[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

BOSS ACTION

[voidhearts]

I don't know what you're trying, but it's NOT GONNA WORK!

[Esmau lunges at Minato and thrusts her glaive at him next!]

REACTION

[voidhearts]

[The attack on Minato cannot be intercepted. Minato must defend himself and then counterattack. He can:
Guard: Take guaranteed but reduced damage, then land a guaranteed counterattack to inflict damage.
Dodge: Attempt to dodge by reducing Esmau's roll to hit, then Minato and Esmau will roll against each other. If Minato wins, he counterattacks. If Minato wins by 10+, he has a critical counterattack.
Parry: Immediately roll against Esmau's roll to hit. If Minato loses the roll, he takes full damage. If he succeeds, he takes no damage and immediately has a critical counterattack.]

[messianic]

[ He doesn't really have the chance to think this over, not when he still feels a little woozy from how that spell felt (is this how all of Nessa's magic feels?).

So he reacts automatically, trying to knock aside the worst of the glaive as he guards.

(Besides, they really need to get through that shield!) ]

[velluminous]

Minato--

[voidhearts]

[Esmau's glaive strikes HARD against his guard, pushing him backwards. The impact is enough to knock the wind out of him......if this is what it feels like when you're bracing yourself, what does taking one of her full-power attacks feel like...?

Minato: 50/100 HP

But Minato is able to weather the attack and strike back, Balmung clashing against her shield. The shield just flickers for a second - and then another crystal is knocked loose, floating in the air. This one...



Those who see their faces on the crystal...you can feel something coming from it. You can feel Nessa. She's still holding on. She's still fighting. She's still reaching out to you.

You feel a warmth building in your hand. If you focus on it, a memory orb will appear inside it.]

DISCUSS

[voidhearts]

[cosplayed_out]

*Ahem!* This fight is now claimed by Junko Enoshima.

Bow down, peasants! Your Queen has arrived!!

[velluminous]

Pardon...

[messianic]

[ ......?

well like


whatever floats your boat tbh ]

[survivaltricks]

[. . .]

[this cosplay thing is super weird]

[voidhearts]

Oh!

You're back!

I was wondering where you'd gone after we talked on the phone!

[... ...okay so somebody hasn't figured out the cosplay yet.]

PLAYER ACTION

[voidhearts]

[survivaltricks]

[gonna be real honest, Akira is just giving Minato this LOOK before he casts well of life, because? really!!!!]

[voidhearts]

[As the energy leaves his hands, Akira sees a small green spark appear in the air.

He perceives the Harmony Network only for a second. A vast array of nodes, all connected to each other. A voice within the network tells him something - points him to one. He reaches out and turns it. The node opens.

A huge amount of energy is released beneath him and the allies. The voice tells him, 'We hope it helps.' before it fades and he can see the network no longer.

All allies healed for 19 HP

Minato: 79/100 HP
Sprezzatura: 99/100 HP
Akira: 99/100 HP
Tsumugi: 99/100
Nell: 50/50 HP]

[cosplayed_out]

[Just hearing the Junko-cosplay talk is a bit of a psychic cosplay weapon with how much emotion Tsumugi puts into it, and this right now is Junko in teacher mode.]

Ahem! Pay attention class. It is time for your next lesson. Repeat after me: Wherever there's hope... there's most definitely despair. And despair? It doesn't choose sides.

Now, individual study: practice your own despair! The despair of being reminded you're a loser who's already been defeated before!

[voidhearts]

.....e-even me?

Re: PLAYER ACTION

[velluminous]

[ Nessa is reaching out to her? then she reaches back, tenfold, thinking of her joy when Sprezzatura offered to mentor her. thinking of her bravery standing toe to toe with Svetka, not just recently, but when everyone was being cannibalized, too. thinking of her every time she's seen the girl around Reverie, helping others, guiding them. thinking of whatever sacrifice she made to become the young girl she knows, and not the witch she's met in here. thinking of her reaching for her, bleeding, just moments ago.

now she looks at Esmau. ]

Idiot.

[ and shoves ALL OF THAT in ]

Re: PLAYER ACTION

[voidhearts]

[The crystal absorbs your memory and is...overwhelmed.

Nessa was overjoyed when Sprezzatura agreed to mentor her, to the point it made her forget her despair over her brother being trapped in solitary confinement, for just a while. She was terrified every time she stood apart from Svetka, but she tried to think of Sprezzatura telling her "I will outmatch her, lapochka."

Through the crystal, Sprezzatura can feel the little flutter Nessa felt in her chest every time she heard that work, 'lapochka'. She likes that word. She...really likes it.

The excess of memories makes the orb burn white hot in Sprezzatur's hand. Once they're pressed into the crystal, they overload it to the point that it's overwhelmed and EXPLODES in a flash of white and purple light. Esmau squawks as her shield flickers, the explosion almost rocking her off of her feet.]

NELL

[voidhearts]

[Nell is at 50 HP.
Nell is currently visible.
Nell's Invoke will be charged in 170 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.]

[survivaltricks]

NELL PLEASE HEAL MINATO. AGAIN.

[messianic]

[ is akira gonna kill him if he does this for him....... yeah probably.


anyway it's another Void from Blood to charge Akira right back up!

he's braced for what'll happen this time at least? ]

[survivaltricks]

[YES AKIRA IS GOING TO KILL HIM]

[voidhearts]

[You feel something like the prick of a needle sinking into your body. It stings for several seconds. Then you feel woozy for a couple seconds, then you're....fine-ish. Void spark travels from your body over to Akira, charging one of his spells.

Minato: 69/100 HP]

BONUS ACTION!

[voidhearts]

[Esmau stumbles on her feet. After Sprezzatura's crystal exploded, she looks a little disoriented and...something falls out of her shield. Another crystal. No points for guessing, but this one...



Those who see their faces on the crystal...you can feel something coming from it. You can feel Nessa. She's still holding on. She's still fighting. She's still reaching out to you.

You feel a warmth building in your hand. If you focus on it, a memory orb will appear inside it.]

[messianic]

[ ... ah. Of course. He absolutely reaches for that crystal, and focuses so, so hard on the first memory that comes to mind.

It's a recent memory, with the mistletoe forcing them to stay in place, but Nessa so firm and so certain and so kind. She doesn't want to do anything that could jeopardize Minato and Akira's relationship, because she's a good friend to the both of them--the best of friends, not just to Minato, but to Akira too.

He's always felt so, so grateful for that.

He's so grateful that they both have Nessa in their lives--and he hopes that he can get that gratitude properly across. ]