[solved]Sanctuary

There were two steps that lead to a ladder just a jump’s distance away. Su proceeded up the steps first and came to a halt as the bear creatures seemed to gather in the section below.
According to Zosia, they were creatures called Linches. They were knee-height, bipedal silver bear robots with glossy yellow LEDs for eyes. They had black claws and a red LED in their chest.
“They might look harmless, but the looks can be deceiving! Turn your back and they’ll tear your guts out, trust me on this,” Zosia added.
“You snooze you lose, Su!” Naomi said as she leapt from the platform and flew up to the landing above.
“Keh,” The God’s Governor answered.
Her eyes darted back to the linches and what initially was a single robot clamoring to get at her quickly became a pile of robots making a tower.
“Oh no you don’t, you little shits!”
She raised a hand and an icicle took form. She caught it, reeled her arm back and hurled it down at them, splitting a couple and toppling the others that narrowly avoided the strike.
“Can’t climb, he says. My ass.”
“Let’s go, G.G!” Kooh said as she ran past and grabbed Su’s hand.
“Hey!”
Kooh grabbed hold of the ladder and Su swung from her hand to grab the bottom of it.
TJ and the others soon followed up and Kooh outstretched a hand.
“It’s okay, Little Lamb. If you fall, I’ll catch you!”
He smiled sheepishly.
She likely knew he had a distinct fear of heights. After seeing the aftermath at Kimara and likely hearing about what happened during their expedition to the Gourmet’s Valley, it seemed she was aware of him and his fears. Or perhaps, it was just Kooh being Kooh.
“You’re in the way,” Su muttered.
She began to use Kooh’s back to climb up and eventually used her head as a stepping stone to reach the top. In spite of this, Kooh retained her smile.
TJ took a short dash and jumped, taking Kooh’s hand and grabbing hold of the ladder with the other before making his way up.
“How about you two?” She asked.
“We’ll be fine. Though we aren’t adventurers, we’ve had our fair share of traversing fields,” Rufus remarked.
“You kids go on ahead. We’ll only slow you down anyway, if you’re still fighting.” Zosia added as she grinned nervously.
“Aye aye!” Kooh saluted the two and continued climbing.
A group of five linches glimpsed Naomi’s ascent and immediately started waddling towards her.
“Like moths to a flame.” She said as she took her syringe in both hands.
As they came within a foot of her, they all broke out into a sudden sprint, their claws suddenly becoming razor sharp. The first leapt at her and she sidestepped it. The second she jumped over and the third she flew out of the reach of. The fourth that came, she flew directly at, syringe first. The weapon pierced its face and as she withdrew, another leapt at her. She reeled a single foot back and kicked it before dragging it to the ground with her foot. Using that same momentum she slammed her foot through its face and kicked the remains aside.
Those that had passed came around a second time, but would not catch her off guard. She spun as she leapt back, one hand holding her syringe while the other was outstretched. A single bolt of white lightning shot forward and electrocuted the robot, causing it to short circuit and blow up. The linch that followed it was caught in the explosion and blown to pieces. The fifth that followed the others leapt through the cloud of fire but came to a sudden halt as a dagger pierced through its body.
“You better not be expecting me to play babysitter,” Su said.
She ripped her dagger out from the robot and kicked it from the landing to the group below.
“I’d always wanted to see you fight first-hand. We’re gonna have a lot of fun, you and I.” Naomi said with an impish grin.
“So long as you don’t become one more corpse for him to cry over, I’ve got no problem with you.”
At those words Su pressed onward toward the second sector while Naomi shrugged.
“As tough as the place that trained her. Although, Samson would be glad to know she’s still alive and can look after herself.”
“Naomi,” Kooh called out. “Oh! Looks like you guys cleared out the area already!”
“Yeah, there was just a few around here. These linches aren’t so bad. Should be fine going forward.”
“We’ll be counting on you, Naomi.” TJ added with a grin.
She placed a hand to a curled arm.
“Yeah! I’ll crush any robots who get in our way!”

The group made their way to the second sector and glimpsed Su launching a series of icicles through the spell Shattered Berg. The linches that avoided it began their pursuit anew, some of them stopping as their eyes changed from yellow to red. At the sight, the God’s Governor spread her wings and leapt into the air, up and over the robots.
“Get back!” Thee shouted as he took to the vanguard.
He drew his broadsword and held the wide end out. Moments after he did so, a crimson laser pierced the smog and hit his weapon, dispersing the moment it did.
“Everyone safe?” He asked as he looked back to them.
“Yep, thanks to your quick thinking,” TJ remarked.
He gave him a smile before he took up a battle stance.
“Glad to hear it. Let’s not waste any time though, Su needs our help.”
“Right. Let’s go, guys!”
Su hid her wings as she touched down, checking both her front and blind sides.
There were no shortage of linches around her. In the distance she could see big bellies. It would only be a matter of time before they attacked too.
“Broken Wings!” Kooh’s voice and dagger rended the air.
Her dagger caught one of the linches and she appeared upon it. She plunged it all the way through before she outstretched a hand.
“Radiant Blast!”
A jet of light shot from it and blasted one linch, while taking off half of the head of another.
TJ touched down next to the Governor of Earth and hid his wings as he too, outstretched a hand.
“We’re here to back you up, Su!
“Hailstone!”
At his words a ring took form and fired a multitude of icy shards at his assailant.
“My heroes,” Su muttered in annoyance.
As TJ’s spell came to an end Thee emerged from the mist with his blade at his side.
“Triple Crashes!” He shouted as he hauled it over his shoulders.
Three times he brought his blade down upon the four linches that followed after Su. Some already damaged by TJ’s spell, others still in perfect condition found themselves cleaved into pieces by the Warlord’s stance.
“Let’s keep this going!” Naomi excitedly said as she regrouped with them.
“So far so goo-” TJ froze as he glimpsed Su’s cheek.
There were claw marks down her face. It seemed that they had healed somewhat, but there was still fresh blood upon it.
At the sight he looked shocked for a couple of moments. When they had passed, it began to shift to fury.
Not once, but twice this place had threatened to take his friends away from him. He would not allow it!
He looked past the broken robots they had just laid waste to and to those that awaited them beyond. At the sight of the big bellies, his fury increase twofold.
The big bellies were robots that were shaped almost exactly alike to the goliath MG that Robo had recently acquired. However, unlike their MG counterpart, they did not have a cockpit, nor controls. Their colour was a rusted brown and their eyes a dim crimson.
The Abellan’s eyes flickered to crimson for but a moment as he stormed off. As he did so Su reached out to him, brows furrowed.
“Hey wai-”
In spite of her call, he still left without another word.
“The hell is going on with him?”
“It’s that, isn’t it?” Kooh asked, a worried expression on her face. “Things like these are bound to happen if people never find closure! Come on everyone, we have to go after him!”
“Closure? To…what?” Zosia asked.
Rufus was the only one who offered her an answer, his being a baffled shrug. The others immediately broke out into a desperate pursuit.
TJ ran ahead, jumping down from the pipes to a flat landing before storming towards the nearest linch. He leapt from where he stood and slammed his guitar over it before looking to the others with blood lust.
“Permutation!” He snarled as he held his guitar by the neck and base.
A sliver of light ran across the base and vanished, giving it an edge as sharp as a sword.
Two linches and a big belly began to approach and he hauled the weapon over his shoulder.
“Howl!”
He swung his weapon once and a crimson blur followed in the wake of his swing, cleaving any robots that were touched by it. Immediately after it he swung once more in the opposite direction, creating another ripple effect and catching the big belly in it. He wound up for the third swing and unleashed it, releasing a third wave that travelled a short distance and split some of the fencing around the landing.
“TJ! Come back!” Kooh shouted as she ran after him.
“It’s fine! Just let me handle this, okay?!” He snarled as he stormed off.
“He’s starting to sound a little like you, Su,” Thee remarked.
“You like to talk, don’t you? How about I cut off the bottom half of your jaw? You won’t be able to stop flapping your gums after that,” Su sneered.
“Time and place, kiddos. This is neither,” Naomi said.
TJ climbed to the highest point in the sector where three big bellies awaited. He armed his guitar and hurled it as if he was going to use Broken Wings.
“Avaritia!”
The moment it hit and damaged the first big belly, he took hold of it with his power and crushed the robot. As the other two began drifting towards him, he launched the weapon at them, splitting the second. After removing it, he pulled it back before swinging it around in a circle two times, lopping off the top halves before returning the weapon to his hand. As he did so, Kooh flew from above alongside Naomi. They touched down in a section just a bit lower than where TJ stood now and upon their landing, led the assault. Kooh fired a series of Arrows of Lights while Naomi took to the fore and smashed as many big bellies as she could with her syringe.
The Abellan jumped down to where they were and looked at the enemies they had felled and to them. He blinked rapidly, fighting back his own tears before renewing his fervor.
“There’s no point if you throw yourself at them! Just let me clear the sector,” he roared.
“TJ, we should do this together!” Kooh cried, to no avail.
Naomi solemnly watched as the event played out. The two remained but for a few moments before they began their pursuit anew into the third sector, passing by The Factory as they did so.
As TJ took his first steps into the sector, hardly a moment had passed before both Kooh and Naomi flew past him. The God’s Governor took the high path while the Vampanelar took the lowest.
His options were rather limited—he could follow one of the two, but there was the chance that he would bring harm to them with his power as it was. On the other hand, it seemed there was one more set of landings that was right down the middle. Given his experiences, it would likely be better that he go there and clear the path then risk the two being ambushed.
For all of their sakes, he would not let fear conquer him now.
He dashed forward and landed hard before he checked both his blindside and everything before him. He saw a couple scraps of metal, that which made up the body of big bellies scattered across the landing, leading back towards sector four.
Naomi had already been there, it seemed.
He rushed forward and glimpsed two more landings with two big bellies upon each. They did not notice him yet so he would take the opportunity to get the first strike.
“Hailstone!” He shouted as he outstretched a hand.
The icy ring appeared before the spell was released, firing a multitude of icicles at the robots below him.
Hardly moments later his gem began to glow and Su emerged before touching down.
“Hey jackass! If you’re gonna do something reckless, don’t do it alone! Don’t forget, if you get your ass killed, I’m going with you and I’d rather not!” She snarled as she leapt down to where he attacked.
“Hel Vacuum!”
As she touched down, she outstretched a hand and pulled it back with a single vicious movement. The air before her seemed to rend as a small black hole took form and dragged the damaged big bellies into its range. The two were pulled from each side and crashed into each other before being roughly pulled over the next few seconds.
She cracked her right hand’s knuckles before she clenched a fist. A dark energy pulsed from within it before she slammed her open palm into the nearest robot.
“Wrath! Executioner’s Axis!”
The moment her hand touched it, a second sphere took form and began to unleash a pulse that seemed to push the big bellies outwards. However, due to Hel Vacuum, they remained locked in place. When the initial spell’s effect came to an end, the second was released and launched the two robots with incredible force. They shot off into the distance, tumbling and smashing across the ground as they did, eventually taking the other pair with them. They shot off into the distance before hitting a wall and being smashed into a useless heap.
In spite of this, TJ decided to jump down, run past Su and into the final sector where the orions awaited.
“Would you give it a rest already?!” She hissed.
Naomi joined her before she could pursue him and stopped her.
“Let him go. Now’s the best time for him to have his moment. Truth be told, it’s likely the only way he’ll get this out of his system.” She told her as she watched TJ run off herself.
“And if he winds up getting himself killed?” Su asked impatiently.
“You won’t let that happen, will ya’?”
The Vampanelar grinned and the God’s Governor sighed audibly.
“Fine. Have it your way.
“So, what now? We sit here and twiddle our thumbs while he risks his ass for glory?”
“Nah. We’ll back him up from the sidelines. There’s only so much to see there and chances are he’ll fight whatever he sees first. We’ll take the more risky path.”
At this, Su looked surprised.
“Oh? For a girl who’s just started adventuring, you’re not half bad.”
Her companion’s grin widened.
“I’ve seen some shit, so I know my shit.”

The outermost sector had orions alone in it. In total, there were several. They were also exactly as TJ remembered them. The towering bodies, rusty brown legs and torso, a yellow right arm with an excavator’s shovel and a ribbed left arm with a wrecking ball. Upon it’s back was a single steel claw attached to a mustard yellow arm. It’s head was rotund and tan, its eyes keyhole shaped and its mouth a set of jagged squares that fit together like puzzle pieces. Upon it’s head two dull horns protruded skyward.
Leaving them aside, it was split into two paths, one lower and one higher. The high path had a single ivory Iris Stone and in the distance, what seemed to be the gate of an Instance Dungeon.
Neither of these things drew the Abellan’s attention. His eyes burned at the sight of the orions. His heart overflowed with hatred, with desire and an unsatisfied appetite for unbridled destruction of any and all robots. The memory of seeing Ardoss being crushed by one of these machines prickled his conscious mind and he decided here and now, he would do what he could not have prior.
“Rave Reactor!”
TJ cracked his knuckles with both hands before he placed one foot forward and took on a battle stance. A crimson energy swirled around him before unleashing a bright spark. Following this, the energy pulsed outward and dissipated.
The spell was for all intents and purposes, an adrenaline rush. It decreased his body’s limiters and doubled the output of stamina he would use while in effect, but would subsequently leave him exhausted following the use of it, depending on how much energy he expended.
From where he stood, he took a couple of steps and leapt an incredible distance. He soared through the air towards an orion standing before the Iris Stone and he slammed his guitar in its face. The blow staggered the robot and drew its ire.
“I’ll break you!” TJ snarled as he removed Permutation.
The orion threw a straight right and TJ leapt above it and onto the ball itself. He broke out into a sprint and ran down the arm towards the head.
“Bone Crusher!”
He leapt from the arm and slammed his guitar into one of the horns, snapping it off and denting the head. The creature leaned back and threw its claw at him, but he jumped from its arm towards the Iris Stone pedestal.
“Sledgehammer!”
He flipped twice from the landing and hit the claw, smashing it and breaking it off before crushing its torso. The orion collapsed to the ground, seeming to struggle to get to its feet.
“End of the line for you!
“Spite!”
With a wave of his hand a massive violet spike emerged from the ground and pierced through the orion. Electricity crackled from it as it shuddered and came to a halt.
“Not enough…there’s more out there!”
TJ made his way past the Iris Stone and ascended a couple of steps to find two more orions. One of them glimpsed him and took a couple steps before it took a swing with its wrecking ball. The Abellan stepped away as it swung past and came around with a right hook from its shovel. As he crouched under it, it followed up with a backhand from the wrecking ball. He managed to back flip away from the strike but it continued to turn in spite of the missed attack. For but a moment, he glimpsed the second orion approaching and he knew he had to act fast. The first orion circled around with another strike from its wrecking ball before it leapt into the air towards him.
The distance it moved and the size of it left him little option, save for jumping into a pit of orions, or risking either going under it or going backwards—either potentially ending with his bones being crushed. However, with the Contemptuous Arts on his side he had another option.
“Shadow Dive!”
He dipped into the orion’s shadow and emerged behind it as it touched down. The sheer weight of it shook the ground, but within the shadows TJ was not affected. As he emerged from it, he glimpsed the claw from its back being thrown down where he once was.
“Now! Demon’s Armoury!”
He morphed his guitar into a mallet and slammed the weapon into the claw, breaking the arm off. As the robot staggered, he ran up its back and landed hard before he did a full spin to smash the weapon into its face. Following this, he placed the weapon on his back and outstretched both arms.
“Avaritia!”
The weight of the robot was far beyond his skill level and the sheer difficulty of moving it made the veins in his arms and face become visible. Teeth clenched and feet firmly planted into the ground, he lifted the robot with all his might. Using his sister’s power, he slammed it into the ground once, lifted it again and hurled it into the the other orion, sending the two tumbling into a heap and off of the platforms they stood on to one lower. After the effect came to an end, he heaved desperately before drawing his mallet.
“Demon’s…Armoury!”
He shaped the weapon into a massive broadsword that he had to drag to wield. With the last of his stamina he dashed forward, crossing the few landings that stood between him and them. Upon reaching the jumping off point, he leapt from where he stood and hauled the weapon over his shoulder as he let out a desperate battle cry. As he touched down the weapon followed suit, cleaving the orions in two and releasing a pulse of electricity and steam from their remains.
TJ let go of his weapon and it returned to its true form. He looked at the battlefield and glimpsed Naomi and Su giving each other a high-five. The two joined shortly after by Kooh and Thee.
There was nothing left for him to destroy. The fight was over.
He collapsed to his knees as tears welled up in both of his eyes and he quietly sobbed. One by one, they streaked down his cheeks and splashed to the ground.
Relief and sadness washed over him in those following moments. He was glad that he had become strong enough to defeat those he could not in the past. However, the bottled-up regret that he held in his heart all those years seemed to escape all at once, along with the tension that had brought him thus far.
Naomi flew up to where he was and crouched down before him, her wrists resting over her knees.
“Finally got it all out, TJ? Must’ve been tough for you, huh? Losing your friends like that. You did good though, coming all this way in spite of it all.” She said, her eyes shuttered, voice soft.
Kooh ascended to the platform and dropped to her knees to take him in her arms.
“Ohh…Little Lamb…if only I’d known that this was how you felt all this time!” She cried as she held him tighter. “I’m sorry you had to bear that all alone! But it isn’t your fault! I was supposed to protect you and Princess! If I was strong enough, I’m sure there’d have been another way but…but…”
As her words cut off he began to feel tiny droplets falling upon his hair and he looked up to see the God’s Governor of Ice in tears. Her eyes tightly clenched, her mouth curled into a sorrowful frown and her cheeks wet.
It was a sight he never thought he would see, one that seemed too surreal to exist even as he watched it play out over those brief moments. The pain he had carried all this time was something he was well aware of—something he thought of frequently and eventually came to realize that his guild master also held in her heart. However, the ever-cheerful God’s Governor remained an enigma until now. But she, of all of them, likely carried the greatest burden of all, having been tasked with the duty of removing the traces of their presence. That including, the lives of their friends and those that threatened to take them.
At this sight, TJ could not stop his tears from flowing in an even greater number. He held her in turn, hoping that if even just a little, that he could ease her pain. She must have endured a world of heartache that he never knew, yet looked after everyone, ever the heart of Yggdrasil, loving everyone openly and without restraint. Even more so, during the time TJ had spent away from them, she acted as Peorth’s mentor, her best friend and her shadow.
“TJ…thank you for protecting Princess then. If I lost her I…I’d lose the very reason I live. I couldn’t bear the thought of something like that happening to her. I was just some street rat, but it was because of you two that I can be here today. I was given a home, a reason to live and…and friends…who treated me as an equal…who I loved and loved me in turn. You and Princess are the last remnants of those times I have, but I swear, I’ll fight for you with every ounce of my being! And I’ll give everything and more for your happiness!”
There were few times where TJ was able to cheer someone up. Especially someone who cried and spoke from their heart to him as Kooh did now. He wanted to do more, to say more, but his words and actions were a muddled mess right now and he struggled to put them together. Instead, he wiped his tears away and held Kooh close to his chest, beside the Heart of Yggdrasil. Following this, he gently patted her head.
“You’ve been strong for us all this time, haven’t you, Kooh? It’d be bad if you were the one who had to be strong all the time so…if things get hard, you can talk to me. Talk to me about anything, about everything, both good and bad. My advice might not be the best, but I am your Abellan. It’s a part of my job to support the God’s Governors, but I’ll do it because I want to, not because I need to.”
Kooh sniffled and looked to him, smiling through her tears. As she did so, a thin trail of mucus ran from one of her nostrils but it did not bother him any.
“You’re a real sweetheart, Little Lamb.”
He smiled at her praise and wiped her tears with a finger.
“Sorry I don’t have a hanky to wipe your tears away.”
He let her go and she stood before taking one out from her pocket.
“That’s okay. I always have one or two on me.”
Though they had their moment, Naomi had been present the entire time. TJ could not help but feel a little embarrassed at her having to sit through all of it.
He looked to the Vampanelar who was looking in the opposite direction. From where he stood, it seemed her ears were a lot redder than they normally would be.
“Naomi? Are you okay?” He asked, purely out of concern.
“O-okay? I’m fine. Great even! Are you?” She asked without turning.
“Yeah, I feel a lot better! Sorry for the trouble.”
“I-I’m used to that. I expected as much.”
A gloved hand grabbed on to the platform and Thee came up before hiding his wings. As he did so, Su returned to the gem and Naomi turned away from him, facing another direction.
“Hope I’m not interrupting,” Thee said.
“I didn’t know you could fly, Thee!” TJ said with a look of surprise.
He knit his brows as he chuckled dryly.
“I wouldn’t say I can fly per se, but I do have my wings. I’m terrible with them, though.”
The Abellan laughed quietly with his comrade.
“Alright, I’m back at 100%!” Kooh said with clenched fists.
Her eyes burned passionately and Naomi looked somewhat startled by her declaration.
“That Instance Dungeon is up there, right? We should go.” Naomi said as she pointed to it.
TJ looked up to where he jumped from and noted that he could not reach that height.
“It…might be too high for me to reach,” he said sheepishly.
“Leave it to me, Little Lamb!” Kooh said as she scooped him up in her arms.
“K-Kooh?!”
Without another word, she spread her wings and flew up to it with the others following closely behind.
After a brief while they all regrouped at the Instance Dungeon.
The gate itself was a silver metal, line with wires and gears up towards the top. A radar dish rested in the center, a red glow came from an LED placed at the tip of it. Beneath it in Agasuric it read ‘The Fifth District’. As was the case with all other Instance Dungeons, there was a swirling blue energy coming from the center of the gate.
“This is it, guys. How are you feeling?” Thee asked.
“Good to go,” Kooh said.
“Still got plenty of juice left,” Naomi remarked.
“I’m a little low on stamina, but I should be fine given a few minutes,” TJ added.
“This’ll be as far as we go. We’ll be here when you come back, examining this here gate.” Zosia said as she patted one side of it.
“Best of luck in the Instance Dungeon, TJ and friends. We’ll be praying for your success out here while we conduct our research.”
“Thanks guys! We’ll be back before you know it!” TJ said with a grin.
He looked to the gate with a hint of trepidation, quickly banished by his renewed desire to confront his destiny.
“It’s time, everyone. You know the plan! Yggdrasil, move out!”
At his words, the four stepped into the gate and entered the third Sinner’s dungeon, The Fifth District.

The sensation of travelling through an Instance Dungeon was unmistakable, however, it was the arrival that left the whole group baffled. Upon stopping, they each found themselves seated in a small, crowded black room. Directly to their left, they could see what seemed to be a pair of chairs before a control board, along with a glass pane. The sound of the air being torn through by an incredible piece of machinery rang out despite them being inside of the machine.
“Where are we?” Thee asked, looking puzzled.
There was another pane of glass right next to TJ and he looked out of it.
“Looks like we’re in the sky!” He said excitedly.
He pressed his face to the glass to glimpse the sea below and the rotor blades above, rapidly spinning.
“And we’re inside of a giant metal dragonfly!”
Naomi squinted suspiciously at his description.
“A metal…dragonfly? This isn’t some sort of plane, is it? I can’t think of anything else that flies and is made of metal.”
“Must be,” Kooh added.
“But it’s wings are on the top,” TJ remarked, “and they spin. Kinda like that one stance the Chief uses.”
“Can it make her fly, too?” Thee asked with a grin.
“There’s no need for that!” Kooh laughed, waving it off.
“Passengers, we’ll be arriving at our destination soon,” the captain said through a microphone.
“There’s…someone else here?” TJ asked.
He got up to investigate and the Heart of Yggdrasil lit up.
“Don’t be stupid! When have you ever seen another person in an Indun, outside of our party?” Su asked.
TJ swallowed the statement hard and reached for his guitar as he crept ever closer to the seat. Moments before he got there a robot wearing a captain’s outfit and hat leaned over the side and greeted him.
“It’s dangerous to stand up while we’re in flight, my fair adventurer!” He said, his eyes lighting up.
“Geh!”
TJ instinctively drew his weapon and the captain raised his hands in surrender.
“Hey now! There’s no need for violence, is there? You can break me, but how many of you know how to fly a helicopter?”
He let go of his guitar and stepped back but kept his eyes watching the pilot.
“This is for the best. The last thing we need is to crash land in the ocean. Considering how heavy this thing is, chances are we’ll just sink to the bottom of it,” Naomi said.
The Abellan shuddered at the prospect and the Vampanelar grinned.
“Near-death experiences are a staple for you, aren’t they, TJ?”
“Are we sure we can trust this guy? Let’s be real here, he’s a robot in a Sinner’s Indun. How do we know he won’t just hand us over to the Sinner?” Su asked.
“We don’t have much choice though, do we?” Thee asked. “This is the first time I’ve been in, let alone heard of a helicopter.”
“I think we’ll be alright,” TJ said. “In the other Induns, there were always things that would help us to reach the Sinners. I dunno if they put it there themselves, but without them, chances are we wouldn’t stand a chance. For example, the message from Luxuria in the Pharaoh’s Chambers—that was definitely her doing! In the Gourtmet’s Valley we had those weird crystals with the effects and the chocolate chunks that broke down the walls too. I’d bet there’s something similar here too!”
“I’m almost envious of your wacky adventures,” Naomi snickered.
“I’m with the Little Lamb on this one,” Kooh added. “I can see our starting location from here. It’s a giant floating island. Like the City of Iron, but in the sky.”
Most of the group gathered around the window next to Kooh to get a glimpse of their destination.
As she had said, the place was reminiscent of where they once were, but had a much more terrifying presence. Though small from their distance, massive robots patrolled the streets. Small robots with flight drifted through the sky, raining searchlights down upon the rooftops and streets where the larger robots could not patrol. The buildings were tall but also heavily damaged, crumbling in certain places as if a war had already taken place there. Upon some of the rooftops, skylights lit up the world above, perhaps searching for invaders such as them. It seemed as if the city was even more heavily guarded than the City of Iron itself.
“It seems this will be as close as I can take you. From here on out, the rest is up to you, adventurers!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Naomi asked.
“You’ll have to take one of those parachutes and take a dive!”
The group looked to where the captain pointed and glimpsed four backpacks, each containing a parachute.
“Why, exactly?” Thee asked suspiciously.
“If we’re to get any closer, there’s a good chance they’ll shoot us down. Would you like to take that risk?”
“L-let’s not…”TJ suggested, eyebrows knit.
“I’m not so convinced about this, but maybe this is the safest bet. I don’t need one, since I can fly. You guys should each take one,” Naomi explained.
“I should be able to get down fine too. The idea of using a parachute in a place like this doesn’t seem like a good idea to me,” Kooh added.
“I second that notion. If something goes wrong, better to not have it get in the way.” Thee agreed, nodding.
“Guess I’ll have to take one…but what exactly is a parachute?” TJ asked, looking over the group.
“It’s like a bag that holds a giant blanket, Little Lamb! You pull the string when you’re falling and it pops out and you drift to the ground safely!”
“F-falling?!” He shrieked.
“Chill, TJ, you’ll be fine. Trust me, it’ll seem scary at first, but once you pull the string everything’ll be gravy,” Thee said.
“Do you know how high up we are?! There’s no way that I can jump from this height!”
Kooh placed a hand to her cheek with a worried expression while Naomi crossed her arms, brows knit.
“This puts Kimara to shame by a long shot! I’d be lucky if I got away with a broken wing and some ribs!”
Su emerged from the gem and sighed. She turned to TJ and placed both her hands to his shoulders.
“Listen, I’m not gonna tell you to suck it up and get over it…this time. You being scared shitless is pretty justified after that. But we don’t have a choice in the matter. Unless you’d rather go down in a flaming mess with this thing. You know how machines are, they tend to blow up. Which is worse? Becoming street pizza or going down in a flaming wreck?”
“Neither of those sound good,” he retorted.
“Exactly. Like I said before, if you die, I die. I’m not gonna let that happen. If something happens, I’ll find a way around it. If there’s anything that gem of yours is good for, it’s allowing me to do some ridiculous shit that nobody else could. I’ll find a way.
“So put on that bag, close your eyes and jump. I’ll be watching.”
“I still don’t feel very good about this…”
Kooh stepped to him and gave his hand a light squeeze.
“You’ll be okay, Little Lamb. We’re all in this together, so if anything happens, we’ll be there too. If anyone tries to hurt you, we’ll give ‘em what for.” She said as she grinned.
“This is the easy part, isn’t it? We get past this and we’ll get to that Sinner before you know it. Don’t stress the small stuff,” Naomi remarked.
“Alright, you guys ready? We’ll go first TJ, so just follow our lead.” Thee said as he stepped to the door.
The Abellan slipped the parachute backpack on and nodded firmly. As he did so, Su returned to the gem.
“Hit it!” Kooh said with a raised fist.
With both doors to the handle, Thee pulled the door open and it slid aside. Upon doing so, the group was nearly sucked out of the helicopter by the powerful surging winds, the five fighting to keep their balance before regaining it.
“Let’s go, everyone!” Thee shouted before he leapt out.
“I’ll go next!” Kooh shouted over the winds before diving out the door.
TJ watched in the window, seeing his companions soaring down towards the ground before spreading their wings mid-descent.
“You’ll be fine, TJ! Just make sure you pull that string when you feel you’ve gone far enough!” Naomi called to him before she followed suit with the others.
The Abellan stepped to the door and watched solemnly as Naomi’s figure descended towards the ground and steadily became nothing more than a vanishing dot.
“Nothing for it. Just take a breath and take the dive,” Su suggested.
There was little choice in the matter. So long as he did not have to see it, it would be fine, right? All he had to do was pull the string.
He took a deep breath, exhaled, closed his eyes and leapt from the helicopter. His body began it’s rapid descent, the wind violently lashing his face and any open locations in his clothes all the while.
To him, it was a horrifying experience. One that seemed to go on for an eternity. Even so, he dared not open his eyes out of fear of seeing what awaited him on his way down. If he recalled correctly, the string was right next to his right flank. All he needed to do was pull the cord with enough force to release the parachute and he would begin a slow descent.
He reached out, grabbed the cord and tugged it with all his might. He could feel the top of the bag slapping against the back of his head and he heard the sound of papers fluttering from within it, rising toward the sky as he continued his descent.
…Papers? He thought.
He looked back to glimpse the papers slowly descending as his rapid descent continued and he realized he had been tricked. Both out of fury and fear, he screamed as his descent continued unhindered.
“I knew those bastards would do something like this!” Su snarled as the gem began to glow.
She emerged from it ahead of him and turned her body to his.
“To think they’d pull a shitty stunt like this! Fine then!”
She draped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her body.
“Just keep your arms like that. If you hold on to me we’re both gonna hit the ground!”
She looked behind her and watched as they neared their destination and what seemed to be Naomi.
“Judging by the way this is going, it was a trap, wasn’t it?” She shouted amidst the lashing winds.
“If it wasn’t obvious already, yeah,” Su snarled back.
In spite of them falling, Naomi still cracked a slight grin.
“Let him go, Su. I’ll see to it that we get him there safely!”
Somewhat reluctant, Su grit her teeth and closed her eyes, but eventually resigned herself to Naomi’s suggestion.
“You fuck this up and I’ll make sure you regret it later!”
Su returned to the gem and Naomi reached out and pulled the Abellan close to her.
“It’s alright now, TJ. I gotcha’!”
“But Naomi, you…!” He said as he tightly clung to her shirt.
“What, don’t think I can carry two people? I’m stronger than I look!” She grinned at him. “Just close your eyes and hang on tight.”
Naomi spread her wings out before giving herself a downward push towards the ground. Every second that passed, they drew ever closer to the landing point where Kooh and Thee waited in bated breath.
“They’re gonna crash!” Kooh cried out, on the verge of biting her nails.
“Slow down, Naomi!” Thee shouted, waving his arms.
Naomi continued her rapid descent in spite of their words. Moments before hitting the ground, she spread her wings and beat them, bringing her dive to a halt as her body turned over. She touched down and let TJ down as she did so.
“Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” She asked as she grinned.
“Scared me shitless,” Thee said, “and I wasn’t even your passenger.”
TJ’s legs trembled before he collapsed to his knees and let out a groan.
“You should have descended more carefully! What if you crashed?” Kooh asked, pouting.
“Oh come on Bloodbag, we were fine. Unlike you guys, diving is an Agasura’s specialty. Can’t ascend or soar like you can, but we can dive-bomb like it’s nobody’s business. Landing is part and parcel to the rest.”
“You scared TJ out of his wits, though!”
“It’s okay, I’m alright! S-sorry for the tro-”
Before he could finish his sentence, the Vampanelar placed a finger to the Abellan’s lips.
“It’s times like these where you say thanks, not sorry. You apologize if you screwed up, not if you needed help. There ain’t nothing wrong with needing a hand from your friends. Got it?”
He nodded and beamed.
“Thanks a bunch, Naomi.”
Her face flushed slightly and she averted her gaze, a small smile on her lips.
“O-one more time.”
“Thanks, Naomi.”
“Heh heh…you’re welcome.”
Thee chuckled and shrugged while Kooh crossed her arms and pursed her lips.
“Alright, let’s break it up folks. The real fun starts now. So? Let’s shake a leg and kick some ass.”

The city did not seem to welcome them in the slightest. Rather, there was hardly a doubt in any of their minds that it was on high alert.
As they came ever closer to taking their first steps into the Instance Dungeon’s first major location, something gave the Governor of Earth pause. She narrowed her eyes, before turning her head towards Thee.
“What?” Thee asked. “Do I have something stuck in my teeth?”
She clicked her tongue before she dove at him, the two crumpled to the ground in a heap. But a moment after she did so, the sound of gunfire rang through the streets. The bullet hit the ground and ricocheted off of it, leaving a ringing noise in the wake of the attack.
“Quit starin’ and get to cover, you dumbasses!” Su roared as she rushed to her feet.
At her command the group immediately broke out into a desperate dash for cover in one of the alleyways.
“Guess we’re not gonna be getting chummy with that Sinner for free. So, TJ? You’re in charge, what’s the plan?” Naomi asked, looking to him.
Her reminder gave him a brief moment of bewilderment. He did suggest to Peorth that she let him lead the party—he had done so thus far, now in the midst of a battlefield was not the time to be baffled.
“Kooh, Su, Naomi, I want you guys to take to the rooftops and take out those gunslingers. Thee, sorry to put this on you but I’ll need you to accompany me.”
“Leave it to us, Little Lamb!” Kooh chimed as she grinned.
“I’d be in trouble if you got your grey matter spread across the ground so…I’ll smash some shit,” Su remarked.
“Spoken like a true leader. We’re on the case,” Naomi added.
At that, the elder girls spread their wings and took off while Su climbed the wall up to a nearby flight of stairs, then disappeared over the eaves of the rooftop.
“Don’t worry TJ, I’ll protect you with my life,” Thee said.
“D-don’t!”
At this, the Warlord laughed.
“Where to first? I’ll follow your lead.”
TJ nodded solemnly.
He peeked around the corner and glimpsed Su running across an electrical line to reach the other side of the street.
“Way over there, it looks like the city kinda ascends? I could see it a little from the helicopter, but I think that’s where we need to go. If we reach the high ground, we can probably get on that weird looking machine to the next place.”
“Right behind you, dude.”
TJ nodded solemnly before he stepped past Thee back into the alleyway.
It seemed that the street they looked at was a straight shot to their destination but to walk that path would lead them to a horde of robots. The chance that they could successfully fend them off was slim at best and not worth the risk.
Alike to the City of Iron, there were a series of side streets and alleyways. Though in appearance it resembled that, TJ could not help but think of his time on Asgard and subsequent quest to meet with the princess. The thought gave him some joy for a brief spell.
He peeked around the corner and immediately opted to take cover as a smaller helicopter-like vehicle drifted by, raining a beam of light down upon the street before it as it passed.
“Do you think they have a Lilliputian driving that?” TJ asked, turning to Thee.
“...Are those guys actually real? I mean, I don't think they do because most of these robots seem to function without anyone controlling them but...still, have you seen one in your journey?”
“Yeah actually. A lot of them. Apparently, they live in Amata's domain.”
Thee chuckled dryly as he shook his head.
“You've seen it all, haven't you? I'm both envious and a little perturbed, to be honest.”
Since the way was clear, the two ran across the street and took cover in another alleyway before proceeding with all due caution. The moment they turned a corner, however, a beam of light illuminated them both and the machine let out a shrill alarm.
“Damn it! We were spotted!” Thee roared as he drew his blade.
He dashed towards the machine and leapt through the air to cleave it in two. Moments after he did, a group of shuttered silver doors arose and from them, a multitude of rust brown bipedal robots emerged.
They were the average height of humans with oval shaped heads, yellow LED lights for eyes and clamps for hands. The shape of the body was similar to the head, albeit larger, the arms and legs were knobbly and the feet flat. All of them unarmed but rather quick on their feet.
“We're surrounded. Nothing for it, then! TJ, take my blindside! We'll make short work of these guys and regroup with the others!”

“Got a plan?” TJ asked as he drew his weapon and stood back-to-back with his companion.
“I’m gonna be real with you,” Thee began, “we’re in a bad spot. We’re stuck in this little corridor with enemies coming from both directions. Good news is, they can’t surround us in here.
“My advice? Hit ‘em with lightning, and a lot of it. Or water. Either one should short-circuit them. I should be able to cleave through these guys pretty quickly, then I’ll back you up A.S.A.P.”
TJ swallowed hard.
“Got it.”
The Warlord looked over his shoulder and grinned.
“Chill, TJ. You’ve been through worse. These guys, unlike victors, don’t have chainsaws. We’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s show ‘em how we do things!”
“I’m with ya’!”
Taking his weapon in both hands, TJ began to strum his guitar. Three dark clouds took form in the street near the top of the buildings. Upon reaching a fair size and darkening the streets, the Bard raised a hand skyward and began to strum his weapon time and again with powerful strokes. At this, bolts of thunder rained down and electrocuted some of the oncoming assailants, causing them to stop, explode or short-circuit and collapse.
Thee raised his weapon and pointed it towards the robot leading the pack before he dashed forward. Without a moment’s hesitation, he plunged the weapon through its chest, withdrew a couple steps and follow the action with Double Blade, cleaving two more that had gotten too close.
A bead of sweat ran down TJ’s neck as some of the robots cleared the field and grew ever closer to him. The random nature of his thunder spell made it difficult to take out specific targets and due to that, it would not be long before he found himself overwhelmed.
He ended the spell and took a few steps back before he grit his teeth. He rapidly began to strum his guitar and electricity crackled at his fingertips with each strum.
“Megadeath,” he roared.
Once again, he performed long, delayed strums but with each one a bolt of lightning was unleashed and shocked some of the incoming robots.
However, this was not enough either.
Two of them broke through his chain of spells and lunged at him. The first threw a left hook at his chest that he narrowly blocked with his guitar, but the second caught him off guard. It gripped his ponytail and pulled him to the ground. He let out a pained cry as he rushed the floor and found himself being pummeled by clamps and feet.
“TJ?! You alright?!” Thee shouted, stuck in a deadlock with two robots.
“I-I’m okay! I’m fine!”
He was not fine by any stretch of the imagination but he could not have Thee coming to his rescue given their situation.
As another robot kicked him in the ribs he struggled to defend himself using his guitar.
He wanted to protect his body but if his hands were damaged, he would hardly be able to play.
That matter aside, in this situation what could he do? He only had a matter of moments before the robots that were temporarily paralyzed would break their immobility and come back for him with a vengeance. Leaving his dilemma for a time, Thee was in trouble also. The robots were beginning to get too close for him to even swing his sword and he could not fight them off.
What were TJ’s options? Use the Sins? Gula would only be effective against magic and without control, he could not use Avaritia. The Saints? Ardoss would be useful, but much too dangerous for the two. Velvet could attract anything sentient, but robots seemed to lack that, so she would be ineffective. What could he do? In this situation, how could he protect himself and Thee? The thunder pulse-like spell he used in his recent battle against Vanir would be good if he knew how to perform it, let alone the name. But perhaps…there was an alternative.
“Abide the words of my…” Mid-ritual he was kicked in the nose and found it bloodied. “Abide by the words of my contract and give me the strength to become the hope of this world!”
His hair flickered to white and his eyes blue, once again become the Messenger of Light.
He held his guitar tightly to his chest and shut his eyes as he took a deep breath.
“Barrier Break!”
A bright yellow energy surrounded him before taking the form of a shield-like grid. After a few moments, it grew brighter before expanding and passing through everything in the vicinity. As it did so, an electric current passed through every robot in the vicinity and Thee also, paralyzing everything it touched. The robots rattled violently as bolts of electricity jumped through them and Thee fell to the ground, completely immobilized.
“S-sorry Thee! I got kinda desperate.” TJ uttered in a tizzy, urging himself to his feet.
“So long as you can beat these things up before they kill me, I’ll forgive you.” Thee chuckled dryly, his face in the ground.
“I should be able to remove the paralysis…”
TJ took hold of his guitar and strummed three gentle notes.
“Mercy!”
As his hand was lifted from the strings, four spheres of light took form above Thee before converging upon each other. From the single sphere they created, a single drop of light like water fell to his body and spread throughout him, creating a gentle glow. The bolts of electricity that ran through him dissipated and he arose to his feet.
“Good as new!” Thee said as he rolled his shoulder.
“Great! Let’s clean these guys up!
“Elemental Augmentation!”
TJ hauled his guitar over one shoulder and waved his other hand, augmenting both his and Thee’s weapons with an electric effect. Following this, he took two steps forward before swinging his guitar and smashing the nearest robot’s head. He hauled the weapon into an over-hand swing and smashed another robot before spreading his wings and leaping into the air. He performed a second jump before pointing a hand down upon his adversary.
“Heartless!”
An thick icicle took form before his hand before it extended down towards one of the robots in the ground. It drove itself into it as TJ touched down and extended a hand towards it, shattering the spell and sending a series of icicles towards the others. Though the blow only staggered them, it would suffice.
TJ raised his guitar skyward, his free hand down at his side before he took it in both hands and held it before his face. A powerful glow surrounded it before he swiped it to the side.
“Amber Penance!”
The weapon took on the form of a lightning whip as the spell was completed.
With a step forward he swung the weapon and it lashed out, cleaving two robots in front of him. With another step he cut down three more before swinging it above his head. The final swing extended the range of the weapon and cut through the remaining robots before him. Following this, it returned to its normal form.
“All clear here!” TJ shouted as he wiped his brow.
Thee charged forward and ran his blade through two paralyzed robots. With a wide swing of his blade, he cast them both off of the weapon and cut down another.
“Meteor Wave!” He snarled as he flipped through the air and split those he pierced, along with another grounded machine.
He hauled the weapon over his head with a single hand and split a robot behind him in two. His eyes darted to one that was about recover from TJ’s paralysis and he swung the weapon from the ground, transitioning into a Double Blade.
Just as he completed the stance, one of the robots grabbed his armour and pulled him back as another approached.
“I hope this works…”
He placed one of his hands to the blade and the electric current of the augmentation coursed through him and into the robot that held him, causing it to short-circuit. Immediately following this, he cleaved one of his second assailant’s arms off and split the torso in two.
After flexing his fingers and chuckling lightly, he nodded to himself.
“Guess I’ve built up a bit of resistance to it,” he said. “Now then…three more is it? Easy enough.”
He dashed forward and skidded to a halt, performing a wide cleave. The robot he hit got caught on his blade and he swung it around before bringing his momentum to a halt and throwing it at another. The two collapsed atop each other and he performed a jumping strike to cut another down that was nearby. With the second strike of Twin Blade he finished off the other two and sheathed his weapon before nodding at his handiwork.
“All lights are green!” He shouted to TJ, who offered a thumbs-up in turn.

Some boys wanna kill all the monsters. Some want to kill all the titans. This boy wants to kill all the robots.
So? Let's get down to it!

You know, in a 2d side-scroller, heights are your best friend. Especially when they're above your enemies. Back in the day, the first section of Scrap Valley Exit had this little pit you could get the linches into. The little bastards could jump up the landings and would chase you right up to that point. The great thing about them, is that one of their attacks is a charge, so you could get them to run into the pit. Made clearing them out easier. Either that, or you'd fall into the pit and get shanked to death. Best pray you remembered to save in the City of Iron!
In the case of the story, not too much changed about these guys. As far as the linches go, they found a way to climb up out of their pit...that is, by stacking on top of each other. Attack wise they're the same. Rufus may have been right, but it doesn't mean he was correct!
I don't really have anything worthwhile to say about it, but I love the part where Su climbs over Kooh. It reminds me a little of how when Su climbs, Bane latches on to her.
Still, I think it's important for characters to have fears. I know it's obvious, but it feels like one of those things we don't think about often. There's always that nagging feeling in the back of my mind where I'm conflicted between trying to round out the character properly, but not make them...hated, you know? Most readers don't want a wimp. They especially don't want one as the main character. I can't deny that TJ is wimpy, but a man who overcomes obstacles is ten times better than a man with none. In this chapter alone, there are 4 examples of conflict explored. Man vs. self, person, machine and fate. The fascinating thing about overcoming the self, especially in a story like this, is that brute force won't help him. He has incredible power but doesn't understand it, and that in itself creates a certain inner turmoil.  You can see bits and pieces of this in Su also, but it isn't explored in its entirety here for her. I think the following parts explore this conflict more thoroughly and I'll go through them, but I want you to keep a close eye on this in case of other examples. These inner conflicts are often times linked to the enemies TJ encountered. As his growth is often inextricably linked with that of the chapter's titular character, in some cases the same could be said for the villain. You can call it a 'villain of the week' format, but just because they're defeated, it doesn't mean their influence is lost!

Let's talk about Naomi's fighting style! As mentioned before, she doesn't have a lot of skills at her disposal so she relies more heavily on basic attacks. Weapon attacks, more often than not, kicks over punches. Due to the size of her weapon, it requires both hands, but she can use it both as a blunt and piercing type weapon! And she does! In truth, in LT to shoot lightning Vampanelars typically used both hands, but they didn't always have their syringe on hand. I think it just kinda appeared out of meatspace for them to hit you with it when they were in range.
So then! It's Su's statement “You better not be expecting me to play babysitter,” that kinda shows part of her conflict. I suppose it'd be better if I said it's one of the major issues in her character arc. Perhaps almost a tragic flaw, of sorts. Considering what happened in Hanamah, it might just be the result of it all. On the other hand, Naomi takes a keen interest in her because she's well aware of all of it. I think I like the following statement by Su because in a way, she show she cares. It can be taken to imply that she doesn't want to deal with him being depressed over it or that she doesn't want him to have to mourn any more of his friends. At the same time, it could also mean that she doesn't want to have to do it also.

Just a quick FYI, if it wasn't obvious the laser was fired by one of the Big Bellies. I realize that I should have displayed it more and a bit more clearly, so when I do some editing hopefully I will. That was something they didn't originally do. An effect of the radio frequency. Oddly enough, the MG based on them was called Goliaths. The attack the Big Bellies used was the Goliath's running attack. They didn't have any other attacks aside from it, so the MG was substantially different from them. On that note, one of the fascinating things about Meisters was that every MG had a different set of attacks. There were still skills you specced into that were shared among all of them like Raikiri and Ion Cannon, but the basic attacks and combos for each MG were different. They were probably the predecessor to the designs we got for the sub-class fighting styles, now that I think about it.

So in the fight against Truong, Su got her face clawed if you recall. Since then, she only appeared outside of the Heart of Yggdrasil once, and that was to take down the officer. TJ didn't see the fight between the two or the result of it, so he suspects that it was the linches that gave her the wound. Surprisingly, throughout Sanctuary there aren't too many situations where he gets consumed by anger. One could say it technically happened in the fight against Vanir but it was less so anger and more so...I don't think there's a word for it but...it was more like his protective instincts. It's due to that, that he activated the eye instead of just tapping into the Chaos Frequency accidentally. Though in the cases where he does do that, he typically goes berserk.
So! Two new spells! The first is permutation. As the story says, it can make a dull object a sharp one. I can't vouch for the effectiveness of a sharp guitar, considering the shape and width of it. However, with another handy dandy spell, that being, Howl, even a guitar can cut like a knife! Nice! Depending on the weapon, Howl will have different effects. Think of it this way, if it's sharp, it cuts, blunt, it crushes and pointy, it pierces. Spears, knuckles and swords all get different effects. TJ changed the affinity of his weapon with Permutation and so, it split his enemies. The reason the third ripple went further wasn't because it was the third this time, but because he charged it, in a sense. The story does say 'he wound up' which is your clue to that.
Another interesting little tidbit here is that we see TJ improving with the use of Avaritia's ability. It actually has a name! Object Manipulation! It's obvious, I know, but they get dorkier the stronger the Sinner's become. It's turtles all the way down.
What does Executioner's Axis do? It repulses! However, the more times a target is hit with the repulse effect, the stronger the following effects become. Su could extend the effect but after the first couple it became overkill. For larger enemies, it'd require more pulses.
In a sense, this whole series of events is a little ironic, really, since Su did the same thing. Kooh and Naomi are the only ones who really know what the situation is, or at least have a clear idea of what has him so worked up so rather than stopping him, they're supporting him. In dealing with the other robots, he has nothing to kill and thus, eventually finds his anger diffused and his bloodlust sated. There's a lot of good moments between Su and Naomi here too, but they speak for themselves.

Next! Rave Reactor isn't particularly a spell. It's more a stance than spell, really, since it benefits fighter types rather than mages. I suppose it's pretty thoroughly explained, though it does feel out of place, I realize. When i wrote it, I wasn't sure whether I should've kept it there or put it at the end or something. But it'd be kinda bad if readers spent the rest of the fight wondering what it did, only to find out after it ended. Although...if they saw the effects of doing it afterwards, it'd fit the show don't tell bill a looooooot better. I might do that, when I decide to edit this. Just gotta emphasize that a little more and I can skip the paragraph of exposition.
As we're well aware, Bone Crusher and Sledge Hammer don't combo! They don't! The former can be followed up with Skull Sunder but the latter is a single attack.
Spite...was actually a spell used by Choen Palm in the fight in Elias. Or Su. I don't remember which, but one of the two did it. We all know what Demon's Armoury does. The mallet is just a favourite of his, I guess lol.
And so, the fight ends! As I wrote this, I did think back to the original fight and often at that. By that, I mean the fall at the City of Iron. In truth, that fight specifically is one I always wanted to redo to better portray the desperation and despair the entire ordeal enlisted. Given all that I've learned over the years and considered in regards to it, I realize it could be clearer and the lead-up to the end result could be better. However, If I am to, I'd like to go over Frequency one more time just to do some solid editing. I don't think the story would see any dramatic changes, but I'd fix up the parts that could be better and of course, correct grammar and sentence structure and all those little things, I'd also like to make the dialogue not so...2011, y'know? Might've been funny then, but it uhh...it's bad now. Terrible, even. I hate to say it, but it's legitimate cringe.

This part, I confess, was actually really difficult to write. Even I got a bit choked up as I did it. To me...anger and sorrow often are two sides of the same coin. In your anger, you might be able to do and say things you never could otherwise because of your inhibitions. If it's bottled up over a long period of time, even more so. When it's all over, and all is said and done, regret comes like a tidal wave and more often than not, you feel the recoil of your own actions. Even if what you did was justified, it never truly feels right. I suppose my stance on revenge isn't very different...and yet, the prospect of it is no less tempting, knowing what pain would follow in achieving it. Though it wasn't my intention, I think this part of the story clearly portrays those feelings.
What I really appreciate about this part, however, is that it's almost like a milestone in TJ's journey. There are various other ones: defeating sinners, mastering songs, acquiring the shards of the Heart of Yggdrasil, etc. However this one was something more grounded in his own mental block. In his memory, we saw the regret that he carried and how he lamented his own weakness. I'm sure many readers have probably had a moment in their lives where they had to face themselves and tell themselves, "I'm not strong/smart/good enough. I have to improve". We saw a moment like that also at the end of the battle in the City of Iron, right before TJ decided to side with the Asgardians. Nevertheless, as he says, he had finally become strong enough to fight back against those he was to weak to before. In all fairness, he did make quite the threat, but this time he did it with his own power and with his mind relatively intact. Naomi recognizes that effort, knowing both his pain and that of those who fought beside him.
Kooh's moment here was a really powerful, and very personal one to me. Have you ever known someone that seemed...well, unflappable? They could be cheerful or scary or sweet or whatever, but the point here is that that's how you knew them. To me, the most heart-rending thing in the world is to see that very same person at their lowest. It's heart breaking to see them in tears because it makes you acutely aware of how strong they were up to that point. Then all at once, it breaks. That persona, that spirit...and perhaps, the image of them. It makes you realize that in the end, we're all only human. You feel closer to them and yet...at the same time...you feel that you could never truly understand that sorrow.
To me, this moment in the chapter is important because it really drives home the fact that all of them, powerful as they might be and close as they are, are mortal. I said once upon a time, that when we lose someone, those left behind need to cling together. After all, they're all they have left. If there's one thing that we all fear, it's death. We can stall him out, we can find ways to extend our lives and cling to whatever faint remnants tie us to those we love but...death always gets his due. What can be really terrifying about it is the constant presence of it. The gnawing dread that he could come at any moment and snuff the life from someone you hold dear. Deep down you want to go, to be there, to see their smile while you still can...but...something compels you not to. Cowardice, perhaps. So you don't. You look away. The yearning stays but both your feet and your heart feel like lead. Guilt mounts you like a rising tide, waiting to swallow you whole, drowning you in a mire of regret for the actions you chose to take and chose not to. And you live on. You live on with those regrets, those memories. You live on, only to feel that death, would be a mercy. But you can't do it.
Hankies are nice, right? We all should carry one on us. Wipe your eyes! Your nose! Your lower horn! The possibilities are endless!
Naomi being cute here is something I especially love about this part. She gets embarrassed and tries to hide it. It works! She fooled TJ! The others, maybe not. Did they see? It's a mystery!

Originally the dungeon was gonna be called District 5. It sounds better as the name of a place, but I'm afraid of copyright and everything else law related so I decided not to. I don't study law and I don't wanna get slammed by the book. Or poked. At least, if it's gonna happen I'd like it to be with consent.
So you're probably wondering, why is there a helicopter in my LT fanfiction? There's a reason! A good reason! But I'm not gonna tell you what it is. I'm gonna leave you in suspense until I get to it through the story. And then you'll know. And you'll be like, "What the fuck was this idiot smoking when he came up with this?" It's gonna be great! I do like that how despite being in an Instance Dungeon, there's absolutely no sense of tension among these dorks. The only one who sees a problem is the voice of reason, as ever, Su.
The Sinners have always been a fascinating bunch to me. They help and hinder in equal measure. Maybe not equal. They hinder more than they help, but there's still some of both! It's the duality of man! We can see that also in having to defeat them, acquire new powers and yet, more questions. I do realize, that duality is an ever present theme throughout this novel. I've been thinking about it a lot, both as I played Nier Automata and watched a playthrough of Nier. The director is an enigma to me still but...I think there's something valuable there, that I can learn about him. And perhaps others too. But I...well..
Eh, moving on! The Fifth District is a sharp contrast to the Gourmet's Valley in its enemies. Both in design and intent. The Gourmet's Valley felt more like the challengers wandered onto a deserted island and had to fight their way through the local hostile fauna. Here? They're all robots! And they're programmed with the sole intention of murder. Always fun.
So, between going down in a flaming wreck and exploding or becoming street pizza, which would you choose? Speaking of that part...I realize that when the door opened, the air should've been sucked out than being forced in. I've known for a while. I just haven't corrected it for some inexplicable reason. I won't do it today either, for some inexplicable reason. But It'll happen! And when it does, you won't know because it isn't worth reporting! Oh, hold on, after reading it I realize I toooooootally fixed it already. Nice!
Not too much to say about the next few parts, as they're pretty self-explanatory. However, the part where TJ was going to apologize when I wrote it, I did think a bit of one of the events in GBF, that being, Forgiveness and Gratitude. After playing it, I spent some time turning it over in my mind 'cause the entire notion kinda struck home. It was really memorable to me. I confess, I didn't do anything new or clever with the concept. I just really liked it.

Next part! I was a little afraid to do the snipers 'cause in my mind I was like...if they have guns why wouldn't ALL the robots have guns? The long and short of it is, it would be less fun that way! Having guns is fine and all but if it turned out that all of them did, the entire dungeon would turn out like that one Harry Potter game that looked like Gears of War. NGL, it looked pretty fun when it was unveiled. Though that's coming from someone who was 2 gears deep into the franchise. I've no particular thoughts to share, sorry friends! At least, nothing that wouldn't make you roll your eyes lol. I've lost track of both the story and when the last time I played an xbox was.
TJ taking charge was kinda nice. I did mention before that I would steadily introduce the idea and build it up to him growing into his role and we're seeing a bit of it here. Started out as a plan guy, now he's becoming a leader guy. He's not gonna usurp Peorth as leader, but he will have his own role to fill later on. It's not a very well-hidden secret, though!
Nonetheless, TJ and Thee make up this new two man-cell. Oddly enough, I often use Warlords like tanks throughout the novel. In all fairness, a Warlord strong enough could almost replace a Savior or Sefirot in hard content later on in LT. Though, it was a game where if you were strong enough you could eventually solo hard content. Under the right circumstances. I used to run the gamut daily with my guild master. Homegirl was an unstoppable force and I was just kinda...well, a groupie I guess! I was too weak to really contribute but I did aim to catch up whenever we weren't doing party content. IIRC, this was probably near the tail end of 2014 and into 2015. I still am a little curious about Papaya Play's version but...to pick up another MMO is a commitment I won't make right now.
One of the things I like about this part is it does give the feeling of a budding bromance. When you're surrounded by enemies and you're back-to-back with your bro and you're ready to kick some ass, only to get kicked in the face by a robot...good times!
1 new spell! I didn't make this one, however. In LT, Megadeath was a spell Minstrels could learn, so technically TJ shouldn't be able to do it. I bended the rules a little. My sincerest apologies.
...They're not sincere at all lol. In truth, I think it was crap. Or at least, most Minstrels didn't take it. But your boy did! Full support Minstrel all the way, baby! Doing content alone was nigh impossible 'cause your boy's kinda a dummy! But man, did it feel good. Any Minstrel worth their salt typically would take certain support spells and learn Water Magic. They could contribute more themselves that way. Thing is though, if you're gonna spec into the water tree you need to take certain skills from the common skill tree to really get some bang for your buck. Couldn't do it halfway, sadly.
For future reference, if TJ's chant is interrupted he can't transform. If I forget, roast me. Or don't, because I don't want it, but I won't say it isn't deserved! Anyway, we see that happen here which is why he started over. It's hard to do it through text, but the second time he said it faster. If he screws up one of the words 'cause he's trying to get it out too quickly though, nothing will happen.
The barrier is a fascinating thing. I haven't elaborated on what it's purpose is because most characters don't actually know, putting aside the obvious. However, I never clearly...well, I guess elaborated on the effects of it. In this case, I do wonder if it should affect allies. Positive effects would be fitting of course, but perhaps it should be an 'intent' sort of thing. In this case it could be chalked up to a lack of focus. Knowing the range of the effect, who and what's within it and having the intent for the effect you want could determine who it affects. I know it sounds a little nitpicky, but in a fantasy story it does help to have some grounded rules for your power system. It was something I heard about before, discussed with friends, and often study while I scour the internet for content. How it's done in differing sources fascinates me and it helps me to learn how I can better grasp how I too, should handle it. As ever, it's a case of what works vs. what doesn't.
Next? One new spell, that being, Mercy! It's a spell that removes abnormal status effects. Ideally, I'd like to introduce a few that vary in strength and effect. For example, one might be able to remove poison, paralysis and uhh...sleep. Another might do those and also remove confusion or charm. Some might be narrowed down to just one of them. In LT's case, the one I can recall off the top of my head was a poison curing spell Wizards and the Bard line could learn. Though I don't think there were too many ways to cure statuses. Perhaps it was more items, than skills?
Another one. Heartless is self-explanatory. It doesn't need to be used in the air, mind you. The user could drop it right in front of them if they really wanted to, but when your targets would gather beneath you to get at you, might as well be above them! The second part, as seen here, needs to be done manually though. If it isn't, the spell is just a shitty Shattered Berg.
Last one is Amber Penance! It's not a spell that will allow the user to create any weapon. It's just that effect solely. However, the effect of it could be extended longer than what was seen here. There's no limit to the uses it has but there is an upper limit to the reach. Depending on how much mana is put into it, it can extend a certain amount. Maintaining the form of the weapon also consumes mana, so it's a powerful tool with a high cost.
The last thing for this update is to show that resistances can be temporarily built up to abnormal status effects. Paralyze a man and he'll be able to fend it off better next time. Put a man to sleep and those eye bags he's had will be gone in no time. The works!

And so friends, we've reached the end of this update.
Recent news? The Guild War went pretty well, if I do say so myself! Oddly enough, I spent all this time uncapping Funf and Sorn for it, and I didn't use either of them. My All-star team for NM 95 was HalMal, Box and Corntato. For 100+ I replaced HalMal with Noa. I'm quite proud of myself! It was good! I'm not ready for the next one, however. Like at all. Nowhere near as prepared as I was for this. I can see profound sadness over the horizon. So to that end, it's Grimnir everyday. Gonna pick on the chuuni kid until he forks over enough harps to fill my grid.
I played through all of the new event too. I think my favourite part was Bea getting dunked on by Moonman. She's great.

In other news, Nier is chugging along steadily. As I mentioned earlier, I watched a full playthrough of Nier so I could get all that tasty, tasty context. I can see why people said you don't need to play it to get the second one, but man! There's some great details you'd miss out on. As for me myself, I finished endings A and B and made it a fair portion through C...? And maybe D? I've not the foggiest, to be honest. Just gotta get to the end and see what comes next. Also! Also! I knew what was gonna happen when I got on the wild ride but I wasn't ready! Also I think I may have noticed a major spoiler before but forgot and I wasn't ready! I didn't come prepared! And by prepared I mean emotionally! In truth...something had me thinking, "Doing that in this situation is pretty brave for a creator to do". I don't think I'd attempt it myself, but it's a fascinating case study!

Last thing. New games soon! A lot of them. I'm considering picking up Rune Factory 4's switch version, 'cause I loved 4. You've probably heard me mention the series before. I played the shit out of 1, didn't even know about 2 and 3 for some reason and got 4. I still have it too! My MC was lvl 153 when I stopped playing 'cause I forgot how to do the end-game farming and also 'cause I was kinda salty. I didn't get to marry the love of my life Clorica, 'cause her event never appeared for me. I had everything prepared too! I just remember crafting and going into this dungeon and farming...just waiting. I vaguely recall having to carry around the wedding ring in case the event did happen. I lost track of how many years it's been, but I'm still a salt mine! This time for sure! I want my round 2, RF4!
GBVS isn't coming out round these parts for a little while longer and I get the anger. For me though...well, I'm still knee-deep in Nier so I'm not too worried about it, but for those who would go to tourneys and stuff, I could see why they would be. With the next GW coming up, the Anni right around the corner, and all the real life stuff I have to do, that is, excluding my work on Sanc and Inno, it's gonna be a busy month for me anyway. I'll make the best of a bad situation, I guess! As I said to Mr. A, I don't think my star character would make the cut 'cause she'd be a pain to animate, but I hope Bea at least does! I'd love to see how they implement her strengths into a fighting game format. Might learn something! You never know, right?

Anyway, couple more things. As mentioned before, I'll eventually hit what I'm missing for the story so updates here will be sparse again soon. NBD, right? I've made some headway through chapter 11 but I do have some concerns. I can't say too much on it without spoiling what happens but I'd like to find...how do I put it? Like...a translated dictionary for romaji. Is that a thing? Does it exist? Is it free? It would be really helpful 'cause my power level isn't high enough for me to make good on my limited knowledge. That and I feel I still need to do some research on a couple different topics. Still...knowing me, I won't know when it's enough. Hopefully I'll figure that out.
I did a little bit for Inno too and a little on the side-story side also. I've finished chara designs for 2 new characters and 1 returning character! It took longer than it needed to, but I'm proud of them. It's a strange team and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Anyway, that's all. There'll be more! When? When indeed! What will that more be? Beats me!
TJ out!

The two found their victory short lived as the ground trembled and something else approached from down the street. A massive robot lumbered towards them, the dull grey steel glinted amidst the searchlights as it drew ever nearer. Two LED-lights protruded from the helmet-shaped head, steam was expelled through the mouth like a grate and though somewhat unbalanced, the thick limbs seemed to carry the rotund body towards the two. As it passed through one more drone’s searchlight, they glimpsed the name of it upon the left arm, GUA-4 Type Alpha.
“Holy shit, what the hell is that?” Thee asked as he rejoined TJ.
“I’ve seen a few of those patrolling around here but…that one’s coming right for us. I think it was alerted by that helicopter robot from before. …Should we run?” TJ asked in turn.
“Don’t think we can. If it comes back for us at a bad time, we’ll only be in more danger. Better to break it here while we’re in the clear than risk facing it again later. Just watch out for those search lights. The last thing we need is to have to fight off more of those fodder robots.”
TJ nodded grimly, but immediately steeled his conviction.
“Right, let’s take it out.”
“You boys need a hand?” A familiar voice rang out from the sky as a figure dived towards the approaching robot.
“Naomi!” TJ said glimpsing her assault.
As she soared towards the robot, she drew her weapon.
“Kick rocks!”
The moment she came into range of it, she thrusted it out and slammed it into the back before touching down. After piercing through but not quite bringing it down, she took off and landed near her companions as it swatted at its back.
“There were more of those shitty gunslinger bots than we thought, but I think we got a majority of ‘em. Su and Bloodbag should be regrouping with us in a bit. In the meantime, I guess it’ll be up to you boys and I to shut this hunk of junk down, yeah?”
She looked to each, wrapped her arms around their shoulders and grinned.
“Good to have you back, Naomi.” TJ said as he smiled.
“Praise be to our lord and saviour Naomi,” Thee said with a slight grin.
“I’ll keep you boys safe, don’t you worry about a thing!
“So, what’s our game plan, TJ?”
The Abellan stole a glance at the robot as it slowly lumbered towards them, passing beneath the searchlights of the helicopter robots.
“When you hit it, what was it like? It looks pretty tough…”
She rose to her full height and crossed her arms, the Vampanelar at least a full head taller than him, if not more.
“That rust bucket is tough as nails. Guess it’s no surprise I could barely get through it, what with me using a needle and all. Just gonna have to crush it like you would armor. Either that, or turn your weapon into a can opener.”
She grinned at this and he laughed.
“I dunno if I can do that, even using Demon’s Armoury. But as I am now, I can’t change the shape of my weapon so freely. That aside, I’m afraid to overdo it with how much I’ve already used it. If we could just find something around here…”
He scanned the surrounding area, his gaze passing over Thee who shrugged and frowned, his face as puzzled as the gesture. Around them were buildings, many shuttered or boarded, robots, broken and functioning and the tall pole and wires that Su crossed recently.
“That’s it!”
“You got something? Let’s hear it.” Thee said placing his hands behind his head and grinning.
“These poles…we can use them.”
TJ ran over to one of the wooden poles and slapped his hand against it twice.
“I don’t think I can take it down, but maybe you can cut it down, Thee. If we can bring it down on that robot, we can probably smash it. If that doesn’t work, we just need to wreck it from the inside like Kooh did with the victors.”
“My sword isn’t an axe, you know,” Thee chuckled dryly.
“Is it no good after all?”
The Warlord shook his head.
“Nah, it’ll work. It can’t cut like an axe but I think it should get through eventually. Just stall for me and I’ll bring it down on that bastard.”
“Easy enough,” Naomi said as she drew her needle.
“I’ll back you up as best as I can, Naomi. Hopefully a few good lightning spells will break it like it did the others, but I can’t help but feel this guy won’t go down so easily.”
“I’ve got this. You just keep your ass out of danger and I’ll be all the distraction you need.”
Naomi winked at him before she spread her wings and took off.
“Okay! Let’s do it Thee!”
“Yeah!” Thee said as he drew his sword also and hurried over to the pole.
TJ clapped his hands together before he outstretched both.
“Divine Intervention!”
At his words four transparent shields surrounded Naomi before fading away. He began to strum his guitar and five spheres of lightning took form, though they did not seem to alert the type alpha.
Naomi flew in and the moment she neared it swatted at her, only to miss as she drifted aside. As she drew closer it took another swipe at her only to miss. She flew towards its face and landed, reeling her weapon back to slam it into one of the LEDs but quickly found herself retreating as the glare of a searchlight crept up the robot and ran across one of her boots.
“Shit…” She muttered as she leapt away.
“Chain Lightning,” TJ roared from the distance.
An electrical current shot from where he stood and through each of the orbs before hitting their shared mark. As the current continued to run through it, Naomi grinned and nodded, acknowledging the action.
“Not bad, not bad!”
She placed her weapon under her left arm and outstretched her right, unleashing a bolt of white lightning from the palm of her hand. It struck the passing drone and caused it to fall from the sky behind the type alpha. In the corner of her eye, she noticed another drone nearing and ran directly towards the massive robot. As she neared, she hopped in the air before she transitioned into a handspring. She pushed herself off of the ground into an aerial cartwheel, touched down and spun on the balls of her heels to punt the downed robot into the second that entered the street. When the two collided, the glass was smashed and the robot was brought down from the sky.
The effects of TJ’s chain lightning were beginning to dwindle, meaning that she still had a couple of moments before the robot regained its movement. The Vampanelar spread her wings and shot off towards a building across from where the robot remained and grabbed one of the gunslinger robots that was broken by one of the girls. After drifting above the building for a couple of moments her body turned around and she shot towards the robot before hurling it at its companion. Just as the effect of the lightning dissipated, she threw herself on the robot and smashed her needle through one of the eyes.
It took another swing at her as she backflipped away only to miss. As she righted herself however, she glimpsed one of the arms approaching her and grit her teeth as she blocked with her weapon. The moment the strike was about to touch her however, a transparent shield appeared before her and shattered, releasing a single sphere of light and deflecting the blow.
“Good lookin’ out, TJ!” She shouted to him as she took off, out of its reach.
From the distance she could see him grinning and waving.
“Incoming, Naomi!” Thee shouted, readying his blade.
With one final strike, he cut down the pole and electricity crackled across the wires as it toppled over. Naomi flew away from the type alpha as it raised its hands and caught the pole before it could crash down upon it.
“It stopped our attack!” Thee snarled as he took up a battle stance, ready to get into the fight himself.
“Wait! Let me do it, Thee,” TJ told him.
He was not willing to let his allies engage in such a dangerous endeavour if he could prevent it. Letting Naomi take the risk was plenty already. He would use the strength he had obtained to protect them, this time.
He took off his guitar and with all his might threw it into the air. He stomped one foot down and clenched his fists while taking a deep breath.
“Avaritia,” he roared at the top of his lungs, unleashing his sister’s power once more.
As the guitar came back down, he outstretched a hand and stopped it mid-flight before taking Thee’s sword right out of his hand, along with Naomi’s needle. He pointed one finger forward and at his call the weapons surged forth, surrounding the robot and striking it from all directions. The last to arrive, being his guitar, hit its face and staggered it, causing it to drop the pole. His initial goal complete, he returned the weapons to their respective owners and sent his hurtling through the sky. The guitar faded in the distance as he changed his stance once more.
He grounded himself before he outstretched both arms and lifted the pole. After raising it above the robot’s head in the sky above the buildings, he brought it down with enough force to smash the very metal it stood on. It attempted to stop the attack but found the blow too much to bear, causing the arm to take most of the kinetic force and snap off, weakening the strike. He brought it around in a horizontal strike and knocked the robot off its feet before raising it skyward again. Once more, he brought the pole down, directly on top of the robot’s stomach. The blow caused it to contort and for its head to separate from the rest of the body, exposing the wires within.
“Finish the job, Naomi!” He shouted as his guitar came back down and he grasped it.
“I’m on it!” She answered as she flew over and stopped next to the head.
She kicked the head so the wires extended further and picked them up in her right hand.
“Lights out.”
At those words, she unleashed a torrent of lightning that caused the robot to short circuit. She dusted her hands off and nodded at their handiwork.
“That’s a pretty handy skill,” Thee remarked. “But next time, warn me before you take my weapon and throw it back at me. My head might pop off too, if you’re not careful.”
TJ chuckled lightly as he grinned sheepishly.
“Sorr-urgh…”
The Abellan took a knee as he placed a hand over his eye. His hair and eyes flickered back to their respective colours as more golden streaks appeared among the pink strands. Thee looked on solemnly and with an expression that could not convey his disbelief.
“Did you just…dye your hair?”
Naomi landed near the two and blinked.
“Man, I could feel that energy surge from all the way over there. How many times have you used that thing?” She asked.
“T-too many…” TJ chuckled dryly.
“Seems like you’re not hurt or anything in spite of it, though. This the first time this has happened?”
The Abellan shook off the shock of the effect and rose to his feet.
“It’s not the first, no.”
“Any side effects?” Thee asked.
“Not that I can think of?”
“Cool. Glad you’re still with us.” Naomi said as she grinned. “We’d be in deep shit if you were out of the game this far in.”
She removed her rucksack and took out a flask before she popped it open and took a drink from it.
The two watched with buggy eyes and her cheeks flushed before she gazed back at them.
“W-what? You want some too?”
“Didn’t think you were a drinker, Naomi.” Thee remarked, closing his agape mouth.
“What is it?” TJ asked, tilting his head quizzically.
“It ain’t alcohol it’s blood! Blood!”
“Oh?” Thee asked, crossing his arms.
The Abellan swallowed hard, looking nervous at her words.
“Relax, kiddo. I’m not gonna suddenly suck yours. Some of our stock is provided by Club Abio and some of it we get through injections. You’ve had yours done too, remember? My sisters and I at the club aren’t so savage that we’d jump adventurers for theirs. We trade.”
“So do all Vampanelars need to drink blood?” TJ asked.
Naomi shut the cap on her flask and pursed her lips in thought for a couple of moments.
“I dunno. I mean, Sis and the others do it because they just like the variety of flavours. I don’t do it often ‘cause for me it’s like smoking. Do it too many times and you can get kinda addicted. Candy takes my mind off of it.” She said with a grin. “But if we’re going to use our powers, we do need to keep ourselves topped up on the stuff or we get weaker. Flying doesn’t use too much, but the lightning and the magic bite can use a fair amount.
“Magic bite?”
“You’re a curios sort, aren’t ya’?” She placed both hands to her hips and leaned over to look him in the eyes. “It’s a spell of ours, let’s us bite and drain a target’s stamina and blood from a distance. Leaves ‘em bleeding too. It won’t work on robots so I can’t show you, but…”
She cracked her knuckles and grinned, revealing all of her fangs.
“If either of you two are willing to be a test dummy, I can give you a demonstration.”
TJ shook his head and Thee raised both hands as a show of surrender.
“I’m just messing with ya’!” Naomi laughed as she gave the Abellan a rough couple of pats on the shoulder.

The trio was soon joined by Kooh and Su.
“Alright, rooftops are clear. I’m not surprised you idiots got caught, though.” Su sighed as she shrugged. “At least we kept you from getting your heads blown off. So? What now?”
“Let’s ascend the city,” TJ suggested.
“That seems like a good idea. From up on the rooftops I could see a set of rails that looked to lead deeper into the dungeon. That’s probably where we wanna be.” Kooh added with a raised finger.
“Probably? There isn’t a ‘going back’ here. The only thing back there is a sea of mana. I’d rather not be a part of it.” Su remarked, frowning.
“We’ve got a plan, so let’s put it into action, yeah?” Naomi asked as she grinned.
With Su and Kooh leading the way, the others were able to follow closely behind without much worry for being spotted.
The Governor of Ice watched from the rooftops, three needles between each hand’s fingers. The moment she spotted one of the drones coming by, she would hurl them, first shattering the light, then piercing the machine immediately after. Su led the team from the ground, down streets and through alleyways while keeping an eye out for any other type alphas nearby.
The moment she spotted a drone, she hurled her dagger and performed a takedown with Broken Wings. She checked the surrounding area for any incoming robots before signalling the others over.
With their team now complete, the group’s progression improved substantially as they dashed from one alleyway to the next, behind the backs of the massive robots and avoiding the alarms along the way.
Before long, they arrived at the apex of the city and glimpsed a much clearer version of what they had seen in the vehicle previously.
TJ took a few steps towards the edge of the landing and glimpsed at what lurked below. What seemed like an ocean from above proved not to be water, but a dark violet ocean of mana.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” he muttered.
“Then stop looking, dumbass!” Su snarled as she pulled him back by the neckline of his jacket.
Kooh looked to the railings and then to the gondola.
“Truth be told, I dunno what we should do…” She muttered, her brows knit. “These railings lead to platforms…can you guys see those over there?”
She pointed to small landings that connected the sets of railings towards their next destination, a cavern in the distance.
“There’s…robots on those things. That’s definitely bad news.” Thee said as he crossed his arms.
“There’s that, but…it’s the fall that worries me. You’re not good with heights still, huh TJ?”
“You could say that, yeah,” he chuckled dryly.
“Isn’t it fine? There’s this weird rail car. He can just hop into that and take it over there.” Naomi said before pointing to the gondola.
“How much you wanna bet that asshole sinner has it trapped?” Su asked, clicking her tongue.
“I’d bet 5k ely, hands down,” Thee remarked. “How confident are you in your balance, TJ?”
“You’re…you’re not thinking of getting on those rails, are you? I mean…they’re rails. They’re not for riding!”
The Abellan looked to Su who shrugged, Kooh who grinned sheepishly, Naomi who grinned also and Thee who seemed to be weighing his options. At this, he pouted.
“I…I’m not afraid…”
How could he cower before his allies like this? How could he lead them if he was to walk into a trap just because he was afraid?
Kooh bent over to place her hands to his shoulders.
“I can tell what you’re thinking by that scrunched-up face you’re making, Little Lamb. Let your big sister give you some advice!” She winked and grinned. “It’s okay to be afraid. You don’t have to overcome your fears all at once. You don’t have to force yourself to be strong because you’re the team leader either. It’s okay to say you don’t want to do something. If you can’t, you can count on us, you know. It’s why we’re a team.”
“Leaving aside her long-winded spiel…” Su muttered, tweaking her pinky finger in her ear. “…If it’s a trap, I’ll bust you out. I told you, didn’t I? You die, I die. I ain’t having none of that shit, period. Anyone or anything ballsy enough to lay their grubby mitts on you are gonna have to answer to me.
“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is you get your ass in that thing and you meet us up there. That’s it.”
Naomi smiled devilishly.
“Well said, you two,” she remarked.
“Enough yapping! Let’s get this shit going already!”
Su took off first. She hopped on to the rails and began riding them towards the first platform. Three other sets accompanied the first and at her words, the other members of the party took them and set off.
TJ looked to the gondola and swallowed hard.
The group would wait for him, but he needed to grow stronger. He would have to overcome the trap that laid in wait for him, but going forward he would need to face his fear. Not only heights, but she who instilled it in him, Choen Palm.
The Abellan climbed on to the gondola and looked around cautiously.
It seemed as if there were no traps in sight, but like Rayinth’s Vestibule, they would likely arrive once he took action.
He drew his guitar and held it by the neck as he made his way further into the gondola. At the front (or back?)there was a set of buttons and a long handle. He noticed a key in a slot and decided to twist it. Immediately following the action, the vehicle sparked to life and began to rumble gently. He took hold of the handle and thrust it forward, causing the vehicle to lurch forward and slowly make its way up towards the caverns. As it proceeded, he looked out the window to glimpse his companions engaging the robots on the flat landings in the sky above the ocean.

Kooh was the first to arrive at one, drawing her dagger as she looked to the robot gazing back at her.
Unlike the type alphas, these robots had a wide, burly torso and arms but a thinner base. A thick sheet of metal held the body to the base, a set of wheels resting beneath them. Two massive hands extended from the wrists, threatening to crush anyone unfortunate enough to be grabbed by them. The yellow LEDs on the face blinked to red as the eyes shuttered and focused on the Governor of Ice.
“Sorry big guy, but I don’t have time to play with you. I’m gonna have to make short work of you!” She said as she prepared herself to engage it.
Without a moment to spare, the robot rushed towards Kooh and took a swipe at her. With her free hand, she grabbed the arm and swung from it to flip through the air and touch down, one hand to the land beneath her.
“Elemental Dominion!”
At her words the battlefield turned icy and she arose to her feet. She skated towards the robot as it rushed her once more. It attempted to grab her with both arms and she leapt towards it, taking a few steps up the face before dragging her dagger down the back and placing her open palm to it.
“Siege the Levee!”
A torrent of water was unleashed from her palm and was reflected from the back of the robot. As it turned towards her, she crouched beneath the arm and the water that shot in several directions circled back around and froze, piercing the back of the robot.
Kooh back flipped twice before she skated around the robot, it’s body following her as she did so. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, she continued to do so, picking up speed before she transitioned into a double, triple axle and finally a quadruple salchow. When her body came to a halt, she raised one hand skyward and the places she traversed created a circle of ice around the target.
“Widow’s Tears,” she said.
She reached out to it with a single finger and with the most delicate touch, it shattered into a series of icicles. They rained down upon her target and though one would expect them to shatter on contact, those that hit it directly merely fell to the ground. Seeing its opportunity to respond, the robot cautiously drove forward towards the woman who only smiled in turn.
“Elemental Sigma!”
The icicles sprang to life and circled around the robot before gathering upon the base and rising ever higher, trapping it where it stood.
Kooh spread her wings and stayed elevated as she pointed her dagger directly at the crack she created in the back of her enemy.
“Spear of Heaven!”
A piercing lance of light shot forward from the weapon and pierced directly through the machine. She flapped her wings once as she arose ever so slightly higher and then lunged forward, piercing the back as the lance returned to the weapon.
“Dogma of Heaven!”
The weapon released a powerful glow as the two lights converged once more and unleashed a pulse of divine energy.
“Now then…Transistor!”
Water sprayed out from the hole she created before suddenly freezing. The robot began to expand as the amount of ice within it increased over the following moments. Finally, after too much had been taken in it began to burst at the seams before falling to pieces.
Kooh wiped her brow with a sigh of relief.
“That takes care of that! Now to lend the others a hand…”

Thee skidded to a halt after getting off the rail and came to face with one of the machines awaiting he and his party members. Though small, he glimpsed a small set of text beneath the arm that read Rail-Guard o4-008.
“Rail Guard, huh? Since the girls are busy, guess I’ll just have to brute force my way through this one,” he chuckled dryly.
The rail guard drove towards him and attempted to knock him out with a right hook. Thee blocked the attack with the broad side of his sword and pushed back, forcing the arm away. His body twisted and he brought the weapon around, cleaving the robot and leaving a massive scratch across the face. He took a stab at it but it rolled backwards. As it neared the edge of the platform, he lunged forward and transitioned into his next stance.
“Meteor Wave!”
He flipped through the air and slammed the weapon down, missing his target as it drifted out of the way and attempted to swat him. He brought the weapon down over his shoulder to protect his blindside and was nearly thrown off balance by the sheer force of the blow. He stood his ground and attempted to adjust his stance but found himself trapped in an onslaught of punches. His blade deflected the strikes but he was quickly losing ground. As it lunged at him again, he followed suit, narrowly avoiding the hand as it came around and slashed from the face to the base of the rail guard.
As he raised his weapon and brought it around in a wide cleave, the rail guard grabbed the weapon and pulled him towards it. Its body twisted and dragged the Warlord from his feet before hurling both he and his weapon from the landing.
“Guh!” Thee groaned.
He outstretched his weapon’s broad side and managed to place it atop a set of rails next to each other.
With one hand to the hilt and another to the blade, he managed to keep himself from falling to his demise. He spread his wings and with a powerful beat managed to flip his body into the air and back around to land on the railings. He made his way back towards his target, using his momentum to perform a jumping strike. The robot grabbed the blade with both hands and the two remained stuck in a deadlock.
“Rage Overdrive!” Thee snarled, a crimson energy crackled to life around his body.
The increase in strength allowed him to overpower the robot and drag its hands down, cutting both in the process. His blade rushed the metal beneath them as he brought it around in a full circle, his body turning through the air as he leapt from the ground. His weapon came down hard and cleaved the robot’s head, leaving a gash within it.
Though the blow staggered it for a brief period, it quickly recovered and attempted to strike as he took up his battle stance. Two times it attempted to hit him but to no avail as he cautiously stepped back, waiting for an opening. On his third retreat, he spun on the balls of his heels to perform another wide cleave. As the robot fell away to avoid the attack, Thee reversed his momentum and hurled his blade with Blade Thrower. The weapon dug into the robot’s leaving a series of scratches across the body before pushing it back. The moment it returned to its owner, he took it with both hands before aiming it directly at his mark.
With a wordless battle cry, he stormed forward and lunged directly at the robot, forcing the blade into its chest before pushing it back through sheer force. The wheels desperately spun in a vain attempt to resist Thee’s rush but to no avail. The Warlord grit his teeth and tightened his grip as step by step, he pushed it back and off of the landing into the sea of mana below.
He placed the weapon over his shoulder and exhaled.
“That really took the piss out of me,” he muttered.

Naomi rode the rail and carefully watched as she neared her opponent laying in wait.
“Hm…big guy, huh?” She asked as it took up a battle stance.
If she was to win this battle, her best choice would be to create an opening and shock it. Just like the massive robot they faced off with before, electric currents from outside would likely be resisted to some degree, but ones directly to it would short circuit it with ease.
“Alright, let’s dance.”
She rushed toward it as she armed her syringe and immediately found herself in a deadlock. The robot blocked her weapon with both arms and stopped her in her tracks. She broke away from it for a moment before approaching it with an overhand swing. One strike after the next, regardless of direction her attacks were met with retaliation.
I’ve got the gist of this guy’s movements. Now to fuck with it a little! She thought as she grinned devilishly.
She spread her wings and took to the air before lunging at it. Rather than heading directly for it, however, she flew above and stabbed it as she came by. It swatted at her but failed to land a hit. Without stopping she came by a second and third time, bashing it as it failed to get her. On the fourth, it seemed to have predicted where she would be and attempted to catch her off-guard. In turn, she came to a sudden halt and outstretched a hand. A bolt of thunder was unleashed from it. The bolt pierced the eye and shattered the bulb before sending a jolt through the entire machine.
“Gotcha,” she said.
She flew directly towards it and reeled her right foot back before she kicked it in the side of the head. The sheer force of the blow nearly tipped it over as the Vampanelar touched down and lunged at its arm, syringe first. She thrust it into the underarm before giving it a second push with the entirety of her upper body. The metal creaked before her force and soon gave way, causing a split in between the two portions.
She had created two potential openings—the left eye socket and beneath the arm. Both would be rather difficult to get a hand in but if she could the fight would be over.
As she gathered herself the rail guard went on the offensive. It drifted toward her and attempted to crush her with both fists clenched. She took off and dived off the landing before ascending out of its reach. She spiralled down toward it and circled around it twice before falling upon it with an axe kick. The blow staggered it and allowed for her to fire another bolt, narrowly missing the other eye as it turned.
“Tch,” she clicked her tongue as it returned to form and came after her again.
At this juncture, she could not help but feel that trying to be fancy about it would make things unnecessarily difficult. Unlike the type-alpha they had faced off with, the rail guards had much weaker constitutions. With enough momentum, she could break it through force.
With those thoughts in mind, she touched down and cracked her knuckles as it revved its wheels and charged forward. As it reached out to grab her, she outstretched both arms to meet its hands and grappled with it.
“Don’t underestimate the strength of an Agasura,” she snarled.
She raised her right foot and kicked it backwards causing its treads to leave the ground briefly. She hopped towards it and spun on the balls of her heels to follow the first attack up with a roundhouse kick, knocking the robot off of its base and to the ground. She took her stance and shot into the sky before shifting her ascent into a nosedive. Gaining speed as she descended, she flipped over moments before collided face-first with the rail guard and stomped the face, breaking the head beneath her heel.
“Might do that some more in this dungeon.” She grinned as she dusted her hands off. “Forgot how good it feels to let loose.”

Su was moments away from her destination but her eyes were trained on the gondola slowly drifting towards the cavern.
There was no way in hell that a Sinner would give anyone a free ride towards their location. She could see a trap from a mile away and that was definitely one. Even so, their options were piss poor. If TJ was to fall from the railing, there wouldn’t be a thing she could do for him.
She touched down at the landing and grimaced as she glared at the robot before her.
“This is gonna piss me off,” she hissed.
The moment the LEDs changed colour, she unleashed an Earth Dragon upon it. The effect went through it, leaving no visible scrapes nor an effect.
“This shit’s gonna be worthless, isn’t it?”
As it approached, she stomped her foot and a wall of ice formed before her. She kicked it forward and though it pushed the rail guard back, it shattered the wall with a punch shortly after.
“Rampart!”
Su axe kicked the ground and stalagmites shot up before her, extending to the end of the platform. Though one hit it directly, it shattered on impact while throwing the robot off balance somewhat. The moment the blow connected, she leapt through the air and hit the ground hard, shattering the others and unleashing a flurry of stone shrapnel. When the stones cleared and the dust began to settle, it began its approach only to find a stream of water that swirled around the Governor of Earth. The moment she outstretched her hand, the front of it manifested into the shape of a serpent that roared before surging forth. Caught in the unending torrent, she assumed that would be plenty to short circuit it and ended the spell.
Hardly a moment later, the sound of the treads on the slippery ground drew her attention to it and had her dodging aside.
“For fuck’s sake!” She roared as she somersaulted aside and avoided being punched.
It’s treads skidded before assaulting her again, closing the gap as she recovered. She drew her dagger and widened the gap with Dancing Dagger, allowing her to create some distance as she skidded back. In spite of the fact, it continues its unrelenting pursuit. As it came at her with a right hook she leapt towards the face and grabbed hold, using the torso to push herself into a handstand. As it attempted to knock her off, she lurched backward to kick one of the eyes in and back flip to the ground.
“Shattered Berg!”
With a wave of her hand she conjured a massive ice berg. With the same hand, she cracked it with her fist and fired off the pieces in succession. While the shards of ice bombarded her target, something else caught her attention. The sounds of hundreds of tiny, skittering noises against both wire and metal made her look to the gondola. There, upon it and coming down the wires were a series of spider robots that seemed to be entering from the open windows upon it and within, a battle was taking place.
“I fucking knew it!”
The God’s Governor immediately rushed past the rail guard she was engaged with and rode the rails towards the cavern. As she did so, the robot recovered from her previous spell and immediately began to pursue her.

“Ah…here we go…I had a feeling something might happen and so it is,” TJ muttered uneasily.
Spider robots skittered across the gondola’s wire and began to walk atop it before crawling into the machine.
“They’re just spiders. I’ll break ‘em and be done with it.”
He took a few steps towards it and took a swing with his guitar, but the robot jumped from the roof to the floor as more came in.
“Not good…Frozen Blitz!”
With a wave of his hand and his guitar hanging at his side, he created three frozen needles, each between his fingers. He hurled them only to narrowly miss as the spider skittered between them, soon joined by more.
“Megadeath!”
He took his guitar in both hands and began to strum the chords, unleashing bolts of lightning all over the gondola but struggling to hit his targets. As more approached, he managed to catch them off guard with a few bolts and in so doing caused them to short circuit. There were few he struck down, but many more coming.
Before he could celebrate his victory, one of the spiders opened a small hatch from its abdomen and fired a sticky thread that wrapped around his upper body. It made it somewhat harder to move but he still was able to swing his guitar and smash the spider that did it. One of the others behind him performed the same action and bound his off-hand to his body.
“Hailstorm!”
He whipped around and unleashed a flurry of icicles, piercing the spider and causing it to break in a bundle of electricity. More of the spiders began to perform the same action and before he knew it, both arms were bound and the wires grew ever tighter. He let out a low grunt as he tried to wriggle his way out but to no avail—it was too tightly bound and was beginning to suffocate him.
The Heart of Yggdrasil began to glow and Su emerged from it before cutting the wires directly in front of her. Her teeth clenched and her face taut, she raised her hand to her hair and untied her braid. As her long golden hair was set free, she looked to him with a mixture of determination and fury in her eyes.
“Unless you wanna get plugged full of holes, get down!” She roared as she took a step toward him.
Without a moment’s hesitation and the breath to acknowledge her suggestion he managed to throw himself to the ground as she stood over his prone body.
“Mark of the Hedgehog!”
Every hair on her head stood on end as they took the form of a series of long, sharp icicles. In the few moments this happened, her hair spread out around her body creating a frozen shield. Any threads that were fired at her following this tore on the icicles and failed to stick, let alone bind her.
“Mark of the Swellfish!”
Light glinted across the spines shining like jewels before they were ejected from the host. They shot out in every direction, piercing the spiders that bound the Abellan. Su’s hair returned to normal and she searched the entirety of the gondola for any hidden robots.
“S-Su! The control panel! It’s busted!” TJ cried out as he desperately attempted to wriggle to his feet.
“Whatever. This piece of shit would probably only attract more of those goddamn spiders anyway.”
She picked up her bound companion and spread her wings as she climbed out one of the windows. Smoke and fire billowed from the front of the gondola. Meanwhile, all the spiders that were crossing the wire froze in place and did not continue their pursuit any further.
“Oh…this is a bad idea. This is definitely a bad idea.”
With TJ under her arm she leaned out the window and climbed to the top of it before glancing ahead.
Thee, Kooh and Naomi had already arrived at the cavern and had engaged the last rail guard—the very same Su had evaded. Given that knowledge, none of them could offer her a hand in escaping the current predicament.
“What should we do?” TJ asked.
“You can’t do shit. But I’ll make a path if I have to.”
Su clenched her fists and created six needles with Frozen Blitz. She hurled each one toward the spiders on the wire, piercing a couple at a time and clearing a path for her to walk. She picked up the Abellan with both hands, weighed him in her arms and walked toward the wire.
“You don’t plan on walking across that, do you? That’s crazier than riding the rails!”
“Crazy enough to work. Now close your eyes and shut that trap of yours, would you? Balancing poles don’t talk and the last thing I need is you distracting me.” She retorted as she pushed forward.
TJ did as he was told as Su took her first few steps on the wire. The feeling of her body’s every tremble, the rise and fall due to the weight of the two and every precise step Su took made his stomach churn.
In spite of everything, he decided he would believe in her. There was little doubt in his mind that his companion lacked balance, let alone the confidence to take such a risk. As Naomi had told him, he need not apologize for his weaknesses, but be thankful to those that would lend him their strength where he alone would be powerless. Here too, Su would see him through his hardship and in time, perhaps he could return that favour. For the time being, however, the best thing he could do would be to believe in her.
A slight wind began to blow and Su paused for a moment as she clicked her tongue. She waited it out, the breeze being temporary and pressed on once it ended. With every cautious step TJ could feel his heart beating ever faster. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he took long, slow, suffocated breaths.

Soon afterwards, Su came to a halt before taking one big jump. TJ could feel the wind rushing against them as they descended, landing hard and even harder as she dropped him against the stone.
“You guys made it!” Kooh said as she placed a hand to her chest and sighed with relief.
“What’d you expect? You think some tightrope will stop me?” Su asked, crossing her arms.
“Looking at you like that, TJ, I’m almost glad I got stuck with those rail guards.” Thee chuckled dryly.
“Hey, hey…I dunno about you guys but it looks to me like the poor kid’s suffering with all those wires around him. Lend me your dagger, Bloodbag. I’ll bust him out.”
Kooh pouted at the Vampanelar.
“Just for that, I’ll do it myself!” She said as she took out her dagger.
“Be my guest.”
The Governor of Ice crouched down and cut through all of the threads around the Abellan. When she had gotten through most of them he took a deep breath and let out a long sigh of relief.
“Thanks a bunch guys. That could’ve went a lot worse than it did!” He said as he grinned sheepishly.
“Glad to see you’re here and in one piece too, Little Lamb,” Kooh chimed.
“Save the pleasantries for later, idiots. Something’s coming out of there!” Su said as she drew her dagger and took a battle stance.
The entrance to the caverns was dimly lit and in it, a silhouette could barely be made out as it approached. At Su’s warning, all of her comrades took up arms and awaited whatever robot dared to attack all five of them at once. However, what emerged from the shadows and stepped into the light was not what they had expected at all. What approached seemed to be a young woman in a maid’s uniform, completely unarmed, unharmed and bowing down as she greeted them.
“Greetings, challengers. I am E.N.G.I. 0468-‘Machina’. I am the caretaker of the 5th District and shall be your guide going forward,” she said.
The young woman had silver hair tucked into a bun, violet eyes and fair skin. She wore a more modern maid’s outfit, featuring a black dress with white frills at the hems of the knee-length skirt. She wore a white apron with a matching collar, a ribbon around it, cuffs, stockings and a maid bonnet. She wore a pair of black Mary Jane shoes also.
“A…human?” TJ asked.
He lowered his weapon, looking both physically and emotionally disarmed.
“That’s a robot, jackass.” Su remarked.
“She doesn’t look like any robot in here though,” Thee added.
Su glared at the two, who raised their hands in surrender.
“That’s a fuckin’ robot.”
“If you told me she’s a human, I’d buy it,” Naomi chuckled.
An angry vein began protruding from the Governor’s forehead and now three of them were holding their hands up guiltily.
“How many humans would you find when there are five of us in here?!”
“Correction, I am an android,” the android said.
“I don’t give a shit about your semantics. Call yourself what you will, you’re still a fuckin’ robot.”
In spite of Su’s protests, Kooh was standing in front of the andrioid and pulling her cheeks.
“For a robot, she’s super soft!”
“I must ask that you refrain from touching me as only my master is allowed to do so.”
“Your master…?” TJ asked, tilting his head in confusion.
“That is correct. My master, Acedia.”
The group traded wary glances, including the God’s Governor who recently let go of the android’s face.
“So this is Acedia’s dungeon…”
“And Acedia is?” Thee asked with a raised brow.
“The third Sin, Sloth.” Kooh answered, looking somewhat anxious.
“Since we know that, it should give us an edge going forward. These dungeons are based around that shit, aren’t they? Somehow that’s gonna apply here too,” Su added.
“Right, let’s keep that in mind when we’re checking this place out. If you say it’ll be handy, I expect you’ll know how. Show me how it’s done, yeah?” Naomi asked.
“Easy.”
Su crossed her arms and grinned.
“So now the real question is, what are we gonna do about her?” Thee commented, pointing to the maid with his thumb.
“And Su’s hair,” TJ added.
The maid seemed unfazed and Su had her bangs covering her eyes. At the matter being pointed out, she blew a wave of air upwards, causing her bangs to rise and fall.
“Your braid came undone.”
“Yeah? So what?” She asked, possibly glancing in his direction.
“I can braid your hair for you if you like! I’m great with hair!” Kooh offered, enthusiastically patting her chest.
Whether it was the suggestion or the action, Su seemed took offense at something. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and Naomi snickered.
“You think we’ve got time for that shit? We’re standing right in front of a goddamn robot! She could shank us at any moment and you’re concerned about braiding my hair?!”
“Truthfully, I just wanna touch your hair.” Kooh said with a finger to her lips and an innocent look on her face. “It looks silky smooth.”
At this juncture Su was positively growling at the other God’s Governor.
“Ah, that’s right!” TJ interjected with a raised finger.
He reached into his pocket and took out a purple scrunchie before offering it to the Governor of Earth.
She looked down to it solemnly, raised her head to meet his gaze and took it out of his hand.
“The fuck do you carry around scrunchies for?”
“I used to use hairbands or ribbons but I tend to tear them. Since scrunchies are super stretchy, they’re a lot easier to put on too!” He clenched both his fists and exhaled excitedly.
Su put the scrunchie in her mouth as she pulled her hair together into a high ponytail.
“That sho?” She asked, her eyes watching her hands’ movements and hair’s location.
“They’re from me and Princess! We had plenty so we left some in the house for you guys.” Kooh added, beaming.
“How thoughtful.” Su retorted, her now visible emerald eyes revealing her deadpan expression to match her voice.
“So let’s get back to the matter at hand. How are we gonna scrap this robot?”
“She seems nice though…” TJ muttered, brows knit.
“She seems pretty friendly, yeah, but we can’t trust something a Sinner built, can we?” Naomi questioned in turn.
“Let’s slow down a step,” Thee suggested. “It’s true she was built by Acedia and nearly every robot built by him tried to kill us, but that first one didn’t, right? He actually helped us get down here. He could’ve just crashed that vehicle and killed us all or let TJ break him and we’d be done in because none of us knew how to fly it.”
“I’m reflecting on my actions…” TJ muttered through pursed lips.
“Those assholes booby-trapped the goddamn parachutes!” Su snarled as she met Thee’s gaze.
“Do you think that could be considered a form of ‘sloth’?” The Abellan wondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“Are you saying that the sin is what affects your progress through the dungeon?” The Warlord asked, looking startled by the revelation.
“I’d heard something like that from Princess too, after the Gourmet’s Valley. You guys would get some kind of effect or change the terrain by eating stuff, right?” Kooh asked this time around.
“What’re you two getting at?” Su mumbled.
“If I was to hazard a guess? Two possibilities.” Naomi began, raising two fingers. “The first, we trust this maid chick. She might actually be able to help us through this dungeon like that first robot. Clearly, she’s here for a reason. Acedia must’ve sent her for more reasons than to just fuck with us, yeah? Or he’d just send her to fight us.
“The other is that she actually is here to fuck with us. Like she’s here to whisper bad choices in our ear that would make things worse than they need to be.”
“Sounds like you’ve solved the mystery already, Herlock Sholmes.”
“But that means we don’t have to fight her, right? I mean, if she can fight and she’s really strong, it’s better to avoid the fight than waste energy on it, right?” TJ proposed, looking more and more worried at the possibilities.
“I can agree with that mindset,” Naomi said.
“I’m not too sure about it but all things considered, she might be useful to us…” Kooh murmured, eyebrows knit.
“I’ll take a gamble on it.” Thee added with an approving nod and crossed arms.
“Bunch of softies…” Su muttered and shrugged. “Fine. I’m the minority in this so you lot can have it your way. But mark my words, the second she tries any funny shit I’m cutting her down.”
“That sounds fair,” TJ added with a nervous smile. “Now then…”
He looked to the android and she looked back at him.
Her serious yet deadpan gaze made him think somewhat of their guild master. She wore a similar expression on most occasions and it made his heart skip a beat.
The matter of her face aside, he could not help but wonder why Acedia sent her. She said she would act as their guide going forward…but as Su had said in the Pharaoh’s Chamber, the chance that the Sinners would offer any hospitality to their killers was slim. In spite of that thought, Avaritia had no shortage of love to offer Luxuria, even if it was TJ. Was it possible that Acedia held similar feelings? Or did his loathing of TJ and the Asgardians run deep like Gula’s? Perhaps only time would tell.
“So you’re…um…” He scratched his head as he mulled the thought over. “E.N.G.I.? Engi? Engi 0468?”
“You may refer to me as such,” she answered.
“Well that’s helpful,” Su remarked.
TJ furrowed his brows as he let out a dismayed groan.
“What does Acedia call you?”
“Machina,” she responded.
“Machina it is! So you’re gonna be our guide right, Machina?”
“That is correct. My master assigned this duty to me so I have come here in order to fulfill it.” Machina answered with a nod.
“This bitch and her Sinner are fishy as fuck,” Su hissed.
“She hasn’t done anything yet, so let’s give her a chance,” The Abellan suggested. “Machina, will you be fighting alongside us?”
“I will not. My objectives are to guide you to my master’s location. Should you or your allies fall in battle, I will return to him.”
“She’s honest, I’ll give her that,” Naomi chuckled.
“Alrighty then, we’ll be counting on you, Machina!” The Bard said with a confident nod.
She bowed and began walking deeper into the mines.
He looked to the group, many of them acknowledging the call to move forward while Su remained wary among them.

When I was a kid, we didn't have internet. I think I mentioned this before, but I used to play solitaire on my computer because it was one of the few things it could do. I also lost a lot in minesweeper. But anyway, I watched a lot of TV and you know what TV had? Commercials! There was a toy called Socker Boppers. Of all the toys I saw, that was the one I wanted above all. Never did get it though. I still remember the commercial and I'm a grown man now. It was more fun than a pillow fight, you know! Pillow fights aren't bad either. But you know what's better than both of those? Blurbs blurbs. If I was to rank them it'd be like:
1)Blurbs Blurbs
2)Socker Boppers
3)Pillow Fights

At this point, you're probably wondering what Blurs Blurbs is. I won't tell you, though. Embrace that annoying sense of wonder until the imminent heat death of the universe, you poor soul.
So? Let's get down it!

So originally I was gonna introduce this update with more terrible Valentines' suggestions, but I realized that it probably wouldn't be as funny the second time and to be told that would be a critical hit to my fee-fees. I threw some ideas around but it just wasn't as good. I peaked too soon. Also the day I update fell on the 15th so you'd have to wait until next year to have your SO give you the fish eye for using one of my patented brilliantshitty pick-up lines.
That's all for that though! On with the story!

So the first thing that happens, continuing from last time, that is, is we're introduced to the next enemy in the 5th District, the GUA-4 Type Alpha. There's actually an interesting story behind this. The GUAs were something introduced in the prelude I wrote for Gravitation. I mentioned that here, right? At some point. Anyway, there, they were the GUA-18 Type Gammas. By that I mean there was 1. It preceded this.
In case I haven't mentioned it before, Gravitation was part and parcel to me taking a crack at writing something original with a lot of professional help. It's still something I think about...for various reasons, but it wasn't well received before i even got to the meat of the project, so I kinda scrapped it. Would I pick it up again? If I lived long enough, maybe!
Even so, it was a learning experience. As is my wont, I wanted to try something new with it. Not just the genre or the characters but in the case of the prelude, the style.  In USS and USSR, I wanted to break my habit of using names when referring to characters who spoke or acted. With Innocent, I took a crack at writing from the perspective of a visually impaired character, which meant I had to rely on the sounds she heard. With Gravitation's prelude, I wrote in second person instead of third. Readers saw the world through the eyes of Edgar, who at the time was unnamed. There was one other project I took up which was a short story that I'd still like to finish. I just...need to study the behaviour of seals some more. And find out what happens in the middle part.
But anyway! The reason I added this was because though the two stories may be separate, they did have something to do with each other. Whether they still do, I won't say for certain now. Knowing exactly what their relation is, however, isn't necessary to enjoying the story. You'll still get the full experience, start to finish by reading Frequency and Sanctuary alone. Peripheral works like Inno, USSR and the Another series could add to that, but aren't crucial. It certainly answers a lot of questions you might have, though!
I think the hardest part about all of it, is to explain your ideas. Especially with what I'm doing now. Foreshadowing isn't difficult, but if you do it poorly it becomes predictable and...well, it makes you look like a bad writer. Chekov's Gun falls under this same category. Except in that case, you find yourself saying, "Dude, trust me" a lot more. I feel like pitching ideas is much the same.

So there's something that's been nagging me for as long as I've been thinking about it. I don't think it's explicitly said, but Naomi's wings shouldn't be on her back. If you've ever seen a Vampanelar(I mean, if you haven't played the game you can google it but uhh...I don't recommend it.) they have their wings on their head. Tiny little things, really. There are two things I neglected about them, though. The first, it turns out that they could actually wield the syringe with one hand! For players, it was a 2-handed weapon, so you couldn't equip a shield. I think. The second was that they could turn into bats, IIRC. That being only when they're defeated, but still important.
So back to the matter at hand, they didn't really use their wings to fly, but they could levitate. They weren't flying enemies per se, though. Gargoyles and harpies could go anywhere, but Vampanelars would move across the ground like most enemies. The long and short of it is I technically broke the canon there, though much and more of it remains the same. I know no one's enforcing it really, save for me, but I do like to have set standards. I think Naomi and her sisters are the only case, though, thankfully.

Alright, that's it for the PSAs.
Not too much happens in the first part, mostly the characters talking things out, formulating a plan and putting it into action. It feels weird to imagine, but they'd had quite the journey up to this point. It feels like it's been ages since they faced off with Vanir, but at best it's been a couple hours. As I read the part about TJ explaining that he used the Chaos Frequency too much, it reminds me of that. I really like the dynamic between this trio, though. They bounce really well off of each other, especially with Thee reacting in most situations.
So, the battle starts. Nothing too new here. We see the return of Divine Intervention and Chain Lightning, both spells TJ used in the battle against Rayinth IIRC. It was nice to have Naomi front and center here 'cause we got a glimpse of her fighting style which is starkly different from that of the others. She relies on both momentum and her strength in conjunction to dish out heavy blows. In spite of those two things though, she's quite acrobatic! In situations like these, I often find myself googling and watching a lot of videos to get the names of movements right and to describe them appropriately. It's tough, going from a concept you have in your head to developing it into a real thing. Tbh, I don't know the first thing about gymnastics. I've seen the moves but I've no idea what they are, so there's a lot of trial and error in getting to the right one.
Truthfully, I do study certain things before writing chapters. Fort some of Rayinth's attacks, that was the case. For the prologue I had to learn about glacier climbing I think? That one took a good few hours to learn all the terms, materials and equipment required. If it results in a satisfying reading experience and one that results in readers learning something new, it's definitely worth the time.
Back to the fight, despite Thee saying his sword isn't an axe, he still used it like one and it worked! Pyramid sword confirmed for axe specialty. Following that, TJ takes charge and...well, though he said he wouldn't use the Chaos Frequency, he used Avaritia's Object Manipulation and paid the price for it. There is something important to note, here, though! Prior to this, we've only seen TJ move 1 object at a time, that being, his guitar. And that one orion. As Vanir had warned him though, his mastery of it is growing but so is the effect of using it. Here, he was able to control up to 3 weapons (Still got BTFO by Avaritia though. She could wield a scythe and still keep 5 people at bay), that being his own and his comrades'.
You don't need to hear me talk about Naomi's abilities again lol. I'll spare you that. She does her thing and the battle ends!

Following that, we see TJ get the streaks again. There's quite a bit now, since it keeps happening. Eventually Vanir's gonna have to call him Goldy. The interesting thing here is that Naomi and likely any Cerebians in the vicinity can sense the change. It isn't something that...how do I put it? It's not like a persistent effect. If I was to describe it, it's more like a pulse or a single wave. It happens, they feel it, and that's it.
Blood! A tasty treat for Vampanelars, but that's not all! If you've ever wondered why Vampanelars collect it, now you know! They can survive without it. I mean, if no one wandered into Foe Mansion the Vampanaelars would be dying and resurrecting endlessly due to hunger. It'd be a sorry sight, to be honest. Instead, their powers are reliant on having a sufficient stock of blood that isn't theirs! Since the girls are often dispatched, having a good supply of it helps them to hold their own when they have to take down Agasura on missions.
Also Naomi sees it like smoking. When I reread it, it reminded me a scene from Gintama. Great show, that.
So as mentioned before(maybe) the magic bite! You don't get to see it though, not here. Blame the boys. Anyway, that spell is the other thing they can do. Thankfully, it actually already happened in-story so I don't need to explain it any further! If you're unsure, check out the Foe Mansion expedition.

I do feel a bit the next part shows how much they improved, both as adventurers and as a team. Su and Kooh share some specialties and that's put on display a little clearer here. By what Su says, it's clear that they went out and took down the other robots shooting from the rooftops, but here they actually just strike down anything that could alert their enemies. Stronger together, or something I guess!
Until they're not together. Couldn't make it all that easy, ya know? Anyway, there are rails! You don't often see characters riding on rails in games and stuff anymore, but when i was younger it was the coolest shit. And also terrifying. But mostly cool.
The dialogue here has a bit more to it than meets the eye. Last time IIRC I mentioned that nobody wants a wimpy MC. I still believe that like 2 weeks later. In another two weeks? That could change. Mayyyyyyyybe. We'll see! So? Here we do see a bit of TJ's cowardice. I suppose it's something between fear and trauma, following the end of the Kimara expedition as they mentioned. One of the important things here is TJ's statement, "I'm not afraid". It's something Kooh is familiar with because he said it before, under very different circumstances but leading to a different result. I'll give you some context if you're interested, this being from the lost side story for chapter 11.

Tasty, tasty context:

The TJ then was more prone to masking his fears with false bravado, so in place of risking him doing something careless(and potentially actually falling into the abyss) Kooh assuages those fears. At the same time, she refers to herself as his big sister...in a sense, fulfilling the role Straw Hat once filled. Honestly, if you saw the story you'd think he tormented TJ more than he got along with him, but the relationship is much like Su and Kooh's now, but with a biiiiiit more hidden affection for the annoying older brother. In all fairness, the end of the side story made it plenty obvious that he cared, he just hated to show it and wasn't honest about it. In all honesty, that TJ was a lot more like early Frequency TJ. Just way more abrasive. But anyway, now Su is here too. Less rampant magic, less rampaging emotions! 2/2 baby!
Lastly, when I wrote it, I wanted to kinda...segue(?) into another character's perspective by ending the paragraph with TJ looking out at the situation's playing out nearby. With this chapter, I tried experimenting a little with shifting perspectives in battle. This one works since TJ himself isn't participating, but I don't think it's something I could rely too heavily on. Although...it does make me curious if finding something that works and utilizing it further is the best course of action. If used once, it would have the element of variety on its side due to being a new element introduced. Doing so further would certainly improve the flow of battle but it might feel redundant to readers who would like to see something new. A curious thing, really. I suppose in that regard, it would be a question of doing what works and risking experimentation. Like tropes, what's familiar is easily recognized and we all know that it works. Experimentation is risky because no one would know what exactly it is you're doing, and that unfamiliarity makes them potentially wary, confused, or outright annoyed. Stick to a working formula? Or take a risk and go for a change? It's something I think I'll often encounter as the story progresses because there are a variety of situations where that issue will arise. Be it story beats, character traits or writing style, it always applies, huh? A fascinating thing.

Now then, first fight! One of the things I really like about this is Kooh's stylish, almost casual way of going about the fight. She's always been a low strength but high mobility type of character. Of course, depending on the magic she uses she could be incredibly powerful, but in some cases that's more Su's style than hers. As we've seen with Kooh, when it comes to ice magic she often forges weapons like spears, needles, etc. to strike at weak points in her enemies if she can find them. In this case, finding that the Rail Guard has no glaring weaknesses, she creates one.
So the first new spell is Siege the Levee. As we see here, it only congeals after hitting a target. The concept i had behind this is for it to be fired at a target, potentially immobilizing it or forcing it back. The water that ricochets off of it returns and breaks through their armor or pierces the flesh. Kooh moving to its front wasn't just to avoid the spell. It was also so her target let its guard down thinking the spell was over. It's like getting crossed up, but worse.
Spell #2! For Widow's Tears, I had to find out what godforsaken names figure skating(?) techniques had. I suppose I could've described it in more detail but uhh...I didn't. A part of me feels it somewhat obvious, but if not it's not hard to find out what it is. If I was to describe it, however, I would likely need to forego the names of the techniques so as to make the explanation feel less awkward.
Return of Elemental Sigma! You can use it in any of the elements, of course. The effect of the spell, or rather the workings of it will differ depending on the spell it's chained with. The first time we saw it, Amata used it with Salamander Bombardment to create more explosive attacks. Kooh used the ice shards here from Widow's Tears to form a prison around the Rail Guard.
So, one new spell that chains with Spear of Heaven. If the name didn't give it away, it needs to be used in conjunction with it's precursor. As the outcome suggests, for Dogma of Heaven to work it needs to reconvene with the original source. The latter can, however, bring the target forward. Kooh just went in for the kill first.
I had to learn what a transistor did for this spell to come intro fruition. I'm pretty proud of this one lol. I think...I may have actually based the effect around the name rather than the other way around. But it works really well! If you were to use it on a person though it'd be uhh...kinda gruesome. Not that that's anything new for Kooh.

Thee's fight has a very different feeling to it. He has a much rougher go of it but it has a certain intensity to it that makes it interesting in and of itself. While Kooh's battle works around evasion and magic, Thee's is more a head-on collision of strength. I remember when i wrote it, I really wanted to capture that sense of tension and as Thee weaves in out of advantageous and disadvantageous positions, he begins to get a grasp on the fight before turning it around.
He does use a skill here that he normally wouldn't which was Rage Overdrive. I think in the Prologue, Axle used Rage. IIRC, it was a Warrior skill in the misc. tree? I think that's what they called it. In short, the shared/common tree. In becoming a Warlord or Blader, it either upgraded or further down the line, there was a passive skill that both classes could learn, being Rage Overdrive. I think it was more or less, just more attack power. Since passive skills don't exactly exist in the novel,(they technically do, but they'd be treated more as mastered skills than passive abilities) I made it into an active skill. He doesn't actually need to be angry to use it, in spite of the name.

Now for Naomi! Unlike Kooh and Thee, she's the type to smash her way through her opponents. Kinda. Her goals thus far have been mostly to smash through their defenses and if possible, break the opponent using one of those weak points. Except for when she doesn't lol. I think what I like about her is that she proves that she can be analytical, learning patterns and seeking out weak points. However, when she notices that she doesn't need to do that to overwhelm her opponent, she instead opts out for just aiming to finish the fight as quickly as possible with sheer strength.

Next is Su/TJ's battle. An enemy like this is the type Su would be weakest against, especially given the location. As we already know, Su's specialty is taking down lightly-armored enemies. Though the rail guards have less armor than type-alpha's, she can't break through it with her dagger. That aside, a lot of Su's spells are large-scale and destructive. If there's solid ground around her, she'd use the entire arena to crush her enemies. If her enemy was human, however, she'd probably use her spells as a distraction to assassinate them. In this case, Su looks for an opportunity by casting spells but has no success in creating an opening in that target. Her battle concludes with her pursuing her troubled companion.
Onto TJ's case, we see the return of Frozen Blitz, Megadeath and Hailstorm. Unlike Kooh, he can't aim for shit with Frozen Blitz. Okay well he's not bad but he's also not good. Unlike Kooh, he hasn't trained enough with them to use them efficiently. A bit about the spiders is that they don't have any particular offensive skills. They just skitter around and shot web. However, if one gets too many webs on them, not only does it constrict the target, but it will suffocate them eventually. The spiders can also lift their target with enough of them working in conjunction.
Anyway, Su returns to save the day. With her arrival, two new spells are introduced, being Mark of the Hedgehog and Mark of the Swellfish. It doesn't have to be hair that's used to do the initial spell. Say for example, a mantle, fur, or even a fancy scarf. Anything with a certain texture can be used in place of it. Su used hers because there's plenty of it and it's super freakin' long. Spread out, she can cover most of her body.
So a quick thing about the Swellfish--they are actually an in-game Agasura. They appear in certain parts of the Aquarium. Talin mentioned them in Pomf and Circumstance but there he called them Jellyfish. That was an error on my part. The reason I made that mistake was because they dropped a misc. item called jelly nails. Something in my brain made me put that in the first half of the name. Still, as the name implies they do swell and in fact, explode. It's really unpleasant. Especially because it does a lot of damage!
Speaking of damage, if it wasn't obvious, Su destroyed the control panel with that very same spell. It's not explicitly said but somewhat implied. Was it on purpose? Accident? You decide!
I love how Su climbs out of the gondola dragging TJ along. It's like something right out of Rampage lol. I don't recommend using a person as a balancing pole though. They're uhh...not balanced. I do like this moment though, because it shows how gutsy Su can be and that regardless of the situation he finds himself in, she'd do what it takes to get him out of it. He has faith in her knowing that and that she has the courage to see herself through the scenario.

So, more banter leads to the introduction of a new character(?), Engi! Machina! E.N.G.I! Call her what you will. I really enjoyed the part with Su having to retort the trio. I could see the boys actually being concerned about Su's reaction, but Naomi would probably have a big dumb grin on her face 'cause she threw her 2 cents in for shits and giggles. Now, I confess that an android seems out of place in a steampunk dungeon like this. She is. A lot of things are. As it goes further it gets weirder. Though androids themselves aren't quite...new? To LT, at least. There were some much further down the line, I think. It got pretty wild. I don't wanna say too much about it since the characters have to go there eventually, but if you've played the game you know the place. And the things. On that note, I actually really liked the Lightnings and I thought they were cute. Made me feel bad for having to blow them up.
So we're back to the four stooges(+1) and their wrangler. Despite being approached by an enemy(?) none of them really take it seriously save for Su. Su's non-reaction to TJ's comment is so fitting for her. She still hates Kooh though. That animosity is something that carried over from Frequency and remains unchanged to the current day.
One of the things I like about this scene is that the whole time these guys are having their silly banter, Machina is just listening. She doesn't react when they talk about scrapping her, she stops reacting to being called a robot, she just patiently waits. I'm with TJ, she seems like a nice girl. Voice of reason Thee may have saved her from getting scrapped by Su!
Not much left to be said there, so that will be the end!

So then...there's only a few pages left after this update and it cuts off abruptly there before continuing where I left off when I was last writing it, so the updates for this blog end here! Until I can be bothered to write what I lost rather than continuing. We'll see how it all shakes out later.

So what's new here? I got to play GBVS. The JP version, that is. I got brutalized by Mr. A. I talked a lot of shit back before it came out and his Metera stepped on my Perci. It was pretty nasty. I like it though! I thought I'd seen all that there was to see in the trailers but there's a lot more to the charas than meets the eye. Perci has a lot of options and he's really fun to play. I'm still kinda learning the finer mechanics of the game, but I think I'm getting a grasp of it, bit at a time. In truth, I haven't seriously played a fighting game since...well, the SNES era. My brothers and I had a few, Street Fighter II, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombats 1 and 2, I think? I was never particularly good at them, sadly lol. There's still a lot I'm unsure about when it comes to playing them, but I'd like to really put the effort into this one. Due to my lack of experience I always leaned more towards shotos regardless of the game I played, but this time I wanna shake it up and try a variety of characters. The last time I bought a fighting game was...SF4, for the 3DS. The one with that cheesy commercial?( I came here to FIGHT! It was cheesy, but it was memorable!) Played a lot of Ryu in that, played Fei Long in the console ones. This time around, so far I've played Perci and Ferry. It can be difficult, but I'm enjoying it. Gonna wait for the english version before I jump into RPG mode because I'm pretty story-invested. I need to know how Bel and Bubs get out of meatspace and if it's canon to GBF or they'll do their own event that explains it. A lot's changing, huh?

On the note of GBF, the struggle continues! Not too much. My grid is pretty much ready for the Gw! I beat up the chuuni, I drew the chuuni, I levelled the chuuni, I'm ready. The new fate episodes were really good too. Though I'm totally biased towards anything with the Irestill gang. Of all the factions, I think they would be my favourite. I hope the dragon gets her bonehead eventually. If Aliza could do it, I'm sure she could too. I've been doing a lot of side stories too, since the campaign is ongoing. An ounce of prevention, you know? Waste not, want not. Also! Also! I think I complained about it before, but I mentioned how my favourite potato Bridgette got a shared SR with Cordelia and I wasted a bunch of draws to get her and didn't, leaving salty, but I got them this time! I'm free! I haven't done the fate episode yet, though. Soon().

The FF14 patch is hitting the same day the GW starts so I'm panicking. I have my work cut out for me, really. Still, I'm always ready to chew bubblegum and punch Ascians and I'm almost out of Ascians. My body is ready! Somewhat! The live letter sounded like fun, though. Kinda wish I watched it. I have a good feeling about this patch, though. The trailer really sold it and it sounds like a lot of interesting aspects are coming into play. Also..that new healer gear looked good. Do want.

So? What's next? I'm gonna be in video game purgatory for the next like...I dunno even know how long. GBF's anni is coming up alongside the release of the English GBVS. (That's when I'll really show my true power! I'll get my grudge match! And win!) Umm...before that, of course, is FF's next big patch and the GW. Between those two is RF4S. In the end of March is P5R and early April is FF7R. There's not enough time! There's not enough time for all of it! What fresh hell is this?! I don't hate it, though!

Anyway, I'm almost done scene 1 of Act 3 for Inno. Almost. Trudging through the second scene in Sanc's chapter 12. Nothing major to report! Things might come to a grinding halt as I try and fail to manage my time, but even going slow as I am the results have been the same regardless so it all works out! Or so I tell myself!

As I've mentioned before, this'll be the last update until...further notice(). Hope you enjoyed my nonsense. Goodbye!

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gay vibin#0507

“W-we're completely surrounded...” TJ muttered as he looked around in disbelief.
“You're not gonna chicken out now, are you? We've been through worse,” Su said.
“It'll be fine!” Kooh said as she waved off TJ's concerns.
“Last time you said that, you froze the goddamn door and trapped us in with that fuckin' t-rex robot. How about not nearly getting us all killed this time?”
“Normally I'd let you guys fight it out but we don't really have time for this. Hell, we're lucky they haven't attacked yet.” Thee said, his eyes darting for any movement from the robots.
“Count your blessings and make a plan while you can.” Naomi told them as she drew her needle and looked to Acedia's colossus.
A sigh could be heard from the giant robot.
“You guys done having a little chat? If you'd just go ahead and die, that'd be nice. You're getting in the way of my nap time,” Acedia muttered dispassionately.
“Swear to God Ah when I get my hands on that fucker...” Su hissed, her teeth grit.
“Alright, time's up. I'm starting now...”
A shrill alarm sounded off for a couple of seconds and the robots immediately sprung to life, descending on the battlefield like a wave. Like watching a toy store coming to life, a horde of robots stepped down from one level of stairs to the next to charge at their adversaries. Others took to the sky like a swarm of bees before flying about the battlefield and preparing to rain down devastation on their opponents.
“Look alive, you lot! Those bastards are comin' hard and fast!” Naomi snarled as she took a battle stance and rushed into the fray.
“Little Lamb, do you think you can use Torus for me? If you can get a sufficient charge I think I can clear out most of these guys.” Kooh asked as she set off.
“Huh? S-sure.” TJ answered looking puzzled.
How him using Torus could help her, he had no idea, but if any of them had the skill to clear out all of those robots, it would probably be Kooh.
“Torus!”
TJ reached skyward and from the palm of his hand an icy mist began to pour down to the ground, gathering around his feet and growing stronger as he took up his battle stance.
“Hey! What's the big idea having our squishiest guy ground himself when we're surrounded?!” Su snarled.
“You'll protect him, won't you?” Kooh asked as she engaged one of the foot soldier robots.
“You wishy-washy bitch! Fine! But once this is over I'm gonna knock you out!”
Su seemed to turn her anger towards the oncoming robots, channelling it into a Shattered Berg and letting it loose, taking some down in the process.
“I'll stay nearby too, TJ.” Thee said, offering him a reassuring grin. “Su and I might be able to handle those guys on the ground, but the airborne ones will be a problem for you. Make sure to protect yourself in case of bullets or dust, alright?”
The Abellan looked to him and smiled.
“Thanks, Thee.”
The Warlord hit his chest with his fist and grinned.
“It's all good.”
Without another moment to spare he took a few steps forward and batted a stick of dynamite back into the crowd of robots. The sound of the explosion was followed by him leaping towards a terminal runner and holding off its drill with his sword.
Naomi zipped across the sky, felling gunner drones and cherub robots alike while avoiding a hail of gunfire. She flew backwards as she unleashed three bolts of lightning. A couple of bullets drifted past her and she felled the shooter before nearly catching a laser.
“Isn't it too soon to lose your temper?” She asked with a grin as she shot towards the adversary.
It pointed its wand at her and let loose another laser she easily avoided before she closed the gap and smashed it over the head with her needle. It shot down towards the world below and crashed into one of the terminal runners approaching Kooh.
“Finish it, Bloodbag!” Naomi roared to her companion flitting about below.
“Aye aye!” Kooh said as she spread her wings and conjured a chunk of ice before her. “Heartless!”
She flew into the air with it as it grew in size and hurled it down into the downed runner, crushing it beneath the chunk. She touched down and placed a hand to it, shattering it and sending icicles flying towards any unfortunate robots caught within the cone of shards.
The Governor of Ice laughed with delight as she spun on the balls of her heels and created a wave of ice that arose from the ground, piercing and trapping the foot soldiers that attempted to ambush her from behind. With a flick of her wrist, six javelins surrounded her and pointing at her targets, they launched themselves one by one, taking the robots off of their feet and piercing others before exploding into a series of icicles, felling more as they did so.
For the time being, she was in the clear. She glanced to Thee who found himself fighting off two terminal runners and decided to lend a hand.
“Thee! Batter up!”
With a wave of her hand, she created an icy bomb and hurled it towards him.
Glimpsing the spell incoming, he broke a deadlock with one of the terminal runners, forced them both away with Double Blade and took a couple of steps back to catch the bomb with his off-hand.
“Nice, thanks!”
He hurled it at the two terminal runners and before they could close the distance and escape the blast, Kooh detonated it. The Warlord shielded himself from the blast with his broadsword and though the blade was coated in ice, he was safe while they had most of their bodies frozen in place. He dashed forward and leapt through the air to cleave the terminal runner on the left. The blow damaged it severely but it still seemed to be functioning.
“Twin Blade!”
He cleaved through it with a wide horizontal swing, brought the blade upwards and finished it with a jumping slash. He looked behind him and glimpsed a couple of the gremlins attempting to jump on him. His body twisted and he dragged his sword around in a spinning cut to slice the first of the two in twain. Using the very same momentum he brought it back around in a horizontal slice and grazed the second robot. As it collapsed to the ground he smashed it to pieces with Triple Crashes.
“Now for you!”
He turned to the terminal runner that tried to fire off its drill and cleaved it with a Meteor Wave. He picked up its weapon and spun around a couple of times before hurling it into a crowd of robots, catching another terminal runner with the weapon.
Thee looked around him and saw more robots approaching him but also noted that he had gone a fair distance from the Abellan.
If he did not return soon, the robots would form a wall between him and their Bard, blocking both his vision and his body.
As he thought this, he noticed some were not targeting him but TJ instead. Without wasting another moment he broke out into a sprint towards the Abellan and cut through two foot soldiers before lunging at the back of a terminal runner. His sword pierced the robot and he thrusted his body forward to pierce through entirely. After pulling out the blade he decapitated it and performed a wide cleave after getting hit by a soldier's claw.
“Thee, above you,” TJ warned him.
He glimpsed a shower of dust falling towards him only for it to be blown away by TJ's Icy Wind.
“Nice save!” Thee said offering him a thumbs-up.
“S-sorry for distracting you! There's more coming!'
TJ rapidly strummed the strings of his guitar before unleashing it with an open hand.
“Inquisitor's Lament!”
A bolt of lightning was unleashed from the weapon and pierced one of the gremlin robots, paralyzing it temporarily. After a couple of moments, guided by TJ's pointed finger, it shot towards another one and paralyzed it also. With each TJ put to a halt, Thee cleaved through them.
“Incoming skybound enemies! Think you can take them down?” Thee asked as he cut down one more soldier robot and gathered his bearings on the battlefield.
“I'm on it!”
TJ looked skyward and directed his spell into the nearest gunner drone. The spell shot towards it and short-circuited it, downing it and some more unfortunate robots following it. When some of the cherub robots caught notice of this they started to congregate above him in preparation to rain dust down on him. TJ managed to take down a couple of them but far too many were gathering at that point for him to down them consecutively and safely.
Naomi soared towards them and batted them into walls or down towards the ground before shooting off a series of bolts.
“I'll take it from here, TJ! Take care of those guys down there instead of running the risk of getting caught by falling debris!” Naomi shouted to him as she soared through the air.
Su seemed to have her hands full, the young Governor all but surrounded both by robots and pillars of stone that would be erected only to collapse on any robots that walked beneath them. Thee was giving his all too, cutting through robots and suffering the occasional blow but warding off most with an iron will.
TJ strummed out a song to offer his companions some respite from their wounds before preparing to defend himself.
Even though he was grounded in place, the effect of Torus would offer his ice spells incredible strength. He too, could protect himself with his own strength.
“Spiral Sting!”
He began to strum his guitar and an icy wind was kicked up around him, rapidly growing in strength over the course of the action. With a final stroke the spell created a series of rings around him, creating a series of wave-like spikes that pierced any robots unfortunate enough to be caught in the spell. He glimpsed three of the gremlins using their felled companions to cross his spell's radius and he felt uneasy at the sight.
He pulled his guitar over his shoulder as he eyed his targets.
“Rampart!” He roared slamming the guitar into the ground.
From it, three pillars of ice shot up, extending in height and radius with each iteration as they moved further out from him. Two of the robots that attempted to avoid it were caught and pierced while others approaching found themselves trapped.
He blinked in surprise at the sight.
It seemed that Torus did not just affect Ricochet but all of his water spells. Or at least, the ice ones.
“Ricochet!”
With a wave of his hands, a series of icicles surrounded him in a half-circle before he let them loose, piercing through the gremlin and bouncing off the tougher robots and into the weaker ones.
“TJ! Incoming!” Naomi warned him as she  crushed one of the cherub's faces with her hand.
One of the gunner drones drifted diagonally from him and prepared to fire down on him.
“I've gotcha!” Thee said as he rushed to TJ's side and blocked the bullets with the broad side of his sword.
While Naomi took it out others at varying altitudes did the same.
“Crap, I can't hold them off...” Thee muttered under his breath.
“Doctrine of the Warden!” TJ cried out, casting his next spell.
TJ began to strum his guitar and a barrier surrounded them, warding off the bullets. He continued to strum the weapon but knew he could only hold them off for a time.
“You're not gonna get shit done like that!” Su snarled as she leapt from one soldier robot's shoulders, stabbing it in the neck in doing so. She formed a spear of ice and plunged into the back of a terminal runner before forming two knives and stabbing it into the eyes.
“If that idiot isn't gonna clean up, do it yourself! You've got that one wind idiot on your side, don't you? Summon him!”
Wind idiot? He thought.
“Oh, Ardoss!” He placed a fist into an open palm at the realization.
“Here we go! Crush them, Temperantia!”
The Heart of Yggdrasil ignited with a powerful light and from it, the previous God's Governor of Wind manifested.
“I’ll back you up!” Ardoss shouted as shouted as he clapped his hands together. “Sorceror Style Awakening Technique! Banshee Isle!”
As he did this, a powerful gust of wind surrounded him for dispersing into three separate gales, each growing in size and intensity. He raised a fist skyward and they became powerful torrents, pulling in the smaller robots and those skybound, hurling them about. Into walls and into Acedia's mecha itself. Many of them were destroyed by the sheer force of collision and others were blown up by the loose items dropped by the demolitions teams. The terminal runners, demolitions teams and some of the soldier robots managed to use each other to hold their ground and avoided the duration of the spell. Naomi and Kooh remained grounded while the others clung to the Abellan to avoid being pulled into the tornado.
“Could you...you know, not throw these guys at Aegir, please? They're scratching the paint and it took a long time to do it.” Acedia complained through his mecha.
Aegir? That must have been the name of it. However, what baffled TJ was the fact that Acedia did not even seem to think they would get to fight him, let alone scratch it. Was it that powerful?
“You really think these shitty fodder bots of yours are gonna kill us?! Are you touched in the head or something?! Su snarled, flipping him off. “We'd killed more than enough of them to get here, dumbass! Once we're through with them, I'm gonna personally knock your dick into the dirt, you self-righteous bastard!”
“Long day for her, huh?” Thee asked with a wry smile.
“I don't think there's any dirt to knock his dick into but...I like the enthusiasm!” TJ said grinning.
“You really are mouthy, huh? I really don't want to have to deal with you, but I suppose I will, if these guys can't. I dunno what you'd do to Lux with that attitude of yours so...please die, would you?”
Su snarled, her expression growing more annoyed by the moment.
“Don't let him provoke you, Su,” Thee told her. “If we attack him, he might join the fight. Let's let him continue to think these robots will be a threat and clear them out. Then we can take him on without any distraction.”
“Tsk. Whatever,” she remarked.
TJ looked to the giant robot still hidden in the shadows and to the violet eyes that peered out of it solemnly, perhaps by the base of the robot.
He hoped with all his heart that Machina wouldn't join in the fight. She seemed like she was good deep down, as did Acedia to a degree. Perhaps they could change her heart and her side. He did not want to doubt the possibility.
As the effect of Banshee Isle waned, the remaining robots began their assault anew. In spite of how many they had felled, there were still upwards of at least sixty remaining, all of them strong enough to withstand the winds and many of them multiple blows.
“TJ!” Kooh called out in a sing-song voice. “You've prepared Torus for me, right? I'm gonna start casting now, so just hang on a bit~ longer, okay?”
What on Midgard did she have in mind?
“O-okay,” he answered.
“With that, I should be able to blow these guys away easily. All of them.”
“Oh? This, I'd like to see.” Su said as she grinned devilishly.
“Sometimes, I can't help but think Kooh is the scariest girl in all of Yggdrasil.” Thee sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“She is, but chances are you won't see her at her worst before this is all done and over with.” Naomi said with a grin.
“I'm not that bad!” Kooh said, looking to her and pouting.
“Get it together, you idiots. It's time to fight!” Su snarled as she armed her dagger and took up her stance.
“We've just gotta guard TJ a little longer, Su. Don't let up.” Thee said drawing his blade and checking his surroundings.
She grinned as she looked over her shoulder.
“Don't need to tell me twice.”
At that, The Abellan watched as his allies broke away from him and took the fight to the remaining robots. Though he was used to having to stay still when playing songs, the way he fought very rarely had him doing this so being grounded in place made him feel somewhat useless. For the time being, however, he would provide covering attacks for his allies.
He looked to Su who gracefully danced among her enemies, using them as stepping stones to crush them with magic. Massive slabs of stone were conjured and hurled down at terminal runners and soldier robots alike. At times she would freeze demolition teams with Icy Wave so they would not be able to throw or escape the blast radius of their own tools.
He looked to Thee who more often than not found himself surrounded but could break out of deadlocks easily with powerful swings from his broadsword. The staggering blows he landed would give him the time he needed to use a stance and decimate his foes. From the powerful crushing blow of Meteor Wave to the agile Triple Crashes, he was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
Naomi, unlike the other two relied less on stances and spells, as was her way. Using her bare hands or her needle, she would break through robots with relative ease. Dragging them to the ground and smashing them or kicking off their appendages before hurling them into their comrades. Her mixture of flight and ground based combat was inspiring, to say the least.
Among them, however, Kooh was the most fascinating of all. She seemed to be refraining from using spells this time around. TJ was certain he could sense her emanating mana, or perhaps channelling it and in so doing, creating an outward pressure. Her fighting style was reminiscent of Su's in a sense, but with less of a focus on acrobatics and more landing powerful strikes at weak points in the robots. She damaged limbs, disabling or immobilizing them with her strikes and at times managing to dismantle them or break them from the inside by taking them apart bit by bit.
Whatever she was doing, TJ decided she was the one who likely could use a hand most right now.
“Here we go!” TJ said as he raised his hand.
He began to strum his guitar and icy winds gathered upon the roof of the battlefield above Kooh's location. As he played, ice began to form and spread out like the petals of a flower. As he continued, more of them took form totalling in four.
“Snowdrop Dew!”
With a powerful strum of his guitar and three more to accompany it, massive beads of water formed on the flower's stigma before dropping towards the battlefield below. As they did, they froze into giant chunks of ice, crushing any robots unfortunate enough to be caught underneath.
As the dust settled, TJ glimpsed Kooh standing atop one of the drops and waving.
“Thanks Little Lamb! Now I can properly concentrate!”
Kooh raised a hand skyward and both above and below her, magic circles formed, each with differing runes but the largest of them featuring the Herald of Waves.
“Vast as the endless expanse, deep as the densest abyss, dark as the coldest of nights...”
TJ blinked.
A prayer? No no...doesn't really sound like one...an incantation? TJ thought as he tilted his head in disbelief.
“God Ah...if it is then...”
It would probably be as destructive as Amata's Prometheus!
“K-Kooh?! Are you sure about this?!”
In spite of the terror evident in his voice, the Governor of Ice looked at him and winked, her momentum undeterred.
“Her kiss as cold as steel, her sigh that could bring upon the twilight of the land abundant...”
Kooh's gaze sharpened as the sound of a drill revving up broke through the still dust. She armed her dagger and jumped back into the fray, balancing on the drill itself, narrowly avoiding the bit. As the robot raised its gaze to meet hers, she kicked it in the face and dove straight at it, putting her dagger through the head. She stabbed it two more times before throwing her dagger at another nearby terminal runner. It dropped its weapon, she took it and thrusted the weapon into its chest, drilling a hole right through it.
“Cutting winds shall devour mine enemies! Torrents of unending snow shall blind the vain as a cascade of hail rends the flesh from their bones! The blood of the foolish shall nourish the wastes!”
As she continued her incantation, she cut down her enemies without a moments hesitation.
When one of the soldier robots took a swing at her, she leapt onto its shoulders and kicked it in the back of the head into another. She grabbed the very same one and threw it at one of the demolition team's mines, setting it off and blowing away robots within the blast radius. One of the terminal runners neared and she raised her dagger to parry its drill before retreating with Dancing Dagger and performing a somersault onto one of the other dew drops.
“ For your hubris, your fate shall be sealed within her chilling embrace for all eternity!”
Kooh raised a single hand skyward and snapped her fingers. At the gesture, the magic circles lit up and began to turn, awaiting her signal to activate. She looked towards TJ and began a sudden sprint towards him.
“Everyone, reel it in! Little Lamb, baton pass!”
“Tsk,” Su clicked her tongue as she leapt back, creating a tall wall of ice before dashing toward them.
“Don't start 'till I get there!” Naomi snarled as she spread her wings and flew towards them.
“Going!” Thee said as he deflected another terminal runner's drill and retreated toward the group.
“B-baton pass?”
Kooh raised a hand and though confused, he did the same.
She gave him a high-five as she passed by.
“Baton touch! Yay!”
TJ looked at his hand, at his feet and noticed the effect of Torus had vanished. He looked to her and she was surrounded by a powerful icy mist, bringing her to a halt.
“Whatever it is you've been saving up for, hurry up and do it!” Su snarled as she and the others regrouped with them.
“Okay~!” She said offering the Governor of Earth a salute. “TJ, make sure to protect everyone, okay? This spell doesn't judge friend from foe, so you're gonna need something protective! Make it a good one!”
He blinked before he placed his hands to his head.
Would Doctrine of the Warden cut it? It was strong, but not likely strong enough to protect against an incantation cast by the God's Governor. There had to be more...could he remember anything?
“Umm...umm...”
“Think fast, candy ass. Those robots are closing in on us and she ain't waiting up either.” Su muttered as she held her dagger out menacingly.
As she had told them, Kooh was preparing to cast. The God's Governor spread her wings and ascended above them, channelling her mana into the circles and kicking up a cold wind as she did.
“TJ, relax and try to recall something. Like Doctrine of the Warden, there's probably some other spells you can remember, right? Other protective spells, I mean.” Thee said, looking over his shoulder at the Bard.
“Doctrine of the Warden...the warden...”
Revai!
At recalling the Warden's true name, he recalled a spell imparted upon him by the creator himself.
TJ pounded an open palm as he closed, his eyes, opening them once more, now a shade of blue.
“Frequency!”
He held a hand skyward and as he did so, a bead of light formed in the palm before he clenched it within his fist, light streaming out on all sides. Immediately after, he outstretched both palms, one before the other as the light shot forward and formed a golden shield with two wings that arched back before fading away into a transparent sphere that surrounded the party.
“Here goes! Credo of the Warden!”
The shield ignited with a powerful light and its intensity grew as a pulse like wind surged back.
“Here come those robots...” Su muttered as she raised her dagger higher, ready to fight.
They hammered and drilled at the shield but failed to break through, let alone even scratch it.
“Not bad at all, TJ!” Thee said with a clenched fist.
“I'll...hold it...just stay close guys.” TJ said, his arms still outstretched and maintaining the shield.
“You guys made your preparations? I'm starting now!” Kooh told them as she outstretched both hands.
“Survival Forfend!”
The biting winds grew in intensity and fell further in temperature, turning the entire battlefield into a frozen wasteland. Snow began to come down, soon turning into small chunks of ice as the ground itself seemed to arise with sharp shards, impaling everything within their radius and growing in size. Perhaps due to the effect of Torus, the icicles pierced through the robots, remaining whole while the metal bent and snapped apart against the pressure. All the while, Kooh's wings faded and instead, icy appendages formed, growing in size and spreading out further over the span of the spell.
When the wings grew wide enough to cover the entire length of the battlefield, Kooh lowered her hands and outstretched a single one as if to dispatch the shards like soldiers. The wings rose slightly for a couple of seconds and moved forward with a single powerful beat, laying waste to everything that was not within TJ's protective barrier. Though the icicles crashed into each other, not a one shattered. They lodged themselves within the others and tore through the robots as if they were cloth. Kooh's rain of destruction went so far as to rend the grounds where Acedia was located, but in spite of it, he said nothing.
When the last of the icicles were launched, Kooh descended to the ground and Torus dissipated. She nodded to TJ and he released the shield before she clenched a fist and the icicles shattered into dust. With a flick of her wrist, the snow remaining gathered into a sphere before she shattered it and dispelled it in its entirety.
As TJ watched, he could not help but wonder if the spell had an Elemental Dominion-like effect and if Prometheus would do the same.
“You guys are unbelievably stubborn. Couldn't you just have died and made this easy?” Acedia grumbled as the sound of machinery followed his words.
“No time for back-patting, Bloodbag. Hope you saved some mana for this guy, 'cause whatever you threw at him doesn't seem to have scared him any.” Naomi said as she slammed her syringe into the ground and peered into the darkness where Acedia lay.
“Can you make anything out, Naomi?” TJ asked looking to her.
She squinted and grit her teeth.
“Hard to say. What it looks like is a giant...silo? Or something like that. Can't imagine he'd be hiding in that.”
“I'm not hiding I'm just...I was resting. But you broke all of my stuff and it's not like you're just gonna leave and leave Lux here.” He groaned as the sound of gears turning and pieces parting and grinding continued.
“Yeah don't count on that,” Su said.
“So...it's come down to this, huh? Guess I'll have to...do something. Let's get this over with already.”
The lights above Acedia and Machina flickered on and as the 'silo' parted, the group got their first glimpse of Acedia's mecha. The silhouette just barely became visible as a cloud of smoke emerged from the parting silo, blasting the five and nearly throwing them from their feet. They all shielded themselves from it as the wind pressure eased and the sound of massive footsteps echoed throughout the arena.
“What in the seven hells is that?” Naomi asked, squinting in disbelief.
The smoke began to dissipate and from the remnants of it, piercing white eyes gazed at the group, examining them.
“Is...is that a goblin? A king goblin?” TJ asked in disbelief.
When their view was finally clear they could see it in its entirety.
The tan, horned helmet and the wide and lengthy green ears. The white strands of hair peering out from beneath the helmet, casting a shade over the piercing, blank white eyes. The two holes for nostrils and the king's iconic, malevolent evil grin. Brown fur and a red, almost pink coat covered the body. The long green arms, bangles and uniquely black tail were present, but the king's iconic flail was not. On the back was a closed, brown rucksack. The entirety of the machine however, was crafted from metal.
“Odd...” Kooh muttered as she placed a finger to her lips.
“What is?” TJ asked.
“It is, isn't it? What Kooh's referring to, is the mecha itself. There was something like it in the Class Upgrade Center, the one in the Abyss Ruins. You probably don't remember it, but everyone's faced it once to become their advanced class.” Thee explained as he held his purlicue to his chin.
“We all went there together a long time ago, Little Lamb. In truth, it was thanks to you that we could!” Kooh laughed and smiled. “You were the only one of us who had gone into Cold Heart, back during your days with Iris. Supposedly only those with the blessing of the Ocean King would be given a key that could take them into Atlantis. You must've met with the priestess down there, Gatia Sue.”
TJ knit his eyebrows at Kooh's recollection of events.
“I...don't remember any of that.” He muttered, looking baffled.
His eyes shuttered, as he recalled his last journey to the Abyss Ruins. All that happened, all that was lost and all that he had learned. He clenched a fist tightly to his chest, the Heart of Yggdrasil gently pulsing like a heartbeat, reminding him that he was still alive.
It reminded him of his original mission. He was still as of yet to ascertain the whole truth behind who he was, what he was to do and Iris' disappearance. He had seen it, seen what he became and their separation. Now, he needed to be strong enough to bring her back in order to save her and their world.
“Thing about this thing is...it's complete. The one in the C.U.C was some of a torso, the head and arms. This is the whole thing,” Thee said.
Su crossed her arms as she impatiently watched both mecha and android, waiting for one of the two to make a move.
“Not that weird, to see something like this around here. You lot probably haven't been in the Factory yet, but that's where they manufacture these bastards and all sorts of other robots. Dunno what they're used for, but I can tell you it ain't nothing good. Most of the robots made around here are just made to be weapons. Can't say what war they plan on waging with them, but let's hope we don't need to find out.”
The governor of Earth seemed to finally be at the end of her rope.
“Hey bastard! How long are you gonna stand around and wait?! You wanted a fight, didn't you? Let's go!” She snarled as she angrily snapped her fingers, gesturing for him to hurry.
“...Huh? Oh...are you guys done your...chat or whatever? I dozed off,” Acedia answered.
“I'm gonna hit him.”
“That'd be in line with my expectations.” Thee said as he grinned at Su.
“Okay~...you know what to do, Aegir. Kill them. Just try not to kill Lux, would you?”
A pulse of light was emitted in the eyes as the goblin mecha stepped towards the group.
“It's time you lot! Don't hold back!” Naomi shouted to her comrades who nodded back in turn.
“And so it begins...and ends for you, Cerebians.” Acedia said as Aegir outstretched an arm.

From within a hole in the robot's palm, a torrent of oil was unleashed and was sprayed across the battlefield.
“Get down!” Su roared as she tackled the Abellan to the floor.
She scrambled to her feet and dragged him onto his, then pulled him along, following in the wake of Thee who narrowly avoided the onslaught himself.
“What is that?” TJ asked as he frantically ran along after Su.
“It's oil, genius! I dunno what he's planning to do with it, but it ain't good!”
Aegir's focus and spray of oil suddenly shifted from the trio to Kooh and Naomi.
“That's not gonna work!” Naomi laughed as she took to the air.
“Be careful you don't get it on your wings or he'll ground you!” Kooh warned her as she picked up speed to pass the deluge.
“I'll be fine!”
Aegir retracted its hand and the torrent of oil came to an end, but it seemed to be preparing for something else. The horn on its head detached from the helmet and rested back on a hinge, drawing the attention of the five to it. Six missiles were fired from within the opening and each took flight before shooting towards Naomi.
“Missiles?!”
Her direct approach changed course as the missiles shot towards her. She dodged to and fro, successfully avoiding the first three before beginning a steady descent to escape the others. Much to her joy, they seemed to only have semi-decent homing capabilities. Sudden changes in direction allowed her to shake them off. However, the intense heat emitted when they crashed into the ground and blew up was wearing her wings down quickly. When the barrage had ended, she looked back and noticed that their ground-based allies were trapped in by a ring of flames.
“As it stands, there's no turning back. Let's beat the shit out of him to make him regret his decision!” Su said as she pounded an open palm.
“Right behind you!” TJ said as he readied his guitar.
TJ slid to a halt as Su let go of his hand and began to strum the weapon, conjuring a dark cloud.
“Thunderstorm!”
Bolts of thunder rained down around Aegir, some hitting it directly but the strikes proving to be barely more than glancing blows.
“Is it...resistant?”
“It's probably made from the same materials as that t-rex robot, TJ. Just like we did before, if you're gonna shock it we're gonna need to break the armor. Hit it hard enough times and I'm sure we'll get through!” Thee told him as he neared.
The first time, they had managed to break through thanks to Kooh taking a gamble and performing a duet with him. That and Naomi's incredible Agasuric strength. However, after utilizing the eye again, he had lost control of himself and there was little, if any chance at all that Kooh would allow him to take that risk again. Was there another way? He would have to do all that he could to find it, so as not to put his friends in danger, especially by his own hand.
Su somersaulted through the air and landed hard, causing stone pillars to rise through a rampart spell. They shot towards Aegir and collided with the foot, raising it up for a couple of moments before it brought its foot down and crushed the pillar, regaining its balance.
It's eyes turned towards the God's Governor and it outstretched its right hand this time, unleashing a torrent of flames from a hole in the hand. She scoffed as she took cover behind one of the pillars, shielding her face from the intense heat of the flames dispersing against the stone.
Kooh used the opportunity to take flight and stop before the face before swiping the air with her hand.
“Whiteout!” She cried out, conjuring a storm of sleet snow around Aegir.
With the reduced vision, Naomi, Thee and Su were able to advance rather quickly while Kooh repositioned herself.
“Meteor Wave!” Thee shouted as he ended his charge with the stance.
He slammed his blade into the foot, seemingly denting the metal before launching into a chain of stances. Going from Meteor Wave, to Triple Crashes and Atomic Blade.

“Heartless!” Kooh shouted, raising a hand skyward and conjuring the ice chunk. She dropped it down on top of Aegir's head and flew behind it. “Naomi, all you!”
“I'm on it!” Naomi answered as she soared high above the robot and dove downwards before transitioning into a kick.
She stomped the ice with the momentum of her dive and dented the mecha while putting a crack through the ice. She stomped it again and pushed it further down, creating more cracks. With a spinning axe kick she shattered it in its entirety and fell upon Aegir with her syringe. The blow was powerful but not enough to pierce through, even with the dents she created.
“That ain't gonna cut it, Bloodbag! We're gonna need to really dig into this if we wanna break through!”
“There has to be a weak point somewhere...” Kooh said as she touched down and outstretched a hand. “Siege the Levee!”
A torrent of water was unleashed from the palm of her hand and assaulted Aegir, but it was all deflected.
“If you think that's gonna get through it, you're dead wrong!” Su said as she approached the robot and bounded on to its arm using a rising piece of earth. “If anyone's gonna find a weak point, it's gonna be me!”
Kooh could not help but smile weakly at the God's Governor's enthusiasm. Following this, she conjured the splitting water torrents back around and attempted to pierce the 'ruck'sack' on the robot. The frozen blades scratched it but could not pierce through. The sound it made proved that it was not hollow, but rather durable at that.
“Some of you guys are like...yappy little dogs, biting at Aegir's ankles. I don't like it. It does...give me an idea, though...”
Su stumbled on the robot as Thee did the same, the former crouching down to get her bearings.
“Something changed. This thing was vibrating up until now. I dunno what it did, but you idiots better watch out, you hear?” Su called to them as she continued her pursuit.
With every step she took, she listened. Each sound the parts of the body made as she traversed them would differ depending on location and density of the material. They needed to find where the material was weaker and exploit that weakness to break through the armour. She would find it, whatever it took.
The machine began to rumble as the rucksack opened and revealed a group of four missiles, each with a red tip much unlike the silver ones from before.
“Something's coming! Get into cover you lot!” Naomi shouted as she gave up her attempts at smashing the skull and flew down towards the Abellan.
The missiles launched into the air and exploded after a couple of seconds, raining fire on the battlefield.
“Damn it!” Su dove at the chin and the moment her hand touched it, she froze it there before doing the same for the other, using the head as cover from the napalm.
Thee took cover between the legs, carefully holding to his sword so as to raise it to defend himself.
Acedia aimed the flames above Aegir and back towards where Kooh was, the God's Governor still vulnerable as she was finishing with her last spell.
“Naomi! Do you think you can get me a little closer?” TJ asked.
“Easy enough!” The Vampanelar answered as she soared towards him and scooped him up in her arms.
As she touched down to pick him up, her body skidded across the floor and she turned before coming to a halt. Her body leaned forward and she bolted from where she stood, shooting towards Aegir with all due haste.
TJ raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
“Douse!”
A small storm cloud formed above Kooh and released a short but potent deluge of water over her head moments before the flames touched down upon her.
“Gh!” She groaned as they peppered her skin and petered out almost immediately after, leaving a small circle around her unlit. “Thanks, Little Lamb!” The governor of Ice called back, waving.
“Phew...made it. You can put me down now, Naomi. I should be okay.” He said, smiling at her.
“Hmm? You sure? You're so light I can probably fight this robot with you on my back.” She said with a grin.
He began to pout and she laughed heartily.
“Sorry, sorry! Couldn't resist the chance to tease you.” She let him down and drew her syringe. “You gimme a shout if you're in trouble, yeah? I'll swoop in and save your bacon anytime.”
He still owed her one for last time but he would not pass up the opportunity to be aided by her again. He could learn a lot by the way she moved and flew so skillfully.
“Yep, I've no doubt I'll be counting on you again today.”
She looked over her shoulder to wink and grin.
“Don't you hold back!” She spread her wings and took off towards Su. “Hey, want me to give you a lift up there? Unless you wanna climb those ears, it's gonna be a pain!”
“May as well.” Su muttered, releasing her hold on the robot and taking Naomi's hands.
While the two did this, Kooh quickly doused the flames with a rain shower and Thee regrouped with TJ.
“The legs are really tough. I used everything in my arsenal and I barely scratched it. Hard to say how the others fared, but if I was to hazard a guess, we might have better luck trying to break through the arms or one of the joints. The leg joints and face will be a bit tougher to get to if not outright impossible, but the shoulder joints and neck, I think we can do.”
“Will you be alright getting down?” TJ asked, looking concerned.
“Should be fine. I might not be able to fly with my wings, but gliding is within my realm of possibility. Being pushed from the nest might do me some good.” Thee answered, a self-deprecating smile on his face.
“We'll be counting on you, then. You ready?”
Thee nodded and readied his sword.
“Hit me.”
TJ strummed his guitar once and a ring of water took form beneath Thee's feet as a cloud appeared above him. As he strummed a couple more times the intensity at which the ring turned grew before he finished playing.
“Waterspout!”
The cloud and ring of water connected, creating a vortex that allowed Thee to ascend into the air and push himself out with his wings, landing on Aegir's left arm.
“Thanks TJ! I'll take it from here!”
As the Warlord stormed across the arm Naomi carried Su up to the head and let her off.
“Got a plan?” She asked as she made her way over to the horn and kicked it a couple times.
While the Vampanelar looked annoyed, Su stomped where she and Kooh recently tried to break through. The front of the helmet seemed to make a hollow sound and in that, Su saw her opportunity.
“Seems by chance you two found our opening. We break through here and we smash that robot.” Su said as she cracked her knuckles.
She raised a hand skyward and an icy mist began to form.
“Nothin' for it but to try it out. Torus!”
The mist poured out from the palm of her hand and began to gather around her feet. The very same hand, she clenched into a fist as ice coated from her wrist to the tips of her knuckles, extending above her hand.
“You tryin' that weird lance shit Bloodbag did?”
“'Course not. It's different.”
A ring of mist swirled around it, forming ice that surrounded the spear and forming it into a drill.
“Hoarfrost Driver!”
At her words, it began to rapidly turn and Su brought the drill down upon the dent, her teeth grit as she attempted to bore a hole into Aegir.

While this took place, the bottom of its bag opened up and a pack of six robot hounds stormed out, three targeting Kooh and the other three setting their sights on the Abellan.
“Little Lamb, incoming!” She shouted as she drew her dagger and prepared to fight.
He swallowed hard as he prepared to fight.
There wasn't enough time for him to do a long cast. By the time he finished the dogs would already have rushed him.
“Damn it...” He muttered as he eyed his approaching adversaries.
One of them was coming directly for him with another following closely behind. The other was taking a detour around Aegir's right leg and would flank him before long.
He spread his wings as he began to strum his guitar, creating a quick electric current.
“Megadeath!”
With a set of powerful strokes, he unleashed three powerful bolts from the weapon. The first was dodged by the incoming hound but caught the one behind it. He attempted to follow it with the other two but missed as the robot leapt out of the way of the strikes. As it dove at him, fangs at the ready he jumped aside and used his wings to launch himself backwards through the air. He twisted and brought his guitar down upon the paralyzed hound and brought it low. With both hands he swung his guitar around and smashed the head before he brought his gaze up to glimpse the other approaching. As he attempted a swift retreat, it closed the gap and jumped at him. He raised an arm to block it and it bit into his hand, hanging on to him as he flew back.
“Gah!” He cried out as he attempted to shake it off.
His blood spattered across the floor as he desperately tried to shake it off, his face stricken with panic while beads of sweat rolled down his cheek. His unease grew twofold as he saw the other hound rapidly approaching.
He tried to think of what he could cast but his hand being gnawed all while this took place made his mind a muddled mess. The pain was growing more severe with every passing moment and he did not know how he would save himself from the situation.
With only a matter of moments before the hound tore into him, he had to react.
Desperately he brought his corala guitar around and attempted to swat it away. The hound dodged the blow and tackled him, throwing him off of his feet moments after he tried to jump back. His body hit the ground and both he and the hound holding to him tumbled away before he struggled to his knees. As he gathered his bearings, the robot charged him and he outstretched a hand.
“Hailstone!”
The robot ate the barrage of icicles and fell away, electricity crackling from it as it tried to shake off the icicles lodged in the face.
This was his one chance to recover, If he passed it up, he might be taken out of the fight.
“Rill!”
The fingers of his left hand weakly outstretched within the jaws of the hound and unleashed a light electric current causing the robot to release its grip and stumble back a few steps. The jaw opened and closed in succession, seemingly out of order for a time.
TJ quickly retreated and nursed his bloody hand with his right, breathing heavily.
“I managed to escape but...can I do this...?” He tightly closed his eyes and grit his teeth, his gaze focused. “I have to find a way.”

“Did he just...?” Kooh asked in disbelief.
Going by what he said, he had gotten a burst of inspiration by them attacking him. That very thing, he used to create a whole new type of robot.
One of the dogs approached and Kooh fended its fangs off with her dagger. She kneed the bottom of its jaw before she lowered the same foot and kicked it aside. She spread her wings and flew back as she brought her dagger around again and deflected the claws of the front legs of one of the others.
“Ice Fear!”
With a wave of her hand she created a wall of icicles that blocked it off, buying her some time.
When the third approached, she rushed it in turn and the two leapt at each other. Rather than diving directly at it, however, she jumped and twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the top of its head. She adjusted her position with her wings and dove after it, pinning it to the ground before thrusting her dagger into its face.
She got up and surveyed the scene.
The two would assault her again before long. There was no denying they were a new type but their designs were simple, as was their programming. Unlike most of the other robots, they had one strategy and that was to run at their opponent. Countering them would be a simple matter.
She crouched down to the ground and placed a hand to it.
“Spell Suspension!”
At her words, a magic circle appeared above the palm of her hand and began turning.
“Check!”
The magic circle was consumed and entered into her hand before submerging itself into the ground in front of her, taking form once more.
Princess had told her that both Avaritia and Gula had unique abilities that they would use in their fights. The former, the ability to manipulate objects, from various treasures to just about any weapon in her arsenal. The latter was able to devour Agasura and gain powers accordingly with the type that he ate. Both of these abilities, TJ had inherited when he defeated them. Was it possible she had seen Acedia's unique ability first-hand there? She would have to pay close attention to his words and actions to solidify her theory.
As both dogs approached, she held out her dagger and traced one of the two's path. They attempted to flank her but she did not move from the spot, completely unfazed by their approach.
When one of them leapt at her, the magic circle dissipated and a square took form on the ground, unleashing a powerful jet of frost that froze it in mid-air, causing it to fall to the ground without reaching her. The other that came from her other side attempted to avoid her dagger but found itself skewered from head to toe by Spear of Heaven.
“I really don't think I have time to confirm my theory but...” She dissipated the spell and created a frozen mallet in mid-air. “If this Aegir is resistant to both water and thunder based spells, we're gonna have a tough time breaking its armour.”
She brought the mallet down and it shattered both hound and itself, leaving scrap and chunks of ice in its wake.
“I hope the Little Lamb is okay...”
She outstretched her left hand and an icicle formed before it.
“Gouge,” she said.
It fired off at the recovered hound and lodged itself in the back of the head before it exploded outwards, piercing through the rest of it.
“Better go check on him!”
She spread her wings and took off to return to the Abellan.

Thee was dismayed because he needed to balance himself on the edge of the shoulder to get a clean cut on the arm. Between it and the shoulder was a thick piece of metal that he could not likely easily break through, but the arm itself, with enough repeated force he might be able to cleave it and create an opening.
He hauled his broadsword over his shoulder before slamming it down against the arm. He did this a couple more times before wiping his brow.
Using stances would be risky, but just swinging at it wildly would not likely prove to be enough to break through. The power behind his SP based skills were without a doubt a cut above what he could do without it and time was not likely on their side.
As he wound up for Triple Crashes, the robot began to rumble once more and he nearly lost his footing. Using his sword to balance himself, he scanned his surroundings. Below, he could see a trio of dog robots rushing toward TJ. Above he glimpsed Naomi's upper body and could hear the sound of a metal being grinded.
“You two alright up there?” He asked, holding a hand by his mouth.
“Yeah, we're good!” Naomi answered back, offering him a thumbs-up. “Su and I are trying to bust through this bastard's helmet!”
The two might have found a weakness in Aegir's armour. For a moment, he felt conflicted on whether he should go up there to lend them a hand or go down to aid the others.
“Mm...” Thee groaned as he rubbed his temples.
TJ went through the trouble of getting him up there. Better not to waste the opportunity. If he could stall for the others, it would be ideal.
“Nothing for it, I guess. Just gonna have to whittle this bastard down as much as I can.”
Thee raised his blade skyward and it ignited with a powerful white light.
“Atomic Break!”
He brought the weapon down creating a pillar of light where it struck, leaving a nick within the metal. Enough cuts and he might be able to break through. He followed up the strike with Triple Crashes and Meteor Wave, shifting the nick into a series of them, almost forming a gash within the armour.
TJ's sudden cry drew his attention to the battlefield down below as the Abellan was assailed by the trio of robots.
“Damn it! Naomi! Naomi are you still there?!”
Despite his cries no answer came. She likely could not hear him over the sound of the robot and the drill that accompanied it.
He would have to go to aid the Abellan himself. As he thought this, the robot began to rumble even more as it took a step forward and parts of the body began to rise, revealing wide horizontal pipes all over. Struggling not to lose his footing, Thee held out his blade in a guarding stance as a pair of pipes came into his vision from a portion of the shoulder.
When the robot came to a stop, the rising pieces did also and from them, searing winds and smoke were released. Thee groaned through grit teeth as the sheer force of the winds began to force him back, heating up his sword and armour alike. His greaves scraped against the machine as he drew closer to the elbow and where he would begin his descent.
He had ten seconds at best before he fell. He would likely need to guard the moment he falls. Seven seconds; the sword would determine how he came down. 4 seconds; if he jumped, could he do it? One second.
He let his blade fall back as he raised an arm to guard his face from the searing winds. His body began a sudden descent as it was forced back a couple of feet by the winds before he spread his wings, falling into the nothing. Where the ground was, he had not the foggiest but he would have to take a risk. Arms spread wide, his sword in one hand he fell to the world below, counting the seconds as he did, recalling his ascent to the robot's arm.
“Now!” He roared as he beat his wings once and narrowly avoided a collision with the ground.
In spite of his successful landing, he was not safe. He found himself in the midst of a cloud of smoke with his allies lost somewhere in it also. The sound of it pouring out of Aegir drowned out all else, including the sound of his own voice. What could he do in this situation?

COVID didn't get me.Not yet at least. Gonna need to get one of those 2020 bingo disaster cards. Meteorite shower? Return of mad cow disease? Aliens? I'm ready!
I mean, the world's on fire but I'm still rather concerned about what I'll do about those missing pages. Time! It's a commodity!
So? Let's get down to it!

Now, before we get into the actual meat of this discussion, I mean, if you read the pages I guess you already spoiled yourself lol. Ain't no going back now! Truthfully, I didn't want to update the blog until I fixed those missing pages but it's a mammoth endeavour and things aren't that convenient. But man, it'd be nice if they were. So then, until I get around to that, you'll get whatever the hell I did throughout...2019 and 2020? Or something?
You can have this abridged explanation of events heeeeere.

Sanctuary Abridged:

Typically with the Sinners, there's usually a lot more dialogue prior to their fight. At least, in the case of Avaritia. Gula had the flashback along with some dialogue. Acedia's was almost more banter than anything else. He called Naomi a mob, expressed his desire not to fight and just all around proved to be the exact opposite of the others, to some degree. Alike to the Gula battle, we see many of the enemies the party fought throughout the dungeon. Honestly, seeing them now takes me back. I can't count how many days I spent sitting on a stool during my lunch breaks drafting ideas on my phone. I still do that sometimes. I have Agasura designs for the next dungeon drafted, but they're not done yet. Alllllllmost!
Do you remember how before I mentioned I was trying out something new with the character perspectives? This was attempt #2! Rather in this case, it was more of a 'baton pass' style since I dunno how to describe things I guess. At least not things that I do. Starting with Naomi, passing it to Kooh, who passes to Thee with the Icy Bomb. We get to see Thee in the spotlight before passing it off to TJ, which is technically the last person to take up the mantle.
So? Two new spells! Both TJ used in the fight prior to this one. Torus, and Inquisitor's Lament. Torus basically strengthens water based spells. It has a gradual effect, so the longer the spell is in play, the stronger the effect becomes. The trade-off is that the user can't move when they use Torus, so they're essentially grounded. In turn, however, any ice spells use gain incredible durability. TJ used this prior, alongside a spell called Ricochet to shoot bouncing icicles and hit faraway enemies. Both of these were taught to him by Kooh. Inquisitor's Lament is a spell that creates an electric current that moves extremely quickly and can be guided. However, unless it has a target like a robot or a human, it'll fizzle out eventually. Same as if it hits a wall. Thus, you can chain it from one target to the next. Real good against flying enemies!
The soldier robots...didn't really have a name. They were just fodder. That's what I called them.
Spiral Sting is another spell TJ learned from Kooh, but this happened during the fight against the T-rex. Also they're called Tyrannodrones(The more you know!) Also I messed up here. Torus isn't supposed to give Rampart that effect. As mentioned before, it has a hardening effect on ice spells, or in other words, increases their strength. Most of them are pointy, so you can consider it their piercing power.
Finally, the return of Ardoss! He hasn't been summoned since the fight against Choen Palm.

Surprisingly, Kooh got a lot of development in this chapter. Of all of the characters, I think we see quite a lot of sides of her. Moreso than the others. Though Naomi got her fair share too, there's a liiiiiiitle bit we only see in the side story. Bit of a work in progress, that one. Anyway, the dialogue between Thee and Naomi is: you guessed it, foreshadowing! I'm sure I voiced it here, but at a first glance Kooh and Alessa seem like the same character. They're very, very different when you really get down to it. You can get an idea of Alessa's true character if you read USSR, but you'll have to wait to find out what Kooh's like and why. I think it's pretty good! So in the off-chance some characters seem similar, it may just be the obvious facets of their character. Unless I don't develop them.
The next part I experimented a little, using TJ to tell a bit about the character's styles from his point of view, as the battle progresses. In other words, this is happening real time, baby! Ever had one of those healers that stands idly by watching the battle play out? This is a callout post(not really).
New spell! Snowdrop Dew! Only works indoors, because if there's no roof to put the flower on, it really doesn't pan out! As I was writing yesterday and some other day I realized this, and realized that I erred. Nonetheless, it doesn't need to freeze! You can just drop giant water droplets on your foes! Or you could crush them! I mean, I dunno about you but I think I know what I'd do.
So, we've got our first incantation since Prometheus, that being, Survival Forfend. It took me a long ass time to come up with the spell name and the words for it. As all this happened, Kooh does quite a bit of fighting. I wanted to capture that brutality that she only occasionally shows. She's actually really incredible, both as a Magus and a fighter but it's pretty rare for her to get to show off her skills. However! We've known this facet of her since as early as the prologue! The spell she used there, now named Gouge actually makes a comeback! Now that I think about it, TJ really doesn't use that one.
Anyway, Baton Pass! Stance? Spell? You decide! There should probably be some limitations on what can be passed on. Probably nothing that breaks the elemental deadlock, or anything that can't be utilized by another class or something. More soon?
Another one! Credo of the Warden is a follow-up spell to the previous one. Truthfully, it's more stance than spell, but certain things can be bypassed. Unlike the previous one, however, TJ can only use it when the Order Frequency is in effect. As one would expect though, it's a lot tougher to manage over extended periods of time and costs more mana to use and maintain.
Spells that have secondary effects is something I'd like to work with. I drafted some ideas when I was doing the saints, but things like this I'd like to do more of. Taking into consideration the battlefield's terrain and how the team might use it or change it, and how they do just that. I think that if Prometheus was to be used for example, unlike the elemental dominion Rayinth created, it would be something that might just strengthen fire spells while the effect remains. Maybe improve their efficiency, while lowering that for other elements.

So we finally get to Acedia.The silo he was in, or whatever it was, I kinda thought of the thingy that Meisters use. They have a skill that they use to repair damage(restore their HP in game) and it creates a silo-like object around them. Robo used it during the Pharaoh's Chamber arc. Truthfully, I actually drafted Aegir(not originally named that)'s skills prior to doing the designs. I had considered doing something of my own make, but I much prefer this. Back in the days when I played, I remembered seeing the giant parts of the king goblin mecha in the Factory and it gave me many, many ideas. But it also raised many questions. A lot of them won't apply now since a lot of things were moved around as the seasons changed, but man it was exciting. It does feel like a bit of a waste not having the party go there, prior to this, as it would serve as a good bit of foreshadowing, but unless I could come up with a good reason for them to go there, it would draw the chapter out a bit and kinda take away from both the events that happen in Scrap Valley Exit and the 5th District.
You know, sometimes as I'm looking up materials and designs for other things, I sometimes pop into the website for Papaya Play's version and take a glance through some of the new updates and stuff. Truth be told, a lot of the time it makes me miss my own journey through that world, and just a little bit, to take that journey again. Looking at it now, it feels like it was ages ago that all of these things happened. It does often remind me though, that it wasn't just the journey but who you make them with that makes it so enjoyable. Now more than before I might seem like a solo player but...meeting people and doing all that stuff is what really makes all the difference. Sometimes all it takes is joining a guild.
So anyway, I made a king goblin. I wonder if there should be some PTSD surrounding that, but in all fairness, the first one jobbed so it's probably not worth something so important.

Designing Aegir was an interesting experience, because unlike the other Sinners he had a particular set of attacks and would follow them. No basic attacks, so no punches or kicks. In making him a giant and slow mecha, I had to also consider how the party would react to, and fight given those circumstances. Thanks to this, there's plenty of clever banter and a lot of foiled attempts to break through Aegir's defensive plating. Honestly, it was one of the tougher fights to do given the circumstances, but I feel it was pretty good!
Two things to note, Whiteout is an ice-based spell. Doesn't really do damage or anything, but it can blind your opponents for however long the spell is in effect. By that I mean it obscures their vision, it doesn't have a blinding effect like Sunlight. Forget the second thing, actually, its explained and I don't wanna give it away yet. Instead, let me tell you about waterspout! How did I come up with it? I can't remember. I just remember it being a giant pain in the ass! Something along the lines of 'how do I create a water effect that can move people vertically without drowning them?' or something like that. Managed to stumble upon this thing in the process.
Another new spell! Hoarfrost Driver! It's a uhh...a drill. It does drill things. It won't pierce the heavens, no.

Moving on, TJ getting mauled is pretty standard fare for this series. You should try playing a Bard in pvp. That's what it felt like to fight a Blader lol. Support Bards weren't known for their mobility, and paid the price in spades. Though TJ is a rule-breaking class-changing cheater in the story so he's just lacking in his fighting ability. This is both a point of contention and an important plot point! I mean, he'd have to learn to fight better eventually, right?
So? Rill! It's actually not a new spell, but one he used during the elevator scene. It lets out a weak electric current for those times where you can't be arsed to use a spell that would actually defeat your opponent. Kidding! It's a spell that can be used under most circumstances, which makes it effective in cases where TJ can't cast something more powerful. No need for preparation, low mana cost and it doesn't even require his guitar.
Switching over to Kooh, most of her spells are familiar ones. The spell Check is a precursor to the spell Checkmate. TJ uses that when he and Su are separated from the party. There's also a skill that can be used prior to it, called En Passant. I forgot how it works, to be honest. I wrote that over a year ago and it was rather complicated, but the good thing is it speeds up the cast time for Checkmate! ...or something.
Also we learn what Kooh was talking about. Acedia's ability, which is Inspiration/Creation. I'm sure you can tell what it does lol. I can't give you all the details of it yet, though, 'cause that'd spoil other parts of the fight.
And so, this update ends on Thee doing things. He knows the struggle.

Surprisingly, I don't have too much to say here. Between my last story update and now, I got a new job. I'm a wagie now! It has it's own share of ups and downs. I always knew that to walk that path would be difficult and I feared that I could never do it. Somehow, I've managed so far. It's tough to find time for the things I used to do, but I'm still getting by alright. Working from home helps. It's a lot tougher to make time for my writing, though, so progress has been slow. In the end though, I suppose that too, was inevitable. Still, I'm looking on the bright side.
I'm making some headway in GBF, as always. Still haven't had my rematch with Faa-san. No, not yet either. I've defeated 5/6 lizards, Ly Woh is some old bs and anyone who says Wamdus is easy is a liar. That fight was one of the worst ones for me. It required insane mental gymnastics to avoid getting killed. I love playing Lumberjack though. Also! Alsooo! My girl Fille finally made it into the spotlight! When her 5* was announced I fell to my knees and gave praise. She's lovely and good again. What a blessed time we live in.
If I had more time, I'd play more FF14. I was supposed to do Memoria Misera but it's just been a slog every week and I find it incredible that people can do that and still find time to raid. But with my questionable schedule, it can be rough. It's been in the back of my mind for some time, but I think it needs to be said: The Orobon Monstery is great! I finished it the day it came out, of course. Nothing like getting dicked down by Chad Thundercock first thing in the morning on release day, y'know? Still, though I didn't play the original tactics the fights and the monologues were soooooooooo good. They made my chuuni heart skip a beat. I don't often see it when I do raid roulettes 'cause most people ain't down the Crystal Tower. I miss it, so much. Have a few other things I tried out between the span of then and now, but I'll save that for another time.

So? Honestly I'd like to update the missing pages, but that's a huge endeavour. Might take me a couple months to catch up to what's missing. As for what's ahead, there's about 100 pages from this point forward so I could roll out another few updates if I spend the time doing that instead. Which would be better? You decide! Later!

Su was drilling as quickly as she could and it was clear she was close to piercing through but in spite of her efforts, the machine proved to be tougher than she expected.
Even so, to do so would only be a start They would need to find the weakness in it and a current strong enough to short circuit a robot of its massive size. Unlike the t-rex robot, it didn't likely have an opening they could exploit. What could she do?
“Something's coming, Su! You best get out of there before it gets you!” Naomi warned her as she glared at the changing mecha.
“I just need a bit more time...” Su muttered under her breath, the sparks of the metal being drilled alighting her features.
“That's time I don't think you have. We can give it another try, but if you get put out of commission again we're gonna have a rough go of it. The same could be said of the Abellan. Whatever's happening down there, things aren't looking good. Bloodbag's probably in the same situation. What do you wanna do?”
“You go help the witch. I can take care of things on this side.”
“Yeah, with your abilities, should be fine. Alright, I'm goin'. Don't you go getting caught by this bastard, you hear?”
She grinned at the prospect.
“Don't count on it.”
There was a prickling sensation in the back of Su's mind. She tried to ignore it as best as she could but it grew with every passing moment. It was a sure sign that the Abellan was in danger. It was likely a side-effect of the Soul Sealing. She could tell when his life force was fading and the closer he was to collapse, the more overwhelming it would become. It was annoying, to say the least and she knew she could hardly leave him alone but...he was tougher than that. Of that she was certain.
The metal began to give way and she almost pierced through but she ran out of time. The mecha made a low rumble as searing winds surged through the pipes that arose from within the machines and emerged as a merciless onslaught.
“Shit!”
Moments after it touched her skin Su was launched from the mecha's helmet and torpedoed towards the ground. She dissipated her physical body and returned to the Heart of Yggdrasil. When she emerged from it, the Abellan chuckled dryly as he looked to her.
“Su...” He said, smiling weakly.
The smell of fresh blood was nauseating and familiar.
“What're you doing, idiot? Getting mauled by some stupid dogs? I take my eyes off of you for all of five seconds and you nearly get your dumb ass killed.” She hissed as she sheathed her dagger.
She strained her ears to listen closely. The sound of movement in the cloud of smoke was not lost on her. It was neither the sound of Naomi's boots or Thee's greaves and on top of that, it was accompanied by the sound of multiple feet touching down. It was quiet, but she was certain of herself on this.
She clenched her fists and formed a series of needles through Frozen Blitz. Immediately afterwards, she closed her eyes and listened. Over the loud humming of Aegir, the quiet din of footsteps surrounded her and began to come closer.
“You're mine!”
Her body twisted and she hurled the needles in her left hand into the cloud of smoke. The sound of metal being pierced and a pulse of electricity being released could be heard with the sight of the bolts visible through the smoke.
The second lunged at Su through the smoke and she turned to it, moving a foot forward to bring the other three needles into its jaw with an uppercut. The beast was pierced through and as it was held within place by her spell, she drew her dagger with a flourish and dragged it to the ground, smashing through the cheek with the weapon.
“Amazing!” TJ said with a twinkle in his eye.
“This is basic bitch shit. Anyway, quit standing around gawking, stupid! Get that hand healed already. The last thing you'll be doing with it mangled like that, is playing your guitar!”
“Y-yeah, you're right.”
He held out his right hand to his left and a gentle pulse of light ignited within the palm. Over the period it began to slowly recover, the wound closing.
Su looked back to the mecha with a puzzled expression, the intensity in her gaze however, unrelenting.
“That bastard managed to remove us from his stupid robot but what the hell does he plan on doing now? That won't work as well next time.”
As she had finished her statement, the sound of movement drew their attention again, this time it coming from far above them. Immediately following this, the sound of things tearing through the air and colliding with the ground drew all of their attentions. The ground beneath them trembled with every collision and those upon it struggled to keep their footing.
“The fuck is that?!”
Did it drop massive balls? She thought.
The sound of spherical objects rolling about before coming to a halt made Su extremely wary.
“Move it!”
The God's Governor grabbed TJ by the arm and pulled him aside as one of the balls crashed down in front of them and nearly crushed the two beneath it. Moments after stepping out of the way, she heard it. The sound of a lit fuse burning away with each passing second.
“...They're bombs.”
She tightened her grip and ran as far away from it as she could before coming to a halt before a pillar of flames, the searing winds from Aegir fanning them.
“Bastard trapped us in!”
She looked to TJ and his hand was still bleeding. The wounds were still rather fresh and he was not given anywhere near enough time to close them. Without his guitar, nor the Frequency he could hardly manage healing at a rapid pace.
“Goddamnit! Shit! If it's come down to this I'll do something about it! Lend me that power of yours.”
“Right, let's do it!” TJ said with an affirmative nod.
“Frequency!” The two said in unison.
Their eyes flickered to a jade green and Su prepared to cast. She clapped her hands together before outstretching both, raising them, palms skyward.
“Keeper of the Cape!”
As she continued the action, the earth trembled as massive stone walls surrounded the duo, forming a makeshift fortress to defend them from the coming blasts. Just as Su was approaching the end of the spell, the walls towering above them, the bombs went off one after the next. The walls she formed were torn down and the two were pelted with rocks and intense heat.
“Damn it...not like this...not...like...this...!”
So long as he could still fight...
One by one the walls were shattered, exposing the duo to Aegir's weapons. Su threw herself at TJ and shielded him from the blast as the final wall came down and the following explosions launched them through the column of flames and across the battlefield. She lost her grip on him and tumbled away before coming to an eventual halt.
“Gahh....fuck me...that fuckin' hurts.”
Her entire back and left arm was singed and her flesh was charred and red from the heat, if not torn from the constant collisions against the ground. Both her shirt and pants were torn and embers fell away from both, slowly burning away at parts of the fabric.
Su attempted to move her arms but the response she received was only a searing pain from every muscle. She grit her teeth as she winced and sighed as she let her muscles relax.
Two times today this had happened to her. She swore the next time she had to fight a giant robot would be far too soon.
Su managed to raise her head and glimpsed the Abellan running over to her.
“You don't look too good, Su. You'll be alright, right?” He asked as he got to a knee and took his guitar in hand.
Judging by the action, it seemed she had stalled long enough for him to heal. His jacket and hair was somewhat singed by one of the bomb's explosions but for the most part, he was still in good shape.
“Regardless of circumstances...you don't tell a girl she looks bad.” She sighed as she gathered her strength for another remark. “If I wasn't cooked alive...just now...I'd hit you. That, can wait.”
She averted her gaze as she chuckled weakly.
“Don't you start...gettin' all teary-eyed, y'hear? I'm fine.”
He opened his eyes and smiled at her. As he did this he strummed out a couple of riffs.
“To hear you speak like that, really is relieving. But again...as always, you've protected me. If I don't take the chance to do so for you guys, I'll always just be a kid that needs to be protected. So...watch me, okay?”
She looked and saw the determination in his eyes before she closed her own.
“You? You're...welcome to try.”
He grinned.
“Count on it!”
He casted Ice Storm, but a much weaker version of it. Rather than raining massive stones down around him, tiny pieces fell and created a mist around the surrounding area. When he created a misty field that hid the God's Governor within it, he immediately set off.
Su let out a gentle sigh as the sound of his fading footfalls steadily became inaudible.
She could feel her wounds steadily recovering and they would likely continue to do so over the next few minutes. It was a slow burn effect but one that would likely prove better than something quick, over a long span of time.
Without a doubt, he had grown from being the crybaby she had met in Aoich. He was still a far cry from being the world's saviour, but that's why she was there, after all. Perhaps in overcoming Rayinth, he had learned to walk. Now he would need to learn to run. And then...perhaps...
She laughed weakly under her breath.
Now was not the time for speculation. As soon as she regained her strength, the time for disassembling a certain robot would come.

TJ could hardly see through all the steam and smoke from the bombs. He covered his mouth as he charged headfirst through the flames and back onto the battlefield. He scanned the smoke but could barely make anything out amidst the destruction and debris.
If I can't see them, I'll just have to find them with my eyes closed! He thought.
A Cerebian and an Agasura's greatest asset at times would be their sixth sense. To sense their allies and enemies both near and far would be a great boon in a battle like this.
TJ closed his eyes and focused, almost finding himself immediately overwhelmed by Acedia's presence. It caught him off guard but it was nothing in comparison to that of God Ah. He tried to push the sensation aside and almost like walking around a sphere, he could feel the presence of his companions surrounding it. Kooh's was unmistakable, as was Su's. The remaining Agasuric presence and that of a Cerebian definitely belonged to Naomi and Thee.
Kooh and Naomi were together. The former could aid in healing, so he would go to their side first. Using the smoke as cover, he made a desperate dash to them with reckless abandon.
“Is that...you, scurrying around in the smoke, Lux? We don't have to fight...you know...” Acedia told him.
TJ thought of responding but to do so would easily give away his position. There was no doubt in his mind that Acedia could sense him also, however, to what degree he did not know.
“I can't have you...heal those guys. It's too troublesome...you know, hitting them. So I'm gonna have to prevent that.”
The sound of Aegir moving about as something wound up within it rang out through the battlefield. The hair on the Abellan's neck stood on end as he shifted his gaze in the direction of the robot as it prepared accordingly with the Sinner's words.
A sound like a taut spring being released from incredible pressure announced the incoming attack and TJ just barely glimpsed one of Aegir's claws piercing through the smoke. He dove through the air and crashed against the ground, narrowly avoiding the strike. The sound of a rope-like tether as it extended nearly drew his attention back to the launched hand but the moment was short lived. The second arm was launched and he knew he was directly in line for it. As he scrambled to his feet, he spread his wings and jumped into the air. In the corner of his eye he glimpsed the claw and attempted to gauge the size and minimum height he would need to avoid it catching one of his legs. Using his wings, he performed a split leap, lowering his hands to give him an extra push if he needed it. Moments before the claw ripped into him, he narrowly drifted above it as his fingers touched down, sliding across the rapidly moving weapon in passing.
When the hand had passed his body began its descent and got caught on the wire. One of his legs did not cross over, causing him to touch down awkwardly while trying to pull it away quickly enough to prevent further rope burn. He fell on his face but immediately recovered, then scrambled to his feet as the hands rapidly retracted. In spite of the size, the hands quickly slithered back to Aegir before reconnecting to the rest of the body. To TJ's pleasure, however, one could not be retracted until it seemingly flew the full distance.
“Oh...I missed all of my attacks. Guess you still can't fly, huh, Lux? That's good. I'd rather not have to shoot you down.”
TJ could not help but grimace at those words. He felt guilty that he felt somewhat happy that Acedia was not trying to kill him, unlike Avaritia and Gula. However, the man would not likely hesitate to do so to his companions and that, he could not allow.
Before long he managed to break through the smoke towards the far wall, and there he found Naomi and Kooh. The upper sides of Naomi's arms were singed and her hat was blown away. Kooh seemed to be the worse off of the two, perhaps fading in and out of consciousness. A stream of blood covered a large portion of the left-side of her face and there were cuts lining her body.
“Naomi, Kooh! Are you two alright?!” TJ asked as he approached.
“Well...'s nothing I can't handle, but Bloodbag got the short end of the stick. We avoided those bombs fairly easily but they blasted scrap metal all over the place. Both of us got pretty torn up by 'em.”
It was possible that Kooh got hit with one of the larger parts of the broken robots. Though they defeated them, they had no means to dispose of their remains. TJ had not realized it at the time, but they were weapons in and of themselves.
“I'll patch you two up in just a sec'.” TJ said as he readied his guitar and began to play.
“Focus on her, I'll be fine.”
He looked to her and nodded solemnly. He closed his eyes as he began to continue to play and a musical aurora effect surrounded him and extended to Kooh, healing her wounds.
Naomi's eyes wandered to the fading smoke, the Vampanelar gazing at the robot to see its next move.
“Like this...catching you will be hard so...better get something else to do it, I guess. Maybe something to deal with that...monstrous little girl of yours too...” Acedia said aloud.
At his words, Naomi's eyes sharpened.
“That robot...it stopped rumbling. This happened the first time, too. It's doing something. This is your chance, TJ. After that though, we're gonna have to get it together and fight again.”
“Right. I'll be ready.”
After a few more moments under the effects of TJ's song, Kooh came to and blinked in disbelief for a moment.
“Mm...huh? L-Little Lamb, you're hurt!” She said getting to her knees and taking his cheeks in her hands.
“K-kinda...but I can't play like thish, Kooh.” He answered through squished cheeks.
After she let him go, he smiled slightly.
“I'm glad you're worried about me, but you're much worse off. You've got a bunch of nasty cuts and bruises all over.”
She knit her brows as she looked at her bloodied body.
“I guess you're right...”
“Blood doesn't grow on trees, you know. Quit being so wasteful.” Naomi said as she ran a finger on the Governor's cheek and licked the blood from it.
“Hey!”
Kooh pouted and Naomi scowled.
“Oh come on now, you're getting mad after you arbitrarily copped a feel? When you let me steal a bite, I'll consider us even. At least then you'll be living up to your name.”
She took another swipe at the God's Governor, much to her dismay and smiled impishly as she muttered, 'not bad'.
Kooh's furrowed brows eased up as she turned from Naomi to TJ.
“That should be plenty, Little Lamb. If you use up too much of your SP, you'll start feeling sluggish. Be sure to save some for Thee too, okay? When we find him!
“For now, let's finish our preparations before he can finish his!”
“Got it!”
TJ began to recast the support spells he had before the battle started while Naomi performed some stretches, her wounds healing over time. Kooh put her hands together and pulled them apart, creating a sphere. When she outstretched both hands, it formed a ring that ran across anywhere her body was not covered and washed away the blood on her before dispersing. Her once closed eye was now open and she smiled.
“Good to go!” She said with two clenched fists.
TJ stole a glimpse at her, now able to clearly see her wounds.
“It doesn't hurt too much, does it Kooh?” He asked, his brows knit.
“I'm okay, I'm okay!” She said waving it off. “Thanks for worrying about me, Little Lamb.”
“Do you need some healing too, Naomi?”
She had one hand to her mouth as she cleared her throat.
“M-me? Nah, I'm fine. You do you.”
The last statement she made threw him off a bit, but if she said she was okay, she probably was. The defensive abilities of the Agasura were nothing to sneeze at, after all.
“Hey! You guys alright?” Thee asked as he approached.
“Thee!” TJ said as he smiled and waved.
The smoke was finally clearing up and they could see nearly all of their companions amidst it. Thee, thankfully, seemed to be in good shape.
“Those bombs were something else, huh? I'd say I avoided most of the robot parts but that's just 'cause I used my sword as a shield. Those that came from the sides did a number on my armour, though.”
He tapped a part of his armour that was dented and smiled wryly.
“Armour can be fixed. Broken bones on the other hand? Not happening anytime soon.” Naomi said with a grin. “You're a pretty tough customer, Thee.”
He shrugged and grinned.
“Can't let you be the only one on the front line, y'know?”
The robot opened up again and the sound of footsteps sounded throughout the battlefield as a set of new robots emerged.
The first of the two had a shape and design similar to the demolitions' teams' mine setter. The rotund body was the same but this one seemed to have an outfit of sorts. It was designed to look like that of someone who would journey to a safari or something of the sort. From the tan shirt, cargo pants and hat to the gun in its hand.
It was accompanied by a gorilla. A massive, silver, metal gorilla.
TJ blinked in disbelief and Naomi glared.
“That's a gorilla,” she said.
“It...It's almost more terrifying than the safari robot with a gun.” Thee said, laughing dryly.
“There's more of them coming,” TJ added.
As he had told them, another pair stepped out from within the machine.
“When it rains it pours, I guess!” Kooh said as she laughed.
“Does anyone remember what Acedia said just now? It might help us beat these baddies,” Kooh told them.
“Said he needed something to catch TJ and something else to deal with someone. Something like a monstrous little girl?” Naomi answered as she crossed her arms.
“If Su heard him say that, she'd definitely lose it. Where is she, anyway?” Thee asked.
“She's hidden in the mist over there.” TJ said pointing to the misty area. “A-anyway! Let's get ready, those guys are coming fast!”
As he had warned them, the robots began their approach without a moment's hesitation.

“Bloodbag, you and me are gonna keep those gorillas at bay!” Naomi roared as she spread her wings and took flight.
“I don't like this one bit...” Kooh muttered as she pursued the Vampanelar.
Thee took to TJ's defense and watched the robots carefully.
The charge was led by the two gorilla robots, the machine stampeding forward while the hunters followed behind slowly and carefully, their rifles raised.
“Don't get shot, y'hear?!”
As Naomi said this, she and the gorilla came head-to-head. As it raised a massive palm to swat her out of the air, she dove towards the ground, hands-first to transition into a somersault. As she skidded to a halt underneath the arm, she countered with a flash kick and the moment she touched down, shoulder checked it. She dragged it back a few feet before it stood its ground, aiming to grab her with both hands. Naomi held back its hands with her own and the two found themselves in a deadlock.
As Kooh approached, she held out a hand and an icy mist surrounded it.
“Delver Ascending!”
At her words, her hand swept over the ground mid-flight and a trail of ice crystals shot forwards towards the gorilla. Before it could collide with it, the robot jumped aside and the crystals came to a halt, ascending to the sky like a tower.
“Seems like they're a bit more intelligent than the last batch...might need to try a little more.”
She brought her feet down and skidded to a halt as she held both hands out.
“Gouge!”
She created two ice crystals and hurled them in succession. The first, the gorilla avoided and the second at her prediction of where it would go, was parried. The robot swatted the spell away and shattered it.
“Alright mister! You asked for it!”
She held out a hand and the massive iceberg took form behind her.
“Shattered Berg!”
At her call, it shattered into pieces and launched itself at her target, the blows landing in succession. When the mist from the breaking chunks began to subside, she glimpse the robot within, its arms crossed as if to defend itself.
Kooh pouted at the sight.
While Naomi and her mark beat each other back in a match of brawn, her needle against its massive arms, the hunter robots snuck past her and Kooh.
“D-damn it...if I could...just...” In between her words she parried one blow after the next.
She brought her needle forward and hit the arm back, using her momentum to raise a leg and force it away with a push kick. She jumped backwards and held out a hand to fire a bolt of lightning but found the robot leaping toward her.
“Wha-”
Before she could finish her statement it grabbed her by the leg and dragged her over its body, slamming her into the ground behind Aegir.
“Urgh! S-shit...!”
She laid there for a couple of moments as the robot roared, raising its arms viciously.
“Thought that'd keep me down?! Think again, bastard!” She snarled as she got to her feet.
Thee prepared himself to fight as he looked over his shoulder to the Abellan.
“Looks like it's up to us, TJ. You ready?” He asked.
“Definitely! If the other two have their hands full, I've gotta show I can hold my own!” TJ answered as he took up a battle stance.
“I'll take that one on the left, you get the right!”
At his words, Thee broke away from the Abellan and charged toward his adversary. At the sight of him approaching, the robot came to a halt and raised its gun, lining up a shot at him. The moment he noticed this tasking place, he skidded to a halt, crouching down and using his sword to protect his body.
Whatever the gun was that it wielded, the massive barrel meant that it would definitely something much bigger than what the drones had used against them.
The sound of it firing off made him wince and the moment he let his guard down, he found himself draped in a net.
“W-what the...a net?!”
He got to his feet but could neither pull it from where it touched down, nor move around fully.
“TJ! They're equipped with nets! Don't let them catch you!”
As he issued this warning, the hunter robot that caught him ran over, the blade beneath the barrel glinting beneath the light. It took a couple of stabs at him and he narrowly managed to step aside, avoiding it.
“Thee!” TJ looked to him and almost dashed toward him to help but knew he could not take his eyes off of his adversary.
It too, halted to line a shot and he knew he needed to act fast.
“Ice Fear!”
He raised several icicles in the way of its shot and though the net was unleashed, it could not pass his spell's area of effect.
“I won't hold back! Frequency!”
He pounded his fists together and his eyes flickered to crimson.
“Shadow Dive!”
He hopped on the spot and dove into the shadows, emerging from that of the robot.
It turned to him, swinging its bayonet and he jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blow. It took a stab at him and he side-stepped the blow. Too close to swing his guitar but within reach for a strike, he brought his leg up to roundhouse kick the face. He staggered it but he stumbled back before stabilizing himself.
“O-oww,” he cried under his breath.
Rayinth and Naomi certainly made doing that look natural, but those robots were made of metal and kicking them hurt something fierce! Without Serpent Membrane, he could not do direct physical blows like that so easily.
After the robot gained its footing, it reloaded its gun and prepared another net. He took a few steps back as he moved in an unpredictable serpentine manner to fake it out before charging forward. The moment it fired off the net, he side-stepped it and narrowly avoided one end of the net.
His chance to strike back had come!
“Strongarm!”
He leaned into a sprint and shot forward, leaving an after-image effect in his wake. When he came into range, he bashed his guitar into the chin of the robot and slammed it back down.
He could do more...if he just...
“Demolish!”
He took a step back, his right foot grounding him as he drew his guitar back slowly, the weapon leaving a crimson trail in its wake. With a spin he brought it around and flung the robot away from him with a powerful sound like that of a gong being struck.
As he watched his enemy sliding away, the seal appeared on his eye and he brought his guitar around.
“Blood Hunt!”
His guitar was enveloped by the crimson glow and shattered into a multitude of flower petals before reforming as a pair of claws that surrounded his hands. He lunged forward and bounded into the air before descending upon the robot with both claws. He plunged both into it before ripping them out.
He needed to get to Thee.
As he arose to his feet, his guitar reformed and he took it in hand. He took a jumping stance and bounded from where he stood over to them, the instrument held over his shoulder.
“Break Blade!” He roared as he descended upon Thee's adversary.
He smashed his guitar into the top of its head and stunned it.
He held his hand out and a crimson sphere took form before him.
“Bow down before me!” He snarled as he clenched it in hist fist and it swirled around his body in an ascending fashion.
It created a powerful pulse, knocking everything within a short radius away, save for Thee. He chuckled mirthlessly as he lowered his guitar to his side and gained a crimson coating as if he was going to use Demon's Armoury. Before he could cast it, a hand came down upon the top of his head and dispelled the effect.
“Bad,” Kooh exclaimed.
“O-ouch!” TJ cried as he dropped his weapon and placed both hands to his head. “Kooh?!”
As he looked to her, she noted that the golden eye had vanished. She pouted as she cut the ropes that trapped Thee, her eyes focused on the Abellan the whole time.
“I thought we promised not to use that evil eye of yours, Little Lamb?”
“W-we did! I mean we did...but...I can't help it! It just kinda happens now! I didn't mean to! OK maybe I kinda did but...it wasn't entirely on purpose!”
“You know what happens when you use it!”
“Sorry...” He muttered apologetically.
“I gotta agree with Kooh on this one. You have another one of those moments and we're in serious trouble. You'd be just as dangerous if not more than Acedia and Aegir.
“But...” Thee added as he winked. “You did save me from being made into Swiss cheese, so thanks.”
“You need to have more faith in us, Little Lamb.” Kooh said, looking put-out.
To be relied on and to rely on his allies was a lesson he would need to learn time and again. However, the way that eye would just manifest itself as it did then...Rayinth's tampering definitely changed something in him. Whether it was for better or worse, he could not say yet.
“I do, and I'll try to strike a better balance. I promise!”
Naomi regrouped with them and eyed their enemies warily.
“Worst comes to worst, I'll take some of that excess energy from you.” She grinned as she laughed. “But hey, any reason to sneak a bite on the Agasura King is welcome for me.”
“TJ isn't for biting! He's for hugging and kissing!” Kooh said waving a finger at Naomi.
“Kooh! We c-can't do that, y'know! That's bad!” He complained as he shook his fists.
“Girls...TJ, focus.” Thee said as he scratched his cheek.
“Right, right, TJ might've scared those robots off but they'll be back with a vengeance. Or so I thought!”
As Naomi said this, they bore witness to the robots retreating towards Aegir. The gorillas beat their chests and roared while the remaining hunter took cover by one of the legs.
“Guess I should've expected Lux to be the biggest problem among you guys.” Acedia said as he sighed audibly. “Had me going there...thought you were just gonna...y'know. Do the usual. Let them do the heavy lifting. Guess it's been a few hundred years since then...huh? You've changed a lot.
“But uhh...yeah...this might sting a bit but...you're one of us, so...you'll probably be fine. You and that mob.”
An angry vein protruded from Naomi's forehead.
“I told you already, I'm not a mob you bastard!” She snarled, shaking her fist at the back of Aegir.
“Anyway umm...you might wanna use them...as a shield. I don't wanna hurt you but...you're too strong.”
At those words, Aegir let out a shrill sound as the sound of metal moving echoed from the head. Moments after this took place, it began to inhale all of the scrap robot parts as the body turned, pulling everything within the radius into the body.
“The hell is he doing now?” Naomi asked, looking on in horror.
“I can't say for certain, but if it's gonna fire more stuff at us, I imagine it'll be worse than last time.” Thee said, his teeth grit afterwards.
“First things first! We're gonna have to ground ourselves before we get pulled into that scrap heap!” TJ cried out looking to his allies.
“Got a plan, TJ?” Thee asked as he stepped up to the vanguard with Naomi.
“U-umm...something that grounds us...maybe Torus? But I dunno if i can use it on the whole party...Might just have to try and hope for the best...”
At that moment his gem lit up as Su's voice spoke through it.
“Honestly, you idiots are hopeless without me,” she said.
She manifested through the gem and touched down before them, her wounds still visible but all of them had shown great strides in healing.
“G.G?!” Kooh cried in disbelief.
“Ahh shut up, shut up, I'm fine. More importantly, could've just had that idiot do whatever it is she did before. But rather than letting you fools run around like a bunch of headless chickens I'll do something about it.”
She cracked her knuckles and crouched down, placing both palms to the ground.
“Murky Travail!”
A circle formed around them before they found themselves submerged ankle deep into swamp water. Despite their best efforts, however, they could not pull themselves out.
“Mm...that should do it. Whatever comes next is up to you, though.”
She dissipated and returned to the Heart of Yggdrasil while the group traded nervous glances.
“This'll work, right?” TJ asked.
“Su seemed confident in it, so I'm willing to put my faith in it.” Thee said, shrugging it off.
“Don't worry, if you're in danger of getting sucked away I'll hold you down.” Naomi said with a grin.
“There's always a backup plan! We'll be fine!” Kooh added, offering a thumbs-up.
The four turned their focus forward as Aegir began to turn towards them. As it did so, they clearly saw what it was doing: it was inhaling the scrap into the body and storing it there.
“Heads down, everyone!” Thee shouted amidst the roaring winds.
At his warning the group crouched down as scraps of metal began to be dragged in all around them. Some of them narrowly flew by the group and over their heads. They breathed a sigh of relief once Aegir's vacuum effect passed over them and failed to pull them in also. The effect of Su's spell wore off and as if the ground itself was rising beneath them, they emerged from the swamp water and found themselves at their regular height.
“So we avoided that but...what now?” Naomi asked, watching the robot as it inhaled the rest of the parts.
“The other robots are still hiding beneath it. If they wanted to get us, they could've done it when it passed over them.” Thee told them, crossing his arms.
“Probably means the attack isn't over. In a sense, it's a two-parter or something, right? Some of my spells and stances chain together, so maybe he's winding up for a big attack.” TJ suggested, placing a hand to his cheek.
“I think you might be on to something, Little Lamb,” Kooh added. “If I was to take a crack at it, either it's gonna use those parts to build more robots or its gonna barf them out at us.”
“Only you would use that choice word.” Su said as she emerged from the Heart of Yggdrasil.
“Kooh might be right, though.” TJ said with a look of realization. “If he does use it to build more robots, we can deal with that when it happens, but he did say I should...use you guys as a shield...not that I would! So...it's gotta be an attack! Definitely! Stay close guys, I'll cast Doctrine of the Warden!”
“An eye for detail goes a long way, doesn't it? Do your thing, TJ.” Naomi said with a grin.
Shortly after their discussion ended, Aegir finished inhaling the robot parts and turned around fully to face them again. It began to rumble violently as a gust of air was released from the mouth, growing in intensity.
“If you're gonna do it, it's now or never,” Su remarked.
TJ nodded once before he began to strum his instrument. As he prepared the spell, his eye colour returned to the usual brown.
“Doctrine of the Warden!”
At his words a grid-like barrier formed a dome around the party. As a last resort, Thee and Naomi wielded their weapons like shields as they took to the vanguard.
“If you feel like you can't hold the barrier, let us know Little Lamb. G.G and I can create some walls to hold off some of the attacks too.”
“Should be okay. Whatever Acedia and Aegir can throw at us will definitely pale in comparison to your spell.”
She grinned and patted her chest.
“I am God's Governor of Ice, after all!”
“Here it comes TJ! Hang in there!” Thee told him as he looked back to him.
Thanks to the shield, the winds—which grew in intensity over the period since they began—were dispersed against it and proved unable to break through. However, what followed after would be much more difficult. From within Aegir, a torrent of parts was launched directly at the party in a cone-like spread. An unrelenting assault was launched against the spell and the Bard strummed faster and with greater intensity to maintain it. With every blow, a glare would flicker across the dome until one of the hits cracked it.
A bead of sweat ran down the Abellan's cheek as he continued to play, maintaining the effect in spite of the endless onslaught of machine parts. The crack began to multiply and spread across the dome like a spider's web and its creator seemed to become more worn out with every passing moment. Suddenly, as abruptly as it began it came to an end. The last few pieces were fended off and left the group surrounded by a mountain of scrap.
With a moment's respite, TJ released the spell and collapsed to his knees to catch his breath.
“Wasn't sure I could do it but...” he muttered through heaving breaths, “guess a little determination goes a long way.”

“You held out well, TJ. You take a breather, we'll handle the rest.” Thee said as he hit his chest with his fist.
Su cracked her knuckles as she grinned.
“That other bullshit had me down for the count for a while but this ain't anywhere near over.” She said as she pursued Thee into the fray.
“Make sure to take cover somewhere out of sight, Little Lamb!” Kooh told him before she took off.
“Few more good hits and we can crack that bastard's skull open, I think. When you're ready, you come out and join us, yeah?” Naomi asked as she grinned.
“N-Naomi wait!” TJ said rising to his full height.
She looked surprised as a few locks of his hair fell over his right eye.
“What's up?”
He took a deep breath before he exhaled, his expression deadly serious.
“Be my wings, Naomi!”
She looked solemnly before her face flushed and she took a step back.
“W-what's that supposed to mean?!”
“I have an idea!” He said as he clenched his fists. “But it won't work if I do it alone. I need your help.”
“Alright, you've got my attention.” She said as she chuckled dryly and rubbed the back of her neck. “You're the boss. What do you need me to do?”
“Here's the thing: if we're gonna break Aegir's defenses, we need to get through that plating that Su was working on. If it's sufficiently weakened, I can probably break through and widen the hole with Executioner's Calling. Once I do that, I'll need you to short circuit it with a strong enough electric current.
“There are two issues with this plan though. The first, is that I can't move when channelling the spell. The second is that short circuiting a robot of that size is gonna be super tough. So to that end, do you think it'd be possible to do both of those things if you were to drink my blood?”
She pursed her lips as she stared solemnly for a few moments, seeming to mull over the request. When she was finished, she grinned.
“That? I can do it, sure. I can lend you my strength, so you better hold on tight, yeah? Last thing I want is for you to fall and crack that pretty little head open.”
“Great. S-so then...” He pulled his collar away and looked to her nervously from lowered eyes. “Be...be gentle, okay?”
“Don't make this weirder than it has to be. We've already been over this. It only hurts the first time, it ain't that bad afterwards.”
Naomi eased her knit brows as she placed her hands to TJ's shoulders and doubled over to lean in towards his neck. She opened her mouth as she drew closer and let her fangs sink into his flesh steadily.
“Nn...haa...”
TJ closed his eyes fearing the pain but noted that in spite of his initial fears, there was no pain but a gentle, almost ticklish sensation. When he opened his eyes, he could see Thee in the distance looking back, confusion written on his face.
When she had her fill of blood, Naomi pulled away and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before letting out a delighted sigh.
“That's some dangerous stuff.” She said with a chuckle. “I could get hooked on it.”
She clenched a fist as lightning crackled around her hand and her muscles seemed to tense in response, growing in size.
“This should be plenty. You're a pretty small kid, so with this power getting you around won't be a problem at all.” She laughed and grinned. “I say kid but you're way older than I am, huh?”
TJ knit his brows as he looked up to his younger companion.
“As long as you understand.”
“I do, I do!”
As Naomi said this, TJ decided to prepare himself and activated the Chaos Frequency.
She stepped behind him and crouched down as she tackled his legs and lifted him up onto her bicep.
“Hold on tight, 'cause Acedia's gonna wanna take us down before we break his toy. I'll buy you the time you need, so just lemme know what to do and when.”
TJ nodded and placed a hand to Naomi's arm as she spread her wings and took off.
As she began a steady ascent and circle around Aegir, TJ looked to the Vampanelar and wondered if he could help her. She was putting her life on the line to test out his plan but in his current state, he could not offer her any enhancing spells.
As he blinked, his eyes shuttered.
Somewhere in his mind, he felt certain that there were some available to him, even with the Chaos Frequency. Though he did not know much about Lust based spells, let alone any users save for Choen Palm, he felt like they existed within that sin's repertoire. Could he do it too? Could he do it without using his eye?
He closed his eyes again for a moment and tried to recall what the origin of the feeling was.
“I dunno what you two are planning but...I can't let you do it,” Acedia said.
As he prepared his next attack, TJ opened his eyes again. His pupils had taken the shape of hearts and though shuttered, his eyes seemed to portray something very different about him. He looked down to Naomi, her focus on Aegir and where his next weapon would arise, to the battlefield down below, then smiled from ear-to-ear.
“My! What an industrious little bumblebee we have here. You've certainly peaked my interest...perhaps, you'll show me just how eager you are to please me? I'll lend you a little something...so let's have some fun, shall we? Twinkle, Starlet!”
With a flick of his wrist, a small crimson stream of energy slithered up his arm before coming to a halt at the tip of his finger. He pointed towards Naomi and it fell away from him like a drop of blood, vanishing the moment it touched her and spreading the glow across her body.
When TJ opened his eyes, he placed a hand to his head and shook it gently.
“What just...oh right...suppose that's a side effect of it, huh?”
Naomi came to a halt and placed an arm to her face.
“N-Naomi?! You okay?!”
It wasn't just her, however. His party members who had defeated their enemies seemed to be incapacitated in one fashion or another.
“TJ you...you've gotta keep that power under control. I know I said I can draw power from your dominion, but that much power is...well it's downright intoxicating.” Naomi said as she looked to him.
Her breathing was heavy and her cheeks were flushed. She seemed to be trying to cover it up, but to no avail.
“Eh? That eye isn't there, is it? I just used a spell...one that transfers strength and magic to someone else...I think. I don't really know how to control my dominion, though.”
She chuckled dryly at his statement.
“I dunno what's worse: you knowing how to do it or not. Still, if you did, I'm sure you wouldn't use it like that. Whatever you did though, seems to have everybody on the ropes, including Acedia. Better use this chance to prep.”
“...Lux? That aura is unmistakable but...” Acedia muttered through his machine.
“Here I go, Naomi! “Wrath, Pride, Sloth!” At his incantation, the vortex opened above them and the tethers began to gather upon his arm.
“No time for pleasantries I guess...Gonna have to take you both down...but you'll survive, won't you, Lux? You've got all of Dad's powers on your side after all...”
All of them? He did? He would have to investigate this further at the first opportunity he got.
The horn on Aegir's head opened before missiles were launched out of it in rapid succession.
“Naomi! Missiles incoming!”
“I'm on it!” The Vampanelar answered back as she turned to watch the projectiles.
The moment they neared her, she performed an evasive maneuver to avoid them. For the first, she began a sudden descent and it drifted above her. The second, she performed a barrel roll towards it. Managing to move her arms out of danger's way just in time. For both the third and fourth, she evaded them by performing a nose dive and turning it into an ascent at the last moment. For the final two, she shot straight up towards the roof, the two pursuing her before performing a flip and falling towards Aegir. The force of the explosion pushed her back, but it also rained fragments of the rooftop onto the robot.
“Naomi, I'm ready. Can you get me a line of sight?” TJ asked as he clenched his fist, the power of the vortex pulsing within the arm.
“On the case.”
Naomi swooped down toward the ground before coming to a halt a fair distance from the machine and TJ outstretched an arm.
“Executioner's Calling!”
The crimson veins in his arm emerged from the appendage to form a spinning drill as a beam of light was fired from where he rested to the point where Su had drilled. Without another moment to spare, his body shot in the direction of the laser and came to a halt only once it reached its destination, rapidly driving the drill into Aegir's head.
“Get ready, Naomi! You'll be up next! Everyone else, fall back as soon as possible!”
At his request, Su and Thee began their retreat while Kooh waited below, looking up to where he was now. In the meantime, Naomi took to the ground and skidded to a halt before she cracked her knuckles.
“I'm gonna blow that bastard away with power like he's never seen.”
She raised both hands above her head, the two overlapping as electricity began to crackle before them. A small sphere took form, rapidly growing in size with every moment that passed.
TJ continued drilling and the longer he continued, the greater the size of the hole as he did, pressing further and deeper into Aegir's helmet.
“Hey...you're gonna break Aegir with that kind of ridiculous strength, Lux...” Acedia muttered, for once sounding dismayed.
“That's the plan!” TJ shouted through the sound of his work.
Though he could not see past the length of his own weapon, his arm would constantly move further in and would require him to lean in deeper in order to widen the gap. Aegir began to rumble in turn as the vents emerged steadily once more. He had seen this once before and was not fully aware of the danger it presented, but he suspected they were not to be underestimated.
“Little more...just a little more...” TJ muttered as he put his weight behind his fist.
Moments before the vents began to release their contents, Kooh flew up to the head and grabbed the Abellan by his waist before soaring away from the machine.
“Too close, Little Lamb!” She said as the two narrowly avoided the searing winds. “Did you consider an escape in your plan?”
“Well...” He scratched his cheek with his index finger.
“That's what I thought! Naomi! You're up to bat!”
“Hold on to your hats, kids! I'm gonna blow this bastard away!”
The massive sphere before Naomi seemed to concentrate into a small ball before she held both hands out in front of her. When TJ and Kooh touched down on the ground, she unleashed her spell and the sphere morphed into a beam of electricity as tall, if not more so than the creator herself. It pierced the cloud of smoke and collided directly with the hole TJ created in Aegir's helmet. The strength of the spell forced Naomi back and she needed to place a foot behind her to ground herself as she pushed forward with it.
Aegir began to release bolts of lightning of its own as the body rumbled and the vents seemed to sputter, occasionally releasing clouds of hot air in short bursts. A siren began blaring as the eyes flashed red and the machine began to violently rumble.
“Ohh...look what you've done...you broke Aegir. Now that you overloaded it...it's gonna...”
A loud whirring sound drowned out Acedia's voice as the lightning grew in intensity and finally, the machine blew up in a powerful conflagration. With it, came searing winds and many and more parts that were launched across the battlefield.
TJ, who took cover behind a wall of ice Kooh created looked on in disbelief.
“Acedia?!” He cried out, but no response came. “Is he...?”
“If an explosion could kill a Sinner, we'd sure have an easier time of this,” Kooh laughed. “But I don't think just that'll do him in. Keep your guard up, Little Lamb. Anything can happen now.”
“You two alive over there?!” Thee's voice rang out behind a wall of stone.
“We're okay!”
Suddenly, from the flames and smoke of Aegir's wreckage, a figure emerged and touched down just barely outside of the sight of the party. Naomi peered from behind Su's walls and grimaced.
“This bastard is both extremely creative, and tenacious. I hate it,” she grumbled.

By this point you're probably asking yourself, "Why are there lewd undertones in my Christian Ancient Mesopotamian cave scrawlings?" The reason is because Luxuria exists and simultaneously doesn't at the same time. It's Schrodinger's Luxuria. Alive? Dead? Lewd? You decide!
So? Let's get down to it!

I've thought a lot about how TJ's physical and mental state affects Su. As we've seen in the past, it can have a variety of effects. But it goes both ways, in some cases. If TJ is unconscious, Su can't manifest. Depending on the Frequency, she'll gain similar stats and effects. If his power is unstable, her form becomes unstable. This last one was seen both at the end of chapter 8 and in this chapter too. I didn't say it in the abridged explanation, but when TJ's power goes berserk, Su's form becomes so unstable that her physical form literally explodes. Naomi threw her at the t-rex robot and staggered it with that attack. It actually puts her out of comission for the whole elevator fight because TJ isn't stabilized.
Not too much to say here, as it is as you see. As you'd expect, TJ is a lot stronger when he can use his weapon. I suppose you could say that spells get a pass, and by that I mean Ice spells. Some require both hands, unless they don't. Unless he's using the Order Frequency, most of his healing will require the guitar, as do all songs. Su asking about the balls, I can't recall if that was an innuendo or if it was as is. She herself wouldn't make that kind of joke, mind. Nowadays it makes me think of the big big guy.
So! 1 new spell, that being, Keeper of the Cape. It's a simple thing, it makes giant walls. The shape and form can change, the height, etc. As you can see, she needs to maintain the spell or it ends.
One of the things I like about this part is that we get to see Su's kindness in a different way. Throughout this chapter, quite frequently, she puts herself in harm's way to get TJ out of bad situations. You're probably thinking, isn't that pretty standard fare for this series? You're not wrong, though. However, as Acedia suggested, it's right up to Luxuria's alley to have others do things. It sounds terrible but...well, I guess it kinda is. I mean, that is kinda the point in this case. I believe, as I wrote this, I wanted readers to really ponder the relationship between the characters. What Vanir had said during his lectures on Agasura, how the sins affect TJ, and what their respective powers do. To some degree, it's obvious, but it isn't meant to be hidden, specifically. Rather, it's meant to raise the question of how much is Luxuria's influence and how much is TJ's actions? That inherent sense of...wrongness just tickles me pink.
The end result of that is Su gets pretty messed up. Again. She's a tough girl though. Something about this part...well, a part of me wanted to invoke their final moments in Elfa. I feel like I didn't express TJ's concern very well, though. His words make it sound too casual, which is more the role Su plays. Rather, she plays it off, but he's supposed to be genuinely concerned. Might go back and make some corrections on that. The latter statements and actions by him refue those feelings, but I still feel it's somewhat lacking.

Moving on, the ability to sense presences is a very important thing. In Frequency, TJ couldn't do it without help. Now, he can. This very same skill is how people are able to sense the presences of Cerebians, Agasura and Confidants.
Took me a little bit to find out exactly what kind of jump that was that TJ did, but I did find it! It's nice to have opportunities to show in what ways TJ is improving. As ever, it's a gradual process, as you see him fall on his face immediately after.
The part with Kooh getting healed, it isn't explicity said but she isn't unconscious. She's fading in and out of consciousness due to the blows she took, but the timely healing helped her snap out of her daze. If she was KO'ed he would be able to recover the wounds but she wouldn't wake up instantly. Whether there are spells that can do that, I won't say yet. At the very least, he won't be able to do it in his base form. More importantly, are those potential ships?! Maybe! Will they pay off? In this story...?!
So those robots? I couldn't find a word for a safari-goer. I dunno if that's even...well, a job. Or if there's a word for them. I have mixed feelings about it, but until that happens, this is what it is. The gorillas are, as you'd expect, gorillas. Why are they gorillas? Why not?
Kooh getting frustrated at hers gave me a good laugh. Speaking of, got a new spell here, that being Delver Ascending. The spell goes a set distance, but if it reaches its target before it reaches the maximum distance it'll activate.

The website was going bonkers last week so I didn't wind up finishing this update, but I'm here now. And it works. So?
Picking up where I left off last then, Kooh getting frustrated with her adversary puts a smile on my face. You know, I actually did a lot of reading about gorillas. They're pretty damn clever, you know! I tried to capture that here and later on in the fight.
I've probably mentioned it before, but Warlords aren't tanks in LT, but for some reason or another, Yggdrasil didn't have any, so we have Thee filling that role. I think my writer lizard brain pulled that out from my memories of playing Monhun 3. I didn't use Greatswords, mind you. In Vanilla I was a Long Sword scrub, in Ultimate, I used (you guessed it) the Hunting Horn! My elder bro and I used to hunt a lot together on the 3DS version and he used it, so the two tend to go hand in hand for me. That, and Epitaph Eternal. It's such a good name! Anyway, you could block with that thing! Greatswords, I mean. Do you know how hard it is to jam out on your giant bagpipe while a Rathalos is trying to eat you? It's even harder underwater. Also the Ceadeus theme is the best and any dissenters can fite me.
So when I designed these guys, I was originally thinking of them just having guns. Of course, this was before Acedia made his initial statement. When I considered that he wouldn't want his sister to turn out like a certain eccentric Anima, figured I'd need to adapt. The gun they use was designed to be somewhat like a blunderbuss, however, they kiiiiiiiiinda have a comically large muzzle. On the bright side! None of these Dungeon spelunking dorks know shit about guns(except for one who forgot. Heh heh, checkmate, athetists) so nobody was any the wsier that the guns did not shoot bullets. Speaking of the net, I feel like TJ finding a way around it was a good character moment for him. It's only a moment because as ever, he's wont to do something careless. And he does! Kicking a robot when you put all your points into Magic damage doesn't pan out. Someone needs to teach him to spec properly. On the topic of Serpent Membrane, I'd like to do more buffs for the Contemptuous Arts sometime. It's pretty rare for TJ to use any. Or at the very least, in most fights when he does use it, he might use one or two. Vengeance, Serpent Membrane, that one from Rayinth's Vestibule that I forgot the name of...short list, huh?
Now then, new CA stances! The first being Strongarm. The reason for the after-image is to imply an increase in speed. It gives him a bit extra momentum without having to accelerate gradually. The attack is a two-hit attack, that hits harder based on the momentum. Following that, the second is Demolish. It's a powerful attack that can lower an enemy's defenses if it hits and as we see, has quite a fair bit of power behind it. Great for launching enemies and it can be chained with Demolish. In that case, it'd be good if it was reversible. Blood Hunt, unlike Demon's Armoury will always form claws. One of the perks of using it is that it allows the user to traverse great distances, so long as they have a target. In most cases, the enemy would need to be bloodied or bleeding(hence the name) but robots don't have blood! Just oil.
Break Blade isn't a Contemptuous Art, though. It's actually a regular stance, but for Warlords, hence the name. It was something Straw Hat used during the Monster Tower expedition. When the eye formed, TJ was both able to recall the memory and how to use the stance. To give you some context, TJ recalled the memory through a dream. The reason he had it, was because then too, the eye activated. The reason it even happened in the first place was because Kooh caused the memory to resurface when she told him about their encounter with Ani-Orclair in the big Apple.
I love the trio squabbling. There's an important and (if I do say so myself) clever little joke among them that I won't explicitly say lol.
Moving on! 1 new spell, that being, Murky Travail! I mean, I guess it's obvious what it does. Makes swampy water that people sink in to. It's less so swampy water and a little more like quicksand. Once you're in it, you can't wade through it or anything, nor can you be easily pulled out. As you see here, not even Aegir's vacuum effect is enough to get them out of it.
So for the next part, originally the Scrap Cannon was meant to be a little different. Rather than it being a wave of parts, it was meant to actually be...well, like a cannonball. Bunch of parts crushed together and fired at incredible speeds. Think I decided to change it cause this way was a bit more versatile. If it remained a cannon, it'd probably just be more characters dodging. Though most people probably wouldn't want two stack mechanincs in the same fight. Don't blame me, blame your local game designer!

Now this scene, this is one I had planned for some time. I knew I wanted to take a chance to show off Naomi's abilities during the fight, especially the enhanced ones. When I was thinking about adding her to Yggdrasil's roster, I kept asking myself "what would make her unique? What would having an Agasura on the team change? What does she gain from being one? What would make her stand out from the common knowledge of LT's Vampanelars?" And the end result was this. I mean, the dialogue wasn't exactly part of that big brain pre-planning. Just a character moment that came to me in the spur of the moment. But I feel it fits them perfectly. TJ's wont to say things that cause misunderstandings and Naomi's a great target for it. But she knows! I mean, she won't get the wrong idea, probably, but she'll still have some questions!
Now then, in accordance with the joke I opened this up with, there really are quite a few lewd undertones throughout the story. There's a good reason for this! Or at least, I believe so. So hear me out here.
It's no big secret where Luxuria is. Who she is, that you might think you know but it's...it's complicated. You're gonna hear more about her eventually so I can't say too much, but I wanted her to have more of a presence. All of the villains have appeared at least once to do something. They either fuck with or fuck up the party. It's part of their shtick. I've thought long and hard about how I want Luxuria to be and what role she plays in the story and TJ's development. As we've seen in this chapter and others, TJ embodies portions of the sins, but he didn't often exhibit much of those of Luxuria's. There was a reason for that too! As you've seen, closer to the end of Frequency Luxuria began to manifest more frequently. Or at least, she did for the first time. Here again, she does, but that's because TJ's trying to utilize her powers and doesn't know how. More and more, TJ is developing his connection with her and her influence is showing through him, both literally and contextually. His words, his actions, they change accordingly and to some degree, characters are aware of this, but not under the same way readers would be.
From a writer's perspective, I had to think long and hard about how I would show this. It'd certainly be easy to play it off as a joke and readers would probably throw it in the pile of the rest lol. When I wrote it, I had considered that some people would find the imagery somewhat uncomfortable, but I figured it'd be worth doing anyway. Part of what I aimed to do was challenge myself to do things I wouldn't have before because of those feelings. Actually showing what Luxuria is like, and how she affects TJ is a strange, strange territory, especially for me. I've been writing this character for years so I'm well aware of the feelings it might elicit. But! I think its good. Heck, you could even say its my goal. All things considered, if readers have developed an idea of what TJ would do and say under most circumstances, then it means I've done my job well. To have a mental picture of that character means they've become somewhat memorable. To understand them on a deeper level means that readers would've taken something of an interest in them. To feel disgusted or creeped out by changes in the character, especially unexpected ones means that they might like them as they are. Whether I want people to love or hate Luxuria, that I won't say. I just hope to portray the characters in an interesting light--to show that there's more to even the Sinners, even though it might not seem like it at a glance. When it's all said and done, I hope that people will look back with differing views on the characters, be they hero or villain. Took a lot of trial and error to develop my skills to do it with some semblance of skill, so i'm gonna keep honing my craft and studying up until the story ends.
I took a moment to glance at Twitter and saw this thing and now I just can't help but think of senzu beans. It's like that, isn't it? A little jarring to imagine, really. But I don't hate it!
So anyway, Luxuria! I wanted to do something interesting with her dialogue. It's just a couple of sentences but I really wanted to capture the essence of her...playful nature. She has a lot of double entendres up her sleeve. There's at least 3 in her monologue. Alllllllllmost 4. The 4th is a technicality. So you're probably wondering why everyone was incapacitated. You're probably thinking of the kind where they're sprawled out from being wounded or something but rather than that it's...well...it's not that. Luxuria literally has a horny aura. As we've seen in the fight against Choen Palm, Lust is built around manipulating minds and so her appearance alone was enough to have a mental and by extension, physical effect on the whole party. I didn't say it explicitly, but I did aim to use Naomi to give readers a bit of an idea as to what exactly happened there. I leave the rest to your imagination, dear reader!
Also I forgot the rest of the incantation for the spell. 3 or more sins usually requires the second part of invocations. Added it while I was going through.

So you remember how I said there were lewd undertones? Yeah there was more. Intentionally. It seems kinda dumb when you glance at it, and maybe it is. However! Nah it probably is. Anyway, the reason for it this time, was to bring things full circle in a thematic sense. Luxuria vs. Acedia. Lust vs. Sloth. Attacker and defender. The other I can't say but you get the idea. I suppose in a sense I wanted to show TJ coming into his own in fulfilling that role. The fascinating thing about Luxuria is she's a unique case among the Sinners, being inherently tied to the Abellan. They gain a lot from each other, but potentially only one of them in unaware of that. Their nature and way of life is very similar in concept. In action, they're substantially different, but the paralells are there and they're there for good reason. Hopefully, should I do this well, as TJ's story unfolds and he comes into his own, you get to understand Luxuria on a deeper level. How she lived and how she'll continue to do so.
This last part well...make of it what you will lol. It needn't be said. Still, I always knew that I wanted to do this, even back when I was designing the robot. I had to think of a good way to transition into the final phase of the fight in a way that felt fitting. Readers would probably feel kinda underwhelmed if TJ bonked him on the head with his guitar and Aegir exploded. I suppose you could say this way is a little tropey or cliche, but it still fits so much better. The other way is the equivalent of Samus slipping on ice and smashing her power suit to bits. I swear, I won't be mad if that's how MP4 starts, Nintendo. Give it to meeeeeeee. I've been ready for years! My body and wallet are ready!
The last thing I wanted to say on this was that I think TJ being the one concerned about Acedia is a nice touch. The others don't really bat an eye at the prospect because they've all accepted that it's a necessity. Despite Naomi joking about TJ being the oldest, that inherent innocence is still shown here. After all, it's not illogical to feel that with age comes wisdom. Knowledge, wisdom, memories, time, it's all quite fascinating, isn't it? Given the origins of these characters, even more so.

So? I had my rematch match with Faa-san. Heck, I had two. The scores 2-1 in his favour. He beat me and my team of scrubs into the ground both times and made us give praise.The first time he trounced me. The second time we killed the wings and everyone fled. Truth be told though, he was gonna hit me with the 25% gopher ark. I wasn't ready for the gophers. Someone tell KMR to put good Erunes in Earth. We just need one! Since I'm a scrub I dunno who to slot in tbh. Also since I'm a double scrub I procrastinated and am trying to 5* my Opus before the GW tomorrow. Don't think I can pull this one off though. Also! Also! In unrelated but still tangentially related news, they finally put all of the soundtracks on Spotify so now I can GBF while I GBF and still manage to GBF. Wait, one of those is a VS. Anyway, it's nice. Since 8tracks got gutted(F In the chat for that boi) been using this, so I just toss music into my own handpicked (Yes!) playlists and write shitty fanfictions. The future is now!

In other news, I decided to give Ring Fit another whirl. It's fun! And difficult in the worst way! In my first stint I was playing and I lost to Dragaux. If you know me, I'm a sore loser. If I have the means to win and I lose, it's always a salty runback. So I lost, went in for a round 2 and it clicked. I'd realized I used all my stamina in the first fight. The fight had me rolling on the floor gasping for air. I won though! I was butthurt but I won! Boy, I was so glad when I didn't have to use the knee-to-chest and then I got Planking and...well, lemme tell you, it's brutal.

So the other day, right? (And by other day I mean, like, 3 weeks ago, now) I went to the store 'cause I needed to buy deo. There was a bunch of them on sale so I was looking through some of the old spice ones. There were these ones I'd probably seen ads for or something...or maybe I saw them around the house? But they were shampoo or bodywash or something. Anyway, it was like, dragonspit, bearclaw and wolfthorn or something? There was a deal if you buy more so I bought 3. Right there was also kraken-something-or-other. I didn't buy the bear one. Manly as heck right? So while I was on my way out, I took a glance at the umbrellas because I'm the type who usually couldn't be bothered to use one, but got sick of getting rained on. There's more to that.
So later that day, my cat(yes that one.) went out and of course, it rained that day. Being me, I was like "Well, good thing I came prepared for this!" so I took my new umbrella and I went out into the rain to find the cat. So While I'm standing halfway out the door, struggling to get my umbrella open, the cat comes running out of nowhere and he looks at me horrified. So we're both standing in the rain like a pair of idiots and I'm looking at this man like, "Well what're you so scared for? Get in here!" Apparently umbrellas terrify him. He did come in, though. So while he's slipping and sliding and making the floor all muddy with his paws, I'm getting soaked while I try to close the darn thing. My fingers get caught between one of the folds, I hit myself in the face with it and I get wet, of course. So I go to the washroom to dry off and while I'm doing that, I notice drops of blood in the sink. I'm searching my body all "where'd I even get cut?" thinking it was when I hit my head but it turns out I split two of my fingers on the umbrella. Little bit of disinfecting and bandaging took care of that. Went back to clean up all the mud and I realized I had smeared blood all over the door in my mad dash to get back in and spilled some on the floor. I don't remember how, but I also smeared blood on another door at the other side of my place. Had to dry the cat after all was said and done too lol.
There's more to this story though! So I decided to try that intermittent eating thing, right? So in the first couple days while I was still getting into the swing of it, my stomach was doing what it does best, being noisy. I got out of the shower and I realized I used up all of my dragon deo, so I grabbed another one. That wolfthorn deo, right? I took a whiff of it and I realized: It smells pretty good! Tasty, even! I mean, I didn't take a bite out of it but I had to tell myself I'm not gonna salivate over a stick of deo.
Moral of the story? Old Spice Wolfthorn smells pretty tasty, but you shouldn't eat it. I'm not paid for this advertisement, but we can change that eh? Kidding!

So anyway, I'd say more soon, but ideally I'd like to update properly today. By that I mean, actually finish the update. Probably. Maybe. So, more soon! Soon as in today!

““That was pretty cruel, Lux. You broke Aegir. It's a good thing I made Aegir Mk. II or I'd really be in for it...” Acedia said.
“Mk. II?!” TJ cried out in disbelief.
“They're not the same, dumb-ass!” Su roared as she peered from behind her wall.
“He's a pretty persistent dude, isn't he?” Thee asked with a dry chuckle.
“This bastard and his robots put the other two Sinners to shame. We just had to beat the shit out of them, but this guy, we can't even punch his stupid face.”
As the smoke began to clear, the party got a better view of Aegir's second form. Unlike before, the robot seemed to hover in the air. The size of it was dramatically smaller, perhaps two or three times bigger than an average adult with a much more humanoid shape. The legs were sleek and rhombus shaped, the body lightly armored and much more flexible. The arms were thin and had hands in a fashion and the head seemed to be made of tempered glass. Two wings protruded out from the back, spewing flames that kept the mecha airborne.
“What...what is that? It can fly?” Thee asked, looking baffled.
“There's so...so much technology out there...so much that you don't know about. But...in the bits and pieces of Lux' memories...I could see it. Technology lost to time...it'd be a shame...to see it all vanish, I guess. But if Dad wins, I'll remember...and you too, Lux. We can start over.”
TJ clenched a fist to his chest.
“I want to start over with you, with Avaritia and Gula and all the others! But not like this! I don't want to have to fight all of you!” He cried out.
“So long as you side with them...it's unavoidable, Lux. They can't be trusted. I can't trust them with you, either. They have to die...but you can save them too, you know? Just tell them to go and stay. The others can take care of everything and we can...just hang out. Then, when Humanity is wiped out...we can live in the new world. It'll be nice...and peaceful...and easy.”
“Little Lamb, I don't think he's gonna give it up. We're gonna have to finish what we started.” Kooh told him, placing a hand to his head.
He clenched his fists, his gaze downcast.
“I...I know...I just hoped...” He muttered.
“It's alright, Little Lamb. Maybe it won't be today, not tomorrow or even next week, but you'll get the chance to meet again and make things right. For now, let's focus on making sure that there's a Midgard for Humanity to live on.
“...Yeah, you're right.”
TJ raised his head, looking forward. He stepped out from where he took cover and Kooh followed suit.
“Sorry Acedia, but I choose the tougher path! If it means I can protect Humanity...my friends, this world, I won't hesitate!”
“This world's worth fighting for. Humans might suck sometimes, but they're a pretty good lot, all in all. We're gonna overturn this shitty rule and make this world better.” Naomi said as she too, joined them.
“Guess we have to do this, huh?” He sighed. “Figures...well, I'll try and make it quick. I can't promise it won't be painful for your friends.”
Su cracked her knuckles as she grinned devilishly.
“Oh, a little pain is nothing. I still haven't laid the smackdown on you for that little trick you did with the bombs,” she said.

Everyone, be careful! That thing's gonna be a lot faster than the last one by the looks of it. Get ready, he's coming!” Thee warned them as he prepared to fight.
Aegir outstretched its left hand and it sprayed an intense jet of oil. Kooh tackled TJ to avoid the onslaught while the others took cover.
“T-thanks!” He said as he scrambled to his feet.
Aegir touched down and immediately shot forward using its jets to propel it forward. As it slid past the duo, Kooh raised another wall of ice to block the oil that was nearly splashed on them. Though she had done this, some of it still past her shield and splashed onto their legs as the flames from Aegir's jet's set them alight. The two leapt away from the flames as their pants were ignited and Aegir broke through the first wall.
“Douse!” TJ cried out.
The rain cloud appeared and doused them in a shower, putting out the flames.
When it broke through the second wall, it began to levitate again and turned towards the party.
“Ice Fear!” Su roared as with a wave of her hand, icicles arose from the ground and surrounded Aegir.
Naomi immediately soared towards it and bashed it into them with her needle, sending it reeling back and smashing through two of them.
“The bastard might be fast, but he sacrificed all of that ridiculous armour for it! We just gotta avoid his attacks and land some crushing blows! It'll go down fast if we get some good hits in!”
“Aegir really isn't...cut out for this kind of abuse...” Acedia sighed.
“You're all style and no substance, you slimy bastard! Come and get a beat down!” Su snarled, giving him the finger.
“Let's put the hurt on him!” Naomi cackled as she prepared to take off.
“Oh I've been waiting for this!”
“You two, don't get careless!” Kooh cried out, her words falling on deaf ears.
Naomi swooped in and brought her needle down on Aegir but missed the initial strike as it flew backwards. Su circled around with Earth Dragon, launching it at his flank but without success also. The Agasura came around with a wide swing which was dodged and she found herself flung towards the ground by a right hook.
“Stone Wave!”
Su raised a foot high above her head before bringing it down with vicious speed. The moment it hit the ground, the floor panels broke apart as the earth rose and fell like a wave spreading out before her. One of the raised floorboards caught Aegir and launched it into the air.
“Sniper's Congelation!”
With a flick of her wrist Su conjured a ball of water, shaped it into a bow and used another to form arrows. One after the next, she fired off several shots towards Aegir who dipped and dodged, starting a descent back towards the ground below.
Storm clouds began to gather around Aegir and bolts of thunder rained down in an unpredictable fashion. As this took place, Kooh flew nearby and as she did so, launched six javelins at the mecha. Immediately afterwards with a wave of her hand, a series of icicles formed and circled around the mecha, launching one after the next. While Kooh kept it busy with her magical onslaught, Naomi flew up into its blind spot and shot downwards, flinging it towards the ground with an axe kick.
It hit the ground hard and bounced away a short distance before rattling violently. In spite of the power behind the blow, it still arose to its feet before taking flight again.
“You lot...sure have gotten cheeky...” Acedia said.
A small compartment opened on the back and ten missiles were launched from it, targeting the trio of girls. They split up, the two in the air taking up defensive maneuvers while the grounded Governor of Earth created walls to block each incoming missile.
Meanwhile, Thee's greaves pounded the ground as he approached with a jumping slash. Aegir spun around and avoided the blow, however, using his recovery time and the momentum of his swing, he brought the sword back and transitioned into a Blade Thrower. The stance seemed to catch Aegir off guard and damaged the chest, causing it to reel away from the spinning weapon. In response, the mecha outstretched both hands and the fingers disconnected from the body and launched towards the Warlord. Just as he caught his weapon and prepared to retreat, the tethers wrapped around his body and unleashed an electrical current.
“Aaagh!” Thee cried out as his body fought to break free, but to no avail.
TJ, who was nearby, conjured a Shattered Berg spell and unleashed it upon Aegir. The initial attacks missed, but as Aegir attempted a retreat of its own, some of the strikes connected successfully and threw it off kilter. The tethers were removed from Thee and he collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily as the last bolts of electricity jumped across his armor.
“Thee! You okay?” TJ asked as he rushed over to him.
While TJ tended to Thee, Su rushed over to the heap of ice chunks that buried the mecha and cracked her knuckles.
“Gonna bury this fucker.”
She conjured a chunk of ice and raised it higher, the piece growing in size as it ascended.
“Heartless!”
As she brought it down, Aegir cleared away the ice with a sweeping kick and with glowing crimson eyes, looked up towards the spell and melted it with a powerful beam of pure energy. The moment it was safe from the spell, it turned its eyes on Su and she narrowly dodged the cleave. All that had been caught in the sights of the mecha melted with ease.
From above, Naomi descended, one foot lowered as she arrived with a powerful impact.
“I'm not done with you yet!” She snarled as she brought her foot down and Aegir blocked it.
When the mecha broke the deadlock, the Vampanelar touched down before arming her syringe and charging back at it. The two clashed a couple of times, Naomi taking the advantage and forcing it to retreat as she pushed further on. When it began an ascent she followed suit, swinging her syringe and causing Acedia to deflect the blows, one after the next. Kooh soared just above the ground from below and the moment Aegir looked to follow her trajectory, Naomi took the opportunity to strike.
“This way, Naomi!” Kooh shouted as she skidded to a halt.
She held out both hands before her and an icy patch formed on the ground.
“Check!”
“Best not to take your eyes off of me, Acedia!” Naomi cackled as she reached out and grabbed Aegir's cockpit. Pushing herself forward with her wings, she launched Aegir towards Kooh's spell. The moment it passed above it, the spell activated and a majority of Aegir's torso was encased in ice, disabling its thrusters.
“Again!”
Kooh twirled away from Aegir and outstretched both hands, forming a magic circle with the herald of waves beneath her.
“All you, Bloodbag!” Naomi answered as she reeled a foot back.
Before Aegir began to fall to the ground, Naomi soared towards him and kicked it directly into the center of the magic circle.
“Moonlit Execution!”
The God's Governor raised both hands intertwined above her head and the circle was ignited with a powerful light. Ice crept up upon Aegir's hands and feet, binding it to the ground. The thrusters on the back sputtered as the ice still attached kept them from functioning at full power.
“I...I don't like this one bit...” Acedia sighed.
Kooh pointed a finger skyward and a thick sheet of ice in a full circle formed above the mecha. In response, Aegir began to charge its beam. When it finished charging, it fired it and began to melt the ice from the middle outwards. Kooh opened her palm and the icicles split apart before circling around the spells area of effect. When she lowered her hand, they descended one after the next, crashing against Aegir and shattering upon impact, denting the robot in the process.
“Thee!”
“I'm on it!” Thee answered as he came into view, pulling his broadsword behind him.
Kooh stepped forward and outstretched a hand, raising a chunk of ice before him that acted as a step. Before he reached the end of it, she raised another allowing him to slide seamlessly from one to the next, rising ever higher. When he was just outside of the radius of Moonlit Execution, he leapt from where he reached and transitioned into a stance.
“Meteor Wave!”
He flipped through the air as the air surrounding his sword combusted, wreathing the weapon in flames. He crashed down upon Aegir with the momentum of his descent and created a thick gash right down the center of the robot.
“Nice!” Naomi exclaimed as she pumped a fist.
“No...not like this...I can't just let it end like this...!” For the first time, Acedia spoke with some semblance of intensity.
Following his words, the eyes upon Aegir flickered with a bright light and the thrusters ignited, unleashing a powerful torrent of fire that forced Thee back and allowed it to break free of its bindings. It spun from the ground as Thee hit the wall of ice and looked to him as the eyes gained the same red glow they would when firing the beams.
“You've gotta get outta there!” Kooh cried out.
She erected another wall of ice in front of him moments before Aegir fired its laser. Glimpsing the laser boring a hole through the ice Kooh created, Thee immediately shook off his dizziness and dodged to the side.
“It came out so quickly!”
“Worry about the details later, Bloodbag! Push the advantage before we lose it!” Naomi shouted as she soared above the battlefield and fired bolts of lightning down on Aegir.
It looked to her and she managed to dodge the initial line of sight but he still caught one of her wings. The flesh was instantly singed and burned through and she instantly fell from the sky. Her body crashed into the ground and her syringe rolled away as she grit her teeth in pain.
“Aaaagh...” She groaned as she shook her head.
“Naomi!”
“Su, we've gotta help 'em out!” TJ cried out as he stormed onto the field.
“Obviously!” Su answered as she followed suit opposite of him, closer to Kooh.
TJ skidded to a halt and rapidly began to strum his guitar. Ice formed both above and below Aegir as it took off to avoid what he would cast next. Walls of ice trapped it in as stalactites formed on the upper layer of ice.
“Maw of the Beast!”
With a final strum from TJ's guitar the icy roof fell and ground the walls as it descended towards Aegir. To escape from being crushed, it reeled a fist back and smashed one of the walls before escaping the trapping.
“Crossfire!”
With a wave of both hands, shards of earth shot from all directions and converged on where Aegir was going. The thrusters let out a powerful torrent of flames as it evaded the spell and closed in on the Abellan.
“Hang on, TJ!” Kooh cried out as she spread her wings and began her pursuit.
“Doctrine of the Warden!” TJ cried out.
TJ erected a barrier as he strummed his guitar and it managed to stop Aegir's initial charge, but it quickly cracked behind the strength of the mecha and broke shortly after. It charged into the Abellan, pushing him back a couple of meters and causing him to take a knee, dazed. Following the initial strike it came again and kicked him, sending him tumbling away.
When he finally came to a halt he peeled himself from the ground but struggled to get back up.
“Gh....come on...me...”
Though my guitar took the brunt of the strike my arms feel like noodles...He thought.

Kooh looked to her remaining companions. As it stood, without healing, Naomi and TJ would be down for a time. Su and Thee were the only ones who were still completely able.
“Thee, G.G, we're gonna have to take it from here!” Kooh told them as she looked to both.
“Got your back,” Thee answered as he regrouped with her.
“This is our remaining force? Worthless.” Su sighed as she shrugged. “Good thing I'm here or we'd be lost.”
“How do you wanna do this?”
Thee stepped to the vanguard and held his sword out in case of any attacks from Aegir.
“You're probably the only one who could take it head-on, so Su and I will create an opening and provide support via spells. If you can get in there and hold him down, we might be able to finish this.”
“Playtime is over, Asgardians...once I beat the rest of you down...I'll sleep,” Acedia said.
“You can sleep when you're dead,” Su snarled.
Perhaps at or in spite of her retort, Aegir outstretched a hand and released a series of rings of flames towards the group.
“Do it, Witch!”
Kooh outstretched both hands before bringing them together, creating a line of water before her that bubbled up over a couple of seconds.
“Breaking Wave!” She shouted as she outstretched both hands.
The action caused the water to rise, increasing in height as it threatened to submerge the entire battlefield.
“Not what I meant! But it'll do! Go cut 'em up!” Su hissed as she erected a series of stones to prevent the Abellan from being washed away.
Without waiting another moment Thee took off  as the wave devoured the rings of fire. Aegir fell away as it crashed into the ground and soaked the battlefield. Meanwhile, Thee pressed onward, drawing ever closer with each passing moment.
“Annoying...” Acedia muttered.
His mecha outstretched a hand and it fired off the shock tethers previously used on the Warlord. Thee dipped as they soared towards them, keeping his body low to the ground and his sword even lowered moments before he dodged to the side.
“Jump, stupid,” Su shouted.
At her request Thee leapt from the ground and spread his wings to give himself another push. The tethers touched down on the ground and the electric current ran through them and across the massive puddle Kooh's spell left in its wake. When the Warlord began to descend, a stone landing was erected from beneath him, creating a raised battlefield separate from the rest. He continued his charge towards Aegir and cut the tethers before they could be retracted.
“Your back's to the wall, Acedia!” Thee said as he drew closer.
There was still quite a few meters before Aegir would truly be backed into a corner, but there was no means of escape if he continued to retreat.
“If you have a death wish...I'll grant it,” Acedia answered.
The thrusters ignited with greater force and he flew at Thee the same way he had TJ prior. The Warlord met the strike with the broadside of his blade and parried the strike, ending Aegir's stance. Using the momentum of the previous attack, Thee brought his sword around full circle. Using the weight of his blade as a counterbalance, his body turned as he leapt through the air and brought it down with a powerful slice. Aegir defended against the attack and managed to stave it off before Thee spun it around with a wide horizontal swing. Without enough time to retaliate, Aegir could only hold his sword back with one raised hand, however, it was clear to Thee all the nicks from his cuts would eventually break through.
The water beneath Aegir began to congeal and icicles arose from the ground like stalagmites. The first one that emerged hit the machine's waist and threw it off balance, allowing Thee's strike to pass its guard and cleave across it. The initial slash pushed it back and before it could continue its retreat another icicle emerged behind it.
“I won't let you get away! Twin Blade!”
Thee watched carefully as Aegir attempted to escape his onslaught. Moments after colliding with the icicle, the right thruster began to output with greater power and he met its escape with the first strike of his stance. His blade came around with a left hook and caught Aegir, dragging it back to the original position for the second slash. Thee dragged the blade up, leaving a pink trail in the wake of his sword before bringing it down once more.
“Triple Crashes!”
He brought the blade back up and slammed it over Aegir three more times, smashing through icicles that were erected with each one that broke before it. When Thee had it pinned to the wall, both thrusters output an incredible amount of power as it prepared to take off.
“I won't let you!”
Thee charged up Atomic Blade and as he jumped to cleave the robot one last time, it caught the blade and held on to it.
“S-seriously...?”
The blade lost its glow and Thee was dragged into the air as it took off to incredible heights.
“Just...die already,” Acedia said.
Turning his ascent into a descent, he hurled Thee's blade and the Warlord with it, hurtling to the ground. The winds lashed his face and his lips flapped in the wind until he spread his wings and attempted to change his trajectory. Despite how powerfully he beat them, he still hit the ground hard and bounced across it before laying against his back and shaking his head.
“Three down...two to go...”
Before Acedia could react, he found himself surrounded by a series of green orbs like fireflies. One by one, they all shot after Aegir and began to explode in succession. The mecha successfully evaded them but continued to be pursued no matter where on the battlefield it was.
When it finally evaded the last one it came face-to-face with Kooh who had formed a spell in the shape of a bird.
“Ibis of Frost!”
The bird spread its wings before it rapidly began to beat them, showering Aegir in a torrent of icy winds and shards of ice. The strikes began to create a coat of ice on its arms and Acedia decided to make a hasty retreat. He shut the thrusters off so it could descend and the moment they crackled to life, one of them sputtered out as something pierced it.
“...Huh?”
He looked back and found a javelin forged of ice lodged in one of the thrusters. Down below, he could see TJ with a single hand outstretched. When he was spotted, he pounded his fists together and grinned as his eyes flickered to blue.
“You might have hit me hard, but I could still fight, Acedia!” TJ laughed as he broke out into a sprint. “Naomi!”
As he ran away, the mech began to sputter as flames erupted from the now damaged thruster. In an explosion, the mecha was downed and began its descent. In an attempt to regain its balance, Aegir tried to land using the one working thruster.
“I should've hit her again...” Aegir sighed as the mecha fell from the air.
“God Ah, I hate this.” Su said, looking exasperated.
At the moment she was perched on Naomi's bicep. An electric current that seemed to be strengthened over the period she stood there ran through the two of them.
“It'll work, trust me. Consider yourself lucky you and TJ are so portable. I don't need half the momentum to throw you like I do Bloodbag.” Naomi said as she took her stance.
“Don't think I'll let you off easy for that one!” Kooh roared as she descended.
“Idiots.” Su said as she rolled her eyes.
She watched for a couple of moments as Aegir descended and looked to Naomi.
“Here goes, Su!”
She hurled the God's Governor with incredible force towards the mecha. As she drew near, the electricity began to crackle violently before forming a sphere around here. When she came within the spell's radius, she outstretched all four of her limbs and unleashed it.
“Static Pulse!”
The sphere extended outwards, creating an electric pulse and allowing Su to remain airborne for a time before she dematerialized and returned to the Heart of Yggdrasil. The only working thruster Aegir had sputtered out also and the mecha crashed to the ground, sitting limply.
“You ready, TJ?” Naomi asked as she rolled her shoulder.
Crimson eyes looked back at her as he placed a hand to a curled arm.
“Let's finish this, together!” He said as he drew his guitar.
She crouched down to pick him up and he formed a mallet with Demon's Armoury.
“Don't hold back, Naomi!”
Crimson energy seeped out from him and surrounded his companion who made the very ground tremble with the force she created in preparation.
“You better smash that fucker to pieces.” She said as her smile widened into a devilish grin.
With one last grunt of effort, she brought her arm forward, dented the ground she stood on and sent TJ hurtling towards Aegir. In spite of the winds lashing his face, the initial momentum of his swing carried through and he brought the mallet over his shoulder to smash the glass of Aegir's cockpit as he dragged the mecha across the battlefield, scraping across the ground as his momentum came to an eventual halt. When his body touched down, he reformed the mallet into a dagger and climbed into the cockpit before he held it out at Acedia.
“Let's settle this, Acedia!”
Acedia looked up to him through his messy bangs and raised his hands in surrender.
“Nothing for it then...I surrender.” Acedia said.
“...Huh?”
There in the cockpit of Aegir Mk. II, the battle came to a close.

Demon's Armoury wore off and TJ's guitar returned to normal as he blinked in disbelief.
He questioned whether Acedia was telling the truth, but found himself hard pressed to doubt his brother's words. He glanced around the cockpit before looking back at the young man.
It was rather cramped as Aegir Mk. II was much smaller than the original, but even with both of them inside, there was enough space for them to fit and perhaps even take a couple of steps around. Surrounding Acedia himself were a bag of chips, a couple empty cans of Abio Coke and one that was still full. The walls were decorated with drawn versions of the various mecha TJ had seen throughout the 5th District.
Acedia himself, alike to his other sibling looked eerily like TJ himself. However, he had white, almost grey shoulder-length hair that covered one of his eyes. He was startlingly gaunt and the same could be said of his wispy hair, giving him an ethereal, almost ghostly image. Dark rings surrounded his eyes and his mouth seemed to be curled into a perpetual semi-frown. He wore a dark blue hoodie, grey sweatpants and a pair of plaid slippers. In his lap was a strange, rectangular item with a couple of sticks and a series of buttons upon it.
Acedia sat in a tall green chair with his scythe sitting behind him, but he did not make a move to take it.
“You're...you're not lying to me, are you?” TJ asked, his brows knit.
“No...you don't think I could actually fight you...do you? Don't really wanna...anyway.”
“W...well...”
Acedia set aside the controls for Aegir and wrapped his arms around his legs.
“To be honest...I'd rather be integrated...than fight in another war. That first one was a massive pain. Also your friends are scary. Especially that mob.”
“Is this the part where we kick the shit out of him? This mob has fists and she'd like to finally use them.” Naomi's voice rang out from the battlefield.
Acedia seemed to shrink away at the sound of her voice and TJ could not help but feel somewhat guilty at the sight.
I wonder...did they have a choice?
TJ fought because he wanted to save the world. The Agasura and by extension, the Sinners, were the threat. Acedia showed some of that spirit, but from the beginning he had no interest whatsoever in fighting them. Even now, fully understanding that TJ would integrate him, he would not even fight to the end. If he, Gula, or Avaritia did not have to fight, would they? Was it possible that there could be a world in which they need not be enemies of the Cerebians or Humanity?
“I...want to find it...” TJ whispered, holding his hand to the Heart of Yggdrasil.
“Find...what?” Acedia asked, glancing at him.
“Ah...uhh...nothing!”
TJ gestured to drive home his case.
“Everything okay up there, Little Lamb? Do you want me to come in?” Kooh asked.
“It's okay, I got it handled! I should probably summon Elpis and Pandora's Box, though.”
He stepped up to the entrance of the cockpit and placed both hands to the pendant. As he pulled them away and held them out, the pithos manifested and fell into his hands.
“Take this, Kooh?”
He gently tossed the pithos over to Kooh and she caught it before placing it down next to her.
“Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to turn your back to your enemies?” Su asked as she crossed her arms.
“You just did.”
He grinned at her and she sneered.
The Abellan clenched his fist around the pendant and it emitted a bright glow before Elpis emerged from it and circled around him.
“You have need of my services, Master?” Elpis asked as she looked to him.
“Yeah, the usual. One more Sinner to return to the box. Can I count on you for that?”
“Your will shall be done.”
As she began to sing TJ scratched his cheek.
“A 'sure' would do just as well.”
TJ turned back to Acedia and smiled somberly.
“Well...this is it, Acedia. I...I don't know what it's like in the pithos but...maybe when this is all over, I'll be able to sort things out. Make a better world for you guys, too.”
Acedia closed his eyes as he began to radiate a dim light growing in intensity.
“You've changed a little...but deep down you're still the same old Lux...aren't you?” He smiled, ever so slightly. “You don't...need to worry...about me.”
He seemed to perk up slightly as his smile widened.
“If I don't have to do anything...that's good enough for me. You always wanted...to be free. Now...it seems like you are.”
His eyes slowly closed as he looked down to his slippers.
“But...it's gonna be tough for you. Invidia's gonna be mad at you and Superbia is still fuming...so she's gonna be super mad at you. If you have to fight Ira...he's gonna fight without holding anything back. You might die. Since you don't really...consider yourself you...they're gonna have a problem.”
TJ winced at the prospect.
“T-those two are already mad? But I haven't even met them yet!”
He wanted to say he hadn't done anything yet, but if Acedia's words were anything to go by, Luxuria had done her fair share of things, both to her allies and enemies.
“Yeah...those three are gonna give you a real hard time. But...you're not gonna give up...right?”
“No...I can't. I promised you and I promised Avaritia too. No matter what it takes, I have to see things through to the end.”
TJ paused.
“What about you and Luxuria? I mean...well, us. Before all of this happened.”
Acedia smiled fully at the question.
“Lux, no matter what you look like...call yourself or who you call your friends...you're always gonna be the sister...that I love.”
The Abellan attempted a smile but faltered.
“What I'm going to do though...might change that. If I'm the only one who can defeat Asmodeus, I have to defeat the other three and face off with him. This war won't end until I've done it.”
The sound of his father's name made him pensive. In those few seconds, the glow he emitted began to become incredibly bright.
“I guess fighting Dad is inevitable but...Lux...he...”
Before he could finish his sentence he dematerialized and the orbs of light he became entered both the Heart of Yggdrasil and the pithos.
“...Acedia...” TJ muttered under his breath, holding the crystal.
Just what did he want to tell him?
Following the ritual, TJ's eye changed colour once more and a vision of Acedia's past manifested within his conscious mind.

TJ found himself lying down, his head resting in the lap of an unfamiliar woman. From his position, though it was difficult to see, he could just vaguely make out some of the facial features of another woman next to him hidden behind streaks of violet hair. Above him spanned a starless sky as far as the eye could see, and looking up to it was a breathtakingly beautiful girl. Her face was framed by the wild pink locks that rested on her shoulder and seemed to fall to the small of her back.
“We're gonna have to fight the Midgardians soon...you won't leave us...will you, Lux?” Acedia asked.
Luxuria mouth hung agape for a moment before she looked down to the two in her lap and offered a radiant grin.
“I'd never leave my cute little brothers and sisters behind,” she answered.

His conscious mind returned to the present, the searing pain from the seal returned and TJ winced as he covered the eye.
“Is it a dud?” Naomi asked as she lowered her fists.
“A dud?” TJ asked in turn, looking puzzled.
Elpis' song had already come to an end and she wasted no further time for their banter.
“The ritual is complete. The sealed Saint shall now return,” she said.
The Heart of Yggdrasil ignited with light once more and from a shower of sparkles, a pillar of light emerged. As the light died down from the two sources, one of Peorth's Seven Saints took form before them.
“Des!” Kooh shrieked with delight before she threw herself at him.
At first he looked startled but his expression instantly shifted to a resigned smile as he stroked her hair.
“Never were one for pleasantries, were you, Kooh?” Des asked.
As was the case with the others, Des' image matched that of what TJ saw in his memory of the City of Iron. Des was an average-sized but muscular man with short, spiky black hair and sharp yellow cat-like eyes. He wore a baby blue blouse, long black pants, matching dress shoes and a red belt. On his head was a snow leopard print hat. On his back was the very same sandman hammer and shield TJ had seen prior.
“I'd ask if you'd been good, but it was never really your forte.”
She pouted at his declaration.
“I'm an adult, mister! I don't need you treating me like a kid!”
At this, he laughed.
“I guess it had to happen sooner or later! You and our intrepid Warlord were renown for squabbling like children. Heck, the lot of you made Ardoss look like one of the only adults in the group.
“As much as I'd like to chide you some more, I've got a limited amount of time and some important things to tell TJ. Where is the little tyke, anyway?”
He glanced around before he caught a glimpse of TJ waving.
The Abellan stepped down from the now unmanned mecha and grinned at Des who smiled back in turn.
“TJ, it's been a while, but I'm glad to see you're doing well.”
“Des...it really is you...” TJ said, steadily approaching.
The Temple Knight looked at him and smiled, but it was clear that there was sadness in his eyes.
“You don't need to force yourself, TJ. Going by your reactions and speaking patterns, it's undeniable you've had your memories erased again. I imagine it's been hard for you. But you, Kooh, Princess Peorth and all those who fought alongside you, you continued the fight.”
The Bard clenched the sleeves of his jacket.
“It's because you all sacrificed so much that I could have this opportunity. I can't waste it. To all those I promised, I'm gonna see this through to the end. You too, Des. Though I might not know all about our past together, I know you've done a ton for me and for the Chief and everyone.”
At this, he grinned slightly.
“It was an honour to serve under Princess Peorth's banner and to fight by your side. Seems you've got some new companions to make the journey with you, now. How about a quick introduction?”
TJ gestured over to Naomi first, then Thee.
“This is Naomi, our first Vampanelar teammate. She's one of Lucia's sisters and works at Club Abio.”
“We're acquainted.” Naomi said as she grinned.
“Didn't think you'd become a fighter, but you've always been full of surprises,” Des remarked.
“This is Thee. He's an adventurer with a weird sense of humour,” TJ continued.
Thee placed his purlicue to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully.
“Somehow, your words hurt more than those wounds inflicted by Acedia. Also, I'm Thee.”
Kooh did a double-take at the sight of him, noting that a stream of blood ran from the top of his head down his face.
“Thee?! Are you okay? You're bleeding like crazy!” She cried out as she peeled herself from Des.
“I'm fine, I'm fine.”
She fussed over him in spite of his words.
“This is Suuba, God's Governor of Earth and my contractee. She helps me out a bunch.” TJ said pointing to her.
“What he says. I kill things, I kill people, the works.” Su muttered, dispassionately.
“Suuba...as in the Prodigal Legend? Julius' daughter? The same one who was kidnapped by the Dark Moon? How did you escape?” Des asked, looking somewhat bewildered.
“They fired my ass.”
At her response, he chuckled and closed his eyes.
“I'll remember those names. I'm glad that neither you guys, nor Princess Peorth wants for more allies.
“Nevertheless, time is of the essence and I have something to impart on you, TJ. Just as is the case with Ardoss and Velvet, if you have need of me and my power, you can summon me also by invoking the name Industria.”
He walked over to TJ and reached to both of his ears, brushing aside his hair to reveal the earrings hidden. He removed both of them, took TJ's left hand and closed it over them.
“They're made of tiger's eye. These treasured items are the proof of our bond.” He grinned. “I can't say whether or not your mother will allow you to get your ears pierced, but just hold on to them anyway. If you ever feel you're lacking courage, they'll give you the strength to carry on. With what you've been through and what you're going to do, you deserve that and so much more.”
“Des...”
TJ held the earrings close to his heart as he looked to his companion through teary eyes. Without saying another word, he hugged his companion and the Temple Knight laughed dryly.
“Come on now, you don't need me to console you too, right?”
“Don't...treat me like a kid either!” He sniffed and Des patted his head. “I'm older than all of you.”
This made the Temple Knight smile, his eyes crinkled.
“Don't I know it. But it's easier to tell everyone on the other side I was teasing our kid Bard than the saviour of our kind. ...and you will be.”
Des' body began to glow, parts of his shoulders almost dissolving into particles of light.
“It's about that time. You've bested three of the Sinners so far TJ. You're on the right track, don't stray from it,  alright? We'll be rooting for you.”
TJ looked to him and nodded, sniffling but putting on a brave face.
“Wait for me, okay? I'm gonna defeat the others and meet the rest of you guys!”
Des smiled and nodded at the prospect.
“Not a doubt in my mind. Kooh, I leave Princess and TJ in your capable hands. Hope to see you there, at the final battle.”
Kooh patted her chest confidently.
“You bet! When the time comes I'm gonna be a whole new me!”
“Good. Naomi, Thee, Suuba, it was a pleasure.”
“Even after everything that happened, you lot are still looking after your friends, eh? I can dig it.” Naomi said as she placed her hands behind her head and grinned.
“We'll carry the torch in your stead. Leave it to us.” Thee said as he hit his chest with his fist.
“I'll keep our idiot alive. I've got a lot riding on this, including my own life.” Su said as she shrugged.
“Well then, TJ. Until next we meet.”
TJ clenched his fists as he let go of Des and nodded.
“See ya, Des!”
He grinned as he offered TJ one last salute and completely dissipated, the orbs of light he became filing into the Heart of Yggdrasil. In the wake of his disappearance, a new page for Memorius Sanctum took form before the Abellan. At his touch the paper began to levitate as the tome manifested to add the page to the collection. As was the case prior, once the page was rejoined with the book, it vanished almost immediately.
“One more Sinner, one more Saint and one more page for Memorius Sanctum. I wonder what it says...”

“Master, you have acquired new abilities in your repertoire. Would you like an explanation of how to utilize them? Elpis asked.
“Mm...” TJ looked over to his group.
Naomi shrugged, Kooh nodded, Thee gave him a thumbs-up and Su ushered him to be quick about it.
“M-maybe just whatever Acedia's ability is? I don't want another case like last time.”
“The Sin Sloth manifests as the ability Creation Waker. The user is able to sacrifice a portion of their mana to give form to a summoned creature utilizing the illustration of an already existing Agasura and/or beast.”
“An illustration of one that already exists? My drawing skills are...questionable,” TJ sighed.
“That stupid monster manual of yours can probably actually see some use now,” Su remarked.
“It wasn't useless! It just wasn't finished!”
“That tome will suffice, yes.” Elpis added, nodding.
TJ did a double-take at the statement.
“Well...I guess that solves that, then. That should be plenty. I'll try out Des' abilities when I'm training so...that should be okay. Maybe.”
Everyone was probably exhausted from all the fighting. He needn't keep them inside the dungeon any longer than need be. That and it was bound to collapse. Whether it could with them in it or not...better not to find out.
“Since this whole thing's wrapped up nicely, let's get outta here guys.”
“Right behind ya', Little Lamb!” Kooh chimed.
She took Thee and Naomi's hands and with Su following closely behind, the five made their way into a pillar of light, offering them their exit.

Rufus and Zosia watched the gate carefully and nearly jumped back as they saw their comrades step out of it. Almost immediately after, it released a loud whirring noise and began to unleash bursts of electricity, then fire.
“T-take cover!” Naomi roared as she and the others fled from the gate.
The gate exploded, sending parts everywhere while the remains collapsed upon themselves.
“Well then!” Zosia said as she wiped her brow. “Welcome back. I take it the dungeon spelunking went well?”
“Yep, met the Sinner, defeated him, got a little bit stronger for it.” TJ said with a grin.
“'Tis a shame my master was defeated, but such results were within his expectations.” Engi remarked as she closed her eyes.
The five turned around and immediately jumped back before drawing their weapons on the android.
“How the fuck did she leave the dungeon?!” Su snarled, her killing intent reaching a crescendo.
“Judging by that reaction, I imagine it's safe to say that this isn't normal. Like at all,” Thee quipped.
“Machina?!” TJ asked in disbelief.
“Though I am equipped with combat capabilities my master had not instructed me to attack his adversaries. However, under these very unique circumstances, my master was both defeated and integrated, thus his instance dungeon was destroyed. Currently, I have no master to serve and by extension, no purpose.”
“She's homeless,” Naomi quipped.
“Given that these are the circumstances, I propose that I serve under my master's most trusted ally and sibling, Luxuria. As you currently serve as the last connection to my master and share his appearance, I believe this would be the ideal course of action.”
“Well Little Lamb, seems she wants to be your maid now.” Kooh said, knitting her brows.
“Your wish finally came true. You scored yourself a maid.” Su remarked, snickering.
“It wasn't like that!” TJ complained, shaking his fists.
While the pair squabbled, Zosia came out from hiding to examine the android.
“Is this a robot?! What realistic features! What human-like textures! What kind of amazing and incredible technology allowed for something like this to be built?!”
“That's not safe, Z,” Rufus warned her from afar.
“I must ask that you refrain from touching me, as only my master is allowed to do so,” Engi told her.
“TJ, you've gotta let me take this apart! It's a masterpiece just waiting to be understood! I want to examine every nook and cranny of her body without restraint!” Zosia said as she wiggled her fingers excitedly.
“I don't like where this is going,” TJ muttered.
“Look, it's that fishy Sinner's robot. I don't trust it. She could've been biding her time just to shank us when we've let our guard down. This shit isn't worth risking our asses for.” Su said inching closer towards her.
“I believe that I could serve you as a maid better than this ruffian has up to this point. I on-”
“Ruffian?! Maid?!”
“-ly ask that you give me an order to allow me to prove my worth to you.”
“Prove your worth? Well...I dunno about that...I mean, I spend most of my time adventuring so I don't think I could take you with me. But you did say you have combat capabilities. Might be a bit of a high hurdle but...do you think you can take down an orion?”
“Please observe.”
Engi jumped down from the landings the group had gathered on and made her way towards the orion pit. One that was down there seemed to spot her and made its way over to her, its jaw opening and letting out a creaking noise as it threw its wrecking ball towards her.
Completely unfazed by the destructive weapon soaring towards her, she jumped above it and touched down on the arm before running toward the face. Claws emerged from both of her hands and she plunged them both into the face before ripping them out. As it reeled its arm back she flipped over the head and a knife emerged from her sleeve that she used to cut the wire upon the shovel. As it turned, she hid her right hand and turned it into a saw blade. With it, she began to cut the arm with the wrecking ball as she attempted to punch holes into the body with her claws. With a vain attempt to crush her, she pulled her body aside via the claw and started sawing the head, causing the machine to frantically rumble before unleashing a torrent of lightning and shutting down. When it was felled, she immediately returned before others approached.
“She's a killer alright,” Naomi said.
“Can I get 10 copies of her blueprints? They exist, right?” Zosia asked, looking amidst the crew.
Thee mouthed a 'no' as he shook his head.
“I feel it important that I inform you that I am not only capable of combat, I am also adept at cooking, cleaning and gardening. All forms of housework are simple tasks for me.” Engi told TJ as she returned, jumping up to the platform where they stood. “If you should need another example...”
She raised her skirt slightly with one hand and Kooh slapped both of her hands over TJ's eyes.
“Kooh?!” TJ asked, bewildered.
“You're not ready for that yet, Little Lamb!” She cried as she watched intently.
“The fuck's she doing...?” Su asked in disbelief.
“It's...it's a cup. I suppose you can store those there,” Thee said.
When Kooh removed her hand, TJ saw Engi pouring a liquid from her finger into a teacup, then offering it to him. He accepted the cup sniffed it and knit his brows.
It was coffee.
“If you put that to your lips I'm gonna box you.” Su remarked, giving him a look of disgust.
He glanced at her, looked to Naomi and she smiled wryly.
“Am I the designated poison taste tester now?” She asked.
“Eh? Oh no...I just don't really...like coffee to be honest!”
At his surprise, she grinned and rustled his hair before snatching the cup.
“I'm just messin' with ya', TJ! You sure make it easy!”
She sniffed the cup and let out a 'hmm'.
“Most of the Agasura from the Dark Forest are poison resistant, me and my sisters included. Even if this android girl tries something like that it won't do much to me. I can still tell it's there, though.
“Poisoned or not, it'll serve as a good palate cleanser after all that blood I drank today. Anyway, down the hatch.”
As TJ watched Naomi drink the cup down in a couple gulps, he could not help but think he learned a lot about Vampanelars and Agasuras in general from her.
“Uh...mm, yup, that's coffee alright. Blech.” She let her tongue loll as her face scrunched up in disgust.
“What do you think, TJ? As a member of Foundation, I could only think that the Abellan having a mechanical companion could lead to a brighter future between man and machine,” Rufus suggested.
“Or! Or...pipe down, Rufus, you could put this incredible piece of machinery into the hands of Foundation and we'll...make discoveries!”
TJ glanced at Engi who stared back at him indifferently and then back to Zosia who gestured for him to bring her over or even hand her over. He grit his teeth, closed his eyes and shrugged.
“A-as much as I want to help Foundation with it's research, I can't...I mean...the idea of her getting...dismantled? Was it? It's...it makes me queasy.”
“So close and yet so far...to the spelunker goes the spoils, I guess.” Zosia relented with a sigh.
“Are you seriously taking that robot?” Su asked, watching him.
TJ looked back to her and smiled.
“Yeah, I've decided. Acedia loved Luxuria a ton and if Machina followed us all the way out here, perhaps it was because he wanted to protect her in his own way. So...for both of them, I'll accept that kindness!”
“I am at your command, Master.” Machina said with a curtsy.
“With that decided...I suppose it's an all's well that ends well story, huh?” Kooh asked as she grinned.
“As long as TJ doesn't become an Abellan burger, it is yeah.” Thee said with a shrug and a slight smile.
“H-how did you even hear about that?!” The Abellan asked in disbelief.
“I'm gonna slice up that robot before she can try that.” Su said glaring at Machina who seemed to avert her eyes in response.
“Alright ladies and gents.” Naomi said as she clapped her hands. “It's fine and dandy to chat it up but the mission's not done until everyone gets back in one piece.”
At her declaration everyone seemed to look at each other and agree on the statement.
“Thankfully the worst of it is over, so it's just to get these two back to the city. I came prepared for that.”
She rummaged through her pocket and drew one of the very warp capsules she used to get there prior.
“I'll take these two back and check out the situation at the city. One of you will need to report the situation to Ignate in Elias though.”
“I'll do it!” Kooh exclaimed, raising her hand. “It's on the way home, anyway!”
“Mind if I hitch a ride?” Thee asked sheepishly.
She gave him a pat on the back and grinned.
“They're doing all the important quest shit, so better to bring the robot home before people start giving you funny looks. Moreso than you already earned for yourself.”
TJ grimaced as he knit his brows, eyes shut tight.
“Alright everyone, let's meet again real soon,” Thee said.
The duo stood apart from the others as Kooh took out her warp crystal.
“Ciao!” She said with a wave.
“Thanks for your help ladies and gents!” Zosia said waving.
“TJ and co. you've really helped the City of Iron and all of its engineer's out of a serious pinch. We're all in your debt!” Rufus added as he smiled.
“I'll update you guys once everything's settled. Watch yourselves out there,” Naomi told them.
“Smell ya later, losers!” Su said as she crossed her arms and grinned.
“Until next we meet,” Machina said with another curtsy.
“Take care, everyone!” TJ said as he waved to his departing comrades.
With those parting words, they all went their separate ways.

The trio found themselves before the Belos Iris Stone, the street completely barren save for themselves. The night had already fallen, the three finding themselves beneath a blanket of stars.
“My master's records suggest this is the city of Belos. A village with a population estimated at 200 in a valley in the Northwestern corner of Jienda,” Machina stated.
“She's informed, I'll give her that.” Su remarked, closing her eyes.
“There's plenty of Jienda you've yet to see for yourself, Machina.” TJ said with a grin.
Leading the other two, he made his way towards their new house and unlocked the door before inviting them in.
“Well...I guess this is your new home now. There's a couple unused rooms, so make yourself comfy.”
“I shall familiarize myself with the location of all objects, furniture and their purposes.” Machina said as she bowed and stepped inside.
“Does...does that count as 'making yourself comfy'?” TJ asked Su.
The God's Governor stood in the foyer with her arms crossed as she leaned against a wall. She gave him a look of disapproval and he gave a wilting smile in response.
When she was certain that TJ was in no danger currently, she decided to take refuge in the Heart of Yggdrasil. Before leaving she had said, “If she tries anything fishy I'll get to her first” and left it at that. With nothing left for him to do, TJ figured it best to check in with Peorth.

[Guild]TJ: Hey Chief, you around?
[Guild]Peorth: TJ, hello. I am glad to hear that you are doing well. I had heard from Naomi the mission was a success.
[Guild]TJ: Did you? How are things over in the City of Iron?
[Guild]Peorth: It seems in destroying the Instance Dungeon, the pirate radio frequency was eliminated. I must offer you and your party both my congratulations and commendations on a mission cleared without issue.
[Guild]Peorth: Also Kanta wished me to offer you her greetings.
TJ laughed at the prospect.
[Guild]TJ: Let her know I said hey too! So how are things going for you, Chief?
[Guild]Peorth: The time I have spent with Devotion has been a very fruitful endeavour. I have had multiple encounters with the worshippers of Asmodeus and in doing so, I feel I understand them and their motivations with greater clarity. However, their access to and understanding of our artifacts, let alone the unique abilities bordering on Agasuri...oh my.
[Guild]TJ: Chief?! What happened? Are you okay?!
[Guild]Peorth: Ah...ahem...you need not worry, TJ. I am fine. Alas...one of Devotion's members, Miyabi experienced one of her infamous de-...mm...how shall I put it? Incapacity spells. This is my second time witnessing it. On that note, Purnima sends her well wishes.
[Guild]TJ: I'm glad she's doing well too! So are all the fanatics gone from Ves?
[Guild]Peorth: I wish I could say for certain, TJ. Nia and her forces found one of their hideouts but we cannot say for certain that it is the only one. Even so, there is no simple way to determine where the worshippers carry out their work and who is one without searching people and their homes. To protect the people, both Cerebian and Human alike we must...hm?
[Guild]TJ: Did someone else have a...uhh...something spell?
[Guild]Peorth: No, that is not the case. I have a message from Amata. She says 'TJ, help, come to Ves. I'm surrounded by morons, save for Peorth, and if I have to witness her witnessing this clownery for another couple days I'm gonna rip my hair out'.
The Bard was taken aback somewhat, hearing his guild master speak those words.
[Guild]TJ: That...that sounds like something she'd say, yep. Sh-should I go?
[Guild]Peorth: I cannot deny that you would be an incredible asset to this cause but alas, to do so would be placing you within our enemy's grasp. As your guild master and proxy to Lady Amae, I cannot allow such a fate to befall you. However, I digress. I have caught word that you brought home a new companion from the Instance Dungeon?
[Guild]TJ: Ah yeah, Machina. Acedia built her, but she kinda...helped us get through the dungeon.
[Guild]Peorth: I have little doubt in my mind that Suuba has not warned you of the dangers this poses so I do not wish to scold you excessively for your decision. Allow me to say that I do understand your feelings toward her. It is that very same kindness and acceptance of all life that casts out all doubts that you are indeed the Abellan our goddess has blessed us with. However, you must not let that kindness be your undoing. Even in times of peace, be ever vigilant.
[Guild]TJ: I will, Chief, I promise. I've been keeping an eye on Machina but she hasn't done anything suspicious yet. She's just been cleaning.
[Guild]Peorth: ...Cleaning, you say?
TJ glanced towards the kitchen area and Machina quietly swept the area rather thoroughly.
[Guild]TJ: It's been like that since we got back.
[Guild]Peorth: How fascinating...and troubling. Perhaps it was careless of me to underestimate your judgment, TJ.
[Guild]TJ: Isn't it fine? We can all learn a lot from each other!

As TJ watched his new companion enjoying her new job, he cracked a smile. Putting aside all that he gained that day, he felt a little taller.

I was worried about the spoiler embargo for 5.3 because I wanted to shitpost a few weeks ago, but since I've been slacking, I think that time period has passed so, without further ado!
As I got to the end of the patch, it got me thinking, if that body junkie Lahabrea hadn't blown his wad before 3.0, he could've had a round 2 with Thancred, or any of the other scions. You know, just be all "What if I...put my auracite/crystallized Allagan blood/crystal amalgamation thingy...next to your soulless body...aha ha, just kidding...unless...?" I mean, he'd probably just have to fight his way past two popotoes. Just slip a little poison into the archon loaf and one of them's out of the picture. It's free real estate!
I'm ready for God of the Hand ominicrafter Tataru in 6.0, Yoshi P. Those hands shall deliver us! So?
Let's get down to it!

So you remember how I said I didn't do something of my own make? Well I did. Is it good? You decide! Anyway, TJ's reaction to the name is a return of the schema! His association with thw word and number, or you could say the term, relates back to of course, the person. Apt!
What Acedia said is something of critical importance. Not just to TJ's identity, but to the story as a whole. As we've seen before, like how TJ knew...about horses? I can't seem to remember now, but there was something about Valkyrie Leigha and how horses don't exist. I was looking for it but I didn't find it and now it's starting to seem like a fever dream I had. Must be getting on in my years. It's around here somewhere. Moving on! There's something there! Something important! But who knew those things and how did TJ come to know it? Consider what you know! I'm wondering if the answer is obvious...or if it's possible to be guessed with the current information given. Even in the storyboards I have, it's not explicitly said, but there's a bit of a clue to how things are. The end result well...might be difficult to guess, but that's what makes a twist good, right? But it does make me wonder if it's better to foreshadow the secret rather than shock the reader entirely...hard to say. Though in this case, I think the latter might be better because of the way it'll change the reader's perspective. I do realize, however, if I don't do this well either I'll be hailed as a legend or crowned an eternal hack lol. Probably the latter!
Next part! I feel that having a moment for TJ to establish his resolve was necessary. You've heard me talk about his character enough in this regard somewhat to get an idea of what I'd say about him here. From a writer's perspective though, I think showing that gradual change is important. As Acedia warns him, the others are much less likely to listen to reason, since they're mad already. I mean, he doesn't say the former part, but you can infer that. It's possible that TJ could draw to that conclusion himself, but I see him as the type to try regardless. As is the case here, even after having technically defeated Acedia once, he still tries to talk him oout of the path he found himself on. Having the others tolay out the truth as is helps him to make a decision, and steel his resolve. It's nothing special, but I think that's alright. One could say it's almost common, but in understanding that, it makes you realize how human the characters are and that to me, is a very powerful thing indeed.

So a bit about Aegir Mk. II: As Naomi said, he sacrificed the armour of the robot for speed. AMK II uses a lot of Aegir's attacks, but in different ways. Of course, the 'Overdrive' feature enhances its abilities further, adding new effects to some of them. I was originally thinking of calling it overclocking but decided against it for some reason. Also, basic attacks! It has them now.
One of the things I love about this fight is the frantic energy it has that the first fight against Aegir didn't have. Due to the adds, at some point it did, but it paled in comparison to the introductory fight against the whole host of robots Acedia made. In spite of it being 5v1, it does have that sort of energy to it, doesn't it? Unlike how it usually would be, the story doesn't always follow TJ's perspective. Some of the time, he's in the background casting spells and you see the effects of it rather than him actually doing it. Characters tend to come in and out of focus, but the focus never really leaves Aegir in this situation. To me, this works well because he's the main target, so how the characters work around this and each other, and how he responds is important. I do wonder if I'll do this going forward...since the other Sinners may be similar in that regard. I guess depending on how the battles play out can determine that. But also, who's able to fight and how.

I really like the teamwork between Naomi and Kooh. Despite the two not getting along at all, actually, because of that fact, I think it's what makes this moment so powerful. I don't think there's been a good frenemy teamwork moment like this since Amata's and Su's in the Pharaoh's Chambers.
Also new...spell. After I wrote it, I...well...it looks a lot like that, huh? You know, that. Hadn't realized I'd seen it at the time but uhh...yeesh. It sometimes happens with names and stuff, but that's a quick fix and much easier to spot. This one, one of these days I might go over it. The hard part is unlike changing a name, I have to functionally change the entire scenario surrounding it. Gotta do it in such a way that whatever happens after still makes sense. One wrong move and you've got a continuity error! But it's definitely, definitely better than getting the book! There are few things I fear, but the book is definitely one of them.
Anyway, enough about me griping about my own errors. There's a few more good moments of teamwork going on in this battle. Just as it was the case against the abomination, Thee is the team's heavy hitter. With Kooh's help, creating an opening for him really allows for him to dish out the damage.
So the part where Aegir breaks free of its bindings? That's when he put the mecha into overdrive. Thankfully, I didn't explicitly say it, but as you can see it changes how his skills work. As Kooh says, for example, the laser comes out faster than it did before. The thrusters gain more force, allowing the mecha to move faster and a few other changes.
Following that, two new spells! Maw of the Beast is an obvious one, but it pretty much creates a spike trap for some unfortunate soul. Crossfire speaks for itself too. Shards of earth flying at high speeds to impale somebody.
I was debating on whether or not DotW should be able to keep enemies out. I was thinking it should work more like a shield to repel spells and other things, a little like a Gibby shield. I'm just going by memory, but I thiiiiiiink TJ was able to use it to block the popsicles in The Gourmet's Valley. In retrospect, that sounds wild as hell lol. Anyway, him getting kicked in the face? That's also an effect of overdrive. In my notes the attack is a rush that dazes an opponent, but the secondary effect is a follow-up attack that lowers defenses. Hence why TJ got noodle arms. Describing that has always been a difficult endevavour. When it comes to spells, it's easier to use colours to imply the effect. With physical attacks, I think I could do the same, but in that sense it feels more gamey. When it comes to magic, the effect wouldn't likely be immediately obvious to the characters, so sometimes using the effects via the appearance of the spells might paint a picture for the reader. When it comes to physical attacks, where they're hit can allow me to determine what kind of effect it can have and can change how they fight. In truth, that's how Rill came to be.
During the elevator scene, TJ got into a fight with one of the robots and ina  losing fight, he used Rill. Since he couldn't use his guitar and could barely move his hands, it was the spell he relied on. Again, in the fight against Aegir he used it when he got his hand chomped by the dog. The interesting thing here is that spells that tamper with one's stats do so overall. Think of it this way: a physical attack might weaken the arms, the legs, or the torso. This might result in the character disabled, immobolized or even incapacitated. Spells that lower defense work more like things that would increase their vulnerability all around. If they lack impact, they're more likely to have such an effect.
So, TJ and Naomi are technically down for the count. That's an over-exaggeration but you get the idea. As for Su's line, "You can sleep when you're dead" it was definitely something that stood out to me from FF. The original line was from Titania's raid, where she says, "Come and play, for the night is bright and you can sleep when you're dead." It does make me wonder though, if that too, is different in the various languages. Sometimes character lines differ depending on language, and each carries its own nuance but also may lead you to learn something about the character or the context in which they use it. Speaking of context, Titania did nothing wrong. It's all innocence there. Here? Malice, and nothing but. Su's a good girl! She's a good girl with a lot of enemies is all!
Anyway, Breaking Wave! New spell! It's very baic in application, but it has its uses. It's a charge-based spell, so it increases in size and amount the longer the spell is charged. The water lingers afterwards allowing the creator and others to use for other spells. But yeah, it's a wave. It does wave things. I think it'd really see merit if it was to be chained with other water spells.
One of the things I love about this battle is the supporting roles the Mages fill. Though the story tends to focus on the brawl between Thee and Aegir, you can see a variety of spells, or at least, elemental manipulation happening in the foreground supporting Thee's attacks and movements. Sadly Thee gets wrecked. Aegir literally gave him the Reina Special. I don't call it that because it's Reina's attack, but rather she got a serving of something similar.
Anyway, another new spell, being Ibis of Frost! The good thing about the Ibis is that it can be used seperately from the caster. For example, Kooh could send it to a specific location and leave it there until she orders it to cast for some 4d chess plays. I think that's something I need to work on some more, in this story. Not just for the sake of hype but also because there will be opponents that can only be defeated by being outsmarted. Truthfully, that's one of the major lessons Vanir teaches to Reina, and something TJ learns also.
I'm really satisfied with Naomi's role in the party. Though she and Thee can both be considered the muscle, they both fill different roles. Thee's a straight heavy hitter while Naomi can provide support to the party in a variety of ways. She lacks his toughness, also. Anyway, her control over both lightning and her Agasuric nature helps her when it comes to aiding the others on those fronts. The electricity from Su charging static pulse(Technically not a new spell. TJ used it in his fight against Vanir) and TJ permeating mana while using the Chaos Frequency. Both could be useful to her.

One of the things I love about this entire scenario, is Acedia's surrender. I knew from the start that Acedia would avoid fighting and I designed him around that fact a bit. His clothes, appearance and demeanour all reflect his personality and sin, to some degree. To be completely honest with you, when I designed him, I kinda bsed him off of me. Some of the aspects of his appearance, and his...work station, guess. It was a bit of a self-deprecating jab at myself, but something I felt was fitting. Of course, when I say me, I mean me not TJ. Appearance wise though, those two are the same, as is the case with the others.
I do wonder if readers would suspect that the group wouldn't have to fight the Sinner himself, given the rest of the fight. Some could expect he might put a meager resistance, but he really isn't the type for any of it, hence things panned out the way they did. Looking at it now, I feel kinda bad for him. His words express his feelings pretty clearly, but I really tried to do a bit with the body language here. You're probably thinking, "Did you? Acedia hardly moves!" And you're right, dear reader! But that's the most important part! His movements really are slight, but though few they're telling, as is the lack thereof. He's not the type to flit about the way others are. Especially a certain someone! I suppose you could say opposites attract.
A quick thing to note. Freedom is a very important recurring theme throughout the novel. Not just this one, mind. USSR, Sanctuary, and Innocent, all of them have the theme of freedom within them. What that freedom is to each of the characters differs but it's something you'll hear at least once in each of those works. This time around, it's about Luxuria. I hope you'll keep in mind that theme as we see the story play out, even if it's just for her.
On the topic of themes, time is one that plays a crucial part also. The story tracks the events of the past(far), past(near), and present. In doing so, through the characters we re-trace the stories and journies of the important players in the world. Just as TJ seeks Iris and the wisdom of God Ah's family, how Yuna sought him out after the Fall of Asgard and now how TJ gets to know the Sinners and by extension, Asmodeus/Adonai through them.
The following things, well, dialogues I feel are a very powerful moment for both characters. It's strange because in a sense, it's the realization that TJ has allies among the Sinners. Those being Avaritia and Acedia, but the remaining Sinners are his enemies. From a writer's perspective, it's a promise of hardship to come. New, though obvious hurdles to come, but also one's that will pose a greater challenge for the party to overcome, and one that won't likely be resolved as peacefully. It's an abstract kind of feeling.
Their final lines are important too. The way TJ refers to their shared parent by name while for Acedia he uses his...title? I wanted that to have the feeling...like, that it's the wedge driven between them before they part. You know that kinda feeling like...where you're allies, but there's just something you'll never see eye-to-eye on. A conflict of interest? Under...very different circumstances. That boy knew something but he left us all on a godforsaken cliffhanger. To be honest, you'll never know what he wanted to say. Even when the story ends, you'll have characters asking, "So what was it that Acedia was saying before he disappeared?" Embrace that niggling sense of wonder, even after Asmodeus gets put in the ground. This is what you signed up for, dear reader lol.

So moving on, reunion time! The reason Naomi reacted the way she did was because she expected TJ's powers to go berserk again. Kooh 'doing the thing' tended to have a similar effect, but he would cast during those periods in conjunction with her.
The next part more or less speaks for itself in most regards. The character dynamics are clear there, but having a moment where Kooh could just be silly again was a refreshing change from the fight. What I was going for with this scene was a 'passing of the torch'. Given the nature of the Keruz we've seen thus far, it's a very stark difference, but one befitting the Virtue Diligence. If you know the other Keruz, you can imagine what some of the other meetings would be like. Des is the voice of reason among a bunch of fools and a queen just basking in it lol. I suppose you could say he was the team dad. He kinda has that air about him, doesn't he? TJ finally gets another moment where he doesn't need to be strong. Throughout this chapter, there are a few moments like that: his breakdown in Scrap Valley, a short glimpse after his dream in the side story, and then this. I do understand that for it to happen too often could get annoying to readers, but when he reaches a point where it doesn't happen anymore, I want it to feel right. Plenty of characters have become hardened by their experiences and what they've lost. We've seen that throughout this chapter and Su, who's with TJ all of the time is a prime example of it. We did see what she lost, but not how she got through it. Perhaps, in having a character undergoing that struggle also, readers would come to appreciate how they go about it more. Nonetheless, it's a slow burn, but one that I hope gradually endears the character to readers.

As you'd expect, I always knew Machina would become a part of the cast. It really wasn't a snap decision! Thoough I did debate having her fight them. I eventually decided against it, because I felt that it was the truest show of Acedia's character. I can't say too much about it because it'll spoil some things from the next chapter, but I will say Acedia is a good boy who did nothing wrong.
I always felt that sending her to fight an orion came off as pretty callous of TJ, considering his experiences with them. In a sense, you could call it a cop-out by me. It would have made more sense for him to ask her to defeat some of the others, but at that juncture well...firstly, either the whole party goes along or she literally evades those things and brings something back, evading them again. All else aside, though, the orions are the most imposing robot in Scrap Valley, and seeing how she takes one down both brutally and efficiently gives readers a good look at what she's capable of and what tools she has at her disposal. It's a cop-out yeah, but I still feel that I made the right choice in doing things this way. The cream on the cake is the reactions of the characters! Good stuff, that!
I wanted to do some more character details here, and managed to mix it in with a bunch of dialogue. I really enjoy this part because it kinda relieves the tension from the previous scenes, including Engi's short fight. A bit like a palate cleanser, y'know?
Truthfully, Machina is gonna be one of the tougher characters to write, 'cause as you can see, she's not expressive! Like at all! Ever!(That was a lie!) I suppose you could say it's a challenge I imposed on myself, but her being with TJ will help him grow in several ways. Keep a close eye on these two and see how they grow together! It should be a fascinating case. Gonna work hard to make Machina an interesting character.
So finally, we get to the characters saying their goodbyes. I don't feel that it's ever explicitly said, or maybe it was close to the end of Frequency, but I wanted there to be a group that oversees all of the quests and stuff. Like a 'guild' for guilds. You know how you see them all the time in fantasy stories and sometimes games? Due to the nature of TJ's journey, the party very rarely actually takes up quests. This of course, raises the question of who issues them? Who manages all of the information? Who handles the rewards and payments for the information? Ignate is the person out in the field who does it on behalf of them, in this case. I'd like for them to have an HQ and branches, just like the banks in LT. Speaking of, in game Ignate and another girl...I can't remember her name. It was Ases. They trained newbies, more or less. They taught you to play the game and gave you a bunch of tutorial quests starting out. I think they were part of some kind of adventurer's guild, but it's been years now, so I can't quite remember. They both wore a similar uniform, though. As is LT's wont, most characters came in pairs. I personally really liked that aspect though!
Not much to say about the final scene. I think it's just a nice moment between the characters personally. Your mileage may vary. The one thing I do want to say is, Thee's question is meant to imply that he lives in Elias! Hence why he asked to hitch a ride. They're headed the same way.

Bit more to the end! There's about 3 rooms in the house. Small things really. Technically one of the rooms was reserved for Su, but she can't be bothered to sleep in a bed. Or sleep, for that matter! What does she do? Truthfully not even I know. Just know that she's watching.
So the next part, the discussion with Peorth is important for two reasons! Or more! We'll find out as I write this. What we hear from her is partially an account of what happens in the side story I currently have in the works. I'm stuck between writing Inno, Sanc, and that, so its updates are rather sporadic. Truthfully, it went on a lot longer than I initially intended. But that tends to happen rather frequently with me. Heck, it's because of that tendency that I'm here doing this. I think the fanfiction contest I was originally gonna enter Frequency in asked for a story no longer than 30 pages or so. I failed that spectacularly. Anyway, the side story! I'm sure I said it before but it spans their departure at the airport to...well, after the dungeon. I wanted to take the chance to explore what the other major guilds are doing, and also follow up with the events of chapter 10. It gives readers a deeper look at Devotion, and also introduces a couple of new characters that fight alongside Peorth. Those being Miyabi and Chana. They're a real pair of characters. When I designed their battle outfits and Purnima's, I took some of the aspects from their class' outfit design. The official one, I mean. If you ever decide to glance at them, you can probably find out which is where. I'm hoping to finish it soon, because what they learn there is something that'll be important in the finale arc. Haven't gotten there yet, both in the storyboards and in the side story itself, but while I catch up in the main story, hopefully I can iron out any kinks before I arrive at that point. Make sure there's no continuity errors or things out of place.
The next part is more banter than anything else. Peorth's statements give me a variety of feelings. Not like that! I mean like...the way it's phrased gives off a lot of different vibes, doesn't it? What she says comes from a place of genuine concern but the ways in which it can be interpreted is something else.
Anyway, that final line in the chapter, as you'd expect isn't meant to be taken literally but metaphorically. For TJ, growing taller=maturing. It's kind of a nob to both readers and himself in the sense that he had gone through a variety of experiences and grew up somewhat from them. A lot of the time, he's rather oblivious to the changes he undergoes and to that end, it often results in a one-liner bad joke. But it still exists! The changes! And by the changes I mean the character development! This has been my TED Talk, thank you and goodnight.

And so we've reached the end of this update, friends. I spent way too long on it, to be honest lol. Might stuff my face and play some GBF.
The GW came and went. I was struggling to get Lobelia before it and managed to get him after prelims and...uhh...he's a real character, that one. I'd heard some stories. I've gotten 8 of the evokers, and through each one I'm like, "Wow, this character is pretty fucked in the head but I kinda get them". I uhh...he's...he's beyond my understanding. Whoever wrote his story should give themselves a pat on the back. I thought I'd seen some shit in the game but wowzer, he made Nier's closet look like child's play. Yeesh. Anyway, the Gw! I was suuuuuuuuper ready with my earth fist meme team and I got bamboozled. Had to make some kind of ridiculous staff team just to bypass all the boss' buffs and debuffs. Was it efficient? Maybe??? That boss put the past two to shame by a longshot with how much of a pain she was. There was something else...but I'm forgetting...nonetheless, God bless Anila and her VA. An unexpected but welcome surprise lol.
On another note, I fought and lost to Dragaux again today. Bastard put me down when I had 3 1/2 hearts with one attack! One! It was a big one, sure, but I was fighting this man and his cronies for a good 10 mins before he one shot me! God I'm so pissed. The sad part is, I had to take my L. I didn't have the energy to fight him again, nor do I think I could survive that attack. I had to learn it the hard way, but that game takes its form seriously. I think I messed up the ab guard and he ass-blasted me for it. I'm still working that one out, tbh.
I'd shitpost more about FF14 but I've done that plenty. If I hadn't done it at the start well...the unchecked energies of shitposting within me would make Amaurot look like a campfire. I did some of, but not all of the most recent stuff. I can't stop thinking about the Puppet's Bunker, though. I recognized many and more things, and it raised a lot of questions. But the one thing that bothers me most is...where is 2P's friend? I mean, she didn't have one as far as I know, but if I've learned anything from Nier and Nier A, most characters come in pairs. She's definitely, definitely, probably not alone! Something's amiss there. Also I need to finish the quest...I should do that. Could've done that instead of this! Hindsight's 20/20! Anyway, I hope the finale is as batshit insane as can be. Though Yoshi P will probably rein Yoko Taro in. My hope is that we get an FF14 style DDR match against the final boss. It's a viable possibility right? That's...probably as far as my imagination goes. I dunno what the real madlad has in mind. But I'm ready! To cry more, I mean! I wasn't ready for PB's gut punch, but I didn't hate it! Scratch that, I hated it. But it could've been worse! I'll count my blessings for now, and when the finale comes I'll scream into the void all of my frustrations about good girls who deserved better.

So...more soon? Potentially! After going through this, I realized that there was literally like a page left in the chapter. This whole day I was like, "Guess I'll wrap this chapter up next week and do the overview another time. Good plan, me!" and now I just feel like a dummy. Mark my words, dear reader, scrolling down is important. Don't be like me. I might just come back another day, tack that on, add a bit more spiel and shitpost about some of my other endeavours. I got into Fall Guys and back into Apex a bit, so there's always more to share. Though truthfully, those two tend to mostly be salt 'cause there's only one winner, you know?! It's hard! And I lose a lot!

...Anyway, before I get into it, there'll be more! Probably. Until next time!

Normally I wouldn't be writing the overview at this time but I messed up my sleep schedule again. Figured I might as well try and be productive while I'm awake. Also before I have a change of heart. Took a lot to get to this point, I suppose. More than I could ever express, really. But so long as that remains the case, may as well make the best of it eh? So, shall we?

About Rusty Key:

On Acedia and Aegir:

Overcoming Trauma:

Spell Chaining, Undine and Dione:

Sanctuary Going Forward:

The Twelfth Harmony: Avenues of Light
“Friendship is being able to dive into the depths of hell without needing to look back, because you know who's got yours.” (Alessa Madeaux)

TJ found himself being roused from sleep and upon opening his eyes found Machina looking down on him.
“H-huh...? Machina?” He asked as he squinted.
“Master, it is morning. I would advise you to get out of bed. The sun is already risen and you are as of yet to perform your morning rituals.”
“Morning rituals...? Morning rituals?!” His eyes shot open as he sat up. “People do that?! W-what are they?!”
“Get your head out of your ass, smart one.” Su told him through the Heart of Yggdrasil. “This damn robot and her old-ass, outdated-ass ways of speaking is just like the blue blood's. Just get the fuckin' lead out and get ready.”
He looked down to the gem as the light dimmed and laughed under his breath.
“If it's all the same, shouldn't be too hard.”
Machina nodded before she made her way to the door.
“When your preparations are finished, please come downstairs for breakfast, Master.”
“Will do.”
At his confirmation she curtsied and left the room.
Things would certainly be...different, now that he had a maid...android. He was still getting rather used to it, but it was a little reassuring that she was settling in so well.
I do wonder, though. TJ thought. Did she perform the same tasks for Acedia? I wonder if she likes to be a maid. Might have to try asking her.
As TJ made his way out of the bedroom and into the hallway, he thought about Vanir and Skuld.
The two of them ran a cafe together, but Vanir had been an adventurer too, once upon a time. It was clear that he had the skills and strength to continue to do it. Skuld, while under the effect of his Tyrant form was also a capable combatant. In spite of that, though, they lived such a simple life and she especially seemed to love what she did.
When TJ got into the bathroom and saw his reflection in the mirror, he paused. He nearly flung himself at it and leaned in with the left side of his face. Beneath both of his eyes and almost circling them were dark rings. He looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks, if not longer. He squinted suspiciously before he raised a hand and pulled his mouth open. His eyes searched the multitude of teeth for the one standout tooth but it had vanished in exchange for the eye bags.
“I was so caught up in all the things that happened I forgot about this...” TJ muttered as he sunk to the sink and rested both his body and head against it. “Nooooooo...” He let out this agonized cry with a long sigh.

After getting back into his usual adventuring gear he made his way downstairs to find a whole spread of food out on the table.
“Machina...you made all this?” TJ asked, somewhat dazzled by the meals laid out.
There were sandwiches, rolls and eggs. There were even cereals and some things that looked like casseroles. He had not seen such a variety, let alone a grand amount of food since his trip to Mezzalone. He also had no idea what half of them were, were made of, or what the names of them were.
“That is correct, Master. Please, have a seat,” she answered.
She seemed all but ready to pull up a chair for him but he gestured it was fine. After sitting down, he looked to her and she looked back at him, expectantly.
“She's a robot, doofus. She doesn't need to eat,” Su remarked.
“R-right.”
TJ took what seemed to be a slice of bread with a variety of fruits laid out upon it and placed one on his plate before grabbing another.
“So...do you like being a maid, Machina?” TJ asked.
Her piercing gaze was trained on him, but it did not bother him as much as he would have thought it did. He had vague recollections of Peorth's being that way when they first reunited and some time after but...it seemed to be a lot more gentle now.
“It is my primary programming. Would you like to change this?” She asked.
He blinked.
“Me? Nah. I was just wondering if you liked doing it. If it's what you like, I won't tell you not to do it.” He answered with an amicable smile.
“What I like...?”
Her steely gaze was unflinching but she seemed to be thinking. Neither brows nor irises moved as she remained completely still.
“I guess it's not something you just...know, huh?”
As he watched the android, he could not help but smile.
“You know, Machina, you remind me a lot of me when I was younger. When I came to this world, I didn't know a thing about it. Heck, I don't think I knew a thing about me. It's hard to say what was going through my younger self's head but...it looked like a whole lot of nothing.”
He laughed.
“I think what you need is good friends to show you all that life has to offer. It's a shame you and Acedia were stuck in an Instance Dungeon...and a shame he said he'd prefer to be in the pithos but...I can still at least help you learn to enjoy this world we live in. There's so much to see and do! I'm sure you'll find plenty of things you'll love in it.”
She stared for a while, listening intently until she approached and took a seat across from him.
“I am interested. Tell me more about this world and this 'love' and 'like', Master.”
So over breakfast TJ told her a bit about his journey, the friends he made and the things he saw. He told her about tasty foods he liked and colourful creatures and his ubiquitous fascination with music.
“...time I had my blood sucked but...well it's definitely an experience. Urp...may have...eaten too much...”
Most of the table was cleaned off by now and TJ felt as if he had gained three sizes. He rubbed his stomach with a sigh.
“Maybe you should cook for one person next time, Machina. Though I appreciate all the trouble you went through.”
“That was my intention, Master. However, I shall adjust the portions to a lesser degree,” Machina said.
“Did Acedia go through that...food gauntlet too?”
“Initially, it was as such. My former master needed to make some adjustments to me so as to match his preferences to a much finer degree.”
“A finer degree?”
“My former master did not prefer meals. He was often locked within Aegir drafting designs and overseeing the construction and development of both the 5th District and its workers.”
“...Are you telling me he built the entire dungeon?”
“I believe that to be the case.”
It did raise the question of the other dungeons. It seemed that they took aspects of the Sinner, but was it possible that the Sinners designed them? But if so...why would they not make it an impossible challenge to overcome? The possibility that Machina did not know for certain still remained. Putting it aside, her statement raised another question.
“So Acedia wasn't one for eating, huh? For the short time I saw him, he did look kinda...wispy.”
“It was his wont. Designing and overseeing was what my former master lived to do and as such, he lived to labour.”
“Acedia...I can't help but wonder if that was a byproduct of the war. If he spent all of that time doing just that, even right up to the point that we came and challenged him, there may have been something off about it. It passes the line of being an interest and borders on an obsession. Especially with the state it left him in.”
Su emerged from the gem and glared at him.
“You're not telling me you sympathize with a Sinner, are you?” She asked.
“I know that he's a Sinner but...”
“But what? The reason he does what he does...the reason they all do what they do is because they're Sinners! They were born from the sins of Mankind. If you were to distill all of man's anger into a single man and put him on this godforsaken land, you'd have Wrath. He'd be angry! What more does there have to be to it?”
TJ closed his eyes.
“It feels like aside from the war, before it all happened, that they had lives too. They had hopes and dreams and wishes...and each other. To us they might seem like disparate beings, but their familial bonds were strong.”
Su walked over to him, grabbed his face and turned it to meet hers.
“Now you listen here. You heard it from that last bastard, didn't you? The next three are gonna be far worse than what you've faced up to now! You got lucky with Avaritia and Acedia! You damn near got killed by Gula! And if you thought he was bad, when he himself and Acedia both said that Ira would kill you if he was given the chance, you're definitely, definitely gonna die!
“I don't care if you wanna try and make friendly with them but when the chips are down, you have to be willing to fight. If you don't, you'll die like a dog. Two of them went easy on you because they saw their sister in you. Two of them hate her guts, hate our guts and are gonna hate your guts three times as much!
“So take it from me. If you're serious about defeating Asmodeus, if your words aren't just hollow bluster you spew to everyone you meet, you need to hone your killer instinct. Fight with your life on the line, candy ass. 'Cause it's always gonna be. Especially from here on out.”
She let him go and he blinked.
“No, you're right. I can't have doubts, especially in the face of the enemy. But even if they are my enemy, I want to know them. Who they are to me and who they are to Luxuria is substantially different. It's just...I want to see both sides of the story. I want to do what only I can.”
Su's shoulders slumped as she sighed.
“What that old man said got to you, didn't it?”
“Huh?!”
Her voice seemed to have lost both its initial hostility and intensity. But it was not that, that surprised him.
“The way we might treat the sinners, this robot, even you, may sound similar. A purpose. Having a will. Choice. Whether or not they get one, or even have one. Boil it all down and it's a question of 'who's a product of this stupid war'?”
She rubbed the back of her neck in frustration.
“It's semantics, semantics, semantics! This whole stupid thing. I get it, though. You're stuck in between. You might just be one of them. Probably wondering what the hell Luxuria's hangup is too. Everybody's got one. Especially those sinners. You learn about them, you learn about you. You learn how much everything can suck for everybody. Reality's a bitch like that.”
As she finished her tirade, her head was lowered and she rubbed her arm, her voice trailing off.
“I can't deny Rayinth's words did...well, they struck a chord in me. But so did Amata's and yours. There are so many people with so many voices and each of them has something they wanna say. Something important, maybe sometimes it won't be, and everything in between. The Sinners are no exception to this fact. Gula may have hated both me and Humanity itself, but he did want to make Midgard better.”
He got up and walked over to Su before putting one hand on her head.
“Those words are my guiding light. Especially yours. The role of Abellan and what it pertains to is unique to me, but I've not the foggiest of how to do it, so promising to beat the Sinners and Choen Palm and Asmodeus is the best I can do. To make this world a better place for you to live in, is something I want to do.”
She looked at him through upturned eyes for a moment, blinked, then slapped his hand away.
“What kind of soggy statement is that? And what're you patting my head for? Gross! What're you, my dad? You're old enough to be my ancestor but you look like you're younger than me.”
TJ instinctively smiled at her response.
“Anyway, if you understand and refrain from getting your sorry hide tanned in the next fight then there's no more need for discussion.
“More importantly, our enemies could show up to pound you into the ground, so you should make like a leaf over to the Guild Room and replenish all that mana you squandered in the sindun. If Choen Palm decides she wants another rematch we can't risk a repeat of Elias.”
Without another word she turned away and dematerialized.
Machina had already started cleaning up the table while TJ stood in a mixture of bewilderment and awe.
“N-need a hand, Machina?” TJ asked.
“There is no need, Master. Such mundane chores are a small task for a maid of my caliber. Perhaps you would like to consider what Suuba had offered?” Machina suggested.
TJ looked down to his socks.
Did Alvaro ever feel like this? TJ could understand the turmoil and tribulations of the creator goddess but he couldn't figure out teenage girls.
“A-alright.”
He returned to his room, grabbed the rest of his adventuring gear and used his warp crystal to return to Elias.

Appearing in the heart of the city, TJ found it bustling and as busy as ever. Adventurers and civilians alike flitted past as TJ gathered his bearings. He looked to the gates of the palace before placing a hand to his cheek.
His goal was, in essence, to restore his mana. But it needn't be the first thing he did. Perhaps he would visit Verun?
I had seen him recently, though. Hasn't been that long since I last did. He thought.
For a moment, he considered going to visit Vanir but he felt a sharp pang in his chest at the thought. The last time they had crossed paths was their battle and TJ attacked him in order to protect his friends. To add insult to injury, Vanir almost seemed to welcome it. He told him that he had to kill him sooner or later...but how long did he have until then?
He rubbed his arm with downcast eyes before he shook his head.
Maybe....another time.
He decided he would go directly to the Guild Room.
Without wasting another moment, he weaved through the crowd and managed to make a beeline for his destination without too much undue effort. The palace courtyard was much quieter than the main street. A few adventurers passed by, some speaking to Nan in order to reach their own Guild Rooms. As TJ neared, they vanished and she looked to him before she smiled.
“Good morning TJ. Going by that look, I imagine you've come back from a long expedition. Good work out there.” She said with her usual amicability.
“No it's...” TJ laughed slightly and scratched his cheek. “Yeah...you could say that. How's everyone been doing lately?”
She nodded as she placed a hand to her cheek.
“Quite well, actually! The men and women in the guard have doubled down in their efforts since Elias was attacked. Many of the servants and some of the knights lent their aid in rebuilding. Truthfully, it was quite a shock when the incident began. Thankfully, both King Hejong and Princess Herne were evacuated safely.
“Though I must confess, the guards all seemed to report the same thing at the time—that they could not, try as they might, will themselves to approach the battlefield. If it was one or two of them I would not be too surprised but...the entire royal guard could not find it within themselves to enter the fray.”
“Is...is that so...?” TJ asked, somewhat bewildered.
If he recalled correctly, Skuld had placed seals to prevent people from approaching. It seemed to not just affect adventurers but also the knights of the palace.
“It's quite fascinating, no? None were held accountable, as there were similar reports from adventurers who were in Elias and came to it. Many of the servants at the palace believe it was an effect created by the Agasura that attacked.”
The Abellan smiled wryly as a bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck.
“M-must've been!”
Nan leaned in close and held a hand to her mouth.
“There is a rumour going around that you had fought in that battle, TJ! Is it true?” She whispered.
Did he need to keep that a secret too? If there was anyone that could confirm it, he'd be in trouble for hiding it. Probably. He didn't want Nan to get mad at him for lying about it.
“Well...I came a little later but I was there, yeah.”
It was partially his fault that the palace needed to undergo repairs. From where he stood, he could still see the repairs that were being made, both on the palace itself and the courtyard walls.
She clapped her hands together as she smiled with delight.
“As expected! Twice now, you have saved our city! You know, Ignate's been looking for people that participated in the fight to come forward so they could reward them on behalf of the Guild Association. I am sure King Hejong would reward you too for your valiant efforts.”
TJ shook his hands and his head.
“Oh no...I mean, I already...got a reward! I don't need anymore than that!”
It was partially his fault Choen Palm was in the city in the first place. Twice now, he tore up a city in a battle with her. He didn't want the citizens of Elias to hate him like those of Elfa did.
“I...I know it's probably a big deal and all but...can you keep this a secret between us Nan? I'm trying not to stand out too much.”
She nodded as she seemed to calm down somewhat.
“I understand, TJ. I had heard about the Pyramid incident, so I can imagine how you feel. Your secret is safe with me.”
TJ smiled.
“Thanks for that.”
“It is no trouble. Now then, I imagine you would like to visit the Guild Room?”
He nodded once.
“Please!”
With Nan's aid, TJ was transported to Yggdrasil's Guild Room once more.

When TJ arrived in the Guild Room, he found his senses assaulted by an oddly familiar yet baffling scent. When he fully regained his senses, he found himself shocked at the sight before him. Bottles were scattered across the floor of the Guild Room and in the distance, lying against Sellistar's roots was Axle.
“Axle...?” TJ asked in disbelief, placing both hands to his temples. “Axle's been poisoned!”
“Calm down, dumbass. The only 'poisoning' that happened here is this jackass giving himself alcohol poisoning.
“S-so he was poisoned!”
Su emerged from the gem and grabbed TJ by the face, stopping him in his tracks.
“Your brain clearly doesn't work when you're worked up like that. Not that it works most of the other times.” She sighed as she shrugged with one hand. “Listen, he'll be fine. Put him in a bed, give him a bucket to puke in and make sure he doesn't drown in his own vomit. He'll be back to his usual annoying self in a day or two. After he gets over his ungodly hangover.”
TJ let his body relax as he smiled upon his companion.
“You're really knowledgeable about this sort of thing, Su.”
“I guess!” She said as she looked at her nails and grinned. “Used to look after someone who did this all the time. Now, let's get this shit cleaned up and get this idiot out of here. I don't know jack shit about crops but I don't think alcohol is gonna help her any.”
As TJ and Su began to round up the bottles, the Abellan looked to a concerned looking Sellistar.
“Hey Sellistar, how're you faring?” He asked.
“Hello, Little Sapling.” She said as she smiled wearily. “I confess, the drops of alcohol my roots have absorbed have given me quite the unusual sensation but...what worries me more is your companion Axle. Of the many times he has come here, he has occasionally mentioned his younger sister. This occasion was no different and yet I fear that his situation worsens. Just as the Children of the Sun share in mortal traits, they are wont to fall to mortal temptations. It seems Axle's anguish has gotten the better of him and led him down a dark path.”
“It'll be alright!” TJ said, clenching his fists around bottles. “We'll look after Axle and we're gonna help him get his sister back! Definitely!”
Sellistar bent over to pat TJ on the hand with one of her branches.
“The kindness of you children truly is boundless.” She said as she beamed. “Please continue to look after each other into the future.”
Though her branches were made of wood, her touch was gentle and TJ could not help but laugh bashfully.
“You can count on us! Also...thanks for looking after all of us, Sellistar.”
She rose to her full height once more.
“It was by the grace of the Children of the Sun I have grown to such splendour. To offer all of you solace beneath my branches is a small kindness in turn.”
Su placed the bottles near the entrance and sighed.
“Yak yak yak you idiots and your pleasantries! Can't you skip that shit and make yourself useful? I'm practically done with all of this shit!”
“In spite of your words, you are one of the most thoughtful. Is that not true, God's Governor?”
Su's face curled into a mixture of disgust and confusion.
“Huuuh? I think that alcohol went straight to your head. Kindness doesn't kill my enemies. Doesn't keep this moron from getting wasted either.”
“Your adherence to what you consider a duty is truly admirable.”
“Can't tell if you're complimenting or insulting me. Either way, I don't care for it.”
TJ could not help but laugh at the back and forth between them. Not even Su could stay mad at the crop.
“Alright, that should do it for the bottles. Let's get one of those other morons to clean these up and recycle them when they get in here.” The Governor said as she dusted her hands off. “We'll get this idiot out of here and bring him back to the house. I'll be damned if I know where he lives and if I don't know, you don't know.”
It didn't need to be said, so he didn't, but he knew she was right.
TJ stopped before Shabur and he removed his mask slightly, smiling.
“Shabur, did Axle...say anything?” He asked, his brows knit.
“The fuck kinda question is that?” Su asked as she examined the wasted Blader.
“You need not fear, Bashutz TJ. Though he did have much and more to say in his inebriated state, he did not make any claims that should be cause for concern,” Shabur told him.
The Bard let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Okay. Thanks Shabur.”
His smile widened and his eyes narrowed almost mischievously.
“You need not thank me, after all, I have not done anything for him. I only act as observer in this particular scenario.”
For that statement, he received a grin.
“Couldn't ask for more than that.”
Shabur chuckled and placed his mask over his face again.
“Anytime now!” Su hissed as she dragged Axle by one of his legs.
“H-hold on Su! Don't drag him like that!”
“Then get your ass over here and make yourself useful!”
The two helped Axle to his feet, each taking one of his arms. Given that he was barely awake, perhaps even conscious, his legs wound up dragging across the marble flooring anyway.

The two teleported from the Guild Room back to Elias with TJ's warp crystal. They made their way towards their home, Su muttering obscenities under her breath all the way.
As the two made their way down the dirt road towards their house, the Abellan glanced at his companion.
“Hey, Su,” he began.
“What?” She asked in turn.
“Who was that person you mentioned earlier that did this sort of thing?”
She sniffed.
“It was my geezer. Whenever the village hunters brought back a big catch, they'd celebrate. Happened at least once a week. He and the hunter boss would drink all night and then Dad and I would have to go and bring him home.”
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Su laughed and smiled.
“The idiot. He'd be hungover for most of the next day so whoever he was working with wouldn't bother. Mom threw a fit every time.”
TJ smiled at the sight and sound.
It was rare for Su to talk about her past. It seemed that she had a distinct fondness for her uncle and for some memories of the times. However, what drew his attention was the mention of her parents. Were they different from God's Governor Julius and his wife?
They've gotta be. He thought. That hatred she has for them...I don't feel any of it in her words. If those two were in Hanamah then it probably means...
He tried to perk up before she noticed the sorrow in his expression.
“Who's the hunter boss?” TJ asked, an innocuous question.
“This mountain of a guy named Saul. He was a scary looking dude with scars and shit, but when you talked to him you'd find out he's a giant ass softy.”
TJ could not help but think of Naomi. Though she lacked the scars and size, she was really kind despite her looks.
“He was super protective of his little shit of a daughter Marie. Her older brother wasn't so bad, I guess. Still, he might have been nice but you should see him when he's hunting. Back then, even I was kinda impressed with him. He actually seemed tough as nails when he was on the job.”
“You were part of the hunters?!” TJ asked in disbelief.
“Hell no. I did want to be, just a bit. A-at least when I was a little girl! After the geezer left, the hunter boss said he'd take me on one of their expeditions. Mom didn't like it, but Dad managed to talk her into it.”
As TJ unlocked the door, he stole a glance at Su who's eyes were downcast. Both in appearance and voice, she began to seem rather downtrodden when she mentioned that he left.
“Truth be told...I think the hunter boss was one of the more inspiring men I met growing up. He was strong and he owned that. Even in the face of giant beasts, he didn't show even a hint of fear. At my age, a man like that could impress even me. He had balls of steel. I wanted to be like that.”
Perhaps a small part of that toughness Su embodied, she had learned from Saul. Of the men she mentioned, TJ knew of four now. Samson, Saul, Tamori and her father. Perhaps someday she would come to forgive Julius and learn to admire him as she did the others.
I can't stop thinking about what she said, though. Why did Samson decide to leave? I...probably shouldn't ask but...he's not dead yet so maybe it won't be too bad a question?
“Su...about Samson...I mean, the reason he left...”
“Quit pussyfooting,” she said with a sigh. “You're not gonna hurt my feelings by asking about it.
“So? The reason he left? He was going to fight in the raid on the Dark Moon. He didn't tell me that but when the news hit Hanamah it became pretty clear. The timing was too perfect.”
She furrowed her brows as she sighed.
“He was an idiot to the end.”
Her furrowed brows eased as her lips crept into a tiny smile.
“He was an idiot...but I guess that was part of his charm.”
She immediately glared again, looking as if she was ready to snarl.
“Bastard didn't keep his promise, though! Soon as I find him I'm gonna suplex his ass!”
TJ could not help but smile at her words.
Su was back to her usual self, it seemed.
Machina came down the stairs and tilted her head at the sight of Axle.
“Welcome home, Master. The guest carried by you and Mistress Suuba appears to be intoxicated. Would you prefer for me to show him to an unoccupied room?” She asked.
The Bard blinked slowly.
There was something about being welcomed home. He could not quite put his finger on the feeling, but it made him feel oddly tingly inside.
“Drop that mistress bullshit would you? Also make yourself useful and take this dumbass,” Su said.
When Machina approached Su returned to the Heart of Yggdrasil. She took Axle's left flank and looked to TJ, awaiting further orders.
“Su did say we should put him in a bed. Better than the floor, that's for sure.”
“Please, allow me Master. Moving a person is within my capabilities. Prior to my former master building Aegir, I often transported him.”
TJ blinked.
“Are you sure? I mean, I can lend you a hand.”
“To serve is the duty of the maid. Allow me.”
She approached, lifted Axle over her head and made her way upstairs without issue.
As TJ watched her go, the Heart of Yggdrasil lit up and Su spoke to him.
“May as well make yourself useful and bring some water. With how much that idiot pounded it back, he's probably gonna dehydrate,” she told him.
“But isn't it a liquid? How does it do that?”
“How the fuck am I supposed to know? It just does! Quit asking stupid questions and get on it!”
With no further questions, TJ filled a glass and brought it upstairs. After travelling a few doors down, he found Machina placing Axle in a bed and turning him on his side.
“Has Acedia ever drank too much, Machina?” TJ asked as he placed the glass down by the bedside.
“He did not,” she began, “But he did program me with the knowledge of what to do in one such situation. Should you ever find yourself intoxicated, you may count on me to see to your well-being, Master.”
She seemed to look at him with a sense of pride in her know-how. He could almost see a glint in her eye.
“I swear, if you get wasted anywhere near this robot I'll sock you,” Su said.
He had no idea what it meant if you threatened to sock someone but if she was threatening him with it, it couldn't be good.
“Well, you heard her.” TJ said with a laugh and a shrug.
Machina didn't say anything. She didn't even react, but their was a certain sense of dejectedness from the way she solemnly gazed at him.
“W-well then...I'll check on Axle every now and again so...look after him, would you?”
She curtsied.
“As you wish, Master.”
After leaving Axle in Machina's care, TJ went back downstairs and sat down on a couch.
Given that there was no present threat, he was unsure of what to do with himself. Without Peorth, he could not read the newest addition to Memorius Sanctum. To add insult to injury, she was still in Ves so he could neither train nor spar with her either.
He let out a gentle sigh as he looked outside.
He was the one that suggested she go. It was for the best. He knew that...yet, he still could not shake the pain in his chest. He wanted to see her. To hear her voice and feel her touch again. The times they were together felt so far and few between. But she was out there fighting to prevent the fanatics from seeing their dark ambitions through. For him to take all her time would be selfish.
He needed to decide what to do for himself. There was no threat, currently. No city under attack, no Sinner in a new Instance Dungeon. A small part of him wanted to relax but he was so tense at the prospect that they could appear at any time. Perhaps the best thing he could do is prepare himself further. He was still as of yet to master Ardoss' song so that he could utilize Synergism. With all the downtime, he could likely master it.
With a new goal in mind, he stepped outside and sat on the deck before resting his guitar in his lap.
“To me, Memorius Sanctum,” he said.
The tome appeared before him and flipped open to the pages with Ardoss' song upon them.
“I can't do much alone but this is one way to get stronger...”
He strummed out a chord before he began to play the notes of the song he could recall through his memory. Losing himself in his practice, TJ continued on until the sun set and some time afterwards.

The following day as TJ finished breakfast, he noticed Machina silently gazing at him.
“Something wrong, Machina?” He asked, raising a brow.
“I would not say something is wrong, per se...” She answered, tilting her head.
“Oh?”
He blinked.
“You do seem pensive to me, though. Why not share what's on your mind? Maybe I can help!”
He smiled and her head returned to its regular position.
“Question, Master. Why do you spend so much time playing music?”
His mouth opened in surprised for a moment before he placed his purlicue to his chin.
“Why do I...? That's...that's a good question. I guess I do it 'cause I like doing it!” He laughed as he scratched his cheek. “It's strange...whenever I play a song and sing along with it, it gives me this warm, nostalgic feeling. It reminds me of someone with a love for music and adventure.”
In the back of his mind, he could still see Kera and Amae in the armour shop, the young girl's voice and the sound of her instrument bringing life to that quiet desert village.
“In doing this, I feel like I'm walking in her footsteps. Doing that which she always yearned to do. I dunno if she ever truly fulfilled that dream, but it may be because of her that I too, can live it.”
He smiled as he scratched his cheek.
“Though that's half the reason I do it. The other half is that it's the road I have to take in order to get stronger. By learning these songs, I acquire new powers. The powers that my friends entrusted me with. It's these very same powers that will help me to defeat this world's evils. The remaining four sinners, Choen Palm, Adonis and eventually Asmodeus himself.”
Machina stared solemnly, blinked, then raised a hand.
“Question: How do you intend to defeat Luxuria?”
“H-how...you ask? I uhh...I dunno. To be honest, I'm still unsure whether I actually am her. Or if she's me. I mean...we can't be, right? She and I are different people!”
The young woman he saw in Acedia's memory matched the person he saw within the Heart of Yggdrasil. He found himself hard-pressed to deny that he integrated Luxuria, but unlike the other Sinners, Saints and Su, she was in a different location, along with Adonis. TJ seemed to share Kera's appearance but was suspected of being Luxuria. However, none of them seemed to suspect him of being Adonis. Was it because they could sense her presence within him?
“Regardless of the how, I'm gonna have to find a way. I'm sure just like the others, she'll appear and she'll stand in the way of us getting to Asmodeus.”
Machina was silent, but her gaze gave way to no answers as to what she thought.
“Are you certain you wish to go through with this, Master? I suspect from your final conversation with my previous master that you are hesitant to fight Lord Asmodeus.”
“Huh?”
TJ was taken aback at her question and it showed in his expression.
“I...”
What would Su say if she was to interject here? How could he hesitate in the face of his ultimate goal?
“It's just...I need to see more. The Sinners know about him and the pages of the Chief's tome hold secrets that only God Ah's family know. I think fighting him is inevitable. Even if I don't want to, I have to. Just like I told Acedia, this war can only be settled when one of us falls.”
His eyes were downcast, his lips curled into a sorrowful frown.
“It's the same case with the Sinners. I have to fight them and integrate them, but I don't have to like it. I don't have to hate them to have the strength and will to defeat them. I don't...”
Machina blinked slowly.
“Question: All of it is paramount to your adventure, no? Do you like it?”
TJ closed his eyes and let the statement wash over him. When he opened them, he met her gaze in turn.
“I don't just like adventuring. It's what I love to do. It's what I live to do. There are so many beautiful sights and fun things to see and do. The thing about it, though, is that no matter where or when or how, an adventurer is bound to encounter all sorts of happy and sad things. Eating good food and having fun with your friends and overcoming tough Agasura...having falling outs, losing those you love, fighting your friends...it's all part of the journey. But I believe that if I'm strong enough, I won't have to choose. I want to make it so we don't have to fight each other. That nobody needs to die. If becoming God Ah's Right Hand will let me do that, I'll do whatever it takes.”
For the first time, the android smiled at him. It was the tiniest of smiles, but it was there, without a doubt.
“Master, you are quite the fascinating specimen. I look forward to seeing your development as the future Agasura King.”
He laughed dryly as he knit his brows.
“I'm not sure what's worse, being referred to as a specimen or the next Agasura King.”
At the very least, he learned that Machina could smile too, if she felt like it.

As morning became noon, TJ continued to diligently practice Ardoss' song.
With every failure, he would continue near where he left off and attempt to master the portions of the song he couldn't prior. At this juncture, he felt sure that he was roughly 85% of the way through the song. A couple more days of thorough practice and he would likely master it.
After botching one of the notes, he laughed dryly and let out a gentle sigh.
“Practice is all well and good, but I shouldn't neglect my excercise either.” He sighed as he knit his brows. “Without the Chief here and her reminders, it really is easy to fall right out of the habit. Though another dungeon popping up suddenly would definitely throw me off.”
Reminding himself to try to fit it in his schedule after breakfast, he decided he would start again tomorrow.
As he began to play the song again, his guild badge lit up and caused him to fumble the notes.
“W-whoa!”
He tapped it twice and it lit up, allowing him to respond to his caller.

[Guild]Peorth: Ah, TJ, excellent. Full glad am I to know I am able to reach you.
[Guild]TJ: Hey Chief! It's...I'm glad to hear from you too! What's up? Everything okay?
[Guild]Peorth: Yes. There have not been any major developments or emergency situations in Ves since our initial operation.
[Guild]TJ: That's reassuring!
[Guild]Peorth: Indeed. That matter aside, there is still much and more that must be done and requires my attention. I feel that it would be prominent to let you know.
[Guild]TJ: O-oh.
[Guild]Peorth: Though our initial goal was a success, both Nia and I suspect that we may have found only one of the hideouts belonging to the fanatics in Ves. Should there be a second, we cannot run the risk of allowing them to regroup and refocus their efforts. Should there be any more hidden, the possibility that they would warn the members hidden in other city states is not something we could rule out.
[Guild]TJ: That'd be pretty bad, huh? With those guys going around and murdering people...if you can find them, I'd bet a lot of people could still be saved.
[Guild]Peorth: Indeed. To that end, we plan to do another thorough sweep of the city, as much as possible. Given that, I have extended my stay with Devotion courtesy of Nia. I must further investigate the matter and attain as much information as I can from those we've found. I am also interested in this power spot that seems to be located beneath the city.
[Guild]TJ: Power spot?
[Guild]Peorth: There is much and more information I must share with you, TJ. Given what we had seen and experienced, there is a possibility that there are places in Midgard that have stores of ambient mana. Some textbooks I had read some time ago had once mentioned the existence of ley lines across Jienda and there is a possibility that those who resided in ancient civilizations understood this and utilized that very same power. To what end, I know not, but I strongly believe an investigation of these potential locations would lead to us better understanding our world itself and how they can be used to protect it, or wage war upon it.
[Guild]TJ:E-ehh...
[Guild]Peorth: Forgive me, I seem to have become too swept up in my recent findings. There is something important I must impart upon you, TJ.
[Guild]TJ: Me? Sure. What do you need me to do?
[Guild]Peorth: It is not something you need to do, per se. I had recently debriefed Kooh about the events that took place within the Instance Dungeon you recently cleared. The Fifth District, I believe it was? I do have some concerns about that power you have recently acquired, but alas, given the current circumstances it will be on hold until further notice. God's Governor Amata seems somewhat familiar with it, so I will discuss it with her at length when there is time.
[Guild]Peorth: Nonetheless, I realize my training of you was somewhat inadequate. Given that we had a limited amount of time together, I had only instructed you in the basics of combat, both with a party and without. However, there are more advanced techniques and skills that you could acquire under the right circumstances. Your unique constitution and adaptability will likely prove a powerful asset to this end. Therefore, some time ago I had requested a trainer come in to teach you more advanced combat skills so as to aid you in your next endeavours. Given that I will be in Ves longer than intended, it will still be quite some time until we can examine the most recent addition to Memorius Sanctum. However, I hope those that take place in my absence will aid you in keeping your wits sharp.
[Guild]TJ: Who did you ask to take your place Ch-

There was a knock at the door and TJ looked over his shoulder to glimpse Machina approaching it.

[Guild]TJ: I think that's them! Gotta go, Chief!
[Guild]Peorth: I wish you luck.

TJ scrambled to his feet and attempted to climb up onto the deck but his foot got caught and he tripped.
“Hrngh!” He groaned as he collapsed upon it. “I've...gotta be more careful.”
He picked himself up and by the time he had opened the door to go inside, Machina was already face-to-face with his would be trainers.
“This...might require some explaining...”
He hurried over to find Bastion's Guild Master Reina and her companion Alessa at the door.
“Master, Lady Reina and Alessa have come to visit.” Machina said, holding her hand out to the two.
“Hi TJ, sorry for the sudden interruption.” Reina said as she gave a gentle wave.
“Hey TJ, you lucky little thing you! Having three girls all to yourself!” Alessa said as she grinned from ear-to-ear.
“H-huh?! It's not like that! Whatever that is...I mean...”
“Honestly, Les. We just got here and you're already teasing him?”
Unlike their last meeting, in place of wearing evening dresses both girls were dressed in athletic wear.
Reina had her hair tied into double buns. She wore an Abio brand tank top and matching leggings with a pair of grey sneakers.
Alessa had her long hair tied into a high ponytail. She wore a grey sports bra and matching yoga pants, along with a pair of black sneakers.
As Machina welcomed them in, TJ forgot himself in his own gaze. Alessa seemed to notice this and smiled mischievously.
“Hmm? Like what you see?”
Taken aback by the questioning tone and gaze she gave him, the Abellan found himself bewildered.
“Eh?! W-ell...I mean...it's uhh...just a...surprise...y'know...”
Reina didn't say anything this time around. Her cheeks flushed and TJ found himself even more flustered.
“It's fine isn't it? You're a growing boy!”
Her laughing was hushed as Reina placed a hand to her mouth.
“Les! I'm gonna die of embarrassment before we even explain why we're here!” She cried as she turned to face her. “Eep!”
The guild master jumped back as her companion licked her lips and placed her hand behind her head innocuously, smiling all the while.
“Okay, I've had my fun! Let's give him the skinny.”
“T-that'd be ideal...” TJ said with a dry laugh.
The trio sat down in the living room while Machina boiled tea and prepared snacks.
TJ didn't even have to ask. Before he even realized it, she was already doing it. He didn't even realize he had tea and snacks.
“So TJ, I imagine Peorth informed you but she asked Alessa and I to drop in to teach you some new combat maneuvers.” Reina explained.
“She did mention that, yeah. Honestly, I'm surprised to see you girls.” TJ said as he smiled, his brows knit. “Is that alright, though? You're probably busy, being a guild master and all.”
In spite of his concerns, Reina beamed.
“It's no trouble at all. In fact, it's an honour to be able to help. I don't blame you for being concerned, though. Thankfully, though Les and I might be away, the boys are handling everything in our stead.”
“Them and a certain adorable mama of a Treasure Hunter,” Alessa added.
The guild master placed her purlicue to her chin.
“Do you think it would've been better to bring Salem along? Among us, he's probably the best when it comes to evasion.”
Her companion's lips curled into a ever-widening smile and at the silence Reina seemed to realize something.
“I know exactly what you're thinking and it's not that! It's suuuuuuper not that!”
The Archer shrugged her shoulders as she grinned.
“I totally believe you, Rei-Rei! Totally!”
The Samurai pouted and her companion laughed.
“Don't mind her, TJ. She doesn't know what she's talking about.” Reina said, turning to face him. “Nevertheless, if you're interested, we can get started whenever you're ready. Although, it'd probably be a good idea if you got out of your adventuring gear and into something a little lighter. Practicing in that stuff can wait.”
He was rather surprised she could tell.
“Got it. I'll be right back, then.” He answered, nodding.
“We're gonna go out for some fresh air, TJ!” Alessa said as she hopped to her feet. “Let's go, Rei-Rei!”
She offered her companion a hand and Reina took it, carefully rising to her feet before taking Alessa's arm.

...In no particular order!
So? Let's get down to it!

I'm thinking that TJ's "Noooooooo" everytime he inherits one of his sibling's/father's traits is gonna be a running thing, sub-consciously or not. I guess I've grown rather attached to things like that lol. Kinda like how at least once per Another story, Talin winds up in a tree. Of varying sizes at that!
So as you can see thus far, this chapter has a very different start from the others. As the name implies...well, I can't say too much on that yet, but I feel that it might be clearest early on, and close to the end. Haven't written that part yet though. Nonetheless! I took some time to explore the characters more throughout this chapter. The past few had so much happening, but they each had their own focus. Chapter 10 of course was Amata, her relationships, challenges and story. Chapter 11 gave us a deeper look at Axle, his story and struggle, but also gave us a glimpse into Naomi's experiences and character. As ever, TJ has moments throughout both, and grows more as the main character.
A little bit in this chapter though, I wanted a recollection of how TJ usually is, or rather, actually is. Sometimes his dialogues give him the feeling of a more regular person, but there's still so much he doesn't know about the world, and grouped together with another character, a rather unusual one at that let me showcase that a bit and explore it further. Though in this case, it's not just about how Machina is, but how she speaks. A part of my goal was capturing that feeling of a bond yet to be formed--a lot of the chaarcters TJ interacted with early on, he very rarely understood. The thing about that in that case, though, is that he wound up getting into a lot of arguments lol. After spending enough time with them, he eventually understands them better. Machina is probably the first new character we've had in a while, and since she'll be a regular they'll eventually develop a rapport.
Anyway, moving on! So this time I didn't do names for the food. I don't remember why, though. What I'm thinking right now is, that it was a pain and I didn't want to but...I feel like it was one of those cases where I couldn't find names for them. Either that or it had a hair situation. What's the hair situation, you ask? It's hairstyles! Without names! When I'm doing character designs I try to base hairstyles off various...well, styles, that exist. If it's not something in-game, I'll look up references. Like the case with the fish bread, I want people to be able to google things and get a clear picture most of the time. The thing about hair is they get more descriptions than names so you get things like...wavy-comb-over flippy spiked do. When I read that I'm like "...?!" You'd think someone's trying to cast a spell or something when you're trying to describe their hair. It can be difficult! I think I encountered a similar problem here. Probably.

I gotta admit, it's weird to see TJ in a mentor-like role. It's fitting, all things considered, that eventually he'd be teaching someone else. I suppose many characters that would've been in a similar situation taught him, and so on and so forth. You teach an eons-old being, he teaches his strange android companion, and so it goes. Considering his teachers though, it's a pretty strange chain.
Now, about the designs of the dungeon! It was left intentionally vague, but I can tell you a bit from a writer's standpoint. Machina describes the dungeon making process as the 'construction and development' of the dungeon. You can take that in a coupple of different ways, methinks. When Machina describes it as the construction, it makes you think of the dungeon being built by hand, rather than...whatever magic instance dungeons use. This could be true! The city, certain parts of the mines, and of coourse, the factory/lab are all things that too some degree seem to have the influence of a person. This falls in line with Avaritia's dungeon, but is opposite to Gula's. I think what makes Acedia's stand out is that it has a much more modern feeling to it. When we look at pyramids nowadays, I think there are still people that argue about how they were built. It almost feels like it was from another lifetime, doesn't it? It's honestly rather fascinating.
TJ asks if Acedia built the place, and Machina says she believes that to be the case. Nothing is explicitly said, nor confirmed, so the how of it is still there, but it can be considered a red herring, or even a false truth. I suppose in a sense, I wanted to raise a possibility of how the dungeons come to be, without explicitly saying anything. Sometimes you might hear that the mystery is better than the actual truth. Kinda like how if you explain the inner workings of something, the magic is lost. I'm a truth seeker at heart, though, so I'd probably seek out something more concrete, regardless of what the answer might be. Truth seeker I might be, but truth giver, I am not! In other words, you won't hear exactly what it is from me lol.
Anyway, Su's back for the reality check! I always worry that it might make her character seem much worse than she really is, but that's something that's always been in the back of my mind. She can come off as harsh, but by now we have a relatively clear idea of why she is that way. From a writer's standpoint, the two work really well because they bounce off of each other. They clash, and from both we get to see different perspectives of the story. If both said Sinners were bad and need to be eliminated, readers would likely share in that sentiment. What she said was by no stretch of the imagination untrue, though. She laid out the facts in a very Su way lol.
The moment where she lets her anger go to ask about Rayinth is what I really think is what makes the scenario convincing. Despite the two fighting, there are things they agree on. During her rant following their argument, we get a bit of a glimpse into what Su's thinking, but also her own case. The fascinating thing is when she says everybody's got a hangup. And she's right. A lot of the character arcs are about that, including her own. Some do it for revenge, some to atone, and others duty. They each have something to work through, and not all character arcs are ended with a proper resolution. Mainly for the Sinners. I think...it's kinda bittersweet, though. For some characters, what they lost, they can't get back and their resolution might be coming to terms with that. Many of them are fighting for what they can hold on to. It does raise the question though...in what situations do we choose to fight? In what situations is it appropriate not to? What do we gain in doing so, and lose in not doing so? What do we lose in doing so, and keep in not doing so? It's both a fascinating, and bittersweet case study, isn't it? Choice is a powerful thing.

There's more delicious conflict. TJ and Vanir never talked their problems out. God...I love and hate their dynamic so much! The questionable things that Vanir does fills me with so many emotions I hate it lol. But that's exactly the kind of character I intended him to be from the start. He specializes in deception and to some degree, he does it well. But if you've seen USSR, Inno or anything else he's in, it becomes clearer who his greatest target is and when you really think about it it's just...ugh. It's frustrating, is what it is! And I'm the one who writes him!
So anyway, we're back to the Elias Palace Courtyard. I always found it strange that it was Nan who would teleport you to the guild room. In S2...or S3? I dunno which, but they added a Shabur to the overworld, which makes a whole lot more sense. I think he'd teleport you there. Since I wrote this back before any of that though, it was Nan, and still is. Does she have some kind of magical power? Is she somehow connected to the guild room? Who even put her in charge of it? These are questions you won't get answers to. I mean, you could! I'm sure if I put some thought into it, I could conjure up a reason. But it'd be ridiculous. The one person I could think of who could hold that kind of authority, would likely pick her on a whim, 'cause they tend to be that way. It's ridiculous, and in that case, I think it'd actually work magnificently in the worst way. This is that kind of story huh?
Anyway, as Nan said, there were people who tried to join the fight in Chapter 9, but couldn't, courtesy of Skuld. We often hear about characters setting wards, but very rarely do we see the effect of it. I figured this was a good chance to expand on that a bit. It's, of course, something you're gonna see again in the future, but now you've got a bit of context to go with it!
On a bit of an unrelated note, I mentioned before that characters in LT often came in pairs, which was true in more ways than one. For example, in most shops there'd be two NPCs, one usually selling weapons and the other armour. Not for the potion shops and stuff. The bank in Elias had two tellers, male and female. And like with the trainers, there was two also, Ases and Ignate. Most of these characters, had hints of romantic relationships. It's for that very reason that in the story, Verun and Marin are married and the same can be said for Tetty and Imhotep. I know there was a pair from the castle...I think it was Genari and Dongghun or something? Didn't really show much of the male servants in the novel, so...bit of a missed opportunity there. Later on there was a lot less of that, and less NPCs too lol. Strange as it may sound, I got reeeeeeeeeeeally invested in a lot of little details. You never know what you might discover about the world and where, so a glance here and there never hurts.

What happened to Axle here is a direct follow-up of the...wait I don't think I can say that yet. Unless, you know what happens in the side-story! I'm a little proud of this lol. Tried to tie things together nicely to give the story a more fluid feeling. A lot of the time things happen in the background, so we might hear about it in hind-sight. In that case though, it'd be from the reader's perspective rather than the characters' perspectives. In this case, we see the events as they play out from different characters, and then hear about those things and excluded portions. A little experimentation there, I suppose. Though, in all fairness you could say that what happened in Hanamah and hearing a bit from Amata could be considered the same.
Moving on, I love the bit of banter here. It's a callback to what I discussed earlier, but also one of the things that makes their character dynamic work so well. The two together can liven up mundane things.
The line where she said "Put him in a bed, give him a bucket to puke in and make sure he doesn't drown in his own vomit," always felt a little jarring to me. I wanted to end it with 'it' instead of 'his own vomit' 'cause we already know what the subject is. But at the same time, 'it' could either imply the entire bucket or just the puke itself. Putting puke twice made it sound redundant, so I changed it, but Su doesn't seem like the type to use vomit. My elder brother sometimes describes it as 'yakking' lol. We have a cat so it's something we discuss on a regular basis. It only happens once in a while, though! Cats are good and deserve plenty of love. This has been a PSA from your friendly neighbourhood cat lover. Anyway puke! The english language is weird and difficult and things like these drive me insane but fixing them can be hard. Maybe it's just me. The reason for this entire struggle is...! That if you puke! While laying on your back! You'll probably die! The distinction is important! Very much so!
Anyway, drinking! Su's pretty informed about it. Not because she did it herself, but she knew someone who did. A few people who did, rather. I'd say it's the same for me but I've had my fair share of drinks, and as you'd expect, made my fair share of mistakes. I had a bittersweet, rose-tinted youth too once upon a time. I think I'm too old for those shenanigans now, though. Or am I...? Kidding! The chances of me getting into anything exciting like that are zero! And perhaps, that's fine too.
I'd like to be reborn in a time and place where there are cute beings of eld I can pet. Cryofreeze me, Elon Musk! He'll find a way, right?
The banter between Su and Sellistar is a beautiful thing. I wanted Sellistar to be one of the types Su can't handle. Hopefully I did that dynamic well! In this case, her usual stand-offish attitude is not very effective. You've heard me talk about character dynamics before. Like the wheel of elements, characters have people they're strong and weak against. Here, we get a glimpse at Su's. The other stand out character was the titular quote's own, Alessa, now with a last name! Madeaux as you might expect is her father, Donovan's last name. He and her mother Victoria appear in a side story. Also her line had a double meaning. There are two morons that could potentially get wasted lol. I suppose I've been doing a lot of leg-work with my word plays. Pretty good, past me!

You know, sometimes I still think about USSR. The story is, for all intents and purposes, complete. I don't think there's any major things I missed or needed to add. But even so I feel like there are a lot of little details here and there that could've fleshed it out a bit more. I suppose to some degree, leaving that open to possibility can be a good thing. For popular works, it allows readers and those with creative aspirations to fill in some of those gaps. For the creator themselves, or even me, it lets me explore some of the other facets of the stories and their characters. To do things down to the letter does draw a very clear picture, but leaves little to the imagination. Determining when and how to do that is no small feat, I realize.
Anyway, as TJ said it's pretty rare for Su to talk about her past at length. So moments like that between those two, are scarce. I think it's nice that we get to see TJ examining the characters, learning about them and learning to better understand them. In Chapter 9, Peorth told Naomi that he would need to get to know the God's Governors. I think Su said something similar before the pajama party in Chapter 6. I mean, she said that but it doesn't mean she's gonna do it without a fight.But it wouldn't be much fun if she did it all without due process, huh?
One of the fascinating things about this part though is that we find out most of the people that had an influence on Su were men. As we've seen before and continue to, many of the women in the story are quite capable. Why this stands out though, is that other than Beatrice, Su didn't have a lot of female role models. In Pomf and Circumstance...I should probably spoiler the rest of this...

Get Informed:

The idea of Acedia getting carried around by Machina is a big mood. One I feel on a spiritual level. I needn't even speak his name for you to know exactly what I'm thinking lol. As for her character...I think the greatest challenge for me would be expressing her without saying too much. I think in later parts I did that a bit more, but she's a tough one. In a sense though, show not tell is one of the challenges I always keep in the back of my mind. She might help me to improve on that front.
As for TJ being listless, that actually stemmed a bit from my own feelings. Not the yearning part, that's not me! The other part, absolutely! Anyway! Have you ever head one of those moments where you'd just be like, "What should I be doing?" These days I feel like it happens a lot more. Even when working a job, when I'm off on the weekends I get this weird sense of listlessness. Almost like there's something I should be doing. A lot of the time, I often tell myself I'm doing exactly what I need to be doing. That 'this is it' you know? It often feels like I'm looking for more responsibilities, or that downtime is...strange. But when I don't have it, I wind up in a different sort of listlessness. It's a cyclical, nightmarish feeling. I suppose after years of schooling and expecting homework on the weekends, a part of it stuck in my brain. Though in some cases, you do take your work home, huh? I wonder if other people ever feel that way. Nonetheless, I hope this captured that feeling well! If others can relate after reading it, I'll be glad. Not for the feeling, but the fact that it's...you know! It's well-put, or something!

The following part, the discussion between Machina and TJ was fascinating to me. At least it is, in hindsight. The way it is, we get to explore TJ's character through a dialogue. Of course, there are moments of introspection intersped throughout the story, but I think what stands out to me here, is how her questions challenge him. It makes him look at things in a different way than he would if he was to question his own actions. In doing so, we as readers and Machina, learn new things about him. At the same time, Machina as a character grows and changes, and the boond between them is strengthened.
What isn't immediately obvious though, is in TJ's monologue there's something he says that is one of the core tenets of his character, his goal, and his entire journey. I won't tell you what it is, but what I will tell you is that it's...bittersweet, in a way. TJ has noble goals, but the thing about it is that he's trying to do what only he can. He understands that aspect, the why of it, but now the how of it. The thing about that is that...just as humans are wont to err, the more human he becomes the more likely he is to do so also. It draws such a fascinating paralell with some of the other characters, the members of God Ah's family and he himself. It does make me realize how lofty my goal is, in doing so, though. To raise souch expectations means that the end will have to deliver on them, which won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination.But those feelings, I understand well enough to want to strive for it.
So, which would you rather be? A fascinating specimen or the next Agasura King? Choose wisely!
So the next part more or less speaks for itself. In the side story, and perhaps later in Sanctuary you'll hear more about what Peorth discovered, but this I intended to take place sometime after it ends. It wound up becoming a lot more detailed than I intended, so I've been brainstorming a good end point.

Last part for this! We get the return of the iconic Bastion duo. The second most iconic Bastion duo. Once again, these two aren't in battle gear. I think the only other character we saw in athletic wear was Peorth. I love the light attitude these two have in spite of the situation. In the main cast, there aren't too many characters that can create that sort of atmosphere. Other than Kooh, methinks. The only problem there is she lacks a character like Reina who acts as her foil. Would that I could desbribe their relationship, but the way she reacts is different from most of the main cast, so you don't get situations like those. Nonetheless, you'll be seeing more of these two for the next little while, so you can finally get that long overdue character exploration of Alessa, and also some more details about Present/Future Reina. Mm...maybe I shouldn't say future, yet.

So that's all for this update! I'd usually do 10 pages+ but the next bit goes on too long for that.
I could tell you about what I've been up to, but I have mixed feelings about that, currently, so not this time. New norm? Maybe.
Here's an interesting anecdote, though. Was passing by and saw my cat using his litterbox. After he was done he ran by me and hid under the table. The only times he usually hides are when he's either hurt, or when I have to take him to the vet. Strange little critters, aren't they? Guess he can get embarassed too, or something lol.
Gradually catching up. Very, very gradually. Until next time! Whenever next time is!

After making his way upstairs, TJ had gotten out of his adventuring gear and folded it neatly before setting it down on his bed. Now in his undergarments, he rummaged through his dresser before taking out the track suit he wore prior, this time with the addition of a top.
A knock at the door made him nearly jump on the spot before looking in its direction.
“W-who's there?” He asked.
“It is I, Master. Would you like me to assist you in getting dressed?” Machina asked.
Did Acedia program her to do that? Did he have her do that for him?!
“N-no! I can do it myself, thanks!”
“Understood.”
At that, she walked away with no further words.
Holding his clothes over his chest, he let out a sigh.
She really was something else, that Machina. He would have to work hard to understand her.
Putting the matter aside, he put down the clothes, slipped into his pants and threw a tank top over him before hurrying back downstairs.
As he made his way to the deck, he could hear Reina and Alessa talking amongst themselves.
“Hey Rei-Rei, you know when we were in Elias?” Alessa asked.
“Uh-huh?” She asked.
“So I was talking to Monica, right? She told me the Abio Company's CEO actually came back.”
As TJ stepped out onto the deck, he caught a glimpse of Reina with her hand to her mouth.
“Did he?”
“Yeah he did! According to his secretary he went on a total bender!”
“Oh gosh...oh no...”
“That's not even the worst part,” Alessa laughed. “When she tried to get some answers out of him, he made a break for it and jumped out the window of the top floor! Isn't that crazy?”
“H-he's not dead...is he?”
The Archer waved off the concern with a smile.
“Nah! He teleported on his way down. He is the CEO of the company so he probably has all of the tools you can win in LaDeck somewhere on him.”
Reina smiled somewhat, her brows knit.
“I'd bet. But I mean...if he had the warp crystal on him the whole time, why would he need to jump out the window? I've not a doubt in my mind that they have real glass and not sugar glass for the CEO's office.”
“He's always been kinda nutty though, don't you think? This really isn't his first rodeo.”
This made Reina smile.
“That's a pretty apt way of putting it! Though isn't it a little worrying? I mean, a company as big as the Abio Company having a missing CEO is...well it's rather risky. You don't think he'll get fired, do you?”
Alessa shrugged.
“Can he? He's gotta be pretty powerful, in more ways than one. The Abio Company is probably the only group of Cerebians that still create Instance Dungeons and all those other things. Maybe he's the only one who knows how? Besides, if they were gonna fire him, they'd have done it already, silly!”
Reina grinned.
“Yeah, that'd definitely have been the way it shakes out huh? It seems like it's business as usual for all the Abio subsidiaries, so thankfully Lucia and the girls should be fine.
“Though I am curious about their CEO...just a bit. Given the way he is and the way the company works, he has to have all sorts of knowledge only he's privy to. I'd love to ask him some questions...”
Seeming to realize something, Reina gasped.
“R-right! Welcome back, TJ! Sorry we uhh...got so caught in our conversation.”
TJ smiled from ear-to-ear.
“It's no problem. It's something that you two are used to, right? Nothing wrong with being yourself.”
Reina knit her brows, cheeks flushed.
“That statement both made me feel a little better and a lot worse. Bad habits are bad. But they're also hard to break.
“But anyway! The less you need to know about me and my weaknesses the better! We're here to focus on how we can help you improve on your own, combat-wise.”
“Right...the Chief did mention something like that, but I didn't really get the details from her.”
TJ sat down next to Reina and Alessa smiled.
“So...Peorth's concern was that what you lacked in battle is finesse. She noted that when you used something called the 'Messenger of Light' form your evasion and movement abilities are enhanced. The problem lays in that you aren't really trained to do any intricate movements, so it's more based around what seems ideal to you. Given that you can't remain in that form all of the time, though, we need to help you to adjust both with it, and without it. In so doing, we can reduce the likelihood that you'll get wounded in battle and it'll help you hold your own on the front lines.”
TJ tilted his head as he tried to parse all the information imparted upon him.
“What she means to say is that we're gonna help you get better at dodging,” Alessa said.
He placed a fist to an open-palm and Reina turned to her looking somewhat bewildered.
“Was my explanation too long-winded? Do you think I should try to cut it short?”
“Isn't it fine? There's only one translator in the world that can speak Reinian, and you're looking at her.” She said as she patted her chest.
“That doesn't inspire confidence!”
Looking back into some of his encounters in the Fifth District, TJ could see why Peorth would be concerned for him. Both in it and out of it, he fought with reckless abandon. He was fortunate Vanir held back or he may have been unable to go on the Instance Dungeon expedition. Whether he could recover from any serious wounds inflicted by the barista was another matter in and of itself, but he was glad it wasn't a concern.
“So as you're aware TJ, my class is Samurai,” Reina continued.
“We finally settled on one,” Alessa added, eyes closed and nodding.
“Right?”
The guild master smiled and knit her brows.
“A lot of my strengths lie in my ability to parry and counterattack. It helps me hold down the front-line and keep my enemies focused on me. Being able to deflect strikes is a good skill, but it's dangerous. Being able to avoid strikes will allow you not only to avoid the risk of being locked down, but it can also give you the chance to land a blow on your bewildered enemy. But what I do as a tank is beside the point.” She scratched her cheek gently. “As we discussed before, I want to found the class. It isn't where my origins lay, however.”
She did mention something about Salem teaching her swordplay in Aoich's style. When she met him, however, he hadn't the foggiest.
“So then...” He muttered quietly, ushering her to continue.
“Both Rei-Rei and I were studying a class that blinked off the face of Midgard. That being, Dancers!” Alessa added, her fists clenched.
TJ blinked solemnly, then opened his mouth.
“...Huh?!”
A class that existed and ceased to be? Were there others?
“You might not remember TJ, but on our home world there was a little town called Halcyon. It's where Rei-Rei and I grew up.”
“The chances of him are knowing are pretty slim though, don't you think? Any news about him, it mentioned things that happened in the capital. We were pretty out of the way to be a factor,” Reina remarked.
“But we had a God's Governor! That's like...kapow! You know? They're a pretty huge deal!”
“I...I suppose we did but those days, Marcellus kept a pretty low profile. A lot of our neighbours were pretty skeptical about the whole thing. Although he wasn't really bothering anyone so no one thought too much about it. I'd only seen him a few times but he always came off as a little intense. His power was unmistakable, though.”
“Rei-Rei, we're getting too nitty in the gritty.” Alessa said, placing a finger to her guild master's lips.
“R-right. Sorry, continue!” She replied, raising a hand apologetically.
TJ laughed quietly. They were, without a doubt the best of friends.
“So, Rei-Rei's parents ran a dance studio in our town. Rei-Rei's mom inherited it from her Grams and became the new instructor after she retired.”
“I can't believe you still call her that!” Reina remarked with a laugh. “You and Vicky always drove her up a wall with that.”
“Right?!” Alessa asked in turn, chuckling “She'd always be like, 'Quit calling me that, you ragamuffins! I'm not even your mother!'”
The Bard smiled at the two girls laughing together.
“As Alessa mentioned, my mom and Dad were our instructors. Despite being from a family of Dancers though, I never really took to it well. Truthfully, I think Les had a better grasp of it than I ever did.”
“You might have had two left feet, but I love you and your feet all the same, Rei-Rei.”
“You're right and I appreciate it, but my feelings are still hurt.”
She pouted and Alessa hugged her. Her expression softened pretty quickly afterwards, in spite of her words.
“So both of you learned to dance then? But I don't really understand...what does dancing and combat have to do with each other? I guess I just don't really know how it could help me be a better fighter.” TJ said, looking puzzled.
“That's a good question. You wanna field this one, Rei-Rei?” Alesssa asked, glancing at her.
She offered her companion a thumbs-up.
“Leave it to me!
“In most cases, you wouldn't think the two have anything to do with each other. Combat and the arts go together like oil and water...but that isn't entirely the truth. You're proof of that, TJ.”
“Hm? Me?” He asked, looking surprised.
“You're a Bard, silly!” Alessa added, laughing.
“Ohh...oh! You're right!”
“Exactly!” Reina added, pointing with a flourish. “Just as you can give form to your magic through singing and playing your instruments, some of the other arts and sections of your own art are a means of martial prowess. In many of the history books and especially the scriptures, it suggested that the Cerebians who fought against Asmodeus banded together to form clans and spread out across Asgard. In doing so, they built civilizations and this brought rise to cultures. In the process of that, those clans sought to give a shape to their concepts of fighting styles. Ours was one of those very concepts.
“I can't say the sources were very reputable, but there are some that even suspected many of the classes that had some basis in the arts, among them Dancers and Bards were supported by the Saint Dolce. Many of the records that mention her in any capacity mention her love of those things. Some suspect there was another influential source but I can't speak on that, sadly. It's a lot more iffy, since no one knows exactly what person had an impact or what their influence was, for that matter.
“I didn't overload you with information, right? Y-you're still with me, right?”
“Yeah, I think I understand a little better now.”
Understanding the concept was one thing, but what really made him think was that information he gained about Dolce. By chance he learned a few things about the other Saints and Leigha but if what Reina said about her was true, he may have learned one of the core characteristics of the Saint.
“Okay, phew. So to get back to the matter at hand, a Dancer's specialty is their use of movement. To that end, in a sense you could say they're similar but also starkly different to Bards. The class brought a lot of useful supportive effects to a party and a bit of healing. They paled on that front in comparison to Bards, but in turn for that loss they had much higher combat ability. Like Bards, they did require some magical aptitude. Just like how Bards draw strength from water elementals and their respective stones, Dancers drew theirs from wind.
“So...so um...” She pressed her fingers together as she smiled wryly. “Before I get too off-topic, the gist of what we're here to do is to give you a few lessons in dancing. If you can grasp that, it'll be a huge boon to you on the battlefield, since Dancers make incredibly elusive targets.”
Reina's face became pensive following that statement.
“Putting that aside though, there is something I'd like to test out. A theory, if you will.”
“A theory?” TJ asked.
The Samurai nodded.
“Typically when we pick a class, it's not truly set in stone until we decide to advance. Take Alessa for example. Right now she's an Explorer, but if she studied enough and trained hard enough, she could still class change to a Warrior. If she became a Treasure Hunter, however, she couldn't learn the skills of a Warrior. By that, I mean she could learn them but she can't perform them.
“It's your case that fascinates me, TJ. Even when we were young, we heard that you shared some mastery of a Bard's unique skills both with and without mana.”
“Even some of the reports from Warlord Turks' guys said that you did some things that they'd never seen before. Back then it was kinda like, “well if it's him that makes sense” but now even I'm a little curious!” Alessa added with a laugh.
He could attest to that. He had seen it first-hand. Rather, he re-lived it.
“Peorth had once told me that you had become a Bard through the proper channels but you still seem somewhat able to bend the rules of the class structure a bit. Even with your usage of mana, you've found ways to use skills outside of a Water Mage's or Bard's skillset. Given that, I'd like to see first-hand if the possibility that you can learn and perform forgotten arts is a viable option.”
TJ tilted his head quizzically.
“But are you sure it should be me? It's possible for you or Alessa to do it still, right? Unless you visit the Class Upgrade Centre?” He asked.
“I might be an adult now, but I still have two left feet,” Reina laughed sheepishly.
“Can't say I didn't try!” Alessa said as she scratched her cheek. “Though Mom and I aren't really the magic types anyway. She's an incredible archer, though, so a lot of what I learned, I learned from her.”
Reina turned to her.
“Do you think it'd be a bad idea to ask her to drop by the HQ for a session or two? Ramalda has some great trainers but if the others really want to excel, I can't think of anyone better than Vicky.”
“Ehhh?” The Archer asked as she gave her companion a slap on the shoulder. “The Angels and Powers will pee their pants if she's their instructor! You know how she is!”
The Samurai knit her brows.
“W-well maybe...but she's actually really nice! At least...when she's not instructing...hm. Maybe you're right. But I still think it's worth considering.”
“If you really want her to come in, I'll give her a shout. But before we do, just be sure to get a tally of sacrificial lambs so she'll know it's worth coming out to Ramalda.”
“S-sacrificial lambs...? That's a pretty harsh way of describing them.”
“Do you prefer grazing antelopes?” Alessa asked with a grin.
“At least it seems like they have a chance at escape with that noun!”
The Archer seemed to get a laugh out of that retort.
“Well not everyone jumps at the idea of getting taught by a war-hardened veteran, you know.”
“I...I don't blame them. Vicky's really sweet, though. She's just hard on her subordinates so they get the gravitas of the battles they're in. I can tell them, but I can't drill it into them the way she does.”
“I really like the idea of a drill instructor Rei-Rei. That unassuming exterior with a secretly intense interior? Mwah! Perfection!” She said with a chef's kiss.
“H-hey now! I can't change my character like that!”
“Just gotta believe!”
Alessa clenched her fists and grinned.
“Now then, let's get back on topic, my lovely guild master.”
“You totally made me go off-topic Les!”
Reina angrily flailed her fists and Alessa laughed some more.
“What~it wasn't me~” she sang.

“I have a question you two.” TJ said, raising a hand.
“Hm? Sure thing, TJ. What's on your mind?”
“What kind of weapons do Dancers wield?”
The two looked to each other.
“Well...as far as I knew, it was typically swords.” Reina said with a shrug.
“I heard that some Dancers incorporated castanets into their dances!” Alessa added, waving.
“In some regions they used fans too. Whether as weapons or just for the dances themselves, I'm not sure.”
“I super wanna try that!”
TJ knit his brows.
“But I...can't use any of those,” he remarked.
“It's not needed, to be honest with you.” Reina answered, smiling. “Think of our current class system, if you would. There are some loopholes in it. When it comes to magic, you have a variety of options, right? Some prefer staves, some dagger and shield, some tomes, and others guitars. Even if you don't use a magical item and instead prefer using daggers, you can still cast just fine. The physical classes on the other hand, are dependent on their weapon in order to perform their skills. You can't use a Treasure Hunter's techniques with a broadsword, nor can you use a Knight's skills with a bow. There are some Dancer skills that require a sword, but there are still things you can perform without one.
“My class is no different there. What I showed you in Lemanin was only a portion of what's available. Ideally, I'd like to draft skills that use the weapons I have on me currently and also bows.” She smiled slightly. “Salem taught me much and more about it, so I'd like to put that knowledge to use. Those that will follow in my wake...I want there to be enough branching paths for them to have choice. The fighting styles we adopt can mean life or death, so having myriad options can allow one to take up a style that would suit them best.”
TJ blinked.
“Does that mean there are other samurai out there?” He asked.
“Eh? I never told you?!”
She looked rather bewildered.
“You kinda did,” Alessa added.
“'Kinda' is bad!” She turned back to him. “T-to give you a quick explanation, there are other samurai. Maybe less so than before...after the events of Hanamah and over the years well...I've heard that some things changed. I can't speak to the veracity of the statement but I imagine the Dark Moon got quite shaken up over it. Still, they were the major force of the Dark Moon and have been for quite some time. In my case though, I'm aiming to teach adventurers a bit about their ways. Salem himself isn't one, but he's a real fount of knowledge about them.”
TJ placed his purlicue to his chin.
“So...well, you know Vicky, right? Wouldn't bows be better to learn? Since she's really good with them?”
“Quick F.Y.I TJ, Vicky is my mom's nickname. Her real name is Victoria. If she hears you calling her that she'll string up all three of us.”
He smiled nervously.
Whatever that was, it definitely couldn't be good. He would be careful of her.
“You're right, but bows were never really my specialty either. Not that I studied under Vicky, much. The reason I picked up swords originally was because Vanir is versed in them, and he was who I studied under when I first learned to fight. As I studied under him, I also studied under Salem. The styles they use have a lot of fundamental differences, but somewhere along the way I seem to have gotten a better grasp of Salem's teachings and leaned more towards it than I did Vanir's. Even so, what they taught me is still something I hold dearly to.”
She smiled as her cheeks flushed slightly.
“You know, those two were the ones who gave me the two weapons I wield now.”
“As a gift?” TJ asked.
“Something like that.” Reina laughed. “In the battle against the Dark Moon, I broke my first katana when fighting Hayato. He was...incredibly strong. I went in knowing that, and he still exceeded my expectations. In truth, I consider myself lucky I survived the encounter. The doctors and nurses in Ramalda didn't really understand it, but I managed to scrape by with just this scar.”
She lifted her tank top slightly, revealing the muscle beneath. Across the muscles was the end of what seemed to be a long sword scar.
TJ found his eyes affixed to the location.
“Wah...look at those pecs! I'd bet you could grate cheese on those things!”
Reina turned to face her, brows raised. It took a couple of moments but she nearly jumped on the spot, her expression flustered.
“L-Les! That's not what I was getting at all!”
“I could play that stomach like a xylophone!”
“Les!”
Alessa let out a laugh as she wiped her mouth.
“I'm...kinda getting turned on...”
“L-...lech!”
The Archer let out a menacing laugh as the two girls started to wrestle.
“You can't go around flashing the goods like that, Rei-Rei! A glance can turn even the most sheepish of men into wolves you know!”
The two were somewhat evenly matched, but Alessa seemed to be pushing back her friend.
“There's only one man here! And he's not the one trying to assault me!”
He had seen what happens if one touches someone else carelessly. After seeing Naomi's strength first-hand, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of her punches, let alone anyone's else's. On the other hand, perhaps the chest and the stomach held different levels of acceptance. Peorth gave him the okay but...was she the oddity?
“He's doing the 'thinking man'. I bet he seared it into his memory!”
“Et tu, TJ?!” Reina asked on the verge of being pushed down.
“E-eh?! H-hold on, I wasn't doing that!”
He nervously waved his hands in a futile attempt to prove his innocence.
With a gentle shriek Reina was pushed down into the grass and Alessa licked her lips.
“Now for the real fu-”
“There!”
With a light chop to the forehead, Alessa's face scrunched up and she let out an unbecoming 'oof'. As Reina retracted her hand, the Archer made what seemed to be, perhaps for the first time, a serious expression.
“I'm back to my senses,” she said in an unnaturally cool voice.
“Honestly...” Reina sighed, her brows knit. “What am I gonna do with you, Les?”
“Well, you could help me get a boyfriend,” she said off-the-cuff.
“If you didn't set the bar so high you could if you really wanted to! I can give you a list of men that find you attractive!”
“Mm...I suppose~...but I think the chase is half the fun.” Alessa said, grinning.
“If the chase is gonna end with me being your unwilling target, I think it might be worth reconsidering that thought.”
“That's just my character, Rei-Rei! Can't change it!”
This made the Samurai pout.
“That's pretty sneaky...but I suppose it's not entirely untrue.”
She turned back to TJ.
“P-putting that little episode behind us...where were we?”
“You mentioned that Vanir and Salem gave you your...katanas, right?” TJ asked, placing his purlicue to his chin.
“Right! This uchigatana here...” Reina said touching the blade with her hand. “Was the second I received from Vanir. He said he had this one specially forged for me and he named it Chidori. According to him, it was because he finds me annoying.”
“He sounds like a little boy who can't tell his crush he likes her.” Alessa said, matter-of-factly.
“There's not the slightest chance that's the case!”
Alessa laughed.
“I dunno about that, Rei-Rei! But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Still, not just any man would go to God Ah knows where for a single soul urn.”
“It was Fairy Castle. I'm not sure where it is or how he got there, but the blacksmith who forged the weapon said he really did come back with an unfamiliar soul urn. Besides, he didn't go, he sent someone else.”
“That's what he said but it doesn't mean he didn't do it himself. He's strong, isn't he?”
“I mean...yeah but...he's also Vanir! The most he'll do is spar with me and since I finished my training he won't even do that!”
“Sounds likes he's hiding something to me!”
Alessa placed a hand over her mouth as she snickered and Reina waved off the sentiment.
“Whatever it is, it's definitely not that!”
“Though I do wonder about that Fairy Castle place...is it in an Instance Dungeon? I've never heard of a Titania before. Might have to do some more research on it.
“A-anyway, the other one I have here, as I mentioned, was from Salem. We...made a promise, you see.” She pressed her fingers together as her cheeks flushed. “Our weapons form a pair. He had this wakizashi forged for me with a Turban Shell soul urn, and I had a weapon forged for him with a Bear Wolf soul urn, the two respectively named Hikoboshi and Orihime. We promised that we would always keep our weapons close so that no matter how far apart we are, we would have a piece of each other.”
“I helped with the Bear Wolves!” Alessa said, raising a hand excitedly.
Hearing that promise brought a smile to the Abellan's face.
He understood that sentiment. It was tough to be away from those that you loved, but having something that reminds you of them was rather comforting. In his case, it was Peorth's shard of the Heart of Yggdrasil. In holding onto it, it gave him a bit more confidence. Now, he had items that his comrades of the past treasured to assure him that they would be fighting by his side in spirit.
“I see. I do have a question though, you two. What are soul urns?”
Reina looked surprised.
“I'm surprised you haven't heard about them in your journey, TJ. They're...strange items, really. If I was to describe it, it's like if you had a jar that you put the essence of an Agasura into, and then used it to forge with. If you can get your hands on an urn, in defeating certain Agasura with the urn present you can collect essence to fill the urn.”
“The...essence?”
“You know how when you smush fruits and berries and stuff, you can make jam? Then when you put it on a sandwich, with some peanut butter, you get a PB&J sandwich! It's juuuuuuust like that!” Alessa said, clapping her hands together to end her demonstration.
Reina looked disappointed.
“Explaining metaphysical concepts is way too difficult!”
“That's what I'm here for!”
The Samurai knit her brows.
“I think you should do all the explaining.”
Alessa raised her hands in surrender, her brows knit as she smiled sheepishly.
“That's too high level for me!”
“So what do the urns do, anyway?” TJ asked.
“They create special weapons. You have one too, don't you, TJ?” Reina asked. “A corala guitar.”
“I do, yeah.”
“Pamela has one too. According to her, the effect of it, courtesy of the urn, is that melee-type allies under the effect of your songs gain a strength boost. If you wanted to improve your healing capabilities, apparently the Javawalks and their respective guitar, found in the Ktuka Ruins, can provide that for you.”
“I-I've never been there. It's in the Ves region, right?”
“That's right! It's quite a dangerous place though, so be sure to bring some strong friends.
“In the case of mine, Chidori grants me strength whenever I get into a deadlock with enemies and allows me to move quicker when I approach enemies. Hikoboshi bolsters my defense when I use my defending stance and increases them sharply, albeit temporarily, when allies use defensive spells and songs on me. Surprisingly, that's the secondary effect of it. The primary effect is that when Salem and Orihime are within range, both of us are stronger. That and well...there's a technique that I can only do with him and our respective weapons.”
She seemed to be getting somewhat flustered, as her cheeks were flushed red up to her ears.
“S-so! Dancing!”
At the sight and sound, he could not help but laugh.
Reina had taught him so many things and had gone out of her way to come to Belos to teach him to dance. Whether he could learn it or not, he couldn't say for sure, but he wanted to try nonetheless for the two had gone to such lengths for him. After hearing the two talk at length about their experiences and adventures, he felt he understood them a little better. That aside, Peorth had selected them specifically to train him. He wanted to learn what they had to teach him and upon her return, show her how strong he had become and how much he had improved.
As for performing a Dancer's feats...being the Abellan, he could do what others couldn't. He was an oddity among Cerebians, but one they put their faith in. Just as he could take on Agasuric or Asgardian traits, perhaps he could use the knowledge stored within the Heart of Yggdrasil to bring out the latent talents of dancers past. If there was a way, he would do all that he could to find it.
“Reina, Alessa, I'm sure of myself now. Please teach me how to be a Dancer!” He said, his expression taut and fists clenched.
“It'd be our pleasure!” Reina answered, beaming.
“You can count on us, TJ!” Alessa said offering a thumbs-up.
That does make me wonder...though...He thought.
“Reina, were you testing out my skill back at the summit?” He asked.
Her composure broke almost instantly.
“Huh?! Oh no! Well...no...I mean, it wasn't that...it was umm...how do I put it...” She pressed her fingers together nervously as she tried to stammer out an answer.
“Big trouble,” Alessa laughed.
“This one is totally your fault,” Reina complained.
“Come on, you can't tell me you weren't interested too!”
At seeing the two getting back into their usual habits, TJ decided to give up on the question with a smile.
He didn't quite understand them, but it made him happy to know that they were good people through and through. That much was clear to him, and it was all he needed to know.

Reina rose to her feet and dusted off her pants.
“Sorry for bending your ear so much, TJ. It's not everyday that someone like me would get the chance to spend time with you, let alone be assigned as your teacher,” she laughed. “The more I learn about you, the more fascinated I become. I feel like within you, are secrets that date back to the time of our ancestors just waiting to be uncovered.”
She smiled slightly sheepishly as if she realized something.
“It's just...in this case, rather than it being a dusty tome or a scroll in an ancient language, it's a living person. You'll have to forgive me if I push you too hard.”
TJ grinned at her as he waved off the concern.
“I'll be fine! You might not think it when you see me, but I'm pretty tough!” He answered, hitting his chest with his fist.
“Cute and robust? That's a deadly combo.” Alessa said licking her lips.
Reina turned to her companion with raised brows, a quiet 'eh?' escaping her lips.
“H-hey! We're here on business remember?! I won't tell you that you can't do that in the downtime but...you shouldn't!” She cried, shaking her fists.
Alessa burst out laughing, raising her hands in surrender at Reina's retort.
“Isn't it fine? You get to do your historian thing and I get to do mine.”
“But the things we learn from TJ are critical! Our involvement in any and all of this is what will shape history!”
She unclenched her fists and rose to her full height again, her brows knit.
“Besides, you know as well as I do what my research and translations have turned up. We have to do all that we can, while we can.”
“I haven't forgotten, Rei-Rei! I'll leave all the history and record-keeping stuff to you. You just leave the future generations to me!”
The Samurai's face contorted in such a way that it almost seemed like she was trying not to smile.
“Gosh darn it, Les...it pains me to admit it but your levity in this situation is almost reassuring.”
She turned back to TJ and exhaled, collecting herself.
“All else aside, I feel that there's a bond shared between you and I, TJ. One that I can't quite explain but...well, perhaps after some training sessions, I hope you'll humour me with a mock battle. I feel the only way I can truly see it is in the heat of combat.”
At those words, TJ blinked and Alessa smiled.
“I think it'd be a good opportunity to put what we taught you to the test. Wouldn't hurt, right?”
There was something Reina wanted to learn or experience and in so doing, he would be utilizing his acquired knowledge.
He closed his eyes for a moment to reminisce.
After having recently encountered God's Governor of Fire, he realized how powerless he could be without his allies by his side. He knew the inner workings of combat but he was far from mastering them. Reina, Peorth, Su, they had years of experience on their side that amounted to a wisdom tested and true. He had trained with two of them so far and acquired new skills and tactics in doing so. There was much and more he could learn from the guild master.
“Right. I'd like the opportunity to face off with you too, Reina.”
Her face lit up as her tense expression relaxed.
“R-really? Ohh thank goodness! I thought it'd be pretty bad of me to ask that but...I'm glad. We can talk rules and details a little later. For now, it'd be ideal if we didn't keep you from your training any longer.”
“Let's head back in, then. It'll be hard to teach with shoes on!” Alessa told her with a grin.
The Samurai knit her brows.
“Why did we head out in the first place?”
“Mm...curiosity?”
“That's not a good reason.”
TJ found it an amusing one, however.
“Kidding! You said it was pretty nice out, didn't you? It'd be a waste if you missed the peak hours of the day.”
Reina blinked in surprise before she smiled.
“Jeez...that's the part you're supposed to mention first!”
“The real fun is in the surprise!”
“Honestly.”
Reina took Alessa's arm and the Archer smiled at the Bard.
“TJ, we might need to move some things around to make space. That okay with you?”
He nodded.
“Sure thing,” he answered.
He didn't know much about decorating a house, let alone the placement of furniture. His guild mates had handled all of those tasks, so he'd have to ask some of them about it sometime.
“Watch your step, Rei-Rei.” Alessa told her as the two made their way back onto the deck and inside.
Following Alessa's suggestions, she and TJ moved the couches and tables aside, making enough room for the three to move with relative ease.
“That should do it!”
She went over to the entrance and rummaged through a couple of rucksacks, bringing out what appeared to the Abellan as small blue carpets.
“Here TJ. You can keep this. We brought it for you, after all.”
She approached and handed him one.
“A carpet, huh? Maybe I'll put it in my room.” He said with a smile.
“Snrk.” A stifled laugh escaped from Reina's lips.
Alessa didn't hold back and at the sight and sound, he knit his brows.
“S-sorry TJ. That's not a carpet. It's a yoga mat,” Reina told him.
“What's a yoga?”
“The question you wanna ask isn't what's a yoga but what is yoga. To give you some context, yoga is something that dates back to thousands of years before our time. The first discovery of the word was in an ancient, sacred text called the R-”
“Re-Rei,” Alessa said.
Reina's raised index finger curled and she lowered her head apologetically.
“S-sorry...I just can't help myself when a question arises.”
“I'd know! I've been together with you since we were in diapers.”
The Samurai's cheeks flushed.
“It's...kinda embarrassing to think about that at a time like this. I don't want TJ to hear about that kinda stuff.”
“Hmm?” Alessa asked, raising a hand to her mouth, her eyes shuttered mischievously.
“Anyway! The lesson! S-shall we?!” She added, hurriedly.

“Do you wanna take the lead, Rei-Rei?” Alessa asked as she walked over to TJ.
“Sure thing. I've still got a clear mental picture of the exercises Mom suggested we do. Les, can you keep an eye on TJ and make sure he has the proper form?” Reina replied.
“Leave it to me!”
The Archer offered her a salute and she nodded in turn.
“So the first step...or at least, set of steps, is a proper warm-up. If your body isn't suitably prepared for what comes after, you can really hurt yourself. It's not just to prevent injury, though! Doing the right set of warm-ups will also improve your body's performance, increase your coordination, proprioception, heart rate, blood circulation, muscle action and movement of the joints. ...Among other things. In battle, that can mean life or death, especially for someone on the front-lines.”
He hadn't the foggiest what half of those things were, but there was no denying Reina was informed and that was reason enough for him to be relieved.
“We're gonna start with prancing, gradually increasing in difficulty and intensity so that we can improve our blood flow. Watch my movements carefully okay?”
TJ nodded, prepared to learn.
“Raise your leg like so, keeping your toes pointing towards the ground.”
As she suggested, she raised her right leg, from the heel to the toe before raising her foot from the ground a short distance and lowering it. She did the same with the other and encouraged the two to follow suit. Alessa followed first for the next couple of reps and TJ followed afterwards, all three matching pace.
“Good, good! We're gonna pick up in difficulty now, okay?”
Reina increased the range of her motions and increased the pace as she did so. It took a moment for TJ to match the other two, but before long he got into the rhythm. Shortly after, the group got into a rhythm that was almost that of a jog.
After a minute or so, Reina slowed down.
“That should do for the first step you two. Let's work on mobilizing our joints next.” Reina told them with a smile.
TJ could not help but smile sheepishly.
“This one's a little more...energy efficient, right? I'm afraid by the time we're done warming up I'll be too out of breath to dance,” TJ remarked.
“It is, it is, you'll be fine,” Alessa assured him.
TJ had to hand it to the two, neither of them were even out of breath in the slightest. He couldn't help but think his cardio workout was okay, but he had a long way to go to rival the two, let alone his own guild master.
“So first we need to sit down like so...oof, and stretch your legs out before you like so,” Reina told them.
She sat down with her back straight and her feet pointing upwards, her hands on her thighs.
“You sound like an old lady, Rei-Rei!” Alessa laughed as she followed suit.
“D-do not! I'm in my prime, thank you very much!”
Alessa snickered under her breath and Reina pouted.
“Ignoring my troublesome Keruz-”
“How cold~”
“Next we're gonna circle our ankles through the full range just like this, gradually doing bigger circles.”
As she had told them, she brought her ankles around in a small but full circle, before repeating the process with greater range. As she gradually increased the size of the circles, she counted from one to ten before bringing her feet to a rest.
“How is he so far, Les?”
“No problem!”
It was reassuring to know he was doing things properly from the duo.
“Great. Let's do the next one, shall we?
“First you lay down like so.”
She laid on her back, placed her arms flat on the ground at her side and her feet a few centimetres apart, both of her knees raised.
“To do the hip circle, you open one knee to the side as far as you can—don't push it if you can't—and keep your pelvis still. Slide your foot along the floor until you fully extend your knee, making your leg parallel. Then bring it back to the starting position.”
It certainly was different, but a welcome change.
The trio did it roughly eight times for each leg before Reina gave her approval.
“Let's go back to the starting position. Reach toward the ceiling like so, bring your arms back and to the side and then back up. Make sure to breathe in as you go down and breathe out as you come back up.”
From his current position, it was tough to see Reina so he glimpsed Alessa doing the motions and followed suit. After they finished the first set, Reina suggested that they do the same but in the other direction this time around.
“So far so good. Just a few left, you two.
“For the next step, we'll need chairs.”
“Mind if we borrow those dinner table chairs, TJ?” Alessa asked as she pointed to them.
“Yeah, it's no problem,” TJ answered.
The two went over and removed three chairs from the table before bringing them back to their respective mats. Alessa brought a second chair over for Reina to sit on.
“Thanks Les.” She said, smiling.
“Anytime!” She answered, beaming back in turn.
The guild master sat down and waited for the other two to be seated. After Alessa sat down, she nodded and her Keruz did so in turn.
“Right so, the last part for this step is the spinal flexion and extension. Follow my lead. Bend your head like so and then reverse it like this.”
With both hands to her thighs, she bowed her head, then brought her head back slowly.
TJ followed suit at the sight and as expected, even he could feel the difference in his spine. It was certainly strange, but those unusual feelings were a clear sign that the exercises were working.
“You won't need the chair for the next one, so let's set them aside for now.”
As she suggested, the trio removed their chairs and put them somewhere out of the way.
“We're gonna do the muscle lengthening stretches next. To do the hamstring stretch first, you lie on your back again. You bring your knee up to your chest and to make things a little easier, you can interlock your fingers around your popliteal fossa to hold it up.”
TJ glanced at Alessa and she grinned.
“It's your kneepit.”
It was the first time he heard either of those terms, but he understood.
Following suit with Reina's instructions, the two held their knees to their chests.
“Next, bring your leg up like so, and stretch your foot out so your toes point towards the ground. We're gonna hold this position and count down from five.”
Reina straightened her leg out while holding the position and followed through with her own instructions so that the two would follow suit. The two followed her lead and she counted down from five before repeating this nine more times and going on to the next side.
“Almost there you two. How're you holding up?” Reina asked as she got to her feet.
“Feeling fresh!” Alessa added with a cheerful grin.
“I feel like a wet noodle.” TJ remarked with a dry laugh.
“That tends to happen when you exercise in ways you haven't before. Doubly so when you engage muscles that you're not used to. Flexibility differs from person to person, so if you feel that you're not sure you can do the exercise, just say the word.”
“No problem so far!”
He clenched his fists confidently.
He'd done plenty of exercises with his own guild master. He felt plenty certain that he was a pretty flexible person.
“Good! Next step is the hip flexor. If this was your starting position...”
She currently stood with her feet a short distance apart. A normal standing stance.
“You step forward like so...”
She placed her hands to her waist and stepped forward with her right leg.
“Keep your left leg straight and your back too! Then steadily lean into the leg you're stretching until you feel it. Hold the position for five seconds, and then it's back to the start position. Easy, right? Let's do it together.”
As she had informed them, they all performed the action five times and switched over to the other side for another set.
“We'll do the obliques, also known as the criss-cross next. Don't worry about matching the position right off the bat. Observing to make sure you have the right form is critical.”
TJ nodded in response.
Reina sat down before lying on her back and placing her her hands just below her knees. She brought her knees in close to her stomach and removed her hands to place them to the back of her head.
“After doing that, twist your upper body toward your left so you're not resting on both of your shoulder blades. Keep your head and neck raised and supported by your hands. Extend your right leg like so...”
She stretched her leg out the full distance.
“And then switch.”
She showed them a few examples before sitting up.
“Of course, you can't forget to breathe. Need a quick crash course for this one?”
“Nah, I got it!” TJ said smiling.
“Great. Alright you two, let's give it a go.”
The trio did about nine repetitions before Reina suggested they move on to the last exercise.
“Les, you and I will do a set of chest opener repetitions to give TJ an idea of what it looks like, how to reset the position and then I want you to do it with him.”
“Sure thing.” Alessa said as she approached the guild master.
The two stood back-to-back and took each each others' hands. Both took a step forward into a lunge position and held it before resetting to their original position.
“This exercise is a good way...to stretch your shoulders.” Reina told him as her lips curled into something like a wry smile.
After a set of five, Alessa rolled her shoulders and wiggled her fingers as she approached the Abellan.
“You're next my pretty!” She cackled as she grinned.
TJ couldn't help but feel a growing sense of tension at the sight and sound. Instinctively, he took a step back, his stance guarded.
“Don't mind her too much TJ. She's a handful but she has some semblance of restraint.” Reina said as she crossed her arms and sighed.
“Some semblance? That's an understatement, milady.”
“Honestly? Some of the time even I have a hard time telling whether you're j0king or not. In this case though, I hope you know what you're in for. I personally think you're in over your head.
“But there's a time and place for that. Do it properly, okay? If TJ gets hurt it'll be bad in several ways.”
“I'd bet! Alright TJ, it's you and me now!”
He nodded, gave a quiet 'okay' and stood back-to-back with Alessa before taking her hands in his own.
“Ah! TJ, how bold of you!”
“H-huh?!” He turned to her with a startled expression.
“Les!” Reina cried shaking her fists.
The Archer stifled a laugh as she glanced over her shoulder at her guild master.
“Sorry, sorry! Okay TJ, let's go!”

Nothing says I'm gonna unleash a can of whup-ass like the Warrior I Pose. It's yoga, you say? What's a yoga? If you wanna know how the novel ends, Asmodeus will be defeated by the power of interpretive dance. Dance so good he'll surrender!
True Order lads would wipe the smirk right off of YHVH's mug. Do it for Johnny!
So? Let's get down to it!

Whether Machina actually does that kind of service for Acedia, I'll never tell. Not that you need to hear it from me.
So! I know what you're thinking--that discussion they're having sounds a lot like a certain scene from another novel doesn't it? Can't say for certain if it's actually posted here but...or rather, in the doc. Nonetheless! Well I think I was writing them around the same time, but I was well aware. Truthfully, it was kinda intentional. It's nothing more than a simple paralell, but as with all cases, it's meant to tell the reader something important. I do feel it's a bit of a waste to mention that here, but that's part of the reason I'm here lol. What I love about it is that it's treated as just a piece of mundane gossip. Like something you might read about in the paper and forget about the next day. Looking back, I tend to do that quite often in my works. It's an odd way of doing it, but in a sense, perhaps it could be considered using a writer's tools. Perhaps in this case allusion, or if you're aware of the other case, a red herring. It's both a clue and meant to mislead, in the strangest of ways. Though in truth, I did have mixed feelings about it because I feel it gave away too much, too soon. Though I technically already did that once. One of these days when I do edits for Frequency, might change the scene just a bit.
Anyway, on the topic of the story itself and not the meta! For this scene I just really wanted the dialogue between the two to feel...natural? For them, at least. It's a weird conversation regardless, but they're a weird pair of people. If you read Innocent, you'll get used to it. In a sense, I wanted to show that despire the years, the two still share many of their old traits. Something that we saw a glimpse of during the summit, and something you'll see more of as the scene progresses. Kinda like your first real glimpse into the dynamic between the two. It helps to familiarize readers with it, so when other characters enter and shake it up, you can better see the difference. Thanks to Innocent, if you've read it or USSR, you'd have a much clearer idea of how Reina can be. Less so Alessa. I do take into consideration that it wouldn't likely be the case for everyone, so it's a good opportunity to let her personality settle in a bit. Since she tends to get frazzled more often than not, she definitely makes for a good member of the cast here. Alessa of course, does it on a regular.
So! Why is this scene important? It teaches us something about the Abio Company. In USSR, Innocent and Sanctuary, we occasionally hear them mentioned. I can't say for certain yet, but I do believe that in USSR it's mentioned that the GMA is owned by them. Or Inno. The GMA kinda appear in both. In Sanc and Frequency, you don't hear about them as much, but this chapter remedies that somewhat. I may have forgotten to mention that part. But now you know! I'll need to make sure I add that in somewhere, as TJ becomes more aware of the GMA/Abio Company. The long and short of it is, that the GMA is owned by the Abio Company. This is important! So important I forgot to include it! Back on topic, the Abio Company, as you know, manages Club Abio, the Abio Rangers, and some other things as of yet to be mentioned. The CEO, is a bit nutty, for better or worse. I want to say more about him but I don't wanna spoil it lol. Anyway, like it is in most cases, his secretary is probably the only one that can keep him from doing stupid things and from the company falling apart. She's a wrangler. I love that for the girls at Club Abio it's just another Tuesday lol.

Next! You're probably wondering, "Why a training arc?" and if so, that's fine. Hopefully, story-wise Reina's explanation made it clear enough, alongside TJ's inner monologue. If it isn't, let me give you a bit more detail. So, as you know, throughout a lot of Frequency and Sanctuary, TJ winds up tanking more blows than he does dodging them. I jokingly said he's a class-bending cheater but because of his lack of skill, he more often than not, gets pretty messed up in his fights. It's rather fitting. I've talked at length about TJ growing into his role, but that's not just in personality. He winds up as the butt of a lot of jokes in fights because he has great power, but none of the training to really make use of it. Which is exactly why a training arc like this is needed. Someday, he's gonna do great things. He's gonna become a good leader, but also a veritable force on the battlefield like none of the others. I want it to feel earned. We've seen him eat dirt multiple times throughout the novel in battle, so now(and technically again) I want to show him eating dirt outside of battle. As things progress, it'll happen less, he'll grow and improve, and he'll live up to the hype that I promised. But as ever, both readers and I will likely feel that it should be earned. It was the same for the others, but only some of them did we see their process, and even then, they have their strengths and weaknesses.
There's more though! USSR introduced us to the concept of Dancers, something that existed within the town of Halcyon, Reina, Alessa and Samson's hometown. In that story, it was more seen as a part of the culture rather than something used for combat. In Reina's side story, we got to see what a Dancer was capable of first-hand through the last known one, being Hazel. However! TJ's question raises the possibility of other classses that were lost to time. I jokingly said before that someday TJ would become a pseudo-summoner, and I still hold firmly to that. We know that TJ and Su are capable of it, especially after the City of Iron arc. Why doesn't Su do it again, you ask? Plot convenience! The real reason is like TJ, she can bend the rules a bit, but her doing what he can't do has a lot of drawbacks to it. It requires...some things I can't talk about yet.
One of the reasons I love this scene is that it gives readers plenty of new and interesting things to consider, all the while Reina and Alessa are casually joking about their memories and some of the events that make them memorable. For the first time we hear the name of Julius and Samson's father, Marcellus and a bit about him. Reina describes him as intense, and mentions that his power was unmistakable. From Samson's story, we knew that he and Marcellus were on rough terms with each other, and that Julius was where most of the man's focus went. Given what we know about Marcellus now, it might give some more context as to why Samson held regrets about not being the one to inherit his father's role.
In Reina's case, we learn a bit more about her grandmother, and through her Victoria. Though brief, we get to see quite a bit of the facets of Victoria's character, only seeing her lighter side closer to the end of the side-story. Since Hazel and Victoria were close friends, she was of course, acquainted with and an enemy of Reina's grandma. If you ever wondered where Alessa got her playful nature, you might be surprised to know that it was the lioness Victoria. Donovan's a bit more all-around easygoing, but he's a man who did whatever he needed to do, for king and country. Like Velvet papaTemplar Sosa, he was one of the knights of the castle. Or as I'd describe them, a good boy. It's the highest praise and nobody can tell me otherwise. Also, return of Reina and her two left feet. It's a running joke across the series, so you'll likely hear of it elsewhere.

On the topic of forgotten classes, I always wondered what I'd do if I was to later introduce classes distinct from those that were introduced at the time. Last I checked, there were at least 4-5 new classes, and that's not even talking about the sub-classes. Just as it was with the dancers, I wanted to make use of the fact that Asgard was pretty much fair-game for creativity. Since it, in this case, was something I had to come up with, I wanted to take the chance to tie everything together. Give rise to cultures, to peoples and classes. Make an origin, make places where these people lived, fought, and created legacies. But also to give a voice to those who had lived in those ages. The Saints weren't just veterans of battle, they were people that fought, lived, and participated in the founding of nations. I did once say that more side-stories featuring them would be a possibility, if I could give myself reason to do it, or others sought it out. I laid some of that foundation during the camping session in the Fifth District, also. It was just a small glimpse through a couple of lines, though. If I recall correctly, it was that the God's Governors, Undine and Dione liked to play pranks on the Saints and that Leigha's favourite past time was caring for her horse. I love the idea that to the modern day Cerebians, the Saints are these legendary figures of eld but when you glimpse Amae's memories through Memorius Sanctum, you find out Dolce is an easygoing, bread-loving dork. It humanizes them to the readers and also lets them form a special connection, almost like a shared secret. Which is, exactly what Kooh asked for.
Part of what I wanted to do here was to lay the foundation of who the Saints were after the war ended. You'll probably just hear snippets here and there, but you might be able to discern what they became known for, and what influence that may have had on the future generations. A part of what inspired me was the concept of gods being known for the things they accomplished or had done. Be it music, wine, destruction, what have you. It was something mentioned much earlier, but it was those who underwent apotheosis. If the Seven Saints were the major gods or legends for the Cerebians, than all the other Cerebians who underwent apotheosis would be minor figures. Those very same figures are the ones who can be summoned.
As for that figure that was mentioned, they're someone that was mentioned prior. Who they were, and what they did, I'll leave to your imagination, but I'm sure with the given clues you can guess.

Now then! The reason I did things the way I did with the classes is as such: in the game, like most MMOs, you decide your class when you make your character. That can't be changed. When you advanced your class at lvl 80, you'd pick a branch to follow. Sorceror or Bard, Warlord or Blader, Treasure Hunter or Gunslinger, etc. Once you pick, you're locked into that. Unlike the regular classes though, you can freely switch between your sub-class and main class, but you had to level them seperately. Levelling a Maestro was eay, levelling a Bard, was not. Nonetheless, given that this is a novel, can't have characters being locked into a class from birth. The only likely cases that might be, would be Wizards. Some have magical capabilities, some don't. C'est la vie. As for advancing in the novel, I wanted it to be...well, as is the case with the rest, something more technological than natural. The first people to take up the classes passed on the ability to use SP through their genes. Whether the Cerebians do the same or have something of a natural affinity for it, I won't say yet. After all, the ability-wielders came to be through the power of the guild crops' roots. Thus, class changing would be possible with the right training, but doing so after advancing wouldn't be possible. It's kinda like going from freelancer to an actual class.
But it's also what makes TJ's case distinct. Though he may have gone to the Class Upgrade Center, he could use unique abilities before, and afterwards. He's an enigma, and why Reina is so fascinated by him.
As for the rest of the convo? It's a Chekov's gun, let's not beat around the bush here lol.

So then, about weapons and classes! Most classes had 2-3 weapons they could wield. Some like Bard or Guardian, or any of the subclasses had 1. In most cases, you'd spec into one weapon's skill tree, take some of the misc. skills and do your thing. The game worked really well in that the way the skills comboed, you could keep enemies in perpetual hit-stun. It's part of the reason I love playeing treasure Hunter so much. The Dagger skills felt amazing to play with. That, Terror Knight and...Rogue Master. The latter two were a little slower, but the way basic attacks chained was amazing. Back on topic! Learning two weapon trees was a terrible idea, 'cause there wasn't enough skill points to allocate into more than one tree. Back then though, there were multiple trees for a single weapon. For example, Daggers had a set for close range, and a set for far. One was some of the melee attacks you see in USSR, and the other had a lot of throwing involved. I didn't often do the latter because I needed a logical explanation to how characters would have multiple daggers to throw, among other things. But! Considering Curt had specced into that, I worked it into the story as him using knives rather than daggers. Although, he's a bit of an oddity, so you don't really get to see the SP skills themselves. A character in Peorth's side story, Chana, does use that though. But she also uses mana, so the regular dagger skills might be spread out over the course of their battles.
As for Reina's case, she's probably the first character that I introduced who uses multiple weapons. There's a good reason for this, though! Firstly, her class is new. Any skills, weapons, and boons that come with it can only be seen through her. That's from the writer's side. From a story-perspective, she has to be able to come up with, and use the skills herself in order to incorporate them into the class. Thus, though no master of spears or naginata, she has to learn to wield them with some semblance of skill. More on that, later! From a guy who played the game, at one point there was a meta where you would spec into another weapon's skill tree, mainly for the 5th skill. The 5th skills are incredibly powerful, but their cooldown was much longer than that of others. Strange as it may sound, if you were good with your rotation, you could chain skills infinitely, so long as you had the resources to do so.
I can't help but think Reina using multiple weapons would make her stand out from the rest of the cast. I expect that, and all the bad tidings that come with it. But for the sake of the class and also historical accuracy, I'll deal with it. Though I only scratched the surface of the latter on multiple occasions throughout the chapter, I hope it'll at least encourage you to look into more details! I did a bit, and I mentioned even less here but that's a rant for another time lol.
Of course, nothing breaks up a lengthy infodump like lewd shenanigans between friends, right? Whether Alessa actually swings that way will forever be a point of contention that I won't resolve. I mean, you could get the answer but...that's no fun, right? Reina won't have any of it though. She's taken. Won't be any of that in this novel, sorry friendos. I like my romances like I like my ice cream. Chocolate!

Alright, one more infodump I think, this time about special weapons. So! In game, enemies had a low chance of dropping an item called a soul urn. Like Reina said, soul urns make special weapons. You need some other materials like minerals and stuff and a player versed in weapon crafting. How else do you get them? Special Weapon coupons! You could get those from events, playing LaDeck...and that's it! You trade them to Gema, Toma's sister for whatever weapon they can be traded for. Remember how I said characters come in pairs a lot of the time? That's one more for ya. Later on, there were a lot less NPCs though...I guess it's like the base game vs. expansions. Whole lot of resources for that, I imagine.
What's a special weapon you're wondering? The Corala guitar, Pyramid Treasure Sword, Hyunmu Mountain Spear, Dark Moon Arjuna, the works. Like Reina said, the weapons come with special effects or triggers. In game, I think the Corala guitar would increase the magic stat under...unknown circumstances. It didn't say when, but it seemed to happen occasionally. I never did figure oout what the requirements were for the trigger. The thing about special weapons though, at least weak, strong, and valkyrie weapons, was that unlike normal weapons, it was hard to slot in stats. You could insert one stat of your choice through puzzle pieces, and the rest had to either come when you drop or make the weapon. Then you reroll them until you get the one you want. Bards and other casters typically aimed for Minimum/Maximum magic damage increases. But that's all nitty gritty stuff.
As for Reina's case, her weapons are unique, or at least, they don't exist currently since her class isn't a thing. When I came up with the trigger effect for TJ's, I took into consideration the Agasura that they got it from, and did something similar for Reina's. But it's not just that, I wanted to add a bit of a symbolic lens to it. Titania and Oberon were actual bosses in the game. I mean, they were one boss. Players would fight them, while they fight each other. You can still find videos of the regular boss fight and the one from the time attack instance dungeon if you look for them. I never did the regular fairy castle instance, since when it was released I was already too high, but my guild master and I used to run the TAID version once or twice a day. She's where I learned a lot of the later meta from, including the second weapon spec stuff.
But anyway, symbolism! I'm sure you're aware, if you've ever sen Innocent, but Reina and Vanir do not get along. I mean, they get along by not getting along. They're like Vincent and Miranda without any of the passion and the bed-breaking...ahem. They don't hate each other, but they tease each other quite a bit. Always. No matter how many years pass in story, the two's dynamic still has that as its core tenet. With that in mind, Vanir had that blade forged for her. It symbolizes the relationship between the two of them. The reason it grows stronger is that Reina thrives in the scenario. If you know her story, you know why the other effect is there.
As for the other, as you'd expect it symbolizes her relationship with her hubby-to-be. Being a character who's more often than not insecure, his words and actions galvanize her spirit. For a character like that to be your front-line would be odd, but it's in realizing her potential that she can come to stand alongside others there. In a sense, it's kinda like...Reina's realized self, or in a sense, how she would be after completing her character arc. As I mentioned before, hers more or less ends with the Dark Moon arc.
Now for the names! I'm sure you know, but it's based on the Summer Triangle, but moreso the story of the weaver girl and the cowherder. I was originally thinking of keeping Orihime as Vega, but I decided to leave it as is. I don't wanna say toooooo much about that though, so I'll leave the rest to your imagination!
There were other special weapons later on. I remember when they introduced the 8-man raids, there were things like the Degos sets, Ymir sets and weapons, it really changed things. In those cases though, it wasn't just the armour, but also the weapon that gave you a set effect. Prior to that, you'd get a set effect from armour, but you didn't need weapons or accessories to complete it. Later on, I'd like to introduce something like that, also. It reminds me a bit of a certain other game that had a similar concept. I remember it so vividly, getting an S-ranked staff. I think it was called Selene's Torment or something? I was so proud to have that thing. That ungodly game gave me so many good and terrible memories lol.

The next part has a lot of banter between the characters, but nothing I need to particularly dive into but...there's a bit. What I really like about this part is that we get to see a bit of Alessa's kindness. Most of the time, it seems like she's just messing around to get a rise out of Reina, which is partially true. However, one of the poignant moments in Innocent is Reina talking to Salem about her and Virgil, about their friendship and how Alessa helped her to become who she was. In that same vein, throughout the novel, at least during the first and second acts, she tries to channel a bit of that spirit to help Salem to open up to her. Eventually, it becomes a part of her, and how she is with the Madelaine's crew. But it's not just in personality. Alessa learned to understand and lend a hand with Reina's disability, and so she does so. What concerned me about it was it'd seem like to some degree, there are things that she can't do on her own, and that's true. It's unavoidable, really. But what isn't clear is that all the lengths that Alessa goes to aren't necessary per se, but that she does so just because she wants to support her best friend. It's just one more way for her to show she cares.
As for me, it allows me to show the trust the two have in each other, and the closeness that goes beyond words. Of course, she's still gonna mess with her. That's what friends are for, right?

Anyway the next part, it speaks for itself! So I'm just gonna complain in this paragraph. I spent hoooooooooours, of different days just...looking up references. I'd study them. I'd try and do them myself. I'd try to describe them in words. It was terrible. I'd look at videos, I'd look at the form, I'd try it, do it again, try it again, tear the flesh from my face, regrow it, grow a beard over 300 years and finally finish one of the exercises. It was a nightmare. And here I thought writing battles and new skills was difficult! This? This was a hell unto itself the likes that I'd never known. The struggle! For accuracy! It was mad real, you know?! Like if you mess one of these things up chances are you'd break something or something. The spirit is strong, but the body is weak and brittle! Truthfully halfway through this I wanted to quit, it was so frustrating. I think I may have put it off to work on Inno a few times 'cause I got so sick of trying to come up with a reasonable exercise regime. So, so much trial and error. Think I may have almost pulled something while doing one of those exercises. Don't try it at home, kids!
Also I didn't know what the term for the back of your knee was until I wrote this.
There's usually a few jokes intersped throughout their lessons, but I didn't do too many here. Saved it mostly for the end. I think it was pretty good, if I do say so myself! I think the reason it works so well is because of how it lets us see how Reina responds in differing situations, but also how the duo get dragged into Alessa's pace. When push comes to shove, Reina can be a good teacher and leader. When those aren't the case she's often at the mercy of her Keruz lol.

With that said, we've reached the end of today's update. As ever, it was supposed to happen sooner but I don't know what a consistent schedule is so it didn't. Alas and alack. I'd like to say I'm working hard but I'm hardly working lol. Nevertheless, I have little to report. Or maybe I do. Ehh, probably not. Maybe one day I'll talk about some of the other shenanigans I got up to over the past few months. But that day is not today, no! Nor is it right now! It's time for me to stuff my face!
Goodbye!

After the two finished Reina wiped her face with a towel as she sighed.
“Honestly, I feel more mentally exhausted than physically exhausted,” she said.
“Gotta get more brain juice.” Alessa said as she wiped her right cheek with a towel.
“Don't pretend like you don't have anything to do with this.”
She knit her brows and her Keruz grinned back at her.
TJ had taken a towel from a nearby closet and wiped the sweat on his arms off. As he did so, Machina stepped out from the kitchen area with a platter holding three glasses.
“Master, staying hydrated is a crucial component to rigorous exercise. I would recommend ingesting more water to replenish that which you have lost.”
She handed him a glass and he smiled back at her.
“Thanks Machina,” he said.
She looked at him curiously, solemnly, and nodded before approaching the girls.
“I have brought glasses for your guests also.”
She took a glass and handed it off to Alessa, then took another and gave it to Reina. The guild master took a moment, touching the glass, feeling her shape around it before taking it from Machina's hands. The maid waited silently and patiently as if she had seen the action coming.
“So I've been meaning to ask but...how did you and Machina meet?”
I forgot about that! TJ thought as he began to violently cough.
He had totally let his guard down!
“My master and I met in my previous master's Instance Dungeon. After a passionate battle of ideals with my hand as the prize, my current master proved victorious and so I promised myself to him, body and soul.”
Reina's jaw fell, her cheeks flushed and her eyebrows shot up. TJ hadn't the foggiest what that expression meant but things were rapidly taking a turn.
Alessa meanwhile, looked absolutely baffled, but bewildered at the same time.
Struggling to get his breath, TJ held up a hand to tell them to slow down so he could clear up the misunderstanding but it was happening faster than he could react.
“You mean that one that recently got demolished? The 5th District?” The Archer asked.
“Indeed.”
“I've got several questions but there's a pressing matter I need to address first.”
The Keruz bent over to place her elbows to her thighs and intertwine her fingers, her expression deadly serious.
“You do all the services around the house right?”
“I am adept at cooking, cleaning, gardening, and of course, looking after the health and well-being of my master and guests.”
Alessa puffed her chest out, raised her head and let out a victorious huff.
“Maid you may be, but that means there's something you can't do that I can. Victory is mine, madam.”
“Eh? You were competing with her?” Reina asked, turning to face Alessa with a puzzled look.
“If you are referring to night services, I can assure you those are within my repertoire.” Machina said as she crossed her arms and raised her head.
“She went along with it!”
“I feel that it only fair I warn you that my master's prowess and endurance is far beyond whatever meager capabilities a Cerebian like you is able to muster. You would consider yourself fortunate if you could even function at 70% capacity the following day.”
TJ let out a sigh with closed eyes after he caught his breath and upon looking to the trio of girls talking, he smiled wryly. Reina was covering her face with both hands and Alessa had her fingers pressed together. The Archer was flushed red right up to her cheeks, her brows were knit and she wore an anxious smile.
“S-so you two have...that kinda relationship huh...?” She uttered, gazing away. “I underestimated TJ when he said he was robust.”
A hand was placed on Machina's shoulder and her eyes focused on it solemnly.
“Machina, I don't know what you just said meant, but I have a bad feeling about it. Let's clear up this misunderstanding, okay?” TJ said with an exasperated smile.
“Misunderstanding?” At the realization, Reina looked surprised, then puzzled. “Oh...of course, you wouldn't really know about that yet, would you?”
“That?”
“By that I mean the birds and the bees.”
“Those? I know about them.”
At his words Reina smiled and stifled a chuckle.
“Of course you do. Still, I have to confess, your maid has quite the sense of humour.”
The android blinked.
“Humour? There was no lie in that statement, nor was there an intent for a jest. Every word that I said was fact,” Machina suggested.
Reina smiled warmly.
“You know,” she began, “my fiance does the exact same thing. He used to be really deadpan and aloof, but these days he saves that trait for some of his jokes. You two would be thicker than the bark on a tree if you were to be in the same place.”
Alessa seemed to have recovered and gave an approving nod.
“Machina's got some powerful jokes but Salem's a master of his craft,” she added.
The android looked to TJ and he knit his brows.
“Forgive me, Master. It seems I've failed to impress upon them the majesty of your legacy.” She said, her expression unchanged.
His brows curved further as he began to question whether her joke was ongoing or not.
“I've no idea what you're talking about. Heck, I haven't for some time now. Was it necessary? Whatever point you were making?” He asked.
“Absolutely. My previous master wished for me to protect his beloved sibling from any and all predators. That Cerebian, is one.”
She pointed at Alessa.
“She's not a predator she's a friend.”
“I'm technically a predator.” Alessa added raising a hand, before shrugging. “You can consider me a carnivore too, if you like!”
“I think you're more of an omnivore, Les.” Reina added with a gentle huff and knit brows.
“Just for you, my lovely guild master!”She said with her purlicue to her chin and a twinkle in her eye.
“Why me? I'm off the menu!”
While the girls discussion soon turned into the Samurai getting her cheek licked, TJ gave a stern gaze to his new maid.
“I guess in the end you're just doing what you were programmed to do, huh? I suppose that's one way to live. I don't really understand how programs work and stuff, but I hope that you get to do the things that work best for you. The things you want.”
She tilted her head quizzically.
“Programmed? That is not the case, Master. My previous master had programmed me to be a maid and with combat knowledge, however, he did not give me any specific orders such as this. It is a decision of my own making.”
TJ nearly jumped on the spot.
“H-huh?! You decided to do it yourself?! Well, you're certainly a quick learner!” TJ laughed as he scratched his cheek.
His confusion shifted into a gentle smile.
“If it makes you happy, I can't fault you for it. But you can't cause trouble for others, okay? Even if your intentions are good! If you attacked someone you mistakenly thought was a predator, we'd both be in trouble. I got into my fair share of trouble, but when I was learning I still looked enough like a kid to avoid getting jailed again. Acedia made you look pretty...well, adult.”
TJ crossed his arms, closed his eyes and tilted his head as he thought about it.
“If Acedia only appeared recently, does that mean he built you after his dungeon first appeared? That must mean you're...really young. Not even a year old. How does time work in Instance Dungeons? Now that I think about it, do androids age?”
“I-” before Machina could speak Reina shot out of her seat letting out an excited huff.
“TJ, did you just say...android?”
Finding himself grabbed by both shoulders, Machina stepped out of the way just in time to avoid being barrelled over by an excited Reina.
“Y-yeah...? Do you know something about them?”
“Of course!” Reina said, clenching her fists excitedly. “I've read so many novels featuring or starring android characters I feel almost well-informed about them! Though in truth, I confess that my guilty pleasure is one among all of them, that being, Iron Blood, Mythril Hearts. It didn't exactly explore all of the ethical, philosophical or epistemological facets of androids and how we would live with them, but the idea of a pair of star crossed lovers who struggle to bridge the divide between man and machine tugged on my heartstrings from start to finish!”
Reina unclasped her hands and pressed her fingers together as she broke out into a cold sweat, cheeks flushed.
“U-umm...what I meant to say is that I've read quite a bit about them and I'd love to hear more about Machina when there's a chance.”
TJ looked at her bug-eyed.
“You're not gonna try and dismantle her, are you?”
This time it was Reina's turn to nearly jump on the spot.
“Oh no! I don't understand the inner workings of an android enough to attempt a feat like that! Though technology like that...I can't say for certain that such a thing can be found on Jienda. There's all sorts of revolutionary technology, but this is the first time I'd seen it outside of a fictional setting. What concerns me, is, that if something should happen, you might not be able to find someone who can do repairs on her.”
“Self-repair is within my repertoire of skills. Using materials found on Jienda, I can repair my body should the need arise.” Machina said with a twinkle in her eye.
“She's something else, isn't she?” Alessa asked, her hands resting on Reina's shoulder and peeking over the left.
TJ smiled.
“It's something I'm thankful for. I wouldn't know what to do if my magic didn't work!”
“One must practice self-care in order to care for others. You may rely on my knowledge, Master.”
His smile widened into a toothy grin.
“Sure will!”

The trio had stepped outside into the grass for their first dance practice. Alessa held Vanir's recordingem and it levitated over her hand as she swiped at it with her finger.
Reina stood next to TJ trembling like a leaf, a wide and determined frown on her face.
“Reina, are you okay? You look pale.” TJ said, offering her a concerned gaze.
“D-do I? I'm fine! Totally fine! I'm just getting into the groove.” Reina answered stiffly, her frown shifting into a nervous grin.
It was clear as day to him there was something that concerned or scared her, but she didn't wanna talk about it and he didn't wanna pry. Maybe she would feel better if he got her mind off of it? It worked with Amata, so it was certainly worth a shot.
“How did you two wind up with the recordingem?”
Reina seemed to freeze up and calm down somewhat.
“Ah that? Actually before we came here, we dropped by Madelaine's. It took a bit of coaxing but I got Vanir to lend it to us.” She laughed gently. “He wasn't happy at all to see Les and I, but he certainly gave her a hard time.”
“That guy just doesn't know how to treat a lady. He's a bad barista.” Alessa added, pouting.
“Well, he's known for how good his coffee is, not his attitude.”
“He could learn a thing or two from Skuld! She's lovable and cute and a good baker to boot!”
The Samurai chuckled at the statement.
“Skuld is a sweetheart, that's for sure. The contrast between her and her barista makes it all the more apparent. Vanir too, has his good points. He just doesn't like to show them. Like at all.”
“Right?!”
“Ah sorry TJ, we got off topic! So...well, we had some business to attend to in Elias so that was one of the stops. Before we came down, I let the guild know we were going to be teaching you some of a Dancers' moves and that we would need to find a Bard who could learn the notes for the songs. Surprisingly, Miranda volunteered to do it.”
“She was super gung-ho about it! She was saying something about 'making up for last time before she left a bad impression' or something like that. Was it her and her hubby? It was them again, wasn't it?”
“D-don't remind me.” Reina said, smiling wryly. “Still, I have to hand it to her, when she sets her mind to something she certainly can get things done. She spent all night learning it and was able to play it perfectly the very next day.”
“She looked like she'd seen death, though.”
“That's the most concerning part! I really do think she pushed herself too hard, but she was adamant on doing it. Maybe I'll bring her one of those shortcakes from that patisserie she loves so much.”
“I'll give you a reward once we're through here too, Rei-Rei!” Alessa said as she grinned from ear-to-ear.
“I-I don't need a reward! I'm doing this because I want to, okay?! D-don't get me wrong!”
“Sure, sure!”
“You're gonna give TJ a bad impression of me too!” She cried, waving her fists.
He didn't really think badly of her, but he did think that they had a great friendship. A strange one, but a great one nonetheless.
“Okay, that's enough teasing for now. You're up to bat, Ms. Godwin!” Alessa exclaimed with a flourish.
“That's so embarrassing...” Reina muttered, cheeks flushed.
“Nice reaction!”
She offered her a thumbs-up and Reina seemed to wilt somewhat.
“Come on now, Les, let's not keep TJ waiting. Hit the music!
“TJ, watch me closely, okay? I'll give you a demonstration of the first dance we'll be practicing the battle version of a dance called On Luminous Wings. It'll seem a bit overwhelming at first, but I promise, it's not as difficult as it seems.”
TJ nodded at her explanation.
“Got it. I won't miss a beat.”
“Ready when you are, Rei-Rei.” Alessa said, smiling knowingly.
Reina placed a hand to her chest and exhaled before her expression became taut.
“Go ahead.”
With a touch from the archer, the gem emitted a slight glow before it began to levitate and turn, playing a song. It had a bit of a slow start, but after a few seconds seemed to pick up the pace. By the sound alone, TJ could hear the strumming of a trained Bard and felt that he understood Miranda a little better.
Reina took her stance before beginning. She took two steps forward, swiped across her chest with her right hand and transitioned into a spin. Following that, she fell to one knee, both hands to the ground and hopped back to her feet, drawing a rising arc with her right hand, her left giving her a push. She stretched both hands out before her, spread them out wide, then lunged forward with her right to transition into a falling, diagonal arc. As her arm came down, the rest of her body followed suit, having her take a knee once more. Finally, she brought her arm around once more into a half-circle before outstretching both arms, her head thrown back as she exhaled and Alessa clapped.
TJ blinked in surprise for a moment before he started clapping too.
Reina lowered her arms and head before she gently scratched her cheek.
“I...I somehow did it without messing it up.” She said with a laugh.
“You were amazing, Rei-Rei!” Alessa cheered and whistled.
“C-come on now, it wasn't that good.”
It was rather incredible. TJ was taken aback by it so much it had taken him a moment to snap out of his trance when she was finished.
“TJ,” Reina began, “what you just saw was a version of the whole dance. We're not expecting you to be able to do all of that immediately. Les and I are gonna go through it with you, step-by-step. It'll be a lot easier to learn it that way.”
“That's right! We're gonna teach you the A-B-C's of it!”
The Samurai's head flicked in the direction of her comrade as a bead of sweat ran down her face.
“Somehow hearing you make that statement gave me goosebumps.”
“This and that are different!” She laughed, waving off the concern.
“Do you have any questions before we get you started TJ?” Reina asked.
“I do have one...why did most of the movements only use your right hand?”
She grinned.
“Great question. The reason is that Dancers are a battle class. If you were to become one, you would wield a short sword or some other one-handed weapon. Most of the movements in their repertoire are there because it allows them both to fight and to dance. In truth, I'm actually a lefty. Mom was a righty and I have her steps memorized, though it'd probably be easier to mirror her movements and switch it up.
“Putting aside my personal experiences, it's interchangeable, among other things. The steps too can be changed as long as certain conditions are met before the completion of the dance. The rules aren't too strict, thankfully, but as always, there are conditions.”
“I have another question,” he said.
“I'm all ears.” She answered, smiling warmly.
“Do you remember how you said you can't do most classes' abilities without their respective weapon? Isn't that the same case here?”
She shook her head.
“You're right, but not entirely. Dancers do have stances they can use to attack. Assuming you don't have a means around the shared limitation, you won't be able to perform those. However, the dances themselves don't have that restriction. They're a lot more effective with a weapon, but they're spells, in essence.”
“Spells?!” He stepped back, surprised.
“Right. If I recall correctly, Dancers can utilize both SP and mana for their dances. Think of it like using a prayer or an incantation. The dance is like filling up a glass. With each step you perform, the glass fills up a little more. When you've done all the steps, it fills up entirely and you can share the benefit of it. To put it in more technical terms, as you dance, you allocate mana towards the effect, the steps acting as checkpoints. Like the words of an incantation or the lyrics or notes of the song, you work towards the completed effort and the final step you perform transforms that mana into a beneficial effect for your allies.
“That's one of the main components that makes it so difficult. It requires quite a bit of concentration. You have to be able to allocate mana, perform the steps correctly and engage your enemy all at once. It's difficult, but a Dancer is a powerful ally to have in battle because of how elusive they can be, all while supporting their allies and challenging their enemies. I believe that's why Peorth wanted you to learn some of the aspects of the class. It really fits a guy like you, huh?” She asked with a grin.
He smiled.
“Yeah, definitely! She's always kept a close eye out for me. Dunno where I'd be without her help. When I met Alvaro again, he said something similar about Kavitala. That he couldn't keep his head on straight without her. I think I kinda understand that, now.” TJ laughed as he grinned.
Somewhere during his explanation, Reina's grin shifted into a wide smile with rosy cheeks.
“Uh huh...uh huh...gonna have you tell me more about that later.” She cleared her throat and put on a serious expression. “Anything else you'd like to ask about?”
“J-just one more! That is...umm...what does...On Luminous Wings do?”
“This dance increases the movement speed of nearby allies. The short one, that is. The short version of the dance is about eleven steps, as you saw. The longer version has about sixteen. The long version replenishes the stamina of all allies and increases their movement speed a fair bit more than the normal version would. In that regard, it shares similarities to a Bard's songs.”
She was right. Bards typically had two critical points per song they needed to reach. Allies get beneficial effects at the halfway point of the song and get better effects if the song is played out in full.
“I get it,” he said.
“Great.” Reina smiled. “Assuming there's no other burning questions you wanna ask, shall we give it a whirl together? It might be easier to follow along if you have someone doing it with you. J-just promise you won't laugh if I screw up, okay?”
TJ smiled at her concern.
She was really different from the guild masters he met up until now, but he didn't mind any.
“I won't, promise.”
She smiled in turn and nodded, before her mouth opened slightly to give it a wry appearance.
“Somehow I can feel Les emitting an aura of smuggery.”
TJ tilted his head quizzically before stealing a glance at the Explorer. She had one hand to her mouth, her cheeks flushed and eyes shuttered.
She seemed to be enjoying herself, in his opinion.
“Your cuteness gives me butterflies, Rei-Rei,” she said.
“H-hey! If you wanna have a giggle about it, at least wait until I'm out of ear-shot, would you?!”
At Reina's response, she actually had a giggle and the Samurai began to pout.
“Sorry, sorry! I've reset the song, so we can start practicing. TJ, I'll track the steps in time with the music, to help you get a feel for them.”
“Thanks for that. Hopefully I'll get the grasp of it quickly.” He said offering a nod.
Alessa offered him an 'OK' sign.
“Practice makes perfect, but you can't rush perfection! Making mistakes and starting over is A-OK!”
“Ready, TJ?” Reina asked.
“Yeah, let's do it.” He answered, clenching his fists.
“Starting...now.” Alessa said as she pressed the gem.
As the music began to play, she moved her hand away from the gem and turned her gaze to the two. She raised a hand and began to count down the moments before they were to begin and the moment they started, she began to guide them. With a clap of her hands and her voice announcing the next step to take, the two began to move in unison.
“Step, step, and, swing, then spin...”
At the moment, TJ was going by memory of what he saw. The first few steps were not hard to recall, but performing them was where the real challenge lay. He quickly found that challenge to be exactly what caused him to make a mistake.
When time came to spin, he managed to do most of it, but before doing the full circle, he lost balance and fell face-first into the grass.
“T-TJ?! Are you okay?!” Reina asked in a tizzy.
Alessa paused the music while the Abellan got to his knees and soon rose to his feet. The concerned hands of Reina reached out to him, one touching his left tricep and the other his head before both shifted to his shoulders.
“I-I'm okay. A fall like that isn't too bad. I've been through a lot worse while adventuring.” He told her with a chuckle.
Reina's expression seemed to ease up.
“You really take things in stride well, don't you? That's good. The hard part about dancing is that there's a lot of trial and error, often times with painful results. I imagine being a Bard is very much the same. Just with blistered and tired fingers.” She said as she helped him to his feet.
“I'd say!”
“TJ~! You okay? Do you want me to kiss it better?” Alessa asked.
For a moment, he gave her a baffled look as a vague memory attempted to resurface. After a few moments of trying to recall what it was, he could hear a similar phrase in Yuna's voice. From when, he could not remember, but it was without a doubt there.
“I-I'm not a kid anymore!”
Alessa burst out laughing and Reina knit her brows.
“I guess you can react like that too sometimes, huh, TJ?”
“Les, you can't treat your seniors like they're younger than you,” Reina complained.
“Mm...I suppose you're right. In that case, we can just kiss! I can teach you what an adult's kiss is.”
“H-hold on a second!” TJ said raising a hand.
He was glad he knew what it meant to do that, but they were in no position to be doing it.
“L-Les!” Reina squawked, flushed right up to her ears. “B-be serious about this! E-especially if you're serious about this!”
“I am, I am,” she laughed.
“Are you sure?! If even I'm struggling to tell, I think you're messing around!”

As the sun began to set over the horizon, the trio's practice began to near its end. By this juncture, Reina was laying face-down in the grass while TJ continued to practice the steps, nearing the end of the dance.
Though Alessa called them her 'dying words', Reina herself had suggested that if she should mess up somewhere along the way, that TJ continue practicing until he either makes a mistake or finishes the dance. This was one such case, though it was neither the first, nor perhaps the last for either of them.
Though his mind was abuzz, the Bard move with purpose as he performed the final steps. He brought his arm around once more into a half-circle before outstretching both arms, threw his head back and held the pose as he let his mind and body come to a sweeping halt.
Alessa clapped vigorously for him and once she did, he let the pose go and exhaled as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.
“Somehow managed to do it, start to finish...” he said.
He had known from his own previous failures with music that doing it once does not guarantee success. He had to practice it until his muscles remembered every step. To do it in the heat of combat would be the next step following it.
Reina raised her face from the grass, her brows furrowed.
“I'm just a little frustrated how adept you are at this,” she remarked.
“Don't be jelly!” Alessa said as she walked over and helped her friend up.
“I'm not~. Truthfully, I'm really proud of you, TJ. You're a quick learner and though you might not think so, you're pretty good on your feet. I think you just need to be taught what to do and you can improve substantially. It's just a lack of knowing that holds you back. It does make me a little curious though...”
“Gonna have to stop you there, Rei-Rei! If you overload his brain with info it'll be bad!”
She placed her purlicue to her chin.
“You're probably right...we kinda did go a bit overboard on the teaching aspect today, didn't we? Thankfully, and a little disappointingly, there's only so much left I can teach you on the subject at the moment given the limited time we have. Maybe some other time when you're free we can have a chat over tea and cakes.”
“If you're gonna ask him out on a date, you should wine and dine, Rei-Rei.”
“It's not a date it's...it's just a meeting! A regular meeting!”
“Speaking of meetings, we should get going for ours soon.”
“Is it that time already?”
“Yep, it is. We better shake a leg if we wanna take a bath.”
Reina nodded, her usual frantic nature giving way to a quiet determination.
“Sorry TJ, we'll have to continue our practice another day. Les and I have a meeting to go to. We're planning some inter-guild quests with Hybrid's guild master, Enzo. Tonight we're punching out the details and tomorrow, doing introductions and such, so we won't see you then. If you're free the day afterwards though, we can continue our practice if you like.”
“Day after tomorrow, right? Sounds good.”
“Great. Be sure to rest up until then, okay? Your muscles will probably be sore tomorrow. Machina, it was a pleasure meeting you! Please continue to look after our Abellan.” Reina said with a smile and a wave.
“It is my sworn duty. Be well, guild master Reina.” Machina answered, nodding.
TJ's eyes darted at the sound of her voice before his head followed suit.
When did she even get there? He asked himself.
“Good hustle, TJ! Seeing you dance and steadily improve was both a feast for the eyes and the heart.” Alessa told him, grinning. “It's a shame we won't see you tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to heckling you the day after!”
As she said this, she grabbed the bags she and Reina brought out earlier from the deck.
“That's a terrible way of putting it,” Reina remarked.
“That's just the way I like it. As for you, Machina...”
Alessa pointed to both of her eyes, then at the android. At the sight of it, the android raised her head slightly, saying nothing. TJ knit his brows at the sight.
Just what was going on between these two?
Alessa rummaged through one of the knapsacks and drew a warp crystal.
“Alright, come to my arms, my lovely guild master!” She said, outstretching both.
“You really shouldn't say and do misleading things like that, Les. Honestly. Someone might get the wrong idea, you know!”
In spite of her words, Reina did approach.
“I won't do it when it counts!”
The Archer wiped her nose with a flourish and wink.
“This is one of the moments when it counts! We're standing right in front of the Abellan!”
“He doesn't mind any, right TJ?”
“Yeah, I don't mind.” He answered amicably.
By this juncture, he was rather used to it.
“You should! He should too! I mind!”
“All the more reason to do it!”
As Alessa laughed, Reina let out a huff.
“You're really something else. Anyway, let's be on our way. Take care you two.”
“'Til next time!”
Both Reina and Alessa waved and the two vanished from the vicinity while TJ waved back.
“Well, that's that for the training today. Let's head back in, Machina.”
As TJ approached, she got to her feet and dusted off her dress.
“Master, I thought your dancing rather fascinating.”
He looked to her before he scratched his cheek.
“W-was that a compliment? It was, right?”
She seemed to smile ever so slightly, but she offered no answer to his question.

TJ woke up in the middle of the night and sat up in bed before glancing around. The sight of his bedroom was certainly familiar. He glanced about like his head was on a swivel before a smile crept to his lips and he got out of bed.
The presence of someone else nearby beckoned him and so he decided to investigate. He opened the door ever so slowly before creeping inside, careful not to wake the person within. Step by step, he made his way into the room before sitting down on the bed, staring into the face of the person.
His memory said it was Axle, a member of the guild that he was in. As he examined the facial features, the memories of their encounters, the man's words and previous thoughts and concerns about him came to the forefront. A tormented soul like him was perfect.
He placed a hand to his chin, traced the line of his jaw and ran his fingers across his cheek. As this took place, Axle stirred before opening his bleary eyes.
“...Huh...? TJ? That you?” He asked groggily.
“Sorry...did I wake you?” The Bard asked.
“'s...fine...don't worry about it. You're just...you know, checking up on me, right? Thanks...for doing that.”
TJ leaned in closer, placing his hands to both his cheeks.
“I know what it is that ails you. Trust in me and I promise not to lead you astray. Your fears, your concerns, lay them all bare and I shall relieve you of that suffering.”
“What do you...mean...?” As Axle posed this question, he gazed back at the Abellan before a pink heart outline formed within his eye and flickered before vanishing. “Sure...thing...”
TJ smiled from ear-to-ear.
“Good boy. Now, sleep. I have important business to attend to.”
Axle closed his eyes and TJ laid his head to rest before happily skipping out of the room.
If all Cerebians were that easy to take under his wing, he would certainly have quite a lot of toys at his disposal.
As he made his way downstairs, he ran into Machina who waited at the doorway.
“Oh? What have we here?” He asked.
“Are you heading out, Mistress?” Machina asked, bowing to him.
“Why, if it isn't Acedia's personal toy Machina! Did you leave the dungeon because you were worried about me?”
“My previous master wished me to care for you in his absence.”
“Hmm? It'd be such a shame if a girl as cute as you still had lingering feelings, Machina. Why don't you become mine? We could have so much fun together!”
He leaned toward her placed his fingers to her chin and smiled, though the android was taller than him.
“I am already under your sway, Mistress.”
The girl turned her head away slightly, but her ears were flushed.
“My! I suppose Acedia put much more into you than what you're willing to show, hm? I think I'm really going to enjoy myself to the fullest with you. But there'll be a time for that. There's much and more than needs doing tonight.”
“Would you like me to accompany you, Mistress?”
She grinned at the prospect.
“Unless you're interested in having some real fun, you might wanna sit this one out, Machina. I can handle a few wolves at a time, don't you worry! Bye!”
With those words, she stepped out the door as the maid bowed to her.

“Muh...” TJ muttered as he opened his eyes slowly.
As his room came into view, he wiped a line of saliva from his mouth and attempted to peel his body off of his bed.
“Hrngh!”
He fell face-first into his pillow and let out a pained groan.
Reina had warned him his body would be sore the next day, but this was nothing like what he had experienced before. He was sore all over. It felt like his body had been wrung out like a towel and thrown onto the bed afterwards. Much to his dismay, healing magic could remedy wounds, but it would not cure muscle stiffness from working out.
“Just gotta take it slow today I guess...”
After a brief struggle, TJ slowly got out of bed and inched his way toward the bathroom, adjusting to the status of his body as it was now, little by little.

As he made his way downstairs, he glimpsed Axle sitting at the table staring vacantly into a mug. He glanced back over his shoulder and smiled at the approaching Bard.
“Yo, TJ.” Axle said, saluting him with two fingers.
“Axle! You're better!” TJ said, hurrying down the stairs with some semblance of urgency.
“No need to rush. Last thing I want is for your to need to be nursed back to health by me.”
“Falling down the stairs would be pretty bad...” TJ chuckled as he pulled up a chair. “But I think I can fix that up pretty easily. After getting smacked around by Rayinth, it's not half as scary as it would've been before that.”
The Blader knit his brows in disbelief.
“You're probably the only person who can casually talk about getting the shit kicked out of you by the original Governor of Fire.”
“Amata had her fair share of it too.”
“Oh, I'd bet.”
TJ seemed to realize something and a bead of sweat ran down his neck.
“Right...but that's not what matters right now! What happened to you, Axle? Su and I happened to find you and brought you back here but...someone didn't poison you, right? With alcohol?”
The blader scratched his cheek as he averted his gaze.
“Yeah...no. That was my own doing. Curt and I went for a few drinks and I just...got a little too deep into my cups. Honestly, one minute we're at a bar and the next thing I knew, I was here puking into a bucket. Everything that happened after we hit that place is a blur.
“Still, I'm able to have this conversation with you now because of you guys. You saved my ass and helped me out. So, I owe you one. You, Su and your maid.”
Machina was indeed in the room. She was putting dishes away as they spoke.
TJ found himself somewhat surprised that she hadn't come to wake him, but he could ask her about that later.
“Friends help each other out, right? It's no problem.”
“Before I know it, I'll be racking up more debts with you guys than I can pay back in a lifetime.”
He laughed, but TJ could not help but shake the feeling that he was still hurting inside.
“Are you okay, Axle? Do you wanna talk about it?”
He blinked in surprise.
“Man...am I that obvious? Guess I've gone soft after all.”
Everyone had their own reason for hiding their true feelings. TJ knew that all too well. However, he couldn't bring himself to stand idly by if they were hurting. If he could help then...
“I'll lend you an ear.”
Machina brought a kettle over with a mug and poured some tea into the cup.
“Thanks for this, Machina.”
She filled Axle's mug too before bowing at his response.
“Thanks again,” he said.
“It is my duty to serve.” Machina said before returning to tend to other business.
“You've probably more or less heard the gist of my story. I don't wanna bog you down with it, to be honest. What's eating at me now, though, is what's become of my sister. I just can't believe they turned her into an Agasura.” He paused. “No...I can believe it. I just...I mean...it's nothing new to me...per se. I've seen it happen before. I've killed Agasura hybrids that were probably people...but were beyond saving.”
He gnashed his teeth in fury and regret.
“It's just...I don't wanna believe that's the case for Roll. There has to be a way to save her. ...Or so I tell myself. I feel like the moment I stop believing is the moment that she'll be lost to me, forever.”
TJ blinked.
“You've encountered these things before, Axle?”
“Yeah, back during my first major mission with Bastion. It was the first time I'd seen that asshole doctor. We didn't pursue him then but...well, in the end, it was probably for the best. The thought that he's still at large and continuing these experiments pisses me off, but if we let Aoich get overrun with Agasura hybrids, I'd never be able to live with myself.
“The odd thing about this case is that Roll looks like nothing we've seen yet. She still looks like my sister. She's much older than what I remember, but it's been years since I'd seen her. That weird armour she creates and transforms though...that's what really throws me for a loop. I'd heard from the boss Choen Palm can do something like that too.”
The Abellan nodded grimly.
“She can, yeah. She does the same transformation too, but she makes these weird hand mouths and other creepy things, instead of just weapons like Roll did. It makes me wonder if it's the shard of the Heart of Yggdrasil that lets her do that.”
Axle took a sip of the tea and gazed down into his mug, his expression pensive.
“I wouldn't doubt it. When you were down for the count after Kimara, the boss and the others were looking into her gene manipulation nonsense. Robo's been working on reversing the effects for months, but we've got no concrete info yet. The creatures in the Abyss Ruins are all products of it, so if we could find out how to turn them back into normal animals, we might be able to find out how to reverse the Agasuric transformations.”
TJ tilted his head quizzically.
Animals? They are? He thought.
“If grells are jellyfish and hippocampus are seahorses...what's a corala?”
“Coral reef,” Axle answered matter-of-factly. “They're all creatures that can be found in the seas surrounding Atlantis. Don't need to look too far to find beings to experiment on, I suppose.”
“H-hang on a second! Isn't coral that weird thing that like...grows on the sea floor and walls and rocks and stuff? Like those branches and bushes and shell-like things?”
As he mentioned the branches he raised his hands to his head to illustrate his point.
He had seen a bunch through the window of the submarine. Prior to nearly drowning.
“They're kinda branchy, yeah.” Axle laughed as he shook his head. “But they're animals, dude.”
TJ squinted at him suspiciously and he raised his hands in what seemed to be surrender.
“You're not just messing with me, right?”
“Nah man, it's the real deal!”
TJ knit his brows as he pondered the information parted on him.
“Nature's weird and I don't really get it.”
“Don't think about it too much.”

“So what're your plans for the day, TJ?” Axle asked as he rested his elbows on the table.
He seemed to be in better spirits, which was a good sign.
“To be honest, I dunno. I originally assumed I'd be training but my body feels like I fell from a treetop and hit a bunch of branches on the way down.” TJ said as he sighed and rolled his shoulder.
“...Alrighty then. The heck were you doing? Did you and Su spar or something?”
“Nah, I was dancing.”
Axle squinted suspiciously at him.
“A-alright.”
There was a brief pause as he seemed to realize something.
“Now that I think about it...you came to check on me yesterday, right TJ?” He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully as he looked away. “T-thanks for that.”
The Bard blinked.
He did drop by to check on Axle before dinner. He'd spent most of the day sleeping, according to Machina, so TJ figured he'd be hungry. He didn't wake up, though, and TJ didn't want to wake him so he left as quietly as he could after spending a few minutes with him.
“I didn't wake you, did I?”
“Ahh...it's fine, don't worry about it. I'd slept plenty.”
He would have to be quieter next time.
“That's good, then!” TJ said with a grin.
After pondering things over for a few moments, he seemed to come to a decision.
“Axle, have you ever worn earrings?”
“Earrings?” He asked with a startled look. “I mean...I probably did ages ago but it's been so long I can't remember when I last had my ears pierced. Why?”
“Des gave me these earrings.” TJ said drawing them from his pocket. “I wanna make use of the items that everyone left for me. They're all important things, so I want to keep them close. I've just never worn earrings before so I dunno how.”
“Maybe Su knows. Why not ask her?”
“Do I look like I have my ears pierced?” Su retorted. “The only time I did, I was too young to even remember it. Since then I haven't bothered with that stupid shit.”
“No good, huh? Well it's for times like these that we've got a backup plan. Klone had his ears pierced so let's give him a shout. I'd bet he could recommend you a good place to get it done.”
“He does? Great!” TJ said with a grin.
“Lemme get a hold of him and see if he can hook us up.”
After talking into his guild badge for a time, he gave TJ an approving nod.
“Klone said he can show us a place to get it done. We can meet him at the Elias Iris Stone when you're ready to go.”
TJ hopped out of his seat excitedly.
“Well then, what're we waiting for? Let's go!”
Axle couldn't help but chuckle gently.
“Most people aren't as excited about getting their ears pierced as you are, TJ. Though I hear that if you go in with some optimism it isn't that bad. Should be fine.”
TJ nodded.
“Alright, lemme grab my rucksack and warp crystal and we can go.”
“You're the one who went too hard on his dance practice,” Axle laughed. “No rush.”
After a mild struggle both getting up and back down the stairs, TJ held out the warp crystal for the two to leave.
“Machina, we're going out for a bit. Do you wanna come along too?” He asked.
The maid gently shook her head.
“I shall not accompany you on this endeavour, Master, but I wish you safe travels all the same. You may leave the care of your abode in my hands.”
If it was her decision, he would not stress her over it.
“No problem. See you later!”
“Thanks again, Machina. You take care.” Axle added with a wave.
With a bow, she watched as the two vanished and set off for Elias.

He knows what you did last night, and you know what you did last night, so what actually happened last night? Maybe the maid knows something?! This is starting to sound like a game of Clue, except a bunch of lewd things happened instead of murder. Quick, fund it!
So? Let's get down it!

If you were wondering, the brain juice is known as cerebrospinal fluid, or as I like to call it, titan soup.
So, let's talk a bit about Machina! As I've said before and as you've seen, she's more expressionless than not. However, here we actually get something of a reaction out of her. She kinda has a mama bear sort of aura to her, doesn't she? In a sense, I wanted to kind of pain the picture that she could be like that with Acedia. We get glimpses of it in her dialogues, but here she shows a much more protective side. What really stands out about it is, we know that she's capable of fighting, that if tasked with it, she would do whatever she could to defend her master. However! In the fight against Acedia, she watched. Given that, you've likely ascertained that it was Acedia's...I was gonna say decision, but it's more like a wish. She could've joined the fight, and perhaps dealt out some serious damage to the party. Whether she'd successfully kill any of them is up for grabs, but you get the idea. The implication here that can be drawn, is that Acedia went into that fight knowing he would lose. Had he had Machina join in the battle, she may have been destroyed along with Aegir. Instead, he asked her not to participate, but to accompany Luxuria. In short! Love! All joking aside, he did what he did knowing the end result. But he did so to protect both Machina, and Luxuria. Rather than choosing one or the other, he chose to take the fall. I wasn't kidding when I said he was a good boy! I mean he still fought them but...how do I put it? It was more...display than intent, I suppose.
The other thing about all of that is we don't really get to see Machina much during the fight. She's there, but very rarely, if ever mentioned. It's easy to forget that she's there at all. If I go back over it, I might change that just a bit. I think an excerpt like that might actually help the entire scenario a bit, 'cause it'd give us a better look at their side of things. Vaguely? It's an odd thing, really. I feel like if I did add it though, it might change the feeling of the battle. As it is now, it does feel like a regular battle against a Sinner. If I was to display Machina's feelings about what's happening, the context of the battle would change substantially. To put it more bluntly, as it stands now, it's like... Acedia as the enemy vs. Acedia as the tragic villain. The end of the fight makes it clear that he's more the latter than the former, but to put a moment for Machina in there wouldn't change much. On the other hand, it might work in the sense that rather than changing the image of Acedia, it lets us see Machina's feelings on the matter. Whole lot of possibility there, methinks. I won't change it for now, though. Definitely gonna ponder more on it!
Also if you were wondering, she was being generous with the 70%. Our favourite sinner in disguise is a sexual tyrannosaurus. Probably!

So throughout this chapter, or at least during most of Reina/Alessa's scenes, there's moments where TJ doesn't understand. There's a reason for this! Or perhaps a few. For one, it's mostly a self-deprecating joke, because you know I love those. 'Tis the story of my life, not literally of course. The other was that they tend to use a fair amount of slang, a few in-jokes and...well, they generally just have very distinct ways of talking. Our Bard here doesn't really get any of that. When you spend a few millenia in a gate and you get out for two years to people talking about 'doing it for the vine' and 'yeeting' someone you tend to question your understanding of the world. Jokes aside, and as I've mentioned before, it was kinda  return to the way things were in Frequency. Then, there were a lot of things he didn't understand and that still holds water. He still doesn't know what a hot-air balloon is. That sense of wonder and discovery will likely be something carried throughout the novel. One of the things I like about it is, that it helps him to retain that inner child image to match the outer version. Sometimes, when I write and I think about all the times that he talks about being the Abellan or ending the war, I forget about that part of him. That he just found himself in their world without his memories and stumbled into his role, with a little guidance of course. In the same vein, many of the characters are still as of yet to become adults, so he's among friends. The adults have a very different understanding and view of him, which draws a nice contrast between the characters.
A quick note! Before I mentioned that Reina tried to get Salem to open up to her, but this gives it a bit more context. If you know his story, or had seen enough of Innocent you know the reason why he came off that way. I mean, it's a pretty apt description of him. Reina does take note of him coming into his own gradually throughout the novel, but he wasn't being aloof for the sake of it. It was part of who he was, and also him doing all that he could to keep his secret. Doing things from his perspective really let me address his concerns and thought processes, giving readers a deeper look into what it was like for him. Since this takes place quite a few years after, we get to know that there's a lot more of the Salem we come to know over the course of the novel. He's a really chipper guy beneath his usual expressions! You can imagine that Vanir would absolutely detest it lol.
One of the things I like about this scene is the sense of misunderstanding between Machina and TJ. She speaks from the knowledge of who he is as Luxuria, and to some degree, sees her shenanigans as profoundly majestic, to some degree. The fascinating thing is she switches between Master and Mistress depending on who's currently active, but to some degree, she still considers them one and the same. Speaking of one and the same, as a predator! For some reason I was really on the top of my pun game this chapter. Don't ask me why. The joke after was for all intents and purposes a Kemono Friends joke. I just...really, really enjoyed S1. When I first saw it I was like, "What the fuck is this?" and then by episode 3 I was like, "What the fuck is this?" 3 episode rule is king.

Good ol' machine learning. The eventual hostile robot takeover is inevitable, puny meat flesh puppets. Didn't I say that there were more robots in this story? And that you'd see them later? Fantasy novel? This story? Oh pssh no! This is sci-fa! The fa is for fashion.
...Bad jokes aside, this is actually an important tidbit. I mean, earlier in the novel there was an entire discussion about choice, will, etc. Now we know there's an android who isn't programmed with a core set of beliefs, but rather some basic tasks she can easily manage. Truthfully it might've been a bit of a waste to give that away, rather than leaving it up to the reader to interpret, based on her actions. Actually, that's a big waste! Ahh...if only I'd had seen the prospect sooner. However, at the very least, one can likely clue in at what points in time Machina may be learning something new. Like the talk about schemas from before, she might pick up a few things here and there and gradually develop from there. I suppose in a sense, a lot of characters do. Is...is that character development? In a nutshell? If so it does raise some questions...but...at the same time, I feel like they're two very different things.

One of the things I love about Reina's character is she retains much of who she is throughout all of the novels. Even here, you can see many of the facets of her character. She loves romantic books, she tends to get scared easily or even just nervous, and she has a keen eye for unique things. She's a girl with a lot of knowledge, but she's not the type who's well-rounded. She might know a bit about machines, but she'd pale in comparison to Zosia, who would and could take apart Machina and put her back together(after some trial and error). Also, she knows how to handle a certain barista! After living together for so long she eventually kinda came to understand him. Kinda.
You know, it's a little off-topic but I always had this feeling with my work, like it lacked...impact. The characters, who they are, what they did or do, that sort of stuff. I spend a lot of time thinking about how some of the things I like achieve this, and essentially the conclusion I came to was time. Like...they gradually build up a legacy. It needn't be a series or anything of the sort. Even if it was just a novel, over the course of it, how it can kinda like...how do I put it, it gives you an idea of the world. The places, the people, the objects, the names, all of those things. Like when you hear it, you'd be like "I know what that is" or "It's that thing". It's taken me a few years but I feel like I'm allllllmost getting there. The mention of Miranda here made me remember that. A few years ago, she probably wouldn't have made much of a splash for me personally. When I initially wrote her, she was just that girl from Samson's squad, but now it feels more like she's been refined over the years. Her character, traits and other such things feel more real to me now. If I should hear the name, she comes to mind. It's kinda like that. I'd like to do that more with some of the other characters and hopefully gradually can. As they appear, are mentioned in passing or even spoken about, they begin to feel like a part of the world, rather than just an glimpse of it. It takes me back to the talk about making the world feel more alive. IIRC, I talked a bit about it during USSR, how originally there were maybe...6 characters in USS? The others like Yuta were simply mentioned in passing. In USSR, he had his gang of boys and even his dad was a part of the cast. It felt more like a village, then. Though she's just one, Miranda is one of the faces that now make up Bastion. It's a thing that properly exists in this world now, as do Reina and Alessa. They're concepts no longer!

Alright, that moment's over. Let me tell you a bit about dancing. This bit was...odd. I mean, I didn't have any specific reference or anything. I'd thought of looking one up but at the same time it was like...I wanted to do it myself. To find a way that could make it work. Given that I introduced the concept, I wanted to find a way that it could be used to battle, while at the same time providing support. Dancers were supposed to be able to do both at the same time, but also able to dance out of combat. We saw that in Reina's side-story and here, she mentions that there's a battle version and non-battle version of On Luminous Wings. Thus, we got what we have here. When I wrote it, I did it in such a way that every step, to some degree could be considered an attack, but also a movement. I can't say for certain that here, it emphasizes the freedom of movement because there's no target to really gauge it against. Still, I hope that in some ways you can see how a Dancer might use these movements to battle. They don't need to be done in succession, but they do need to be in order for the dance to be finished.
I've gotta admit, it was startlingly difficult to write the dance, in spite of how short it is. I spent hours in front of my computer, visualizing the steps, considering how they connect to one another, what they portray and how they might work in battle. As is the case with most battles, I had to take a lot of time to consider if the movements make sense, if they're possible, and how useful they could be. The last movement, I confess is more of a flourish than an attack, but I imagine you guessed that already. Still, I think having Hazel as a base for what I imagined Dancers to be like helped me to visualize it a bit better. When I was writing it, I kept her in mind as I did Reina's steps and for the most part, I feel it's better than I initially thought. Heh, when I was doing it I was mostly saying, "I just gotta do it. I just gotta try and see how it turns out. I just gotta write it. It doesn't have to be good, but it has to be done," and other things like that. Prior to actually writing it, I turned it over in my head, time and again on how it should look, what it should be like, scrapping ideas and starting over endlessly. Even now, I'm sure that it could be so much better but I'm glad that I managed to reach something I could be satisfied with. I tend to be the harshest critic of my own works sometimes, so they often undergo a lot of changes before I settle. Things like this, are a tad more difficult though, as mentioned before. You change one movement and you might need to change everything that follows afterwards. The flow of the dance is just as important as the flow of the battle.
There's one more thing I'd like to add about in-game stuff here, though. As Reina had said, you can't do most skills without the corresponding weapon. Wizards could, however. At the time, they were the only case; whether that changed, I can't tell you. As for TJ's inner monologue and Reina mentioning the steps, that was a bit of a reference to the game also. Bards typically had two buffs to their songs. The length of the full song was about 9-10 seconds. After about 5-6 seconds, a buff is applied to you and any nearby players. If you play the full song though, you'd get the same buff but a stronger version of it. The trade-off was that you couldn't cancel the song if you played it out to the end, so you'd be locked in by the animation. Any other time during the song, you could cancel immediately. The fascinating thing is, even if you miss the first half of the song, if you're in range for the second the buff is the same. However! The problem lay! In the fact that! People don't stand still long enough to finish it! It was a troublesome thing, really. They'd get the first buff, run off, realized they missed the second half, come back, miss it, and you'd have to start over. I think part of the reason they might notice, is that the duration is typically longer if its the full thing. A little preparedness goes a long way!
As ever, there's plenty more banter to round out the lessons imparted lol.

I do realize he got the hang of the dance rather quickly. This is both a good and bad thing. Readers might want to see the process, but not the process in excruciating details or it'd sooner get boring rather than satisfying. I tried to show a bit of it here, TJ trying and failing, but still attempting it again anyway. I didn't spend too much time on this one specifically 'cause there's more to the arc, but I wanted to give it a sense of time, of trial and error, and eventual success. To do it a little through words, through actions and body language. Had to ask myself what can I tell the reader through these means? How do I show the effort that the characters put in? His inner monologue at the end allows readers to discern that his practice isn't over yet, that he hasn't mastered it and will continue to work at it. Showing it would be better, but in this case it's more of a bookmark in his progress rather than a continuation of it.
As for Hybrid? It's not a guild that's mentioned prior to this. Neither is Enzo. If you're wondering, they're an Elias-based guild. I originally had mixed feelings about the name, considering the scene that comes after this, but I decided not to change it, for no particular reason. As for Enzo, he might someday get the Pamela treatment. Or not. Depends if I ever find a reason for him to get a design and all that comes with it. Truthfully, I kept mistaking his guild for Elias' top guild which in the novel is called Remnant. The guild master Bruno, and the guild are mentioned on a few occasions. I do have plans for them, currently. Still, like before, exploring the other guilds outside of the few we are aware of helps me to build the world. Right now you probably won't hear much about them, but they're out there also, questing and doing other such things. Heh then again, Bastion fell under the same umbrella.
Now, as for the animosity between Alessa and Machina, whether it's the real deal or not, I'll leave it up to your imagination. I mean, the way they...threaten(?) each other is so goofy I don't even know if I can take it seriously. But this is Sanctuary, after all! Who isn't an inch away from beating the ever living shit out of each other when they're enemies? I mean that's a thing they can do. And sometimes do. For better or worse.

The next scene is an interesting case. The whole thing with Axle wasn't originally in my storyboards, but I had a mental note of it for quite some time. I always knew I wanted to do a follow-up to Axle's side-story...and by that I mean more his arc than an actual side-story. I mean, the first time it was introduced was in like...Chapter 1? Or 2? This is the most development we've gotten on it, so to just let the moment pass by without any further exploration would be a bit of a wasted opportunity. That, and it fit the chapter theme nicely. That aside, I mentioned that Luxuria was always there but very rarely did anything. I figured it was the perfect time for her to make another appearance, and actually go out and do more, rather than appearing ever so briefly.
Now about the scene itself...in truth, I kinda toned down the implications of it. I didn't want to make it too explicit, but I also didn't want to make things...weird. There was supposed to be some shenanigans involving feet and some themes like control and other such things but uhh...I scrapped it. I think that I came to the realization that if things were too explicit, readers would have a hard time looking at both TJ, Axle, and their relationship through a normal lens. I mean, it wouldn't be like THAT but it'd be like that y'know?! It'd be safe for work but not...y'know! It'd be a little more...y'know! But yeah, I decided to scrap it. I'm hoping I was able to convey the same energy through Luxuria's words and actions, but in this case less may not be more. What do you think? Did it hit the correct notes? Do you feel that impending sense of wrongness? It also raises the question of what exactly Luxuria did to him. I left it without answer here on purpose, so I won't tell you what she did. Not yet, at least. But the answer, as is a fair bit of foreshadowing, is there!
One of the fascinating things about this scene is Machina's reaction. She doesn't typically show any emotions, but here, there's actually something out of her. I debated keeping it in, but I decided to do it after all because it shows the reader there and through Luxuria's words that it's atypical. Also uhh...her use of the word toy, as you might imagine, does have multiple meanings. For better or worse. What she meant, I'll leave up to your imagination lol. Now, in spite of what I said last week, machina is technically fair game! Technically! Ah...though on paper, the entire thing sounds so bad. But at the same time, that sense of immorality that seems to permeate Luxuria's entire existence is incredibly fitting. I hate it. I also love it. I have many, many feelings about it and none of them agree. As for what she went to do, and if she did it, I won't tell you lol. For both of our sanity's sakes. Though, the question of if could be insanity-inducing also.
For the record, there was a small error here. After Machina referred to her as 'Mistress' I was supposed to swap the pronouns to female. I know I could do it at the start, but the implication would be lost if that were the case. Like with names, until the character is properly introduced in some way, shape or form, their name will be unknown and they'll typically be addressed to the reader by a descriptor. Be it class, appearance, or race(as in, Agasura, Cerebian, Human,) and sometimes job!

Now then, next scene! The uhh...morning after soreness. Hm...yes.
One of the things I like about the scene is it's more of a return to form. TJ is usually the oddball in conversations, so when you have a character like Axle and it's more or less just the two of them, he fills in that role again. Since Alessa does it on purpose and with much more gusto he kinda takes a backseat in that regard, more surprised by her antics than anyone would be about his. Although Reina serves as her straight man, she has her moments too. In this case, it's how TJ meets with legends but it's almost common for him at this point. If you met a guy and he was like, "Oh yeah, I met Pacquiao once and he kicked my ass" you'd probably do a double-take lol.
This is the first time we actually hear about what Basiton was up to in Sanctuary. I checked then and now, in case he mentioned it during the trip to Lemanin but he didn't so, we gucci! Looking back, if Samson's squad didn't intercept those creatures things really could've been different, huh? Maybe they'd stop Truong but Aoich would've become a steaming pile of rubble. It'd completely change the course of the novel lol. That, and of the fates of the characters. It's a fascinating case-study, isn't it? Albeit a rather dark one. Maybe in another time and place, it'd have ended that way. What the end result would be, who knows?
Now that part about coral reef...not gonna lie, I thought they were plants. I mean, a sea anemone, I can buy. At least they look alive, rather than...like, crispy, plants, you know? Crispy, branchy plants. Apparently those buggers eat crabs. I've said it before, but nature is freakin' wild lol. Thanks to this part though, we find out a bit about what Robo's been up to. He and the others don't appear too often are only mentioned in passing, so this gives you a bit of a clearer idea of where he is and what he's been getting into. Like Zosia, one of his strengths is in technological and biological sciences. Or science, in short! Along with a certain someone who doesn't look it, but tends to get into science in his basement! No no, not Leif, the other guy.

I love this next part, so, so much. We don't get to see TJ visit him, but it's mentioned here. I love the contrast it paints. It creates this terrible, terrible misunderstanding that's filled with truths. Both things happened, but neither is thinking of the same thing so they draw to the same conclusion but under the wrong pretense. I believe it's one of the best moments in this chapter.
As for the next part, a little bit of a change of pace. I'll talk about it more next time, but I did want to do something with the boys. The girls had a turn with the sleepover, so now it's time for the B-side. We do get a nice little detail here that isn't entirely obvious in Sanc. During Chapter 10, Su mentioned she gave her earring to Samson. When she had it, is never explicitly said until now. Thus, if you haven't read it you might assume that either Julius and Rosetta had it done, or Grant and Beatrice had it done. One of the things I like is the paralell it draws between them. For both, it's a very treasured item they entrusted to someone they care for. Su doesn't care much for piercings, but she still wore and took care of it and her earring. Des was just fashionable, but used his as a sign of the bond between he and the Abellan.

And so, we've reached the end of the update! Huzzah!
A lot happened this past while but how fascinating that is, depends? The most recent thing is, my cat got his cone off. I do fear that he'll rip his stitches open with his incessant scratching, but so far, so good! Probably! Maybe? I'm still worried, tbh. He's a real handful, that one.

In other news! I've nothing to report for GBF. Although, KMR heard my prayers and blessed us with an earth erune. A really strong one, at that! Praise Alliah! Also I don't have her! My tears are salty and Faa-san is still at an advantage. This isn't over, though!

In other news, some friends finally coaxed me into playing Wow. Again. The first time wasn't anything to write home about, but this time I decided to try a bit more. It's odd. Not the game, but my feelings toward it. I don't know...how to describe it, really. I mean, I can break down why it works, things that don't, and generally understand it on a fundamental level but I have these complicated feelings about it. I guess you could chalk it up to 'it's not for me' but I feel like I haven't seen and done enough yet to say for certain. Truthfully, I'd spent years thinking about it but...I'm not sure what I want to find now that I'm playing it. If I was to chalk it up to one thing, though, it'd be that I don't have a clear image of the story. At least, that's typically the biggest thing for me. Understanding the world, the people who inhabit it, why they do what they do and why things happened. I've experienced a bit, watched a bit, read a bit, a lot of things. It's an odd beast, and one that my mind can't process yet, methinks.
The fascinating thing is, I was always aware of it. When I'd go to the store when I was a kid, I used to see it all the time. The idea of playing a subscription based game was far beyond what I could imagine then, but I was always intrigued by it. So much so, I still remember that commercial with Mr. T. Vividly. I can't help but wonder, is that part of the reason I feel the way I do now? Perhaps I feel that way because I feel as if I missed out on things when they were happening. The experiences players had as these expansions came out over the years, you can't get back. I first became aware of it during the Burning Crusade and played on a private server which was uhh...empty. It was not a good introduction, no. It was without a doubt, an introduction though. I feel kinda bad that I'm so baffled by it as is, but I wouldn't say it's bad by any stretch of the imagination. I mean, the same guys who really like it are much more critical of it than I ever could be lol. But perhaps it's in understanding those flaws on a much deeper level they can appreciate what it does right. I mean, it's been 15 years, you know? From what I hear, at least. I wonder...if I could've experienced that too, how would I feel now?
Nonetheless! A one MMO man is what I wanna be, but there's two perfect games for me! Don't judge me.

So, in other news! So a few months ago, right? I was walking along and there was this dragon ina trench coat and shades. She offered me a red Asacoco and a blue Asacoco. So I...*ahem* inserted the red Asacoco because I was curious how deep the Hololive hole goes. Fast forward what...like, 4-5 months and I'm still chasing the laughing rabbit. In short! I got super into Hololive, purely by chance lol. What a wild ride it is. But in truth, it helped me survive the past few months so I'm thankful for it. Lovely community, that.

But as ever, you needn't hear things from me. Never hurts to see and decide for yourself. I've been up to some other nonsense but I'll probably save it for next time. Maybe I'll actually post on a Friday this week! Miracles do happen, my lovely reader. Maybe then, I'll tell you the real way I stumbled into the hole lol. Without my shitposting lens, I mean.
More soon! Probably! ...Probably. Until then!

The two appeared by the Iris Stone and found themselves just a few steps away from the usual hustle and bustle of the city. As ever, the city was alive with citizens and adventurers alike flitting about. A wagon drifted by pulled by a couple beetle gs.
As TJ raised his hand to block out the sunlight, he glimpsed Klone approaching as he waved with Ken walking beside him.
“Ken, Klone! It's been a while!” TJ said as he waved back.
“Seriously! I've heard plenty about your adventures though!” Klone said as he lowered his hand.
“Good to see you with all of your limbs intact, TJ,” Ken added.
“How'd you two even wind up together anyway? Were you on a man date or something?”
TJ's eyes sharpened.
“...date!” He said in bewilderment.
“Judging by your reaction, it's not as narrow as you think, man. Anyway, it'd be a lot better if that were the case. TJ, Su and his maid were taking care of me after Curt and I got wasted.” Axle said with a weary shrug.
“What, for real? Man you should've told me. A night on the town would be nice after all these quests.” Klone said as his shoulders slumped.
“I don't think their situation called for or could even be considered a night on the town.” Ken remarked, his eyes shuttered. “Still, you sound like you're back to your old self again, Ax. Glad to see it.”
Axle smiled wryly.
“Well, what can I say? After drinking my heart out and spilling my guts, then overcoming that ungodly hangover, I'm finally off my ass. Every day I'm not adventuring or bettering myself is a day wasted.”
Axle looked down to his hand and clenched his fist.
“If that last expedition taught me anything, it's that I'm not strong enough. I can't sit on my haunches when there are way stronger enemies out there. Might not be a God's Governor of the Abellan, but I wanna say my place in Yggdrasil was earned, not given.”
Klone smiled wryly through his face mask.
“Hey hey...if you think you've still got a long way to go, what does that say about us? We haven't even advanced our classes yet,” he remarked.
“Status and power are great and all but the last thing I want is to get my bones crushed into powder by a corala. I'll go when I know I'm ready.” Ken added as he crossed his arms.
Axle laughed heartily.
“It's for times like those where guys like us come in handy! We can get you there in one piece.”
At this, Ken grinned and shrugged.
“I'd bet you could, but in the end, we wanna be able to stand on even footing with you guys too.”
“Might not be much now, but we're working at it. Us and the girls too.” Klone said, offering a thumbs-up.
TJ and Axle nodded and smiled.
“We've all been there once, eh?” The Blader asked.
“I've still got a long way to go myself. Let's do our best together, you guys.”
Klone ruffled the Abellan's hair while Axle put him in a headlock.
“This coming from you of all people?!” The Blader laughed.

The group had started walking, led by Klone.
“So where is this place anyway? Do they just specialize in piercings and stuff?” Axle asked.
“Nah, not really. They do everything. Hair, makeup, piercings...the whole shebang, you know. It's just one girl, though. She's cute, too.” The Explorer answered.
“That so? You gonna take a crack at her?”
He knit his brows.
“You kidding? I'm just window shopping. Doesn't cost anything to look.”
“You're always gonna be just looking if you don't take your shot, dude.”
“I said she was cute, not my type.”
Klone came to a stop and looked up at a store.
“This is the place,” he said.
A two-storey building stood before them, but one that was more inviting than imposing. Much of the building was beige with pink window sills and frames. Strings with plastics hearts in white and red, along with stars hung before the glass double doors. Four windows took up a corner of the front of the building and similar windows lined the sides. In the center of the storefront, just above the entrance was a lovely image of a woman with flowing red hair in profile, surrounded by flowers and hearts within a yellow circular frame.
“It's this store! The one with the weird catgirl with the variety of weird hairstyles!” TJ said in disbelief.
This was the second time he had found himself at the store.
“In spite of calling them weird hairstyles, you've kept to the last one she gave you.” Ken said, tilting his head quizzically.
“I...I realized how convenient it was.”
After spending a couple days with his absurdly lengthy hair and constantly having to brush it from his eyes, the way it was now made it much easier to manage. He tried to imagine tying it up, but with how...explosively wild it was, it probably wouldn't have any of that.
He chuckled quietly as he imagined Yuna having similar trouble with her own. The laugh shifted into a slight smile as he recalled Peorth's words that day.
I believe that it suits you very well. Pink really is your colour.
“If you like it, we won't judge you any.” Klone said with a grin.
The Bard eyed him suspiciously.
“Somehow, I just don't believe that.”
“Ye of little faith.”
“You got a coupon for this piercing, TJ? You can pay with Ely but stuff like that usually costs an arm and a leg,” Ken explained.
“It's fine, I got him covered. I won one in LaDeck a little while ago. I'm not too interested in getting my hair done so I figured I'd hold onto it for my to-be girlfriend. This is fine too.” Axle said as he produced a beauty shop coupon from his bag. “Least I could do after being a pain to him and the others.”
“Ain't nothing wrong with getting your hair done with the boys,” Klone laughed.
“Ahh shut it! Who even said we were here to get our hair done?”
While the two started squabbling Ken gave TJ a pat on the shoulder.
“Let these idiots go at it. We should go in and let the shopkeeper know what we're here for so she can get ready,” he said.
TJ couldn't help but feel a hint of trepidation, but he decided to set it aside. He had been through much harsher endeavours. Another encounter with the beauty stylist wasn't something he needed to feel so uneasy about.

Bonnie sat in one of the salon's chairs and spun around listlessly.
“I'm so bored...I miss Clyde...” she said as she slumped further into the seat.
As the sound of the doors opened, her ears immediately perked up as her tail swished about excitedly.
“C-customers?! Yay!”
She flew out of her seat to greet them, leaving the chair spinning around before slowing to a halt.
As TJ and Ken stepped inside, TJ could not hide his trepidation behind a nervous smile.
“B-Bonnie, right? Hey.” TJ said, raising his hand in a greeting.
She flicked her ears as she smiled.
“I'd recognize that hairstyle from a mile away! You're that boy who used to be really pink, right? I'm glad you liked the style!”
TJ scratched his cheek as he laughed bashfully and Ken grinned.
“I'm...less pink. At least, I'm wearing less. I think it's a necessary change.”
She placed her purlicue to her chin as she inspected him, her tail swinging back and forth thoughtfully.
“Did you come to change your hair again? Or maybe to get a trim? Or maybe it's for one of your friends...”
Her eyes narrowed mischievously as she eyed Ken and he raised a hand while turning his head away.
“Ah no...well, maybe them, I dunno. The reason I'm here is to get my ears pierced so I can wear these.”
He reached into his pocket and drew the earrings Des gave to him.
Her tail straightened out and shot straight up, her ears perked up and her mouth followed suit into a cat-like smile.
“Oh?! You're really going all out, aren't you! Great, great! Right this way, my lovely customer!”
She slipped past TJ and ushered him over to one of the chairs before sitting him down and hurrying over to a closet to grab her things.
“She's as energetic as ever.” Axle said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“But she's cute, right?” Klone suggested, crossing his arms and nodding.
The Blader put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, offering the Explorer a half-smile.
“You ever get a fancy hairstyle, Ax?” Ken asked.
“Me? Nah. I've been here a couple times just for haircuts, but no styles or dyes. I'm more function over style.” Axle responded, grinning.
“What about you, Ken?” Klone asked.
“As long as my hair fits under my hat, don't care,” He answered nonchalantly.
Bonnie placed a small group of items on the table and TJ glanced at them nervously.
He was never a fan of needles, but since his encounter with them, he realized that they weren't too bad. Lucia had used one to take some blood from him once, and Naomi used one recently to administer her potion. If he recalled correctly, both were like getting pinched in the arm. If it were the same for his ear, it'd be fine, right?
“So? Where are we piercing, hm?” Bonnie asked as she happily wiped down her tools.
She seemed to be handling something that looked like a pair of scissors...but not sharp. She asked TJ for the earrings he wanted to put in and she cleaned them too.
“You can pierce places other than your ears?” TJ asked.
“Sure you can! Some like to do their nose or their tongue or their eyebrows...some even like to do down there!”
TJ gave her a baffled look.
“Down...there?”
“Yeah! By that I mean the p-”
“Whoa, Bonnie, whoa! Let's keep this PG-13 yeah?!” Axle cried gesturing for her to slow down. “I mean, sure he might be old enough to know about that but...let's not give him any wild ideas!”
With one hand to her elbow and the other to her chin, she gave Axle a curious look.
“Hmm? Mm...alrighty then. But if you ever decide you want that, I have some friends who can do that for you too!”
TJ knit his brows.
He couldn't help but wonder why Axle didn't want him to know about that, but at the moment, he just wanted to get a piercing in the same places Des had his.
“Sure thing. Just the ears is fine today.”
“Uh huh? I'm just gonna take these off and set them down here...”
Bonnie removed his headphones and set them on the table, away from the piercing instruments.
“So most people get their earlobes pierced.”
After snapping on a pair of rubber gloves, she reached out and ran her thumbs over both.
“I think right about here would be a good spot to do it, don't you think? It doesn't hurt too much. Great for a first-timer!”
She gently pressed down on the spots and TJ nodded.
“That seems good, sure.”
“Great! We'll have your piercings in before you know it!”
Bonnie quietly hummed as she cleaned the earlobes and prepared to mark the piercing spots with a toothpick. She dipped it in gentian violet and leaned a little closer to ensure she had the right spot.
“They grow up so fast...” Axle mock-cried. “Brings a tear to my eye.”
“It's like watching your little brother enter his rebellious phase,” Klone snickered.
“W-who's a little brother?! I might not look it, but I'm still older than you!” TJ complained, furrowing his brows.
“You shouldn't move so much. This is very precise work, you know,” Bonnie scolded him.
“S-sorry...”
“This is why you usually have a parent or some other adult attend when getting such things done,” Ken remarked.
“I'm an adult,” Axle said.
“Me too,” Klone added, raising a hand.
The Knight gave them both a dubious look.
At this juncture, Bonnie held TJ's ear with a pair of forceps as she put the needle in place.
“Okay, take a deeeeeep breath...” She instructed.
He did as he was told, inhaling slowly.
“Now let it out.”
As he exhaled, she punctured the ear and he let out a quiet yelp before smiling. A single tear began to form in his left eye.
“That wasn't too bad, right?” Bonnie asked as she finished up.
“Yeah, no problem,” he squeaked.
No matter how many needles he had taken, he would never get used to that feeling.
Two of the boys stifled laughter.
“Alright, now for the other side.”
“Right...the other side.”
He would just remind himself of getting his arms relocated. It was much worse.

“Looking good, if I do say so myself!” Bonnie said as she looked from a variety of angles.
Her tail swished back and forth excitedly as she smiled and nodded.
“Yup, yup! A job well done! Have a look!”
Bonnie took a mirror from her set of tools and held it out for TJ to take.
He held the mirror in his hands as he looked back at himself. He'd seen a few people with earrings, his guild master included and those that had them, gave off a sense of maturity. He had never thought much about it himself, but wearing them did make him feel a bit more mature too. All else aside, it served as a reminder that Des was with him in spirit, and waiting along with his other friends of the past on the other side. Knowing that gave him a little more courage.
Axle whistled.
“Not bad at all, TJ!” He said with a grin.
“Maybe I should get my ears pierced too...” Klone muttered thoughtfully.
“Whatever you're thinking, I have some serious concerns about it,” Ken remarked. “Anyway TJ, it's a good look for you. Make sure to take proper care of your piercings.”
He nodded.
“Speaking of that, we have a pamphlet for first-timers. Be sure to read over this and follow the instructions closely, okay?”
She offered him a pamphlet as promised and he muttered a 'got it' in response.
“Thanks, Bonnie.” TJ said with a smile.
She laughed bashfully.
“No need for thanks! I'm just doing my job. Speaking of, how will you be paying?”
“Oh right, I have this coupon.”
TJ handed it to her, she looked at it and gave it an approving nod.
The last time he had his hair done by her, he gave her one that was red instead of turquoise. An expert hair coupon, it was called if he recalled correctly.
“Mind if I ask something, Bonnie?” TJ asked.
“Hm? Sure thing.”
“What's with these coupons? Why can they be won in LaDeck?”
“That's because we're owned by the Abio Company. They hired me.”
“Huh?!”
“Mega corporations are pretty scary, huh?” Klone asked, smiling wryly.
“As long as they don't have a hand in every pie, it'll be fine. Probably.” Axle added, scratching his cheek.
“There's definitely a reason the Abio company has as much power as it does. So long as they don't abuse it or obtain a dangerous amount of power, it could be beneficial to everyone. On the other hand, none of us know the first thing about economics, so let's not stress the details,” Ken told them.
“You...you don't know the Abio Rangers, do you?” TJ asked in hushed tones.
“They're in a different department from me!” Bonnie laughed, waving off the thought.
Better luck next time. He thought.

As the group left the beauty salon, TJ waved to Bonnie as she did for them.
“Come again!” She said happily, waving with both hands.
“That takes care of that. So where are we headed next, boys?” Axle asked.
“I'd say we should grab some food. It's pretty rare for us all to be in the same place, especially with how busy you guys are.” Klone said as he placed both hands behind his head.
“Supply and demand, Bro.” Axle said with a shrug.
TJ laughed dryly.
“S-sorry about that. A lot of things tend to happen and pretty quickly at that, so sometimes we have to make a move as quick as we can. It can get a little hectic,” he remarked.
“Don't worry about it. You've been out there crushing Sinners left and right, right? I'd heard a bit about the incident in Elfa so it's a good thing you guys jumped in when you did. Some people got pretty messed up because they stepped foot in there.” Ken explained, crossing his arms.
“It's probably 'cause no one knows what they're up against, you know? A few crazy people will run into a dungeon right after it crops up and report back their findings. It's everyone that follows after that iron out the details, map it out and all that jazz. Saves us a world of trouble when we decide to challenge it.” Klone added with a grin.
“In cases like those, you guys don't get much of a choice. Coming out in one piece is no small feat,” Axle said.
He smiled, but he seemed a little pensive.
“It's our allies that have carried me through each and every one. Amata, Su, Thee, Curt and Robo, the Chief, Naomi, Kooh and you too, Axle.” TJ said gazing at him.
“Me? I didn't even make it to the dungeon, dude. It was all you guys.”
“But you fought alongside us. You reminded me of what we fought for and how valuable what I've been given is. It's those sacrifices that you guys make that allow me to carry on.”
The Blader scratched his cheek with a finger.
Alright, alright, whatever you say. I may not have done much this time, but next time for sure.
“So let's get back to a more pressing matter. What're we eating and where?”
“I could go for a burger,” Klone suggested.
“We should give Thee a call too. We can celebrate your victory in the last dungeon,” Ken added.
“Think he's free? He probably is, after the last one. Let's get him over here.” Axle said with a grin and a nod.
While Axle spoke to Thee through his guild badge, Klone let out a stretch with a satisfied groan.
“Man, it's been too long since we hung out like this. We really need to get together more often.” He said with a casual grin.
“If the world wasn't constantly at stake, we sure could,” Ken retorted.
“Defending Midgard is important but...burgers...sounds kinda nice too.” TJ said with a finger to his lips.
Klone waved his hand dismissively, a bead of sweat running down his cheek.
“Hey hey! If you're thinking of your stomach first in some of these cases, it'll be bad for all of us,” the explorer cried.
“Kidding!”
TJ grinned at him and he smiled wryly.
“Are you for real?”
“I'm pretty real, yeah. But I don't really know what a burger is. Is it tasty?”
“You're still kidding, right?”
“I'm completely serious.”
The Bard blinked and his companion seemed to deflate at the statement.
“You hearing this, Ken? This man can't even remember the taste of his first burger. It's a travesty.”
“Honestly? It doesn't surprise me too much. There are only a few city states where you'd find them sold. Elias being one of them. For most of TJ's journey, he's probably worked outside of Elias,” Ken speculated.
“That sounds about right, yeah,” TJ confirmed.
“See? The chance to stop and grab one probably passed him by. The possibility that he's tried foods we've never had before is likely in turn.”
Axle tapped his badge once more and turned to the trio.
“Alright you lot,” he began, “we're gonna meet Thee at The Burger's Priestess. Let's shake a leg.”

After walking and talking through a variety of side streets and roads, the group noticed Thee leaning against one of the walls of the restaurant. It came as a surprise to TJ to see him out of his armour and without his signature broadsword on his back. Today he wore a black tank top and blue jeans.
“You're takin' it easy today ain't ya'?” Axle asked as he approached Thee.
The Warlord grinned as he fist-bumped his companion.
“Adventuring's great and all but it's nice to take it easy once in a while, you know? Only way you'll get killed working out is if you drop something on yourself,” Thee answered. “Anyway, looks like you're doing a lot better, Ax.”
The Blader scratched his cheek with his finger.
“Man, word gets around fast, huh? Guess I didn't do a good job of keeping that on the down low.”
Thee tapped Axle's chest with his fist.
“Come on, I was right there with you when all of that stuff started.”
“Yeah, I guess you were. 's fine now, though. Can't spend all week sulking or nothing'll change, y'know? If I wanna make a change, I'm gonna do it with these hands.”
He clenched his fists and Thee gave an approving nod.
“We've got your back. Now then, boys, bring it in!”
Ken went first, the two stepping into a handshake hug.
“It's been too long, Ken,” Thee said.
“Back at you. I've been hearing some good things from the others about you in the last dungeon.” Ken said, grinning.
“Huh? Seriously? Who?”
“Naomi did. She said you had some pretty cool moments while she and Kooh were being debriefed by Peorth.”
The Warlord grinned sheepishly.
“She's one to talk.”
Ken noticed Klone approaching and Thee prepared to meet his embrace.
“C'mere ya' traitor!” Klone said as the two got into a similar hug. “Look at you, makin' a name for yourself out there with the big boys!”
“Honestly, I was just filling in. Since Peorth couldn't make it, she asked me to sub in and cover the others.”
“And apparently you were kicking ass and taking names. Man, I'm almost jealous!”
Thee grinned at this.
“Almost? I dunno about that...”
Klone jabbed his arm and he laughed.
TJ glanced at him curiously from behind the Explorer and his grin widened.
He wondered if Thee would hug him in the same way.
“Man of the hour! You certainly didn't waste any time getting your ears pierced, huh, TJ?” He asked as the Bard approached.
Thee ruffled his hair and through dishevelled pink locks he offered a sullen frown and knit brows.
“Honestly? Feels like every time I see you, you change just a little bit more.”
“That's 'cause I do.” He answered, brushing his stray hairs off to the side.
“I mean, not just appearance wise. Maybe in fighting through the dungeons and defeating the sinners, you grow a little wiser...or something like that,” he laughed. “Makes me a little curious what you'll be like when this is all said and done. Getting to be a part of that journey is kinda nice, in my opinion.”
TJ blinked, before gazing solemnly for a couple of moments.
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
“Alright you two, break it up.” Klone said getting between them and shoving them apart. “We need to get inside and order a burger before they call the guards on us. Might think we're a bunch of thugs loitering outside the restaurant.”
“Rock n' roll,” Axle said as he and Ken followed after Klone.
As Thee followed suit, TJ took a couple steps toward the stairwell before glancing up at the restaurant's logo.
It featured a woman in a dress, hidden behind a veil and surrounded by two pillars. Both of her hands were out before her, one facing skyward and the other facing the ground, the two paralell to each other. In between both hands was what seemed to be a burger silhouette.
TJ tilted his head quizzically at the sight before glancing at the name of the restaurant in bold letters surrounding the logo.
“Come on TJ, no time to space out or you'll miss your chance to order.” Thee said, beckoning him over.

The Burger's Priestess was a large restaurant with black and white tiled floors, a series of booth tables with seat cushions in scarlet lined the walls with a variety of open windows for diners to glance out of and see a portion of the busy Elias streets. Further in, past where the group had walked there was a counter that seemed to lead to the kitchen. Where they were now was at a corner in the store's front. Past some other booths and tables, there was a hallway that visitors seemed to have access to that would likely lead to the bathroom.
The group now each held a menu in their hands looking through the variety of items laid out before them.
“Hmmm...can't decide...” Axle muttered, his brows furrowed.
“What're you guys thinking of getting?” Klone asked.
“I'll probably go with the red steel. Can't go wrong with a classic.” Ken said closing his menu.
“I might give the arch priestess a try. Never know when the next time I'll come back is, so may as well experiment a bit, y'know?” Thee asked, grinning.
“I really can't decide. They all sound pretty good...” TJ muttered under his breath, scanning the descriptions time and again.
Which burger would he try? The Vault? The Priestess? Maybe even the Choice.
“What're you thinking, Klone?” Axle asked.
“Me?” He asked in turn, glancing at the Blader. “Might give the flaming forge a go.”
“Sounds like a mistake to me,” Thee chuckled.
“Every time I eat spicy food my bunghole begs for mercy.” Axle sighed, shaking his head wistfully.
“Bro...” Klone said, squinting.
“Find something you like, TJ? The priestess is a good choice if you're not too sure. Even a simple hamburger or cheeseburger is a solid option. It's everything you want, nothing you don't.”
“Is this his first time here?” Thee asked.
“It's his first time eating a burger,” Klone laughed.
The Warlord did a double-take at this statement.
“Seriously? You gotta get out more, TJ.”
“I get out plenty, thank you very much,” the Bard retorted defensively.
A waitress in a black t-shirt, pants and hat with the company's logo appeared.
“Have you guys made a decision?” She asked.
Klone went first.
“Flaming forge for me,” he said.
“I'll have an up in smoke.” Axle told her.
“Arch priestess for me,” Thee added.
“Red steel here,” Ken said.
“I'll uhh...I'll try the Interstellar Ark.”
Some of the boys at the table gave TJ odd looks.
As they handed their menus back to the waitress, a few comments were slipped.
“Brave man,” Axle said.
“Was that the secret menu? Must be,” Klone remarked.
“For a first timer, I respect the courage.” Thee added.
TJ couldn't hide his nervous frown.
As the group waited for their orders, Klone posed a question.
“So, Thee. TJ aside, what was it like going on a quest with an Agasuric companion? How'd Naomi do?”
Thee's head rested on his fist, his elbow on the table.
“Naomi, huh? She said not to get our expectations too high when we first met up, but she was actually pretty incredible. We learned something new, too. Seems that TJ has a dominion of his own and our Agasuric allies can draw power from it,” he explained.
“Not bad, TJ!” Axle said with a grin.
“You got an effect for us too?” Klone asked.
“I hardly even know how my dominion works,” TJ complained. “Besides, I don't even know if Lady Amae has anything like that. If she did, I don't think I'd be the one who has it.”
“Let's interrogate the boss lady.” Axle said, intertwining his fingers.
“She's holding out on us, isn't she?” Klone added, following suit.
“Don't bug the Chief!” TJ hissed, shaking his fists.
The two burst out laughing while he let out a low, annoyed groan.
“Did she gain any new abilities from the Dominion? Or was she limited to the two or so abilities a Vampanelar might have?” Ken asked, ignoring the other two.
“Kinda...yeah. I mean, she was already strong and she could use her regular abilities, but she did mention they use blood. Although, when she sucked some blood from TJ, she got jacked. I mean, literally jacked. Both her strength and spell power shot up.”
“Dude...you got her to bite you?” Klone asked.
“Well...I guess so. I mean she did it 'cause my powers went haywire. When she bit me, she drained some of the excess and powered up. Honestly, I'm glad she did. I dunno what would've happened if she...didn't?”
Klone was giving him an odd look and in response, he gave him one. The Explorer's face seemed somewhat deflated, his brows knit and his mouth curled into a frown somewhat hiding grit teeth. Ken sighed at the stand-off.
“Fine, I'll bite. Why are you making that expression?” He asked.
“I'm freakin' jealous!”
Ken placed his face in his hands while Axle seemed to be considering the statement.
“I get you.” He said, nodding after coming to an understanding.
“I don't get either of you,” Ken remarked.
“You can't tell me you haven't thought about getting bitten by a Vampanelar,” Klone said in genuine disbelief.
The Knight gave him a puzzled look.
“Why would you?”
“It's a man's romance!” Axle said, clenching his fist passionately.
“Ah, that's what this is about.”
“Glad you understand.”
The Blader grinned and his companion shook his head and sighed.
“It's not that I understand but that I understand.”
Thee laughed dryly and TJ's head swivelled as he took in the entirety of the location.
“Alright boys. Let's decide now. If you had to get bitten by one of Club Abio girls, who would it be?” Axle asked, glancing at all of them.
“Man of culture right there,” Klone said with a grin.
Ken covered a portion of his face with a hand.
“I'll go first. I'm a Monica man for life. I'd let her suck me dry.” Klone said with his purlicue to his chin.
“Which way?” Axle asked with a grin.
“Hey, keep it PG-13 you two. This is still a family restaurant you know,” Thee chuckled.
“Fine fine. So? What about you Axle?” Klone asked, gazing at him.
“Me? I'm on Team Lucia. She's some serious business! Honestly, I kinda want her to step on me.”
“Seriously?” Thee burst out laughing.
“If you wanted to get stepped on, ask Maya. She loves that kind of stuff.” Ken said shrugging.
Axle grit his teeth and raised a hand, looking away uncomfortably.
“Yeah she does but...it's not the same, Man. Lucia's got a different kind of charm that Maya doesn't have.”
“I hear ya,” Klone remarked, nodding.
Ken tilted his head quizzically, his expression neutral.
“I think Maya can be charming if she really wants to be. It's just that she tends to hide her true feelings too much, so everyone just thinks she's an idiot with an obsession. She pretty much fooled both of you with that guise,” he explained.
The two of them looked at him bug-eyed.
“Where'd you learn this?” Axle asked.
You got some dirt somewhere? 'Fess up, we want in on the info.” Klone suggested, gesturing for Ken to hand it over.
“If either of you used your eyes or ears, you'd have noticed that.”
“So now that we know who Ken would be the victim of-”
“I never said I wanted her to bite me!”
“How about you TJ?”
The Bard gazed at him and blinked.
“What about me?” He asked.
“Follow the convo, Dude! Of Club Abio's girls, who would you want to bite you?”
He gave him a baffled look for a moment, but let it return to normal rather quickly.
Getting bitten certainly had its perks. It seemed rather intimidating at first, but it actually felt kinda good afterwards. He could understand why the guys would want to get bitten at least once. Heck, it was almost relaxing, in a strange way.
On the matter of who he wanted to do it...an odd thought. Naomi had done it twice to him already. She had a gentle bite. In the cases of Monica, Maya, and Lucia, what would it be like if one of them was to do it?
“If I was to say...maybe Lucia? I'm not as familiar with the other girls, save for Naomi. But since it happened a couple times already it makes me wonder what it would be like for the other girls.”
Axle grinned confidently.
“You've got good taste, TJ.”
Klone seemed to be staring awfully hard at him while muttering 'hmm...'
He suddenly turned his gaze to Thee and the Warlord gave him a curious look in turn.
“What's up?” He asked.
“You're the only one who's actually seen someone get bitten among us, right? I'd ask TJ but he's...well, you know how he is.” The explorer remarked.
The other two boys nodded in agreement.
“What's that supposed to mean?!” The Bard retorted.
Setting his indignation aside, he found himself surprised that it was so abnormal, but if the bite didn't turn people into Vampanelars but instead drained their energy, it might explain why Lucia used a syringe instead.
“Seems unanimous to me.”
“So? How was it? Was it the stuff that dreams are made of?”
Thee crossed his arms and tilted his head before rolling it back around thoughtfully.
“The first time? It was kinda...weird. TJ was in a bad way so I couldn't really get a good look or hear it. On top of that, we were in the middle of this crazy battle so...not that, no. The second time though? How do I put it...it was kinda...erotic?”
At those words, the other boys, save for the Abellan himself, instantly broke out into a frenzy. Before Thee could speak another word he was bombarded with questions and general insults for bearing witness.
“Gotta admit though, if Naomi would bite me, I wouldn't mind any either,” he chuckled.

After their food arrived, the five began digging in.
“Make sure to hold it properly, TJ, or all of the stuff inside will slide right out,” Thee warned him.
With both hands to his meal, he glanced at the back of it to make sure everything was still in place.
“Why don't they just put it in a bowl?” He asked in turn.
“Won't be a finger food if you're eating it with a fork and knife, Bud,” Klone snickered.
Food was complicated. More so than it needed to be, in his honest opinion.
“Alright boys, we're going for round two.” Axle said, waving a french fry at them before eating it.
“What's round two?” Thee asked.
“Glad you asked! To keep things family fresh, if you had to date an Agasura, which would it be?”
“Is that legal?” Klone asked.
“Suuuuuure it is! You just might be...excommunicated from civilization for doing it.”
“Then it's totally not legal!”
Axle shrugged, smiling sheepishly at the retort.
“Would that still be the case if others knew of Confidants? If all Agasura acted like people, it would be much less of a taboo, wouldn't it?” Ken suggested.
“A whole host of other problems would arise, though. I mean, guys like us fight Agasura for a living.” Thee said as he munched on a fry.
“Hey, hey! This is getting way too heavy, way too quick! Forget the semantics of the argument and the philosophical issues that a change like that would cause! That's for another time and place that isn't here nor there!” Axle cried, slapping the back of his right hand against his left palm.
Klone seemed to find the Blader's tangent humorous.
“Alright, since I derailed the conversation, I'll go first. If I had to choose one...it would be probably be the Snowfield's Ice Lady.”
Axle winced at the statement and Klone furrowed his brows in response.
“What's your beef? If you don't think kimonos are sexy you're a giant ass liar.”
“Nah Man, that ain't even it. Had a run-in with one of them after Asmodeus decided to kick-off his coming home bash and I damn near got bamboozled.”
“I'd heard about that case. Bamboozled doesn't even begin to describe how dangerous that type of Agasura had gotten through the Dominion.” Ken said as he put down his burger.
“But they're hot, right?” Klone asked, glancing among them.
“They're ice cold,” Thee retorted.
The Explorer was none too amused by the joke.
“I'm gonna hit you.”
The Warlord grinned in turn.
“Lemme put my burger down first.”
“So? You were pretty gung-ho about shitting on my tastes, Ax. What's in your wheelhouse?”
Axle crossed his arms as he grinned.
“Well...I gotta say, Selki are right in my strike zone. There's a whole village of cuties tucked away in that hellscape they call the tundra.”
“You've been into the tundra?” TJ asked. “What was it like?”
“It was cold and unforgiving! But the Selki tribe warned my heart and body! I'd throw caution to the winds to bring one home.”
“Don't. We're all gonna be put on trial if you get caught doing something like that.” Ken said, glaring. “I did hear there was a Confidant among them, from before our generation. Their chieftain, right?”
“Good guy, that chieftain.”
“You're probably just saying that 'cause of their fashion sense.” Klone said, giving him a dubious look.
“It's a plus in my books! How about you, Thee?”
Thee pointed at himself.
“Me, huh? I wanna say Vampanelar but I feel that's going for a low hanging fruit. Might give you the wrong idea, too.”
“Oh don't worry, we've already got the right idea.”
The Warlord smiled wryly at the statement.
“You're jumping the gun, Brother. We ain't like that, y'know? Anyway, if I was to pick another, it'd probably be the Mountain's Gumiho.”
A couple of inches away from biting into his burger, TJ pulled back to gaze at Thee.
“Gumiho? The Agasura that steals your liver?” He asked.
“They also make this face like hiss and scratch at you when you come near them.” Axle said, making a face and sound that looked nothing like the creature's.
Thee laughed at the accusations but waved them off.
“Sure, sure, can't deny that. But if they weren't trying to murder us, they'd be just like a person with nine tails. Have you ever felt those things? Man I could bury my face in some and sleep for an eternity with how comfy they are! The gumiho are cute too.”
“You're not wrong there. I'm starting to see the appeal.” Klone said, nodding in understanding.
“Might be on to something there, Thee,” Axle said. “Not a bad choice.
“How about you, Ken? What kinds of degenerate tastes are you hiding behind that aloof exterior?”
“Degenerate?” Ken asked in disbelief.
“We're all degenerates here, having this discussion.” Thee laughed, waving off the sentiment.
The Knight sighed.
“Of those that have human aspects, from what we know, the list is pretty limited. If I was to say it'd be-”
“Turban shells!” Axle said, slapping the table.
“Queen Bee!” Klone added, following suit.
“Would you idiots let me finish?!”
TJ couldn't help but laugh at the occurrence before him. They had to be close to fight the way they did.
“I lean more towards the Thief Clan members.”
At the statement, Axle closed his eyes.
“Man, Ken, you're just squeaky clean, aren't you?”
The Knight furrowed his brows and lowered his gaze.
“What's that supposed to mean?” He asked.
Klone placed a hand to his companion's shoulder.
“I feel like there was a double-edged insult in that statement,” he said.
“It's in line for his tastes though, don't you think?” Thee asked.
“Definitely is, yup.” Axle answered, nodding.
“H-hold up a second. When'd you learn what Ken's into? Why am I out of the loop here?”
TJ didn't know either, but he really didn't understand what they meant by the statements. Given that, it really didn't bother him. He was just glad to see everyone getting along.
After bickering amongst themselves for a brief period, all eyes turned to the Abellan.
“Well, we managed to get an answer out of him for the first one. So? If you had to pick an Agasura to date, which would it be, TJ?” Axle asked.
He didn't know much about dating...but he knew plenty about Agasura. Of those he had come across and those he had read about, which would he date? When he really thought about it, the first that came to mind would likely be the Sinners. Avaritia and Luxuria both seemed really sweet. He knew a lot more about Avaritia, but he only clearly saw her when he fought her and she looked a lot like him. Luxuria, however, he had not seen in this period but he had seen her in the past. The love that her siblings had for her was the real thing. If anyone, perhaps she would be the best choice? She was loved and loved plenty in turn.
“If I had to guess, I'd probably say Luxuria.”
All four of the boys at the table looked absolutely baffled at the statement.
“For real?” Axle asked.
“I mean...they're Agasuras, right?” Klone asked.
“But aren't you, Luxuria?” Thee asked, tilting his head quizzically.
“I'm not! We're different people!” TJ complained, shaking his fists.
“I heard they all tend to look like TJ,” Ken remarked.
“From what I've seen, they do yeah. Didn't get a good long look at him, but Acedia sure did.” Thee told him, leaning back.
“D-does that make it incest? Or selfcest?” Klone asked.
“Wha?” TJ asked.
“But if they're the same person...it's just masturbation, right?” Axle pondered.
“Slow down there Axle, you're going into uncharted and unsafe territory with those thoughts. We're talking dating here, not that,” Ken warned him.
“But you're curious too, right? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“I'm not, no.”
“I think it's unanimous. TJ's got the boldest tastes out of all of us here.” Klone said, offering him a round of appluase.
“You did the thing,” Axle said joining in.
“Congrats!” Thee added, doing the same.
“When did this even become a contest?! And what d'you mean by bold, huh?!”

After the group finished eating, they paid their bill and headed outside. The afternoon was giving way to evening and the sun was setting over the horizon.
“Can't go wrong with Burger Priestess.” Axle said, patting his stomach.
“Can't be beat,” Klone added, nodding.
“I'm glad we got to get together today. It really is rare to see you guys when you're not on missions. Nowadays, we might wind up with each other by chance.” Ken said, gazing at the horizon.
“Yeah things are getting real dicey and the world over is getting more dangerous. Hell of a ride it's becoming.” Axle said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“In spite of it all, you know, the world changing right before our eyes, you lot are still the same idiots I remember from my newcomer adventurer days.” Thee said with a grin.
“Hey, if we're idiots, you don't get out of it by not being one. One for all and all that jazz.” Klone said, roughly poking the Warlord's sternum.
“One of us, one of us,” Axle chanted.
“You could try and be a little more mature though. Just a tad.” Ken said, smiling.
“They're my kind of idiots,” TJ added, laughing.
After walking for a bit, Axle placed his hands in his pockets and looked skyward.
“Guess we should start heading back, huh? It's been fun, guys.” He said coming to a halt and looking at them.
“Hey, hey, don't make it sound like you're going off to fight the Agasura King. We just went out for lunch, Dude.” Klone said, gesturing for him to slow down.
“You're makin' me out to be more dramatic than I am. That's on you!”
“Might be a while before we meet again, though. You never know when or where the Sinners and other forces of evil are gonna turn up.” Ken told them, shaking his head.
“That's just the reality of it, eh? We're still adventurers at the end of the day, so we can die at any time, on any quest. But the idea of sitting back and letting Agasura run rampant isn't really our style.” Thee said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Well said!” Axle laughed, throwing his arm over Thee's shoulder and pulling him in. “Come on you lot, come get some!”
In a matter of moments, Axle's one-armed hug became a group hug between all the guys.
“Whatever happens, we're gonna live through it and do this again, got it?” The Blader asked.
“There's a Demon King that's just waiting to turn up. You don't think we'll miss out, do you?” Thee answered, grinning.
“I need to live to see the day I can bring home an Ice Lady. I won't die 'till then.” Klone told them, his expression determined.
“A little preparation can make any quest a guaranteed success. Study up before you throw yourselves into the belly of the beast and you'll all be fine, I'm sure. Don't you die before we catch up, alright?” Ken asked, grinning.
“I had a ton of fun today and I definitely wanna do this again. Everyone, be careful out there, alright? Let's all come back home safe and sound.” TJ told them, beaming.
As the five grinned and laughed together, their outing came to an end.
“Alright, fun's over. Yggdrasil, dismissed!”
At the Blader's words, the five broke up their huddle and went their separate ways, waving and saying their last goodbyes.
After teleporting back to Belos, TJ walked down the street before setting off the cobblestone path to one of dirt, toward his home.
“Hey, Su. If you had to date an Agasura, which would it be?” He asked.
There was silence for a time, but the Heart of Yggdrasil did ignite with a faint light eventually.
“...What kind of stupid question is that?” She asked.
He couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. It was about what he would've expected.
“If I had to give even one the time of day, I can sure as hell tell you it wouldn't be one of those shitty bastards out in the fields.”
It was vague, but he wouldn't press her for answers. The world was vast, after all. Where her eyes saw, he could only imagine.

I was running a raid earlier and one of the guys from my alliance was like, "Oh no, not this place again. It's always this one." So I told him to look on the bright side. He said, "We're in the world of darkness". I told him to look on the bright side of the dark side.
Hang in there, random alliance comrade! We're almost through the thick of it!
So? Let's get down to it!

You know, usually I'd be like, "And then i googled what a man date was and found out" but not this time! I was already informed! Surprisingly from quite a while ago, really. I'm hard pressed to say I've been on a man date myself, really. I think there've been some that alllllllmost count. I think the coof warped my sense of time, though, so I can't quite remember these days.
I love this bit with Axle, though. He's always been big on self-improvement throughout the series. He's got big shounen protag energy a lot of the time, and I think it's a good change of pace from some of the others. I know, I know, the MC should probably be the one who's like that. And he is! Sometimes! Maybe like 20% of the time. The other 80% is him being a dork or in danger. Back to Axle though, a lot of the times where we see him, we don't really get to see him in a more relaxed setting, you know? His first appearance in Frequency was during the Elfa arc, the second in Sanc was during the Prologue and the third was the hospital. He did show that side of his character during the hospital stay, though. It was a good moment too, 'cause he kinda helped TJ to get back on his feet, in both senses of the word. All else aside, the story does need a (replacement)bro character. No I'm not counting Su! She's a bro but not like that! It's a different vibe.
The part about going to the Class Upgrade Center was based on something I did with the guild. I feel like I mentioned it before but...well nonetheless, they all came with me when I went to become a Bard. Thing about it is you couldn't change your class when you had your equipment on, so you had to take it off. Because we were a bunch of dumbos, we had me take it off before getting there, so a couple hits from a corala or something would've probably killed me lol. The others cleared the path though and we managed to make it in one piece. I think some of the others died along the way, though. I still think back on that memory fondly 'cause it was rare for so many of us to be on and together at the same time. I even think some of Yggdrasil's original members were there. There might still be screenshots of it, unless photobucket went the way of the dinosaurs. Last I checked it was in an odd state, so whatever screenshots I took might have blinked out of existence.
Anyway, one of these days I'd like to elaborate on what the lower ranking members are up to. They only appear on occasion, but that's mostly because they're dispatched on other quests. In the same vein, I think that's why this part is really important. It's pretty rare for the boys to appear. Klone and Ken are some of the lower ranking members so they're not like to jump into the Instance Dungeons, but they're still very active in the world. We did see Ken in Chapter 9, but he didn't appear since 5 or 6 I believe, along with Klone. Amaryllis and Alicia only appeared in those instances also, so same idea.

Moving on! It's a return to the beauty salon! I checked back to chapter 1 and I realized I hadn't mentioned what the salon looked like, so I went reference hunting.  I think the one I found, or one of them was from LaTale W. A lot changed, but I think that stayed the same, thankfully. You know, I never found out who Clyde was! Or what he looked like! I have so many questions! I only knew he existed because a random speech bubble would appear for Bonnie. To the day, the mystery remains. The "I miss Clyde" bit was actually her line.
Quick two things! One, I want to write Yuna some more. Something about her character puts a smile on my face. Or everything, idk. She's great and should appear more...says the author of this work. Go figure! The other thing was the coupons...I mean, that was how you changed your hair, skin tone or...eyes. There were coupons for each. I think you could win them from Ladeck or buy them in the Fashion shop, but they were tradeable, so getting them wasn't hard. Although, having coupons and Ken mentioning it costs an arm and a leg is pretty interesting, isn't it? Really gives the Beauty Shop that high-end feel. As far as we know about the Abio Company, they own the rangers, the Beauty Shop and Club Abio. And maybe more!
That whole tail thing...was one of her animations. It's just...at the end she had this relieved expression and everytime I saw it I couldn't help but wonder what I just witnessed. So in a sense, you could say I excluded that second part but...context, context is important. Here, the first half shows more surprise, or interest, in a sense.
I really wanted this scene to have a casual air about it. The boys casually chatting among themselves, occasionally interjecting before their Bard learns about all the things he can get pierced lol. Speaking of! Well not that specifically, but I actually did do a bit of research into it. Just generally prep work, the tools needed and the process of it. Watched a few videos too, that sort of thing. Thankfully, it didn't take too long, but part of the challenge lay in finding out how to describe the tools rather than just using names. It's fitting in the sense that TJ doesn't know what they are, and since wwe're seeing what he sees and hearing what he thinks most of the time we won't know. If it wasn't his thoughts specifically though, I did use proper terms. It may have been both to show that I did check what was what, and so readers don't get too baffled by what was going on. The part where she picked a spot, I don't think is something that's actually done. Didn't find too much information on that, tbh, but it's an easy fix if need be.
I suppose I did cover most of it earlier, but yeah, the Abio Company! They think it's just economics, but boy are they wrong about that lol. I do have plans for them, in a sense. If I was to say they were actually the villain all along nobody would be too pleased lol. Thankfully that's not the case! Might actually be more interesting that way, tbh...but will I do it?! Maybe?! If I decide to do a last minute heel-turn, then I'd say it's a maybe lol.

The next part...I feel really hits close to home. For me it's like...you know when you get to that stage in your life where you and your friends all start to go your separate ways? And then once in a while, you meet up again and you catch up. You think back to all the good times, you remember some of the things you got into and you talk about what things have been like in the absence of the others. Kinda like renewing old bonds, but...like, reigniting a petering flame. As I got older, I feel like those became a bit more frequent. After everything that happened this year, I feel a sense of nostalgia for it. Those faces you haven't seen, those people and places you once frequented. Although, the fear that someone I love getting the coof is not something I would dare trifle with. In spite of all the jokes I might make, that's something I take very seriously. An ounce of prevention, and perhaps, if only just a little more, staving off death. At the very least, I wouldn't want that to be a reason. Anyway, there'd be no burgers if there was no...Humanity. Or something. What if your burger guy got the coof?! Travesty!
So the Burger's Priestess, right? It's a full-on parody. I mean, if you googled it you'd find The Burger's Priest. It's a real place I haven't gone to yet, but I will! Probably! I mean, I parodied it so I wanna at least try it myself one of these days. The menu though...it's really something. There was a lot of tasty sounding things and...yeah. Making myself hungry with all this talk. There will come a day! Hopefully soon!
The meeting with Thee...how do I put it...it's...well, real, to me. Genuine. I've spent quite a few years as a guy, so I have a pretty good idea of what guys are like. In a sense, I wanted to capture those feelings. Just a bunch of bros getting together and hanging out. Talking about dumb stuff and laughing up a storm. I hope that it captured the feeling. That and kinda...well, shows the weaving of the relationships between them, how each of them are and how they are together. They're a bunch of goofballs and when you put them together, you get a unique kind of trouble.
Now about the sign, it was designed by yours truly! I'm gonna break into the graphic design industry with some fresh ideas. Taking commissions now! Jokes aside, I based it on the priestess arcana. I checked the card, checked the symbolism and designed it with that in mind. I admit that it's an odd choice, considering the entire scene emphasizes ones' masculine traits, but the reason I did so was to properly foreshadow the many things that are to come, but also to invoke that in the main character. On one hand, having TJ stop and gaze at it could serve as a reason for me to write about what it looks like, which holds some truth. In a sense, I did this to make him unique in that regard, but it also raises the possibility that the others are either already familiar with the sight and think nothing of it, or don't pay it any particular mind because it doesn't hold any specific significance.
A part of the reason I picked this was for the meme. The other half was because it fits the a lot of the things the chapter addresses. As we'd seen when Reina and Alessa came by, they're working to explore the parts of TJ's mind he hasn't done so as of yet. The knowledge and possibility of Dancers is there, among the other memories buried deep within his psyche and they're doing what they can both to draw it out, and help him to realize his potential. The boys and Su, have been exploring things that he's consciously aware of about himself, about them, and about the world he currently inhabits. Much like the Priestess involves, as does the existence of the Abellan, it looks at duality in many many forms. But not just that, knowledge, divinity, the conscious-sub-conscious, and all that it has to offer a student who looks beyond the veil. Though it's not here, there is a moon on the card itself and that, does have quite a bit to do with all of this.
You'll have to forgive the tangent lol. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but a lot of my first forays into truly understanding symbolism was based in the tarot. Memorizing the meanings, the numbers, the relations and all of those things was what helped me to woork through my lack of understanding. Had a bit of a rough go of things a few years back, and this kinda helped me find my way. As with all things, I can't do it justice, but I'll be damned if I won't try. Still, recalling that, glancing back, is oddly comforting. I have good memories of it, I think.

Next! It's just...just parodies. All of the burgers are parodies of real things. Or puns. Red Steel was a terrible game on the Wii a friend of mine owned. We laughed at him for buying it lol. I think there was an arch priest, but when you hear arch priestess you know lol. The Vault? That's an FF joke. I think the last one was the Interstellar Ark which was a self-deprecating joke about that. I still remember it. A beats of its time, I suppose. A beast that nearly undid me, methinks.
So! The next part was...well, a return to form. Almost. I wanted to incorporate some of the actual stuff that happened, but I intersped it wwith shenanigans. It's a pretty good segway! If you get together with the boys you might have a talk like this lol. It goes from 100% serious to 100% nonsensical very quickly and I wouldn't have it any other way. On one hand, it's just them being stupid and talking about stupid things, but it also gives you a bit of an idea of what their type might be. It's a little limited in scope since it's based around Club Abio's girls, but something's better than nothing, eh? What about you, reader? Of those 4? If I had to choose, I'd be in agreement with Axle. I want Lucia to use me as a foot-rest.
If you were wondering why Thee was giving the two a funny look during that scene, the answer is here!

TJ's remark is an interesting thing. I mean, he's right, you know?! Have you ever had a burger and you just can't keep it together? I mean, we have taco bowls. How long until we get burger bowls? I mean...without the quintessential bun it might be a little weird but, if we didn't make sacrifices, we wouldn't have a man on the moon now would we? Hold your applause, I'll take my peace prize.
This next part kinda speaks for itself, but is a continuation of some of the things we discussed before. It's some of the events of the story, mentioned off-hand and intersped with humorous dialogue. And fetishes! Fetishes are important. They're part of being an adult and one of the things that makes TJ stand out among the rest of the boys. Speaking of fetishes, a while back something awakened how saucy biting could be within me. It's not bad, eh? I mean...y'know? It ain't bad.
Also! Turban Shells! I forgot to mention something important. They had an ability where they'd do this little song and dance and boost their defense. It made killing them a massive pain in the ass. That's part of what inspired me to give Hikoboshi the effect that it has, and also why I chose it. That and the design. A shelled creature is fitting for a certain guild master lol.
Back to the discussion, this is one I've had on a few occasions. Monster girls are good culture. I think I nailed most of the ones you'd see in that period of LT. Excluding all the robots and stuff. And the Shirena, but they wouldn't know about them, so i left 'em out.
As for TJ's decision, one of the things I like about it is we get to see his whole thought process, hear the answer and he still gets that reaction lol. In this case, it's more what he knows than what the others do. Bit of a fascinating case, isn't it? That one. I really like the conflicting understanding Luxuria creates with her presence. What she does, how she does it, who she is and what her true self is like is just a myriad of mysteries that might be explored to some degree, but may leave much to the imagination. She's a bit of a wild card, isn't she? In more ways than one, really.

The thing I love about the next scene is it's kinda like a capstone on the day, in a sense. The group starts squabbling, but the way they do, shows their bonds. It can be tough to capture the playful energy that can be found in banter sometimes, so doing it can be precarious. I often lament that fact with Su, because a lot of her words can be seen as, or just are, harsh criticisms. The intent behind them or the reason for them, might not be immediately obvious though, and in that vein her image can change substantially. In this case though, the way they all join in on it, it feels more commonplace than anything else. A little bit about each other, a little about themselves and a whole lot of laughter. It's fun.
The most important thing about this scene though, is, that...heh, well, these boys are just planting death flags. You can almost smell the stench of death that surrounds them when you hear that talk, can't you? Given that I'm the one writing this, you know at least one of them is gonna die at some point. One of the most important reasons for these scenes, was to build them up, of course! Nothing can compare to that gut-wrenching anguish you feel when that character you've come to se and love gets murdered in cold blood, y'know? It's painful, it's saddening and it's absolutely delicious. TJ's statement at the end is what I think perfectly delivers that revelation. It's not a promise to do it again, but a wish. It's the salt in the wound. Like Su said, she doesn't want anyone to be one more corpse for him to mourn over. But who's corpse will it be? Who will be the mourner and who will be the mourned? I might just be pulling your leg, after all. A flag is a flag. A flag can be broken. Fun things are fun.
The question to Su is a fascinating case. It was indeed vague, but I'm sure you can get the intent behind her words. I don't wanna say too much on it though, 'cause word of god is a thing and I intend to keep this vague...for the time being. What that is, I won't say!

So, end of the update! Truthfully I went in thinking, "ah yeah, I won't have much to say so I'll knock this one out of the park right quick," and then like 3 or 4 hours later I'm like. "Goddamn it past me. Plan better." This part of the story was a little different from the rest, but as they say, write from your experiences or something. Or something included. I do to some degree, but somewhere along the way things got a tad strange so...to what degree, is a mystery.

Anyway uhh...it's been a week, so not much changed. I decided to (finally) level my BLU in FF14. For a good 2-3 days I was farming fates and then I read you get big dick exp from killing mobs and I realized I erred. Just wanted to get 50 to kill birds with stones, you know?! Relic weapons! Farming fates can be kinda relaxing.
I'm trying to speedrun this 'cause I was supposed to be doing more in the most recent GBF event but I uhh...got side-tracked, I guess. I finished it, but I haven't farmed it yet. There's so much catching up I have to do! But I wanted to get this done sooner! 'Cause I'm supposed to do it on Fridays but I clearly don't care about a consistent schedule so it's Sunday! And last week was Tuesday! And before that was Monday! Also Risette did nothing wrong!

I said maybe last week I'd talk about how I got into the Hololive hole so gonna do this real quick. So! IIRC, (Kizuna Ai aside) I came to know about Vtubers sometime in...early-mid 2020(Though I still have vague memories of seeing a clip from asacoco...I don't remember how, or when I saw it. But I do remember stumbling upon a link to it, somehow...). First one I was introduced to was Konbu Wakame's channel, by chance. I remember watching the Super bunny man stream and laughing a ton. Used to watch the VoDs occasionally as they cropped up afterwards, and eventually stumbled upon another channel that I glanced at every now and again too. I think my Youtube recommendations recommended me Coco's birthday stream. Saw it one day when I was working so I googled the hash tag in the name and well...when I saw the ending I was like "???". I watched it the next day and had a lot of fun with it. Then it began. From there, I saw the SMOK collab from Korone's channel and I was like...L4D? I love L4D! So I watched that, watched the other campaign from Okayu's and...well by then, it was over for me. I was so deep in the hole I hadn't realized how I'd even gotten in.
I guess after all is said and done, I'm glad I stumbled into all of it. Would've sucked to miss out on it as it gained traction. I don't care much for trends, but the one that I missed and still regret to this day is probably vocaloid. That, Touhou and bitcoin. It's like stocks. But uhh...it's not the trend for me but...mm how do I put it...more like...the feeling? They all elicit different feelings. It's a strange thing, really, but the long and short of it is, it's something I'm thankful for. That feeling. I don't really get it, but it's there. After everything else this year, I found something I didn't know I was looking for.
Speaking of feelings! More soon! If I feel like it! Will it be Friday this time?! Maybe?! But probably not!
Anyway, until next time!

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...” Alessa counted the steps in time to the music and clapped along to keep the rhythm.
In tune with her instructions, TJ danced. With every step, with every swing of his hand, he pictured a battlefield. In his mind's eye he could see his friends fighting and he attempted to envision how he could use his newly honed skills in the heat of it. While doing this, he had let his body's muscle memory follow the steps of the dance to allow his conscious mind to focus on the battle enfolding before him. In it, he saw Acedia and Aegir in their final phase, his allies of the time fighting alongside him. Alessa's voice like a metronome in the background, the song playing spurring him to act.
When time came for him to take one of the dance's final steps, he leapt backwards, unable to properly perform the step, he crashed into the grass and let out both a frustrated and pained groan.
“I just can't get this back-flip right!” TJ groaned as he shut his eyes tightly.
Reina, who now lay in the grass next to him placed her hand to her cheek.
“In all fairness, you've learned most of the dance today. The Oathsworn Swords is on a much higher difficulty scale than On Luminous Wings. The back-flip near the end is what will usually get most dancers. In concept it's simple, but it's both really difficult to do and a very powerful tool in battle.” She explained, smiling amicably.
“Back when we were kids, Hazel wouldn't teach it to us because she said it was too dangerous. She was worried one of us would fall and crack our head open like an egg on the dance floor,” Alessa laughed.
Reina had mentioned that she'd feared it could be the case for TJ, but he was insistent on learning the dance. Any tool that could aid his allies in battle, he wanted to have at his disposal.
“I'm surprised you're so gung-ho about it TJ. Most would back down when the idea that they could die in practice comes into play. Out here you might not crack your skull open, but land the wrong way and you can still break your neck.”
“I heard from Vanir that you nearly got your head split like a watermelon during a practice match.” Alessa said, pouting. “I can't take my eyes off of you, can I, Rei-Rei?”
“I-it wasn't like that! I was wearing a helmet! It was fine!”
“It wasn't fine! You got a concussion from it!”
Reina shrunk at the statement.
“Okay well...maybe a small one...but even if that were the case I mean...well if I could go back, I would still go through with it as is. It meant the world to me, to face Vanir in that way. It took all the courage I had to face him, and it took that courage to get him to see me as an equal, as a genuine threat. But that experience...it made me realize something.”
She turned her head to TJ who now lay in the grass solemnly, replaying the scene in his head, the movement, and how he could improve.
“That demeanour Vanir took up, the way he fought and the words he told me that day still ring true. I've come far, but I still have a long way to go. To overcome the Dark Moon, I still have so much growing to do. But it's not only that.”
She smiled.
“That lesson he gave me was a very valuable thing. One that I too, would like to put to the test. My experiences helped me to shed my innocent self. I hope that after going through it, I can emulate it and do the same for someone else.”
Alessa knit her brows and crossed her arms.
“You know I'm not one to doubt you, Rei-Rei, but are you sure you can do it? If you plan on trying that out well...half of it would be easy but the other half...not so much. It's probably easy for the bad barista because he embodies that every single day. But you're sweeter than a cinnamon roll,” she remarked.
The Samurai furrowed her brows at the statement.
“Your compliments somehow sting more than your lack of faith. I can do it if I try, you know!”
“I know...I just...”
Reina patted her chest.
“It'll be fine, trust me. If my journey has prepared me for anything, it would be that. I won't lose to it.”
She got to her feet and walked over to TJ.
“TJ, you okay? Do you wanna give it another try?”
Snapping out of his reverie, he opened his eyes and blinked solemnly.
“I was thinking about how I can master that back-flip. Things like that...acrobatics, right? Think it counts. Su's really good at that stuff. I'm sure I've seen her do it a few times so I'm just trying to remember when.” He explained, sitting up.
“Why don't you ask her to show you? I'm sure she could be an amazing teacher,” Alessa said excitedly.
“Hell no,” Su responded from within the Heart of Yggdrasil.
“Come on~Rei-Rei and I came all the way from Ramalda and you don't even wanna come out and say hi?”
“I've already memorized your faces and attitudes. If I have to meet you face-to-face again, I'm gonna wring your neck.”
Alessa blinked, looking genuinely surprised before she burst out into laughter.
“That mouthiness is definitely hers alright!”
“L-Les!” Reina cried, turning to face her.
“Yeah? Get used to it. The only reason I haven't shown you how handsy I can be is because I've decided to let you off easy.”
“If you won't do it for us, you'll do it for TJ, right? You're prime for this!”
“Yeah, no. If you can't do it, just practice with your wings first, dumbass. You've done it before.”
TJ blinked as he tried to recall the memories and as he did so, they began to resurface.
“Yeah...guess I did. Maybe I should try with those.”
If he could master it at a greater height, he would only need to increase the difficult in small increments up to a point where he could do it without them.
He exhaled and released his wings, the appendages emerging from his back and fluttering once before completely materializing. At the sight, Alessa let out a delighted shriek and Reina gasped, turning to face her.
“Les?! What's going on?!” Reina asked, bewildered.
“TJ's wings are so cute!” She cried placing her hands to rosy cheeks.
The Abellan knit his brows and frowned at her deduction.
“I know they're a bit out of the ordinary, but they'll grow eventually! ...Probably,” he muttered.
If it was as Kooh said, they would grow when he did. He just needed to undergo Metamorphosis.
“That's such a waste! I've never seen a pair like yours before and they're suuuuuuper adorable! I want a pair just like it!”
Reina raised a brow.
“So you have two currently, then, TJ? You must be a Bashutz or lower in Yggdrasil,” she suggested.
“Yeah, I'm still there. Think I need to do more fighting to be ready for a higher rank,” he answered.
Reina nodded before approaching one step at a time.
“I see, I see. Do you mind if I examine them for myself? For...research purposes of course.”
She raised both hands, her fingers curled and TJ felt a sense of trepidation at the sight. Steeling himself, he exhaled and tried to smile.
“Yeah, no problem.”
He had done the same to Amata, but unlike Reina, he could see them clearly. He did it for the sake of curiosity.
He turned around as Reina neared and she gently placed her hands to his shoulders before running her fingers across the base of his wings. He nearly shuddered at the touch of her cool fingertips but managed to stave off the feeling as she gently ran her fingertips down towards the heart of both.
“They're really soft to the touch, huh? Though they're a lot smaller than most are. The shape...are reminiscent of those belonging to a cherub. I wonder if these are unique to you, TJ.”
“I wanna feel them too!” Alessa said as she hurried over and joined in.
TJ had an embarrassed frown on his face, but he was thankful Alessa could only see the back of his head.
Having asked a girl to do that, he began to realize just what he had gotten himself into and he would keep it in mind for future reference. Though it still raised several questions about the other case...at least, that when it came to being able to touch.
“You two have normal wings, right?” He asked.
“Depends what you mean by 'normal',” Reina replied.
She was still rubbing and squeezing his wings as she answered.
She really seemed to be enjoying herself. She wasn't the only one, however.
“We've got four of them, but the shapes and sizes are more in line with the norm,” Alessa answered. “Yours certainly are something else! I approve!”
TJ could not help but smile bitterly.
It seemed that the two did not know about his situation. Though they knew Peorth and she his secret, she had kept it secret. He was thankful for this, somewhat, but he thought it better to tell them now. Perhaps Reina would know something about it.
“The reason they are the way they are, I believe, is because my wings were clipped. I can't fly with them.”
Reina's hand stopped and she placed a clenched fist to her chest.
“They're...clipped? But...how is that possible? I'm not unfamiliar with the process but for it to be done to a person...” She muttered.
“How long has it been that way, TJ?” Alessa asked.
He looked to the sky, recalling the few memories he had of his past self.
“For as long as I can remember. Everything before I came to Asgard is a bit fuzzy,” he answered.
“Given your origins, TJ, I don't think this was done by Human or even Cerebian hands. Your wings...the way they are, it's as if they were made differently. Of course, none of us know what our wings will look like until we become Powers for the first time. However, there are common traits among all of us. From what I've seen, very rarely are there mutations.
“In your case though...I suppose we can't rule out the possibility. You are a member of God Ah's Family, and that alone raises infinite possibilities as to the reason for differences in your body's structure. However...it still raises the question, why would you be limited in a regard that no Cerebian is?” Reina pondered aloud.
“Maybe it's like a trade-off?” Alessa suggested. “You know, you get a bunch of super powers, but you don't get the simple things? Like one of those would you rather questions. You might get the ability to teleport wherever you like, but then you can't even walk a step!”
“You might be on to something, Les. Still, I can't see that being something Lady Amae would bestow. Both us and Humanity, she's given us plenty to help us to thrive. If TJ is to carry out her will, then there must be something more to it...I wonder if it's possible that the reason they are the way they are now is because they haven't really achieved their full potential. You need to go to Xenadia to take your next step also, right TJ? I feel like that's a step in the right direction. The idea that the gods would cripple you in such a way doesn't sound quite right to me.”
If only she knew. After Adonis tried to kill Leigha and all the other potential terror he caused, having his wings clipped wouldn't even scratch the surface of what punishment he deserved. The scar, the Heart of Yggdrasil and the vague memories of that time were all proof of his misdeeds. Amae was kind enough to spare him. How he had integrated Luxuria and the mystery that was Adonis, along with he himself, he still was as of yet to know.
Alessa placed a hand to his head.
“Even if you can't do what others can, maybe just for now, isn't it fine? You've got plenty of things that make you unique, and that's great. I can't think of anyone else who gets to have a cutie on call with them 24/7.” The Archer said with a grin.
“Stow it,” Su responded.
“As our journey continues, we'll definitely unravel more mysteries TJ. I'm sure many of them will be about you. You can always make the best of a bad situation.” Reina said, smiling.
He nodded, steeling his resolve.
It wasn't like him to stay down. Or maybe it was, but he needed to keep his head up and face forward. With power like his, there was much and more he could do to give those around him a reason to smile.
“Right! Given that, I want to learn this step quickly. The sooner I get a feel for the dance, the better! I'm gonna make the best of what you two have taught me, promise!” He said as he shot to his feet.
“You're a real go-getter, aren't you?” Alessa asked with a grin.
“I admire your determination. Just be careful okay? It'll be bad if you hurt yourself.”
With his wings spread, TJ began his practice anew. His first goal would be to successfully perform a flip and land it. His first few attempts resulted in him going too far back, being unable to get his body to touch down on the right angle and more often than not, falling flat on his face.
Covered in grass stains, TJ got to his feet and wiped the dirt from his cheek.
“I'm getting there but...I'm not quite there yet...” He muttered, heaving a breath.
“I can't do it normally myself, but I might be able to give you an example, TJ.” Reina said.
She let her arms fall to her side, exhaled and revealed her wings.
Four feathered appendages emerged and spread out, before framing her body.
“I'm just gonna give you a quick example okay?! If someone sees me like this I'm gonna have a hard time explaining my way out of it.” Reina nervously uttered, scratching her cheek.
TJ could likely pass his off as an accessory. Soft though they might be, those feathers on hers were anything but fake.
After gazing at them for a time, TJ found himself rather fascinated. Reina's wings were thin near the base, but seemed to spread out the further along they were. Though the base of them was thin, by the end of them, they became rather large.
“To be honest, I don't think mine are good for this sort of precise work. They can take me long distances but I'm a slow starter.” She chuckled sheepishly. “Also your gaze...is kinda embarrassing.”
“Hmm?” Alessa asked placing a hand to her mouth. “Is that one of your fetishes, TJ?”
Reina flushed right up to her cheeks before she power-walked over to her companion and covered her mouth.
“L-listen, TJ! There's nothing lewd about wings, okay? Nothing! Don't listen to her!
“Les, the magic of possibility is not something to be trifled with! Watch what you say!”
“Isn't it fine?” She asked as she shrugged.
By this juncture Reina had removed her hand.
“I think that they're gorgeous.”
The Samurai knit her brows.
“Honestly, I don't think I've heard anyone make a comment like that since my Madelaine's days.
“Let's try to get things back on the topic of dancing. I think it'll be easier if you can see it for yourself, TJ.”
“I'm watching closely.” He said, fists clenched.
She smiled nervously.
“I can't promise I'll do it right but..here goes nothin'.”
Taking a deep breath, she jumped back and used her wings to give her a push. As her ascent rose she tucked in her legs with her hands, flipped over and touched down shortly after, her knees still bent. She rose to her full height, arms raised before letting out a huff.
As Alessa clapped, Reina knit her brows.
“How did I wind up so far away? As I'd thought...”
“I think I get it!” The Bard said excitedly.
“That was fast!”
“Rei-Rei, wings! Your wings!” Alessa said, waving to her.
“Ah, you're right!”
At the realization she hid them away and let out a gentle sigh.
“With a little practice I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Keep going, TJ!”
Let's see here...first the position. He thought. Arms up, eyes forward bend the legs. Swing the arms, bring them up and...jump!
As his body became airborne he used his wings to give him a push, tucked his legs in and turned over. Releasing his hold, he prepared to land, touched down and lost his footing, causing him to fall backwards.
“Almost had it!” Alessa said, snapping her fingers.
“Practice makes perfect,” Reina said.
“I'll get the hang of it. Definitely!” TJ said rising to his feet and preparing for his next attempt.
“I think that determination is pretty cool.” Alessa said, smiling warmly. “We're rooting for you.”

Later that day after eating dinner and cleaning up together with Machina, the trio sat at the table having a brief conversation.
“Seems like you've got the lion's share of the dance down, TJ. At this juncture, you won't likely need Alessa and I to advise you any further on it. It's just a matter of practicing it until you can perfect it.” Reina said, smiling.
“Will you teach me other dances?” TJ asked.
“Yeah, of course! Les and I will come by again the day after tomorrow. Since we're staying with Vanir, he's making us work the shop with him because it's gonna be busy. The Old Town District is doing a festival of sorts to introduce new customers into it, so he needs all hands on deck.”
“That's putting it nicely,” Alessa laughed. “What he said was 'If you freeloaders are gonna freeload, I'm gonna make you pay with your bodies!' I thought he meant something completely different!”
“Like two peas in a pod, you two,” Reina sighed.
“Not at all! The two of us can't agree on anything. Except that Madelaine's waitress outfit and waitress are cute.”
The Samurai seemed to find some humour in the statement.
“Well, I suppose that's not untrue. I think getting him to sew an outfit that'll fit you actually really helped us out with our commission. Getting him to pick up the needle when he doesn't want to is honestly a nigh impossible task.”
“I've heard the horror stories,” Alessa laughed. “But if it's you, he usually comes around, don't you think?”
“Not without a fight, he doesn't!”
“Vanir can sew?” TJ asked.
“He can, he can!” Alessa said nodding.
“He's actually really good at it, but like most things, he refuses to do it unless he really wants to. All of Skuld's clothes, my battle outfit and the Madelaine's uniform, he put them together himself. Though I suppose you haven't seen my outfits, you'll see the revised version when we have our match.
“That reminds me...maybe the next time we drop by would be a good time for it? Your body seems to have adapted somewhat to our regime so you've been managing your stamina a lot better. If it's not too much for you to handle, maybe then would be ideal. Although, before we do, there's one last dance I'd like for Les and I to teach you. That being, the Bulwark of Kings. Do you think it's too much, too quickly?”
She turned to Alessa and her friend smiled knowingly.
“I think it's fine. Like you said, TJ's a quick-learner. Nothin' you can't handle, right TJ?”
“Yeah, I can take it. All the steps I learn will definitely help me in battle. That aside, we don't know where dangers can be lurking so the quicker I can improve, the better. Honestly, every step helps.” He answered, nodding. “Besides, every new step I add is one more I can use in my match against you!”
A bead of sweat ran down Reina's bewildered face.
“H-huh...never thought of it that way.” Her shocked expression shifted into a warm smile. “But I guess being able to put what I taught you to the test first-hand would be the best result I could ask for. I'd love to see how strong you'd become with my own hands.
“That, and I'd like to see if you have the potential to bring out the power of the dances. Learning the steps has its merits of course, but if you could perform the dance fully, you can better support your allies in battle. That, and it'd certainly give me plenty to think about!”
“I'll do my best!” TJ said with a grin.
There was a lot Reina and Alessa could learn from him, as he did them. Thinking back, though, it made him a little curious. From what he had seen thus far, the wings of each Cerebian were indeed different. With each came a specialty, or rather something they specialized in.
“Alessa, you mind if I ask you something?”
The Explorer placed her elbows to the table and her cheeks in her hands.
“Shoot,” she said.
“I'm curious about your wings. What're they like?”
She looked surprised at the statement and Reina smiled nervously, her cheeks steadily flushing.
“Caught your interest, have I?”
“I know what I said earlier but now I can't stop thinking about it!” Reina cried, her brows knit.
Her companion seemed to get a kick out of it.
“Well, TJ, unlike my lovely guildmaster here, mine are built for speed, not comfort.”
“Ahh! I can't! I can't take it! It's impossible!”
At this point Reina was flushed up to her ears and covering her face.
Most Cerebians tried to hide them, so showing or talking about them might've been too much for Reina to handle. The two readily accepted his situation so any embarrassment he would've felt had long since passed.
“Would you like to see them, TJ? Alessa asked.
“Please!” TJ said, clenching his fists.
“G-get out of here with that sultry voice, Les! I know you're just messing around but there's killing intent so heavy I can taste it!” Reina cried placing her hands to her head.
Machina wiped a dish down nearby, looking over her shoulder coldly.
“Ah! You're an honest boy aren't you, TJ?” Alessa laughed. “Can't be helped then. Just for you, I'll give you a little peek.”
Rising from her seat, Alessa pushed her chair into the table and took a few steps back before letting her arms fall to her sides and spreading her wings. As was the case with Reina, four feathered appendages appeared, however, their shape was much more uniform throughout. Long, but thin, the four were closely grouped together, spread straight out rather than curving outwards.
“Les, give him a serious explanation, would you? He needs to properly learn about these things.”
“Don't worry Rei-Rei, I know all the risks and plan to teach TJ everything he needs to know to ensure no unwanted incidents happen.”
The Samurai's mouth became a straight line.
“Those risqué undertones didn't get past my guard.”
She laughed.
“How formidable!”
“Alright TJ, joking aside, like I said before, I'm speed above all else. My takeoff speed is great and I can cover short distances in much shorter time than most people can. I've got great manoeuvrability too, which is a godsend for an archer. The only thing is, my wing type uses a lot of stamina to maintain flight, so I can't do it over long periods.”
“So the faster you are, the more energy it uses?” TJ asked, tilting his head.
“Yes and no. You're probably thinking of flight speed, but I'm thinking wing speed. Trenton described mine as being similar to that of a dragonfly's.”
“Personally, I think hummingbird is a better analogy for you, Les.” Reina remarked, raising a brow.
“Sounds about right to me! I am the type who wouldn't mind wetting her beak.” She said placing a finger to her lips and smiling mischievously.
“L-Les! That's risky in more ways than one! Also that's not what I was getting at!”
Alessa burst out into laughter at her guild master's response.
“Everyone's a little different, TJ, so if you're not somewhere where people will overhear you, it wouldn't hurt to ask your friends and other Cerebians you know about it. Not everyone will be willing to talk about it, though, so make sure to handle it with delicacy, okay?”
“Delicacy...got it.” He said nodding.
“Now then, so long as you're delicate with me I'll let you touch!”
“Oh my gosh, Les! S-sorry TJ, I'm gonna take this pervert back to Madelaine's before she corrupts you and lands your maid a lifetime in jail.”
As Reina got up and prepared to move the chuckling Alessa, he outstretched a hand with the intent to protest but instead let the moment pass. He chuckled quietly as Reina scolded her companion who stuck her tongue out innocently.

The next day, TJ sat outside of his home, strumming the notes to Ardoss' song. Memorius Sanctum levitated open-faced before him but his eyes were closed and his hands strummed the notes knowingly. Little by little, he approached the end of the song before hitting the final note. The moment he did, Ardoss manifested before, him, drawing his dagger and shield and taking a combat stance.
“With my powers I'll decimate your enemies,” Ardoss said.
It took him a moment before he reacted.
“Oh! I actually got it!”
He looked down to the dagger and buckler in disbelief before glancing back at the Bard solemnly playing the song.
It's only been a few months but...I've really changed, haven't I?
Ardoss smiled at the sight of the Abellan.
His outer appearance was constantly changing as time progressed. With each Sinner he overcame, with each new companion he met during his journey, he felt as if he grew a little more. Outwardly he changed, but how much had he changed inwardly?
He sat down in the grass and looked up to the blue sky.
“I wish it could happen faster...” He sighed as he closed his eyes. “I've gotten stronger...maybe I haven't grown but...how do I become mature?”
He thought of the people around him and how they carried themselves. What they knew, what they did, how they spoke, but he couldn't find any uniting common characteristics. What was it that he lacked?
“You wanna know how you become mature? You realize how much everything sucks.” Su answered from within the Heart of Yggdrasil.
“Isn't there a better way?” Ardoss asked, brows knit.
“Don't kid yourself. You heard it from that assembly of idiots, didn't you? They've all accepted that they could get offed at any point in time. I'd bet you they're all scared shitless of dying. But that's just one example. If you're so adamant on becoming mature you better be ready to put that stupid optimism of yours in the grave. The world is ugly and the sooner you can accept that fact, the sooner you can mature. People don't believe ignorance is bliss for nothing.”
TJ sat solemnly and took in her words.
“You might be right but...there are good things out there. People, places, memories...”
“I'm not gonna tell you otherwise. I don't think there's anyone or any thing that's inherently good. But I won't be the one to take the blame for you straying the course. If an idiot like you could get the rest of those morons to do their part, that's good enough for me.”
He knit his brows.
“What do you mean?”
Before Su could answer, Machina stepped out and gave Ardoss a curious look.
“...Master?” She asked.
Ardoss blinked in turn.
“This...might require some explaining.”
After returning to his own body, TJ explained what had occurred for a time and throughout, Machina gave an understanding nod occasionally.
“So your goal is to increase your combat prowess?” Machina asked, tilting her head,
“Essentially, yeah, I'd say that about sums it up,” TJ answered.
His friends lent him their strength. It was that strength that would carry him through the coming hardships.
“What would you say is the required amount?”
The Abellan crossed his arms as he mulled it over.
“Enough strength to overcome Asmodeus. Enough to put an end to this war.”
Machina did not say anything and she held her steely gaze, letting the words wash over her.
For some reason, TJ could not shake the feeling of doubt in his heart, perhaps in his own words or wishes, he did not know. Machina's stern look made him wonder what she thought and the possibility that she too, questioned him and his goals.
“Master?”
“H-huh? Ah...yeah, what's up?”
“I believe it imperative that we replenish your store of supplies immediately.”
He blinked at the statement.
“You're familiar with the area, aren't you? Take this dumbass and go shopping.” Su told him.
“Now that I think about it, you're probably not too familiar with Belos, are you, Machina?”
She shook her head and TJ chuckled gently.
“Alright then, let's go check out the market. You could probably use an extra pair of hands anyway.”

Belos itself was a small village, so the market wasn't a market but rather a series of stalls in close proximity. There were one or two storefronts for the bigger sellers of food and other products, but for all intents and purposes there was simply a handful of shops available.
A short walk away from the village's plaza was the market. In spite of the size, it had everything one could need. A deli, a fruit stall, a seafood stall and everything in between. Some of it domestically grown, other imported from round the world.
“Honestly, I'm kinda surprised I have as much money as I do in my bank account,” TJ said. “I don't really remember visiting any of them throughout my journey. I've certainly seen plenty of them, though.”
As TJ walked and talked, he placed his hands behind his head.
Machina suggested that he bring enough money so that they can buy all that they need. On hand, he had his fair share of ely, but she suggested they visit a bank in case they needed more. To his surprise, there was ely in his account already.
“Master, it is of crucial import that you visit the bank regularly and store excess Ely with them. Be it the possibility of losing your wallet or having it stolen, you have much and more to lose.”
“S-stolen...you say? I guess that can happen, huh?”
A bead of sweat ran down TJ's neck as the maid gazed at him solemnly, finally closing her eyes and nodding.
“Right. I'll do that, then.”
After walking a short distance off the path from the village plaza, the two made their way into the market. A full circle of paved ground was surrounded by each of the various stores. A handful of people perused some of the stores while others stood in the center of the circle, gazing about deciding where to go next.
“Where do you wanna go first, Machina?” The Bard asked.
The android glanced left, right, then pointed to the fishmonger.
“Fish is an important source of protein and vitamin D. We must ensure that there's enough in your diet, Master.” Machina answered, making her way towards it.
“You're the cook. I'll follow your lead,” he laughed.
“Morning to you two!” The fishmonger, a stout middle-aged man said.
At his greeting, TJ smiled and waved while Machina placed her purlicue to her chin. She leaned in closer to inspect the various fish on sale.
“All of our stock are fresh and caught within these very waters! You won't find anything like it save for here!”
After giving the entire store a once-over, Machina rose to her full height.
“I would like this, and this.”
“You've got a good eye, Missy.”
The fishmonger removed the fish from their locations and wrapped them up before handing them off to Machina. TJ paid the costs and was offered the seller's gratitude in turn.
As the two went about their business to head to the next store, Machina let out a satisfied huff.
“There were many fresh fish there. That seller is true to his words,” she said.
TJ blinked.
“You could tell?”
She nodded once.
“My previous master was fascinated both by wildlife and technology. It was that understanding and knowledge that he programmed into me.”
Those dogs that TJ had fought seemed to move and act in an oddly realistic way. TJ had seen his fair share of robots, but nothing of the sort like it. Then again, he was walking and talking with a robot, or android that was all but human in name. How did Acedia create something so lifelike? And why?
“Well that certainly explains the dogs. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if he held back a little on the realism. Just thinking about it makes my hand hurt.”
He rubbed the once bitten hand and let out a gentle sigh.
“One must not neglect details in their quest for perfection.”
“That...I kinda get that, actually.”
The two stopped by the fruit stand and gazed at a variety of fruits.
“I believe that it would be a good idea to have more fruits on hand, Master. Your recent practice with Mistresses Reina and Alessa have and will continue to use much of your energy and in order to maintain form, having some on hand would be a wise decision.”
“A-as long as it's not too bitter...” TJ laughed nervously.
As the two glanced around at the deli, a familiar face walked by and stopped after doing a double-take.
“Hm? TJ?” She asked.
TJ turned around to find Erin looking at him bug-eyed.
“Erin!” He said, both looking and sounding surprised.
“I didn't know you were back in town! And with a new girl too? You player, you!”
“I...I dunno what that means! But I should probably introduce you. This is Machina.”
Machina looked away from the deli, locked eyes with Erin and bowed.
“My name is Machina. Feel free to address me as such.”
“Hm? A maid? Is she a real maid?” Erin asked, a hand over her mouth.
TJ tilted his head quizzically.
“I think so...? Do you have to go to the class upgrade center or take a test to become a maid?”
If there was someone like Rayinth or the other God's Governors for maids, TJ would look at Machina in a whole new light. She was pretty tough, from what he'd seen thus far.
“No no nothing like that!” Erin laughed, waving off the statement. “You know how sometimes maid outfits look like waitress outfits and vice versa? Thought that might be the case. Ours kinda does too, don't you think?”
There were definitely some similarities, but TJ hardly knew what a maid outfit looked like. Going by what Erin said though, perhaps what Engi wore was the quintessential maid outfit. If Acedia was really particular about his details, he probably had the look perfectly replicated.
“So? How'd you two wind up together? She's not your maid, is she?”
“W-well...about that...”
TJ pressed his fingers together nervously.
If he didn't come up with an explanation soon, Machina might step in and give another one of hers. The first one was a disaster and he couldn't afford a repeat of it. Thankfully, Reina and Alessa were pretty understanding.
“S-she is, yeah. She was originally with my brother but she's staying with me now.”
It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't entirely a lie either. The Sinners shared TJ's appearance, but they were Luxuria's siblings. That aside, he couldn't tell her that he found her in the 5th District.
“You have siblings, TJ? That's news to me!”
Of course she didn't know! I didn't know about them until after I left Belos! I messed up! TJ thought.
“I-I do! We just have a very uhh...complicated...relationship.”
“Ahh, got it. I won't pry then. I thought that since you became a super adventurer that you made a bunch of money and hired a maid,” she laughed.
“If that were the case, it'd certainly be nice,” TJ remarked.
He hadn't become a super adventurer, but he was certainly a well-known one for all the wrong reasons. In spite of knowing that, Weldin and his granddaughters still accepted him.
“If you needed someone to cook and clean, you should've called me! I think I'd make a pretty good maid!”
“I-it's not like that! I mean you probably could but...I don't think Weldin would like that.”
He didn't even have the intention to have a maid, let alone hire one.
Speaking of, how much does a maid get paid anyway? I really don't know anything about it...it's a job too so...is it like a quest? I'll need to ask or read about this...unless Machina herself knows. He thought.
“Kidding, kidding! So? Are you two dating yet?” She asked, leaning in and whispering into his ear.
“H-hang on a second! Isn't that moving too fast? We're not like that!”
She placed a finger to her lips.
“Hmm? But you're always with some cute girl or another and you're never dating them. You're not just playing around, are you, TJ? She's cute too, don't you think?”
“I-I'm not playing. All of the girls you've seen me with are my friends. They're also my allies...my combat allies, I mean! We fight together and we eat together and do other stuff that guild mates would do. A-and whether or not Machina is cute is beside the point!”
“But you think so, don't you?”
TJ felt like he was gonna melt with how hot his face was getting.
“I mean she is but I don't have her acting as my maid because of it! Or something! We're not dating either! We're friends.”
“Master and servant,” Machina corrected him.
He could feel her gaze after Erin's last question and it seemed to shift away after she made her statement.
“You decided on that yourself,” he retorted.
Erin laughed at the two.
“You seem to be having a lot of fun on your adventure, TJ. I'm glad.” She said, stifling a laugh.
“Sometimes, most of the time, it's a lot of trouble.”
He was beginning to understand how Reina felt. He had his own fair share of troublesome allies, and one more recently joined the fray. But even so, he still loved them as they were, troublesome as they might be.

The day passed, night fell and with it, the call for sacrifice alerted the Abellan's companion. The song of Asmodeus, like an entire chorus of souls singing in unison woke her from her reverie and caused her to exit the Heart of Yggdrasil in a fury.
“Alright, alright I get it already! Shit!” Su said as she manifested and stretched. “With every set of sacrifices we make we get a bit closer to not having to do it, but it never gets easier. Doesn't help his timing and this location are absolute dogshit.”
She closed her eyes in an attempt to sense the presence of nearby humans. They were certainly within the nearby houses, but none walked the streets from what she could tell.
It really doesn't help that we hit this place last time. Might've been some no-name scrubs off in the Forest but people are gonna be aware we're within the borders of the territory. Given that those friggin' fanatics are stirring shit into the pot around the other cities, they're gonna be on their guard too. Su thought.
She let out a low, annoyed groan before sighing.
“Nothing for it then. Get off your ass and transform. We might have to put in some real leg work to get this done but whatever.
As they had prior, they took on their other forms and set out. From the window of TJ's bedroom and into the night, the two vanished, traversing the shadows of the trees just out of the moonlight and scanning the perimeter of Belos for the presence of any Humans.
“I can't sense any meat prime for the taking. They're all hiding away in their holes.” Su muttered in Agasuric.
The two were crouched down in a bush near the Forest's entrance as Su swept the area.
“At this rate, we might need to go as far as the Ancient Forest just to kill a single goddamn perso-”
She paused midway through her statement as her expression shifted from annoyance to disbelief. She glanced back into the Forest silently, her expression darkening further. At the sight, the transformed Abellan gave her a puzzled head tilt but she paid it no heed.
“There are presences approaching us? A lot of them, at that. Someone must've sold us out...but who? And how did they...?”
She shook her head as she got ready to move.
“Doesn't matter. They're just saving us the trouble of having to find them. Follow my lead. We'll investigate and clear them out. There's more than enough to meet the quota.”
With no further words to trade, Su set off before the Abellan could voice his concerns. Solemnly following after her, he broke out into a sprint before the two ascended to the massive tree branches.
After a few minutes of traversing the Forest, Su came to a halt on one of the trees and gazed down at their approaching adversaries. She gazed down at them solemnly, the sight of the armed men moving in unison giving her pause. It took her mind a couple of moments to register the sight, but she immediately realized when and where she had seen such an occurrence.
“Those...those are the Dark Moon's colours!”
Men armed in red, black and yellow accented armaments marched towards Belos.
There was no way the Dark Moon, under its current leadership would march on Belos in defense of the city states from the Agasuric threat. By the way they moved, it was clear that they were not just a host of men wearing the colours. Someone was leading them. Su waited in bated breath as the platoon moved forward and as they did, step-by-step she got a bit closer to seeing the final person who walked behind them, keeping them in line.
Though she could not see his face, she recognized him immediately. The mountain of a man that led the others was unmistakable. Clad in the Dark Moon's colours, the crimson helmet spaulders, vambraces and faulds, black greaves, sabatons and bevor. Finally, the yellow accents in the spaulders, of the neck guard and the three-pronged crest. Both his gauntlets and rope were brown and at his waist were two katana, with hilt colours matching the crimson of his armour.
The Governor of Earth stared in disbelief as the men marched beneath her. Her mind raced—a thousand thoughts all came and went at once before giving way to unmatched fury. Her brows furrowed, teeth gnashed and her fists clenched, she began to emit an outward pressure from the sheer force of her unrestrained emotions causing her power to run amok. The scar on her leg throbbed but it meant nothing in the face of her nemesis.
“Him?! I killed him! There's no way! If he's back, I'll gut him as many goddamn times as it takes to make sure he never shows his face in this place again!”
Su bolted from the trees, claws drawn like a woman possessed. She tore through the first pair of soldiers with her claws, slicing open the neck of one and the stomach of another, before touching down among them. At the sight and sound of her, their formation broke apart as they all prepared to turn their weapons on her, but some, much too late. In a flurry of claws, she was bathed in blood and tore through one after the next with the sole purpose of getting to the target of her unrelenting hatred.
Upon TJ touching down, Su broke through the remaining soldiers that stood between her and Hayato and reeled her claws back to cut him down. He drew his uchigatana and met her claws, putting the two in a deadlock.
“So? How'd you do it? Sold your soul?” She asked through grit teeth, her lips curled into a manic grin.
“To see the end of the Winged Devils, I will go to any lengths,” he answered.
TJ growled something from nearby and the statement agitated the God's Governor.
“Are you retarded?! Of course they're there! I wouldn't be soaked in their blood and fighting this asshole again if they weren't! Now quit distracting...me...”
Su, who glanced back to curse at him looked ahead of her again and found herself at a loss. When she looked back to the figure, there was nothing where he stood. She looked back at the Abellan and saw just him standing there and not a single corpse. Even her body, thought to be soaked in blood was drenched in nothing more than sweat. She stood in disbelief, gazing in silence at the location that her nemesis once inhabited, still seeing his face in her mind's eye.
“Tsk!” She clicked her tongue and raised her thumb to her face to wipe beneath her nose.
When she held her hand out before her, she glimpsed the blood from it smeared on her finger.
The sight of her own blood and the ever-throbbing pain of her scar brought her back to reality.
This has to be that bastard's influence. There's no other explanation.
“Whatever. Let's just get back to getting this over with. Even this far into the Forest I can't sense a damn thing. We can't risk going to the Ancient Forest and coming out empty handed, so let's return to Belos. If we have to brute force our way into getting sacrifices, so be it.”
She didn't want to have to resort to that, but as it stood, there was no definitive proof that they were the culprits. So long as TJ himself didn't realize it when he was lucid, the secret would live and die with her. If anyone decided to investigate, she would make sure they didn't live to breathe a word about it.
“Quit gawking. We're going back.”

The two made their way through the forest towards the outskirts of Belos. As they progressed Su swept the surrounding homes for human lives. Within each, she could sense the souls of humans, varying in vitality. She cared not whether they were lively or fading, so long as there were enough of them. They needed at least four sacrifices to meet Asmodeus' quota. At the far reaches of Belos, there were a couple houses that had families located within them. One of the two had enough people in it to serve their purpose.
“There's no point in being stealthy. Knowing how messy your kills are, people are gonna come regardless of what we do. Better quick and dirty than anything else.”
They were just some no-name people. Fodder to weaken the seal. A means to an end. So why did she feel such a tightness in her chest?
“We've wasted enough time. We don't need a complicated plan, not that you could follow it. Go in, take them out and sacrifice the remains. Clear them out first. We don't need any screamers left behind.”
She cracked her knuckles before she looked to the house.
Three of the presences were close together on the upper floor. Better to take them out first, and finish off whatever frail existence remained.
“Lust! Luxuria's Grip!”
A dark energy gathered around the Abellan before putting him in the fettle position. The energy formed a sphere around him and arose from the ground, holding him in place via a tether attached to her.
“Wrath! Excutioner's Axis!”
She clenched her fist to unleash a dark energy before opening her hand and slamming it into the sphere. A small sphere was left in the wake of the attack and after a few seconds, it unleashed a pulse of energy that flung her charge away from her and sent him hurtling towards the house. He smashed through the wall and flung glass and stone alike in the wake of his arrival. The tether snapped and the effect faded like rising smoke.
As she had expected, there were terrified screams. They didn't last long, however. Those very screams of terror soon turned to anguish, fear, anger. The voices of a man, a woman, a boy. By the vitality of their souls alone, she could tell. The voices only confirmed her suspicions.
Su closed her eyes.
It was a necessary evil. She was doing them a service. In doing away with all of them at once, there would be none left behind to seek vengeance. There wouldn't be another child with hatred smouldering in their heart like Yuta. Like her. Their sacrifices would save others their lives.
She opened her eyes.
She gazed over the sleeping village but did not sense the presence of any other humans approaching.
As if they were undisturbed by what happened right then and there. Without a doubt, they heard it. But who would be brave  enough to challenge them? Who would be strong enough to even have a ghost of a chance at success?
“So stupid,” she muttered.
She looked to her hand, clenched a fist and looked to the hole the Abellan left in his wake. Her body doubled over as a dark energy surrounded it and she transformed, shrinking down to the size of a bird before spreading its wings. Now in the form of a raven, she took flight in the dead of the night and soared up towards the opening in the house. When her body touched down she reverted and gazed solemnly at the sight before her.
Torn bedsheets, blood spattered walls. The corpses of a family of three, their bodies splayed on top of each other, their eyes lifeless. The trio laying in a pool of their shared blood, gaping wounds across their bodies, as if they were ravaged by a savage beast. She saw no mercy in the remnants of the one-sided battle, but she also saw no signs of judgment either.
What did he see? What did he feel in that state? The almost animalistic nature, yet the ability to communicate and think brought into question exactly what it was that he had become. Neither Abellan nor Adonis, yet not Luxuria either. As if it were another existence entirely. But there was nothing else...
The sound of other things being destroyed snapped her from her reverie and signalled that he had made the appropriate number of sacrifices. She made her way out of the bedroom that he was courteous enough not to keep intact and headed down the hall. As she expected, without her he just barrelled his way through the house as if he forgot what the purpose of a door was. After making her way through the rubble and wreckage she found another set with a massive hole to accompany it and within she found the Abellan putting the finishing touches on the first sacrificial circle. At the heart of it was an elderly woman.
“You're industrious, if nothing else.”
At least he could follow orders.
“Hurry up and do away with the rest. We might be in the clear now, but if that changes I'd rather not be here to find out.”
As the sacrificial flames erupted from the circle, the Abellan stepped away from the corpse and made his way back to the entrance point. Su stood guard as he finished his ritual and let out a satisfied roar.
“Keep it down, would you? There's no animal around this shithole that makes an unholy sound like that. Anyway, you did your business, right? Let's get the hell outta here.”
Su leapt down from the building to the ground and he followed suit before they disappeared in the black of night back into the Forest.

After managing to get TJ back through the window without him smashing the wall, she climbed up quietly after to find a pair of violet eyes staring at her in the darkness. Still perched on the window, Su grit her teeth before rubbing the back of her neck with an annoyed sigh. She shut the window after her and glared at the android.
“I'm not gonna beat around the bush. You keep that trap of yours shut about this, and I don't dismantle, scrap, and have your parts used to make a toaster,” she snarled.
“There's no need for hostility, Suuba. I am well aware of the duties that my master has been tasked with. My previous master foresaw the course of events that had taken place and as such, he has armed me with various tools in order to secure the revival of Lord Asmodeus,” Machina explained. “Though you may not have noticed, I did lend you my aid for Lord Asmodeus' last behest.”
Su crossed her arms as she leaned against the window.
“Did you now? Enlighten me, then.”
The maid nodded and bowed once.
“My Master had given me a unique ability. This ability allows me to erect a barrier, one that will deceive not only the sight, but the hearing of onlookers. To the onlooker, everything is as it was prior to you and Master fulfilling Lord Asmodeus' behest. So long as the barrier remains erected, this will remain the case.”
“Well isn't that something.”
“There are some caveats, however.”
“Surprise me.”
Unfazed, Machina continued.
“This ability can only be used once a day and in quite a small radius. It will not work on Cerebians, Agasura, or animals. Doing so exhausts my mana supply, and forces me to temporarily shut down, however by the end of the next day I shall be fully functioning once more. Lastly, the effect shall remain until 2 PM in the current timezone.”
“How convenient.”
They technically had one more ally in this fight. At the very least, this time the ally was on the Agasura's side, so she could say with certainty that they wouldn't be betrayed. On that front, at least.
“Guess we won't need these transformations anymore. Job's done.”
Her own words were like a release to all of her tension. In hearing them, the Abellan gave up the transformation and his altered form crumbled away before he fell forward, completely exhausted. Machina stepped forward to catch him and Su turned away, opening the window. As the jet black armour fell away from her body, her hair regained its golden sheen.
“I'll leave putting him to bed to you.”
She climbed the window sill and using it to propel herself to the rooftop of the house, she walked up the eaves to sit on the tiles and gaze out at the destruction the two of them had wrought.
More and more...we're changing. That transformation power we have isn't like the one that Choen Palm uses. But...could we? She thought.
She looked down to her hand and clenched a fist, before furrowing her brows.
She can manifest weapons, but the shitty barista and I seem to share similar transformation powers. Maybe.
But what I saw earlier...how in the seven hells...I couldn't have just imagined it. It has to be an effect of the blood bond. Every Sinner he incorporates, our power grows. That transformation ability, I feel like I could do it naturally. It was much more difficult before but...now? If our connection with that bastard grows, His hold on him will grow too. If he loses control, I might too. If we incorporate all seven of those shitters, will we just become a pawn to him?
She shook her head.
No, couldn't be. If we were to have to do this duty just to get fucked over there it would be impossible from the start. If She knew this had to be done, there's no way it's a wrong path. But goddamn it! It could be a hell of a lot easier! There are still three more idiots we'll need to meet the quota for and we're gonna need even more skulls under our belts. To add insult to injury, the blue blood and her merry band of friends are investigating both us, and those dumbass fanatics. As if the adventurers aren't enough a pain in the ass we have to deal with, adding Cerebians into the mix is gonna turn this whole thing into a new kind of hell.
She sighed as she crossed her legs, placed an elbow to her thigh and rested her cheek against a closed fist.
Lastly, that idiot is becoming more and more sentient. With each Sinner we integrate he regains his sense of self. I can only fool him for so long and he's the only one who can complete the ritual. If he decides that he's too much of a wimp to do it, there's gonna be hell to pay. How the hell am I supposed to work this out?
Su let out a groan as she fell back against the tiles and looked up to the starry sky above. The moon sat amidst the stars, shining brightly as the celestial bodies surrounding it twinkled across the night sky.

A wise man once said, "I can't let you do that Star*ox." What if that same wise man said, "I cleared a path for you, Star*ox." See, I pulled a sneaky on ya.
So? Let's get down to it!

Nothing says strength like a little danger! I think one of the reasons I really wanted to include the backflip was because it's a really handy tool, and also one of the highlights of Hazel's fight. When I think about it now, I really want dancers to have a really fluid feeling to their style. It's hard to imagine TJ doing it, since Bards are more often than not stationary, as are most casters. But! Well this is different from the game in several ways, with most similarities intact. The idea of adding a whole new dimension to the MC's fighting style is kinda exciting. It'll be tough to do, but after all of this is done and over with, from a character perspective it'll be sooooo gooooood.
Anyway! I think this is a good character moment for both TJ and Reina, because they have similar experiences. I personally love the duel against the mentor concept. Call it tropey, if you will. However! I do wonder though...in most cases, it would be against a rival character, wouldn't it? More the master's than the pupil's rival. In these two's cases, for Reina it was Vanir, and for TJ it was either Su or Peorth. Neither of them particularly won their fights, but the knowledge they gleaned from the experiences was what was most valuable. I guess in a sense, I just kinda like how it has that feeling of accomplishment, or proving yourself before the person who taught you. At the same time, it can also solidify something about the character. For example, in Reina's case, what stood out to Vanir was her willingness to rise to the occasion despite the circumstances. Even now, she shows a lot of that trait, and in her class' type, that being a tank, it fits. Also, title drop! Yeah!
One of the great things about this scene are there are some callbacks and a whole lot of foreshadowing! One of the best things about Reina's duel with Vanir was that during his ridiculous tirade, he told her something very valuable. I mean, it was played off as a joke, as is his wont, but it was still very true. That being...well, lemme post the scene. You'll have to forgive the crappy punctuation. This is as it was from...2013? I didn't do any major editing for Innocent yet so bear with me here.

Golden Form When?:

There's a little bit about Alessa in there, too. I always forget those little bits and pieces scattered throughout Reina's mono/dialogues but she's an underappreciated character, that one. Nevertheless, I hope this makes it a little clearer! Reina gained a lot from Vanir, and in that sense she emulates the traits both inwardly, and outwardly. But at her core, she's still got much that makes her unique from him, and it's something that Alessa acknowledges here too. Her saying "I know...I just..." really hits home for me. She does a lot of messing around, but she always cared. When the chips are down, that side of her shows.
Next! Well I guess this is a quick aside, but who Alessa was referring to was in fact, Rosetta. I mean, there's only a few mouthy characters in the series. I always felt like when she said 'hers' readers would either guess Rosy or Amae, since I tend to use the latter more frequently, just capitalized. Same with Asmodeus. This part is a small callback to Chapter 9, but it's not that they were meant to keep knowing about Su's parents a secret. It's more that Reina was implying she shouldn't say things like that, especially to their daughter.

Now then! This part needed a bit of revising which I'll get to, but first things first. Since it's not really explored much outside of TJ's case, most Cerebians have regular sized wings. Like big enough to carry a person. The first stage they generally look the same. Upon becoming Powers they get them and...well, to be honest, I'm in a bit of a bind, here. I can't quite remember the order for ranks. I don't have any resources left that mention them, and it may have changed in the game itself. I feel like Tronz came before Bashutz, and that's how it is in Innocent. However here it's the reverse, so I erred somewhere, but I'll need to look around for solid proof to come to a final conclusion. Perks of this being a rough draft, I suppose. Nevertheless, the case stands. Angels is no chance, Powers is the wings, Tronz or Bashutz, rank 3 in short, is individual characteristics and flight. Rank 4 is specializations, which you've heard about from Alessa and Reina, and of course rank 5 is mana and access to the greater powers.
Also I know this part seems kinda lwed but it actually wasn't meant to be! I mean, most of the things throughout these scenes are, but this one was unintentional. It tends to happen.
Anyway, there's something else to this scenario. Before I edited it, originally TJ didn't have the feathers and Reina commented on that fact. That was actually an error on my part, since he got them when he ranked up before The Gourmet's Valley. Before I decided to correct it though, I considered a possibility. Either I fix it so that it is as you see now, or I keep it as a unique trait to him. If I was to go with the latter, his wings would have their base appearance, most likely when he's in his base form. When using his transformation, they would likely take up secondary traits. The reason this could've been better, is that it would allow me to change his abilities upon transforming, or rather than abilities, capabilities. Since he can use his wings without becoming the Messenger of Light, he doesn't really get much added to them when he does. As for the others, though Metamorphosis is a permanent transformation, he still does have a secondary form. There, well, after that, I think is when it would most likely have more of an impact. Perhaps the idea need not be scrapped entirely, but I figured this would be a better time to introduce it.
Also...you know, back in high school I absolutely loved the would you rather app. That and Tap Tap Revenge. I played those a lot.

Alright, now the lewd stuff happens. I do love how they talk about Vanir. A lot of his usual tendencies come through in their dialogue, but you know how he is by now lol. He's a D.I.Y man, after all. It also adds a little bit of context to what the two have been up to in the days they're not training with the MC. Years later and our girl is still moonlighting as a waitress lol. Some things never change, I suppose.
The moment after TJ asks his question, well rather, Alessa's reaction is a powerful moment to me. It has strong 'girl in love' vibes doesn't it? It also has 'moments before a disaster' vibes too. The rest kinda speaks for itself, unless you want a full breakdown of a series of dirty jokes lol.

The dialogue here with Su is something I think about often. In some respects, it's probably obvious, huh? A lot of the novel does focus on TJ's growth, as it is one of the main aspects/themes of the story. But as callous as it may sound, there's truth to what Su said here. Part of being an adult is...well, being able to face painful things. We go through a series of firsts from childhood to adulthood. Learning to face those trials and carry on is all part of it. Of course, they range from a scraped knee to losing a pet or a family member. The hardest part about it is, the first time you have to realize the weight of it. Rather than knowing what comes and going through the steps, it's more...realization. The crushing, realization of it all, and the pain that accompanies it. As you get older, especially now you see how things are on a grand scale. How bad they can be the world over and at times, you might think everything sucks. But we carry on. We all do, as we always have, and because of that, we survive. We cling together, and we cling to the things that make us who we are, in the things that give us reason. It's painful, yeah, but all those happy and sad things are part and parcel to who we are. Without one, the balance is disrupted and in it...well, further disaster would likely follow, no? We've much to learn from both, and in understanding that...maybe we become adults. Although, I can't deny the fact that perhaps, none of us truly know what it means, me included. There's merit in knowing that we know nothing, even about being human, I think.
Or I'm just talking out my ass. Who could say?

The part about the bank, I really liked. The reaosn being is...well, for me, sometimes I forget that prior to all of this happening, TJ did his fair share of adventuring. Though he forget who he was a couple of times, to everyone else he's still the same person. Given that, he forgot that he had been to the banks before and so, given that it paints the picture that well, y'know, it was a thing he did! The most likely explanation would be either his days with Iris, with Yggdrasil, or both, under where this would be a more common occurrence. Though they are things that happened, without being given a physical form of sorts, from a writer's perspective it feels like things stuck in the brainstorming phase. However, to explore this journey outside of characters talking about it would require flashbacks. Thanks to the effect of the eye, there's at least a logical reason that TJ could explore those memories. But I do feel like I'd probably prefer doing so through side-stories so as not to interrupt the flow of the main story too much, unless it contributes something crucial. It can be a little complex. Even then though...I try to fit them in somewhere in the main story, usually between events. I guess in that case, it'd be a throwback to my initial plan. In taking commissions I'd free myself up to work outside of the guidelines I'd created. Thoguh in all fairness, the guideliens are there to keep me from just going off on random tangents with the side-stories lol. There's quite a bit to explore, truthfully. The near past, the far past, they have their own share of stories and characters that could be elaborated on.
So then, we get the return of Erin! The last time she appeared was in chapter...8. Just briefly. She, Airin and Weldin had been watching over him for quite some time before he set out on his journey so it'd be something seeing him again like that after all that happened. Kinda like the hero returning to the town he started in in the middle of his journey. It's just that this one lives there and teleports all over the place lol.
You know, I've always had complicated feelings about that. I mean, on one hand, it's more of a game aspect than a story aspect. Getting around in the game would be a massive pain without the Iris Stones or town capsules. But they also play a role in the story, so it'd be a waste to do away with them entirely. On the other hand, ditching the teleportation aspect of it all would be a bit of a waste too huh? At the same time, traversing the same locales time and again to get to dungeons and whatnot could be...well, bad. If there was a better way to do it as the novel progressed, it could work! But that wouldn't likely happen until much, much later, and even then it might be kinda illogical. Transportation in this world is weird. There's a lot of clash in the time periods, so it's hard to say what would be where and when.

The next part was something I wanted to do for soooooooo long! It has so much packed into it, much of the themes explored in Su's story. Her desire for revenge, the slow, steady descent into madness, their shared growing power, The Abellan gaining sentience, and the rising tide of a threat that the people they prey upon would soon strike back. But also, foreshadowing! Su's nemesis is only mentioned a couple of times throughout the novel. You hear a lot more about him and see him in USSR/Innocent, but here he's still kind of an enigma shrouded in mystery. Techincally dead. Or uhh...literally dead. As she said, she killed him. If this accursed novel wasn't as long as it is and Innocent was done, maybe I'd write that story. But doing both simultaneously is...tough. Put both on hold to write P&C and this year I've been mostly working on Sanc, with a bit of Inno. Though a wrench got put in that for a time. How it'll be in the future, I dunno.
Anyway, back to the story! The fight scene is one of the best parts. I love how we're seeing more of the effects of Su losing sanity here. The last time it was explored was during Frequency, some time ago, really. Then, it was mostly visual hallucinations. This time we got auditory hallucinations to accompany them. One of the things I like about this is that the way Su experiences them, it's not like she just passes through everything, something her clash exacerbates. The nosebleed at the end, was one of the parts I most wanted to do. It's almost like...the body, realizes something is amiss but the mind doesn't, and so it reacts in that way. I do feel like there should be another sentence there to draw attention to the sensation, before she wipes it away. I feel like it'd fit a bit better 'cause as it is, it sounds more like a random action that she did rather than a reaction to the change.
If you're wondering about her scar, it's in reference to the one on her leg. She mentioned to TJ in Chapter 7 I believe, that when she was escaping Hanamah she got shot by an arrow. She didn't know it, but he was the one who fired it and subsequently caught her afterwards. That event is what changed everything for her and set her on that path. That scar is a reminder of it, and scars themselves, tend to play an important role throughout this chapter for a variety of different characters. It's an interesting thing. Still, that throbbing...I can't give you a logical explanation to it, but it's familiar to me. There are reasons for it, changes in the body and other such things. But...I do wonder if there's an explanation for mental stimuli rather than physical. I feel like it's happened for me before, but those moments are so far and few between it could simply be something I'm misremembering. Whether true to life or not, though, it definitely makes for a good thematic excerpt in a novel!
The next part is pretty good too! Most of the time we hear Su's dialogues but not her monologues. From Frequency, we know why she approaches things the way she does, but it's pretty rare to hear her remorse or reluctance to these things.I think that distinction is important. As things progress, she'll likely lose more of her sense of self and that reluctance will fade away with it, eventually becoming the very thing she sees and questions. It's a strange and fascinating character case study. It also kinda...makes you think of her talk with TJ earlier, doesn't it? Perhaps to her, or in some way, that's her way of dealing with things. Be it the path to getting her revenge or potentially saving the world. A neccessary evil. At the same time, her line, "So stupid" says so much about it. There's a lot of great moments here and her clashing characteristics just makes it that much more impactful.
Just in case though! There's some foreshadowing here to something very, very important! Let it not be said that it wasn't implied! Though it won't likely come into play until much, much later lol. By then you'll probably have forgotten. But that's okay! Probably!
Her talk with machina, I really like. Not because of artistic reasons or anything, it's just her snark was on point lol. Surprisingly, machina's non-reactions to it work really well! For now. I dunno if it'd remain the case over the course of the novel, but as Machina develops, her responses might change too. We'll see how that all shakes out as things progress
Su's inner monologue speaks for itself, but I think the final bit at the end is what really settles it all for me. It feels like there's something more to it, doesn't it? There is! There always is! Except for when there's not. But this final bit could be seen in a variety of ways. It's not bad.

And thus, ends the update!
So you remember how I told you about my cat and his stiches and how he'd scratch them? Well he did. He's an unstoppable force, that man. One of the Fridays between today and the last time I updated he did that and it was concerning. Next morning I called the vet, took him in and got him looked at. The doc was like, "yeah he's fine. We did two sets of stitches, you can see them here." It was hard to tell beneath the bright red...flesh? Of my cat? But there were stitches down there alright. So the doc was like, "Go to the drug store and get some (I shit you not, this is exactly what he said) vitamin E local apply and apply it three times a day until it heals." Thankfully he didn't charge me for the consultation. I was afraid the cat would need to get stitched back up again, but it was all good!
So anyway! I took the cat home, dropped off my things and went to the drug store. I asked the doc at the counter about it, she gave me the fish eye, and was like, "All of it's in this section." So I scanned the shelves and didn't find it. I scanned the other aisles too and didn't find any. So I left. Went a couple blocks down the street to another store and took a look inside. I asked the doctor at the counter and he was like, "Check that aisle." So I did. Scanned up and down, didn't find anything, and then I did! With that name! Kinda. Right next to it, was polysporin. It was then, that I realized that they were the very same thing. The worst part is, I had it at home! It was just antiboitic cream! I should've just googled it!
The moral of the story is the surgeon is a quack. He does some good surgery but he's a quack! I'll never forgive him for sending me on this wild goose chase! But damn, he stitched up my cat nicely.
Speaking of, that man's doing just fine now. All of that stuff is closed up and he's back to doing...whatever it is he does. Cat stuff.

Anyway, that's all for now! Until next time!

TJ shot up out of his bed, breathing heavily. His eyes darted around his room as he assessed the situation and slowly calmed down. He placed a hand over his left eye and let out a quiet sigh.
“It was a dream...? It was a dream but...it definitely, definitely felt too real. Su, I need to ask you about this.”
The Heart of Yggdrasil didn't respond for a couple of moments, but after a spell a faint light was emitted from it.
“...What?” She asked.
“I had another nightmare.”
She sighed.
“How old are you? Look, it's not real. What you need to get through that thick skull of yours is that whatever happened in those nightmares of yours can't happen in the real world. How much of it do you remember?”
TJ looked down to his hands, closed his eyes and thought back.
“Umm...I remember...people...I attacked them. It was really dark and I couldn't really see anything...but I could see them. It was unclear though...they were like coloured people-shaped blobs. They were all red and yellow and...when I attacked them they turned grey. There were soul-like thingies too. Like little flames that disappeared after a while. The rest is kinda blurry though.”
Su was silent.
“If I was to hazard a guess? Probably your Agasuric instincts messing with your head. Anyway, a nightmare's a nightmare. You integrated another sinner so make sure you keep that power of yours in check when you're fighting or those nightmares might become a reality.”
TJ frowned, his brows knit.
There was likely no chance that he would be able to convince Su of what he had experienced. He was certain that he'd had nightmares before, but nothing like these ones. Did similar things happen to other Agasura, like the Club Abio girls or Vanir? Perhaps he could ask Naomi in private sometime. If Su was right, maybe he was using his Agasuric powers too much and due to that, they were affecting his dreams. He wanted to get better control of them, but using them was rather dangerous also. He would have to only resort to them under very special circumstances.

Alessa touched the recordingem and the music came to a halt as TJ collapsed in the grass.
“I did it...somehow...” He laughed as he sighed.
“Well done!” Reina said, offering him a round of applause from beside him. “With that, we've covered all three of your bases! You've got the hang of On Luminous Wings, The Oathsworn Swords and the Bulkwark of Kings.”
“You certainly are a quick learner, aren't you?” Alessa asked, smiling.
TJ sat up and wiped his brow with the back of his hand.
“I need to be. Everything can change at a moment's notice. I'll do all that I can to be ready.” He answered, his expression taut.
Alessa's smile widened further, her eyes crinkled.
“Yeah, you're definitely the type for that sorta heroism huh?”
“We want to do our part to help you reach your goals, TJ. If you feel that you can do one more dance, I'd like to put something to the test.” Reina said, rising to her knees and sitting.
“Yeah, I can take it. What do you have in mind?” He asked, rising to his feet.
She nodded once.
“So far, we've just been teaching you the steps of the dances. Of course, as we mentioned before they can be used in battle because most of them are movement-based. However, the next step is the amalgamation of everything we've taught you, and testing if we can bring the theory to life. Whether or not you can bring out a Dancer's power is still in untested waters, so I need to know if it is possible.”
“Mm hmm. To do that, it's just like playing a song, right? Just gotta allocate mana while I do it.”
“It is, yeah, but I feel the difficulty lays not in just the act, but in also the entirety of it. You've been a Bard for as long as you can remember, right TJ? That inherent understanding of using magic and music is probably almost instinctual to you at this point. Prayers and incantations likely fall into the same category.
“What concerns me is that trying to remember all the steps of the dance, all while properly managing your mana allocation will be difficult for you. The challenge lays in not breaking your concentration throughout the entire dance. To that end, I'd like to lend you a hand.”
He tilted his head quizzically.
“How do you plan to do that?”
She patted her chest and smiled.
“I want you to use my mana flow as a barometer. While you dance, I'm gonna meditate and release a steady flow of mana. Passively focus on that and match my tempo. Actively focus on the steps so you don't lose track and lose your balance. After all, a failed effect only means no boons, while a failed step could cost you your life. If you can perform On Luminous Wings, I'm sure it'll be beneficial.”
“Passively watch the mana flow, actively focus on the dance...got it. I'm ready when you are, Reina.”
“Les, you all set?”
The Explorer tinkered with the crystal for a moment before offering a thumbs-up.
“Ready anytime!” She answered, smiling.
As the music began to play, TJ closed his eyes. He could feel both Reina and Alessa's presence, the former's growing steadily more prominent before reaching a crescendo and holding it there. He began to release enough mana to match it and attempted to hold it, setting the thought aside as his mind flickered through each step of the dance.
With a picture of what he needed to do, he began, stepping, swaying and spinning in time with the music. With every movement, green jets of light follwed his body as energy like gusts of wind began to gather around him. As he moved into the second half of the dance, an actual wind began to surround him, but one that was gentle enough to disturb neither him, nor his companions. Upon completing the dance, the wind surged outward and circled around him and both girls, restoring their stamina and energy.
Looking over his body, TJ blinked in surprise.
“Wow...I feel great!” He said smiling from ear-to-ear.
Reina raised her head, her brows also arched.
“That was it...right?” She asked.
“It's exactly like I remember it!” Alessa said, smiling and nodding.
Over the next couple seconds, Reina's cheeks flushed and her smile widened as her enthusiasm grew tenfold. She shot to her feet, ran over and picked TJ up before spinning him around.
“Oh TJ! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Honestly, I was afraid the art of the Dancers would just become a speck of our history but through you, it lives on! Now I'm sure that if it can be done, we can teach others to do it! Mom and my ancestors' legacy still might be upheld!”
“I'm...happy to help but...I'm gonna be...ugh...sick...”
“S-sorry! I just...oh gosh, sorry.”
She put him down and held him in place as he regained his footing.
“I've been through worse,” he chuckled.
“You certainly are robust but that was still...bad. Everyone should be treated with respect. Especially their bodies.”
“That's right, Rei-Rei! You can't just run around manhandling cute boys! What would Salem think?”
“I didn't manhandle him I just...I totally did, didn't I?”
Alessa nodded while saying a quiet mm-hmm and at the response the Samurai covered her face.
“It's...it's fine. You just surprised me, that's all. I do understand, though. Knowing that what you were taught can live on is a big thing for you, right?”
“Absolutely!” Reina answered, clenching her fists. “Though we're only one generation apart, my mom was the last true Dancer that I knew of. Just like Dancers, there were other classes that were lost to time. There might be records of them and what they could do, but the how of it, we might never know. At this juncture in time, they may as well have been myths.
“Honestly, I was afraid that our history would wind up the same way. I being her daughter, but unable to become a Dancer would've weighed upon me for as long as I lived. But if nothing else, my memory and your arrival in our world changed all of that.”
She clenched a hand to her chest and smiled.
“Thank you, TJ. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You've given me irrefutable proof that the legacy of the Dancers hasn't been lost. That they were real and that they too, are what allowed us to be here, as did you. You really are everything I thought you would be, and then some.”
He grinned sheepishly.
“I'm glad I could live up to those expectations. Although in all fairness, you girls are the ones helping me out. When I started out I was tripping over myself. What I learned here will help me in many battles to come..and when I finally defeat Asmodeus, then I'll know for certain that I deserve your gratitude.”
Alessa came over and rested her hands on Reina's shoulders before leaning over her left.
“I hope you'll allow us to tag along on some of your journeys, TJ! Nothing like being able to see the fruits of our loins first-hand,” Alessa chuckled.
“L-Les! It's not loins it's labour!” Reina cried in a tizzy.

The trio sat on the deck just outside of the house enjoying a tray of fruit prepared by Machina. Following its preparation, the maid suggested that she would go to rest for a spell. It was very unlike her, but TJ was well aware that she was working hard so he wished for her to rest well.
As TJ picked a strawberry from the platter, he decided to pose a question.
“Say, Alessa, were you interested in becoming a Dancer?” He asked.
As she popped a grape into her mouth she quietly muttered, 'hmm'.
“I suppose you could say I was, sure! Like I told you before though, Mom and I weren't really the magic types. You're probably wondering why I joined in anyway though, huh?”
He nodded vigorously and she smiled.
“The truth of the matter is Mom and Rei-Rei's mom, Hazel, were really good friends. The two of them go way back, but Mom is the guild master of a guild called Pride and Hazel was a part of it. Since Mom and Hazel were friends, Rei-Rei and I have been stuck together since we were born.”
“Honestly, you'd think the two of us were joined by the hip with how long we've been together.” Reina said with a quiet chuckle.
“Right? So since both Mom and Dad were always super busy with missions and guild work, I'd often stay over at Rei-Rei's and I'd take lessons with her. We were always close, but we became thick as thieves thanks to the time we spent doing those things.”
“Honestly, most of the time it was Alessa that coaxed me into going to my lessons. It's embarrassing but I was really stubborn about it then...and a little envious of Les. She was leagues better than me on her feet, though I was born to the Dancer.”
“To each their own, you know? These days your footwork puts mine to shame!”
“That's only because I'm a close-range fighter. Even given that, you've got some pretty good moves yourself.”
“Come on, now you're just flattering me!”
As the two girls laughed among themselves, Alessa looked back to TJ.
“Is there anything else you wanna know, TJ? I wouldn't mind baring it all if you really want me to.”
“You might not mind, but I mind, and a certain maid would too! Probably!”
TJ placed his purlicue to his chin.
“Why did Victoria name her guild Pride?” He asked.
“Unexpected question, but not one I don't have an answer for! You're probably thinking of the sin or personality trait pride. But this is different! It's named after a pride, not pride itself. So! A pride is a group of lions. Mom used to say that it was a running joke among all their parties, that the extra two members that she and Hazel would be grouped up with would describe her as a lioness. When she met Dad and founded her guild, it was Hazel that suggested she name it that.” Alessa explained, laughing.
It seemed that as far back as they could remember, Reina and Alessa were friends. The two shared an unbreakable bond and it likely carried them through many hardships. Was it possible that Peorth felt the same way towards her Keruz? Were they perhaps as close as the two girls before him were? Through the few memories he saw of their shared companions of the past, it made him wonder if they felt that way towards him.
“That bond between the two of you truly is strong, isn't it?” He asked, smiling.
“Rei-Rei can't shake me off, try as she might.” Alessa laughed.
“Honestly, Les!” The Samurai chuckled, brows knit. “I wouldn't even think of it. The two of us are always bound to find our way back to each other. Opposites attract, after all.”
“So? Ask me more questions, TJ. Gotta let you get to know me to get you to know me.”
Her statement puzzled him somewhat, but he nodded anyway.
“I was wondering...are you going to walk the path of a Treasure Hunter, Alessa?” He asked.
She blinked, seemingly taken aback by the question.
“Good question! I...well, in all fairness, I certainly could! I mean, Mom's one so learning the tricks of the trade from a master would certainly speed up my own mastery of it. But like we discussed earlier, in becoming a Treasure Hunter, I'll be locked into that path, you know? It'd certainly be the easiest way.
“But just 'cause it's easy, that doesn't make it fun. I wanna expand my horizons. I'm not bold enough to dive head-first into uncharted waters, but I'd like to see a new horizon with my bestie.”
Alessa wrapped her arms around Reina's shoulders and the guild master gave her a mock-wilting smile.
“Jeez...” Reina said without genuine annoyance.
“Rei-Rei was brave enough to do that. I want to help her complete her vision. To that end, I've been studying up my fair share on the history of Aoich, the people, the culture, that sort of thing. Salem's been helping us out plenty too, of course, but I wanna make sure I do my part. When it's all said and done, I'd like to be the second person to become that new class.”
“Even though you use a bow?”
She tutted him and waved a finger.
“You've so much to learn about classes, my delicious little morsel! Would you, Rei-Rei?”
“I've got some questions about that adjective but I'll put that aside for now. There's something valuable to be learned here, TJ.” Reina said, turning to face him.
She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
“I should probably preface this a bit. TJ, do you remember the discussion we had earlier about a class and its weapons?”
“Yep, I do.” He answered, nodding.
Classes had specific weapons with matching techniques for each. In the case of Wizards and their class lines, they had multiple weapons, but could use all spells regardless of weapon type, save for Bards.
“Great, so no need for a refresher there. Now, when you look at me, or at least, when you have in the past, your first thought might've been that my class utilizes katana and naginata respectively. You're not wrong to think that, because it's true. Although, we can use bows. Take a Knight, for example. Do you know what weapons they can use?”
He nodded once more.
“Swords, clubs and knuckles, right?”
“Bingo!” She said with a flourish. “However, what you might not know is that all base classes can use knuckles. Only Guardians can learn the advanced skills that utilize them, however, like most other advanced classes, it becomes a specialty. Temple Knights keep their ability to use the other two weapons, however they lose their ability to effectively use knuckles.
“In this case...well I haven't exactly determined it yet. The question this raises, is: is the restriction absolute or a design decision on the initial founders of the classes? The Samurai that precedes those left today, they wielded bows and fought as mounted units. Wars weren't fought by them alone, however. Peasants, farmers and the like were often conscripted and took part in these, even if they were just wielding farming tools. These men, known as ashigaru were the ones that utilized uchigatana due to the fact that they were cheap, disposable weapons. But even given that, they were very effective on foot, especially in the heat of battle!
“Those very same conscripted soldiers did eventually receive proper training and eventually became those that wielded the bow and spears, among other things. They may have just been farmers once upon a time, but many became a valuable asset and this, substantially changed the face of war. In a sense, though no small, feat, some of those peasants earned a place amidst the nobility by proving their prowess on the battlefield.”
Reina was silent for a moment, as if she was gathering her thoughts.
“It does make me wonder how I should proceed. To some degree, I feel that I can capture the essence of the history and in doing so, form the class...and yet...there are still so many complications. Both in choice and action. I've learned a bit about forming classes, but I need a solid identity for it before I present it. I'm still curious about the limitation. Would having a base class serve better before upgrading? The most recent class, being the Engineer, completely loses the ability to use toolboxes upon upgrading to Meister. I'd like to ask Master Meister Berkhart about it, but getting in contact with her is...rather difficult.
“But I digress. The advent of firearms brought an end to the ways of the past, so there are nowhere near as many samurai now as there would've been many years ago. Nonetheless, I'm just scratching the surface of the history. With some more studying, I'd love to tell you all about it if you're interested. I just...well...I've kinda gone on, huh?”
“Nah, it's fine. But I am curious. Why did you want to become a samurai, Reina?”
She raised a brow at the question.
“The person I aspire to overcome is one. I suppose you could say he's the insurmountable wall that looms over the horizon. It isn't strength I seek for the sake of being strong but...strength for the sake of protecting those I love. On the other hand, I somewhat understand the struggle of the commoners. When I started out, I was by no means a fighter. You could technically say I don't even have formal training, even now. But Vanir and Salem did all they could to prepare me for the world I ran away from and that means everything to me.
“Samurai have their own set of virtues they follow, and to some degree, I understand that too. Righteousness, courage, benevolence, respect, sincerity, honour, loyalty, frugality, and self-control. It can vary, but they're all part and parcel to bushido. The irony of it all lays in the fact that I...despite my beliefs, have shed blood on more than one occasion and I'm sure I will in the future. I don't like it, but I've come to accept the fact that at times it may be unavoidable...or even preferred by the people I fight. It's an ugly truth...but I promised myself that if I have to become a demon to gain the strength I need to protect, then so be it. Whatever price I'll pay when this is all over, I'm willing to face it with open arms to see the smiling faces of those I love, if even just one more day.”
TJ's eyes shuttered.
Their feelings were alike on that front. That same feeling of powerlessness was what led TJ to where he was today, and was part of who he was. In understanding himself, his origins and his power, perhaps he could better protect those he cared for. Unlike her, however, he was born with immense power. So much so that he could rival even God Ah's Family itself. It was true that he had lost his memories and some of those may have been the key to furthering his understanding of what he was capable of...but what could he do, now? How could he speed up the process of his mastery?
“I really get that. I'd do whatever it took to be strong enough to protect everyone. My end goal...I don't want you guys to have to fight anymore. But in order to do that, I need to be strong enough.”
She smiled at his concern.
“Right now, we fight because we choose to. It's true that there's so much that only you could do, TJ, but just because that's the case it doesn't mean we should leave you to be the only one risking your life. In truth, I'd be honoured to fight alongside you, but to be fighting on the same side as you is plenty as is.”
“You might not see much of us, but we're doing what we can to keep everyone safe too!” Alessa said, grinning.
TJ smiled from ear-to-ear in turn.
“Wouldn't doubt it!”
Reina pressed her fingers together quietly before turning her head towards Alessa.
“Do you think we still have time?” She asked.
The Explorer shifted her gaze to the sun high in the sky, back to her friend and grinned.
“Sure do!”
“Time for what?” TJ asked with a quizzical head tilt.
“Time for our match. Sparring...match, I mean! Do you feel okay? Are you up to it?” Reina asked.
He blinked.
“Hm? Oh yeah, I feel fine. But uhh...are we doing it like this? I don't really have any of my battle gear on, let alone my weapon.”
“I have to do the same. But umm...I have a favour to ask you, TJ.”
After rising to his feet he gave her a smile over his shoulder.
“No need to be so polite. You're always welcome to ask me anything.”
She smiled sheepishly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“W-well then. There's something I'd like for you to try on. You can consider it a gift from us, for having finished all of our training.”
Reina got up and made her way over to the bags sitting nearby. She rummaged through it and took out what seemed to be a set of clothes, neatly folded and stacked atop each other.
“This is...?” The Bard asked as she placed it in his hands.
“They're a replica of the Dancer's attire. I say replica but...well, they were made in the same ways as they used to be. I'm sure you know already, but each advanced class has it's own unique set of armour. They're often referred to as relic armour and many are hard to come by. Some are actually made by the GMA, you know! A-anyway, in this case, I based the design on instructions provided by an old book I found in Ramalda and some of what I remember from Mom's outfit.”
He looked down to it and back to her.
“Are you sure this'll fit me? As much as I hate to admit it, most clothes made for adults won't.”
His pride felt that statement more than he was willing to admit.
“Oh, absolutely! We gathered the materials, but Vanir was the one who had sewn it together.”
“Vanir did? He did give me that Musica...Clan set before but...how did he even know what size fits me?”
“He asked Lucia of course.” Reina answered matter-of-factly.
He squinted in disbelief.
“Where'd she find out?”
“Verun and Marin!” Alessa answered with a laugh.
TJ gave them both an exasperated look.
“I can feel my mistakes of the past coming back to haunt me.”
The Explorer waved off the sentiment.
“Come on now, there's no time like the present! Go try it on, TJ!”
“Do you think you could show me to a room I can change too? I'm not too gung-ho about fighting in workout clothes either, to be honest.” Reina said with a nervous chuckle.
“Yeah, no problem. There's a couple unused rooms next to mine you're welcome to use.” TJ said as he stepped onto the deck and opened the door.
“I'm in your care, then.” She said, smiling.

It took TJ some figuring out, but he managed to get in the outfit. It was certainly...breezy. And breezy wasn't exactly his favourite word to describe clothing. However, it was so light it almost felt like he was wearing nothing at all. After getting dressed, he went back downstairs and sat on the deck with his guitar to his back. Before long, Reina and Alessa returned, the former completely dressed from head to toe in her battle outfit.
It took a moment, but after being taken aback TJ realized it was the first time he had seen her in her battle gear.
She wore a navy blue kimono, decorated by a tranquil pond in tones of blue and white, spotted with lotuses. Her waist was tied by an obi with a tiger-print and around her neck was a white scarf adorned by crimson leaves. On her hands were black vambraces, her feet, a pair of geta and white tabi over them. Upon her back was her ko-naginata and her waist the blades she mentioned prior.
There was something different about her in those clothes. She had a much more serious or perhaps determined air about her.
“Wow, TJ, that fits you like a glove!” Alessa said with a grin.
He smiled slightly.
“You think so?” He asked.
“Yep! It's super cute!”
He knit his brows at the statement.
“Maybe I was right to be wary about this outfit.”
“But you put it on anyway.”
He frowned at her teasing grin.
TJ wore a simple tan headband, black crop top, white sarouel adorned with gold, gold bangles and anklets, black dancer's slippers and a pink shawl. Gold decorations hung from the top and some from the pants, moving as he did.
“Don't mind her, TJ. Just like the case is with Toma's fashion sets and other sets of relic armour, they enhance your fighting capabilities. In the case of these types however, they're specific to the class associated with them. In the same vein, the armour sets forged from materials obtained in Instance Dungeons offer effects when pieces of the set are worn together. It's worth considering if you do a lot of dungeon spelunking. Though I imagine...given that you spend most of your time hunting Sinners, you don't really get the opportunity to.”
“Rei-Rei,” Alessa said.
“I know...” The samurai muttered like a scolded child. “But there's so much stuff TJ might not know about. I don't want him to fight unprepared.”
“Peorth wouldn't let that happen, don't you think?”
“Yeah, you're right. Alright, let's focus on what we can do.
“Now that we're in our battle gear, we can properly prepare for our match. Although, it'd be dangerous if we were to do it here. Might topple your house if we get too heated.”
TJ grit his teeth at the prospect.
“That...that's a good point. We should probably head further away from the village, then.
As the two walked, Reina explained how they could manage the battle.
“So TJ, as you've seen before, I was thinking that we could use Exhaust to have our match. That way, regardless of how it plays out, both of us will come out in one piece. Severely wounding you for the sake of practice is enough to scare the daylights out of me.” She told him, her brows knit.
“It's kinda like the match I had with Rayinth, then. He did this thing that made Amata and I astral bodies or something, so our bodies weren't affected by the fight.”
“Y-you really did meet God's Governor Rayinth, huh? What was he like? Did he look like what the scribes described him as, or were there discrepancies? What did he say?”
“What indeed.” Alessa said as she drew her bow and nocked an arrow.
She let it fly and it lodged itself in a tree. At that moment, TJ glanced at where it hit and gazed toward the sky.
Something in the air had changed at that moment.
“Sorry. Curiosity got the better of me.
“So TJ, given what you know now, and that you've already been through a similar endeavour, I can honestly say that I want you to fight without holding anything back. I promise, I can take it.”
He nearly did a double-take at the statement.
“H-hold on a second, Reina! I mean...I don't doubt you or your ability but my power is...it's bad, you know?! I mean, it's really, really destructive!”
She smiled and tilted her head.
“That's fine? I asked full-well knowing what you're capable of. In fact, I'd like to face it. Being able to experience your abilities first-hand will forward my research by leaps and bounds. An opportunity to test that godlike strength to its fullest extent is something I can't pass up.”
TJ grit his teeth, concerned for her well-being.
True, he went all-out in the battle against God's Governor Rayinth, but he needed that sort of power to overcome one of the progenitors of the Cerebians. Reina could get seriously hurt. But on the other hand, perhaps what she was doing was not just for her research, but for him also. Could he deny her that wish if that were the case? What could he glean from the battle if he was to fight with all of his might?
“Rei-Rei, I think I speak for all of us when I say you're nuttier than a squirrelope.” Alessa said with a peaceful expression.
“T-that's an over-exaggeration! You don't think so, right, TJ?!” Reina asked, gasping in disbelief.
“Well...no...” He answered sheepishly.
She pouted.
“I'm pretty confident in my abilities, you know. I think I'm pretty tough.”
“You've always been a cute little tuffin, haven't you?” Alessa asked with a laugh.
“Hmmmph!”
She crossed her arms and turned away as the Archer laughed some more.
“Joking aside, I can vouch for Rei-Rei, TJ. You saw it first-hand, didn't you? Her fifth skill should've sliced me in two but I don't have a scrape on me. We've tested the stance plenty, and Rei-Rei's as durable as they come. So there's no need to hold back. Bring down the hammer and the fight'll still continue, no problem!”
“Suppose you're right. I'll give it a shot then, but if things get dicey I'm gonna call it quits.”
“That's fair.” Reina said, smiling.
“Though I was wondering...why don't you use Exhaust in all of your battles, Reina? Like on yourself?”
“Mm? That's a good question. The reason being is that though it might prevent wounds, the more damage you take, the more stamina is expended. Though I say stamina, it's more like your energy. Do you remember what I told you before? How a single misstep could cost you your life? In this case, the effect of Exhaust will wear off once you're incapacitated. Up to that point, however, the closer you are to collapsing, the more sluggish you'll become. In some cases, being inflicted with wounds increases adrenaline, which may turn the tides of battle. Even someone on the verge of death can still fight, if not at least, to escape with their lives. Everything up to that point is critical. Thus, though preventing wounds in this case is convenient, it has a flaw.”
“...I see.”
A power like that would be incredible. If he could use it, he could better protect his friends. But given that it too, came with a very specific weakness that needed to be considered, it was no be-all-end-all answer.
The group made their way across the grassy plains beyond Belos and as they neared the edge of the continent, they soon arrived at a hill that lead towards a beach.
“This seems like a good spot. TJ, you're able to manipulate earth and things surrounding it, right?” Reina asked as she and Alessa carefully made their way down the hill.
“Yeah, I can do that.” He answered as he stopped and glanced back.
“Okay good. Nobody's gonna show up here and we won't get hurt, but I don't really have a way of preventing the environment from getting damaged. It'd be bad if we ruined this lovely place.”
“That's pretty standard fare for you though, Rei-Rei.” Alessa laughed with delight. “Vanir always said that everywhere you fought, it'd end with a destructive finish.”
“What does he mean by that?!” She asked, sounding genuinely insulted.
“Dunno~”
The samurai let out a low, annoyed groan and her best friend chuckled.
When they finally got down to the beach, Reina let go of her arm and Alessa drew a bow and arrow once more. TJ gazed at the Archer, his eyes shifting to the arrow itself. Around the shaft was a paper talisman and when she let it loose, it shot into the air before burning up in a blue flame. As it dissipated, a transparent barrier formed around the surrounding area.
“What was that?” He asked.
“It's a ward. These ones keep humans away, and they also suppress the ability to sense mana from outside of the barrier. So with this, nobody's gonna come running thinking something bad's happening.”
They were certainly prepared.
“Alright TJ, since we've covered the rest, there's just one last thing. That being, the match will end when one of us is unable to fight. Exhaust does have a cooling off period after the target's knocked out, so right up the very end, you're free to use all of your strength. It takes between five and ten minutes for it to wear off entirely, so you don't need to worry.”
Following her explanation, she casted it both on herself and on him.
TJ nodded grimly as he took his place opposite Reina and drew his guitar.
“Got it.” He said, his expression taut.
“Good. Again, I won't hold back, so you shouldn't either. Now, show me the extent of the power of God Ah's family.”
TJ gazed at her solemnly for a couple of moments, then closed his eyes.
These doubts in my heart...I...is this really okay? No, I've already cast those doubts out.
His mouth became a straight line, his now open eyes revealing the determination within.
If with all these powers, I've lost so many battles, I can't underestimate Reina. Whether I win or lose, I have to learn from this. She's strong, I can feel it. I need to prove that I am too.

“Brace yourself, Reina!” TJ shouted as he placed his hands to the strings of his guitar. “Hailstone!”
With a strum of the strings and a wave of his hand, he unleashed a series of icicles upon his foe.
“Oh?” She asked as she drew her katana and dashed aside, avoiding the spell. “So you're a hybrid Bard then? It's fitting!”
Seems she didn't know the extent of his capabilities yet. He could use that to his advantage.
“Sound of the Heart!”
With a strum of his guitar crimson jets of energy within a ring surrounded him, rising before fading away. He strummed it a second time, this time releasing a series of blue jets of light.
“Sound of the Spirit!”
Peorth had given him the opportunity to prepare boons in their match to advise him on it, but the match between he and Reina had already started. There was no way Reina would let him perform his songs without taking the chance to strike.
“Chance!” She said as she held her blade out diagonally before her, one hand to the blade. “For honour!”
Six spheres of light surrounded her before convening on her body and emitting a short but bright glow.
For a moment, he gazed at her with questioning eyes before shaking the thought off.
Focus, TJ! What she can do...I've seen some of her abilities, but not all of them. What I know for sure is that I have to press my advantage! So long as I keep her at a distance, I can control the flow of battle. He told himself.
“Frozen Blitz!”
He manifested six needles between his fingers and prepared to throw them. As he took aim he watched the Samurai steadily approaching him, her blade raised high above her shoulders, both hands to the hilt.
...Her stance is different?
He furrowed his brows as he threw the needles, covering a wide radius. She placed one foot forward and cut them down with a swing of her sword before bringing it around for another slash. The moment she did so, a wind current formed and shot forward, blowing through the Abellan. It felt as if he was cut and the blow threw him off balance, but even though he knew the effect he was not prepared for what came next. Reina descended upon him, baring her blade without a moment's hesitation. Realizing he had no means to escape, he desperately raised his guitar to block the attack and managed to fend off the initial blow, albeit barely. She brought it back in a rising slash and the blow caused him to lose his hold on his guitar. With her third strike she landed a clean cut across his torso, causing him to stagger away.
She's fast...He thought.
She armed her blade, ready to slash him again but the last blow gave him enough time to recover.
“Sojourner's Shelter!”
The spell created a wall of ice that curved over and around the Abellan creating an almost spherical shape surrounding him. Using the wall as a buffer between them, he began a retreat as he prepared his guitar once more.
“Serendipity!” Reina's words rang out across the battlefield as she crashed through the wall with her ko-naginata in hand.
Massive shards of ice and chunks of dirt were flung through the air as she crashed into the ground and rose to her full height, spinning the weapon into an armed stance.
“Ice Fear!”
TJ strummed his guitar and outstretched a hand, causing a series of icicles to arise before Reina. When the final one he sent out nearly impaled her she leapt onto the one before it and perched there for a moment. Without a hint of fear, she began to jump from one to the next, closing the gap between them. Just as he shattered them all, she leapt into the air, avoiding the majority of the spell's onslaught but being grazed by some of the crystals.
“Icy Wind!”
TJ cast the spell as she began her descent and with no ability to avoid it, the swing she attempted to perform was slowed down as her limbs began to be coated in frost. Rather than beginning a dash anew as she touched down and missed her strike, she took her stance as if she was going to lunge at the Abellan. He grit his teeth as he prepared himself, noting that she was allocating mana towards something. When she was finished, her naginata gained a glint at the tip of the blade.
“Three Talon Strike!” The moment she uttered those words, she lunged at TJ.
The speed she moved at caught him off guard. In the wake of her movement, blue after-images followed as she performed a rising strike. TJ managed to avoid it by jumping back, but he was narrowly grazed. As if she had the momentum of a full lunge without moving a muscle from her last attack, she closed the gap and brought her naginata down upon him. Followed by a series of green after-images, she cut through his shoulder and into his chest.
He felt the strike, feeling substantially less pain than he would've otherwise, yet he still felt as if his strength was rapidly leaving his body.
Once more she moved, this time accompanied by red after-images drifting past him. She turned on the balls of her heels to follow up her last attack with a jumping slash.
“Flashfreeze!”
With one hand to the other, he created an outward pulse that coated everything around him in a thin layer of ice. Reina still saw her motion through, and flung him quite a distance away, but still found herself caught in the spell.
After tumbling through the grass and coming to a halt, TJ struggled to his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow. With every hit he took, his body lost strength. Just the act of rising to his feet became much more challenging than it should have been thus far.
She always knew his location and given that, she was two steps ahead of him. Even if he could catch her in his spells, she would still take the advantage by dealing more damage than he could. Given how fast she was and the options she had for closing the distance between them, trying to whittle her down from a distance would be no small feat.
The effect of Flashfreeze was beginning to wear off and he knew he needed to act quickly. Going by what Reina said, if the lost stamina was the equivalent of damage taken, he could recover it by healing.
“I won't let you get away.” She said as she raised her naginata skyward.
Something big was coming.
“Whispering Sycamore!”
She performed a full swing around her body and stood the weapon on the ground before her, both hands to the shaft. Immediately after she did so, a series of powerful winds engulfed the battlefield , threatening to pull TJ in like a vortex. In a wide circle around her, the winds were so vicious TJ could see them and felt certain that if he was caught in them, he would be cut down easily.
“Amaryllis!”
With a couple strums of his guitar, a small magic circle formed beneath him before a flower sprouted beneath his feet, rising ever higher as the stem emerged from the ground, protecting him from the winds. The bulb closed around him and took the brunt of the winds. While within, he was granted a light healing effect. He used the opportunity to play his strength and defense songs and strum out a couple notes to get back some of the stamina he lost to Reina's previous strikes.
When the winds died down he released himself from the spell and stole a glance at her, back to wielding her initial weapon.
“You're a crafty one, aren't you, TJ?” She asked, smiling.
“You're one to talk.” He answered, brows knit. “You've pulled out a lot of tricks I've yet to see.”
She laughed gently.
“Surprised you, huh? What I showed you in Lemanin were all techniques that the class would be able to utilize with Special Power. Much of what I use now requires mana. As for you, what I've seen thus far is within my expectations, though. But you're still not using all of your strength, are you, TJ? There's no need to hold back for my sake.”
She wasn't entirely wrong. He was as of yet to use the Frequency, any of them, for that matter. Given how she's had him constantly on the run, at the rate things were going he wouldn't stand a chance against her. His offensive and defensive capabilities would increase substantially if he was to bring out that power.
“Nothing for it, then! Frequency!”
TJ pounded his fists together and his irises flickered to jade green. At the action, Reina's mouth fell open and her brows were raised before she shifted into a surprised grin.
“That changes things.”
“Do your best, Rei-Rei, TJ!” Alessa shouted from a safe distance, waving a hand with the other to her mouth.
“Whose side are you on?!”
At the sound of Reina's retort, the Explorer grinned.
“The winning one!”
The Samurai knit her brows at the answer, looking rather dour.
“Alright, let's get back to it, TJ.”
“I'm ready when you are.” He answered, nodding.