this is why the power of friendship is bad, actually
baiken is laying there, grumbling on the floor. it's not that she can't get up, she is just so incredibly pissed at being punched that if she gets up she'll try to kill ichiban again (real) (not clickbait).
is.. everybody like, dead? are all the enemies dead?
what was the rustling sound. DO I HAVE MY VIAL. throné is going to slowly... pull herself to her feet. she's ignoring the watch? she doesn't need it, nobody is dead.]
[ baiken finally peels herself off the ground, with yet another grumble. she takes stock of the bloody bug pulp, the filth, and ichiban crumpled on the ground. ]
...Let's get going.
[ WE DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT 'what about ichiban' WE DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT ]
that is to say, yeah, the adrenaline wearing off REALLY hits hard this time. he isn't dead, but he's acutely aware of the pain he's in. he's not sure he can move... but he can at least groan. see? he's fine. ]
[i'm glad that aya is still here. she's a real one.
throné takes an unsteady step towards ichiban, and - she'd crouch normally to try and help him but she is having a hard time breathing. she shoves her vial into her boobs to sit next to the watch. i hope the shit in this vial is poisonous and it explodes.]
Ichiban. We need to go. Can you stand? [she looks up at baiken.] I'll be there in a second.
[ the process to stand back up is slower this time, his breathing more shaky and labored. but he's back on his feet sooner rather than later, giving throné a quick nod to signal that she's good to catch up with baiken. he'll catch up. because, well, he does still want to acknowledge their remaining guide's presence despite her dogshit roll. ]
throné squints. and then just keeps moving, though she's looking for anything else she can potentially steal or pick up as they go. she absolutely ignores aya i'm sorry, she's in focus mode.]
As they descend into the second level, the halls begin to look a little different. Green fluid leaks from the walls and ceiling, and the entire hallway is increasingly covered in roots. They break through the metal, disrupting the terrain.
There is a louder rustling sound ahead.
Aya continues to take point, moving cautiously along, but-- it seems like that 1 of hers earlier definitely alerted something, and that lets it get the jump on all of you.
A sharp, piercing root darts out of the darkness ahead, aimed directly at her.]
[gross! there's a dead guy in here! (kelsey voice) THERE'S TWO DUDES there's a dead guy--
throné follows aya... and here's the thing, she's not really the type of person to instinctively throw herself into danger for a stranger, but she's also not a jackass. aya stuck it out with them, she didn't run, and even if it's just out of a desire to get paid... loyalty means something. throné has self-preservation, but she's not a bad person, and it isn't like she wants to let this very real npc take the brunt of the damage just for her own gain.
so while she won't stand in front of the root to take the hit, she will, in fact, do her best to shove aya down out of the way and follow her, so they're out of the projectile range.
well she was going to try to do this but i did in fact roll a one so like, i guess have fun with that teej?]
[ baiken's reflexes are somewhat better, though not very impressive on their own. the rustling catches her attention - it's probably on her bad side, hence the 9 - and she manages to take a step back quick enough that she doesn't get skewered.
what is up with throne getting kebabbed GIRL KEEP IT TOGETHER WE HAVE SHIT TO DO!! ]
[Okay. WELL. We're doing great. Baiken is, anyway.
So here's what happens. With rolls like that... the root-vine pierces right through Ichiban's eye and continues on, putting him out of his misery for a second time in this CYOA. As it shoots further forward, it whips around while the entity it belongs to retracts it, the end of it lashing out far enough to slice through Throné's leg; Aya, where Throné tried and failed to shove her down, is too off-balance to avoid it herself and is impaled right through her torso.
She chokes up blood, a hand reaching up to her bloodied midsection, before she laughs quietly and murmurs something about being happy she at least died quickly and easily down here. Her body slumps to the floor, immobile.]
[NOOOOO AYA I'M SO SORRY MY SHITTY ROLL KILLED YOU i hope the limbuses didn't like you. does not tell them that we murdered aya.
it's a double whammy. triple, even, because what she sees first is the vine wiping ichiban out, shooting through his head. and before she can even properly react to that (no, no, not again - but the watch, the watch), the vine pierces a hole through aya, and. well, that makes something in her twist, makes her heart drop. no - that's not what she wanted, she wanted to make sure aya lived. can she bring her back? if she uses the watch, maybe... maybe --
and then the vine whips back, and slices through her leg entirely, from the middle of her thigh down.
throné is very good at not making sound. she never made a noise, each time the whip hit her back. she barely flinched, when a wayward knife or a sword cut through her. but nothing is like this. there's shock, for a second, and then searing pain, and she lets out a muffled little shriek, mouth closed, as she drops. it's the first time in years and years that she's been incapable of silencing herself.
she is now covered in aya's blood, ichiban's blood, and her own blood, which makes her retch just a little bit. she can't quite help it. it's too much, she's in panic mode, she can't think straight other than to try to rip her skirt to try and make bandages, focus, focus, tie it off before it kills you --
but she's losing blood so fast that her head spins, and the smell of blood is overwhelming, death and rot and decay, and she can't get her hands to do what she wants them to. weakly, she tugs at the fabric, once. twice. and then her hands drop as she lays out on the ground, just desperately trying to keep her eyes open.
[ she can't remain detached when her companions die in front of her. the gore, the violence - there is a sickening familiarity to it all. for a second, baiken is completely still in shock. when she thinks to run to throné, she can already tell it's too late. she won't be able to staunch the bleeding, and ichiban was gone before they could even react. aya, too, was a lost cause, though that one doesn't quite hit as hard.
it can't be the same as before. it isn't going to be anger that she draws from, but from that sickening moment that this reminds her of. what set everything in motion, so long ago. her path of vengeance has led her here, and by god, she is going to complete this one, because there's no sense in bringing them back just to watch them get slaughtered again. ]
But this time, it's different. This time she feels that violent urge flooding her, but it's something that she can control; the straps restrain her somewhat, still, but instead of her body twisting and transforming into a grotesque weapon, she manifests one, a heavy metal ball on the end of a chain. Perfect for slamming into something again, and again, and again.
It fills her with rage and strength, propelling her forward to the source of that root: a golden fruit shaped monster, roots embedded deep into one of the containment cells just down the hall. A glow emanates from the Abnormality.
I am so behind your revenge but would you like to perhaps revive your friends for this boss, or are you going full Let Me Solo Her.]
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this is why the power of friendship is bad, actually
baiken is laying there, grumbling on the floor. it's not that she can't get up, she is just so incredibly pissed at being punched that if she gets up she'll try to kill ichiban again (real) (not clickbait).
also yeah a nat 20 hurts, man. ]
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The floor you're all lying on is still gross, just fyi. You're going to smell SO bad after this.]
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is.. everybody like, dead? are all the enemies dead?
what was the rustling sound. DO I HAVE MY VIAL. throné is going to slowly... pull herself to her feet. she's ignoring the watch? she doesn't need it, nobody is dead.]
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...Let's get going.
[ WE DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT 'what about ichiban' WE DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT ]
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that is to say, yeah, the adrenaline wearing off REALLY hits hard this time. he isn't dead, but he's acutely aware of the pain he's in. he's not sure he can move... but he can at least groan. see? he's fine. ]
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[Update btw.
Everything else here is dead besides Aya, though, yes. She carefully steps forward a bit to help scout, her gun raised.
Throné can have her vial, now that the bugs are dead.]
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throné takes an unsteady step towards ichiban, and - she'd crouch normally to try and help him but she is having a hard time breathing. she shoves her vial into her boobs to sit next to the watch. i hope the shit in this vial is poisonous and it explodes.]
Ichiban. We need to go. Can you stand? [she looks up at baiken.] I'll be there in a second.
... Nice work. [you really fucked those guys up]
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are there any more vials laying around? baiken has a lady pocket, she can snag a spare just in case throné's does in fact explode.
she doesn't answer though, just looking back down the darkened corridor. ]
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[ the process to stand back up is slower this time, his breathing more shaky and labored. but he's back on his feet sooner rather than later, giving throné a quick nod to signal that she's good to catch up with baiken. he'll catch up. because, well, he does still want to acknowledge their remaining guide's presence despite her dogshit roll. ]
Hey... just how many floors does this place have?
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[So that's neat!]
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throné squints. and then just keeps moving, though she's looking for anything else she can potentially steal or pick up as they go. she absolutely ignores aya i'm sorry, she's in focus mode.]
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As they descend into the second level, the halls begin to look a little different. Green fluid leaks from the walls and ceiling, and the entire hallway is increasingly covered in roots. They break through the metal, disrupting the terrain.
There is a louder rustling sound ahead.
Aya continues to take point, moving cautiously along, but-- it seems like that 1 of hers earlier definitely alerted something, and that lets it get the jump on all of you.
A sharp, piercing root darts out of the darkness ahead, aimed directly at her.]
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throné follows aya... and here's the thing, she's not really the type of person to instinctively throw herself into danger for a stranger, but she's also not a jackass. aya stuck it out with them, she didn't run, and even if it's just out of a desire to get paid... loyalty means something. throné has self-preservation, but she's not a bad person, and it isn't like she wants to let this very real npc take the brunt of the damage just for her own gain.
so while she won't stand in front of the root to take the hit, she will, in fact, do her best to shove aya down out of the way and follow her, so they're out of the projectile range.
well she was going to try to do this but i did in fact roll a one so like, i guess have fun with that teej?]
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what is up with throne getting kebabbed GIRL KEEP IT TOGETHER WE HAVE SHIT TO DO!! ]
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[Okay. WELL. We're doing great. Baiken is, anyway.
So here's what happens. With rolls like that... the root-vine pierces right through Ichiban's eye and continues on, putting him out of his misery for a second time in this CYOA. As it shoots further forward, it whips around while the entity it belongs to retracts it, the end of it lashing out far enough to slice through Throné's leg; Aya, where Throné tried and failed to shove her down, is too off-balance to avoid it herself and is impaled right through her torso.
She chokes up blood, a hand reaching up to her bloodied midsection, before she laughs quietly and murmurs something about being happy she at least died quickly and easily down here. Her body slumps to the floor, immobile.]
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it's a double whammy. triple, even, because what she sees first is the vine wiping ichiban out, shooting through his head. and before she can even properly react to that (no, no, not again - but the watch, the watch), the vine pierces a hole through aya, and. well, that makes something in her twist, makes her heart drop. no - that's not what she wanted, she wanted to make sure aya lived. can she bring her back? if she uses the watch, maybe... maybe --
and then the vine whips back, and slices through her leg entirely, from the middle of her thigh down.
throné is very good at not making sound. she never made a noise, each time the whip hit her back. she barely flinched, when a wayward knife or a sword cut through her. but nothing is like this. there's shock, for a second, and then searing pain, and she lets out a muffled little shriek, mouth closed, as she drops. it's the first time in years and years that she's been incapable of silencing herself.
she is now covered in aya's blood, ichiban's blood, and her own blood, which makes her retch just a little bit. she can't quite help it. it's too much, she's in panic mode, she can't think straight other than to try to rip her skirt to try and make bandages, focus, focus, tie it off before it kills you --
but she's losing blood so fast that her head spins, and the smell of blood is overwhelming, death and rot and decay, and she can't get her hands to do what she wants them to. weakly, she tugs at the fabric, once. twice. and then her hands drop as she lays out on the ground, just desperately trying to keep her eyes open.
that's about to be a lost cause, too.]
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it can't be the same as before. it isn't going to be anger that she draws from, but from that sickening moment that this reminds her of. what set everything in motion, so long ago. her path of vengeance has led her here, and by god, she is going to complete this one, because there's no sense in bringing them back just to watch them get slaughtered again. ]
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[Fills Throné's bar from death this is fine.
Baiken draws on her E.G.O. once again--
But this time, it's different. This time she feels that violent urge flooding her, but it's something that she can control; the straps restrain her somewhat, still, but instead of her body twisting and transforming into a grotesque weapon, she manifests one, a heavy metal ball on the end of a chain. Perfect for slamming into something again, and again, and again.
It fills her with rage and strength, propelling her forward to the source of that root: a golden fruit shaped monster, roots embedded deep into one of the containment cells just down the hall. A glow emanates from the Abnormality.
I am so behind your revenge but would you like to perhaps revive your friends for this boss, or are you going full Let Me Solo Her.]
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with the power of control and vengeance, baiken is going to 1v1 this ridiculous apple.
unfortunately with the power of my 8, we still need to get things warmed up. she will beat this apple into submission one way or the other. ]
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