Bay 12 Games Forum

((No, she's STRATEGIZING.))
((Is Sachi with this group?  The analyst, that is.))

((Sachi's not with them, no. She stayed at home. She COULD try to contact Sachi, however, but it wouldn't help too much.

Also it's not helpful to strategise if half the damn group doesn't know what you're on about.))
[irr vs ??] The Primordial's Embrace seems to enshroud the monsters for a moment. The tiniest, shortest of moments.

Suddenly, it simply doesn't. A sharp, agonising pain wracks the nigh-infinite being that is It that Embraces, as some sort of eternal presence- as old and great as She- seems to bear down upon Her. She can feel Her infinite reach fading, Her influence being wrenched back into Herself, being crushed by the sheer powers that be. For the first time since the Trespassers, it seems a being- or a group of beings- is capable of matching Her in power.

She can feel their influence upon Her, too. The ideas of hatredcleansepurgeburn being constantly forced upon her, forcing away all feelings of hate and warmth alike, attempting to turn Her into one of Them or send Her into despair otherwise. If it were any save Her will, any mortal would be crushed by the will of so Many.

[25 v 16] Alanis' kinetic barrier manages to throw one of the Vertex, sitting at the top, away from the gash. It simply floats back, but a small crack is visible within its structure, as if the force of the burst managed to shatter something within it.

[6 v 12] Ian launches himself at the Pisces Vertex, ignorant of the struggle of wills between the Primordial of the Warm Embrace and the Gods of the Purging Wrath. The Vertex, however, blasts a laser at his foot, blasting him aside. It misses, but the explosion knocks him off balance.

Anna and Eirika follow Yuri, who immediately attacks the bottom Vertex. With a mighty yell, Yuri blasts the creature with a burst of energy from her staff. Again, with her, the Vertex simply returns after being knocked away, but it also has a crack within its structure.

Sandra cowers. The Pisces, seeing a fresh target, blasts a laser at her, but....
[19 v 12] Hikari manages to tackle Sandra away from the laser, shifted into her Hero Form, pushing her to the ground as the laser passes harmlessly over their heads.

---

[10 vs 11] ENG manages to land perfectly in front of the thief, but they manage to see him before he lands. Jumping in shock, they immediately turn to run down a nearby alleyway.

[9 vs 12] Tourmaline is attempting to keep up, but not being used to her fused form quite yet, her awkward form and the thief's speed are keeping them ahead of her. She's still got sight of them, however.

Yuri shakes her head.
"No point. There are far too many for us to slay. We would eventually be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

No, we must destroy those that keep this portal op-"
Suddenly, an explosion ruptures the Stardusts in front of them, knocking the party back. The Pisces Vertex, it seems, is reformed once more, and looms upon the party, looking upon them with its single red orb.

Yuri turns to the party.
"Do not fight against it! It can simply regenerate the damage you deal to it while here! I will attempt to destroy the Vertex that are keeping this portal open, along with anyone who will help! The rest of you, draw its attention away from us!"
Pointing to the bottom of the gash, where a tiny polygonal crystal-like creature seems to be tearing into the barrier, the eternal Hero starts floating towards one of them with her staff.

"However, that is all I can tell you. I only have theories, no concrete truths. I apologise.

Get ready. We are near the end of this path."

((>magically
>she is magik goast))

"All things that exist are mortal, even that which claims not to be. Even the gods are."

The chick, for her part, is almost completely oblivious and apathetic to Ian's annoyance.
"You are looking at her. There are a few others, yes. We help to maintain the barrier, both against Vertex and against......oh, what you might refer to as......Trespassers.

As for myself, I remained through my devotion to the Shinju-sama and hanging on through sheer will. At least, that is how I may explain it.

We are to head to the other side and destroy the forces keeping this gash open."

((She can, if she's up there with ENG.))
Yuri sighs as she floats- yes, floats- next to Alanis.
"I was a Hero, almost a century before, like your companion here. I, too, fought the Vertex, before I was slain in battle allowing my companions to retreat. I miss them, sometimes, and wonder what happened to them; I never found out. It was the last time they ever set foot in the Jukai, possibly out of grief. Again, I will never know.

I, however, was able to live on as an eternal Hero within the barrier, helping to protect it, due to my devotion to the Shinju-sama. I give my assistance to Heroes, and some souls who are lost in the Jukai sometimes, guiding them out or protecting them from the worst damage.

These rifts are those caused by some of the more devious Vertex, who seek the weak spots in the barrier and funnel power into them to create holes through which their larger compatriots can break through. I am capable of shutting them down sometimes, but some break through. That is when the living Heroes must fight.

But, of course, there are other questions, I sense, you might wish to ask. You may ask away."