.hack//DIVERGENCE Main

[Talal]

Talal felt Takua's...presence, but didn't let it distract her. In fact, sha may have even tried to guide her sight more specifically in hopes he would put the proverbial two and two together. But the intrusion only lasted a few second's and he was gone. Sighing, the twin blade watched, waited, but most importantly continued to listen as the offensive strikes were cast upon the willowman. Finally the vines around her lessened their grip signaling it was her turn. Talal quickly sent a flashmail to Takua and Canti as well. They both had, in their own way, caught onto what she had used her previous turns for.

Watch the area just above and behind the Willowman. I think I may have located the control crystals. They are cloaked somehow but if my hunch is right, destroy the crystals and Nighthand and the others will be free to fight.

Waisting no time Talal hit send and immediately cast a low level Rai Rom at the area where her flashmail noted. Trying though to aim it just right so that part of the spell would hopefully hit the top of the Willowman too. A ploy to make it look like she just had really bad aim and not as big of a threat as the other higher leveled members of their group. As the whirlwind of electric flashing currents sparked into the air, Talal held her breath and listened.

[Nighthand]

Talal's spell flashed over the crystal she targeted, and the Willowman as well. Unfortunately, hitting both made it impossible for her to tell the true effect. The crystal rang clearer to her ears for a moment, but no different than it had when other abilities hit the Willowman.

Next up: Demorian

Demorian had indeed felt Takua's visual presence, and had quickly closed down some of his more personal data feeds prior to allowing access. There was little the Wavemaster could do with the data regardless, but Demorian was an information specialist. Frankly, he could have shut down his visual feeds entirely, but why bother? The rest of the party knew he had access to plenty of information the others didn't. Besides; allowing Takua in gave him a moment to further analyze the man's visual hack, as well. It wasn't as if he had anything else to do.

Next up: Canti and Shadow

[Lord Canti]

(So, some spells were cast, but Canti was a bit busy looking over his item list to notice them too much. One thing that DID catch his eye was that Talal hit something that had an effect on the Willowman of SOME sort, but frankly he didn't know what it was and she did not explain just yet. He and Shadow had noticed this...because right before then...a feeling had gone through them, like there was someone else right there with them, a feeling which was all-too-brief that he didn't account for at the present moment. He didn't say anything about it, though, and instead turned to his companion.)

Canti: Shadow, I don't know which of these to use. One will make our attacks better, but the other will make him worse. Which is better right now?

Shadow: We don't know what will work on him. Do that one.

Canti: Okie-dokie.

(So saying, Canti whipped out a Vital Target to use on them - because rules made the two of them one entity right now - and suddenly...the Twin Blade and the Bogie hound were super-charged! not wasting any time, Shadow lunged for the Willowman again, who should be on the receiving end of critical attacks now.)

[Nighthand]

Canti's use of the buff did indeed take effect over the pair, and Shadow's subsequent attacks were notably stronger. His claws tore through wood with greater ease, an the power of the buff promised at least a few turns of such benefit. The pair were firmly cementing themselves as Enemy Number One in the Willowman's eyes, that was for sure.

Next up: Sheena

Sheena had lapsed into a sullen sort of apathy, merely waiting for her freedom to lay the pain down on this boos. Already she was planning what destructive assault she could produce, devising the most devastating attack in her arsenal. Once she was free, she had no intention of allowing the battle to continue. Enough already! She wanted to shout, but even that freedom was denied.

Next up: Nighthand

Nighthand was having similar thoughts as Sheena, though he fully intended to drag things out. He wanted... no, demanded the recognition of the woman on the throne. He would not leave without his ability restored.

Next up: Willowman

His freedom to act finally upon him, the Willowman's wooden face twisted in glee. Only one of the arrayed players had chosen a defensive option, but it was one particular target that interested him the most. Canti and Shadow were to be the epicenter once more of an assault, but this time, much more must be done. Pressing his wrists together, the Willowman raised both hands to the roof. A burst of green energy twisted and flashed in an arc, coalescing into a writhing mass of thorny vines directly above Canti and Shadow. Bringing his arms down, the Willowman sent the spiked Juk blast downwards, smashing it into the pair.

The attack struck and, for an instant, was concentrated on the dark Twin Blade and his canine companion. Then the green thorns burst outward, peppering the rest of the party with damage. The effects were varied and numerous, most critically concentrated on Canti, but taking root on each of the free players. The bound players were protected from the attack; it seemed their binding worked both ways.

His assault complete, the Willowman returned to his passive stance, his turn finished.

Canti and Shadow: 5% HP remaining, curse applied
Sekai: 65% HP remaining, no status effects applied
Takua and Vesica: 50% HP remaining, poison applied
Maoh: 25% HP remaining, no status effects applied
Talal: 40% HP remaining, charm applied

Next up: Sekai

[Sekai]

The best offense was a fantastic defense- and Sekai felt a subtle sense of satisfaction within her as their opponent's expression changed- and not for the betterment of the party. Why the others hadn't figure it out quite yet, she wasn't entirely certain, but, some lessons were to learned the hard way, she supposed.

Maybe it was all the journeying through the dungeons she'd gone through.

Maybe it was because every time she hadn't defended herself, she'd been severely injured, if not outright killed and ghosted.

Or, maybe, she was just tired of getting hurt and constantly going on the attack in a fight.

I really wish this wasn't restricted to a single move. She understood the logistics of it, knew that it was tradition that inspired such a thing.

But, damn it anyways.

The white haired Archer ignored the sounds of the women still quibbling in the background of her mind. Kira and Zorya, as she'd managed to get the name of the newest of the three, were the two loudest offenders while the mild mannered December was starting to lose her patience with them both.

Boys were easier to deal with.

...

She never thought the day would come where that would have come out of her very own thoughts.

"Ola Repth!" She called out. Blue light settled over the party, abolished injuries, and restored a good chunk of HP to those who'd lost it. She could do nothing about the status effects right now.

But her spell could help keep them topped off while the rest helped her out.

Flashmail!
To: Freedom Fighters
From: Sekai

Let me handle the healing, if possible. Talal-san has Charm, we need that taken care of, Canti-san and Shadow-san have Curse, and Takua-san and Vesica-san have Poison. We need those rid of before too long, particularly Talal-san's Charm.

Hang in there. I'm trying to find a pattern.

[Nighthand]

OOC: I know this one took a while; Sekai had some personal issues so I gave her extra time.

Sekai's Ola Repth had the advantage of covering the whole party, but it wasn't a Pha-level spell, so it didn't completely heal everyone. Another cast or two would do it, but would she get that in before the Willowman had another chance to attack? Would someone else toss a heal on top, or would they ride it out and hope the boss didn't use that skill a second time? He had taken quite a bit of damage, particularly from Canti and Shadow, so perhaps the large attack was a sign of impending change.

Canti and Shadow: 55% HP remaining, cursed
Sekai: 95% HP remaining
Takua and Vesica: 90% HP remaining, poisoned
Maoh: 95% HP remaining
Talal: 90% HP remaining, charmed

Next up: Takua and Vesica

[Takua]

There was something to be said for instant communication over Flashmail. Takua was at first shocked by the sheer power that the Willowman managed to put out, as well as the sudden sick feeling of being poisoned. That hadn't been something that he had anticipated, but both Vesica and himself were hit by the status. Thankfully, Sekai was there to heal them all up, but that left Takua wondering if he should spend his action healing or doing something else.

But his quick switching through the people in the room had given him a flash of Talal focused on the air behind the Willowman. More than that, she was focused in the way that meant something was there...and coupled with her flashmail, there were only so many things she could be talking about. When the control on his body let up, Takua flipped his sight over to Talal for the few seconds it took to target. It was the same spell that coursed through his body, feeling the immense and stable power of earth coursing through his body as the glyph splayed across the floor under him. But this time his target wasn't the enemy itself, but the air behind the monster. A summon would have a vast area and might hit the monster itself, but this was a fight about brains, not brawn. Hitting the Willowman, after all, didn't seem to produce damage. It might be invulnerable right now.

What if those things that Talal could detect were the lock to its health, or otherwise weakened it?

Only one way to find out.

Vesica, of course, also had her turn. It was just another ice bolt, meant to distract the boss from the true test of this battle Xenobia had put before them.

...but he was also interested in Demorian. The resistance, for one, that had prevented him from access for just a few seconds, and the data feeds. Not that Takua had had time to see them, but they were interesting to see all the same. As for Nighthand...what a thing it was, that Sight? It would be useful to see the elements like that, as a Wavemaster with command over all six. Then again, he reflected, it would be nice to be able to see out of his own eyes at all.

[Nighthand]

Takua's massive summon, if positioned right, could probably hit most of their team. It had no trouble overlapping the area Talal identified and the Willowman himself. In the ensuing chaos of dust, rocks and flying debris, it was hard to tell exactly what happened. Four small spheres flickered, resembling the shield of Null Element. Takua, looking through Talal's eyes, saw clearly one of those shields appeared in the space she had been staring so fixedly at.

Then the dust settled, and more was revealed.

The Willowman sank to his knee, the accumulated damage overcoming him. Behind him, hovering in the air, were eight crystals. Talal realized that the ones she heard so clearly were the larger four, while the smaller four had been more difficult to pinpoint. The larger four were arrayed in a diamond pattern above the Willowman's head and a foot or so behind. The smaller four were arrayed in an arch, lower, behind his back.

A shimmering dome formed over the Willowman, and inside it, a pale green gas puffed up and suffused his entire being. Chips of stone, scars of wood and torn bits of his willow frond hair were slowly regrowing before their eyes. This was, in every sense of RPG logic, a vulnerable phase. What, though, would they do? The four larger crystals had displayed, presumably, an elemental resistance to Earth. The four smaller had no such shield, but then, they weren't broken either. The four larger crystals had appeared when the Willowman's armor was formed, while the four smaller were sealing their powerhouse companions.

Next up: Canti and Shadow

[Lord Canti]

(Hah-hah! Success! He was getting more hurt than usual. Excellent! And uhhh...wait, why was he grinning? Oh...it's his turn. He raised his hands and Canti looked up as the vines burst downward at him.)

Canti: I'm suddenly reminded of Evil De- AAAAAAUUGGGHHH!!!

(Torturous vines were focused on him and Shadow, then blasted over across the whole team. Canti was sort of...unaware of what happened after that for a short while, about until he was healed and received an FM. He pulled into a sitting position with Shadow next to him and began to read. Well, this wasn't good. Yeah, he WAS Cursed. Curse was a minor SP bleed, but Charm... They couldn't afford to have someone like Talal Charmed. So, while Takua was sending off his Big McLargeHuge attack, Canti sent his own message.)

TO: The Party
FROM: Canti
SUBJECT: Tactical Thingies.

Alright, Sekai can have healing. I'm the official lightning rod of hate, so please keep me alive here. I'll cure Talal this turn. I'd like to see about taking care of these little crystals as well. Don't worry about my Curse until everyone else is handled. That's a minor issue in the face of others. Takua, keep making things 'Splodey. Because I get more turns and I'm bleeding SP, it makes more sense for me to divvy out items for now. When I get the chance, I'm gonna see about Crit-launching a Tower card at him. Talal, when you wake up, make I'm not doing something stupid.

(With that, it was his turn and he got up. Canti stretched, cracked his knuckles, and faced the Willowman again. Takua's attack had left quite an impression on things. Apart from adding to the accumulated damage the tree-man had gotten, his defenses were now visible. Four crystals were aiding him with an elemental barrier - probably - and four other smaller crystals looked to be the ones that contained their stronger friends. He had seen them twinkling while he had been reading and made the leap. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell which was which for the crystals behind him. The question was...did they get the Vital Target effect too or was it - for the Willowman - like the difference between hitting him and Sekai? Hard to say, and ultimately unimportant. Flicking a Restorative at Talal to remove the Charm status from her person, Canti set his plan in motion.

Canti: Shadow? Fetch.

(The Bogie hound stood up and launched himself at the Willowm- Hah, gotcha! He was going for the leftmost smaller crystal in that arch. He knew precisely what he was going to do. He was going to grab it with his teeth and attempt to bring it to his master. And if it couldn't be shifted - if it refused to budge from its place - he would bite down HARD with those menacing teeth!)

[Nighthand]

Canti's restorative, of course, had the desired effect without issue. Talal's charm dissipated and for her part she felt nothing more than some lightheadedness while the status effect had been in place. The more interesting part of the turn was Shadow.

The massive hound launched for the Willowman and discovered that the shield surrounding him was solid enough that, to access the crystal, he had to take a curving path. He did so, leaped, and caught hold of the thumb-sized crystal in his powerful jaws. It resisted, as half-expected. It seemed tied to the position of the Willowman himself; as the wooden figure shifted minutely in his healing bubble, so too did the crystal move in space.

Unable to shift the crystal and bring it back, Shadow did as directed and chomped on the rock. There was a moment of resistance, the struggle between stone and tooth, then stone gave way. It tasted foul, but the shattered bits dissolved into particulate, leaving nothing for Shadow to bring to his master but himself.

The Willowman recoiled as if struck. The green energy flared inside his bubble and hastened its restoration for a moment before the bubble burst. In a flash of green light and a haze of green smoke, the Willowman stood and took up his position once more. The crystals disappeared. They were still there -- Talal could hear them -- but they returned once more to invisibility.

The shattered crystal had one more effect, though it was not immediately obvious. Sheena, held immobile by Xenobia's control vine, watched passively as the restraints holding her back from the fight fell apart. One of the four Powerhouse Players was free at last.

As the turn ended and Canti felt the vine once more constrict his ability to move, he also noticed something else. The hastening of his heartbeat, the speed of his metabolism, slowed back to normal. Ap Do, his ever-useful speed buff, had worn off.

Next up: Maoh

[Bane]

He was thankful. Oh how he was thankful. The Willowman's shift in demeanor into one of a true enemy had left the party without any casualties, but it still hurt like a bitch. Sekai had tended to healing on her turn, so all in all he was feeling pretty good. Pretty good aside from the fact that everyone was already starting to fall into a seemingly rehersed pattern and he found himself out of the loop. He had no items to cure the ailments still afflicting the rest of the party. The Resurrects were bound to come in handy when someone fell, but with how they were finding themselves in turn order, the problem may be solved before he could get a word in.

Flashmails popped up and he was taken aback as to how seemless their actions and sending of mail to one another seemed to mesh together. They have had practise. What he had noticed however was that this thing still takes damage, and if the others have a system, he can supplement it with more damage. Readying his blades, Maoh ran to the Willowman's side and delivered a string of four hits to its barky hide. At least that was the plan, Saber Dance was safer than Thunder Dance if only due to the lack of an element. If it was going to be immune to an element, that was up to someone else to test.

[Nighthand]

Maoh had the dubious honor of being the first to attack the Willowman after a crystal broke, and it appeared, in MMO terms, to reset aggro. The Willowman leveled a death glare on Maoh as he attacked, though he could not retaliate. As Maoh returned to his position, the mysterious machine on his arm chimed ominously. A tense moment, then, and passed; nothing happened.

Next up: Nall

Nall was gratified that Sheena was the first one freed. Nighthand and Demorian could level some serious damage on a boss, but Sheena was on a whole other tier. With her loose, this fight was as good as won; it was just a matter of time. He winced as the vines wrapping his limbs squirmed.

Next up: Talal

[Talal]

She felt...off but it was subsiding. Obviously something had happened during the Willowman's attack. Talal watched what was the end of Canti and Shadow's turn. A inward smile when Shadow crunched down on a crystal. No sooner was their turn over did the formations of crystals disappear again but their familiar hum was still very much present...at least to her. Watching as the newcomer to the group took his turn doing what he could given his level and most likely limited supply of items, many things ran through her mind. Part of her stayed alert so if Takua's presence was felt again she would do her best to show him what she knew. The rest of her was debating on a direction. Follow her gutt or play it safe?

Moments later the vines released their hold of her signaling it was her turn again. No time to debate, her gutt had never let her down. Playing with sound was tricky but she'd never learn how to control her ability if she didn't start trying things. Right? Closing her eyes Talal began to wave her hands around in front of her. Unlike the others she could feel the sound waves tingling on her skin. Each wave of a hand either pulled or pushed the waves between the Twin Blade and the area behind the Willowman. The ultimate goal to create a funnel of sound with the smallest tip end directed at one of the larger crystals hoping the concentration of sound would vibrate and eventually shatter the crystal. If it worked she may only get the one chance before Xenobia would take action and neutralize her so she might as well go big. Everyone else would probably wonder if she'd lost her mind but she had faith a couple of them would figure it out.

[Nighthand]

Talal was the reigning champion of long-term plans in this battle, and her new gambit was no less extended. The problem, as she discovered as soon as the vines tightened their hold on her, was this; would her ability continue to work if she wasn't actively manipulating the sound?

Surprisingly enough, it seemed not to be a problem at all. The fine tightened around her leg, and she felt the loss of control, but her body continued the subtle motions necessary to create her funnel. It was akin to characters in turn-based games with mutli-turn chanting build-ups before a major attack. She couldn't stop, couldn't change her mind, not until her next turn; but for now, her attempt could continue unimpeded.

Next up: Demorian

Demorian was pleased to see Sheena released, and in no small measure because he wanted to see what she would do. Given the turn-based constraints, she couldn't go completely wild; she would have to think about what powerful attacks were at her disposal. Or not. Knowing Sheena, it was entirely possible she would just run up and punch the wooden man in his wooden face.

Next up: Sekai

[Sekai]

Sheena was free.

Sekai gave a side eye to the female Fist Fighter, remembering all too well the level of damage the scarily optimistic woman could too easily dish out. Canti's flashmail was read, an "understood" sent out in response as she swept through the individual HP indicators to check everyone's status.

Huh, you're not the lightning rod of hate for once. Good going, little one, you're moving up in the world. Kira piped in, continuing her legacy of being the most unhelpful and unflattering commentary running partner in the world.

Amusement not her own, and blended in with Kira's. Shouldn't it be 'The World', little miss?

Sekai's left eye twitched. "Ola Repth!" A little more forceful than necessary, sure, but the spell would hopefully restore things back to a more well balanced state and keep them alive when the next attack came down.

I fuckin' hate you all. Harsh voice, deeper than that of Kira's and Decembers, snapped the statement with all the feeling she could muster.

Sekai couldn't help but sympathize.

Surprise, followed shortly by suspicion that quickly turned into hostility. You're included in the hate parade, bitch. The newly awakened snarled.

The white haired girl sighed and shook her head, attention turned back to the Willowman in preparation for what was to come.