While the entirety of Petripolis’ good people are handily distracted by festivities ongoing far from this once-sleepy garden, the darkest aspects of the city have come out to play.
“[Pocket Belmont – Bloody Revelation Killer]!”
A twirling chain closes once more, attached to a flaming comet bouncing off the ground as it springs snakelike toward his leg.
This beloved tool of Lycia, one that Adris fell for, will soon be close enough for intimate study.
(Can she change its trajectory like Ave can?)
It’s difficult to follow through the fire engulfing before him, but Adris’s muscles don’t even tense in preparation of its impact.
From the pillar of fire that was once his vanguard, a spinning halberd pokes out through the conflagration to slam its hammer end into the comet.
An explosion flashes once more, sending Adris’ cloak fluttering in the rushing air as the comet flies for the higher terrace levels.
“… Hah, fire not really dangerous.”
The creature that makes such a statement strides out of red-hot carnage while somehow breathing in it, slow and self-assured as their pale opponent yanks back her chained mace.
In contrast to the flames, Kol’s heat haze aura is subdued by the intensity.
Yet, real fire slowly succumbs to a phantasmal one.
When the flames peel away, nothing about Kol is singed.
Not even the white tabard with peculiar iconography on its front.
“Dangerous thing… not flame, but… Kol.”
Menacing Lycia once more, the thoughtless would-be knight prepares her counterattack.
“HOOOOOOOOOH!”
The spirited howl of Kol asserts all the more firmly with the armor’s awakening. Grinding and growling, the black-and-red abomination sets its anger on the same target as its wearer.
Heat haze becomes a licking sphere of expanding flames that distort the world when that terror from the shop is reborn.
With that reborn terror flooding everywhere to spread its hatred, Adris notes that Lycia…
(Not enough impact!)
… only raises a thin eyebrow at the effect while yawning into her hand.
(Lycia has zero fear of Kol. That means she isn’t affected by Kol’s dread!)
Despite that, a polearm’s spiked end is lowered as the kobold kicks off.
(I agree! I stake everything on this, too! Do your thing!)
The cross still held outstretched shakes and rings, before a birthing nova of darkness explodes out of it to consume the terraced garden. It sprays up into the sky before crashing back down.
Whirls of black settle on Kol and Adris as this flood settles, while Lycia glows like a star made of gold, blue, and red.
“You knew how to use it but didn’t tell me!?”
Lycia’s manic voice becomes distraught, with her face contorting in pain and tears as her hand covers half of it.
(Don’t fall for it, Adris!)
No matter how betrayed she looks, the glint of hate in her eyes is unchanged as she packs back up her ball and chain.
“… Well, it’s not going to save you, anyway!”
“KOL, DON’T NEED TO BE SAVED! STUDENT OF GREAT KNIGHT!”
Strong claws dig in, sending her on a death charge that makes her as sturdy as the silver shield poking from her chimeric coat of arms.
“‘WARD OF MOON!’”
A violet moon on the other side of the shield is just as intense as her pink eyes beneath a wolf’s hungry mouth.
“… RIGHT HAND OF BOSS! You…!”
That black cross she reveres overlaps both, identifying her life path.
“Knight, Moon, Boss… strongest people Kol ever found, that also have spirit! Kol, proud to wear!”
Adris didn’t know what emotion to feel when she spoke those words with her inextinguishable enthusiasm and a tomboyish smile following it.
(I can’t believe you chose that. Okay. Wear it well and aim true.)
A blazing poleaxe lances out to pluck a ghoul’s easy heart as Kol lunges.
“… NOTHING!”
“Nice speech ♥!”
The twisting body of Lycia slides down alongside the shaft of the weapon like an uncoiled spring, dodging it easily as a wound-up claw aims for Kol’s neck.
“Die.”
Trailing golden Vigor that becomes bladelike.
(I forgot that technique!)
In his temporary emotional state, Adris failed to recognize something deadly prepped in front of his face.
Turning her upper body, Kol whips her extended left arm from the halberd into the path of razor-sharp claws, distorting the air with the impact of their rage.
(No matter how resilient Kol is, Lycia’s claws are the true test of her power.)
Lycia’s strike slaps wide as they line up to crash into each other.
“Cute!”
A savage kick with inhuman flexibility answers the parry, leaving Lycia’s twisting foot drilling into Kol’s chestplate. Rotating off of the hit, that momentum lets Lycia slide around Kol’s outstretched claw wrapped up in spinning air.
“NAH!?”
The confusing aftermath sees Kol grunt at the driving blow as she fails to grab in response, while Lycia spins like a piece of thrown junk to hit and roll on the ground before darting up and running straight for Adris.
“Later~!”
(Agility like that can never be beaten by Kol alone.)
“GET BACK!”
As the golden-haired beauty closes while leaving the kobold in the dust, her savage smile opens for a bite.
“How ‘bout a kiss, lIl BrO!”
She rasps that before leaping.
(Sounds fun. Too predictable, though, Lycia.)
Adris stands firm as Lycia closes the fifteen foot distance in one breath.
Crackling turquoise rises from the hole before him, becoming a vibrating screen that Lycia lands on and immediately reacts with as it floods around her.
“KYAAAAA~!”
A fake maidenly screaming goes with Lycia’s ejection from the mass, before she flips and extends her spike-maimed hand.
“[Second Chance]!”
The macehead flies out before arcing over the turquoise barrier, aiming for Adris’ head on the drop.
(Fucking hell!?)
Vibrating turquoise shoots out of the hole once more to nail the diving comet.
“… A bit vexing! How many toadies have you roped in to lose for bratty lies!?”
Lycia finally spits out in frustration, though Adris can’t respond immediately.
“Uncouth one be, drawing a lady upwards with such indelicate care!”
“Stop complaining when you don’t have the time to be elegant!”
Adris looks like a brat tormenting his sister’s doll as he lifts Neesiette up out of the hole by one arm, before setting her on the ground.
A quick swat to his shin with her sparking rod causes Adris to wince in pain.
“Cad.”
“Neesiette! Focus!”
“Focus upon one’s lack of gentlemanliness and correct it forthwith, before commenting on this lady’s—”
“… Mad… Descendant of Luna? … Now there is an unusual tool.”
“What slanderous term be used in the presence of this one?”
While Lycia sounds amazed, giddy even, as she smiles wistfully…
Three turquoise beams shot in rapid succession cause the scholar to jump around with glee.
“HOH! … That’s why you’re called that, little one! Two on one? Let’s even this up…”
After dodging the last beam, Lycia reaches down to her belt and pulls out two animal-like circles.
“Hey, Lil Bro! When you said you liked my tools, was that the truth?”
Though still “playful”, there’s a depth to this question that dares the wrong answer.
“That was absolutely the truth. Everything you’ve made… I find hauntingly beautiful, no matter what it turns out to be when used.”
His even voice surprises Neesiette, who turns to look at him before regarding Lycia more suspiciously.
“… One possesses true history with this ghoul.” A factual statement carries dripping disapproval from his teammate.
(I wasn’t planning to hide that for long, anyway.)
“You really do…? Okay, Big Sis will buy that. After all…”
Whipping her arm out, the creatures which look like armadillos are launched far from the fight area. When they hit the ground, the spinning copper effigies begin munching up the soil and stone as they ride.
“Everybody loves [DOOM ROLLERS]! Tell me what you think about them, Bro! HAHAHAHA!”
Without even looking, Lycia launches her chained mace behind her, striking Kol in the side with enough force to stagger her clomping assault. The audacity of this attack takes eyes off of the rollers as they spin out of sight.
“Those appeared to be…?”
Except for the hyper-focused Neesiette, who follows them before they’re lost.
“GAH! ‘Annoying’! HOH!”
Kol’s persevering swing completely misses the catlike Lycia due to poor technique. The now magical weapon does create spontaneous whirlwinds of air that draw in foes, making it possible for Kol to lash out at threats even as they escape…
“NAH!? Boss, make Kol’s weapon, work always!”
Sometimes, at least, as Kol only awkwardly spins while tottering when it fails to function.
(Jackpot Juice as applied by Ave is half a win. But at least it adds in another effect!)
“AGAIN! RAH!”
A recovered Kol swings once more with record speed thanks to the mystical kick of her weapon’s winding aura, finally producing a whirlwind when she cleaves the ground itself.
Just, too late to catch the fleeing ghoul as she dances outside of the breeze.
(Well, that’s Kol’s weakness. Anything as fast as Still or I am is a bad match-up.)
If the domineering kobold were the only one fighting Lycia, the battle would end in a slow attrition in Lycia’s favor.
But a vibrating barrier that springs up behind the escaping Lycia nearly produces another fantastical reflection, before the ghoul claws to a stop.
“… I see. Teamwork is nice, isn’t it, girls?”
Her smile has vanished while taking in the plot against her.
While Kol charges once more, glowing violet eyes stand ready for Lycia’s next escape route as barriers begin to close her in. The billowing amber hair of a lady from the moon matches the central role she plays in this battle.
(Only Neesiette can prevent Lycia’s attacks and let Kol close enough to hit.)
Ducking once more by the skin of her teeth, Lycia shoots out her mace to hit Kol, only to have a flashing barrier block the strike and subsequent explosion.
(Good, it’s working!)
Landing on the ground, Lycia’s spiked hand boils and sloughs off as golden flakes.
(Using her body to soak up the entropy of the tool is a wonderful idea, but even you can’t go on forever.)
“Ahhhh, what did he promise you two?”
Standing up lazily, Lycia places a hand on her hip and lets her chained mace rattle lifelessly to the ground.
“Doggy, what little biscuit are you chomping at to follow a born liar like this kid?”
“Nnn!? Kol, kobold, not dog!”
“Yeah, yeah. Answer the question then, Ms. Kobold.”
Brushing her hair, Lycia stares at Adris with a grin while watching for attacks.
“Why are you following this liar? Do you know how I found this lil’ guy?”
(… Don’t believe her, even if it’s the truth!)
This part was anticipated, too. While Adris squeezes his butt cheeks while watching for signs of dissent with Kol and Neesiette, he stakes everything on their hard-earned bond.
(I’ve done everything I can to prove myself!)
“Haha! A tired, hungry, exhausted, horny little brat was what I found trying to escape from the Wondrous Works. A juicy little specimen that managed to slip away from some idiot researcher!”
Leaning over, Lycia’s wonderful assets sway as she blows a kiss at Adris.
Her eyes are the dangerous part, though: within them, that golden glow which marks her ability to steal hearts is at work as she peers deeply into his comrades.
(I worked… so hard to forge these ties! Don’t fall for either the truth or the spell, please!)
“He ‘paid’ for Big Sis’ protection by giving her some wonderful attention at a very tender spot~! So desperate to prove his love to her…
Without Big Sis, some female researcher would be custom-fitting his cock with a milking device juuuuust the right size to produce the best pleasure for—!”
Twisting her head, Lycia’s face is lit by a vibrating beam sailing past.
Somersaulting away, the scholar seems shocked by the level of violence instigated by an emotionless doll who twirls her glowing rod.
The merest trace of a sneer is on Neesiette’s face when looking at this object of her hatred.
“Silence forever prattling distractions. In defiance of noble Art, your kind endlessly weave chaotic theorems that degrade the world. Meet your end during this fight without a later chance to cast disgusting eyes upon brainless fools, those that harbor illusions of the joys of undead flesh, Castillo heretic.”
“… Haha. Wow, you’re… hooked.” Lycia looks to Kol with a sidelong smile on her face. “What about you? Has this lying brat given you everything you ever asked for~?” Suddenly humming, Lycia begins to coo softly at the kobold.
“If he hasn’t, I’ll happily let you go if you just… walk away.”
“Hm? ‘Everything’? Good question? Hmmm…”
Placing a hand to her face plate, Kol genuinely ponders this question while eyeing Adris.
(Not everything, but…!)
“Boss, always gives important things, Kol says. ‘Armor, weapon, teammates, foes’… Also, Kol, can smell lies! Stupid, shitty, smelly dead thing won’t let Kol go, ever.
Like Puddle, all death becomes: lies.”
Rushing forward while clanging, Kol calls out her terrible haze to swing for Lycia’s neck.
“BESIDES, BOSS GAVE MOST IMPORTANT THING!
GAVE KOL: POWER! KAKAKAKAKA!”
The airborne kobold completely misses Lycia, carving up the ground with the invisible, distorting edge that expands from her weapon when the ghoul sidesteps and leaps up at her with a raised claw.
“GAH!?”
The kobold’s swinging foot slams into her nose as a rebuttal, sending the sneaky ghoul end-over-end before she rises up to wipe the splattered gold off her face.
“… Cheeky girl.”
“KAKAKA! Kol… remember.”
“Oh, classy! Well, I guess I have my answer: Lil Bro is a real woman killer! Even Big Sis thought he was for real…”
While saying that, Lycia doesn’t look too disappointed by her failure to goad them.
(What are you planning?)
“… NAH!? Boss, Kol, notice sound! Get bigger and closer!”
Kol ceases her advance, ears twitching as she looks around.
Shaking her head while shrugging, Lycia asks an important question with two fingers held up.
“Lil Bro and friends, can you remember the name of those two charming fellows I demonstrated earlier~?”
The quaking ground brings those names to mind as giant wheeled silhouettes lit by the burning terraced garden come into view.
(Oh, fuck me.)
Giant earthen discs that are sixteen-feet tall close on the three of them, still gathering more earth. Plowing through half-burnt vegetation, they spell certain doom to all who tread the ground.
“[DOOM ROLLERS – BIG CRUSHA]!”
Lycia joyfully screams out an activation phrase while snapping her fingers at Kol, causing the tools to increase speed and leave white air-trails behind as they target her.
“Uhhh, Boss. Big? ACK—!”
While trying to dodge, Kol is smeared into the dirt to the metallic screeching of her armor flattening from the first roller, while the second comes to a dead stop after.
Resting atop her, Kol vanishes into the ground.
“Neesiette!?”
“Analyzing. Earth-gathering object writ by pseudo Art, surprisingly competent for this age. Deriving activation and consistency from alchemical links to—”
A fascinated bell-like voice gushes with praise as Adris carries her, tome and all.
“How do we deal with them!?”
“That be—”
The springing noise of his boots marks their escape as he chooses to side-hop before being flattened by a rampaging earthen circle shaped like a rolling armadillo.
“You don’t, Lil Bro! They deal with you! I thought you liked tools? Don’t you like them~?”
“… I do like them! They’re amazing! Better than anything I’ve ever made!”
(Even if they’re trying to kill me, everything you make takes my breath—! AHH!)
A macehead streaks by him as he jukes once more, flaming without exploding as he jumps the chain coiling to entrap him.
“SHUT UP! dIsGuStInG lIaR.”
The once-taunting woman growls at him as she gives chase. Though much of her hand seems melted, the chain mace has juice left.
“… Everything you are is just a lie, isn’t it!?”
“I can’t stop you from thinking that, but it’s not true!”
“Isn’t it? Then scream for Big Sis and show me your true thoughts~!”
Because Lycia is faster than him even with the rabbit boots, he baits her into the next phase of his plan while watching his body’s energy reserves.
Neesiette is ready to fire, sensing the squeeze he gives her as a warning.
“You know, this situation makes me remember another fight. It was three-on-one then too, wasn’t it?”
“It’s two-one-one now, but I recall, yes~!”
Chased into a roller’s path by Lycia, he turns to face her as she prepares to leap.
“I have to know: what happened to those four?”
“… Huh? Those? … Hmmm…”
The question interests Lycia enough to stop and take up a pondering pose with her hand to her chin, while the gigantic rollers spin around the three of them in a perimeter.
“Hummm… After that, they valiantly tried to defeat me, much like you two. They utilized such daring and innovative teamwork… much like you two.
They gave… everything they had to try and destroy the ‘evil ghoul that all life detests’, while yelling how they were the true servants of the Alchemaster and I was a loathsome traitor~!”
Her face purses while mimicking their outrage, before she sighs and moans.
“Ah, priceless.”
(Sorry for the hate.)
Dramatic to a fault, Lycia runs her hand through the ruffles of her shirt before settling on her exposed panties.
“So, when I absolutely annihilated them, I took time to have a lot of fun:
I made that rock-headed goat pleasure himself while I claimed a taste of naked bat, rabbit, and cat! His bruised, crying face was the pinnacle of joy while tasting that three-meat stew. I made them crawl all over me, licking every spot of my poor body that they hurt until it was free of my lifeblood and theirs!”
She closes her eyes and bites her lip at the recollection, rubbing a Vigor-soaked finger over a slit that Adris can still taste in his dreams.
“Wouldn’t have guessed it: the cat was the finest in taste and tongue. She’d even yelp if you yanked on her tail! The bat was too green with her mouth except for screaming my name, while the rabbit bitch couldn’t really get into the spirit of female bonding while crying~!”
Even with his persona at the forefront, Adris can’t help but nod appreciatively at Lycia’s tastes shared so seductively.
(They deserved way more than that.)
“Beyond saving this one be.” Neesiette’s quick admonition is all she spares while pointing her rod again.
“But why do you care about the past? You can see the same scene again!” Her chain mace whips around as she raises her other hand, readying to snap a finger. “I might’ve used most of my fun stuff on those Black Birch idiots, but I have plenty left to spank you two. After that…”
The air grows damp as she finally breathes out for real.
That fetid stench of slaughter is growing within her.
“After I rope what’s left of you up, I’m going to see if that pathetic contraption made by Mad Old Luna is anatomically correct. Ahh, has she been broken in? After that, I’ll get your little doggy to prep me with some slobbery kisses before you go next, Bro!”
All humor vanishes as she announces what is coming, actions which exactly match her personality.
(I can’t see you ever letting anyone off after I “betrayed” you.)
“History between Adris and this one runs far too deep to be an assassin. Intentionally withheld, explanations be.” Though still at his side, Neesiette gets chilly while he can only clear his throat at the air between them.
“Explanations that wouldn’t change anything. We will win. Believe in me and yourselves”
“Believing only in what be true be correct, this tool posits. Desist and fight!”
The spat between teammates brings an escalating chuckle from Lycia.
“Fight if you wanna. It’s pointless.
You’re gonna be mine, Lil Bro, even if I have to pick that dense little girl and this crazy contraption out of my teeth before hauling you away for punishment! The moment you owed me, it was far too late to welsh on it!”
Her snapping finger pointed at Adris brings a seismic shift from rolling wheels.
Rumbling fills his ears as they come in fore and flank, leaving Neesiette forced to defend against both at once.
“Kol: initiate flight.”
Rather than shooting the wheels, Neesiette stands on tiptoes and aims her rod at flames.
The vibrating beam pierces through them, revealing and striking just behind a black object.
“[Moonfall]!”
“You…!?”
An airborne kobold covered in dirt swings in mid drop, birthing a whirlwind as she rockets toward Lycia.
The whirlwind swoops in and draws the jumping Lycia straight for Kol.
“This again!”
A metallic screeching sound fills the air as Kol’s halberd transforms into a two-handed hammer-axe before it spins to cleave.
Vigor spatters as Lycia blocks the heavy weapon with both arms, knocking her to roll on the ground as Kol lands on her feet.
“Earth be source and weakness.”
Pointing at the ground, Neesiette’s cage of force that weaves architecturally up begins to resemble two ramps, with one aiming toward Kol as the other directs toward a cloud of smoke.
The crackling construct warps as the grinding Doom Rollers leave the ground, sparking and crashing on the turquoise energy before they’re airborne.
The moment they depart the ground, the gigantic armadillo figures crumble, revealing smaller, falling cores.
“ONE!”
Kol jumps with powerful legs, spiking her target on the end of her weapon.
“GEH!?”
The tool’s core erupts, driving the terrible knight into the ground with a resounding boom.
(They’re strong, but the other one is fine, because…)
From Adris’ wavering shadow, glowing-red dirks fly out.
They strike the second figurine, exploding with each hit as the piece breaks apart.
“Sorry, Lycia, but I told you that it was oddly familiar. ‘Four-on-one’ is what I recall, so it has to be the truth if I say it.”
“… Hahaha, what truth could you ever find?”
Confidently standing even while bleeding, her wounds staunch almost immediately.
Even the ones left when she yanks her spiked rod from her hand.
“I don’t care if you are powerful. You’re just some Works trash or, worse, something they called forth. I don’t know where you fished these girls up from, but you should recall what I just said about that battle, boy.”
With both Lycia and Adris’ party lit by the conflagration, the dramatic first turn of the battle is now within predicted change.
“Even that fetid grudge I’ve been waiting on isn’t enough to save you~!”
(You already knew about Still, of course. You were just waiting for her to…)
The cloaked outfighter doesn’t flinch, either, only revealing a slight smile that likes being remembered.
“Kakaka! Ignore, bitchy Puddle-wannabe! Just split.”
{She’s the wannabe, you wannabe sentient lifeform.}
Kol closes as Still flanks, leaving Neesiette watching over both as Adris’ stomach turns.
“Well, we got to catch up at least…”
“Hardly. I still don’t know anything about the real you, just like you said before.”
Banter turns sour in a moment with that statement.
“Why would you ever deserve to know anything about the real me?”
A coldness Adris has never felt from Lycia goes with a stern face given to him.
“You have… no concept. Not even a frame of reference. No matter what you are, your history means… nothing compared to mine.”
Solemn only in this moment, Adris feels frustrated at not being able to dig beneath that front of isolation.
(Who are you, Lycia?)
Her own frustration with him disappears soon after, leaving only a cheshire smile.
“While it’s been fun, let’s conclude this miserable night, shall we girls~?”
(Here we go…)
Lifting her arm to her mouth as the air grows heavier…
A chunk of it vanishes when fangs chomp down, ripping at the appendage as if it’s a dog bone. Even bone breaks as marrow is struck.
While two girls jump back in revulsion and Kol growls in anticipation, Adris is only interested as he watches Lycia slurp at the wound.
A nightmarish, hungry eater swallows only after tasting what she was looking for.
(So, that’s what could’ve happened to me if you didn’t like me…?)
“NOBODY… NOBODY LEAVES HERE AS THEY ARRIVED…
THERE’S NO…
… NEVER ESCAPE…!”
A mad ghoul moans while dribbling red Vigor to the ground.
“Battle Pressure!?”
Neesiette’s cry comes too late, as Lycia begins to deform and elongate while shrouded by a haze.
Limbs stretch, while claws grow truly fiendish. Boots explode into sharp feet.
Striated skin burns red, while eyes grow perfectly golden as irises shake.
A nightmare from Adris’ not-so-distant past awakens, parts of her jiggling appealingly as the rest causes his throat to tighten.
“——————aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA————HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
Lycia’s body explodes into a cloud of energy and rushing air, knocking Neesiette on her butt and causing Still to spin with the force.
Adris’ bracing keeps him up, but still dazed.
The howl that rises from her skyward-pointed mouth calls forth the flames to wrap up the distance and sky, hiding all except for Traveler.
A barrier of red entraps those who are now sworn to battle in full.
“Beast of Conquest!? Bloodstained Ghoul!? Such folly be brought by you, Adris!” The usually composed Lunamaton grips onto Adris’ vest, clutching him for safety as she seeks to assure his.
(No other options existed!)
As Lycia stakes everything, the cross responds in kind.
The darkness that springs forth is the same one that assaulted a plated rooster from the past, for a [Beast of Conquest] represents a similar calamity to a [Grand Distortion] in its eyes. It covers every surface in the garden, becoming a spiraling sea for a moment before rushing to the combatants.
But the darkness that saps at red, gold, and blue flames clinging to the enraged Lycia fails to find the same level of purchase; for, while they grow smaller in authority, they don’t diminish in brightness.
(Shit! It won’t steal the mastery of skills or essential traits, will it!?)
A fear lingering in Adris’ mind is now confirmed.
Knowing that the cross could never be truly kind, even though his side grows stronger in stature and feel, a bloodstained ghoul that leans forward to pounce lacks nothing of her masterful demeanor.
(Anything she holds onto is kept at peak form! The cross doesn’t truly make us strong! It only makes things roughly even by cutting them down to size!)
Characters:
Name: Adris fehl Dain, “Boss”, “Starr”
Titles: Lycia’s Little Brother, True False God, Slayer
Race: Xin’El, Emperor’s Child (Human)
Sex: Male
Age: ?? – Young
Occupation: Crossbearer; “Star of Ruin, Cast Down from the Sky Upon a Dying World”, Slayer of Petripolis
Discipline: [Rule in Dark]
Powers:
[Tool Savant] – “Adris is a tool-collecting-and-utilizing fanatic. Most men would consider him disgusting for loving tools more than his own partner. Has so many tools that it can be said to be his true power. What does he do when he has no tools left? He seeks to acquire more, obviously!”
[Rule in Dark – Wave of Darkness] – “Making victory possible? No, no, no. That thing isn’t that kind! There’s more than that!”
[Brainfry] – “You’re still with me, right buddy? Yeah, you’re still there.”
[Refuse to Kneel] – “Ah, even the Alchemaster can’t make me submit! This is the one that’s saved me all those times!?”
[Tongue of Air and Darkness] – “What’s the difference between this and the old one? Why ‘air’?”
[Conceptual Refusal] – “How the fuck does dominating people’s minds turn into a weird statement like this!?”
[Obscuring Sonjil] – “Man, this thing has gotten pretty strong on Zennia. At first only creating an area of fog, it can now cover a direction? Is something wrong…?”
[Marital Arts – Self-taught] – “Hoh, even if it’s dangerous to use, it feels good to prove to myself that the body is still as willing as the mind! Even if I can’t call it aura, something is inside me now!”
[Verisimilitude] – “Stop giving weird names to what I do! But if my imaginative truths are more believable now, I’m not gonna complain.”
[A WONDERFUL CURSE] – “If that old corpse wasn’t already dead, I’d definitely kill him!”
Items:
[“Rabbit Boots”] – “Providing increased agility while moving as a passive boon, they also allow actively to bound great distances with surprising grace. What do they cost though, I wonder?”
[“Metallic Bracer”] – “I can punch Kol into a wall with this!? But it hurts like shit!”
Disposition: Resilient / Adaptable / Sinner
Alignment: Chaotic
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black, with strands of White
Skin: Tanned
Statistics:
Rantil Value – “Even after all of that, Master is still an idiot!”
Stats
Attributes by Grade:
Strength – E
Vitality – E
Dexterity – D
Agility – C
Intelligence – D
Mentality – C
Luck – F
Charisma – D
“If you want more, stop being mean to Rantil!”
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “Much the same as before, but isn’t the way you look at others a bit more dashing, now? Forced to open yourself to the world, perhaps the gentleman may grow? That is likely impossible, isn’t it, Adris?”
“Do you now see your limitations? Why not try changing yourself instead of your exterior?”
“If you feel more handsome and longed for by courting the jealousies of women, perhaps you should be warned that they often cut quite deeply?”
“Aren’t you getting into this whole persona?”
“Don’t you think a plan can be too withheld from the people carrying it out?”
Description:
“A boy who is a bit out of place as far as features, he descended from the top of the Castillo to the bottom by pluck, luck, and outrageous lying. Reborn into the world of Zennia, what can be said other than ‘he’s still exactly the same, but different’?”
“The boy that loves to lie is going to have a hard time around someone that prevents telling willing untruths.”
“While improvisation is something Adris can do, a plot is a plot.”
“Identifying the limits of powers is how Adris handled aura. With a cross and darkness, he tries the same thing.”
“Why he, or anyone, would want a bloodstained ghoul to hit their true form is beyond the grasp of the sane.”
Commentary:
“Solves his own problems, too, forever.”
Name: “Kol” fehl Dain, “Pink”
Titles: Idiot, “Tyrant Knight”
Race: Kobold
Sex: Female
Age: ???
Occupation: Delver, Frontliner
Discipline: Tyrant Squire
Powers:
[Invisible Edge] – “Axe goes through everything?”
[Full Contact] – “Wanna go!? Kol, let fists talk!”
[“Ride on Dread“] – “THE WORLD, BELONG KOL! KAKAKA!”
[“Tyranny”] – “EVERYONE, SEE KOL’S AUTHORITY!”
Items:
[“Dreadful Armor”] – “This is where Kol will live and die. When Kol roars, armor roars, too!”
[Halberd of the Whirlwind] – “GET OVER HERE!”
Disposition: Straightforward / Confrontational / Respectful
Alignment: Neutral
Eyes: Pink
Hair: White
Skin: Tanned
Statistics:
Rantil Value –
Attributes by Grade:
Strength – C-?!?
Vitality – C-?!?
Dexterity – E
Agility – F
Intelligence – F
Mentality – C
???
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “Are you attracted to rampaging metal? Though in your case, you appreciate the voice, don’t you? Do you long to see more? If she reminds you of a certain someone, then…?”
“Why not just hide with her in the hole?”
“Who is the linchpin in this battle?”
Description:
“Brash and forthright, a warrior wielding an axe with two hands forsakes protection to deliver only harm. Contrary to this impression, she also seems interested in a straight up fight. If her words are any indication, she offers little thought to her actions.”
“Always for a false god.”
“Both Still and Lycia draw equal ire. Is it a smell thing?”
Commentary:
“Can’t be helped if she is always brutal with everyone she dislikes.”
Name: Still, “Cyrene Stillwater”
Titles: Puddle
Race: Undead?
Sex: Female
Age: Young Lady?
Occupation: Delver, Trickster/Outfighter
Discipline: Accursed Avenger
Powers:
[“Reprisal Strike”] – {You had it coming, deciding you could oppose me and walk away from it.}
[“Surprising Agility”] – {Is it honestly surprising by now? Walls are just another surface~!}
[Nectar] – {How does my suffering taste, spawn of “cursed blood”!?}
[Delusional Movement] – {How did you forget that shadows are also a doorway, Adris?}
[Undead Fortitude?] – {Do you think that what has no life cares about your pathetic strikes?}
Disposition: Playful / Sadistic / Skulking
Alignment: Chaotic
Eyes: ???
Hair: ???
Skin: ???
Statistics:
Rantil Value –
Attributes by Grade:
Strength – E
Vitality – E
Dexterity – C
Agility – C
Intelligence – C
Mentality – D
Charisma – E
???
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “Do you really think it’s not obvious? What she possesses is what you’ve missed all your life, yes? Breasts and curves… are these not a new fruit for you to taste?”
“Aren’t you counting too much on one person? Do you fear falling again?”
“Your shadow now has a passenger, doesn’t it?”
Description:
“A mute girl who says much with gestures, she also has more going on than she seems to. Though not outwardly aggressive, there’s an atmosphere of danger about her. Opposite of Kol, hers is subtle… Yet, she also can protect others. Given to acrobatics, it matches with her dark, but flamboyant, colors.”
“Despite being seen, no one notices the difference between Cyrene and Shanty?”
“Though still important, she is being underplayed in this struggle, but for what reason?”
Commentary:
“Still can always be counted on.”
Name: Neesiette vera Luna
Titles: “Moon”
Race: Lunamata
Sex: Female
Age: ???
Occupation: Delver, Mystic
Discipline: ???
Powers:
[Rod of Force] – “In what way would it be changed? As designed, so shall it function, correct?”
[Rod of Respelling] – “A lady be every ready to instruct regarding what be in error.”
[“Brings An End” – Ponderous] – “[Ponderous was the end, for the unfair passage of time finally brought even earth to its conclusion]…”
Disposition: Impassive / Calculating / Curious
Alignment: Ordered
Eyes: Pale Violet
Hair: Amber
Skin: Pale White
Statistics:
Rantil Value –
Strength – F
Vitality – F
Dexterity – D
Agility – E
Intelligence – B
Mentality – C
Luck – F
Charisma – C
???
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “First imps, and now short girls? This is certainly becoming a pattern, isn’t it? Though you might not fare badly with a girl as beautiful as this, yes? Though she’s a little perfect, doesn’t she seem oddly demure?”
“My, won’t a bit of greed go a long way in reassuring you of her worth, Adris?”
“Would you be lovestruck if she cradled you with such care?”
“Who can see the conclusion to calling someone a name that burns them up inside?”
Description:
“An otherworldly existence, she wears clothing that doesn’t fit with the Castillo. With mannerisms quite distinct from all others, even the girls she travels with seem incomparable to her uniqueness. Yet, she definitely seems to be in charge…?”
“Though she is helpful to others, that doesn’t mean she does it for free. Even for a girl that needs little, you make a mistake in thinking she wants nothing.”
“Revealed finally is the true pursuit of Neesiette aside from Art: items of such profound uniqueness that they exist only to be preserved for all time.”
“While Neesiette has few talents at the moment, perhaps she’s only hiding them in reserve?”
Commentary:
“Still the number one lady not to be caught lying to.”
Name: Lycia Vehrose
Titles: Beast of Conquest
Race: Blood-Stained Ghoul
Sex: Female
Age: ?? (Old Lady)
Occupation: Wondrous Works Researcher; Tool Creator; Total Monster
Discipline: Battle Pressure – Mad Ghoul
Powers:
[Shooting Stars] – “A strange, wooden box with holes in the end produces a stream of missile-like light, which explodes with enormous force on the chosen target. I, of course, want it desperately. Hooray for aura tools.”
[Pocket Belmont] – “A spiked chain that flies with great force to strike out, before returning. It explodes with flame on impact, destroying whatever is around its point of release. Is this love? Am I in love?”
[Doom Rollers] – “Please make way for one of my favorite tools! Or, rather: don’t.”
[Heart Taking] – “Hey, won’t you give yourself to me~? Completely and absolutely.”
[True Form] – “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Disposition: Sultry / Intelligent / Vicious |-| Insane
Alignment: Neutral
Eyes: Green, Speckled Gold
Hair: Blond
Skin: Deathly White
Statistics:
Rantil Value –
Strength – C (?)
Vitality – C (?)
Agility – C (?)
???
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “Perhaps you have a fascination for that which seems human, but whose qualities deviate far from it when inspected? Even if she’s your ideal figure, Adris, won’t it be a problem if she decides to eat you up?”
“Is she more beautiful because she’s so willing to be amoral, or in spite of it? Showing so many wonderful expressions, are you captivated by the face, or the evil light in her eyes?”
“Still attracted to her now? You are incorrigible, aren’t you, Adris? Red and gold on white, if a living corpse can excite you, then we’ll have to start taking this section down a stranger path, won’t we?”
“Is she everything you remember, Adris? She certainly seems to recall you fondly, doesn’t she?”
“Are you ready for what it means to learn what someone truly is?”
Description:
“A woman whose first instinct is to not trust you, and to trust only in herself. A fairly good perspective and outlook on life, in a blue abyss filled with lunatics. The obvious question is: how sane can she be if she willingly lives there?”
“While willing to help and showing a proclivity towards honoring deals, she’s seemingly not above taking what she can get.”
“A true monster in the classical sense, in both mind and body. Perhaps only her soul is near enough to human to redeem her a bit. A Bloodstained Ghoul is something truly awful, an enemy from the past returned to haunt the living. Doubly so when she’s experienced at it.”
“Exposed as a shopkeeper, what exactly is the purpose of her associations? Between scholar, servant of the Alchemaster, wild terror which holds the title of Beast of Conquest, and willing salesman to sex-mad slayers, what is her angle?”
“This is the real Lycia. No matter how she plays around, she doesn’t accept any sort of compromise.”
Commentary:
“Not even my final form! Transformations are pretty much the hallmark of boss characters.”
Name: Adris fehl Dain, “Boss”, “Starr”
Titles: Lycia’s Little Brother, True False God, Slayer
Race: Xin’El, Emperor’s Child (Human)
Sex: Male
Age: ?? – Young
Occupation: Crossbearer; “Star of Ruin, Cast Down from the Sky Upon a Dying World”, Slayer of Petripolis
Discipline: [Rule in Dark]
Powers:
[Tool Savant] – “Adris is a tool-collecting-and-utilizing fanatic. Most men would consider him disgusting for loving tools more than his own partner. Has so many tools that it can be said to be his true power. What does he do when he has no tools left? He seeks to acquire more, obviously!”[Rule in Dark – Wave of Darkness] – “Making victory possible? No, no, no. That thing isn’t that kind! There’s more than that!”
[Brainfry] – “You’re still with me, right buddy? Yeah, you’re still there.”
[Refuse to Kneel] – “Ah, even the Alchemaster can’t make me submit! This is the one that’s saved me all those times!?”
[Tongue of Air and Darkness] – “What’s the difference between this and the old one? Why ‘air’?”
[Conceptual Refusal] – “How the fuck does dominating people’s minds turn into a weird statement like this!?”
[Obscuring Sonjil] – “Man, this thing has gotten pretty strong on Zennia. At first only creating an area of fog, it can now cover a direction? Is something wrong…?”
[Marital Arts – Self-taught] – “Hoh, even if it’s dangerous to use, it feels good to prove to myself that the body is still as willing as the mind! Even if I can’t call it aura, something is inside me now!”
[Verisimilitude] – “Stop giving weird names to what I do! But if my imaginative truths are more believable now, I’m not gonna complain.”
[A WONDERFUL CURSE] – “If that old corpse wasn’t already dead, I’d definitely kill him!”
Items:
[“Rabbit Boots”] – “Providing increased agility while moving as a passive boon, they also allow actively to bound great distances with surprising grace. What do they cost though, I wonder?”
[“Metallic Bracer”] – “I can punch Kol into a wall with this!? But it hurts like shit!”
Disposition: Resilient / Adaptable / Sinner
Alignment: Chaotic
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black, with strands of White
Skin: Tanned
Statistics:
Rantil Value – “Even after all of that, Master is still an idiot!”
Stats
Attributes by Grade:
Strength – E
Vitality – E
Dexterity – D
Agility – C
Intelligence – D
Mentality – C
Luck – F
Charisma – D
“If you want more, stop being mean to Rantil!”
Attributes by Grade:
Strength – E
Vitality – E
Dexterity – D
Agility – C
Intelligence – D
Mentality – C
Luck – F
Charisma – D
“If you want more, stop being mean to Rantil!”
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “Much the same as before, but isn’t the way you look at others a bit more dashing, now? Forced to open yourself to the world, perhaps the gentleman may grow? That is likely impossible, isn’t it, Adris?”
“Do you now see your limitations? Why not try changing yourself instead of your exterior?”
“If you feel more handsome and longed for by courting the jealousies of women, perhaps you should be warned that they often cut quite deeply?”
“Aren’t you getting into this whole persona?”
“Don’t you think a plan can be too withheld from the people carrying it out?”
Description:
“A boy who is a bit out of place as far as features, he descended from the top of the Castillo to the bottom by pluck, luck, and outrageous lying. Reborn into the world of Zennia, what can be said other than ‘he’s still exactly the same, but different’?”
“The boy that loves to lie is going to have a hard time around someone that prevents telling willing untruths.”
“While improvisation is something Adris can do, a plot is a plot.”
“Identifying the limits of powers is how Adris handled aura. With a cross and darkness, he tries the same thing.”
“Why he, or anyone, would want a bloodstained ghoul to hit their true form is beyond the grasp of the sane.”
Commentary:
“Solves his own problems, too, forever.”
Name: “Kol” fehl Dain, “Pink”
Titles: Idiot, “Tyrant Knight”
Race: Kobold
Sex: Female
Age: ???
Occupation: Delver, Frontliner
Discipline: Tyrant Squire
Powers:
[Invisible Edge] – “Axe goes through everything?”
[Full Contact] – “Wanna go!? Kol, let fists talk!”
[“Ride on Dread“] – “THE WORLD, BELONG KOL! KAKAKA!”
[“Tyranny”] – “EVERYONE, SEE KOL’S AUTHORITY!”
Items:
[“Dreadful Armor”] – “This is where Kol will live and die. When Kol roars, armor roars, too!”
[Halberd of the Whirlwind] – “GET OVER HERE!”
Disposition: Straightforward / Confrontational / Respectful
Alignment: Neutral
Eyes: Pink
Hair: White
Skin: Tanned
Statistics:
Rantil Value –
Attributes by Grade:
Strength – C-?!?
Vitality – C-?!?
Dexterity – E
Agility – F
Intelligence – F
Mentality – C
???
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “Are you attracted to rampaging metal? Though in your case, you appreciate the voice, don’t you? Do you long to see more? If she reminds you of a certain someone, then…?”
“Why not just hide with her in the hole?”
“Who is the linchpin in this battle?”
Description:
“Brash and forthright, a warrior wielding an axe with two hands forsakes protection to deliver only harm. Contrary to this impression, she also seems interested in a straight up fight. If her words are any indication, she offers little thought to her actions.”
“Always for a false god.”
“Both Still and Lycia draw equal ire. Is it a smell thing?”
Commentary:
“Can’t be helped if she is always brutal with everyone she dislikes.”
Name: Still, “Cyrene Stillwater”
Titles: Puddle
Race: Undead?
Sex: Female
Age: Young Lady?
Occupation: Delver, Trickster/Outfighter
Discipline: Accursed Avenger
Powers:
[“Reprisal Strike”] – {You had it coming, deciding you could oppose me and walk away from it.}
[“Surprising Agility”] – {Is it honestly surprising by now? Walls are just another surface~!}
[Nectar] – {How does my suffering taste, spawn of “cursed blood”!?}
[Delusional Movement] – {How did you forget that shadows are also a doorway, Adris?}
[Undead Fortitude?] – {Do you think that what has no life cares about your pathetic strikes?}
Disposition: Playful / Sadistic / Skulking
Alignment: Chaotic
Eyes: ???
Hair: ???
Skin: ???
Statistics:
Rantil Value –
Attributes by Grade:
Strength – E
Vitality – E
Dexterity – C
Agility – C
Intelligence – C
Mentality – D
Charisma – E
???
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “Do you really think it’s not obvious? What she possesses is what you’ve missed all your life, yes? Breasts and curves… are these not a new fruit for you to taste?”
“Aren’t you counting too much on one person? Do you fear falling again?”
“Your shadow now has a passenger, doesn’t it?”
Description:
“A mute girl who says much with gestures, she also has more going on than she seems to. Though not outwardly aggressive, there’s an atmosphere of danger about her. Opposite of Kol, hers is subtle… Yet, she also can protect others. Given to acrobatics, it matches with her dark, but flamboyant, colors.”
“Despite being seen, no one notices the difference between Cyrene and Shanty?”
“Though still important, she is being underplayed in this struggle, but for what reason?”
Commentary:
“Still can always be counted on.”
Name: Neesiette vera Luna
Titles: “Moon”
Race: Lunamata
Sex: Female
Age: ???
Occupation: Delver, Mystic
Discipline: ???
Powers:
[Rod of Force] – “In what way would it be changed? As designed, so shall it function, correct?”
[Rod of Respelling] – “A lady be every ready to instruct regarding what be in error.”
[“Brings An End” – Ponderous] – “[Ponderous was the end, for the unfair passage of time finally brought even earth to its conclusion]…”
Disposition: Impassive / Calculating / Curious
Alignment: Ordered
Eyes: Pale Violet
Hair: Amber
Skin: Pale White
Statistics:
Rantil Value –
Strength – F
Vitality – F
Dexterity – D
Agility – E
Intelligence – B
Mentality – C
Luck – F
Charisma – C
???
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “First imps, and now short girls? This is certainly becoming a pattern, isn’t it? Though you might not fare badly with a girl as beautiful as this, yes? Though she’s a little perfect, doesn’t she seem oddly demure?”
“My, won’t a bit of greed go a long way in reassuring you of her worth, Adris?”
“Would you be lovestruck if she cradled you with such care?”
“Who can see the conclusion to calling someone a name that burns them up inside?”
Description:
“An otherworldly existence, she wears clothing that doesn’t fit with the Castillo. With mannerisms quite distinct from all others, even the girls she travels with seem incomparable to her uniqueness. Yet, she definitely seems to be in charge…?”
“Though she is helpful to others, that doesn’t mean she does it for free. Even for a girl that needs little, you make a mistake in thinking she wants nothing.”
“Revealed finally is the true pursuit of Neesiette aside from Art: items of such profound uniqueness that they exist only to be preserved for all time.”
“While Neesiette has few talents at the moment, perhaps she’s only hiding them in reserve?”
Commentary:
“Still the number one lady not to be caught lying to.”
Name: Lycia Vehrose
Titles: Beast of Conquest
Race: Blood-Stained Ghoul
Sex: Female
Age: ?? (Old Lady)
Occupation: Wondrous Works Researcher; Tool Creator; Total Monster
Discipline: Battle Pressure – Mad Ghoul
Powers:
[Shooting Stars] – “A strange, wooden box with holes in the end produces a stream of missile-like light, which explodes with enormous force on the chosen target. I, of course, want it desperately. Hooray for aura tools.” [Pocket Belmont] – “A spiked chain that flies with great force to strike out, before returning. It explodes with flame on impact, destroying whatever is around its point of release. Is this love? Am I in love?” [Doom Rollers] – “Please make way for one of my favorite tools! Or, rather: don’t.” [Heart Taking] – “Hey, won’t you give yourself to me~? Completely and absolutely.” [True Form] – “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Disposition: Sultry / Intelligent / Vicious |-| Insane
Alignment: Neutral
Eyes: Green, Speckled Gold
Hair: Blond
Skin: Deathly White
Statistics:
Rantil Value –
Strength – C (?)
Vitality – C (?)
Agility – C (?)
???
Beauty:
Cethran Value – “Perhaps you have a fascination for that which seems human, but whose qualities deviate far from it when inspected? Even if she’s your ideal figure, Adris, won’t it be a problem if she decides to eat you up?”
“Is she more beautiful because she’s so willing to be amoral, or in spite of it? Showing so many wonderful expressions, are you captivated by the face, or the evil light in her eyes?”
“Still attracted to her now? You are incorrigible, aren’t you, Adris? Red and gold on white, if a living corpse can excite you, then we’ll have to start taking this section down a stranger path, won’t we?”
“Is she everything you remember, Adris? She certainly seems to recall you fondly, doesn’t she?”
“Are you ready for what it means to learn what someone truly is?”
Description:
“A woman whose first instinct is to not trust you, and to trust only in herself. A fairly good perspective and outlook on life, in a blue abyss filled with lunatics. The obvious question is: how sane can she be if she willingly lives there?”
“While willing to help and showing a proclivity towards honoring deals, she’s seemingly not above taking what she can get.”
“A true monster in the classical sense, in both mind and body. Perhaps only her soul is near enough to human to redeem her a bit. A Bloodstained Ghoul is something truly awful, an enemy from the past returned to haunt the living. Doubly so when she’s experienced at it.”
“Exposed as a shopkeeper, what exactly is the purpose of her associations? Between scholar, servant of the Alchemaster, wild terror which holds the title of Beast of Conquest, and willing salesman to sex-mad slayers, what is her angle?”
“This is the real Lycia. No matter how she plays around, she doesn’t accept any sort of compromise.”
Commentary:
“Not even my final form! Transformations are pretty much the hallmark of boss characters.”
Glossary: