[Endgame: rise or DROWN]

[warpweft]

[How long have you been exploring Nessa's palace now? You've met her family, viewed her memories, learned how to fight as a witch and tried to find the source of her power and the Treasure of her palace: the Voidheart. And along the way, you've tired your best, with mixed success, to avoid the incarnation of her eldest cousin and the representation of her trauma and fear, the Nightmare of Esmau.]

[Wherever you are in the Palace right now, you feel the ground briefly shake under your feet. Little shakes here and there haven't been out of the ordinary - Esmau is trying to blow the place down to the studs, after all. But that felt different. That felt....worse.]

[Your phone beeps as you receive a message.]

Comments

ROUND 4

[voidhearts]

BOSS ACTION

[voidhearts]

[Esmau growls, growing increasingly annoyed as they get away from the temple and head towards the outskirts....something about what they're doing sure seems to have annoyed her. She brings up both hands and fires four Void Blasts at all four of the explorers!]

REACTION

[voidhearts]

[All players can:
- Guard: Take guaranteed damage, but reduce incoming damage.
- Dodge: Attempt to dodge the attack, taking no damage.]

Re: REACTION

[cosplayed_out]

[Tsumugi will guard once again]

Re: REACTION

[voidhearts]

[The blast hits Tsumugi, but her layers of Ironheart significantly dull the power of the blast. Tsumugi's Ironheart is gone, but she only takes 2 damage.

Tsumugi: 98/100]

Re: REACTION

[messianic]

[ Minato is also gonna guard! ]

Re: REACTION

[voidhearts]

[The blast hits Minato and pushes him back, but his defense dulls the impact somewhat, so he only takes 5 damage.

Minato: 95/100]

Re: REACTION

[velluminous]

[ let's Thundersteps to dodge the blast again. ]

Re: REACTION

[voidhearts]

[Threshold to hit: 14
Roll 1d20-9: 17-9=8, miss.

Sprezzatura leaves nothing but the boom of thunder in her wake as the blast misses her.]

Re: REACTION

[survivaltricks]

[Akira is dodging again, because he lives life on the edge!]

Re: REACTION

[voidhearts]

[Threshold to hit: 14
Roll 1d20-4 to hit: 17-4=13, miss

Akira feels the Void Blast barely miss him, singing his hair and his jacket slightly as it passes by, but he manages to take no damage.]

DISCUSS

[voidhearts]

[cosplayed_out]

What is this? Is this where we fight mini-bosses to unlock the final one?

[voidhearts]

Wh...what's what? Do you see someone else?!

[cosplayed_out]

You don't see the towers?!

[she points outright]

[survivaltricks]

[glancing at her]

Mini-bosses?

[cosplayed_out]

You really don't know? Destroy the monsters inside to weaken the final boss.

PLAYER ACTION

[voidhearts]

NELL

[voidhearts]

[Nell is at 50 HP.
Nell is currently visible (she was invisible last turn, it expired).
Nell's Invoke will be charged in 195 damage.

You can command Nell to Gather Intel, Heal, Go Invisible or Attack. If you do not command her, she will make her own decision.]

[cosplayed_out]

We're going to go into a tower.

[voidhearts]

[Deep breath.]

O...okay!

I'm with you! If someone needs me to Heal or make them Invisible, just let me know!

Re: PLAYER ACTION

[cosplayed_out]

[and... to Tsumugi's tower?]

[messianic]

[ hell yeah, to tsumugi's tower!! ]

[survivaltricks]

[following along!]

???

[voidhearts]

[The group heads to Tsumugi's tower. Once they get there, something else will slowly fade into being on the tower's black surface...another face.

Tsumugi sees...



Minato sees...



Sprezzatura sees...



Akira sees...



A few seconds after they see the somber or fearful or desperate face in that tower....the ground around them shakes. Their arms are reaching out towards it beyond their control. They're being pulled in, one-by-one, into the tower's surface. There's barely a second to say anything to each other or try to get away before they're all gone.]