.hack//DIVERGENCE Main

[Lord Canti]

(Hey, you know? It only looks like Talal is just standing there. In reality, she's harmonizing with the crystals on another level of existence to shatter their existence. It was fine, chilling for a moment. Speaking of chilling, though, that was freakin' awesome, the way that Demorian handled Shrubworth over there. This was followed by- Praised be to he, the great god of hellfire! Vulcan came, saw, and conquered. And then, he left, leaving it down to Canti once more.)

Canti: Of course, my rabbit-like speed is gonna be meaningless soon with everyone else we've put up to snuff here.

Shadow: The shrub is looking wilted. Can we finish it?

Canti: I think we can.

(The winged Twn Blade started off by charging a big shot of Darkness Flames, a compact exploding one as opposed to his piercing ones. That would encompass Shrubby in the explosion, perhaps eat him away for good. Canti fired and BOOM!! Shortly after the mess that made cleared up, Shadow lunged himself at the Willowman in Maul Mode, returning to the line once he was done.)

[Nighthand]

By this point in the fight, Canti and Shadow were a well-oiled machine. They acted the instant their vines loosened and there was no hesitation. They had enough practice reacting, at least. Canti, for his part, buffed as he was, managed to get his shot squarely in the injured elemental, tearing it apart. This time, it didn't pull back together; at least, not right away. It was down, dead, and if it could come back from that, it would take a not-insignificant number of turns. Shadow, of course, had no trouble rending into the Willowman himself.

Next up: Takua and Vesica

[Takua]

It was only then that Takua realized that he was going about this wrong. Instead of focusing on dealing damage, which was the standard method of breaking through the cap at which it would heal, there was one person there that could ignore it. Why deal damage when someone else could, at the same time that they were working through the regular way, sidestep the whole process? It was that reasoning that led to him casting Ap Do on Talal as soon as the vine loosened.

Which left Vesica. She would have cured a status effect, but there was, as of yet, no one who needed it. The shrubbery was dead, so that left her with the rather standard attack. To conserve her SP, though, she raced forward, clawing at the Willowman instead.

[Nighthand]

Giving Talal another chance to break a crystal, enhancing the more powerful members of the team to streamline the damage process, the party was blooming as the battle went on. They could only hope that the Willowman didn't have another ace up his sleeve, something to counter their overwhelming advantage in numbers, turns and power.

Next up: Maoh

[Bane]

Maoh felt the vine loosen around his ankle, letting him move again. With the shrub canine now out of commission, it left only one target for Maoh to sink his claws into. He dashed forward, claws ablaze with Vak energy; making a dash for the Willow Man. His claws swiped at the enemy, delivering a flurry of blows before returning back to his spot. There wasn't anything else he could do without anything more than the Resurrects that Takua gave him before, but at least the extra damage from his Vakz Rage skill would get them closer to triggering those crystals appearing.

[Nighthand]

Maoh's fire drew the attention of the Willowman, though frozen in place as he was, he could do little more than glare. At least, that would seem to be the case, until the next turn came up, and it proved to be the Willowman's. Free, injured, with only one arm, the Willowman was understandably pissed at the party. For a moment, it looked like he would attack the cat that so recently assaulted him, but that moment passed. No, the Willowman needed something larger, more widespread, more debilitating.

The Willowman knelt and pressed his hand to the ground. On either side of him, vines rose up and twisted together, forming archways. Once firm, they began to split and leak water, that fell in curtains, then solidified, like ripples stilling across the surface of a pond, held vertical. They formed mirrors, reflecting his image back at him, back at each other, the "infinite hallway" of mirrors effect. Except there was something more, because those mirrored duplicates flickered into a faint semblance of life to either side, forming battle lines as long as those of the Freedom Fighters. One mirror clone for each non-restrained party member.

Talal, acting out of turn, reacted; her sound-based counterattack blown in the wake of the oncoming attack. A burst of sound, almost tangible, stripped some of the clarity and force from the clones.

The clones moved in perfect sync with the Willowman, who dashed forward and spun, delivering a flurry of kicks to... well, it didn't matter to who. The clones followed, move for move, and every member of the party was hit. Some were killed. Some were hurt. Those left alive were laced with negative status effects.

The Willowman, and his seven hazy clones, returned to position across the battle lines. The mirrors that had formed them sank into the ground, gone from whence they had come, but the clones remained.

PARTY STATUS:

Maoh: Dead
Sekai: 35% HP Remaining, Cursed
Canti and Shadow: 15% HP Remaining, Poisoned
Sheena: 65% HP Remaining, Paralyzed
Demorian: 45% HP Remaining, Asleep
Baron: 5% HP Remaining, Cursed, Paralyzed
Talal: Dead
Takua and Vesica: 25% HP Remaining, Cursed, Confused

Next up: Sekai

[Sekai]

(Recap of events)

Sekai cringed, grit her teeth, and released an Ola Repth to fill the party's HP- those who still remained, anyway, and looked to Canti for further assistance.

Flashmail!
To :Canti
from: Sekai

We need medical aid this round- get Takua if possible... and if Shadow can help, please have him recive or cure someoje else!

(Vines tighten, etc. Post done)

[Nighthand]

Sekai's healing did much to help the team, though it left the multiple status effects in place and did nothing to resurrect their deceased members. Those duties would have to pass to the next in line.

PARTY STATUS:

Maoh: Dead
Sekai: 75% HP Remaining, Cursed
Canti and Shadow: 75% HP Remaining, Poisoned
Sheena: 95% HP Remaining, Paralyzed
Demorian: 85% HP Remaining, Asleep
Baron: 75% HP Remaining, Cursed, Paralyzed
Talal: Dead
Takua and Vesica: 90% HP Remaining, Cursed, Confused

Next up: Canti and Shadow

[Lord Canti]

(Well, they seemed to be doing well, but then it came up on the Willowman's turn and...mirrors! The tree-man had just formed mirrors out of nature, and that wasn't even as strange as what followed. He had, in fact, temporarily cloned them...which was surprising...and then kicking their collective asses with their own effective asses doing the kicking! When it was all gone, Canti and Shadow were hurt, but a quick look around revealed that several of their crew were not just injured, but also bad-status'd...and some of them were dead. The winged Twin Blade had a harsh glare towards Talal and then back at the Willowman for that. Afterwhich, he received some healing...and then a flashmail. It was from Sekai, asking him and Shadow to work on restoration. This wasn't as good as it sounded. We now deliver you an appropriate tune for composing a reply.)

TO: Sekai
FROM: Canti
SUBJECT: Healing

My good Sekai, it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that I had not equipped Shadow with healing items prior to this turn-based debacle. Because I had not, and due to our movements being so limited, it would use up precious time to go forth wiith such an action now. I realize that this has created a setback for the time-being, but I shall do the best that I can with what is available.

Sincerely,
Lord Cantido, Esquire

(That havng been taken care of, he then hit Takua with a Restorative to remove his mental turmoil, all of it. Following this, he now sent HIM a message to read upon his waking...completely with the same theme again as he used for Sekai.)

TO: Takua
FROM: Canti
SUBJECT: Healing, Once More

Noble Takua, I regret that it is our duty to bite the bullet and return our colleagues to a capable state in which to fight. I know that you - unlike me - have spread some items to your pet, so I am awakening you to begin is, forthwith. Please accept this speed enhancement as an aid to your endeavours.

Sincerely,
Lord Cantido, Esquire

(And Shadow cast Ap Do upon the Wavemaster and his pet to get the ball rolling.)

[Nighthand]

Canti's restorative on Takua easily cures both his curse and confusion clearing his vision in time to receive the flashmail. The speed boost that followed would allow Takua the option to become an artillery for the party, or a potent healing battery.

Next up: Sheena

Sheena had come out relatively undamaged, all things considered. She had felt far worse in her time among the Freedom Fighters, both before and after their current party formed. Unfortunately, as much as she could rebel against Xenobia's control vines, she was caught by paralysis just as much as any other member of the party might be.

Next up: Demorian

Demorian, asleep, was unable even to watch what was happening or access his control panels. He was simply blacked out, and his turn passed uneventfully.

Next up: Baron

PARTY STATUS:

Maoh: Dead
Sekai: 75% HP Remaining, Cursed
Canti and Shadow: 75% HP Remaining, Poisoned
Sheena: 95% HP Remaining, Paralyzed
Demorian: 85% HP Remaining, Asleep
Baron: 75% HP Remaining, Cursed, Paralyzed
Talal: Dead
Takua and Vesica: 90% HP Remaining

[Locke]

The Willowman was not happy with their growing success, and as a result the creature decided to turn things around. A series of mirrors rose up, producing several copies of the monster. Baron had to wonder at their purpose; were they offensive summons, able to attack and strike like clones? Or were they meant to be a way for the Willowman to hide himself among them, making it harder to hit the real thing? The answer would be revealed shortly, but not before Talal revealed what she had been preparing this whole time; despite it not being her turn, the female Twin Blade released a blast of sound that caused the images to waver, but not shatter; they were dispersed, but not gone.

And then the counterattack came, as the many copies of the Willowman came up and began to pummel the party. Several blows from the creature's trunk-like feet struck at Baron's body, striking at his chest, his stomach, his arms; battered and bruised, the Twin Blade could only take it instead of evading as normal, and his HP plummeted. Status effects began to stack up as well; Curse began to drain his dwindling SP, and Paralysis locked up his body completely. Even if his turn came up again, Baron wouldn't be able to act as long as the paralysis remained in place. All he could do was stare at the meager amount of HP he had remaining to him, praying that he was healed or at least had his Paralysis removed before his turn so that he could heal himself.

Sekai's Ola Repth was a wave of relief, healing most of Baron's injuries and at least getting him to a tolerable level of health. His Paralysis remained, though, and after Sheena and Demorian's turns were skipped due to their halting ailments, so too did Baron's turn pass with nothing happening due to his inability to move. The only thing that did actually happen was the end of Higure's Overdrive; they were immediately split apart, and Baron's speed, strength, and dark resistance all fell to single boosts from Canti's Unity buff. Unfortunately, the wolf had been paralyzed as well, some trick to the system linking master and pet, so there was no action to be taken. All they could do was sit and wait.

[Nighthand]

Baron's paralysis kept him from moving, but it didn't keep the physical reactions of the pet separating from him from occurring. It did continue beyond their separation, however, leaving them at the mercy of the fates.

Next up: Canti and Shadow

PARTY STATUS:

Maoh: Dead
Sekai: 75% HP Remaining, Cursed
Canti and Shadow: 75% HP Remaining, Poisoned
Sheena: 95% HP Remaining, Paralyzed
Demorian: 85% HP Remaining, Asleep
Baron: 75% HP Remaining, Cursed, Paralyzed
Talal: Dead
Takua and Vesica: 90% HP Remaining

[Lord Canti]

(Canti frowned as he watched Demorian and Sheena's turns tick away. He had been hoping Takua WAS next and that he could get the others up later. Somewhat dejected, he realized that he had to focus now on those whose turns were coming up. No idea when that was, unfortunately, because there was no line-up thing in display that told him so. In any case, now that he was free agan, Canti turned to Talal, using both his and Shadow's actions to hit her with a Resurrect and Ap Do casting. It was the least he could do.)

[Nighthand]

Talal's unorthodox ability was proving quite the asset in this battle, even if it wasn't quite working the same way twice. Canti's actions were logical; resurrect her and get her back to a position where she can put her abilities to use.

Next up: Nall

One of Nall's favorite parts, throughout the years, when leading his ever-changing roster of Freedom Fighters, was watching how they dealt with adversity. He had, times in the past, stepped aside to let his party handle things, under some pretense or another. He liked to test them, and in some way he regretted it in his current circumstances. How many of those players would still be with him, had he protected them at a critical moment? He used his time powers to step in when he could, but he wasn't always successful.

Next up: Talal

EDIT: Now including full party status including buffs, instead of just negative status and lost HP. Not tracking SP, that's up to you.

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

[Talal]

When the Willowman attacked she knew what she had to do, especially when all of the mirrored style images appeared. It was time to put plan B into action and protect as many as she could. Talal waited until what she felt was just the right moment and released a wave that spread in front of the group between them and the Willowman's army of mirrors. Everything happened so quickly but it still worked...sort of. The female twin blade frowned as she ghosted realizing her one mistake. Maybe it would have made a difference...maybe not but if she would have been thinking she would have flipped her magical switch that she was given. The switch she asked for to enhance the defensive effectiveness of just such a shield wave as the one she tried to use. Next time, if there was a next time, she would use it. The pain and agony of getting hit and ghosting was now traveled through like a veteran which she was in a manner of speaking at this point. There was even a newer newbie in the group.

Idle thoughts passed as she watched Canti glare at her which she didn't understand but let it pass. The party had been devastated by this last attack. Some dead, most hit with debuffs and negative status effects. Things weren't looking well for the group all of a sudden. Maybe that was part of Xenobia's test? To see how much endurance the group had. Would they give up and just start blowing the place to bits or would they continue to follow the pattern that had been set in front of them and assist their fellow team mates get back in the game? Talal would be true to form if it weren't for the small fact that so far it would appear she was the only one that could take a turn...out of turn. Which meant she had to keep at it. Looking around the group and then at her inventory, there were several things she could do but Canti and Shadow had used their turn to revive her and speed her up so she shouldn't waste that generosity now that she could feel the vines loosening signaling it was her actual turn. Honestly, she was a little surprised that she got one having wondered if taking her unorthodox out of sequence turn earlier would negate any future ones as a punishment for breaking the simple turn based rule of this game of Xenobia's.

Deciding to take the selfish route for this turn since her SP was all but depleted from ghosting and she needed it to get back to work pulling in what she could for either her next attack or defensive shield, Talal looked briefly at Canti and Shadow offering a nod of thanks and popped a Mage Soul with a playful 'bottoms up' gester. The simple act done, she felt the vines once again tighten but the dark haired woman had only just begun her real turn. The one that lasted through everyone else's.