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Post by treemoonflower on Jun 3, 2018 10:03:22 GMT -5
"I know not if this is the same one but yes, we have encountered one of these before." upon getting yanked closer to Alluria Fkj sweetly begins to say,"Oh what a joyous day to be rescued by such a fair and noble maiden. Why the mere thought sets my heart a flutter." Fkj looks around.
"Oh hey Beenie, Wow even your here.Whoa nice wrench skills you should have come at me with that instead of a minigun. Way cooler. Oh and hey even Balst, man now this is a party who knows how to party,NICE!"
Then Fkj realises and looks at himself losing his color pallet and blushes."Oops I mean",in a much deeper and forced cool guy voice,"Benatar you should consider your actions before smashing the mirrors always be aware of consequences. You're too headstrong."
Finally FKJ addresses the Nightbane again this time much more somber."You seem to be the expert in this matter what should be the best course of action for finishing off this beast once and for all? I defer to your judgment oh my temporary battle brother and will be here to back up any request."
Wheel of fortune will again spin but also maneuver to be in range near or behind the Bete Noire and hold action.
Fkj will hold action to assist the nightbane in his plan. Mostly because in his dark hamon he just wants to be done with this creature once and for all and believes the nightbane knows how to do it.
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Jun 3, 2018 12:14:39 GMT -5
The moment the Nightbane hears that they encountered a Bete Noire before, the face with its camera eyes, no mouth and artificial ears distorts. "Did you dispel it?! Where did it go?!" Unfortunately, while thrashing with the creature, it can only explain so much, so fast.
Bennie actually elicits a small smile of pride, but she also continues to have a worried face. She then rolls her eyes when it changes. "Yeah, seven years bad luck, blah blah. I'll take that to stop this thing from mangling us".
The Nightbane growls, "I'm not an expert! I'm not even from this world! All I know is that these things have to have their essence either dispelled or safely captured when they're destroyed, or they just reconstitute!"
Wheel of Fortune's wheel lands on the High Priestess, with the red color. The Bete Noire begins to burn from the power of the High Priestess. This actually seems to vex the beast, causing it great pain and some real damage. There is a faint mist that is flowing from it, similar to the oni monster. The Wheel is able to intangibly move to the side of the Bete Noire near the toilet of the bathroom (which is set against the back), meaning that the Bete Noire is now flanked from both sides and to the back.
The Nightbane tells FKJ, "Whatever state you're in... try blowing it apart! Maybe if it's spread out so far by that power..." Benatar cuts it off, "No, that's not what Morris told me! You have to, like, swirl it together and then destroy it totally!"
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Post by treemoonflower on Jun 3, 2018 12:41:56 GMT -5
"Well I'll try anything at this point."
Fkj nods to wheel of fortune then they both jump the creature from both sides trying to pummel it with their combined flurry of blows attempting to punch it into a circle.
FKJ yells "whenever anyone is ready lets kill this thing here and now!"
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Jun 3, 2018 13:13:45 GMT -5
It's a crowded environment to fight in, as FKJ has to fight past part of Krans' handle and around Benatar. The confused melee is not new to FKJ, however (though admittedly fights are rarely this intensely crowded). His blows and the blows of the Wheel have the same effect that they did to the oni when he was in the Dark Hamon state: seemingly tearing away at the creature. The advantage this time, however, is that the High Priestess' ongoing glow acts as a Ripple, doing damage that allows the Dark Hamon's reduction of maximum HP to actually matter.
The Bete Noire is certainly not in the strongest position at the moment. While Krans is not gripping in the most effective way, it still has a scythe digging into its neck, combined with constant beating from all three sides. It attempts to put its flexible legs up in the bathroom to push the Nightbane back and then begin to slip away so it can reposition back to an advantageous point. However, that becomes moot, as something seems to come to its aid.
Reflected in the mirror is a new shape. FKJ can't be sure if it's a Bete Noire or not, but from the two he's seen thus far, if the interloper is a Bete Noire it is... astonishingly humanoid, far from a monstrous parody. The shape seems to have arms and legs, though it is hard to tell underneath a stack of rust red, muted green and deep dirt brown rags. At the end of two unusually long arms are two sets of six metal claws, the only bright object on what is otherwise a set of muted and dirty colors. The Bete Noire hisses in pain and fear, "Reese?!" Then it begins to turn into a black mist, pouring around Alluria's wall, toward this "Reese"'s now-outstretched claws. The mirror cracks as FKJ feels a sense of being somehow totally alone against an inescapable killer, a primordial terror that further erupts into the outright-surreal as the cracks in the mirror spiral and everyone looking in feels as if they are falling into a sea of breaking glass. All they can see through this sea of cracks is Reese turning around, the Bete Noire screaming as it is reformed.
The Nightbane through the collapsing reality that they are trapped in growls, "And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for an only son; and they shall grieve over him, as the manner is to grieve for the death of the firstborn". Her form shifts twice: first, the golem shape disappears, some clay falling away while others are seemingly absorbed back into her, and a shapely-if-scarred Russian woman is now revealed; then, that shape changes. The woman's shape is now taller and still more androgynous, but with a surprising beauty. This new shape is covered with scars: barbed wire is wrapped around her, nails through her palms, burn scars, a teddy bear attached to her, one eye torn out and a glass eye gruesomely shoved underneath the socket where it would fit correctly. Faint ghostly shapes seem to beat and attack her, excoriating her. She has two torn and tattered wings, one like a butterfly's (ephemeral and membranous), with glorious greens and reds and purples and golds; another a white angel's wing made of alabaster. This shape puts its hands forwards and bellows "By the name of Isus, I beg that these lambs are rescued from the slaughter and these souls are protected from this hell!"
The group is now returned to the regular mirror world, though it does seem to be fading slowly. Balst's eyes show the faintest signs of urgency. "We must leave. This mirror tangent is unstable without its creator".
Unfortunately, this is slowed down by another unfortunate event. Strange People's knightly form appears, unbidden, but now strands of sickly yellow veins overgrow it and the oni's head roars from out of its chest. It seems that, when Strange People turned into a mist, it became ground zero for the Bete Noire's regeneration.
The Nightbane, Balst and Alluria prepare to fight. Benatar looks up sadly. A pained voice echoes from within the knight, "Hide, Bennie. Hide and don't come for me". Benatar begins to cry faintly. "Wait... what did you say?" She then screams, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
It seems as if, whoever this Reese was, he managed to turn an agent of his into a death trap.
But he also seems to have miscalculated.
The knight forces its body toward FKJ, and the aura of the Dark Hamon begins to simply evaporate the regenerating oni. Balst then psionically tears the creature apart while Alluria sings a sunsong.
Benatar, seeming to have a new understanding, moves her hand in ascending and descending spirals. The mist begins to coalesce then fade entirely, as Strange People absorbs it.
She nods. "I understand. I understand... Dad".
The Nightbane looks at the shattered sinks and damaged environment as the encroaching walls of shadow approaches. She explains, "I cannot come with you past this point. But if another of these monsters fights you past the Mirrorwall, I may be able to help". She points to the toilet. "This is the last mirrored surface. You will have to go through it".
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Post by treemoonflower on Jun 3, 2018 14:15:44 GMT -5
"How deplorable to use the toilet for such a manor, But if I must then lets get this over with."
Fkj starts towards the toilet and calls back "It was a pleasure meeting you oh strange angel in the make of a golem."
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Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Jun 3, 2018 15:13:31 GMT -5
The Nightbane nods back in her stigmatic form. She moves her hand as if to clear dust away, and the toilet water becomes incredibly placid and clear, reflective to an unnatural degree. Each of the crew steps through. There is an odd sensation like their back has become their front and they are feeling sensations backwards, then they are back in Benatar's world. The bathroom is uncomfortably cramped. Balst chuckles to himself, not looking up at Benatar from below and says, "Ah, the benefits of being small".
With them, a rolled-up piece of paper has come through. Upon closer inspection, it is a scroll bound by red silk. As the scroll is rotated, what seems to be the top of the paper reads in both Cyrillic and English, "Armor of Ithan".
Benatar seems to be quiet. She walks to her bed and snuggles with Dale.
Balst returns to his cot, comically small compared to its size, while Alluria returns to her speakers.
The rest of the night passes quietly. In the morning, FKJ feels relatively well-rested. The battle took a lot out of him, but he feels energized and has a deeper understanding of Cycle.
Alluria sings while she once again shares a little bit of their food paste and supplies. Benatar's group doesn't have any eggs, but they do share some wild boar bacon alongside a venison stew and a few vegetables and micro-greens. Balst makes a note to keep an eye out for chickens. Balst takes a look at the party and Benatar's group alike. Aside from ongoing mental health issues and nutritional deficits, Benatar's group is doing as well as can be expected, and actually better than in the past thanks to finally having a nutritionally complete profile.
Benatar takes her food to her room to eat alone.
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