Board 8 > Labyrinth of Ishiene [CYOA/Forum Game] [ITD8]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Drakeryn posted...

tbh I have no clue whether it's actually a good idea or not (in fact, weren't you the guy who opted to kiss, rather than kill, the Glittering Princess, and then she became the second-to-last boss and nearly wiped the whole party)

it's entirely possible

but wasn't that my Pokemon Trainer character? that kid had a Jolteon, he could do no wrong
---

Aron doesn't know short and abstains
---

(S literally just goes around freeing people by this point)
---

Based on the situation and with Short possibly being out of the loop of things due to being locked up along with other factors possibly at play currently... I can see shenanigans ensuing upon him being released

although I think in character Carl would probably let him out so I went with that
---

As for action

--

Carl groans while holding his shoulder. It is at this point he realizes that there was a wagon outside.

("Mm...can't hurt to check it out. These guys probably have things covered here for the moment")

"Attention everyone! I know it will be hard but I must momentarily leave you all to investigate something!"

They all go about their business as usual.

Carl will head to the Knight's Wagon with his weapon at the ready just in case. Maybe it'll have something to help fix his messed up arm
---

(I love how this time I completely forgot Carl was injured)
---

Remulel is a bit miffed that someone got the jump on his investigation of the research materials - no doubt an important clue - but he shrugs it off and checks out the red containment cell.
---

(Knowing nothing about the Demon, Dee would vote to Free Short, because she was likewise imprisoned until a moment ago.)

Actionwise, Dee is pleased to see the battle go so well, Ooze (and overwhelming odds) is super effective vs mutant turtles! She sees the green cell and the ancient equipment already being looked at, and opts to go to the Red Cell and investigate. It is totally unfair that her green color was picked first, but red is fine too, opposites attract they say!

edit: I did not see that the last comment was remulel going to the red cell, but I'm rolling with it being recent enough actionwise that Dee wouldn't have seen it, and it makes more logical sense to to pair up anyway, so I think it still works out
---

Mismatched Palette Girl has taken the 'lump' out of the remaining slime tank.
The lump begins twisting and writhing while making crying sounds.
"Oh."

"I might have accidentally touched something gross."
---

Spider-Mana attempts to retrieve the locket from safety by using the webbing.
This strategy does not prove to be entirely effective.
Even worse, Spider-Mana is ambushed by a Wind Elemental.
It swipes past him with razor speed, wounding him [1].

Lionel readies his Tai Chi sword and prepares for battle.
He seems to be focused on the Demon Holding cell below.
"Without a doubt.... we cannot.... let this thing go free."
Lionel will glance over his shoulder at all of his companions.

They seem to have unanimously voted in favor of letting Short go.
"Alright, so it's decided then."
Mara and Jefferson will ignore Lionel.
They descend into the shaft and open the latch.
Short has been released.

"Ahaha! Finally, I'm free!" Short gleefully examines the two before him.
"Maybe it's time that I returned home now... I've been locked up for so long."

Carwen steps over a few Angsty Mutant Ninja Turtles corpses and goes to investigate the research equipment.
She is instantly and obviously surprised at the level of technology that was preserved here.
Then again, since it is Ancient Technology, the people from 2000 years ago would have had more recent access to it.
And if this place was closed off since then it would have been kept fairly undisturbed.
There is a complex system in place here with tubes that run into the floor.
They seem to connect to the containment cells to your left, and the tanks in the other room.
Interestingly there is also some kind of 'gas tube' which connects to the wall.
If the tube is removed you might be able to squirm your way through this hole and explore whatever is beyond.

Larrington sits at the edge of the chute.
He'll look down at Short and wave.
Then, with a laugh, he playfully taunts the Demon.
"Haha... Go home? We just set you free. The least you could do is aide us for a bit."
"What do you say, Short? Why not team up with us?"
Short thinks about it carefully but does not respond right away.

Sanders goes down Hall C on his own.
He takes out a cooked chicken and tosses it down the hall, at the painting.
After checking for traps he is satisfied that there are none.
He'll walk to the end, past a few doors, and retrieve his item.
Standing up, he turns around. There is a clicking sound.
"Hey, does anyone want a-...." His voice grows silent.
One of the doors that he passed seems to have opened on its own.
Peeking out of the doorway is a Social Anxiety Kobold!
Within moments they flood the hall.
They move and attack in packs, and Sanders quickly observes their formation;
Two in front, holding Great Shields, to protect themselves from being seen.
Behind that stands a third one - a lancer - who carries a Heavy Spear.
With this formation they can poke their foes from safety without needing to make eye contact.
Obviously these guys are way too nervous about meeting this many new people.
As a result it would be much easier to just kill every adventurer first.
That is just common sense for Social Anxiety Kobolds...

A Melee Has Broken Out in Hall C!
Unless it is blocked, it will spread to the Round Room and then the Entry Hall.
All players in these areas will be threatened by attacks.
Sanders is trapped in Hall C and MUST participate in the melee.
---

Elsewhere, Grigorov will shoulder his wrench.
He goes to the Green Containment Cell and inspects it.
"Yes, there is a forty per cent chance that treasure is hidden inside."
He feels about seventy per cent confident about this estimate.
Taking the wrench to the outer bolt, he'll turn it a few times and try to open the hatch.
There is a loud hissing sound as the bolt pops.
A blast of steam shoots out of the cell and burns Grigorov.
The Goblin collapses to the ground. He rubs his eyes, which have now turned red.
"Auugghh.... My treasuuurrreee...."

During this time Aron will be outside.
He climbs onto the roof of the Research Wing.
Looking down through a crack in the ceiling he just manages to catch sight of Grigorov getting blasted with steam.
Aron Rex will laugh, doing his best Muttley impression.
Then, looking through the hole, he grows a worried expression.
There was a sound coming from inside one of the other Containment Cells...

Vendrix moves to the Green Cell and takes Grigorov's wrench.
"Let me borrow this for just a moment. I'll apply my own Dragon Technique."
The Dragon Technique appears to be smashing it really hard with the hammer.
But, in the end, it works. The cell pops open.
Grigor and Vendrix are left standing outside of the cell.
Inside is a very strange collection of armor pieces.
There is a pair of bracers and a waist guard, connected by some kind of cord.
One could almost say it looks like a holster of sorts.
"Cool. Free armor!" Vendrix is excited. But he's not so sure about changing costumes.

S, who had been heading down to Hall C at the time, catches sight of the Social Anxiety Kobolds.
Due to catching the enemies flat footed he is able to break their formation and catch a Lancer off guard.
He grabs the enemy from behind, slays it, and then takes its Heavy Spear.
The weapon is use to prod the shieldbearers and push them away.
This disrupts the enemy formation even further.
"We've got enemies down here!" S will yell back up the passage.

Dust is far away from the action, however.
He spends his time examining the Stone Door at the top of the spiral stairs.
The round shape of the lock implies that something magical probably needs to be put in.
After studying it a bit further he is fairly certain...
Some kind of MEDALLION or LOCKET is probably needed to get inside of this room.
Furthermore, this level of protection can only imply one thing;
There's probably a Treasure Hoard beyond this door!
For that reason, Dust is thinking he needs to find that Locket or find the person who has it.
"By the way," Dust is thinking to himself, "I hope they don't free that Demon..."
Of course they already had done it.

Carl returns to the Knight's Wagon.
On the way there he passes the Mismatched Palette Girl, holding a crying lump.
Then, outside, he spots Morgan. Morgan is half asleep at this point.
He uses medical supplies from the wagon to cure his Injury.
Woah. That was easy!
Apparently there are all kinds of Supplies out here!

Remulel and Dee go to the Red Containment Cell.
If there was something nice inside of the Green Cell, just imagine what could be in the Red one!
Remulel begins to raise his hand when suddenly there's a hissing sound.
Rather than a burst of steam there is a slow trail of vapor that releases.
That's because... the door cracks open on its own.
Something opened it from the inside.
Remulel readies himself for battle and takes a step back.
Dee, cluelessly, stands there at his side. She looks between Rem and the cell a few times.
As the door fully swings open the person inside is revealed.
---

The Imperishable Knight has arisen.
Through the fog you see a solid suit of full body armor.
Even the head of this creature is completely covered.
With a single step forward... every person in the room feels their spine begin to tingle.
Rem, sensing the immense danger radiating from this thing, thinks to act immediately.
"I'll destroy you first!"
Rem lunges forward, throwing a punch at the enemy.
The foe grabs his wrist, flips him toward the ground, and smashes Rem face first into the stone floor.
Blood splatters out from a busted lip and possibly a broken nose.
Rem is twitching in pain and struggles with all of his might to try and break free from the hold.
Dee moves to his side, attempting to pry the Imperishable Knight off of him.
Rem knew he'd probably die if he wasn't freed, but...
There was no way she could survive if she got close. "No, don't!" Rem cries out.
The Imperishable Knight swings his arm back in a chopping motion.
Dee is sliced in half and splattered backward across the floor.
Rem uses the opportunity to break free from the hold and roll to his feet.
To his amazement... Dee begins gathering back into one solid puddle again after a few moments.

Adams steps forward.
"Go ahead," he calls. "Draw your sword!"

"Sword...?" The Imperishable Knight seems confused.
It is hard to see its face but it doesn't seem to think of itself as a sword wielder.
Then, from the holster at its belt, it draws the Jeweled Wand of Mercy.
Adams clenches his fist. He'd stop this before anyone else got hurt!
The Imperishable Knight aims the wand at Adams and opens fire!
A ray of vaporization surges forward. And Adams realizes that there's nothing he can do.
Just then, Tabi pushes him out of the way [1/3]!
Tabi's ribcage is torn from her body and her guts begin to spill out.
She spins through the air before collapsing on the ground.
Tabi will lay there on the ground, dying as she tries to hold her stomach inside of her body.

Isildur takes a step back and begins to go for the door.
Grigorov grabs Vendrix and pushes him into the Green Containment Cell.
They hide in there together, hoping the Imperishable Knight won't see them.
The enemy raises his wand again and blasts into the crowd in front of him.
Isiludr cries out and dashes through the door just in time to avoid being melted.
However, the door frame explodes and he is pelted with a rain of shrapnel.

"How dare he escape..." [9/2]

The Imperishable Knight ignores the others around him and dashes through the crowd.
Steveth will try to grab him but is roughly knocked to the ground.
Imperishable Knight will emerge into the tank room.
Now, standing over a wounded Isildur, he raises his wand again.
Then... he hears a crying sound. "Waaa... Waaa...."
He looks up at the Mismatched Palette Girl, who is holding the lump.
"What are you doing with that?" he asks angrily.
"I ... uh... I don't know?" She gives him an odd look. "What should I be doing with it?"
"Nevermind that. Just die in ignorance." He aims the wand at her and opens fire.
Mismatched Palette Girl runs out of the room as the wand explodes one of the tanks.
The Imperishable Knight starts to give chase, but he is tripped by Isildur.
The Knight kicks the downed man before resuming his chase.
Eventually, the Mismatched Palette Girl will run into the Round Room.
She jumps over the open chute and then skids to a halt on the far side of the room.
Jefferson, who had just been climbing out, will turn his head and look after her.
---

Holding the lump in her arms still, she looks for an escape route.
"Ah, here!" She looks inside of the open door only to find... the closet.
Yes, it's the same closet the Dust had opened earlier. "Ugh. Dead end!"
Mara is climbing out of the chute now. Jefferson extends a hand to held her up.

The Imperishable Knight comes running into the room. He aims his wand.
"Let go!" Mara shouts.
Jefferson, having the instincts of a Knight, obeys the command he is given.
Instantly and without question he releases his grip on Mara.
Mara kicks off of the wall and throws herself down the chute.
A blast of magic rushes into the room as the Jeweled Wand is fired again.
There is the sound of rushing air above Mara and she feels pressure pushing against her ear drums.
Hot, burning rubble fires down into the shaft after her.
Somehow she manages to turn her body in mid air and grab the hand holds.
Though her fingers are red and bruised she prevents herself from falling down. [15/1]

Lionel, who had sword drawn and ready for combat, turns to the enemy.
Everyone else here was either stunned or physically knocked over by the blast.
Mara just barely managed to escape being killed.
But Lionel... Lionel was ready.
While the enemy was charging his next attack, the student of Ni Moy will do some sick Tai Chi flips.
"Don't.... underestimate me!"
With a spinning slash he vaults over the opponent and slashes his helmet right off of his skull [3]!

The first layer of defense has been stripped away.

A Boss Token has been placed in the Round Room.
The Imperishable Knight will continue to attack three targets for every turn he is not killed.



[Player List]

Aron Rex, Lvl 7 Dog [Grappling Hook, Book of Circles]
Morgan, Lvl 2 Futanari [Sleepy]
Carl, Lvl 6 Dunce [Icy Knight Sword]
Spider-Mana, Lvl 6 Spider [Injury]
Dust, Lvl 4 Coolguy [Silver Bowharp, Dull Raincoat]
Sanders, Lvl 3 Colonel
S, Lvl 4 Mystery [Roll of Bandages]
Morris, Lvl 7 Alpha
Larrington, Lvl 4 Dilettante
Steveth, Lvl 3 Foreign Knight
Lionel, Lvl 7 Artist
Carwen, Lvl 5 Mineralmancer
Remulel, Lvl 6 Fighter [Injury]
Grigorov, Lvl 4 Goblin [Burned]
Isildur, Lvl 3 Fanciful [Injury]
Vendrix, Lvl 4 Cosplayer [Christmas Socks]
Batiri, Lvl 3 Goblin
Dee, Lvl 3 Slime [Injury]

Jefferson: A Knight of Frantz. Experienced but chatty.
Adams: A Knight of Frantz. Emotion is his weakness and strength.
Mara Raiev: An elvish spy. Who knows what she is even doing here?
Mismatched Palette Girl: You'll have to learn more about her.
Short: A Demon who was brought here for experimentation.

Deaths:
1. Revilio saw the Five Fingers of Death. Just a glimpse is enough.
2. Esme was ambushed by the Five Fingers of Death. Lowered her guard for only a moment.
3. Ishiene was melted by some projectile acid. Should've used her sword. Er, Adams' sword.
4. Bones died from overwhelming sadness. Can a skeleton weep?
5. Tabi was slain with the Wand of Vaporization. Died saving Adams...
---

Remulel runs back to the wagon to gather some supplies, hoping to find a ranged weapon or something to take care of this nagging injury.
---

Web up that filthy Wind Elemental and get the hell away from this bog.
---

How loud. How obnoxious. Can't proceed the way you want to go, but can't turn around because there's something that far exceeds the definition of trouble behind you. For Dust, it would be easiest to say that he's damn well trapped.

Except for one factor.

This DAMN NICE Bowharp. Time to actually play with the fancy toy...!

Dust will move back down to the stairs and begin taking potshots at the Imperishable Knight from a safe distance
---

Larrington curses. "Oi demon, help us with this fellow and you'll get a cut of the treasure. After all, if this thing has been here, maybe he was one of the ones who experimented on you!"

Larrington will aid Lionel by distracting the Imperishable Knight.
---

Important Amendment: I forgot to mention this but since Aron Rex is already on the roof he can grapple to the Tower from here.
---

Carl Cohn the Coin Conjurer dusts himself off as he returns into the dungeon with his arm and ribs all bandaged up. Ah yes, bandages....nature's cure all!

Carl then notices some bulky knight dude cornering a girl and her screaming child! Well this simply won't do! Carl takes out a coin and flips it into the air! He follows up with a jump flip and catches it in mid air, landing near the Knight in cool fashion to get his attention! The Knight just glances over at him

"Mmm?"

Carl smirks!

"I am the man with no name....Carl Cohn at your service"

The Knight just looked at him

"I...didn't really ask who you are."

Carl was taken aback

"Oh...well...I'm not letting you harm that lady and the...kid! You know what...?"

The Knight continued to just stand there, not noticing Carl glancing up at something or someone

"...What?"

Carl did a cool stance and whipped out his icy knight blade. A stream of cold air shot out causing his purple scarf to blow around

"You should...chill"

Oh hell yes, that totally sounded cool as fuck Carl thought. He bet that lady and that "kid" thought it was cool too

Everyone else can tell they were rolling their eyes though!

---

Carl Cohn shall assist Dust in fighting the Imperishable Knight by attacking the Knight with his ICY KNIGHT SWORD
---

S will use his new Heavy Spear and fight in the melee and keep an eye out for any enemy back-up.
---

Lionel was ready.

To his left, Larrington has perhaps loosened the Imperishable Knight's attention from him. Elsewhere and not so terribly far away, Carl has done the same -- albeit peculiarly.

In life, there are moments that crystallize.

Lithe Lionel, uninjured and calculably selfless, has little trouble weaving his body to and fro in a deceptive sword dance as he closes the distance between himself and the Knight. It is an ancient dance, full of manipulative tempo meant to keep his enemies on their toes and provide some measure of piecemeal evasion should the plan go awry. All-the-while, Lionel is lunging half-forward and then pivoting, or swinging ahead but backing down. The dance continues, and like a viper it is difficult to ascertain when the true strike will come.

When it happens, Lionel has skillfully brought himself near to behind the Imperishable Knight. Waiting for the perfect opportunity -- the crystallized moment in which their enemy might truly be overcome by the cacophony of noise and baubles that Larrington and Carl and others perhaps have provided -- Lionel thrusts his sword in a chopping motion toward the nape of the Knight's neck, with intent to sever head from body.
---

Still rubbing his eyes, Grigorov grabs the bracers and waist guard. Not quite what he was hoping for, but if he finds a gun, he has a place to put it, he guesses?
---

we're all going to die from a kobold overrun now

just watch
---

Implying the Kobolds won't be taken down and / or won over by Team [S]anders

Never underestimate the power of KFC
---

"Sir Knight!" Morris yells at Jefferson, indicating he wants to team up with Jefferson against the Imperishable Knight. Morris' whip is ready and he looks for an opening.
---

Carwen, too busy investigating to pay attention to all the ruckus, will attempt to knock out the gas tube from a distance and check out what lies behind it.
---

Isildur, with the flames of justice gleaming in his eyes, boldly grabs onto the Imperishable Knight's legs while crying and refuses to let go.
---

brilliant
---

Sanders looks around at the surrounding Kobolds, thinking of ways to end this conflict. Then, suddenly, he thinks of something.

"S, wait! Don't attack them, these guys are our lovely customers!"

Sanders will drop his cane and hold his hands up.

"My lovely friends, you all are extremely lucky, you all have just won a lifetime supply of chicken."

Sanders will toss the Kobolds a sample of chicken.

"Don't be afraid, take bite or two out of it, I've been told it's finger lickin good."

"All you have to do is help us with our current task, and I promise you, on the honor of a colonel and our lovely chicken, you, your family, your children, will never know the strifles of hunger again."

Sanders will try to win over the Kobolds.
---

(I feel dread at the Kobold Melee only having 2 PCs)
---

I'd say another two or so on kobold should have that situation locked down (at least to avoid the negative part)?
---

Vendrix will peek out of the room " That must have been a boss! He must be stopped before more people die..."
Vendrix turns to Grigorov "Thank you for pulling me to safety, had that knight turned his attention toward us I'm not sure we would still be standing here now. But what kind of a dragon would I be if I hide like a coward while others fight to stop this menace!"

Vendrix will chase after the imperishable knight and after finally catching up to him will notice a handful of people already fighting him " Looks like the fight has already begun, strange really, Im used to seeing a fog wall blocking the entrance to the boss fight.."

Sounds of yet another battle can be heard "Oh? There is another battle happening at the same time! With this many people fighting the boss there might not be enough people to fend off whatever is attacking over there.."

Vendrix will arrive at the melee to see that kobolds are getting ready to attack S and...".. Huh? Is that Colonel Sanders? How did the owner of KFC get here.. " 'Regardless, there is a fight about to happen here..' Vendrix will pull out his trusty deodorant and lighter. 'The temperature is about to rise..'

Vendrix will aid S and Sanders in the melee
---

That makes 3 now for the Kobold melee
---

Good.
---

Wouldn't hurt to have one more in the melee to even the odds..
---

RAWWWWWR! Dee was enraged! Who did this knight guy think he was to lash out at her like that? Dee was injured, but not out of the game, and she wanted revenge.

Flowing her way back and out the room she had known for so long, she traced the knight's movements, finding him in an even bigger room being attacked by more of the humanoids of similar stripe to the ones that had freed her. The knight had lost his helmet, which meant now was Dee's best opportunity to turn the tide against it.

Dee will team up with Lionel's attack aimed for the neck, and in a slime form seek to pour into the knight's armor, destroying it from where it could not hope to strike back.
---

(Just like to mention it said packs, not a pack of kobolds)
---

Aron Grapplrs the tower to get over to the commotion, helping to defend the group from trouble
---

Mara begins to diligently climb back out of the chute which leads to the oubliette.
"Hey, damn it, you're in the way." Short snaps at her.
"What is going on up there...?"

Remulel would like to help out in the fighting.
However, in his current condition, there isn't much he can do.
He sees Carl returning from the wagon in better shape than before.
"Of course... gathering supplies is the essence of adventure!"
Remulel will head to the wagon.
Apparently any player may use their action to go to the wagon and look for supplies.
At the very least you'll be able to heal your injury this way.
With a bit of luck you might also find some equipment in the wagon bed.
Remulel will hastily apply some bandages to his face.
At that time he also retrieves a Wide Sword.
It's a bit different from a Short Sword, because it is wider [2].

You will not gain levels from using the wagon.
Repeatedly using the wagon will have little effect.

Spider-Mana manages to distract the Wind Elemental by firing webs at it [2].
The Spider will retreat from the bog for now and escape back to the castle area.
He can hear the sounds of battle from inside.
Are those dumb adventurers getting themselves into trouble again...?

Dust sneaks down to the foot of the stairwell.
From here he can get a good look at the enemy.
The Imperishable Knight is wearing a solid suit of black armor.
Now that his helmet has been knocked off you can see he has long black hair.
Well, that makes sense.
It's not like he would have gotten a haircut in the last 2,000 years.
Once the fighting breaks out Dust will ready his Bowharp.
"This would be easier if I could get a flanking attack," he mutters to himself.
At that time a particularly observant fool, Carl, notices Dust over there.
He makes eye contact with Dust and gives him the signal to attack together.
Lionel and the others are temporarily pushed back.
Now was their time to strike.
Wordlessly, Carl transmits a message;
If we strike at the same time then we can surely catch this enemy off guard.
Carl readies his Icy Knight sword. It begins to glow blue with residual magic.
Yes, this is the magic of Lady Ishiene. With this kind of weapon he cannot fail.
Dust pulls back the string of the Bowharp and readies a Silver Arrow.
With this arrow... with this power... all he needs is for a brief opening to appear.
If he can exploit that opening he will shoot the enemy down.
It could happen. No, there was a good chance it would happen.
Actually, beyond that, for sure, it was going to happen!
Carl dashes forward. He goes in low to the ground.
Then with a lunge and a thrust he raises his body upward.
There's a SNAPPING sound as the Silver Arrow fires through the air.
There's no way he could defend from both attacks at once.
The Imperishable Knight... was finished.

WOOSH

There's a rushing sound as he twists his body and spins.
The Knight Sword bites into the black plate and scraps off of the armor harmlessly.
By simply adjusting the angle of his body he was able to make the attack glance off the plate [1].
Similar to how the slanted armored hull of an Arland Tank could cause artillery shells to bounce off and deal less damage to the body of the tank.
Carl is left standing there, defenseless, right before the enemy.
This was it. He was in a really bad position. If this next attack didn't land he was done for.
---

The Imperishable Knight catches the silver arrow.
He snaps his body back the other way and throws it with heroic strength and speed.
There's a whistling sound and the arrow jams its way right through the door frame.
Dust, who had hidden back behind the door for cover, is taken off guard.
The point of the arrow sticks through the wall and jabs him in the back [1].
"Ack.."
Dust collapses to his hands and knees. Then he puts his hand on his back and feels blood pooling out from there.
Carl raises his arms in front of his face.
It's the only thing he could do. It was the only, limited defense he had available.
The Imperishable Knight clotheslines him right in the torso with immense force.
Carl goes flying back through the doorframe and out into the entry hall.
He tumbles to the ground, going temporarily limp.
Then... his body begins to quiver and he starts to rise to his feet again.
It seems his injuries must have still been slowing him down or something.
Plus, on top of that, having already bandaged them once, he doubted going to the wagon again would help.
Was he really going to be so useless? Even in this kind of battle?

Larrington, seeing that the fighting was going badly, calls down to Short.
"Hey, Demon! Get up here and help us! This bastard up here probably experimented on you or something!"
Short's ears will perk up. It was obvious that such a stupid plea wouldn't work.
I mean, would a Demon even care about something like that?
And who the hell at all cared about protecting humans?
Plus, down there, he couldn't even see the enemy up above.
There was just no reason for him to even trust what was going on.
Mara looks down below her and sees something glowing.
"Mara, look out," Short mutters.
However, where the hell could she even go with such little warning?!
She presses her chest flat against the wall and stops climbing.
There's a loud BANG from below as the power of Combustion is activated.
A mid level Demonic ability at best. It was more than enough to get the job done.
Rings of sulphur explode from beneath Short's feet.
Mara can see black streaks left on the floor behind him as Short is launched into the air.
There's a rush of hot wind and she lets out a shriek as she is smashed into the side of the chute.
Mara falls again and barely manages to regain her footing before crashing all the way down.
Was she ever going to climb back out of this tunnel?
Meanwhile, Short, is taking the opposite journey--
Like a bullet out of the chamber of a gun he explodes from the top of the chute.
Then he'll land on his feet ... wreathed in flames.
"Yes... I smell it on him..." Short sounds pretty angry.
Larrington gives him a wide-eyed look and steps back.
Short clenches and unclenches his fist. His claws begin to regrow as he prepares for battle.
"This fucker has a Demon Soul inside of him. Meaning... one of my comrades died for the sake of you!"

"Waking up Demons?" Imperishable Knight was not pleased with this development. "I'll make you pay."
He charges his wand and goes after Larrington.
Larry screams and tries to run away, but there isn't much of anywhere to go.
At this point the fighting to the east will ramp up.
The fighters from over there spill into the room along with a horde of kobolds.
Larrington manages to climb onto an enemy shield and vault into the air.
ZAP!
A ray of pure energy fires into the air, trying to shoot him.
Yes, like this, while Larry was in the air, he couldn't change his trajectory.
For that reason he couldn't dodge either. That meant, for sure, he would be killed.
---

Short decides to postpone his revenge.
Even if it was just a Human he owed this guy that much at least.
Short jumps into the air and grabs Larrington.
Because of the momentum he's able to spin through the air and rotate his body.
This protects Larrington from getting hit [2].

... and Short absorbs the full brunt of the attack [1].
"GAH!"
Short howls in pain as his flesh is disintegrated by the blast.
They tumble to the ground together and he goes limp as Larrington rolls out of his arms.
The Demon digs his extended claws into the ground.
He's in so much pain now that he's scraping away at the stone to try and distract himself.
Even with this much he seems unable to even get back up to his feet.

Lionel moves to protect Larrington and Short before the Imperishable Knight can finish them off.
Dee enters the room at this time. "I'll help!"
Lionel glances at her for a moment but finds himself unable to say anything.
Then he'll try to focus on the battle ahead as he advances on the enemy.
However, there was a minor distracting thought in his mind. "... Cute."
Lionel starts using acrobatic and agility based maneuvers to try and distract the enemy.
At this time Dee will turn liquid and launch herself into the enemy armor suit.
From here she can weigh him down or even attack his body.
What could he do about it? Smash his own armor to pieces? Unlikely!
Lionel decides to resort to the tried and true tactic that he learned from reading shounen manga.
Simply attack your enemy from the front...
The Imperishable Knight raises his wand.
"Heh. Too slow."
BUT LIONEL WAS ACTUALLY ALREADY BEHIND HIM!!
Imperishable Knight looks over his shoulder. "Wha- ... Impossible!"
Lionel's blade slams into the back of the opponents neck guard [3].
With a sweeping motion he drives the point in and then slashes downward.
With Dee holding the enemy in place he's unable to do much about it [2].
Together they easily strip away the second layer of defense.
The main chest plate falls away and Dee spills back out.
Lionel is able to roll away and regain his feet before being counter attacked.
If he had to guess... there was probably one layer of defense remaining!

Grigorov retrieves the apparently scarce armor set from the containment cell.
Why would anyone put a piece of armor in a containment cell in an experimental research facility anyway?
The whole thing made no sense.
In any case he puts on the bracers.
After that he'll strap the holster around his waist.
The metal waist guard is thin and doesn't cover much but it might protect him.
Like... if someone tried to stab him in the hip. He guessed?
Examining the belt more closely he runs his finger across it.
When his finger touches the buckle there is a flicker of light.
"Ah!.... Ow..." He feels something prick the back of his wrist.
Actually, he felt that on both arms at the same time.
Was it... shit.... some kind of trap?!
Grigorov turns over the bracers, examining the underside of them.
Maybe it wasn't too late to take them off.
Then he feels his heart rate begin to stabilize.
Actually, he feels pretty much everything right now.
Even the most sensitive changes in pressure or light.
All around his senses are heightened while wearing this armor.
His body also feels lighter and... he's not sure but... he's probably stronger too.
Grigorov has equipped the Ganthian Half-Mail.
---

Note: Ganthian Equipment is attuned to the wearer.
Its power and ability will increase depending on their fluctuating Willpower.

Morris, wasiting as few words as possible, knows that now is the time to attack.
He brandishes his whip and calls for Jefferson to back him up.
"Right," Jefferson replies. "We'll respond to the enemy before us with the power of a Knight!"
"Foul Demon!" Jefferson calls out. He is as chatty as always. "Prepare to be punished."
"My blade was tempered with Justice! I was trained by the Iron Knight."
"There is no way I will fail to vanquish you here!"
Morris starts to feel embarrassed and wishes he had called someone else for backup.
The enemy, however, starting to see the power of ridiculous combat tropes, decides to play along.
If Lionel was able to do that much by copying Bleach, the enemy figured he could gain a power up as well.
All he needed to do was say something suitably evil and cocky.
The Imperishable Knight, blood dripping down his back, flexes his muscles.
He smiles a cocky smile.
"Fool. A mere Knight like you was born for... for what? Honor? Duty?"
"That kind of nonsense won't get you anywhere in life. You'll never defeat someone like me."
"I was not 'born,' Sir Knight. I was made. With one design."
He raises his wand.
"To destroy the world of Humans."

"You fiend!" Jefferson cries out.
Shit. Morris realized that Jefferson was playing into it, as well.
With this he would only make the opponent stronger!

The enemy advanced on them. His power level was clearly rising from this kind of scene.
The boss would definitely power up and crush them after giving that kind of monologue.
Was this it... was Morris doomed to die as fodder?
Could he do nothing more than job to the enemy in order to make the next Hero appear stronger?
His hands began to sweat. It was over. There was nothing he could do.
Nothing... unless...

Morris raised his whip arm behind him.
Putting all anxiety over how stupid he looked aside, pushing it into his gut, he raised his voice.
It was time to activate the 'If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them' strategy!
Over the sound of battle, in this chaotic situation, Morris only had one option.
He had to make himself into a Main Character.
"I'll make sure not another person dies!" He swings his whip once. SLASH!
"Die monster! You don't belong in this world!" With a second swing he slashes away another piece of armor.
"And when I return home I'll become the Hokage!"
There's a clanging and a clatter sound as the third armor piece goes flying into the wall.
Jefferson moves to defend him, parrying the enemy attack somehow with his blade.
That guy could deflect magical blasts this entire time?!
They'll both be knocked back by the explosion as the magical bolt hits the ground in front of them.
Then as the smoke clears, the enemy will emerge from the haze.
Of course... he was completely unscathed.

"... Shit. He one-upped us even further," Jefferson will observe.
Yes, the enemy relied on the 'Emerge From A Super Attack Completely Unscathed' trope.
It was the perfectly reliable 100% Defense.
However, it did seem as if the third layer of defense was stripped away [3].

Morris' Class has changed to Main Character!

Carwen gets a long pole from the pool cleaning supplies.
She'll look over at Grigorov with his newly found device.
"Hey, check this out over here too." She'll prod at the gas tube until she manages to pry it loose.
This leaves a hole in the wall that is definitely a size she could crawl inside.
---

Carwen cautiously squats down and peaks into the area beyond.
The pipe seems to veer off up ahead.
For that reason it's impossible to tell what might lay at the end of this route.
The only way to find out is to go there yourself.

Those in the Round Room will receive a frightening realization.
The enemy armor had been stripped away from the fighting, it was true.
But that armor had only been slowing him down.
In the end all they managed to do was expose his weak point while changing him into his Final Form.
The Imperishable Knight was likely now more dangerous than ever.
Even more surprising...
That pathetic guy, Isildur, had actually still been clinging the opponents leg this entire time!
Isildur looks up at Mismatched Palette Girl and gives her a thumbs up.
"Don't... (pant)... worry..."
"I'll hold him back so.... you can... (pant)... escape..."
The Imperishable Knight shakes Isildur off, kicking him down the chute.
Mara manages to catch him before he falls all the way down [2].
Lucky. With his Injury he likely would have died if Mara had not caught him.

While this was going on, of course, some others were engaged in a melee battle with the Kobolds.

The battle is not going so well at first.
S, who had intitially gotten a sneak attack in, was quickly overwhelmed by the foes.
The extra ones that streamed out into the hall trampled him down.
It was hard to see exactly what happened but he was pushed into the ground and stabbed repeatedly [1].
Therefore... S was slain!
Sanders, foolishly, tries to Negotiate with the enemies.
However, since they are unable to make eye contact or engage in basic conversation, they charge him.
Sanders is bodied by two great shields and pushed against the wall.
Then, while pinned there, he is skewered with spears [1]!

Vendrix, all alone now, will stand in the doorway and try to hold back the incoming tide.
With his improvised flame thrower he's able to take down the first few that charge down the corridor [3].
After that he's forced to retreat into the round room and do his best to mitigate the flow of Kobolds.
While, at the same time, he's trying to avoid the Imperishable Knight and get dragged into a boss battle.
Just when it starts to seem hopeless, Aron comes crashing in through the window above!
Apparently he had swing across the roof.
He throws his grappling hook down and swings low to the ground.
There's a CRASH! as he knocks two of the shielder bearers over.
Although it is odd, Vendrix finds himself assisted by a small giant dog.
That is to say, a normal dog jumps into the melee and begins to help with defending [3]!

[Four Blocks in total were applied to the Melee.]
[The Kobolds were too busy fighting the others to interfere with the rest of the party.]
[As the battle begins to wind down they are driven out of the Round Room and even flee from the keep.]
[The Social Anxiety Kobolds have been driven away from the dungeon!]

Laying in the room beyond, where they came from, is a Kobold Lair and a Kobold Treasure Hoard.
The Lair has been abandoned, since they were scared of dogs and this caused them to run off.

The Imperishable Knight, however, is still here.
And stronger than ever!
Without his armor slowing him down be begins to zip around the chamber at high speeds.

Dust fires a bolt through the door frame at the enemy, keeping him at bay. [3/1]
He manages to reload the Silver Bowharp again while holding his bloody side.
Luckily, the enemy already dashed away and went after the next enemy.
Morris fights the enemy to a standstill. [4/2]
With his increased Level and Main Character status he is the perfect candidate to block an attack.
You could say the party got lucky that Morris was attacked.
---

Adams... is not so fortunate.
He happens to walk into the room right while the fighting is going on.
A stray piece of shrapnel flies across the room and strikes him in the torso. [10/2]
"Shit.."

Adams falls to one knee.
"Two people already died... to protect me..."
He sinks to the ground. He clutches his chest.
The blood won't stop flowing. It won't stop pouring out of him.
"Can I really die in such a pathetic way...?"
Adams goes limp.

The Imperishable Knight smirks.
"Are you ready for my next attack?"
The Jeweled Wand shimmers.




[Player List]


Morgan, Lvl 2 Futanari [Sleepy]
Spider-Mana, Lvl 6 Spider [Injury]
Steveth, Lvl 3 Foreign Knight
Carwen, Lvl 6 Mineralmancer
Remulel, Lvl 6 Fighter [Wide Sword]
Grigorov, Lvl 5 Goblin [Burned, Ganthian Half-Mail]
Isildur, Lvl 4 Fanciful [Injury]
Batiri, Lvl 3 Goblin

Aron Rex, Lvl 9 Dog [Grappling Hook, Book of Circles]
Carl, Lvl 6 Dunce [Injury, Icy Knight Sword]
Dust, Lvl 5 Coolguy [Injury, Silver Bowharp, Dull Raincoat]
Morris, Lvl 10 Main Character
Larrington, Lvl 5 Dilettante
Lionel, Lvl 9 Artist
Vendrix, Lvl 6 Cosplayer [Christmas Socks]
Dee, Lvl 5 Slime [Injury]

Jefferson: A Knight of Frantz. Experienced but chatty.
Adams: A Knight of Frantz. Emotion is his weakness and strength. Seemingly dead.
Mara Raiev: An elvish spy. Who knows what she is even doing here?
Mismatched Palette Girl: You'll have to learn more about her.
Short: A Demon who was brought here for experimentation. Badly Injured.

Deaths:
1. Revilio saw the Five Fingers of Death. Just a glimpse is enough.
2. Esme was ambushed by the Five Fingers of Death. Lowered her guard for only a moment.
3. Ishiene was melted by some projectile acid. Should've used her sword. Er, Adams' sword.
4. Bones died from overwhelming sadness. Can a skeleton weep?
5. Tabi was slain with the Wand of Vaporization. Died saving Adams...
6. S was killed while protecting the others from Social Anxiety Kobolds.
7. Sanders tried to negotiate with monsters and got killed. Too good for this world.


---

Remulel glances in and sees, perhaps somewhat mistakenly, that the Knight has been dealt with. Noticing that nobody has bothered to investigate the other side of the area, he heads to check Area B.
---

It hurts. It's really painful. I don't like it. Why did I have to try to step up and be cool enough to fell the boss knight?

Well, the fact that it's so painful means I'm not dead.

Yet.


Dust, heartened by the success of the people that attacked after him and the fact that he survived the first blow, will notch another arrow and let loose.
---

mechanical hint;

statistically speaking if four people attack the Imperishable Knight this turn he is about 99% likely to die. for that reason you probably don't need to pile 10 attacks onto him and you could focus on other stuff.
---

"...."

Time seems to slow from his perspective as Carl glances around the room. That Adams guy and that weird looking kid were dying and injured. If they were gonna have any chance of surviving, this battle had to be finished asap!

That plated bastards wand started glowing again

"..."

What the hell was he gonna do though? This whole time he had kept fucking up, the exact opposite of cool. He couldn't even get a damn lock open with a magical sword for fucks sake!

Even so, he had to keep going. This wasn't about looking cool anymore, even if he were to go down he had to at least try to end this to help those other two guys on death's door and everyone else

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHakl2bMQYI

Carl shakily reaches into his coat and pulls out a weird looking coin! He flips it high into the air!

Yeah this may be for nothing
He may not be the sharpest spoon in the drawer
Hell, or even the coolest guy around



but damn it, even if he was gonna fail again and die he'd be damned if he was gonna give up against this Knight Punk

He was too dumb to quit!

Carl works in tandem with Dust and attacks the Knight with his ICY KNIGHT SWORD, this acts as a feint as he suddenly follows up by reaching up to grab the coin! He winds up and tries decking that plated bastard into the stratosphere


---

"sigh Seems like S died," M mutters to herself, "And he thought another woman was me.... Might as well his body for those daggers of his."

M enters the dungeon and using the tracker she placed on S, sneaks around the crazy people in the main chamber and loots S's body.
---

Something changed in Larrington. As he ran earlier, he knew he was done for. But somehow, he was pulled down and out of the way, at just the right time. As the two collapsed to the floor, Larrington knew that he only had his life thanks to this demon.

With that thought, he brought himself to his feet. If the demon was to die for him, then he would make sure it was not in vain. Drawing his rapier which he had never used on a living thing before, Larrington awkwardly grasped it with both hands and charged forward at the Knight with an unintimidating battle squeal.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
---