.hack//DIVERGENCE Main

[Nighthand]

Despite her unorthodox out of sequence acting, her shield had been more like a counterattack buff; something she put up to react upon attack, rather than a truly free action. Still, it was an advantage, so it was one they would have to press.

Next up: Nighthand

Nighthand, still bound, had resigned himself to watching and waiting. He couldn't even stockpile power or interface with spells during other turns.

Next up: Maoh

Maoh, ghosted, was given a turn to act but could do nothing of substance to affect the field.

Next up: Sekai

PARTY STATUS

Full Party Buff: Unity

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 95%, Paralyzed, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 85%, Asleep, Ap Do
Canti and Shadow: HP 70%, Poisoned, Ap Do
Talal: HP 100%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 90%, Ap Juka, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 75%, Cursed
Maoh: Dead
Baron and Higure: HP 75%, Cursed, Paralyzed, Ap Do, Ap Corv

[Sekai]

Cringing still at her own status effect, the archer grit her teeth and stubbornly continued to do her best to relieve as maby of her party as possible. Demorian was her target this time around, and knowing that he often had tricks up his sleeve, chose to restore him first in hopes of seeing some of that master planning being executed.

The restorative would wake him, and the vines seized control again.

Her kingdom for just one more action-- if she even had a kingdom to give.

[Nighthand]

Sekai cured Demorian of his ailment, and just in time it seemed. As the vines around her ankle tightened once more, the vines around his loosened for his turn.

Up next: Demorian

Demorian was torn between helping the others heal up the party, and taking proactive action against the Willowman. It didn't matter how close to death they were, if they killed the boss. On the other hand, there was still some way to go before the natural progression of the boss phases was complete. There were also those worrying clone mirror images, still in place. Talal had weakened their last attack; would their next be full power?

Opting to go on the offense, Demorian targeted the clones. "Merrows Pha." The spell was only present on two items in the game, neither usable by a blademaster, but since when would something like that stop him?

He held his blade out, and a small, ice-carved imp no more than six inches tall formed on the tip of the blade. It danced for a moment on the edge, then leaped through the air to the feet of one of the clones. It made a face, then, and with a crack of ice snapping, an icicle speared up from its place into the ceiling. The icicle pierced the mirror clone, and around exploded a storm of razor ice shards and snow. The fierce but short-lived storm passed then, and the line was devoid of one clone.

Unfortunately, the other clones nearby took no damage from the attack. It was as he suspected; they needed to be dealt with each in turn.

Next up: Canti and Shadow

PARTY STATUS

Full Party Buff: Unity

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 95%, Paralyzed, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 85%, Ap Do
Canti and Shadow: HP 70%, Poisoned, Ap Do
Talal: HP 100%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 90%, Ap Juka, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 75%, Cursed
Maoh: Dead
Baron and Higure: HP 75%, Cursed, Paralyzed, Ap Do, Ap Corv

[Lord Canti]

(Okay, so...they were slowly getting back up to snuff and there were these clones to deal with still. Canti still had to do a bit of the support mechanism, so to speak, but they also needed to handle their soulless, lifeless, mindless doppelgangers...especially since they had no style. So, after seeing the newly-awakened Demorian try to mass-kill the clones and only get one...Canti tossed a Restorative at Sheena and then turned to Shadow.)

Canti: Shadow, I need you to attack me.

Shadow: Attack you?

Canti: Yes.

Shadow: Very well, would you like it in the arm or leg?

Canti: Wait, what?

Shadow: I could get you in the chest without leaving a big scar, I suppose.

Canti: Shadow-

Shadow: I don't want to hit anything vital, you see.

Canti: HOLD IT!

Shadow: Yes?

Canti: I meant...attack my clone. The other me!

Shadow: Oh.

(The Bogie launches itself at Not-Canti and mauls the hell out of him.)

Canti: He enjoyed that way too mu-

(And that would have been fine, but as we have just been informed that the clones are Willow-clones, Shadow just basically attacked one on command. We apologize for the inconvenience.)

[Nighthand]

Shadow's mauling destroys the clone, but only barely; any attack weaker than his would risk leaving a clone alive.

At the end of Canti's turn, his own Ap Do and the team buff Unity both wear off. This leaves the party in general somewhat weaker, particularly due to Unity's powerful effect.

Next up: Takua and Vesica

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 95%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 85%, Ap Do
Canti and Shadow: HP 70%, Poisoned, Ap Do
Talal: HP 100%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 90%, Ap Juka, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 75%, Cursed
Maoh: Dead
Baron and Higure: HP 75%, Cursed, Paralyzed, Ap Do, Ap Corv

[Takua]

There was nothing quite like the storm of status effects and clones that sprang up across the battle lines...and if it weren't for that Takua was keeping a very close eye on where they were, he might have suspected that one or two of them might be exchanged for the real person...but apparently Xenobia was playing that by the rules. He didn't believe for a second she would continue to, but for now...

For now, he had quite a few flashmails, an Ap Do, and a ton of clones to murder.

An antidote found its way to Baron from Vesica. It wouldn't take care of the Curse, but it would free him to act- something that was vastly more important than a loss of 25% of his SP. Granted, that wouldn't be the case if it was on the Wavemaster...but, thankfully, his own status effects had been curse and charm. Not that there was anything thankful about charm at all.

It was somewhat tempting to heal up...but what would happen if all of the clones and the Willowman had a turn? No, he wasn't going to consider that, because he knew that the outcome would be death.

He desperately needed more SP at this rate. But he had exactly enough for one more summon, and he dropped the Yarthkins Rf down right in the center of the clones. Not that he couldn't hit every single one of them plus the Willowman, but this time he was actually far more concerned with the mass array of rather problematic copies of themselves.

To: Canti
From: Takua
Subject: Re: Healing, Once More

Understood, but I can't let the clones have another turn alongside the Willowman. Vesica will get Baron up and going, and hopefully he can get Maoh up.

[Nighthand]

Much like Demorian's summon before him, Takua's was wide enough to cover most of the clones in the area, but the clones operated by some other rule; only one was damaged, though it was certainly obliterated.

After his turn had successfully passed, Takua's Ap Juka finally wore off. Buff counters, it seems, go by turns experienced rather than turns passed.

Next up: Baron and Higure

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 95%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 85%, Ap Do
Canti and Shadow: HP 70%, Poisoned, Ap Do
Talal: HP 100%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 90%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 75%, Cursed
Maoh: Dead
Baron and Higure: HP 75%, Cursed, Ap Do, Ap Corv



Also, because I've seen the last two people make this mistake; the clones are clones of the willowman, there's just one for each of us. They aren't clones of us.

[Locke]

Thankfully, an Antidote from Takua's feline ally had Baron up and moving again. The Twin Blade realized the use of such a tactic, especially given how limited Higure's own move pool was; after their Overdrive had ended, the wolf was limited to basic attacks alone. Keeping that in mind, Baron passed on a few items quickly, using up his turn to set his companion up for combat. A Raging Plasma and an Ion Strike scroll, a Health Drink, an Antidote, and a Resurrect were all passed along, giving Higure a well-rounded range of offense and support along with his natural weapons, his claws and his fangs.

However, it seemed that even the process of transferring items over to Higure was costly, and Baron found the vine tightening around his ankle, preventing him from acting further. The wolf was under no such restrictions, however, and went after one of the Willowman copies with claw and fang, tearing at it as best as he could. Long claws dug deep furrows into the wooden frame, raking out huge chunks of bark, before Higure jumped backwards, retreating into line again, waiting to see how effective his attack had been. If they were lucky, the clones were just ephemeral copies that could be taken out without much trouble, an additional threat that simply had to be dealt with before returning to the main event.

If not, well, that was why Baron had armed Higure in advance. If the battle grew prolonged, at least their options were there. It was unfortunate that their Overdrive took up both of their turns for no real bonus aside from faster turns and a little extra damage; in normal battle, that speed combined with an Ap Do would be game-changing. For now, though, Baron and Higure watched, waiting to see what would happen.

[Nighthand]

The clone Higure attacked did indeed go down, leaving only three clones and the Willowman himself remaining. Then, at the end of his turn, the remaining buffs on Baron expired. He was left simply slightly injured and cursed, his SP taking a hit at the end of each turn.

Next up: Sheena

Sheena was faced with a decision; take out another clone or get some damage in on the Willowman. Given how the others seemed to be handling the clones -- and how she could take a hit form the clones without too much issue -- she chose the latter. She doubted she'd be able to rip the man's other arm off, as neutering the boss is unlikely to be something Xenobia would allow, but she could certainly lay on the pain. As she had before, she simply walked up to the boss, looked him in the wooden eyes, wound up and smashed a fist into his face. Again, the crack of wood giving way under immense pressure filled the room, and when Sheena returned to her place in line, the Willowman's head was distorted by a crack running from temple to chin.

Next up: Talal

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 95%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 85%, Ap Do
Canti and Shadow: HP 70%, Poisoned, Ap Do
Talal: HP 100%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 90%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 75%, Cursed
Maoh: Dead
Baron and Higure: HP 75%, Cursed

[Talal]

The young Twin Blade watched while major spells were cast that should have taken out armies but instead only managed single hits. Devasting ones but only just that...one. Talal had resolved herself to stay on task. As much as she wanted to inflict some well earned pain upon the willowman, the fact her new relationship with sound could be used for either offense or defense made sticking with her original plan all the more beneficial for the group. They did however need everyone available to fight and since she had figured out that she could do an action and continue building her sound ball, it made her next move obvious.

Feeling the vines loosen, Talal quickly tossed a ressurect at Moah and then used whatever time she had left to enhance her movements to pull in as much sound as possible until the vines tightened once more reducing her ability to gather but not completely halting it.

[Nighthand]

Resurrect applied; sound powers passively gathering, dulling noises throughout the room. Talal was businesslike in her approach to this fight; do what had to be done, leave the embellishments to someone else.

Next up: Canti and Shadow

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 95%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 85%, Ap Do
Canti and Shadow: HP 70%, Poisoned, Ap Do
Talal: HP 100%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 90%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 75%, Cursed
Maoh: HP 100%
Baron and Higure: HP 75%, Cursed

[Lord Canti]

Bling!

(The Twin Blade had been looking over his flash mail while waiting. Yeah, he understood. Those clones DID look dangerous. They couldn't let their numbers remain high, what with the damage they did last time. Fortunately, everyone appeared to be alive again, though not in the most perfect of health. His turn came up again, the first after his speed wore off. Shadow re-cast Ap Do on them, though, and Canti decided to attack a clone with Terror Cyclone, trying to kill it and achieve a Life Drain while he was at it.)

OOC: Nighthand forget to edit my status, but I put on a new installment anyway.

[Nighthand]

Bling!
OOC: Nighthand forget to edit my status, but I put on a new installment anyway.

You are correct sir!

Canti's cyclone does in fact manage to both kill the clone and return some HP.

Next up: Demorian

Seeing his massive spell as overkill for the previous clone, Demorian decided to leave the two remaining clones be for the moment. The Willowman himself would likely get another turn soon, and if he could free up another of their members -- or get them closer to that point, in any case -- it would be very helpful.

He sighed, when his turn came up and he was free to do so. Ice was his style, but in this case, damage won out over stylish considerations. The Willowman still had debuffs for fire, earth and darkness; he wanted to exploit them.

It was an odd sight to see his icy blade burst into flames, but when those flames tightened and focused, like a blowtorch heating up, the blue fire made more sense. Demorian himself approached the boss and launched himself into a spin, a spiral; the Vakz Spiral, to be exact. Not elegant, but powerful, and it left deep gouges of charred wood latticed across the Willowman's body. Between this and Sheena's damage, this boss's appearance was quite shifted.

Next up: Sekai

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 95%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 85%
Canti and Shadow: HP 85%, Ap Do
Talal: HP 100%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 90%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 75%, Cursed
Maoh: HP 100%
Baron and Higure: HP 75%, Cursed

[Nighthand]

Sekai's turn comes and passes with her frozen, perhaps with indecision, perhaps with something more serious.

Next up: Canti and Shadow

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 95%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 85%
Canti and Shadow: HP 85%, Ap Do
Talal: HP 100%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 90%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 75%, Cursed
Maoh: HP 100%
Baron and Higure: HP 75%, Cursed

Holidays + Bane visiting + a move = giving Sekai a bit more time, but I've heard no word about intent to post, so... skipped.

[Lord Canti]

(Well, though Demorian felt that he should devote his time to the Willowman himself right now, Canti felt that finishing the pruning job they were doing to his numbers was also important. Because...it was clear that he was evening the numbers because he was unsure of his ability to end this. And in the life of Damon Fortis, the young man behind the winged Twin Blade never gave the boss a fighting chance. So, after nodding a Shadow, both he and the demon dog ran straight for the clones and attacked them, knife and claw, before returning to their positions.)

Canti: That oughta' uneven the odds a little.