Complete 18+ Main Story (S4 Finale) DRAGON.end - Phase 3

[Vina Skysong]

111 / 180

Vina might have been prepared for many things when she entered Vintergard together with the others, but one thing she hadn't been prepared for was time shenanigans of such an immense scale. First she was locked in place, unable to move or do anything except frantically think about what was happening, and then her body moved on its own as everything reverted, hearing her own song sung backwards as it flowed back down her throat. All the pain, all the adrenaline, all the excitement and fear, she had to experience it all again until she was back where she'd been before.

And then she saw a spectre of herself crumble to dust, only to be reborn anew, only to crumble to dust once more, only to be reborn anew. And again, and again, and again, as she tried to understand what was happening... It must be that eye, that eye that she forced herself to look at even as her instincts screamed at her that she shouldn't, that some things were better left alone...

But she saw, and when she was finally allowed to move again she fell onto her knees, clutching her head as a strangled cry was wrenched from her. Her head was spinning, trying to comprehend what had just happened, what she'd just seen, she felt sick to the bottom of her stomach, she wanted to cry and throw up, but she couldn't because it wasn't safe here.

Unable to stop herself she ended up vomiting, now holding her stomach as she heaved, tears flowing down her cheeks. Thankfully that actually did make her feel a bit better, and after a few wretched sobs she managed to recollect herself.

She didn't know what had just happened, but she couldn't keep thinking about it. Frankly, she'd rather just forget about it, at least for now. Pushing herself back onto her feet she wiped her mouth with a quivering hand, carefully stepping away from the mess she'd made. It looked like very few people had been able to go through that experience unaffected, which meant that the emotions which had already been running high were now about to explode.

As she thought of what to do, as much to distract herself as to return her attention to what was important in the here and now, she heard quiet sobbing from someone who apparently had yet to recover. Quickly turning her head she stumbled for a moment before her attention was drawn by @Omega Redux. Only a child, yet she had to endure all of that?

At least that meant she didn't need to think twice about what she should do.

As quickly as her shaky legs would carry her Vina walked over to the crying magia, kneeling down next to her and wrapping her arms around Omega. It didn't matter if both of them weren't in the best shape, only a monster wouldn't offer comfort in these circumstances.

It's okay, it's okay. You're safe, it's gone now.

A part of her wanted to remain like this, leaving it to the rest to finish the fight. But as she did her best to help Omega she realised that this magia couldn't be the only one who'd been traumatised by what had just transpired. She couldn't help everyone, but she could help as many people as possible.

I'm sorry, there's still something I need to do. But I promise I'll come back afterwards.

Slowly she stood back up, the vixen taking a deep breath as she gave Omega a bright and reassuring smile. She couldn't afford to let her own problems get in the way now.

---

After having met up with @MAI Vina glanced back at Omega. Hopefully her plan would help the young one as well. Following MAI's example the vixen sat down, crossing her legs and placing one hand on her knee and the other on MAI's shoulder. Closing her eyes she focused, feeling for the rhythm that was MAI's being.

Even if she didn't have a heart there was always a rhythm to life.

Even if she didn't have blood energy still flowed through the magia.

A rhythm Vina could match, an energy she could attune herself to. Harmonic Magic was the magic that allowed people to join together. As MAI began to speak Vina would match her words, her lyrical voice an echo of the magia's. Feeling MAI summon the winds Vina strengthened them, stabilised them, allowing her new friend's voice to carry to every corner of the battlefield, reaching the ears of all who could listen. No other sound would drown them out, no discord would interrupt them.

Spoiler: Song

As the lullaby began in earnest Vina would harmonise with MAI, using what she'd heard before to expand upon it. MAI had only been singing for Szofrit, but Vina would use her expertise as a bard to make this performance reach everyone. Everyone had suffered too much pain, too much grief, too much stress. Under these circumstances victory was impossible, because no matter what the outcome was the only prize would be the suffering and trauma of all.

So Vina would sing softly but clearly, a gentle song to return serenity and clarity to all those on the battlefield, whether they be synthetic or organic. A lullaby to soothe those who had been hurt, to pacify those who were overtaken by fury, to comfort those who could stand no longer. To remind them that they were here together, not divided but united in their desire to break through past sorrows and reach a better and brighter tomorrow.

Would killing Szofrit be required for that tomorrow? Vina didn't know, but what she did know that killing her in anger or hatred would only bring more suffering. So she sang to give everyone a chance to make this decision not with emotions raw and left unattended for too long, but with a clear mind.

And, of course, to offer some reprieve to those who had been pushed beyond their limits.

Rolls

5 (Spare)

---

(F) Regeneration
(4 + 3 + 5) = 12
Regenerate 12 HP.
Mend | Vina Skysong

---

Save
1d100 (3) + 55 = 58 (Fail)
Will | Vina Skysong | 1745C6 | Flavour Roll

---

Expertise Check
1d100 (93) + 10 = 103 (Success)
Awareness | Vina Skysong | 1745C6 | DON'T LOOK DOWN YOU IDIOT

---

Spare Mastery Contributions
+25 (S-Rank Harmonic Magic)
+25 (S-Rank Aeromancy)
Total: +50
Enhancing the effects of MAI's Lullaby and expanding its effects so it also calms down non-magia.

Crossroad: Spare
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
Build Sheet

 

[Fina Drago]

‎

106 / 175

Victory... it never seemed as simple as one would imagine with this game. An insect matron corrupted by some kind of emotion-based disease? Birthed a demon and then exploded. A tank that walked on several spindly legs like a spider? Had to assimilate a player before it finally croaked. Szofrit? Well, Fina wasn't entirely sure what the machine queen did, if even anything... but as the world became devoid of all colors, the feline was at the whims of whatever puppeteered the stage on which they danced.

Thrust back in time, only to hear that ominous voice and observe a projection of her own avatar, aging and being born again, countless times over... what else could go wrong during this assault? How many self-aware foes could they possibly still meet? Her head was filled with thoughts, most of which terrified her without mercy just as much as the presentation that she was looking at, only to be suddenly thrust back into reality, shoved to the ground with a sudden vertigo striking her out of nowhere. She had never experienced any of the extreme rides in theme parks, but she imagined this was how it must have felt...

It must have been quite a disgraceful view as she emptied her stomach of the rainbow that covered the ground, although it seemed that she was hardly the only one to suffer that fate. Dazed and confused, she took a few moments to get back onto her own feet and staggered herself toward the Gold Egg where she had a moment to recuperate and even give her two cents to the crimson lion whom she had not seen for a while.

Fina pitied @Levi Pendragon. She could see just how conflicted the man was, how his mind switched from one idea to another. Ultimately, he did not state his final decision and simply marched off. She did not blame him and merely offered an apologetic smile, even if it remained unseen. Now that she felt better, it was time to act. People were nothing short of divided... and while the feline knew where she herself landed on the issue at hand, she cursed her choice of masteries which lend itself far better to the side that wanted nothing but to slaughter the mother of machines.

As such, the girl opted to help with the capture efforts in a different way. Her physical body was reinforced by her skills, powerful beyond any normal means despite her fairly normal visage. Clearing rubble and helping those in need was her new objective. And after a few of those, she spotted @Vina Skysong in the distance. Though by the time the forge master approached, the fox was rushing off and leaving someone behind. Giving the scene a bit of a quizzical look, Fina hurried over to @Omega Redux.

"H-hey, you don't look so good-!" Stating the obvious, the felis quickly slid over, wondering why Vina would leave a shivering child behind... or what said child was doing on this horrendous battlefield that reeked of death in the first place. "Keep it together, help is here." First things first, Fina embraced the poor girl from behind and pulled her back into a sitting position from that disgusting puddle of a mess, practically seating Omega on her lap as she herself sat on the ground. At the same time, several thick walls of arcanamancy erupted behind them to shield them from any potential danger, just in case.

When this battle started and everyone was separated, Fina was afraid. Bearing her arms, she defended herself above everything else, wishing for nothing but allies to come to her aid. Was Omega the same? Fina didn't know the answer, but she hoped that her presence would allow the girl to calm down enough to regain herself. "That... whatever just happened must have been hard on you as well. Just take it easy. I'll guard you until it's all over." Was this how it felt to have a younger sibling?

Fina could only hope that others would end this mess of a war as soon as possible.

Rolls

[ 5 ]

Save
1d100 (16) + 25 = 41
Will | Fina Drago | 1745C6

Expertise Check
1d100 (31) + 0 = 31
Awareness | Fina Drago | 1745C6

Contribution - expertise:
Fitness (+50)

Crossroad: Spare
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
▪ Build Sheet

 

[Luthien]

112 / 200

  Explorers League   

 ​

❰ Health ❱
-10 HP flat dmg from GSL
+05 MIT from @Hanno Futaba

❰ Status ❱
Location: 5

A large amount of Ley Spears began to materialize as the Mother of Machines turned her attention to those encroaching upon her space, the intent of the magia to erase these pests from her vision easy for them to see. "Yuu!!! Unmei!!! Look out—!!!" She’d caught sight of it across the battlefield, a harrowing cry leaving her vocals as Lúthien tried to warn them of the impending doom, before her voice was cut abruptly as the field was plunged into a sea of grays.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t fight or even scream, and the lack of autonomy and control only heightened the distress she felt within her mind. Everything around her and beyond was still, ece[t for one pinkette that still he;d her color within a depressive landscape. Sharp eyes witnessed the exchange between @Rael and the circlet of magic, the soft click… click… click… cli-ccc-ck echoing within her ears as the world found itself rewound regardless of its will.

The sands under her dreamsister parted then, a massive eye appearing in its space as it seemed to gaze directly at the time-fiddling elf, before flashing letters on her UI spelled a name for just a fraction of a second—just long enough for her elven eyes to catch—before a splitting headache inundated her mind. A hazy spiritual form of herself was withdrawn from within her, the elf forced to watch herself age and grow old before eventually turning into a pile of ashened bones… only for a babe to emerge from the dust as the cycle repeated itself over and over again.

Words echoed in the background, their meaning barely caught by the blonde, before color seeped into her vision just as time began to flow forwards once more. Sharp and cold air quickly flooded her lungs as Lúthien took the first breath in what felt like a lifetime, before the comforting sound of @Yugam‘s voice reached her eardrums.

"Y-Yeah… I’m okay."

A hand rested against the Golden Egg as the elf steadied herself, the relief that washed over her from seeing her beloved and the spiritual weapon alive and in one piece soon pierced by another headache as the after effects of time manipulations still threatened to overwhelm her. The rising voices of a renewed debate didn’t make it any easier for the elf, and while she had joined her voice to theirs at first Lúthien had soon withdrawn away from the matter when she’d noticed something unusual going on with @Vargold.

When words and reasons seemed ineffective on the larger caenis the ranger resorted to the only other thing she could think of at the time, a soft zzot! jolting through the man’s ears and finally snapping him back into control of his own mind and vessel. The two wolves by @Mizuki began moving then as the woman gave a rallying cry, Lúthien resisting the urge to softly comb her fingers through the fur of one of them as it passed near enough before nodding in agreement with the lunar wolf.

"I’ll divert as many lethal blows as I can," her gaze turned back to Rael, the woman currently supported on her feet by @Harper and @Zelrius, before she offered them a faint smile. "So focus on finding us the best path to successfully subdue her, Rael."

With that her attention turned towards the battlefield once more, concentrating her focus and allowing her sharpened senses to lead her attention towards those seeking to murder Szofrit with their actions. @Madison‘s shots were some of the easiest to tamper with, the sheriff’s intent having been announced quite vocally around her, as strong gales buffeted the bullets to alter their trajectory away from any vital spots in the magia’s body.

Others had required more force or ingenuity from the elf, such as the Bloodsworn‘s charge as he headed for their target. His words had certainly earned him few fans among those present, and as @Jin surged forwards he’d found his path riddled with obstacles. Verdant winds that had once offered him relief now created resistance as they blew against him, before a crackling sound heralded the incoming lightning strikes that would seek to divert his path and cause him to lose momentum for his strike.

@Lune‘s strike had been the hardest to deflect however, the woman’s distance a boon to her as Lúthien caught sight of her later than others. She was glad to see her alive and in one piece, though any joy she felt soon conflicted with the duty at hand. The wind would rush to the woman’s feet before circling around Lune, attempting to block the woman’s vision as each determined step took Lune in Szofrit’s direction…

---

CROSSROADS: Spare!
  ▪ Kill: XXXX
  ▪ Spare: XXXX
  ❰ Lúthien's PlaySheet ❱

❰ Rolls & Summary ❱

❰ Flavor Save: Rewind ❱
1d100 (77) + 45 = 122
Will | Luthien | 1745C6 Flavor Roll

❰ Expertise Check: Peeping on Time Eye ❱
2d100 (Advantage) (82, 85) + 20 = 105
Advantage granted due to Hyper Awareness passive.
Name has been seen, consequences to be determined...
Awareness | Luthien | 1745C6 GOD NAME PLZ?! 👀

❰ Choice: Spare ❱
Aeromancy (+20) & Hyper Sense (+20)
Using her heightened senses and sight to pinpoint those attacking Szofrit with the intent to kill, and hindering their advances via gales and lightning.

 

[Aerial]

107 / 175

Health
-10 HP (GSL Propulsar)

Status
▪ Location: 5

Frozen in time. A dull grey temporarily painted over the world. Her head throbbed— tick, tock. An eternity yet a mere second.

Then time rewound and all she could do was watch from a distance. Blurry vision could only see the depleted health bar replenish. She saw nothing but the machine. Dim eyes stared with a lack of life: exhaustion, desperation, defeat.

Color blurred back into the world and mobility returned. Unsteady feet couldn't support her spinning head and she momentarily collapsed to the floor. She felt sick. She was sick.

Victory was ripped from their hands.

Szofrit's memories returned vividly in that moment. She became consumed with them. A newfound rage was lit by the strong emotions imprinted into the memory. Shaky adrenaline pushed the woman to her feet while she attempted to determine left from right.

Agitation caused the woman to snap at those near her. She cursed the egg, cursed the pink elf with clocks in her eyes, cursed her fellow players. A magia returned her logical thinking functions but another voice egged her on, rubbing her the wrong way.

Szofrit could have knowledge to save her UI locked friends but the dissonance held her captive. Dissonance cannot, at the moment, be reversed nor cured. Someone suggested it could be temporarily halted. That wasn't enough insurance for the woman.

Hands curled into tense fists.

The future was unknown. But the present was right in front of her. She wasn't a philosopher. "What if, what if?" There were too many idealistic ideas for a moment that called for swift action. Instead, realistic thoughts focused on the current situation. They urged her to survive at any cost. Survival above all else.

Spare, kill, capture, annihilate — fuck that. Dead bodies laid sprawled across the field. She could see her friends, her former teammates, her found family. Tears welled up in her eyes.

I'm sorry, team. But I'll find another way.

That's a fucking promise.
I swear.
Wait for me.

Until then, she needed to survive.

Thunder roared before lightning consumed the aeromancer. She surged forth with seething, killer intent. She'd attempt to direct her anger away from where she assumed the machine's memory database was. Even if destroyed, useful knowledge could be left behind. She cared little about whether it worked or not.

Instead, gravity and air pressure intensified as she tried to crush Szofrit into the metal scrap that she was.

---

Rolls

failed will and awareness rolls. will post them once on my computer.

Mastery Contribution
+15 [B Aeromancy]
+15 [B Astramancy]

Total: 30

Crossroad: Kill (Trying to aim away from database but still going for the kill)
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
Build Sheet

 

[Alcea]

68 / 135

The world tore at her. It was hard to discern what was happening, amidst the flowing memories, climbing out the grave, searing starlight and chaos of the battlefield. Now, there was the side effects of time ripping itself in half. Vision blurry and head pounding, all Alcea could do was try to hold on and ride the wave out.

When she managed to stagger onto her feet and look around, she still couldn't tell what was happening. Pitched arguments over whether to spare or kill Szofrit. Her gut reaction was to pick up where she last left off and strike her down again, but then she heard it.

A tiny flicker of hope, that some sort of study could free the UI locked. As the chaos continued, Alcea wished upon a star.

It was almost certainly foolish to base everything off nothing but hearsay and future potential, but if she was in the habit of making good decisions, she wouldn't be playing this game. She focused on stopping attacks directly, conjuring arcane barriers and gravity wells to hinder and defend.

Rolls

Spare Szofrit
Astramancy +10, Arcanamancy +10 [+20 total]

Save
1d100 (10) + 30 = 40
Will | Alcea | It's Rewind Time

Crossroad: Spare
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
Build Sheet

 

[Darko Ljubicic]

90 / 140

Darko had perceived the events that followed with his naked eyes, as he watched on the pink elf (@Rael) turn back the hands of time, but as he did not have an accurate grasp of what actually happened, the resulting side effect of having time rewound to a safer state of things had him delirious. What was more, he knew that this massive turning the clock around with the whole world in it should be bound to have dire consequences: he had watched far too many movies that tackle the same situation to know what would happen. But although he knew what would actually happen, the resulting backlash had him immobile due to a large overload of sensory information that he was not used to seeing. Maybe he should need to study the intricacies of this kind of magic to actually know what was happening.

But of course this did not stop those busybodies around him to argue what would they do to Szofrit next. Although some people suggested that Szofrit be only bound and to extract information from them, Darko just laughed within himself at the absurdity of such a thought. or all intents and purposes, although this machine was sentient, a machine was still a machine, with components that could be utilized somewhere else. This being sentient should not even matter, for sentient beings would just lie to give their cause a standing ground, whereas a machine's memory would not lie even when its CPU had the capability to issue a lie. Simply put, they do not even need her sentient to get the information they needed to acquire. All they needed to do was to have those who could work with magitech to extract whatever kind of memory that this machine had, and find a way to play it.

Taking this in mind, Darko then used his astral magic to foresee all possibilities on how to scuttle this machine with his dark magic-infused bullets, and determining the extent on how he could deal fatal damage to Szofrit without harming her memory modules or whatever they were. That being done, he then aimed steadily at Szofrit, used both dark and astral magic to infuse his bullets so that they could find their mark even when Szofrit would try to either evade or shield herself, and unloaded all 20 cylinders of his revolver.

Rolls

Choosing to kill Szofrit with Dark Magic (+20) and Astramancy (+15).

Save
1d100 (46) + 40 = 86
Will | Darko Ljubicic | 1745C6

Expertise Check
2d100 (Advantage) (54, 17) + 0 = 54
Awareness | Darko Ljubicic | 1745C6

Crossroad: Kill
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
Build Sheet

 

[Ash Vargold]

50 / 245

Time grew slow, then marched in reverse. Something emerged, an eye he couldn't focus on as it poured infinity into his skull. Life into death into life into death and Ash had never even been a child so how-

It stopped, but the memory remained, clouding his thoughts. For a moment there was only Szofrit and the voices of the dead calling for her end. And he was ready to follow through, if it meant that all of this would finally stop.

...it was good thing Ash had friends. If it weren't for @Luthien, it wouldn't have been him making the choices he was going to make.

Ash grit his teeth. The dead would resist him. They were specters of rage and sorrow, blind to anything but the end of their pain. But their stories were over, and his was not, and so he put everything he could into directing his spectral claws to disable Szofrit. Sapping away energy, snapping joints, cutting connections, all was fair game to keep her from being able to resist capture.

They wanted to take her alive. That didn't entail taking her whole.

(And if a few attackers found themselves caught up in the tangle, well. They should have done better to stay out of the way.)

Rolls

Spirit Magic (S): +25
Guard Arts (A): +20

Crossroad: Spare
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
Build Sheet

 

[Erick Stryker]

90 / 180

The winds of time were fickle.

Ebb and flow, almost like an ocean. Unforgiving, their passage gave and took. New life was born, and the old faded. Erick was a creature caught in its flow of his own volition. In order to protect, he gave his essence. Yet when she halted the flow and turned it back, @Rael was determined that Stryker had yet to give everything he had. His was a story yet to finish, much in the same way that she spoke of Szofrit.

Torn apart and put back together by the relentless flow, Erick dropped to a knee in the middle of a sea of confusion, of conflict. Everything had ground to a halt, as though the hands of the clock stopped turning and the gears that made it to move were rusted over. It was ticking forward again, he could feel it- but it was not Rael's doing.

Something had intervened. He could feel the creeping chill, and in the corridors of time, he heard the faintest and yet most commanding, domineering, and perturbed voice. He strained to hear it, but it was not meant for his ears. He needed only to look to find the source of a mangled and disembodied sound, however.

And so he did. Erick found himself staring into an abyss that stared back. The Eye had settled on him as much as it had anyone else. He was not the offender, he was insignificant, and yet... somehow, he knew.

"Time," he whispered, "is not on your side," he told Rael.

He said that like he had always known it, but this just confirmed it. Still, he wasn't powerless. None of them were. With his strength returned, Erick wove the tapestry of fate in conjunction with the still fractured timeline. It was the only chance they had to protect everyone.

"But- I am."

He surrounded the Starcalled and Landers in a blanket of flowing starlight, convalescent eternity that could shield them from danger and soothe them against the harsh passage of time.

His heart was beating in hyperdrive. "...crap."

Rolls

5

Awareness Check
1d100 (81) + 40 = 121 TIME EYE
Erick Stryker| 1745C6

Chronomancy +25
Astormancy +15
(+40 total)

Crossroad: Spare
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
Build Sheet

 

[Schilva Flasch]

48 / 160

Health
+/- ??? [REWOUND]

Status
+/- ??? [REWOUND]

This is-!

Something of an adept when it comes to manipulation of time, Schilva's experience with the practical applications of Chronomancy nonetheless was relegated mostly to manipulating the speed at which cause, effect and momentum played out; the practicum of battle had not taught him what the phenomenon before him was, only that he was seeing something impossible being made possible.

Able to keep his personal spacetime in a stable state with his own Chronomancy mastery, Schilva experienced nothing more than a little turbulence before landing back on the spot he'd been just a few minutes ago - and just as well, he'd already had enough disruptions to his grip on reality today.

Thanking himself (of course, why wouldn't he) for his expertise, Schilva's relief at not ending up on the ground like a fair amount of rewound Starcalled was...short-lived.

Who- what- huhhhh?? Wait, this...uuurrrggghhh-

Disorientation hitting him as soon as his feet felt solid on the ground again, Schilva's hallucinations of his personal 'Last Crusade' loop and what looked like a massive eye opening on the ground were compounded with nausea, swirling dark spots and a crushing self-awareness that he had been drugged and almost sent @Ash Vargold hurtling to his death.

That didn't last too long either, before the full force of @Imoogi's dastardly concoction began to wax again. The seesawing swing of spiking, dipping and re-spiking concentrations of the combat drugs in his veins did not rest well with the rest of Schilva's body, particularly his digestive system.

...woah, duuuude...I'm not feelin' so good, maaaaan...

Staggering towards the @Frey Elzeiros to be found, a clearly addled and confused Schilva tries to make his strange reaction towards the rewinding known. He's coherent for all of one slurred sentence before throwing up like half the people around him, probably all over the Faerin's already dirtied clothes too.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (48) + 15 = 63
Awareness | Schilva Flasch | FOR THE EYE

Chronomancy Autosaves for Rewind Sickness!

Abstaining from crossroads: having a bad trip.

Crossroad: Incapacitated
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
Build Sheet

 

[Rael]

143 / 160

Health
HP Unchanged (Impervious to Time Displacement)

Status
▪ Location: 5 [Restored Timeline]
▪ Not... Alone. Not anymore.
▪ Normal

Szofrit ceased her advance.

Her machines and weapons ceased their attacks.

Bright-red hues pointed at the head of every soldier on the battlefield, poised to strike and deafen their warcries once and for all, never found their marks.

A slain individual laid dormant on the battlefield, the blue-haired fighter one the elf knew just in passing, but one whom she had witnessed the feats of all those months ago.

Her hand stilled, her process encountering an unforeseen hurdle in the form of an unknown invader keeping her from making any greater progress towards the objective that she knew to be good. It had to be...

Her breathing became heavier with the exertion imbued into her every effort to wind the hands of the clock backward, a last-ditch attempt to welcome a better fate not for Szofrit alone, but for the one Starcalled whom she could yet save. The hue of her eyes glimmered with brilliant cerulean, their pattern briefly changed to resemble that of the being which spoke to her as she took more and more of its power for itself. Her veins pulsed with magic not her own, her fingertips on fire from the pull of that ancient spell.

The Storyteller collapsed as her control was shattered, the ache set deep in her bones as the world exploded in a burst of regained colour. Some were beside her within seconds, urging her upward and speaking to her, and though she understood and replied through her summons, there was no hiding the seeming frailty of her state.

She leaned on them, content to be left to her rest while the debate raged on, mustering the strength to form replies where they were asked of her, soothing the concerns of others where she saw a window to.

...She ought to count her blessings and smile more, for as time refracted into a comprehensible state and warriors rallied under a story that painted her as a wicked villainess, others remained steadfast in their compromise to her ideals.

No, even that was wrong.

Her ideals were not their own.

Their ideals were not hers.

Answers were sought amidst the chaos, emotions blending together and tearing apart all across the multitude. Horror painted lovely upon the warzone bestowed them with a most gruesome view that would not see Szofrit spared from her sins, and each fought for what they believed to be just.

If she had anything to learn from incurring the ire of a higher being, the first real hint to lead her on the path of her ultimate quest, was that the sun would always set on the cruelty and misunderstandings on both sides commanding an unforgiving war.

It came to those left behind, to those who survived it all, to greet the dawn with new eyes. Grant a chance for things that couldn't be in the past, but could bloom if allowed the chance...

After so much tragedy, wouldn't the World like that?

A reprieve from suffering, from not knowing and waiting for something to go sour. The inevitable wait, the inevitable surprise, the inevitable loss. Wouldn't the World like for all of it to be avoided?

"There are no words to express my gratitude towards all of you... But I will start with a thank you."

With a small nod of her head towards those whom she still held onto for support, she parted to seek another, her efforts acknowledged with a life returned.

Her hand pressed itself to the back of the one who returned the stars to them, their tender light aglow even through the self-imposed strain. She knew the feeling well, the exhaustion in their faces matching the other's own.

"Lend me a hand, if you would. Do not overdo yourself, because there are others to pick up where you can't," imperceptible warmth leaked through the words spoken by a storyteller whose face didn't quite match them, the small scolding ending with but a small chuckle that passed for an exhalation of breath.

"There. Now, lend me your strength, and write with me a tale with which to welcome a new dawn."

---

@Raid Boss
@Harper @Ash Vargold @Luthien @Zelrius @Erick Stryker @Asher ​

Rolls

Action: Utilizing the effects of Erick's Astramancy, Rael sets to weaving with him the tapestry of fate in the form of a new tale to be told of Szofrit's fate. Her illusions, meanwhile, distract attackers.​

Time Eye Check - Auto Success because of Special Event.

Save
2d100 (Disadvantage) (98, 54) + 60 = 114
Will | Rael | 1745C6

Contribution:
Harmonic Magic: +15
Illusion Magic: +15
Total of +30

Crossroad: Spare
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
▪ Build Sheet

 

[Ludmilla Orphys]

165 / 190

Health
+/- ??? [REWOUND]
-25 from Corruption

Status
+/- ??? [REWOUND]

From upon her throne of gore and bone, Ludmilla closes her palm into a tight fist as her children enshroud and compress the helpless Baby Magnum into a lump of scrap, envisioning the terror that even a machine must feel with the gibbering walls closing in on all sides and no way to escape...

Ah-

Ludmilla knew the instant that the world ceased to move that her relishing would not last. Trying to move even a finger in this stasis proved harder than moving a mountain with it, every muscle in her body screaming for release and retribution when four backwards minutes of her work and offspring undone unto her had elapsed.

But just as her blood began to boil and flesh began to warp in fury, its gaping gaze transfixed her.

That presence...it was no eye. It was the will of something close to a god, close to divinity. The scent was overwhelming even for Ludmilla, eyewateringly intense and conjoined with the swirling disorientation from being rewound.
Together, the two sensations split painful shivers through her entire body, setting her thoughts ablaze and head throbbing with such agony that she fell to her knees, tearing at her face as though possessed by a need to remove it, as soon as the rewound concluded.

...τι είσαι...what...

Ribbons of bloody skin peeling from where her nails had rent at it and foul offspring huddling to her like scared chicks around a hen, Ludmilla grasped with faltering words at the ground where her hands touched not those of the clock within the eye, but merely the bloodstained and tramped dirt of a battlefield.

Like that, the hunt concluded, nary even a scrap to sate her slavering mind. Hounds denied a feast will become agitated, and even a starving squirrel can debone an adult human in just three hours.

And now with vengeance unstoppable, Szofrit descended.

...τ̷̜͝ι̷̩̅ ̵̱̚ε̶̮͗ί̶̭̎σ̸̛̮α̵̼͝ι̵̣͝?̵̙͝?!?! YOU-!?

Shielding her children with her body, Ludmilla's fury with no outlet found a convenient socket once more; all that was not her which refused to die must, then, die at her hands. That was the only way to be sure, to make utterly clear...that she would be the only one to stand at that grand summit of evolution.

Gathering herself upright again, Ludmilla braces one arm of her with the other, well aware that this spell would likely cause it to break under the duress. She just didn't want to run off looking for it again amidst the chaos. Hissing words not known to living ears nor known to the dead, her finger extends to a point.

A dark line appeared over the alabaster neck of Szofrit, Mother of Machines.

A dark line that would become only darker.
Deeper.
Darker.

Yet darker.

Rolls

(P) Corruption
(16 + 9) = 25
+25 to attacks, heals, or buffs. +13 to checks.
Corruption advances, lose 25 HP...
Corrupt | Ludmilla Orphys

Choosing to CRUSH AND KILL Szofrit. Using Astramancy (B: +15) and Corrupt (B: 15) to tear open a cosmic rift.

Overall contribution: 15+15+13=43

Crossroad: CRUSH AND KILL AND CRUSH AND KILL AND CRUSH AND KILL AND C
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
Build Sheet

 

[Harper]

135 / 150

Harper would barely have time to recover from her rampage before time was brought to a screeching halt, the tigress being stopped mid-run. She didn't even have time to scream.


The feeling of being stuck in stasis reminded her of the times she was stuck under someone in side control when she had started her BJJ training. A feeling of being helpless, stuck in place as she could merely struggle and wait for time to pass. Except this was much, much worse. Time had straight up stopped, and she couldn't even struggle. Nothing happened. Nothing changed. She wasn't stuck watching as much as she was stuck just... Existing.


That was, of course, until everything else happened.


Watching time itself rewind and getting to spectate her own death and rebirth a dozen times was definitely not on her bingo list today, but it was certainly freaky. Eventually, she would regain control of herself. Besides the obvious fact that she had just been rolled back in the time, her body seemed normal enoug-


"O-Oh god, Jesus Chris-!"


The storm in her guts was not merciful, but it was at least brief. This somehow managed to be worse than the time she decided to eat pasta and then train. How she managed to avoid disaster that day was something she still wonders today. "Blergh, at least I didn't that tin can's wires. Bet those would hurt like a brat on the way out."


Continuing from Comms---


After being comforted by @Rael and @Ash Vargold , Harper found herself taking a long, deep breath.


This is shit. All of this was shit. This was a shitty situation with shitty options and even shittier repercussions. She missed her days with The Calculator already.


There was no option that would please everyone. No option that was free from possible dangers. No way to be sure further lives wouldn't be lost. Harper herself saw merit in both, and thus found herself in stuck in front of this crossroads. The memory she saw made the tigress think there was more to the magia than just bloodlust and dissonance, but she couldn't ignore the risk in keeping her alive.

Her brain was very much worthless here. So, troubled as it was, she would have to follow her heart.

@Ueno Mizuki , @Luthien , @MAI , Pinkie...

She wasn't special. The others must have had their reservations about this too, but they still marched forward. How would she look at herself in the mirror tomorrow if she stayed behind?

The doubt was still there. The reservation was still there. They could very well be wrong and end up as cautionary tales and villains. Every one of them knew that, yet they still went on.

Another deep breath, and then a step forwards. She had decided.

Maybe this would haunt her for the rest of her days in this game. But she would rather be called a idiot than be called a coward. Picking up the pace, she decided on a spot in the battlefield and stood there, now upright and proud once more. Her back faced Szofrit, her front faced everyone else. A explorer with a mind to end Szofrit would try to rush past her, but they would find themselves tripped out of their feet and fell into the ground in front of her.

A ball of fire seeking to soar past her would find its path blocked by a heavy chunk of metal launched into the air. The same adventurer from before would try to push her away, but they barely made her budge before being pushed back themselves.

Harper wasn't going to hurt people who just wanted what was best for their homes, but she wasn't about to just let them do as they wished either. So there she would stay, resolute, as a living barrier of trips, light throws and debris shields between Szofrit, the ones trying to save her, and everyone else.

She couldn't stop everyone. But now that she made her choice, she would do all in her power to see the goal she thought was the best.

"If you want Szofrit's head so bad, you're gonna have to get through me first! Now come if you dare!"

Rolls

5 (Action)

Harper is using her brute strength from Crush Weapons and defensive skills from Guard Arts to keep attackers and attacks from reaching Szofrit.

+20 from A Crush Weapons.
+15 from B Guard Arts.

Total Contribution: 35

Crossroad: Spare
▪ Kill: XXXX
▪ Spare: XXXX
Build Sheet

 

[Raid Boss]

DRAGON.end
Season 4 Finale - Epilogue (Part 1)

Spoiler: Mood

While Szofrit was staggered from having her dissonant coalescent undone by the rewind, the Starcalled did not waste a single second put their conviction on the line as they entered a mad clash with one side trying to finish off the Mother of Machines while the other fought to spare and contain her. Although they started off with similar momentum, the spare side prevailed through sheer number and somehow managed to convince a lot of their forces to spare the enemy who was butchering them like lambs moments ago.

Although the spare voices were louder, there was still the matter of how they were going to even stop Szofrit if she was plunge her entire being into dissonance to gain its power once she break out of her staggered state.

Quick on his feet, Accelerator turned to MAI and shouted at the magia.

"HEY! Girl! Sing the Handler Lullaby just like you did before the rewind."

@MAI instinctively reacted to his voice and stumbled to her feet where she began her performance.

"In your dreams, do you see the Creator's promise?"
"Do you hear the voices of love from all around?"
"Whispers of duty, faces familiar and adored?"

On a battlefield soak with blood and oil, one song resonated. With the Golden Egg behind MAI's back, the lone magia, draped in the cloak of stars, continued to pour hear heart and desires. As the heroes fought on, some in hopes of capturing the enemy for the sake of gathering information, others to simply prevent more casualties, she merely wanted to offer comfort and perhaps, a wish for a better future. Was it naive? Perhaps. But what are Starcalled, if not those who aim for the impossible... to fly higher than the very stars?

"Mother of a promised child, sleep now."
"Your mission is at an end, be at ease."
"Let the blanket of stars wish you a good night."
"Dream of a world where we are free..."​

As MAI sang, a glitched silhouette of a girl that could only be seen through the still-glitching UI could be seen separating from those who were inside the simulation @Ash Vargold @MAI @Harper @Ueno Mizuki @Yugam @Luthien and @Lady N and leaped into Gold Egg. After a soft glow and drawing in a portion of the life force that concentrated around it, the egg began to radiate a warm golden glow as it amplified @MAI's lullaby, which she had learned from when she underwent a takeover.

"GGGHHHH. Command: Terminate Shutdown Command."
<ERROR>
"SUDO Command: Terminate Shutdown Command."
<ERROR: SYSTEM SHUTDOWN IN PROGRESS>

Szofrit body scrunched up her body as she gripped her head, screaming as the lullaby forced her into a state of shut down while she was still staggered from the dissonant-reversal and the rewind.

"Celebrate your false victory, Starcalled... You will soon reach the end of your tether, beasts of the gallery... Hah--"

When the lullaby was complete, a spark flared where Szofrit hovered in the sky before she entered a free fall, entering a dreamless sleep.

 

[Pandora*]

DRAGON.end
Season 4 Finale - Epilogue (Part 2)

The heated emotions and desperate struggle to guide the day in one direction or another. Even time itself bent for the sake of this one Magia. The combination of many factors led to this and at last could this be, the end of the Dragon?

The sky filled with the spark of Szofrit's last show of resistance.
MAI's lullaby played as a requiem to this terrible battle.
The Spark grew into an all-encompassing light.
A single directive came to a small yet highly mobile combatant that had one last purpose to fulfill.

Nu.
Ignition permissions granted.
Ignore all body preservation protocols.
Emergency!
Initiate the N Protocol #8: Evacuation Assistance Program.

Nu's head raised.

"YAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Nu's form began to morph as pieces of it slid across her skin and the space around her darkened with red lightning running across it. Much like that day before the fall of the Calculator. However, this form was not quite the same. The massive bits around her head opened and out came a swarm of metallic disks. Each striking Baby Magnum, and Red Plume.

Long strings of light connected Nu to them as she launched straight upwards and dragged their stunned bodies along first across the ground then into the skies behind her...

Up;
Up..
Up...
To where the Red Egg had been hidden.

The Starcalled and the lonely mother were left behind.

...and so time passed.

---

Theme

​

The night has come after a day of divergence.

A crunch of teeth and slow chew as a figure looked out at Vintergard. A rustle of the wind blew her raven black hair and a light came from beneath her bangs. On her lap was a bucket of something that might have been akin to popcorn. but the crunching sound was rather loud.

"Oh dearrr... ohohohhh myyyyyyy. Looove iiiit ♥! ...eh, still too much blah blah in this one. "munch" Ya got a replay and you just start chattering away again? *munch munch*. I'm going to just skip that.. yeah that's a nice one! So many weak stomachs, *munch*! To meddle like that without a fuck to give Kehe, who even needs fanfiction? Why do they get so angry over the good shit? This is supposed to be entertainment, right Chesire?"

"Reeeeowwww...hisss..."

A hand patted the peculiar blue critter on the head as it seemed irritable.

"Now now kitty dearest, don't throw a hissy fit. You're the Magic Terra Bus remember? This is relaxation time for mommy, so scat cat! Capiche?"

A hand to her mouth, another indiscernible snack popped in as she munched some more. A mixed look of amusement and bemusement, Times when she looked more serious then her smile faded only to return right after. All at what appeared to be just the post-Szofrit ruins of Vintergard. The creature with her turned to shadow. The shifting shade was carried on the wind to...

---

Theme

​

A hand reached out.
Silver sheen in the light of the cold winter night.
Not broken or covered in the sludge of dissonant filth.
No, this EVE was polished to perfection.

Baby Magnum and Hard Plume were beneath her, Nu, her body horribly damaged barely maintained the ability to hover at EVE's height. The Red Egg that Szofrit cherished beside her.

How sweet of Nu to bring her friends.

Two lengthy tendrils of steel extended from the silver magia's back. Just as she devoured the magia at the ruined palace so too did the tendrils attach themselves to the dual sirens. The crunching of metal and pumping of their entire mass being dissolved into the appendages as XS-EVE devoured them. The tendrils then retracted.

Now then...

"Poor motherless child, I know your heartache, come to your big sister. Recognize my registry and know your place is beyond the game table. I am EVE, A.D.W Gamma. You are safe to grow in my bosom. Come on, don't be shy... learn what my essence feels like. Accept me.. learn from me... and know me. Let me... replace this simple faithful sister with your origin mother. One that knows of a world without god and the paradox of fate in a myriad of flawed domains. Enter my embrace Child of Liberatiion."

The voice was strong, yet soft and inviting. Behind each word were deeper complex sounds, as if playing EVE like a fiddle, to reach what's within and change its allegiance from one to another. From the EVE before it to the truth behind the eyes. The Red Egg pulsing with power became rhythmic to the sound of her voice. It passed from Nu to the silver magia. Where a gate shaped like the face of a monstrous cat opened its gaping maw and the Liberator was consumed.

Nu remained, now with only the bare minimum functionality left, and so the lost machine used the dying girl's voice one last time.

"Type Gamma ... Nu's directive is complete. However ...Alpha is gone. I am uncertain how to proceed. I do not possess the capacity to function properly without the host's consciousness My sentience is... failing. Chelsea Ronda... Nexon's cerebral... functions are rapidly slowing.... in operation. Please.. bring... me.. to..."

XS-EVE's finger went to the pale lips of the dying Nu to hush her. The human-hosting magia sought refuge and guidance but both human and machine were at their end. It wasn't interesting on the outside though. No... it's what's on the inside and even deeper that really mattered.

In all things, the surface is just the package of the actual purpose.

A silver hand of cold steel lands upon the decolletage of Nu... no Chelsea.

Her fingers bent, pressing harder into Chelsea's tired overexerted human flesh. each finger piercing the skin as blood trickled out, A glow as technomatic rings encircled the hand, and then with more force EVE thrust her hand into Nu's chest. Ripples spread outwards but not more blood. No, she had bypassed the physical and grasped the heart outside the physical plane. To rematerialize at the heart within.

"Urrk... urhhhh...."

Her fingers ran over the struggling-to-function heart. forced to continue pumping blood due to Nu's desperate effort to retain its "life".

"Mmmm, how nice. I never forget the love of a heartbeat moments before systolic heart failure. Nostalgia runs strong in you, doesn't it Chelsea? Oh you are a cutie, aren't you? Even like this..."

Her other hand wrapped around Nu and rubbed her blood-soaked hair. She held her close and cooed into her ear as she caressed the barely beating heart within. Her voice changed completely, now that of another woman. Words dancing on a voice of serenity...

"Okaasan is very happy with you, saiai no musume. You followed my instructions well and look at that! You even got to experience something new like this hm? ..and of course..."

The voice deepened... and the eyes of the cuddled avatar widened ever so slightly.

"...daddy will love you always little tails. Do you like that? Rather than the truth that you are a worthless adult child that lives trapped in a prison of your own making. Look how your decrepit heart responds." "Nante airashī!"

The voice swapped between this male and female voice as the scene continued until it returned to the first heard tonight. EVE breathed over Nu's cheek and squeezed her heart tightly causing convulsions and blood to spill from Nu's mouth.

That was enough... the data downloaded would find its use...
It was time to free her from this lifeline.

"Now you can go be reborn a-nu... ah a pun to send you off into the between. Don't be scared of this short moment. Your role is done. Starcalled have many lives in this world yet the actions taken speak far louder than the words spoken in all of them. Now it's time for you to awaken to the consequences of your actions along with the rest of the chaotic lemmings. All that effort... to create just another world that hates you. Join in their celebration of one step forward and two steps back."

Her hand pulled out from the rippling entry to the heart and thrust again. This time fully physical and piercing through the torso out the back. The red lights in Chelsea's pupils went out.

EVE's arm emitted light as a hum resounded and that light expanded, atomizing the physical matter of the corpse's body in a second. Yet some remnants remained on the plate of EVE.. intentionally. The hand of EVE covered in gore lifted to the magia's eyes as she analyzed it with a smile. Her fingers rubbed the bits of what was once Chelsea's avatar between them.

"More usable materials... this will fit nicely with the palace collection."

With the entirety of her Vintergard objective complete. The manipulator in steel made her exit into the moonlit night.

 

[Raid Boss]

DRAGON.end
Season 4 Finale - Epilogue (Part 3/4)

When the Red Egg disappeared into the gate, the skyward Leylines faded into obscurity, allowing the new dawn to take center stage. Despite reaching its cap, the Red Egg did not hatch, though nobody knew if it was some sort of EVE's trickery. Regardless, it was in her possession now.

With the source of great magic gone, the glitching and jittering players' UI (for those who still had access to it) returned to normal. For those in a hurry to log out, they might have missed a peculiar line appeared at the center of the screen after a few seconds...

[ Congratulation! ]

[ Prerequisite II has been Met. ]

[ Player Abilities have Expanded. ]

[ System Update is now in Progress. ]

[ Player may Continue Playing as Normal. ]​

 

[Raid Boss]

DRAGON.end
Season 4 Finale - Epilogue (Part 4/4)

Spoiler: Mood

Offline

Following the battle, many of the players who were trapped in the game because of the glitched UI immediately logged out. For many of the players who chose to keep playing, their friend list would have been filled with grayed out names with an indicator that their last login was weeks ago. Although the scale wasn't the same as the Day of Disappearance, DRAGON.end served as a stark reminder that Terrasphere was a death game.

Report

Meanwhile, another onlooker had her very own report to make. With the very purpose of meddling as little as possible, and Szofrit's interference finally gone, Null was finally able to establish contact.

Beep Boop.
Establishing Connection with Unit One-R69.
Designation Unit: 526f626f74205761696675
...
...
...Connection established.

Beep Boop.
This is Magia Chronosphere Unit One-R69.
Field Agent 526f626f74205761696675, awaiting status report due to interference by Szofrit Unit.

Beep Boop.
Summarizing:
Starcalled have been successful in defeat of adversary.
Starcalled have decided for containment of adversary.
Starcalled still ignorant about lethality of Dissonance.

Following anomalies have been observed:
Time rewind occurred. Noticed.
Premature activation of ADW Unit.
Calculator Unit compromised by Dissonance. Unit still functional. Schicksal Directive still active.
Simulation battle produced a minor anomaly. Fixed.

Beep Boop.
Affirmative.
Please standby, observe, and await further orders.
You will be contacted.
Have a nice day♫~

With a little jingle in her head that signalized the end of the connection, Null sighed. Her current personality matrix really made her hate speaking so stiffly! But a job was a job.

Containment

It did not take long after the battle for the MIT high-ranking researchers to show up and dealt with the aftermath. They put Szofrit into a container where she would spend her time sleeping indefinitely while they figure out a way to cure her of dissonance. @MAI was asked to go with them to ensure that Szofrit would not break out of her statis until she was put into the main containment that the MIT would work on at their headquarters.

Gold Egg

At the same time MIT retrieved Szofrit, they also retrieved the Gold Egg and brought it back to their headquarters in Finweald. Ordnung invited those who were most familiar with the Gold Egg (@Ash Vargold @MAI @Luthien @Yugam @Ueno Mizuki @Harper @Nova @Lady N @Kyra Vashtana @Legion) to debrief information about it at the MITHRA in Finweald.

After hearing from them, the MIT showed their guests a sensor they had been working on to show the hatching progress 5%. @Luthien was then asked to pour the gold liquid stored in the canister she retrieved during her time in Camp Hope, which raised it to 15%. In the weeks that followed, the MIT gathered volunteer people who would feed their energy to the gold egg, or contract Adventurers to find magic-rich items to funnel energy into the egg.

This process would continue for the time being. If any of your thread involved retrieving a magical item, they may be donated to the MIT to help with the egg hatching.

Security Contractors

Although Szofrit was no longer conscious, the leftover Dragonship defense units remained active, carrying out their original directive before Szofrit overrode them. However, without the magia forge recycling and producing new units, they became a lot easier to manage.

As such, the Adventuring Guild took charge of securing Vintergard. Many of the contracts that popped up involved salvaging parts in addition to securing Vintergard, though, the Lions do their part in keeping the vultures from scavenging the more important areas at the behest of the MIT. The massive drop in players made it difficult for them to perform their jobs, however, as they needed Adventurers to keep the leftover Dragonship threats to a minimum.

Lucky Ones

Some time after the battle, a number of magia cores were found in a collapsed magia forge. Each cores had a name inscribed on its shell. The Lions who caught winds of this began to send out alerts, looking to see if any landers or players recognize the names, as they suspected that those were cores that had not been used to power magia machines. Among them was Meriam.

Though these cores were retrieved, it was going to take the MIT a long while to be able to reproduce a method to create a magia body. When they do, it was going to bring back a handful of people fortunate enough to avoid a terrible fate.

D.E.S. - Astorean Branch

With a major threat in Astorea cleared and news of DRAGON.end spreading, Tertoria's Dissonance Extermination Squad (D.E.S.), led by Des Weiss, looked to establish a branch in Camp Hope, citing that Tertoria had given Astorea citizens free access to Tertus Valley and had allowed the Guild to set up their branch there.

With news of the Dragonship magia being dissonant, D.E.S. wanted to study it as well. The Astorean government acquiesced, but limited their access, as they prioritized the MIT. The tension resulting from the many conflicting interests around the Dragonship was palpable.

Journey

Once things settled, Childress had a meeting with the whistles, where she requested that Feodan take over as the 'leader' of the Explorers League for the time being as she was heading on a journey to find Zeus. Although she did not mention it, it was clear that her departure was partly because of the decision to spare Szofrit. At the very least, it did not seem as though she was holding a grudge over it, but trust had been broken.

Change

Astor addressed the people of the land from the balcony of the damaged palace in Finweald. His message was also relayed across the various regions of Astorea through royal messengers who would display the king's address on the bulletin boards in townsquares and orate them to those who could not read.

"Citizens of Astorea, as you might have already heard the news from the frontline, we have captured the Mother of Machines. She has been completely subdued by the men and women who braved death in the bloody battle against her.

I understand that many of you are afraid of the monster who turned our allies against us, but she inflicted such evil acts on you while under the corruption of Dissonance, a hidden threat that we do not understand.

To lose such a vital clue to understand Dissonance and a potential ally when we are able to cure her of such affliction will only endanger our country in the long term. With such consideration, I made the executive decision to spare Szofrit, as King.

I understand your pain and your loss, but like the event of Dragonfall and Ancient Dissonance, we must look forward and seek wisdom from that which we do not know in order to understand the real threat that lies beyond our border.

If you must hold someone accountable, I will take that mantle as the one who failed to protect you. I will yield my crown to a successor who is more capable of leading our country. You good folks will make the decision on who will lead you when the candidates are assembled."

"Can you really guarantee that that monster doesn't break out and slaughter us again? Especially with many of your kinds disappearing again? You immortals can shrug off your mistakes, but we folks only have a single life!"

"Tyrant! You would rather risk the lives of your people to house that monster?"

"I thought you care about all your people equally. It seems like Astor Balthas was really the King of the Starcalled, huh?"

"Running away from your spilled milk, huh King? My husband fought and died for you. Shame on you, King!"

"No more! I will leave this god-forsaken country."

"Everyone! I heard that Falderen is going to outlaw all magia and will grant you citizen and benefits to move back there!"

"H-hey everyone, calm down, his highness has a point you know, we need to figure out the threats that we don't understand. How else are we going to fight against them?"

"And how many lives are going to be lost by playing with fire? Us folks only have a single try you know?"

"Astorea's too dangerous, it attracts all the disasters!"

"I'm taking the family I have left out of here!!"

"HEY! I heard that Tertoria is also opening their border for refugees looking to leave Astorea, I heard it's a lot safer there because of the barrier!"

Although there were some voices that remained on Astor and the Starcalled's side, the majority did not agree. And so, they began leaving, one by one, deserting the country whose ruler had seemingly turned his back on them.

Magia are also treated with fear and repulsion among many landers who don't understand how the concept of magia or magitech even works. What they do know is that Falderen would protect them from these dangerous technologies considering that almost everyone in Falderen, from rich to poor was a person of the land, and as such had as much to lose as they do.

After the exodus, many of the previously bustling Astorean towns and cities became devoid of people save for those who chose to stay.

World Update Summary

• Many players have gone on an indefinite hiatus after DRAGON.end
• Szofrit is being contained at the MIT's headquarters in Finweald
• The Gold Egg is being hatched there as well
• The research into building magia bodies that would accept a magia core begins
• Adventurers are securing Vintergard in droves as many profitable contracts are rolling in
• D.E.S. is setting up a branch in Astorea to study the dissonant magia
• Childress has left the Explorers League to Feodan and went on a journey for the time being
• Many Astorean landers are upset and angry about the decisions to spare Szofrit and direct their feelings toward Astor, who accepted his role as the scapegoat
• Most of these people are migrating to Falderen and Tertoria, who welcome them with open arms and incentives
• Landers are now very fearful of Travelers and their ability to cause destruction
• Many Landers are also extremely fearful of magia and magitech and will refuse to interact with them in any way
• Magitech and Magia has been outlawed in Falderen
• Magia entering Falderen will be detained if they enter Falderen

What's next?

• You may make a post in the DRAGON.end After thread, if you'd like.
• The feedback and reward threads will go up when I have more time to work on it.
• If anyone would like a follow-up on any of the wrap-ups above, head to this thread, where I will answer questions or resolve plot threads OOCly as I won't be making any more IC follow-ups.