test.

"You’re not wrong," She spoke between a chuckle, shaking her head in response to Lune’s suggestion of saving it as a keepsake instead. "But I won’t know if something’s off with my method unless I test it."

There was always room for improvement, room for growth, and they’d have to continuously improve on what they knew if they wanted to ensure Death kept its bony hands away from them. Lúthien wouldn’t be able do that if she held onto things she crafted and worked on just because they’d been her first.

　

❰ MA: Multi Attack ❱

2d100 (31 + 13) 25 = 69
Astramancy | Luthien | Hellevator

She couldn't hide the disappointed look in her face as the arrow struck the tree trunk and exploded, the subsequent rush of cosmic energy leaving a deep gash within the wood... though certainly less impressive than what her unnie had described. "... so much for deleting things."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"Shoot away." The arrow left the quiver, impacting the tree before exploding with cosmic energy, releasing colorful misty waves. Though the damage itself was not quite satisfactory.

She pointed to the missing chunk of the tree on the trunk itself. "You did delete something. It's just that it's not the entire tree." Even though Luthien seems dejected, Lune inferred that if that same arrow were shot toward a living being, it would easily blow off a hole in their chest.

"You'll need finer control between how much the radius of the explosion, and how much energy is actually focused."

Roll Result
1d100 (64) 25 = 89
Lune Astra​

She made a sudden gripping motion with her right hand, and a brilliant light was produced on top of her hand as she opened it. Lune aimed her palm toward the tree, before the astral energy propelled itself like a blaster bolt, exploding the tree and finishing what the elf started. The trunk finally fell, leaving the stump in the middle of the plains. It'll grow back.

"Something like that, but more destructive, since you'll have much time to prepare. It'll come naturally, don't worry." The woman convinced Luthien. It seemed like she was going to give some more tips before Ryujin suddenly tugged on her left hand, before whispering something in Lune's ear. The older woman then nodded, before turning to the blonde.

"It looks like it's time to end today's lesson. Kid's getting hungry." She shrugged. "Or perhaps you want to go eat with us?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Her unnie certainly made a valid point, it wasn’t like her little marble hadn’t done anything to the tree… it just hadn’t measured up to Lúthien’s expectations now that she understood how the dynamic behind them worked. She knew it’d be impossible to make each and every marble an absolutely perfect shot, but that still didn’t mean the elf wasn’t going to try her hardest to do so.

"The downsides for elemental affinity I guess, fine tuning it is fucking hard." She still wasn’t sure if she’d been graced with a gift or a curse, but all that remained was to polish her ability to the best Lúthien could make it out to be.

A whistle of admiration escaped the blonde as the woman finished what the elf had started against the unlucky and lonely pine tree in the distance, before she nodded in response to Lune’s encouraging words. "Yeah I know, nothing that some time and patience can’t fix." The first she’d certainly have more than enough of, but the second… Well, it was always a work in progress.

"I’m feeling peckish too, wanna head back to the village and grab a bite?" Probably an after effect from all the marbles she’d crafted. A glance was given towards the young girl that continued to tag along with her unnie, before Lúthien decided against pursuing a particular question that continued to dance in the back of her mind for now

Maybe some other time when the kid was asleep.

@Lune