Chapter 2: The Ruler Convention
Chapter 2: Return to Crystal Kumen
Session 170: The Spirit's Will
Location: The Spiritalist Realm
The council, with Simon and Vyvy in tow, arrive at the Spiritualist stronghold. Thousands of enemies both surround and fill the base, and the situation feels dire as they ponder how to infiltrate. Vyvy reluctantly elects to contact the Aquarius, requesting their aid, as well as asking them to contact the Academy and the Alliance for further assistance. Yuki acknowledges the request. Afteward, they discuss wishing to talk it out instead, but realize it may be impossible at this point.
Location: The Academy
Kalam briefs the Academy team on the layout of the stronghold, suggesting ways to slow the enemy forces and informing them of a secret entrance. They intend to infiltrate the stronghold through this entrance, although Grandfather Windrunner is apparently scheduled to arrive and act as a distraction as well. The group teleport to the front with Sylph's help.
Location: Aquarius
Yuki tells Erica about the situation and suggests that due to their alliance, they have to help. Erica readily agrees, but Chronos is suspicious of them, even as Cookie explains about the situation between the spiritualist factions. The Aquarius sets its course.
Location: Spiritalist Realm
Celsius and Shiva have created a snowy diversion, as the team appear closer to the secret entrance. Vyvy and Simon agree that on their part, avoiding combat as long as possible is ideal. Archers take position, ready to ambush the group, but they are headed off by Celsius and Shiva's efforts.
The main team, headed by Shion and Kalam, rush ahead into the secret entrance. Unfortunately, they end up in a twisted hallway that has partially collapsed, and Gwen and Liana nearly fall. They eventually make their way into an empty room where they can see out onto the walkways. As they wonder where their distraction is, an old man flies over on a fire-breathing dragon! Vyvy's group uses the distraction to their advantage, and Shiva's snowman soldiers begin to march.
Location: Aquarius
The Aquarius arrives above the stronghold, with Erica strapped into a harness manning a railgun on top of the ship. Down below, the spiritualist army begins to summon massive spirits, so Erica focuses her fire on them. Soon, Pepper joins her, with Saoirse in gun form, and the Aquarius itself begins its attack.
Location: Spiritalist Realm
Things begin exploding as Team Shion is advancing, and they are left with the choice of either closing the gates to cut the enemy off, or advance onward to the inner chambers. As Sasha wishes to close the gate whereas Shion wishes to head inward, the group decides to split up. Gwen, Maeryn, Ellie, and Talia accompany Sasha for now.
Simon rides Dragon Vyvy valiantly, while Shiva's snowman army is destroyed by many summoned Salamanders. Vyvy summons the real Salamander in attempt to stop them, while Liana's grandfather is shot down. Refusing to give up, he begins fighting the enemy army one at a time, even wrestling them. He moves to suplex Vyvy, but realizes that she is a "tamed dragon", or so he claims.
Location: Aquarius
Yuki suggests using the spirit cannon as their shields are losing power. Pepper takes out the enemy Gnomes, and Erica follows by neutralizing the enemy Undines. Kaylin begins powering up the main weapons, while Liana's grandfather below rides on Vyvy, throwing his sword like a boomerang. Enemy Celsius begin to freeze the engines as the enemy troops begin to scatter. Chronos gives them 1 minute of slowed time. With help from Cookie, the gunners and Vyvy in sync manage to decimate the area, leaving few troops left.
Location: Stronghold Gate
Sylph uses her power to help Sasha's group move, making use of the distractions that have been created. They quickly reach the gate mechanism without being noticed, and though Sasha is about to get the key anyway, Liana simply picks the lock, lowering the gate. Sasha deadpans, seeing that everything she was about to do is already done.
Location: Stronghold Inner Chamber
Team Shion arrive at the inner chambers, unnoticed by the guards, who are soon put to sleep by Ceilia. When they enter, the man and woman inside rise, expressing surprise at seeing Kalam. They accuse Kalam of being a traitor, as ironic as that is coming from them. They threaten the group about the council finding out, only for the council members to then appear, saying they are very unhappy indeed... unhappy at the spiritualist group for causing the incident.
Location: Stronghold Exterior
Outside, Erica and Grandpa Windrunner fight alongside Simon, working on clearing up the remaining enemies. Shion announces that the battle is over, and Liana's grandpa is about to make Vyvy into his new dragon permanently, but she reverts to human form. Kalam appears to take leadership of the spiritualists in the aftermath, while Liana is finally reunited with her grandfather once again. Alita and Ceilia even ask for his signature.
Erica expresses her regrets that things could not be done peacefully, and that many people died this day. However, Kalam states that because of their actions, many lives that would have died, as well. Mykel welcomes Kalam's forces into the Alliance, while Sasha suggests that when they return, a party should be held. Vyvy tackles Yuki, and the mood seems to have improved once again.
Location: The Club
Asarar points to the time gate, indicating that it is flickering between blue, red, and white. They speculate that it is a message from the kids in the future... or that the future is changing. Asarar states that if there is a problem, they must check it out, and that she will get the other teams ready as well.
Session 171: Return to the Future
Location: The Academy
Shion has called a meeting. On Yuki's visit to the Academy, she informed Shion about the fact that the Time Gate appeared disrupted, and that the Club was organizing an expedition. She tells them that any who wish to volunteer should meet her at the shuttle in an hour, while any others can stay to defend the Academy.
The team begins thinking about this, while Shion pulls Sasha aside, asking Sasha if she intends on becoming the Queen of Hapian, as the school faculty have put forth her name as prospective Headmistress instead. Sasha decides that she will have to think about this. In all, Maeryn, Gwen, and Liana decide to stay behind.
Location: The Aquarius
The Aquarius crew ponder the fact that the Aquarius isn't likely to fit through the Time Gate. Erica suggests that Mireille might be able to make it fit. Either way, they are to meet up with the Club team, as the Aquarius is going to carry both teams. Pepper is baffled by the idea of a gate to the future. In any case, they depart.
Location: Club
At the Club, the team doctor examines Luci, determining that she is 8 months pregnant. Kira, on the other hand, is 2 months pregnant. Cypher steps out of the bathroom shortly after the doctor finishes examining Luci, having thrown up after what she thought was a bad sandwich. The team decide who is going on the trip to the future and begin gearing themselves up. Riki wants to go, but they manage to convince her that she's too important. Yuki leaves little Yurica with Luci before they depart for the Aquarius.
Location: Aquarius
All three of the teams are gathered, although only the Aquarius bridge crew and Chelsea are allowed to go to the bridge. Erica gives the order to get underway, and pilots the ship through the gate manually without issue. Mireille tells them that there is a lot more time turbulence, and that this future is likely not going to remain connected to their timeline much longer. They are soon engulfed by a time bubble, and the Academy and Club teams vanish from the ship.
When the Aquarius emerges, the future's Time Gate is nowhere to be seen, as they find themselves in a different place than they had last time they were here. The Aquarius systems are damaged, and Little seems to have vanished into time, leaving them with no head engineer to save them now. They eventually determine that they are on the Island of Priests. The Aquarius makes a desert landing. They sortie an away team while Airym stays behind to repair the ship.
Location: Capital Island
The Academy team appears in grasslands, with no ship to help them. As they look around, they find that there is a large city to the north. When they reach it, they find that it is a heavily fortified high-tech city, with many soldiers on guard. Sasha prefers a diplomatic approach, while Shion elects to try passing for the other Shion. They manage to walk inside, seeing even the houses themselves fortified. The soldiers are happy to see Shion, having heard that she, or rather their own Shion, had been killed. The nearest house is emptied and given to them for now.
Shion lays out a map. They find that they are at island B, the Capital. They see that A has been marked away in red, which could indicate its destruction or that the children managed to take it over. The team worry that Sylph and Shade may be noticed and get them into trouble, but Sylph has so far avoided detection by simply hiding under Ellie's hat. Shion orders those who are able to fly to do an aerial sweep, while she will do facility inspection herself.
Location: Island of Priests
The Aquarius crew enter a city full of priests, with no normal civilians in sight. Yuki distributes cloaks for everyone to wear so that they will blend in with the priests. The priests give off strange energy vibes, and Pepper finds them creepy. They'll have to be on their best behavior to blend in...
Location: Old Capital Island
Asarar and Cypher are laying on the ground as they arrive, and Cypher promptly throws up again. Ahead, they can see the Capital that was overthrown by the kids previously, and people are approaching. Kira notes that she seems to be more pregnant than she was when they left, which Asarar confirms, saying that their aging seems to have sped up in the trip. The people who were approaching are revealed to be Seniga, Nell, future Cypher, Bix, and Cherie. They express surprise at the group's arrival, with future Cypher saying "Holy shit, they came!"
Session 172: Children and Parents
Location: Continent A, The Old Capital
Having run into the kids, who are 4 years older now, the Club team are led toward the old capital by Seniga, where the kids now have a base of operations. They are informed that Ruhi is in charge now, and that an SOS had been sent 2 years ago, although the team had only now arrived. The city seems a lot nicer than before, free of guards and oppression. Seniga explains that the timelines have diverged, and that this future will become a pocket reality.
They enter the capital building and are greeted by Ruhi, although it sounds like she was expecting enemies rather than friends. The Club team explain that the reason they are here is because they got the SOS, even though it was sent two years ago. Kira notes that the other teams were with them but that they all got separated.
Seniga begins to explain the current situation, telling the group that after they secured the capital, they began rallying with resistance groups, and managed to retake the entire continent, as well as making some headway with the third continent, where the entrance to the crystal hallways was. They hoped to destroy it, but were unable. The warrior C'en and priest C'en have banded together and are forming an enormous army. Their Shion is dead. Their Wind is missing. A new gateway has been opened on the Island of Priests.
Asarar notes that they should learn whatever they can, and they begin mingling with their children, with some meeting their children for the first time, such as Cypher meeting Cherie and her half-sister Bella. Before long, however, C'en ships are detected approaching. Tons of them. The city walls are raised, but the enemy ships begin bombing, with one even landing on the roof. The team head up to face it head-on, although Kira is told to stay behind due to her pregnancy by Cypher.
Bix draws their attention as they begin engaging the C'en who had disembarked from the ship. Cypher, Nell, and Max take the front, although Chelsea protests that Cypher shouldn't be fighting, seeming to suspect something but not managing to say. The C'en are extremely resilient, but as more of the team joins into the fight, the C'en numbers begin to dwindle. with Cherie administering first aid to the team.
Chelsea makes a break for the enemy ship, getting inside and finding it unprotected at first, but soon she is ambushed. Ruhi helps her avoid the attack as Chelsea turns on the ship's tractor beam, catching more enemy ships that were approaching, bringing them onto a collision course. Ruhi and Chelsea bail from the ship just before it, and the ones it had pulled in, explode, leaving clear skies. For now, they have repelled the enemy attack.
Location: Capital Island
Shion and Sasha are gone to inspect the facilities, along with those who are doing flying recon. Ceilia spots a large stronghold with several guardposts around it. She heads back to report. Meanwhile, Sylph asks if she should do recon as well, but Ellie is too worried about her safety. Soldiers question the civilians, looking for "the false Shion". They burst into the house, seizing Ellie, the only one who was left by herself.
Location: The Fortress
Shion and Sasha are brought to a generator room/armory full of weapons within in the city's stronghold, but soldiers soon burst into the room asking for Shion. It looks very likely that their ruse has been discovered.
Location: Capital Island
The team is reunited, other than Ellie, Shion, and Sasha. Simon proposes a plan to split up and destroy the 5 guardposts, targetting munitions, and set off a chain reaction. Alita destroys hers noisly, with Ceilia and Simon succeeding in their attacks as well. Two guardposts remain.
Location: Fortress Jail
Ellie is thrown to the floor by the Lord Commander of the Fortress, who demands to know where the false Shion is. Ellie plays dumb, while the Commander threatens her, telling her that her being a woman will not stop him from skinning her, and that she will make a fine coat. Ellie begins meowing, confusing the guards and buying a little time, but then she is ordered to be skinned.
Location: The Fortress
As Sasha and Shion are in trouble, Kito and Delgi appear, knocking out the guards. Shion foxholes the weapons in the room away, and Kito explains that fires have broken out in town, and that Ellie has been captured. The others arrive not long after, with Vyvy turning into dragon form and breathing fire upon guards.
Location: Fortress Jail
Ellie and Sylph join into their combined form, surprising the Lord Commander as he cries out that she is a spirit. He grabs a huge sword, but Ellie blasts it away with wind power as the others burst in. Ellie tells him to repent. He moves to charge, but then thinks better of it and runs away, living to fight another day. Ceilia is unable to stop him from going. Amidst all of this, they also find the corpse of the other Shion. Everyone escapes onto a shuttle, with some help from Ellie. With regrets for inflicting so much damage, they depart.
Location: Island of Priests
Yuki eyes a map, noting that there is a store ahead. Outside of the store, however, they see a large temple ahead. They detect temporal energies and crystals from it, leading to even more reason that they need to get the Aquarius up and running again. They'll look for supplies at the store to help them with the repairs.
Session 173: Crystal Future (2100?)
Location: Club Team, Same Day
The shuttle has broken down somewhere north of Island B. It's hot, and though Shion works on repairs, no one really helps her. For that matter, she seems like she is getting younger. It's suggested that they should look for parts in a nearby village. They debate how to travel, knowing that deserts can get extremely cold after sundown.
Location: Old Capital
After the attack on the old capital building, the team has regrouped. Seniga begins laying out the plan, once again mentioning the gateway the priests have been building, presumably to allow their troops through to the present. The hope was that they could fly the Aquarius through the gateway, but the Aquarius isn't accounted for right now. They will need all of the teams together for a three-pronged attack, especially since the warrior C'en are building superweapons and ships capable of facing the Aquarius. They do have shuttles they can use right now, but they are reverse-engineered ones, and it's unlikely anyone would want to power a shuttle using their life force as they seem to demand. Asarar ends up volunteering.
Location: Island of Priests
Erica has gone to scout and find parts. Yuki remarks about how hard it is to find a store, and Denise speculates that priests may not need stores. Cookie feels out mentally, looking for natives they can get information from. She finally gets the information, sensing a store in a run-down, scary old building. There are guards blocking the door, though, so they'll need to get past them first. After knocking the first couple of guards out, Denise tries a pregnancy act, and as she is about to be dragged away, they manage to take out the rest.
Within, they also find a locked steel doorway; a portal, although it's not attuned to the Aquarius. They begin loading a hovercart with supplies, and Airym manages to attune to the portal remotely. They prepare to leave, but a large and intimidating priest with a dark crystal staff is seen outside speaking to the other priests. He speaks of reuniting the wayward crystals, subjugating them, and then, repairing Centerpoint. His face is scarred, and looks almost as though it is half-melted. Yuki strongly wishes to stop the situation at hand, but everyone realizes that the situation is perhaps too dangerous.
Location: Desert Village
The Academy team manages to make it to the village as the cold of the night begins to set in. It is a village of natives, who are wary of the group, many of them hiding in their houses even as others dance around fires. The village elder eventually approaches them and questions them. The team emphasize their peaceful intentions and that they are not with the C'en, bringing the elder to relax and lead them over to the fire. Alita explains that they are looking for their friends who they got separated from, leading the elder to ask if the friends are in another village as he has food brought out to them.
The people of the village seem as though, in some ways, they have given up hope, as they talk about how those who try to reach the free cities, where their friends may have been headed, are always crushed in the end. He speaks of how their dancing is part of a celebration of life, as they must always remember that they are, after all, still alive. He tells the team that they are welcome to stay for the night while they await their friends.
Location: Club Shuttle
Asarar is getting hooked up to the shuttle. Cypher says that she can't watch, and she's going to throw up. Kid Cheryl says she is going to go easy on Asarar so that she won't be consumed by it, but it's harder to believe, watching the artificial blood flow into Asarar. Jinx tries to build mental blocks to prevent Asarar from suffering too much from the pain. Meanwhile, Riki has made a cake in the shape of Ruhi, and begins offering it. Cypher says she can't eat it, yet she starts eating it regardless.
Location: Aquarius
Yuki is panicked about the priest they saw, saying he's like a nightmare. She seems eager to tell Erica about it as well. She ponders the things he said, including how he mentioned a father that he serves. Kaylin says that she could have neutralized him, but Yuki disagrees, based on the dark crystal the man had, not to mention that there were at least 100 other enemies who would have attacked them in that situation. Ultimately, the decision to go after him themselves or wait for reinforcements will be up to Erica, she says. The repairs have progressed well, so they will launch as soon as Erica returns.
Session 174: Forbidden Knowledge Part I
Location: The Aquarius
As the Aquarius powers back online, they detect massive temporal over the Priest Capital. Chronos takes the Captain's chair when asked about what she can add temporal wise, taking Erica's Captain chair, she warns with the power of the pull, it will be one way for them. Realizing they are missing some of the other teams still, they ask Chronos to sense out other spirit energies, hoping to locate the other teams. Once they get a hit, they begin to follow Chronos' direction to begin searching for the nearest group. They land on a island where they find Shade learning a ritual dance of a village with Talia and Kito, Alita and Vyvy watching, Ellie ignoring, Mykel watching curiously, Simon studying the culture and Sasha eventually joining. Having tracked Sylph, the Aquarius crew picks them all up so they can prepare for the upcoming trials. Simon decides, as they prepare to lift off, to train with Chronos, who thinks it will be easy to break him.
Location: Mainland A
Cypher is outed as being pregnant, having learned it due to the time jump the group experienced reaching the kids in the alternate future; due to the jump, many of them have aged 3-4 months, accelerating those who are pregnant. Asarar, hooked up to the warrior ship finally, powers it up so the group can fly and prepare for their three prong attack plan. However, along the way, they encounter the Aquarius, who detects them flying a Warrior C'en ship and prepares to attack them. They quickly resolve the issue and land back on the Mainland where the kids have been planning; while they meet and greet each other, all three groups reunited, Chronos runs by telling Simon doesn't need to do any more trials and that she will be his summon.
Seniga goes through the plan once more now that all three groups are together, telling them how the three C'en groups are working together: The Uminites are creating a super weapon for the Zhen, the Zhen are amassing an army in order to invade the past through a time gate, and the priests are making the Time Gateway. The three teams and the kids prepare to decide who will tackle what, since orbital bombing will not work and civilians will get in the way. As some head to the Aquarius, Denise's water breaks.
Date: 10-637.4.12
Location: Prime Universe, Cheryl's Mansion
Wind prepares to take a team through to the Mirror Universe with Xevil leading a second team shortly after so that any stranglers can catch up. While Samson and Ben avoid each other, clearly not likely the other, others are more wary of Xevil and watch as he goes through their library. The first group, comprised of: Erevis, Megumi, Xanatos, Lenneth, Ren, Reikana, Chad, Cel, Durt, Cheryl, Angela, Marcus, and more all follow Wind through his portal, appearing in the same village that Shade and them left a while back.
Session 74: Forbidden Knowledge Part II
Location: Cheryl's Mansion
Xevil takes those who did get picked up from last time, such as President Dias, a new face Syiean, one of Ao's daughters, Rea, Kaori, and Angelos. They catch up to Cheryl's group, where some of them are trying to learn the village dance, much like the the Mirror Universe groups were doing. While Dias and Marcus bro it up, C'en crystal ships show up and begin to attack the village on their way northward. Reikana is buried in the sand, damaged, by the attacks, while many of the others like Syriean and Angelos hurl hyperspace to try to bring down the ships attacking the innocent villagers, killing them. An elite C'en warrior lands with the crashed ship and they have to battle it, which gives them a surprisingly hard time until they team attack it enough to get 4 shards once they kill by shattering the brain. However, using the Emerald Sword in the battle reveals it is damaging Erevis, with it threatening to go into the Ruby form, red veins crawling along her arm. They decide to split up, after hearing from the Elder of the village, that some people used their village for shelter, so Taiga leads a group to find the Resistance, while Erevis leads another group for the capital nearby.
Location: Crystal Pathways
Taiga, Kellin, Syiean, Angelos, Cel, Kaori, Saf, Ouka, Chad, and Tabetha find themselves on the pathways that connect the worlds instantly and the group instantly recognize it feels a bit like Centerpoint. Along the way they find foodprints that lead to a shortcut so they follow them, seeing what looks like to older pathways in disuse. However, along the way, they run into another Taiga, leaving both Taigas shocked, realizing this is not Tora. The other Taiga seems to realize what is going on and begins to explain what is happening, despite warning them it is dangerous to talk in the pathways. That everyone here is not duplicates, but people from previous turns that attempted to against the person that put this forth, and somehow they are a few that are still here despite the rest of the people they know are now dead.
Before she can tell who the enemy is, a wall chases after them, attempting to erase them before they can reveal more, or the others, so they have to try to escape as fast as they can in the pathways. Xevil leads them out of it but is erased helping a few escape, gone forever. Again. They manage to esape the Pathways and find the kids, with Cherie being molested by Tabetha and the others. Seniga explains the three prong attack plan to the group, as they settle down.
Meanwhile, Erevis' Team walks along the desert to the capital, with Erevis explaining the history of the Emerald Sword. As they arrive at a large citadel with soldiers gathing, they find Ellie's team covertingly watching the building, and Shion tackles them in greeting. Lenneth greets Vyvy and hugs her, and they are reunited with the groups. Some Temmies show up to sell them armor and items to help them in their fight, so they march forth.
Session 175: Forbidden Knowledge Part III
Location: Weapon Citadel Team
Seniga draws a map for her battle plan to handle the Citadel, so they can handle the Uminite Weapon inside. One group will go inside to work their way past the traps, while another group handles being decoys and drawing the warrior garrison that is protecting the Citadel. As they approach the Citadel, preparing to split up and cause chaos, they run into Reikana, brought in by the Elder of the village, serving as her guide, but he is killed by the Citadel forces, causing her to go into Noire more. With the battle raging on outside, one group slips inside as the other continues to act as a decoy, the inflitration group compromised of Chelsea, Seniga, Bix, Ziza, LJ, Max, Nell, Bella, Jinx, Bonnie and Logan. They are tasked with having to solve various mazes, puzzles, and other hardships, plus find that the food in the building is made up of people, to their horror. Once they drop the barrier, Taiga's group with Kellin, Kaori, Chad, Syiean, Noire, Angelos, Saf, and Ren begin to work their way up the Citadel on a different section.
Location: Warrior Capital Team
After some light banter and dressing, the team prepares to deal with the capital where the major warrior army is amassing with their new Temmie armor. They debate having Ellie going out and drawing the Warrior Leader since he has a mad on for her after she defeated him previous in Session 173. Shion comes up with a plan that allows Dias and Marcus to lead a team to deal with the barracks around the Warrior Citadel, while she leads a team directly to the Citadel to destroy it and seed chaos in the warrior army. Erevis, Si, Jem, Megumi, Rea, Mi'Na, Angela and Sunny join the two in their destruction champaign, heading off while Shion, Ellie, Lenneth, Xanatos, Talia, Alita, Durt, Mykel, Gor, Vyvy, Simon, and Ceilia go for the Citadel.
They find the Warrior Citadel where the base they destroyed in Session 173, rising up from the ruins of said base. Despite saying they should wait, Shion lets the mages - Alita, Simon, Ceilia as well as the gun users and TKs from Mykel, come down on the 30 defenders of the Citadel entrance . After wiping them out they barely manage to keep the gates from closing and get inside. During this, Dias starts an encounter with hundreds of enemies, dragging the entire group into it. They messily begin to empty it out, draining reserves, when 10 Lieutenant C'en Warriors arrive that take more more finese to take out, and the Ruby Sword tries to take over Erevis again. Megumi has to give some of her life force to help stablize her, and they all work back to back to slowly pick them off one by one. They leap onto Angela who has gone into dragon mode to escape the remaining few and to get Megumi to Isis for healing, retreating.
Location: C'en Homeworld Reach Team
Yuki prepares the Aquarius while Mireille floats in her chamber naked in the middle of the bridge, having brought it up to power the ship up more instead of just standing there. As they exit lightspeed, they appear in the Crystal Pathways, flying above them, to reach their target. They detect, as the ship tries to repower from having managed to make it int othe Pathways, a figure moving along them and they detect someone that looks like Taiga down there. Saorise grabs the other Taiga, who is not happy, while the Pathways erasure tries to get the Aquarius, making Erica having to go on the evasive mauevers, flying through the Pathways and trying to avoid smashing into walls as they find their way back to the C'en Homeworld.
Erica flies like the wind, doing the best she ever has, while Yuki confronts the other Taiga, learning that she is not her mom, nor a duplicate. She states this cycle must have gone different when Yuki asks if she is her mom and during this Erica makes it through the gateway to the C'en Homeworld, landing on the planet as the ship loses power and comes to a stop on the surface. As the emerge the other Taiga says she will reveal everything. During this, Chronos protects the Time Gate, waiting on the other three teams to finish their missions so they can catch up to Erica and Yuki, becoming bored. And back in the Prime Universe, Necia and Thena are having a classic anime stare contest with sparks when a male voice speaks, causing everyone to vanish who has had major hands in events shaping things.
Session 75: Forbidden Knowledge Part IV
Location: Weapon Citadel Team
Seniga and Taiga's teams both, on their respective floors, work their way through their puzzles and traps, arriving higher and higher. Both teams arrive at the top where the Weapon is located, where the jointly work to defeat it; Lieutenant C'en Warriors show up to beat them and the Weapon's mechanical tentacles swipe, grabbing at people like Kaori to try to crush them, or molest them. They split into two teams, one team working to hold off the lieutenants, the other team trying to destroy the C'en Weapon. Jinx, Max, Cel, Tabetha, Kaori, Bella, Saf, Binx, and Nell, as well as a few others, team up to a team attack that shatters their weapons or knocks them down temporarily, allowing the team to strike their crystal armor to shatter it and kill them, attaining their shards for later. The remaining team attacks the Weapon and overloads it as their counterparts bring down the Lieutenants, overloading it and causing the Citadel to begin to crumble around them. Thankfully, a shuttle crashes into the wall, flown by Ruhi and Cherie, allowing the team to leap on it as they are flown out and Kaori states that she might need to start exercising/training as they head for Chronos.
Location: Warrior Citadel
Alarms go off as Ellie's team, signalling that Dias and Marcus' team has begun their assualt on the barracks, they are assaulted by some of the Lieutenant C'en Warriors. Dispatching them with magic by Alita and Vyvy as well as physical attacks from the rest, they head on as phallic explosions can be seen in the distance, Shade leading them along and Sylph snoozng on Ellie's head. As they move they find paintings that show them but they seem different, as if they were living different lives. As they are studying them, the Warrior Leader Ellie beat before emerges from the shadows, larger and now covered in crystals, clearly having changed from before. He seems a bit unhinged now and focused on Ellie, and Shade surmises if the Spirits have a crystal each, this Warrior Leader has several in him now. Perhaps dozens.
As he circles them, he states that a new leader has given him this power, which gives insight now. The self-proclaimed Warrior King pulls Ellie up by the hair, and even as Vyvy attacks his arm, causing him to grow more monsterous, he rattles on about knowing her secret. Vyvy yells at him to let her protege go and she attacks again with a few others, so he lets her go, vanishing into the shadows, leaving the team uneasy. He next appears behind Mykel, proclaiming that her real name is not Ellie even as he attacks Mykel, but his wives protect him and others come in, attacking him from other angles, hitting him and making his body grow even larger and more deformed as he escapes into the shadows. Sasha orders the team to form up on Ellie, but instead the Warrior King goes after Gor, bending him over his knee, attempting to break his spine, even as he states Ellie's parents rejected her, trying to push her buttons.
As Shade rescues Gor and Alita heals him, the others attack the Warrior King, driving him off; Ellie and Sylph merge into their Spirit Form, gaining wings and increasing their strength. After taking more damage, and even larger and monsterous, the wounded Warrior King vanishes, stating Ellie's real name is Elliot, to drive the pain even deeper for Ellie. While she is distracted, he appears behind her, grabbing her from behind, telling her the saddest truth is that in other turns, she was born a girl. However, that moment Vyvy, having been hiding the entire time, stabs him in the back with her moonflower, allowing the others to gang up and attack him, sending him flying into his throne, growing even larger and more monsterous. Ellie, letting go, deforms from Sylph, which immediately attacks the Warrior King in a rage for her friend, or perhaps more with how angry she is, and Xanatos throwing exploding discs, making the monster deform more and more. At that moment, Dias and Marcus' team arrives to witness the sight.
The Warrior King swings his throne to crush Vyvy, but Shade takes the hit is sent flying, but Simon, Ceilia and Sylph's attacks finally do it. His heart is exposed, so Angela, Marcus, Dias, Mykel, and Ellie and Sylph attack the heart, causing it to explode inside the monsterous form of the Warrior King, destroying it. However, it causes the body to go out of control now, growing larger and larger. Sasha suggests a tactial retreat, so Ceilia freezes the body and they all begin to run out of the Citadel. Along the way, Erevis cuts a wall in half with the Emerald Sword, and they all pile onto the shuttle they stole, flying off for Chronos to meet up, with Vyvy wondering if Ellie will be okay.
Location: C'en Homeworld
Sitting on the roof of the Aquarius, the other Taiga talks to Erica's group as one by one the other groups arrive from their missions, landing with their shuttles. Families are reunited, such as Ren with her sister Yuki and Yuki with her mother Taiga, as will as Vyvy and Lenneth having more quality time together with her family from the other side. The other Taiga points to a strange hill in the distance where strange, creepy lightning and says from her memory of her turn, that is where the next step will need to be taken. They decide to split up to confront whatever is at the hilltop, dividing into groups to approach it, with some staying at the Aquarius in case they need a base of operations. Cypher remains behind to help unhook Asarar from the C'en Warrior Shuttle, while others who were injured in the battles are seen by Taiga to the Aquarius medical facilities. Vyvy and Sylph for her part stay with Ellie, talking to her and cheering her up due to the stress she is under.
Cheryl, Erevis, Dias, Chelsea, Kaori, Chad, Rea, Syiean, Xanatos, Airym, Mi'Na, and Kellin follow the other Taiga, dubbed Taltga, as they walk along, with Cheryl committing it doesn't feel like Centerpoint, despite the energy being there, due to the world being dead. However, when they each the top of the hill, they find all their loved ones they left behind on crosses, hanging there, and they begin to pull them all done, reviving the ones they can with shakes. As those taken slowly wake up, if they can be, Taltga, seeing Kitty, moves over and comments seeing her makes a few things come back to her, but at that moment a garden rises up sealed in crystal with crystal data terminals can be seen. Erevis seems to know what it is, as a figure with red hair can be seen hiding in the garden, and Jaimie realizes her twin is alive in there - Jamie.
The garden goes red, as if darkness is flooding from it and C'en dark crystals form, running down the ground toward them and they realize that Jamie is the father of the C'en and the other half of Tora. Those back on the Aquarius or having gone other ways, arrive, witnesses as the crystals attempt to grab people and absorb them, making everyone back away warily. Shade gets her leg caught until a team effort blows it up so she can warp away but her leg seems darkened, as does the ground where the crystal is transforming. Everyone plans their various ways to get lose to the corrupted center: Dias wants X to ripple, Ellie have Sylph to have them be fast like the winds, Erevis will use the emerald sword, Chad will have the Mirror Universe people use freeze spells, and Bella mud. With each technqiue, various charcters make their way up to the garden where they break in and dind Jamie sleep walking holding a corrupted crystal. Mud monster C'ens surround him to protect him, so the group works together to cleanse the garden.
As it cleanses, it become a bit more like Centerpoint, though overgrown, with the elevator to the core barely visible down below. As the group below works to undig it, Erevis brings Jamie back to a stable mental state by hugging him and holding her and Xanatos' son, comforting him. Below, as they uncover the elevator, Cherry, Samson, and Taltga gather, with Samson stating he knows a bit more than Taltga when it comes to what is going on, and Taltga not knowing these extra people from her turn. Samson states they are in a science experiement of sorts and when asked, he states it is THE progenitor who made Centerpoint but before he can explain more, the core elevator activates and begins to rise up to them. A bald man holding Centerpoint's core and standing beside him is a strange woman with white hair and red eyes holding Key.
He states he just there to talk, but if they force a fight, he can shut down the Mirror Universe people with their Spirit Names. When asked who they are, he states his name is Destiny and her name is Fate. He gives them credit, as they have only gotten this far three times in previous turns, then begins to explain a bit about the Progenitors and Centerpoints true nature. That they wantd to create other realities, but that it is impossible. He states Centerpoint shows causalities, the possibility of left instead of right, and makes it come "true". Apparantly the Prognitors kept using the power until it left their reality barren and lifeless, and he took it to seek other pathways.
From there he allowed the Erusian princess to survive to chart her destiny, to see if her turns might lead to something, and over time, in the various turns, something kept popping up at times. Holding up a twig, the team realize he is seeking Yggdrasil. And apparantly of all the beings, their group came closest, so he focused on them, turning them again and again, building up the energy of Yggdrasil, and with the final turn, the 100th, he'll have another power to bring it forth. Strangely, Destiny then begins to speak to each of them, offering - almost friendly like - to tell them information he learned from the previous turns. He makes the offer of their data living on in Yggdrasil, much like Samson, Cherry, and Taltga.
He gives the option to let anyone come up to ask if they want to learn about previous turns or information from the current turn, despite many of them thinking it is a trap to make them surrender. But one of the biggest bomb shells if Kane learning he has a daughter that was kidnapped, despite no one remembering her. Kaori learns she is the daughter of Kasha and Miyuki in a turn where only those two hook up, Angela learns her and Chad are together on a beach, Chelsea learns the truth of her past - that she is the daughter of a corporate president in many turns and this one - and finally Destiny shows Vyvy the life she sometimes has with Catherine and the children they have, but states it always leads to an early turn end since she does not aid Shade and the others.
Airym announces quietly if she can get the core, she thinks she can stop Destiny, so John launches an attack to get his Key back, and everyone begins the battle for Centerpoint. Strangely, Fate does not aid Destiny during the battle, but along the she gives hints as they get Fate back - using the shards to use casuality against Destiny to weaken him to strike devastating blows back to him. The only casuality is Key's powers are drained into making Yggdrasil, but with the team's new determined power injuring him, he opens a vortex, throwing them into other turns to delay them while it grows.