E|\|7er Th3 W0rl|) &hr0*gH t|-|3 Yamiyo 5e|2\/%R.

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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Nighthand » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:35 pm

Canti and Shadow's dual attacks took out the last two of the Willowman clones, and just in time, too. As soon as the pair returned to their positions, the next turn arrived, and it was time for the boss once more to make his attempt to wipe the party.

With one arm and cracked, dented armor, the Willowman surveyed the opposition. No one particular enemy stood out as worthy of particularly painful focus, so he opted for a more basic attack. "Statussassination" was the word he whispered, in a voice that fit his shattered chest. Black-green miasma poured forth from the cracks in his body, until a billowing cloud swept over the party.

As the name implied the attack interacted with status effects. Those with an applied negative status effect died instantly. Those with positive buffs were more protected, but still took heavy damage. Those with no status effects, positive or negative, suffered least.

Then, finally, when the attack passed and the Willowman's turn ended, so too did the duration of his Dek Do. His speed was back to normal.

Next up: Nall

Nall once more was both bound by the vines and protected from all-target attacks; effectively not part of the fight until he would be freed.

Next up: Maoh


PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 50%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 75%
Canti and Shadow: HP 50%, Ap Do
Talal: HP 50%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 50%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 0%, DEAD
Maoh: HP 90%
Baron and Higure: HP 0%, DEAD

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Bane
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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Bane » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:22 pm

From the point he had been crushed and felled up until Talal had finally brought him back from the dead with a Resurrect he had been watching as the battle unfolded. Willow Man had created clones, but now they were all down, and the rest of the team seemingly had the advantage. That seemed to be the case up until that miasma settled in and tore up the party, immediately felling Sekai and that guy he'd yet been introduced to and was late to the party to begin with.

Maoh had a couple of options. In fact, it was literally two: Resurrect one of his fallen companions with one of the items Takua had given him earlier, or continue the assault on the Willow Man to hopefully end things faster. Levels being a factor, it may be better to just take the time to let the heavy hitters do the work. He glanced across at the others who had yet to join the fray as the vine around his ankle slipped loose. If he dealt some more damage though, he could get that guy doing his regeneration thing and they could bust down more crystals. Without a health bar to go off of, he flexed his wrist and pondered for the briefest of moments how close they were to triggering his next barrier move and decided to let himself go on auto-pilot.

Making a break for the Willow Man, eyes poised on striking that fractured part of his chest, he used his Vakz Rage skill again, depleting himself of more SP. He got in close, reared back his right paw and began the assault, letting the system guide his strikes in a flurry of solid, Vak-powered attacks.
Maoh l Lvl. %h l EXP: ????/1000 l HP: ???/??? l SP: ???/???
GP: 31,541

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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Nighthand » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:41 pm

Every bit of damage helped, even from a less than top-tier player-turned-cat fist fighter amalgam. At this point, it barely seemed as though the Willowman's armor could protect him, and yet it hadn't fallen off completely. It was still tied to one of the crystals, though judging by what happened last time one of his pieces of armor was destroyed, unsealing more power might not be the way to go until they had freed their last two companions.

Next up: Takua and Vesica

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Takua
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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Takua » Mon Jan 05, 2015 9:33 pm

So far, so good. Give or take. Sekai was dead though, which was definitely not good. There were a number of things that he might have done in that moment to deal with her death, but even the paranoid Wavemaster knew that there were advantages toward reviving the other members of the party first. A simple Rip Maen went out toward Baron, allowing the fast man to enter the fight. Maybe if she hadn't been frozen during her last turn Takua would have made a different choice, but...

But no, Baron's turn would come first. If someone else hadn't revived Sekai by then, he could take care of her then. If not...

Vesica, on the other hand, took that opportunity to launch herself forward and rake down the Willowman's wooden flesh. She wasn't after breaking the armor, but she did want to do enough damage that they could free another ally. Unless, of course, Talal found another way to destroy the crystals by bypassing that mechanic again.
Takua - Lvl 57 Wavemaster
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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Nighthand » Mon Jan 05, 2015 9:39 pm

Vesica added damage upon damage to the whittled Willowman, as they drew ever nearer to the next crystal-shattering opportunity. Meanwhile, Takua did his part to help the party recover, though they hadn't fully recovered from the previous attack. Lingering damage was the name of the game, and if the Willowman was able to put enough out, it would become a race against time and resources.

Next up: Talal

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 50%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 75%
Canti and Shadow: HP 50%, Ap Do
Talal: HP 50%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 50%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 0%, DEAD
Maoh: HP 90%
Baron and Higure: HP 100%

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Talal
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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Talal » Thu Jan 08, 2015 7:56 pm

Everyone seemed to be focusing on the willow clones which was probably a good thing since Talal didn't get another turn before the next Willowman attack. She kept up her subtle movements that continued the delicate dance she had going with the sound in the room. Her eyes fell upon their two members who had yet to be released and she knew what she needed to do. Closing her eyes, the young twin blade honed in on the crystals. Still ever moving but even in what seemed to be a random pattern they stayed with a general area still above and behind the Willowman. Her head tilted and crooked this way and that as she followed and tracked the buzzing from the crystals and when the Willowman attacked Talal kept her focus even as her health was reduced with a hope she wouldn't die and have to start over.

Time passed as did another turn for Takua and she felt the vines loosen. Subtle became grand once more. Talal had to go with what she had because she might not be so lucky if she held out for another round, not to mention the rest of the group. Outwardly it seemed like maybe they were starting to lose ground. Taking what time of her turn she had to pull as much as possible, the twin blade pushed the concentrated blast of sound out towards where the crystals should be. To be sure it was a crap shoot if she would hit one or not with no pattern to follow but it was her best shot at helping the fight. Feeling the tingle leave her hand from the wave she had just manhandled, a familiar sensation of the vines tightening their grip was there to replace it.
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me that we may be as one.
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Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade

Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)

Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.

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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Nighthand » Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:15 pm

Despite the Willowman's intervention, Talal was determined to use her sonic powers to circumvent the rules of the fight as unwritten. Xenobia seemed to allow it; after all, a restriction on her part would have made it completely nonfunctional. In this instance, the sonic blast had to be well-timed to hit a crystal, and well-timed it was.

The only problem was, Talal's aim was necessarily off. She could target a crystal, but it was difficult with their motion and the other distractions to decide exactly WHICH crystal. As it turned out, it wasn't one that freed an ally at all; it was another of the armor crystals. The sonic resonance hit and cracked the crystal, momentarily sending the Willowman into his recoil pose, before he returned to standing; no time for a regeneration shield, no time for retaliation.

What crumbled, as it turned out, was the dark wooden helm the Willowman wore. It split down the middle and fell off his head, leaving the willow strands of hair free to move.

Next up: Baron and Higure

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 50%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 75%
Canti and Shadow: HP 50%, Ap Do
Talal: HP 50%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 50%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 0%, DEAD
Maoh: HP 90%
Baron and Higure: HP 100%

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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Locke » Sun Jan 11, 2015 12:09 am

Death from status ailment was certainly not a pleasant way to go, especially with it being a non-fatal one like Curse. Sure, having no SP sucked, but it wasn't the end of the world... usually. Whatever the Willowman did, it pretty much instant-killed Baron, and by whatever RPG rule linked master and pet, took out Higure at the same time. Ghosting was never any fun; it was a hollowed-out, empty sort of feeling somewhere between tangible depression and absolute nothingness. Weird description, but Baron couldn't really describe it any other way; he hated being ghosted, hated the feeling of being dead, pseudo-dead, whatever you wanted to call it. Very uncomfortable feeling.

Worse yet was the wait, as the turns had to pass. Though there weren't many, Baron felt anxious; what if his turn was skipped due to death? With his former Ap Do gone, turns would be more scarce until it was reapplied, meaning that a turn missed would lead to several more. He was thankful that he was revived quickly enough by Takua, a Rip Maen finding its way over to him, and once more he was standing on solid ground. While the Twin Blade was recovering his balance again, Talal struck out, using the blast of sound she had gathered, and struck at something in the air; Baron was surprised when another crystal was revealed, to be shattered shortly. Who knew she could bypass the mechanics of the fight so easily?

The crystal was not one that freed one of their friends, however; instead, breaking it caused the Willowman's helm to crack and fall apart, leaving them with the potential for a new threat. Would the helm itself become an opponent, like the gauntlets had before? Or would the Willowman get a new attack, with his hair released as it was? Either way, Baron knew that they couldn't wait very long if they wanted to be effective in avoiding it.

But how to start? Baron was torn between two choices; on one hand, he could hope that the Willowman's damage hadn't been reset due to Talal's surprise attack, and that another few rounds of attacking it would cause the crystals to become visible again. If that was the case, Nall or Nighthand could be freed, turning the battle further in the Freedom Fighters' favor. However, if damage was reset, it would be better to regroup, reviving Sekai and getting their support line going. Of the two, Baron knew that it would be wiser to stick to a conservative strategy until they knew what to expect, and so with that in mind, he set himself to work. Higure's Resurrect was used immediately on Sekai, reviving her to full HP but no SP, and Baron used a Speed Charm on himself to get back into the battle's flow. With no SP himself after his recent death, he couldn't just cast Ap Do on himself, so the item would have to do.
Character Information
Baron | Level 47 Twin Blade [100/1000 EXP] | 891 HP / 265 SP
Weapon: Fishskin
Armor: Emperor's Crown/Bone Armor/Thunder Gloves/Ninja Anklet
Accessories/Books: Ethereal Angel Wings, Silver Grunty
Skills: Thunder Coil, Gale of Swords
Spells: Merrows, GiRai Don, BiVak Rom, GiGan Zot, Rai Don, Ani Don, Duk Lei
GP: 750 (As of 8/2/15)
Wishlist: Nny Scales, Lucky Shoes, Saint Cross, Greave Sticker, Pet EX-Levels/Spheres(!)

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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Nighthand » Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:53 am

Sekai, alive once more, could prove to be a valuable asset as a high level damage dealer. Or she could prove to be a waste of resources, if her inner turmoil kept her from acting once again. Either way, Baron's speed buff would put him back in the fight for another round that much faster.

Next up: Canti and Shadow

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 50%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 75%
Canti and Shadow: HP 50%, Ap Do
Talal: HP 50%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 50%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 100%
Maoh: HP 90%
Baron and Higure: HP 100%, Ap Do

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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Lord Canti » Mon Jan 12, 2015 8:17 pm

(After the Willowman's latest horror show, others had gone on the attack and the dead were resurrected, an interesting thing happened: Talal destroyed the...helmet crystal? Well, that would make hurting him a whole lot easier, anyway. In any case, Canti first directed Shadow to cast Dek Do on the tree-man...)

Canti: And I will blast...the head!

(The Twin Blade put both hands together in a finger-gun position and charged his Darkness Flame up for a penetrating shot through the guy's head. Being more vulnerable now, perhaps it was a vital point...or maybe he could blight this tree.)
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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Nighthand » Mon Jan 12, 2015 10:42 pm

While Canti's attack worked just fine, perhaps a little more effectively than previous attempts, Shadow's debuff slipped off. Rarely was an enemy completely vulnerable, and it had been a stroke of luck to land it on the Willowman the first time. Perhaps it would land again with subsequent tries, or perhaps it would be a waste of resources to repeatedly attempt to apply it; such a judgment would be left up to the players.

Next up: Sheena

Seeing the Willowman's helmet fall off, Sheena was inspired. When her turn came about, she leaped into the air from a standing position, flipped, and came down in a diving kick square into the Willowman's wooden face. Again, the loud cracking sound filled the room, this time the crack running from one shoulder, up the neck and across the face of their wooden adversary. Yet more damage to the pile. Sheena was making every hit count, as long as she was still affected by the Vital Target buff.

Next up: Nighthand, still bound.

Next up: Demorian

After watching Sheena's blow, Demorian decided to be a little more understated. He simply walked up to the Willowman, carefully positioned his sword in the crack in the boss's neck, stabbed it in and twisted it with all his might. He couldn't match Sheena for sheer brute force -- no one in the game could -- but he could certainly use his power and leverage to his advantage.

Upon the final twist, the Willowman went down, his shield blossoming over his form and the bubble filling with regenerative green mist once more. The crystals, significantly diminished in number, appeared again and stuttered to a halt from their spin. There were four remaining, two large and two small. Which would be broken next?

Next up: Sekai

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 50%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 75%
Canti and Shadow: HP 50%, Ap Do
Talal: HP 50%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 50%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 100%
Maoh: HP 90%
Baron and Higure: HP 100%, Ap Do

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Sekai
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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Sekai » Fri Jan 23, 2015 3:17 pm

Death was not kind when one could feel every last instance of it. The return to being nothing more than a still-bound spirit left her little to do other than observe, kick herself for not being better prepared, and listen to the women in her head fight among themselves all the more.

Openings came, her revival coming with a burst of heat through her veins to chase away the numbing cold of death. Shivering, she observed further, waited calmly, patiently like the element she preferred. It would come in time, and she'd know what to do when the time came.

I'm going to use it. She told the bickering trio with a tone that suggested she wasn't going to be talked out of it, as useless as it may or may not have been. The party's HP wasn't too far off, and Takua, or another, would likely back her decision or jump in for the healing and support aspects if need be.

Wouldn't you rather summon one of us, my dear? Perhaps we could be of assistance, we haven't tried anything we've worked out, after all. Another hand might be useful... A suggestion, hopeful in nature, as she wanted a chance to attack and show her own skills in battle... as well as meet the acquaintence of some of the interesting and lovely people who fought alongside her mistress.

Scowls from the other two. As if it'd be your desert loving ass. She's closest to me, I'd be the useful one doin' more than just smacking things with a sword and batting my eyelashes at people.

Her teeth worried her bottom lip. You... might hurt more than you help, Kira. Not that you're not strong enough or anything, but um... it's kind of a test and you, uhh...

You can't be trusted to keep your cocksucker shut, that's what she's sayin'. Her newcomer taunted with a wicked bark of laughter.

That didn't sit well with the woman herself. Her eyes narrowed at nothing in particular to the observant as she imagined exerting pressure upon the woman who'd spoken. Kira might have trouble keeping her opinions to herself, she agreed with that much, wording it in a much more polite manner.

Oi! Kira protested, cut off by pressure turning on her as well.

Sekai ignored her for the moment. but I know she will do what I need her to do when the time comes-- unlike your dubious intentions. You're more inclined to turn on us all and help them instead; so it wouldn't be you.

A recoil and surprise tempered with suspicion and a touch of something that might have been fear.

I'll do this one myself, and we'll see after. The three were oddly quiet after that, letting the words, and what hadn't been said beneath them, sink in as they needed to.

A scroll manifested in one hand, her thumb popping the seal as the runes sparked to life. Lightning radiated, pulsing and eagerly leaping off the page in anticipation as she read them off one by one.

The final sigil was read, her eyes lifting to target the Crystals themselves; big and small alike, this spell would have the nasty little area effect they might just need to free one or both of their members from complete captivity.

Or, at the very least, do a good deal of damage that couldn't be regenerated after one hopefully broke.

"Thundercall; Lanceor Ch!" Second level summon spell exploded off the scroll, turning it to ashes within her hands that sprinkled like snow to dot her boots with grey-white. The vine tightened around her ankle, and she quietly stood, not resisting the leash that warned her of the potential consequences if she rebelled against it.
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Name: Sekai
Level: 54
EXP: 0000/1000
Class: Archer
Clan: Army of Darkness
HP: 835
SP: 347

Currently Equipped:

Einherjar: Kira, December, Zorya

Head: Bat Earrings (Ola Repth 40, Rip Maen 40)
Body: Saint Cross (Rue Zot 10, RaJuk Zot 30)
Arm: Protect Ring (Ap Vorma 15, MeJuk Kruz 20)
Leg: Ninja Anklet (BiVak Rom 20, GiGan Zot 30)
Add-Ons: Forestlore, Wood Magic (permanently raised Wood Offense/Defense by +3 total)

Wishlist: Levels, Summon: Wood, Archer Weapons, Light Armor

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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Nighthand » Fri Jan 23, 2015 3:28 pm

Sekai's summon came on a slight delay, but it was large and potent nonetheless. Electricity arced between the crystals, but seemed to be more drawn to one more than the others. That one -- one of the two remaining large crystals -- seemed to take in the electricity like some kind of grounding rod, vibrating in place as it did so. As the summon came to an end and the sparks petered out, the crystal cracked and crumbled.

The usual result was apparent; the Willowman's shield and regeneration effect shattered as well, and as he rose to a standing position, his boots cracked and fell apart like dry bark. What effect that had, of course, remained to be seen.

Next up: Canti and Shadow

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 50%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 75%
Canti and Shadow: HP 50%, Ap Do
Talal: HP 50%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 50%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 100%
Maoh: HP 90%
Baron and Higure: HP 100%, Ap Do

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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Lord Canti » Tue Jan 27, 2015 6:42 pm

(It's nice that they were breaking crystals and all, but he wanted more of the team out in play to stick it to this guy. Still, his own turn came up and he got in a huddle with Shadow before taking action. So, Canti's own action was - What the hey! - Ol Repth for everyone. There'd been a bit of low HP goin' around here, such as his. No sense leaving that be forever. Shadow, on the other hand, had been told to trip up the now-standing Willowman before he could take root or something. So, he went and put all his weight into a ram against the guy's legs.)
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Nighthand
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Re: The Journey’s Next Step: Yamiyo In Chaos

Post by Nighthand » Tue Jan 27, 2015 6:46 pm

Healing, always good for the longevity of the party. Damage, always good for taking down a boss. Canti; doing everything necessary for success.

Next up: Takua and Vesica

PARTY STATUS

Nighthand: HP 100%, Vinebound
Nall: HP 100%: Vinebound
Sheena: HP 80%, Ap Do, Vital Target
Demorian: HP 100%
Canti and Shadow: HP 100%, Ap Do
Talal: HP 100%, Ap Do
Takua and Vesica: HP 100%, Ap Do
Sekai: HP 100%
Maoh: HP 100%
Baron and Higure: HP 100%, Ap Do

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