Act 2: Ripples in Time
OP: Anthem - Far Away
ED: Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Chapter 14: Two Dragons
[Shine On]
"Cody…" Alice's voice shakily and barely produced the boy's name, he was the first one she found...and if he looked like this, she couldn't imagine what the others where in for….
She dropped to the floor, almost crushing the scaleless human with her body, he was no longer a monster bursting from its cage of skin, in its place lay a wounded, broken man…
She stroked his hair, hoping he'd spring awake...he was breathing, but out cold, she closed her eyes, there was nothing she could do for him, except wrap him up and hope he wouldn't bleed out until T could heal him.
She grit her teeth, eyes shooting open, no.
There had to be at least something she could do after discovering all of her strange new magics...page upon mental page of abilities she hadn't used that she received the moment she realized she had to roll dice.
She had to think more like Cody, more like T...more like the party.
She sat up, placing her hands on the boy's unconscious body, hands glowing as she cast a spell on him…
And polymorphed him into an elf, if only for a moment, it however, was enough to get him awake before she turned him back.
[Polymorph] healed the subject as if it had rested for a night.
[Healing: 10+-9=1HP]
His eyes shot open, seeing his foreign body...which was only there for a fleeting moment, since Alice hadn't concentrated on the spell, and he also actively tried to shift himself back.
"Cody!" she repeated, louder this time, looking away to try to hide the fact she was crying, "Where's the others? Where's Luka?"
She didn't know what they were tears of, anger, frustration...joy for not having to deal with their shit anymore, but there were tears.
Cody groaned, sitting up, then jumped up as all of the events shot through his head, "Top floor!" he replied, turning to run, but was stopped by a mix of [Exhaustion] and Alice grabbing his shoulder, "Slow...Cody, slow…" she slowly shifted to help him stand, "I don't even know how you're standing at this point…"
He sighed with frustration, slowing to a walk at her pace, albeit a brisk one, "They…" he swallowed a golfball, "They…"
"Cody, please!"
"Luka's dead!" he outright yelled, "And T...I...I don't know…"
She instantly lifted him up into her arms, taking off up the stairs like she had been hurled like an Olympic hammer, the door wide open, she slipped into ground zero, almost dropping through the hole Cody had made with Lazarus' body.
She took the scene in...
She heard it sooner then she saw it, wails, sobs, screams, a mix of relief and weight washing over her.
Cody worked himself out of her arms, quickly getting over to the sounds...
Hunched, curled over, was a red coated figure, familiar, but...missing a part of his silhouette, his body scrunched on the floor, wrapping around something like it was the most important thing in the world as his cries of anguish echoed, only broken up by breaths which he used to seemingly try and deafen himself to what was going on.
Pressed up against his chest, one arm holding up against him as his body caved in, was a familiar purple splash of color.
Cody knew Luka was dead, but Cody soon figured out how he died.
Scattered like a broken doll, shattered apart by a clean blade slice five times over.
T shook, vibrating, quaking as his voice gave out, his throat unable to keep up as his raging sadness quieted to a sad whimper, sharp intakes of breath, snorts, and choked sobs.
Cody dropped to his knees next to the caped warrior, looking down at the ground, balling and unballing his right fist…
He knew the deed was done…
But everything in his body wanted to go downstairs just to punch Lazarus for another hundred times, to beat his broken body down every single floor of the tower and through the Earth.
Alice came down in-between what was left of the party, putting an arm around to the two of them, wanting to pull close, but, not, not wanting to pull the duo out of their states of loss and acceptance.
T, for a moment, tensed like a beast, every muscle coiling as his head whipped to her and murder on his face- until he saw the duo proper.
So absorbed was he in his lamentation, he didn't even notice them.
His face eased, the anger- for a split second he had oozed murderous intent at the thought of one of Lazarus' men or one of the monster girls that got away defiling this.
As much as he wanted to scream at Alice- for not training him, for being as she was, for, to- to just take it out on someone.
She, unknowingly, was someone who did not even realize how much she had lost, what could of been, and he could not push her away.
And so, not alone, his face calmed, he sniffed, getting a rains on his being, and placed Luka's head down- having arranged the body to some semblance of human form.
It still felt so wrong, but he was not a caster, he was not a paladin, nor was he a cleric.
He was a martial class, a mere crusader, and there was nothing he could do to at least unmar a boy who deserved it so much.
And so his body, tense from sobbing, tense from anger, tense...forcibly unwound, as he...became nothing, and just...stared, body slack, at the closed eyed Luka.
Alice unwrapped her arm from T's neck as Cody leaned his head onto his lords shoulder, muscles untensing, useless anger beginning to flee his body.
She pressed a palm to Luka's head...casting…
[Gentle Repose]
His limbs and head came together-where they should be, blood washing away from his body as he almost looked whole again, missing nothing but his soul.
She slowly took her hand back, looking away...seeing him whole made it slightly harder on her, even though she was the least affected of the group.
She felt the presence of a hand on her shoulder, and a familiar voice devoid of its usual stubbornness and bravery, pigheaded defiance, or sunny, dumb happiness, hissed out through a marred throat "Thank...Thank you…" it said, gripping her as if to try and convey how much it meant, before letting go, never breaking his eye contact with the body.
"Thank you…" Cody echoed with a breathe, closing his eyes...he liked to close his eyes when he felt uncertain...not when he was alone, but when he was in the arms of something he could trust to do the seeing for him.
Was he always this small? He looked...looked so much more like the kid they met at the start, the blind, ignorant, happy little kid they dragged along as some deus ex machina.
But he was also the bright, shining little buddy they made, who's eyes secretly shined so bright when he looked at those two, and fought for those two...and died, for those two. It's almost funny how happy he'd be to have bought T those precious few seconds.
It only made T sick though.
"Idiot…" Alice declared semi-flatly, not knowing who she was referring to, eyes straying around the tower now...spotting a large pile of…loot, leftover from the battle, it made her a bit sick to her stomach that the new rules of the universe was throwing shinies around even at a time like this...
[Shine On]
They almost didn't recognize them walking down the road, so different were they from before.
Team Draught only realized who it was by a certain purple snake lady that was there.
One was missing, and an odd combination of the two plated members stood there, dressed in the apparel of both of them.
Left side shrouded in a familiar dull burgundy red cloak, the armor seemed more similar to Luka's, but the height and build unmistakably T's. Upon his back peaked out T's bastard sword, but sharing space with it was another handle, completely covered in cloth, his left hip bore three weapons, a longsword, a mace, and another longsword- leather tightly wrapped around the crossguard and handle obsessively.
"There you are!" Jamie's face lit up, "Jessi's ring has been going off for a while now!"
Cody pulled his matching ring from his pocket, staring at it in his palm as they came closer to each other…
He wanted to tell them everything, wanted to make sure the entire world knew of the untimely death of the pure angel…
But he didn't have the social tact to tell, or the fervor to just yell it to the expected company.
"Your eye!" Jessi suddenly yelped as she noticed Cody wearing T's eyepatch, "What happened?" she broke out into a swift jog, "You're not just wearing to be 'punished' or whatever the hell, right? That's-"
Cody wrapped his fist around the ring in his palm, hand shaking a bit, "Don't worry about my eye…" he grit his teeth, "I can just make a new one if I want to."
"Eh?" Jessi quirked a brow, "Make a new one?" her hand started to glow, starting to bring it towards his face, "I can just fix-"
He jerked his hand up, gripping her wrist, "Listen!" he snapped, then sighed, letting her go when she canceled her cast, "...don't worry…" he looked at his feet, "there's...there's...worse news…"
T, quiet and broody it was seeming for a hot moment, paused, and stared at Jessi with a look of confusion.
"Were you...just about to heal his eye back?" T asked hesitantly, not one to hope blindly.
He would probably need to work on not referring to sight things given his bros condition but I spose everyone else will also fuck up on hand statements and jokes, so its all even.
"I...I think that's how my magic works...why?" She blinked.
"You're…" Cody's eyes shot up, "You're a cleric!" he realized.
T reached out at her for a moment, before thinking better of manhandling her like a convenient healing item.
"Don't even think about it…" Alice let go of the wagon she was pulling, slithering forth, "If Ilias doesn't want him back, then he's not coming back."
That...put a damper on things, but T clenched his fist "But we have to try." T stressed with a strain to his tone.
"T, your arm!" Jamie ran up, Nyeowth quick behind, "What happened?"
"What do you mean...he's not coming…" Jessi's eyes widened, "Wait...wait…Luka's fucking dead isn't he?!" her arms came up, guarding her body from what seemed to be an invisible attacker...
T looked over, popping off his helmet- he thought he wouldn't be doing that for...a long time, but maybe...he can hope?
Either way he gave the most pained smile to the crew, eyes red and face still stained by his little crying session.
"We...won," he says "But..I guess we didn't win, or it wasn't a win worth winning." T says, pulling his cloak up- revealing the missing limb right to the base.
"And it's all my fault…" Cody dug his hands into his new purple snakeskin jacket's pockets...
"It was all our dumb faults, we were cocky, we were dumb, and we paid for it." T said with a morose look about him.
Jamie took a step back, she didn't...she wasn't bothered very much, Luka wasn't a boy she knew very well, and the rest of the crew made a bigger deal of the party than she did, "I…" she rubbed the back of her neck, "I don't know what to say...did you bury him already?"
"It was...too recent for us to really...do that it- it hadn't felt right, I guess, too soon." T spoke up, sounding...normalish, though his voice sounded hoarse, like he had a cold or something.
"We can't bury him here," Alice narrowed her eyes.
"I'd die before we put him anywhere but smack dab next to his mom." T said honestly "Would ram myself right up against whatever was trying." T said, chuckling, though it didn't feel like there was humor put into it.
"You know where that is?"
"Iliasvillage, someone's gotta know, I doubt being the stout religious boy Luka was that there wasn't a procession by the priest, ask him and blam, location located." T said, having thought about all of this "If that didn't work, I had other options."
"Okay…" Alice nodded as she replied softly, arms still crossed, "I'll go after I know you're all okay…and, after I've prepared for it...probably in the morning."
"And after...we see about what Jessi can do. If she's, she's what I think she is…" T said, hands gripping tighter as his grin became a bit too wide "Then maybe this'll all work out?" he said, the smile reaching his eyes a little with a bit of upquirk to them.
"I...I doubt…" Alice shook her head, "Of course...the spell I cast on him to keep him intact lasts twenty days. And I can always cast it again."
She hugged herself a bit tighter than usual, "Can I...can I lay down?"
Cody blinked, "You're asking?"
"I'm pulling the cart."
"I'll pull the cart...no problem…" he swallowed, "Though, I really just want to get somewhere to recover after that too."
"Did he die today?!" Jessi questioned, arms going back down
"When I said not to long ago take a second and look at my face." T said in deadpan "And I'll pull the cart- I'll pull the shit out of the cart." he said- feeling productive now.
"I watched him get cut into pieces...or...well…I...I think I did…" Cody grit his teeth, "I'll pull the cart…"
"We'll pull the cart…" Jamie came forward, "It's the least we can do."
"Y'know what? Knock yourself out." T said, rolling his eyes "If Alice's several ton snake tail and all that other crap cause you to choke on the pull bar, gurgle a song and we'll help you out." T joked, a little sunnier, a little more cheerful.
It was hard to stay serious around them, and around that nice new bit of information.
Jamie sighed, "Fine...but I'm not sitting inside of it…"
"No one does, except Alice, and me when Alice is pulling it...and...well...Luka's in there…" Cody sighed again, "I wouldn't mind riding back there at this point but, it doesn't seem very respectful."
"Cody…" Alice came slithered up to him, wrapping an arm around him, "We can take turns carrying each other…"
"That works."
She smirked, scooping his legs up with an arm, cradling him like a child, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, "I can't taste tears anymore…"
"San Ilia's not far but…" Cody's voice trailed off for a second, "Dealing with assholes isn't how I want to mourn...resurrection or not."
"If Jessi can't currently cast resurrection him, fighting Granberia for a level." T said with a shrug
"Gran...Granberia?" Cody quirked a brow, "T…"
"Granberia?" Jessi questioned, "We just got back from there, Granberia's not there…ho Granberia definitely isn't there of all places."
"What the hell where you doing there?" Cody questioned.
"We...uh…" she looked away, "Forgot where the boss was and needed a book."
"Interesting…" Alice narrowed her eyes, "What book?"
"She can't tell you! It's a secret!" Jamie stepped in front of her.
"Can you tell me?" T asked, wondering if she was a comedic stupid alignment character.
"No! I can't tell you! I'd like..die...not literally...well, probably literally…" Jamie chuckled.
"...So it's that book…" Alice concluded, "Who's your boss? Why…"
"Alice, take one minute to think about who their boss probably is," Cody reached up, booping her nose, "Why would you know who be their boss?"
"Oh...right…" she shook her head, "I'm an idiot."
"Either way though, if Granberia is stalking us then the Granberia Everywhere system demands she show up, so we're checking it out I guess, might have something important." T declared
Cody's face went blank.
"Eyepatch...snakeskin…" he muttered.
"What about my skin?" Alice questioned.
"It's really soft, remember?" he rubbed his face against her like a cat...expecting at least a look from T, "Yeah...we can go to San Ilia I guess...just...be ready to huddle around the peanut gallery if you're right…"
T looked contemplative, and then smirked, feeling fucked up and exhilarated at the same time, and feelin' like things, even things he'd prefer to not be doing for incredible fears, were just challenges to face.
Luka was going to be alive after some grinding, Alice was being less of a colossal mooching bitch, and with Granberia waiting in the next place to get lynched by him and Cody's newfound strength- he'd probably be able to squirrel her away to deal with his problem, and then deal with his bros problem.
All was right, and he was on top of things, even with a speed bump or two...it, it really relieved him.
[Shine On]
"Please sign your name on this application form…" the bored guard said boredly as he stuck a piece of modern printing paper? Into the face of the party, "Hey wait...weren't you ladies already here?" his eyes shot open, "You're mon-"
"They were to test your defences against monsters, how would you say you did?" Cody cut him off, "Because they'd say you didn't do the best job you can do…"
"That's gonna look really bad on our report…" T said, ball busting the guard as he played the inspector card.
"You're all idiots, and we'd like to talk to the King about it," Alice crossed her arms.
[Bluff Check: 4+4(Assist Actions)=8!]
[Sense Motive Check: 3-3=0, Cody Wins!]
"Oh uhuhuh, of course!" he started sweating a bit, "Just uh...can you sing in?"
Cody signed his name, passing the form over to T, "No need for my cohorts to sign, we're the heroes that wish to meet the King, right?"
Jamie and Nyeowth were absent, still being at the cart.
"Of course…" The guard replied uneasily.
T signed his name, grinned, and handed it back to the guard.
"O-oh! Uh, welcome to San Ilia uhhh...Mr. G-Gats-" the guard began, spaghetti oozing from his pouches.
"Wup-bupbupbup What did you just say?!" T said, fake getting onto the guys case as he looked like he was about to have a panic attack "It's GATSU!, GAT-SU! Say it with me!" T spoke up loudly like a drill sergeant.
"G-GAtsu!" "LOUDER MAGGOT!" "GATSU!" "That's the spirit, if I wanted to hear a fly fart coming from you mouth!" "GATSU!" the guard "You're missing something important!" "G-GATSU sir!" he said, feeling like a trainee again.
Thankfully this time he didn't pee his pants.
T looked satisfied, crossing his arms, and pretty sure he just took out the emotional stress from earlier out on the guy.
But honestly people, especially Ilias people, kinda deserve it.
And so relieved to be free of that, he went to the next one, hopefully this would be less of an ordeal.
"And uh...Mr…" He paused.
"Fateburn?" the guard questioned, "Your...your last name is Fateburn?"
"Yes sir, Atlas Fateburn," Cody bowed, "It's...yeah, a bit hard to explain, so I'll spare you the details, yeah?" Cody stepped passed the perplexed man on duty before he could respond, Alice following suit, with a slight pink on her cheeks
"Idiot…" she got beside Cody and slapped the back of his head.
T just ignored it, for favor of...well he probably needed to check with Cody if the plan was a go but it'd be fine- right?
"You're really letting them in?" They heard an unfamiliar, rugged voice, one of the guards instantly got up from the wall and walked over to the party, he seemed to be the oldest one there, and wore slightly different heraldry.
Jessi turned around glaring at the man, "What?" she crossed her arms.
"Excuse me?" Cody turned to the guard, "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah...I saw you pointing your dagger at every Ilias statue you walked by...pictures too! Back at the port," he walked closed to Cody, towering over him, "You're here for an audience? What a joke! I'm kicking you out right now!" he slipped his blade from his scabbard a hair, "Make it easy and just leave!"
"Yeah...that's not gonna happen," Cody crossed his arms, "I don't know who you have me mistaken with, but I'm a…"
"Your name is Cody, you're the warrior that's fallen in love with Granberia in Iliasburgh when she attacked there!" the Captain (probably) concluded, "You're not a hero, and now you're going to leave."
"Now you're just being stupid," Cody smirked smugly as the party was slowly surrounded blindly by three more guards, ready to jump at the order, "Now, who the fuck are you?"
"Yeah, he's taken!" Jessi snapped.
The guard pulled his blade completely from its scabbard, growling, "We're done here, if they speak one more word, force them out…hands on, don't kill them…I'll be there with my sword if things go south…" he stepped away from the party, smirking...eyes flashing another color.
Cody looked over at T, "Tell them to go eat shit."
"Fuck no, why don't you do it?" T said, smiling as he said this, and unclipping his longsword from his belt.
"Eat shit, assholes!" Cody cracked his neck, raising his fists, "Fall off your high horse!"
[Initiative: Cody: 11+4=15 T: 10-5=5 Guards: 10+1, Captain: 14+5=19, Alice: 11+12=23, Jessi: 2+3=5 ]
[Turn Order: Alice, Captain, Cody, Guards, Jessi, T]
Safe to say T looked really god damned confused at the fact Alice showed up in the chains of the turn order actively, instead of at 0 where the non-participants went.
Alice sighed, "I don't know if I should get involved with this or not…I suppose you knew you'd find a fight here, but at the same time," she yawned, "This doesn't seem like it's important."
"Cody, just turn into a monster and scare them…" She held her action after Cody's.
The Captain...took off? Was he leaving his men under orders not to use weapons alone against these four?!
And thus it was Cody's turn, which was not good news for the hapless guardsmen.
They'd survive- in comas for like a week or five, but they'd survive.
Cracking his knuckles, he replied to Alice, "That won't be necessary," and readied his first strike…
[Hitting:15][Attack Check: 3+14=17, Attack Success!]
[Damage Roll: 9+5=14!+15=15(14NL)]
The guard's helmet shattered and sent shard of steel into his face at the non-chalant blow, he stumbled back, now freaking the fuck out that a man was capable of this with his bare fucking hands, the guard collpased to his knees, throwing his hands in front of his face, "Please...please stop!"
Cody jerked around the moment he was disposed off, throwing his leg out wide from an overly-telegraphed roundhouse into the next one-
[Hitting:15][Attack Check: 19+14=33! Attack Success!]
[Damage Roll: 9+5=14+15=15(14(NL)
It was the same story with this guard as well-just barely conscious after the blow, with a ringing head and a shattered helmet…
Cody deftly switched targets, throwing one of his Slam Attacks at the gut of the last one...throwing in his second one for good measure.
[Hitting: 15][Attack Checks: 12+14=26, 1+14=15, All Attacks Land!]
[Damage Rolls: 3+5=8, 1+5=6]
[Damage Total: 8+6=14+15=15(14NL)]
They were all still standing...at least two of them were...he held back a bit too much on his barrage...
[Hitting:15][Attack Checks: 8+23-4=27, 2+18-4=16, All Attacks Land!]
Alice reached out, grabbing the two remaining guards-and gently knocking their heads together...dropping them out cold with what was basically just a light breeze.
"We should leave…" Alice suggested simply.
"If they want to fight us on nothing more than that asshole's words, that's on them…" Cody looked around them, ready for more, "Not like we're killing them…"
"Damn right, brat! I'm not leaving until we're here for what we want!" Jessi cracked her knuckles, "Let's crack some skulls…." she smirked, shooting T and Cody a seductive glare, "I've been working on my abs…"
"For a day?"
"Shut up!"
"Dork." T says with a grin covered by helmet as he strutted to the door and paused
"Fine…" Alice sighed, "I'll watch."
"Y'know I- Honestly forgot for a moment." he said, giving the door a soft kick "Could someone open the door for me? My hand is full." He says with a mix of awe at the missing limb, and chagrin, and something darker, but his bright ass mood was having none of that.
Just something he's got to deal with, nothing that can't be fixed, 'specially with magic.
Jessi walked over, twisting the doorknob, "So...I'm guessing who happened to Cody's eye happened to your arm…"
"I'd be more fucked about it if you didn't exist, I'd kiss you, but I'd prefer to have my faculties still operating." T said honestly "Plus taking off the helmet one handed is a fucking chore." T added tiredly as he swift action switched to [Iron Guard's Glare] to babysit Jessi- didn't know her level and he'd die before he let her do the same..
"K-kiss me?" Jessi smirked, "I'm glad you two have finally accepted your place as being the harem of hot men for my squad."
Cody grimaced, "Calling T hot…" then chuckled.
"The abs in a day question had me sweating- I'd have no excuse for my shape then." T said, hand clanging against his stomach plate- it was...odd to be a mix of chunk and cronch with his previous fat but the game construct compensating for the fact he's got +4 more strength then before. Wait...does he look like a beer gut bear dad or like Kylo Ren?
God damn he needs a mirror.
"You're gonna get there definitely at this rate...I can't gain weight worth a damn and I'm already bulking up a little…" he pressed a hand to his stomach.
Jessi popped the door open…
[Guards Added to Initiative Order!]
"Call off the fucking guards!" Cody instantly yelled seeing that the door opened to the throne room, and getting locked back into the turn order, "We're here on behalf of the unbaptized hero, Luka!"
It was now Jessi's turn, who stepped behind T and Cody, producing her rapier, waiting for them…
And thus, it was T's turn.
Inspiration flowed through him, divine and all that- he sometimes wonders if it's just general joojoo or if he's peeking up Ilias' proverbial martial skirt whenever he does this.
[Inspiration Rolled: Elder Mountain Hammer, Radiant Charge, Covering Strike, White Raven Tactics]
Neato, not really useful at this range, but neato, and some part of him regrets packing extremely alignment focused maneuvers but it felt right at the time.
"Baptized- and had visions from Ilias." T noted an addendum- "So stop, alright? We're here on a divine mission." T said with a friendly tone.
Cody slapped T on the back of the helmet, "Idiot!"
"The unbaptized hero, Luka," Cody crossed his arms and corrected.
The king stood up, "Alright men...calm down!" he commanded as hard as he could with his old voice.
The guards didn't lower their weapons, but they still backed off, ready to cut them down if they got anywhere near the old man.
"Here on his behalf?" the king seemed disappointed.
T rubbed the back of his helmeted head, not having moved much from the smack- bullshit high strength he'd guess, but either way, he spoke up "Yes, though it's more of a 'Have to' rather than a 'Want to'." T explained
"A have too…" he muttered, "Ilias said I would meet him, not...his lackeys…I presume."
"Comrades, heroes tend to have a party of four to five, historically." T said in a bored tone "And eventually you will, but for now he's predisposed and so you've got us." T said
"Predisposed? He's supposed to defeat the monster lord!" The king exclaimed, "Where is he?"
"Busy with something important, because being a hero is a full time job. This is important, he'd love to be here, but he's dealing with something else that supersedes this on priority, you'll see him eventually." T said with a sigh.
"Why where my men after you?" he changed the subject.
"Your guard captain apparently likes to either lie, or believe every wivestale he hears- he honestly believes one of the heroes party members fell in love with Granberia, its stupid, because he wouldn't be here if he was." T said rolling his eyes "Can you believe it?" T said, trying his level best to throw the Captain under the bus.
"My Captain is also predisposed…" The king noted, "He shouldn't be back for weeks…"
T sighed, glaring at nothing "Doppelganger." T said boredly "We've been trailed by it, y'know, hero adventure business."
"We'll talk later, I'm gonna go beat the shit out of her," Cody turned around, pushing out of the room.
Jessi growled, "That ugly bitch?!"
T follows "A comrades duty is never over." he said in a cheerful lilt.
Cody jerked around, stomping out of the room, then breaking out into a sprint in the direction the 'Captain' took off, sniffing the air as he ran, "Come out, bitch!" he yelled, "I don't need a [Sense Motive] to know who the fuck you are!"
It was utter, and complete chaos, guards losing their minds at the concept of a monster doing basically anything here- most of them here because they thought it'd be a cushy easy job because I mean, who the hell would attack San Ilia?
Guess that's an egg on their face now isn't it?
Cody made it to the end of the hall, finding that the guard force had piled shit tons of furniture in front of the large door to the main chapel, yelling and panicking, getting nobles away from the area.
"Guards only! There's a monster inside of there!" he noted one of them yelling.
Cody forced his way passed them with ease, straight to the barricade, demanding, "Let me through, right fucking now you overpaid cucks!"
One of them screamed "Wait, you guys are getting paid?"
Queue laugh track.
End laugh track.
"Sir...guests aren't really…"
"Shut the hell up, this is the hero hotspot, so let us fight!" Cody slapped the guard and started to rip the furniture from the door, expecting either Granberia or the Doppleganger on the other side, "I'm coming through, you slimy sack of shit!"
He shoulder-checked the door, forcing his way into the empty chapel…
He didn't instantly see a monster, what he saw was…
A short, girly boy, with a long mane of white hair tied back into a rough ponytail, frantically going through a hand-written guest list, "I thought she said he'd be here!" his vision shot up to Cody, he lowered the list, left eye began to glow blue, "H-hey! Get out of here!" he shooed like he thought he didn't even have to try and scare Cody...treating him a bit like a tiny dog.
"Huh?" Cody calmed down almost instantly seeing the short man, "You're...they think you're a monster?"
"I...I am!" the white haired kid balled his right hand that wasn't holding the list, "Now get out before...I…" he thought a moment, "I'll rape you! Right in front of this Ilias statue! You smell d-delicious!"
"Who the hell are you?" Cody took a step back, taking in the boy's appearance.
He was wearing a dirty, tore up, light purple...hoodie? Equally dirty blue jeans, and seemed unarmed aside from his fists.
His skin seemed to be one brown shade away from being caucasian, not quite tan, but like a lighter-skinned Eskimo.
"I'm…" the 'girl' glanced at his stolen guest list, "I'm Atlas Fateburn! In the flesh!"
"Yeah...okay, what's your actual name?"
"...Uh...Sh-Shantae…"
Cody smirked a tad, "Shantae…" turning the name over in his hands a bit, "Who are you looking for?" he questioned, having an instant curiosity in this 'monster'.
"I'm looking for a party of three, Cody, a shor-"
"You found us, but there's only two, right now," Cody instantly replied.
"You…" Shantae blinked, hugging the list with his left arm, "You...you do fit the description she gave me."
"Who?" the smoke leaking, snakeskin jacket wearing shapeshifter crossed his arms.
During all this, T was...there, since Cody was taking the lead, and chuckling about calling Shantae 'Sea Shanty'. At this point? He was kind of peanut gallery-ing really hard, a little...out of depth on all this.
"Granberia!" Shantae proudly announced, "Granberia wants me to fight you! To get stronger by beating you two!"
"Gran…?" Cody shook his head, getting back into character, "Sorry kid, but I think she sent you here to get your ass whooped and make us stronger."
"Just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm a kid!" Shantae snapped, "I'm nineteen!" he dropped the list, getting into a battle stance, "Call me a kid with your teeth all over the rug!"
Cody stuck his arm out, holding T back for a second, and started to approach the new combatant.
"Give me your best shot," Cody tilted his head to the side.
[Initiative: Cody: 0+4=4, Shantae: 15+8=23]
[Turn Order: Shantae, Cody]
Shantae crouched down, stretching his palm to make his hand into a 'blade'...or a paper to match Cody's rock, and suddenly lunged forward with an emerald light flashing from his body, shattering all the windows in the chapel…
[Emerald Razor!]
[Hitting: 21][Attack Check: 5+11=16, Attack Failed!]
The light faded, vision returning to all spectators to see...Cody had simply put his hand up and stopped Shantae's chop at the wrists, head still tilted.
"Eh? Impossible! No one can d-deflect the [Emerald Razor]!" Shantae gasped, jumping back away from Cody.
Even while he was yelling, his voice still sounded pretty soft, Cody couldn't help but crack another small smile.
"Come on…" Cody chose to take no action, "Hit me!"
Shantae grit his teeth, "Stop mocking me!" he made his hand back into a fist, stepping forward defly, rolling his body a bit to dodge any punches Cody could possibly throw in response to his approach, and-
[Hitting: 24][Attack Checks: 20+9=CRIT!, 18+9=27, Hit!, 20+2=CRIT!]
[Damage Roll: 7+4=11x2=22!+95HP=95HP(22NL)]
The brutal strike hit Cody square in the breadbasket, winding him and forcing him to step back, Shantae threw and uppercut afterwards which barely grazed the front of Cody's face as he fell back…
[Damage Roll: 1+4=5!+95HP=95HP(27NL)
Shantae lunged forward, firmly smashing his head into Cody's nose-sending a horrible, familiar pain through it as blood started to trickle out.
[Damage Roll: 2+4=6x2=12!+95HP=95HP(39NL)]
Cody was ready to take his turn, three hits was about the most he was expecting, even from a monk, but he was wrong if he thought he was going to-
[Unarmed Strike Landed! Scorpion's Grasp Active!]
[Free Grapple Attempt!]
Shantae reached out, ready to grab Cody by the jacket, but Cody was quick to wind up a counter…
[Grapple Detected! Close-Quarters Fighting Procc'd]
[Hitting: 20][Attack Check: 2+14=16, Attack Failed!]
Shantae reached up and caught Cody's fist, quickly turning it into a wristlock-
[Grapple Checks!][Cody: 7+18=25, Shantae:14+15=29, Shantae Wins!]
Grapple always did unarmed damage, Shantae pulled Cody into his knee as he jerked it violently into his gut…
[Damage Roll: 10+4=14!+95=95HP(53NL)
[10 Damage Done! Knockdown Procc'd!]
[Opposed Strength Checks: Cody: 17+5=22, Shantae: 19+4+4(Improved Trip)=27!, Shantae Wins!]
Shantae let go as soon as his knee made contact, Cody fell onto the floor of the chapel with the world's loudest 'pomf', Shantae stepped forwards, raising his leg for a follow-up stomp from his [Improved Trip].
[Hitting: 24][Attack Checks: 10+11+4=25, Attack Success!]
Cody submitted, giving up on trying to guard his body, and just letting this last hit land, might as well, right?
His entire body jostled as the...pretty damn modern looking boots slammed down onto his chest, dealing a whopping-
[Damage Roll: 3+4=7+95HP=95HP(60NL!)]
Cody laid there, feeling that it was now his turn...not really knowing how to handle this oddly effective little shit that just fucking destroyed him in one turn.
He really needs to not act like a cocky fuck.
He really needs to not be a cocky fuck.
Shantae shifted his gaze up to Cody's companion...seeing large purple...alphabetical characters(?) emanating from his form.
[Fearful Pre-]
For a second an all form shaking fear was about to set in- his eyes averting downwards rapidly, T's following, seeing what he was directing his gaze to.
"Do you...do you...do you h-have an erection?!" Shantae blushed, looking down to Cody.
Cody nodded slightly after a pause of hesitation, "Yes."
T just stared for a moment, the menacing symbols becoming pink and popping like bubbles as he spoke. "I am ashamed that I know you. Feel shame." he points at him "Shame purple boy two." he states "Good luck with that because I ain't getting within' five foot stepping distance of your temporarily snakeless trouser demon." he says crossing his- oh wait, he only has one arm.
He puts his hand on his hip he guesses- god that was weird.
Shantae dropped his battle stance as the blue flame in his eye faded with the turn order, "I..I...I th-thought that would be harder than it was!" he looked away, "I...I'm sorry for rolling so well and not getting to see the full extent of your…well, not...n-nevermind," Shantae stumbled over his words,playing with a stray lock of his white hair, "One more time…" he reasoned, "We can fight again after you get better...and it...it will be better!"
Cody sat up, "Uh…" he wanted to say something in response, but honestly couldn't.
"T, don't fucking make fun of Luka, coming back or not!" Cody's gaze shot towards T, eyes narrowing.
T glared back through his helmet "It's fine because he's coming back, and it'll be like nothing happened." T said an a semi aggressive and defensive way, hand balling up into a fist.
"T! Would you like to fight me?" Shantae made a fist again, "I know how to beat you! Granberia taught me!"
T rolled his shoulders- shoulder, "And Granberia don't know shit about me as of now. Lot's happened kid, so let's get this spar then." he says, having not too little bit of aggression in him.
"But...she didn't say anything about you having one arm, sh-should I use one arm too?" Shantae questioned.
"If you do I'm not stopping beating on you until the non-lethal keeps you in a coma for a week." T says, unclipping his longsword and holding it in a unfamiliar- but unsettlingly familiar stance.
"You're not gonna heal me back?" Shantae looked worried, "What if I roll really bad and you roll really good?! It could actually take a w-week!"
For a second T falters, gaze moving to look behind him for some reason, before sighing, and looking back "Yeah, I'll heal you back, don't think about it." he says "I'll just teach you a lesson another way if you hold back." he says, that little dangerous glint in his eye.
"Why?" Shantae dug his hands into his hoodie pockets, "Fighting's what we do…why do you need t-to…"
"I won't be looked down upon just because of the shit that happened." T says with a growl before he shakes his head "I'm the same me, just one sixth lighter." He jokes.
And then a loud as fucking crashing noise rumbled the entire castle as dust filled the air and huge chunk of the ceiling fell onto the ground...
Was that screams of pain?
The entire party flinched, Shantae gasped-almost a yelp, as he hunched over, begging the universe with a chant, "Please don't get in my hair! Please don't get in my hair!"
A silhouette stood up, having rode the rubble down, two wings, a large blade slung over her shoulder, she stepped off of the debris as the dust began to settle, revealing the wounded body of the doppelganger in guardform with her wings out on the chunk of ceiling.
"I decided to try punching her since that's what Cody and Shantae like doing…" Granberia announced calmly, "I remembered a little bit of what Alma did...turns out I can throw a punch," she shrugged, a shit eating grin growing across her face, "How'd my new boy do?"
"Beat Cody's ass and made him pop a boner, so for monster girl standards he's a head and shoulders above the rest with the stiffie count under his belt." T said casually with an easy-going smile on her helmet.
"It was pretty great…" Cody relaxed on the floor.
"I...I...I j-just rolled really well!" Shantae reasoned, "The fight would've been much cooler if Cody didn't have a dice curse going."
"Okay fucking seriously how the hell do you know any of those words?" T said, confusion in his tone- and somewhat wishing he had a second hand to take off his helmet to be expressive with his face.
But between helmet and keeping the sword in his hand, he chose sword.
"Because it's like...well, it's like a dice game I used to play back at home…" Shantae tried to explain but not quite, "Apparently I'm the only one who's heard of it...so…"
Cody suddenly shot up, "Dungeons and Dragons."
Shantae's eyes widened, "Y-yes actually…" instantly turning to Granberia, "I have to travel with them, I've made up my mind from that one st-statement alone."
Granberia sheathed her blade, "Sure," she closed her eyes, "But I expect for you to be able to beat me when I meet again!"
She couldn't imagine this situation playing out any better.
Shantae's somehow able to beat Cody with the levels pumped into him.
She gets to fight all three of them and train them at the same time.
This was going to be good.
She popped her eyes open once more, drawing her blade, "Enough talk! You two know what I'm here for! Go get Luka and get ready!"
T's frame becomes tense, like every muscle of his body held tension for a moment before he forced it to stop, his voice speaking with a false humor, think with...something, negative. "He's too preoccupied with something he can't help to fight right now." T says, his tone fake, but cheerful sounding
Cody stood up while he was talking, looking at the floor.
"Luka's dead."
Granberia's stance loosened, blade drooping a little, looking severely disappointed, "Oh…"
Shantae acted quickly, and uneasily, patting Cody on his shoulder, looking at the floor with him and trying his best to look sad alongside the warrior over the passed stranger, "I'm…I'm s-sorry…"
Granberia gripped her sword tighter as the flames of purgatory exploded onto its length, "You bastards…" she growled lowly, "How could you let him die?!"
Cody grit his teeth.
She was right.
Luka was dead because of him. Running headstrong into Lazarus...not a thought in the world about what level the man could possibly be…
The DM wasn't going to protect him. Wasn't going to protect T, and definitely didn't protect Luka.
The doppelganger slowly rose to her feet, shedding the skin of the man she was disguised as, yelling, "This is my fight, you excuse of royalty!"
Granberia glanced back at her, then back at the party, then back at the woman now covered in grafted dragonscales-more than when the party had last saw her.
The doppelganger wasn't an ugly woman, but she certainly didn't care how these body modifications made her look.
"This is our fight…I'll beat the shit out of you after we're done with them," Granberia muttered to the artificial dragon woman, flashing her teeth at the party as she added, "And to the victor goes the spoils."
"I hope you two are ready...Ilias can't save you from the both of us," The doppelganger smirked, getting quickly into the same wavelength as Granberia.
Shantae stepped in front of Cody, "No! I can't let you!" his eye once again started to blaze with a cold fire, "He's in no shape to fight!"
Cody rose to a crouched position, keeping himself concealed from Granberia behind Shantae's back as he [Polymorphed] into himself, healing him as if he rested for a whole eight hours-bruises and gashs disappearing, nose fixing back into the right shape...making him spotless save for blood and his missing eye.
[Healing: 80(NL)-95HP(60NL)=95HP(0NL)]
"You're fighting me anyway now, remember?" Granberia reminded, "And you'll get the same treatment if you lose too…" she licked her lips, "I'm done resisting…"
"I thought you were above t-this!"
Cody reached up and grabbed his shoulder, "She can do what she wants if she wins...if Alice is okay with it…and she probably is…" he looked around the room for Alice, who was gone, which was to be expected.
"She's not going to win!" Shantae shot back, "Not against the three of us! I have to find out what happened to me, what happened to us…"
"Shantae, I think you're being overdramatic, man, being fucked by the sexy dragon lady won't be that bad…"
"Ssshhh...I'm trying to get into this."
"I, and Luka, have work to do that doesn't involve being forced to fist fight for eternity, as much as the fucking would be nice." T stepped with a dangerous look in his eye "So this isn't something I'm going to go down easily for." he says
"Oh? So you've worked out what I have planned for you…" Granberia idly twirled her blade in small circles.
"No better an opponent to train ourselves on then you, given our likelihood of pulling a win and the EXP we get even if we lose." T says "Two plus two equals four, I just did the math." he said getting into stance.
"I'll leave them to you after we're done here and I break you back through the ceiling," the doppelganger stepped besides Granberia, "I only have an interest in beating them."
"Wonderful…" Granberia started to approach before the turn order shut them into place.
[Initiative: Cody: 18+4=22, Shantae: 11+8=19, T 13-5=8, Granberia 3+8=11, Doppelganger 6+5=11]
[Turn Order: Shantae, Cody, Granberia, Doppelganger, T]
And thusly it was Shantae's turn as the order had decreed.
Shantae swift action shifted stances, his legs becoming the unmovable roots of a mountain, and body becoming unbreakable like adamantine as he took the [Roots of the Mountain] stance and readied [Comet Throw] on anyone that approached.
Cody growled, then howled as the temperature of the room spiked up suddenly, ducking down a bit as his body shifted and grew, his height and size changing into [Large] creature…
[DC:15][Autohypnosis Check: 3+6=9, Check Failed!]
Standing in Cody's place, was an eight foot tall, muscular female body covered in a tower of flames, a body akin to a more manly version of salamander, dressed in his suit with jagged claws.
[Confusing Presence!]
[DC: 19][Will Saves: Shantae: 17+7=24, Granberia: 7+15-4(Circumstance)=18, Check Failed!]
"What-bu, eh...bu...eh?" Granberia couldn't even muster a full sentence, when the fuck could he do that?!
Shantae gasped, turning his head but not lowering his stance, "Jesus! You're a lot cooler than she said you'd be!" he lowered his voice, "Or hotter I g-guess I should say…"
"Shut up," Cody deadpanned with his now feminine voice.
Granberia was stunned for her turn.
Her doppelganger cohort took the air, flying high above their heads and landing directly behind Cody, rearing back a strike-
[Doppelganger Bluff Check: 10+5=15, Cody Sense Motive: 3+12+12=27, Cody Wins!]
Then stopping it.
Maybe punching a literal ball of fire wasn't the smartest idea…
And thus it was T's turn, his brain being slapped by Ilias'(?) martial panty shot(?).
[Inspiration Rolled: War Leader's Charge, Covering Strike, Rallying Strike, and Elder Mountain Hammer]
With a swift action switch he moved from [Iron Guard's Glare] to [Leading the Charge], feeling the divine flow as he used a maneuver-
Breath flooded in his lung like a hurricane, flowing into his chest as his plate shuffled a bit- and then he...shouted.
It's what it was, technically, but the ringing nature of just how god damn loud it was not to be underestimated, as he...wait what?
The Doppelganger was...baffled, so, weirdly, oddly baffled as T broke away from her- so baffled she...didn't even try to take advantage of the reckless move as he in a burst of speed ended up in front of Granberia, having [Charge]'d at her.
[War Leader's Charge Engaged!]
[AC: 21][Attack Check: 16+21+2(Charge)=39!, Success!]
[Damage Roll: 5+8+2(Weapon)+11(Stance)+35(Manuever)=61 Damage!]
[Damage Total: 61(NL)-245HP=245HP(61NL)!]
It was- well, kind of incredible the sound the sword made as it slammed into Granberia's stomach pommel first, spittle flying out as her feet left the floor for a second before she landed stumbling, stance up, T sliding back to...a diagonal point?
"T…" She growled, "Let me fight Cody," she ordered.
A part of him, a deep deep part of him wanted to deny her, to say I can't let it happen again, but the smart, logical side of him, devoid of the irrational, emotional decision, grit his teeth. "Fine." he said, having...something else mix in there for some reason, he didn't know what, or who it was directed at, because it felt directed.
Shantae shifted next to Cody, arms shooting down towards the Doppelganger's feet as he engaged [Comet Throw]
[Hitting: 18][Touch Attack Roll: 8+11=19, Attack Success!]
[Opposed Trip Checks: Shantae: 9+12=21, Doppelganger: 14+15=29! Doppelganger Wins!]
Shantae dropped down gripping her legs like an angry guard dog and struggled to chunk her like an Olympic hammer, but she ripped a leg free and booted him in the face like the annoying puppy he was acting like.
And then all at once...a raging inferno blinded her…
[Hitting: 31][Attack Checks: 16+10=26, 12+10=22, 14+10=24, 9+8=17, 13+8=21, All Attacks Fail!]
Slams, punches, claws and kicks, Cody's movements in his new, larger body were clumsy and untrained, she easily bobbed and weaved around every single one of them, feeling the heat of his onslaught and beginning to sweat despite not breaking one.
Granberia pushed passed T, walking casually into the melee of Shantae, Cody and the doppelganger, ordering, "Stand aside, this one is mine."
"Drop dead and give me twenty!" her temporary combat intern spat back, "You go pick a fight with that fat one over there!"
Granberia threatened the woman with her massive, flaming blade, "I won't ask again!"
The doppelganger, out of spite, threw her arms out to grab onto Cody, aiming to jerk him away from the combat…
And he...consented to being grapp-
HOT! HOT! HOT!
The monster grit her teeth, still holding on tight as she ate the damage from the contact, feeling the intense element engulf her body.
[Doppelganger Damage Roll: 4+15=19!-105=86HP!
[Cody Damage Roll: 4-226HP=222HP!]
[Now burning for: 4 Rounds!]
She suddenly let go of Cody, she thought she could take it-but by God could she not take it-, her body had almost instantly become a bonfire of torture and pain...flames licking her skin and cracking her scales…
She tried to drop and roll-but she couldn't…
[Slowed for: 10 Rounds!]
Cody smirked despite the decent chunk of grapple damage, "Flesh-golems are weak to fire you stupid bitch," he chuckled.
And thus, it was T's turn.
[Inspiration Rolled: White Raven Tac-]
T and Cody's eye's met eyes to eye, and the White Raven burned through him as T sighed, and then grinned- though why was his arm twitching? And held his action.
Cody suddenly surged fourth-
[Hitting:17][Touch Attack Check: 16+12=28, Attack Success!]
[Opposed Grapple Checks: Cody: 16+21=37, Doppelganger: 9+15=24, Cody Wins!]
His arms wrapped around her body, pulling her violently into a bear hug, he squeezed, hearing cracking and popping, as he jerked her around to the opposite side of him-a straight line for T to charge into her.
[Damage Roll: 15+4+6=25!-222=197HP!]
"Now shoot!" Cody ordered, making a rather obscure reference to a Jojo fighting game involving and Hol Horse.
T clicked his tongue- tactically he thought sandwiching and wailing on Granberia was the smarter choice but...fuck it, he had to fight this...whatever it is that won't stop feeling bad from his body, and it was- it was making it harder to think cleverly about things.
"Aye aye sir!" T says with a grin and a cheerful tone.
And so, with a burst of speed, he spoke a certain chant, familiar but different.
"With the weight and fury of a mountain," he yelled as he runs, getting closer- few steps now.
"I come at you like an avalanche as I harness the Earth's strength into a ruinous power!" T continues, feet sliding into position as his entire body tensed up, muscles coiling, feet firm, every twist and movement after this would harness untold power from his stance- from the Earth below them.
"TAKE THIS! ELDER," he roared, body burst into movement "MOUNTAIN," feet grinded, his body twisted, metal, carefully, perfectly crafted to allow the movement needed for combat, groaned as he swung "HAMMER!" he finished, blade singing as it fell like a guillotine, slashing downwards as he channeled a [Smite] and a [Vengeful Strike] in there to make it absolute that he was going to hit her-
[Elder Mountain Hammer Engaged!]
[AC: 25][Attack Check: 17+21+3(Smite)+3(VS)-10(Power Attack)=28, Success!]
[Damage Rolls: 7+8+2(Weapon)+11(Stance)+10(Power Attack)+(6+6+5+4+1+1)(EMH)+11(Smite)+(1+3+6+4+1+4+5+3+1+1+1)(VS)=102!]
[Damage Total: 102(NL)-197=197(102NL)]
The sheathed blade smashed into her skull, like a hammer to a nail, the force was so much, so high that her feet sunk into the ground, a piercing headache smashing through her brain as it pinballed about her skull.
Shantae's eyes lit up as the heavyset man's voice boomed like war drums, studying his movements and spirit with an invested gaze…
"That's rad…" he whispered.
He gasped when it was his turn, the floor cracking as Shantae moved the roots of the mountain into a martial maneuver!
He carefully slid his feet into position, "With the weight and fury of a mountain!" he echoed, "I come at you like an avalanche as I harness the Earth's strength into a ruinous power!" his muscles tensed, feet firm, trying his absolute best to mimic it the way T did it…
"Elder! Mountain! Hammer!" His voice full of enthusiasm rather than fervor, as his fist struck true with the power of a crumbling cave!
[Elder Mountain Hammer Engaged!]
[Hitting:25][Attack Check: 16+11=27! Attack Success!]
[Damage Rolls: 9+4+(5+5+5+3+3+2)(EMH)=36!(NL)+(102NL)197HP=197HP(138NL)!]
The doppelganger's gaze went blank, getting struck in the head by two mighty blows...letting out a bit of drool...
Safe to say if Cody was in male form he'd be popping another stiffie.
Safe to say if Granberia had a male form and was in it, she'd be popping a stiffie, a massive smile growing across her face as she watched Shantae replicate T's strike.
Cody gripped the doppelganger firmly around the waist, forcing her body out of the ground and-
[Hitting:25][Attack Check: 20+12=32, Crit Rolled!]
He suddenly fell backwards, jerking her up and over him as he suplex'd her into the ground behind him, already fucked up floor cracking even more from the impact.
[Damage Roll: 14+4+11=29x2=58!-197=139(138NL)
Granberia sheathed her blade, crossing her arms, and lazily nudged the Doppleganger's head with her foot like she was moving a rock onto something.
[Hitting:25][Attack Check: 2+31+4(Prone)=37, Attack Success!]
[Damage Roll: 14+14=28(NL!)+139(138NL)=139(166NL)]
The force of the strike put out the flames of her fire, Cody let go of her and rolled away from her, almost shitting himself that the angry dragon foot was so close to him!
Granberia was beaming, instantly informing the rest of the party, "Not yet…" her wings spread out, "Treat my boy right, you fight so much harder when you have something to lose."
She grinned devilishly about things to come "It'll be so much better if I pick this batch of fruit when it's even more ripe, and I think you all would fight harder now, then after I take you all home with me." she said, imagining it a bit and feeling excited jitters.
She took flight, uncrossing her arms.
Cody laid there...taking a breathe...being in another body was just so odd, and the smells in the room were driving him even more crazy…
After calming down a bit-his flames dying into ember-, it was even worse…
[Will Save DC:15][Will Save: 15+7-20(Trap Spotted)=2! Save Failed!]
[Lusted for 2 Rounds!]
Cody rolled and struggled against himself a bit, shooting to his feet after failing, ready to latch onto the boy, "Ara ara, Shantae-kun~"
"Wait, what? W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-wait!" Shantae yelped as the big tiddied fire elemental tried to grab him.
[Hitting: 18][Touch Attack Check: 7+12=19, Attack Success!]
[Grapple Checks! Cody: 8+21=29, Shantae: 4+15=19, Cody Wins!]
"Oh J-jesus! Thank God you're not on fire anymore!" Shantae yelled, struggling as his ears popped from the balloons being pressed into his chest, "P-please, let me go!"
"You smell so nice~ Just a little bit, please?"
"Credit where credit's due! You smell really nice too! But please not like this!"
Cody started to stroke the woman's hair that was atop this little man's head, "Please…" he repeated, clearly not going to stop until he got a yes.
"T! T! Help, get her off of me! G-get him off me, him-her, it! Whatever!"
T took off his helmet, placed it on the ground, a serene smile on his face.
Man he looked like he was super confident in helping him! Right? RigHT?!
He gave him a...thumbs up? His mouth parting into a grin as his teeth let out a twinkle and he winked "Good luck you rascals." he says, then picks up his helmet and leaves.
"T? T?! TEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Shantae screamed as everything faded to black.
Or-it would've if Shantae didn't try to break the grapple.
[Grapple Checks! Cody: 16+21=37, Shantae: 9+15=24!, Cody Wins!]
[Will Save DC: 15][Will Save: 15+7=22, Check Succeeded!]
Cody blinked, shaking his head, breaking the grapple and getting as much distance as he could back-peddling back into T as he [Polymorph]'d back into himself.
"T! What the actual fuck?!" Cody screamed at him.
"I was making a joke, I wasn't going to let that happen homie." T said rolling his eyes under his helmet- which he'd had to put back on because, well, fuck if he was dropping this expensive ass helmet.
Shantae took a sharp breath, glad he was no longer boxed in by massive breasts-or, was glad on one hand, and disappointed on the other.
"You...you w-were just testing me r-right?" Shantae reasoned, "Or...T? Or…"
"No…" Cody shook his head, "I would've actually did it if I didn't pass that will save."
"I was gonna save you, and I'd say this was your 'Punishment' I promised for the one handed comment, but nah, I was just fucking around. I'm pretty sure statistically I could get him off." T said with a shrug of his shoulder.
"Why'd he go after me and not you?!" Shantae was still freaking the hell out.
"Because you're cute," Cody shrugged.
"I...okay, I can't argue with that logic...so...if you risk doing that, then why do you even consider turning into a monster?" Shantae was beginning to calm down, hugging himself, looking away, and after a second of thinking, "Okay, dumb question, being a fire elemental is pretty rad...I…" he pressed his hands down over the front of his pants, "I...I need a moment."
T stared for a moment, and just shook his head "Degenerate purple hair boy three." he said, tsking.
Shntae faced his body away from the party, digging his hands into his hoodie, looking back at them, "I…" he swallowed, "I have urges like that too...over cute men."
"...I'm sorry? You mean...not like normal shit, like, well...like that?" Cody questioned.
"Yes, like that, but, it hasn't gotten that bad in a while...Granberia would hit me when it got that bad and now I can keep it under wraps pretty well…" he took a deep breath in and out, "How long have you two been here?"
"Like, fifteen minutes?" Cody quirked a brow.
"No, not here here, but here as in, in this god forsaken land?" Shantae changed the context.
"Oh…" Cody assessed his accent, "Tell me something only an American would know."
"Trump daddy build the wall already!" Shantae shot back, "Keep those m-monster girls out!"
"Fuck, I don't know, I've been here, we've been here...I don't even know anymore...maybe a week and a half?" Cody plopped down, running a hand through his hair.
"You have it easy," Shantae sat down too, moving back to face Cody, "I've been here at least three, and…" he looked down at the ground as his voice got low, "Only been free for one…"
The first thing Cody thought was, 'was he really from Earth? Or did the DM just make him from Earth?'
T just kind of squinted, keeping silent up until now- Cody probably had a better rapport at this point and he was the type to stay shut up and listen in- he was about to speak his first question- but Cody was on a roll.
"What do you mean?" Cody finally asked.
T just decided to keep silent and let him do his thing with a sigh, popping off his helmet as he waited.
"I...I wasn't lying when I said.I was a monster…" Shantae looked back up, "I...I sorta was, I very much have a penis, but…"
"You crave cum, don't you?" Cody shuttered, "That sounds really weird to say outright…"
"I don't need it but…" he rolled up his sleeve, showing the metal implant in his forearm that matched T and Cody's, "My race changed."
"To what?" T questioned, quirking a brow "What are you, a half-elf or some shit?" he asked.
"Frostfolk, my skin...used to be sour cream, but now I look like, well, like an Eskimo in terms of color, and didn't you see the way my eye lights up?" Shantae noted.
"I've released [Menacing] symbols as has Cody, we-I thought the DM was being a shitlord and making a Sans Undertale from Sans Undertale reference because you shat on Cody turn one." T threw out some of his reasoning
"You're...you're gonna have a bad time…" Shantae replied hallowly, with a relieved giggle, "I miss the internet, I miss...I miss everything…"
"Me too…" Cody sighed.
"I haven't popped a boner in a week and a half, I want porn." T said, squatting like a slav
"You live in porn!" Cody and Shantae both yelled in unison.
"I'd prefer a porn that didn't make me lose my fucking mind or suck my innards out of my fucking dick." T shot back "They're hot but fuck man, screw that shit."
"You have Cody…" Shantae reasoned, then slapped himself, "Wait no, that's gay, b-bad Shantae!"
T rolled his eyes "What you said, stop being a cockass and wanting cock in your ass." T said with a judgemental look.
"I can't help it!" Shantae fake whined.
"I have no complaints," Cody flatly added.
"Hey, s-shut up, faggot!" Shantae huffed, prending to be mad, "No gay shit in this manly party!" he chuckled.
"You're a man in a ponytail, and I can even see a bit of red tigne on your nails," Cody deadpanned without humor.
"I wasn't s-serious…" Shantae frowned.
"I know…I know...no worries."
"You are so devoid of sharpness or manly edges it's like I'm looking at skinny trap version of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man." T threw in "It's uncanny honestly to see you've got an Adam's Apple." he added.
Cody and Shantae started blankly at T for a long, long moment-
And then died laughing.
"Wait, where's Jessi?" T blinked, looking around, eyes wide and brow furrowed, "Is she okay? She's gotta be...Gotta..." he mumbled, worry creasing his tone as he stood up to turn around properly, body spinning wildly-
Nothing- he walked like a man on a mission, eyes jerking about wildly, honestly he's unsure what would happen if she got hurt, if she got…
Killed.
What would happen to him? He was...kind of too spooked to answer that to himself.
Why'd he feel this way? Well…
She could cast Resurrection.
I think you can put the pieces together.
But it was alright! Nothing happened! He just had a bad tumble- she could fix that too in time, everything was...just...fine!
Just, fine. Just like her! Yeah!
Then, easily enough...he found his treasure? Escort quest? MVP?
Eh, escort quest felt more right, his body slackening with relief.
"Oh Lord, oh Lord!" he heard the thicc dark elf's voice in...a cabinet?
"That's Granberia, that's fucking Granberia, my men are so dead...so dead…" she continued.
"Your build seems pretty batshit wacky…" Shantae moved a bit closer to Cody, "What even are you?"
"Generic classes," Cody replied, "I can just sorta...pick any class feature when I get one."
"That...why do you get to do that?" Shantae quirked a brow.
"Because I guess the DM's a mad man...gave me feats for free too, but mostly memes, like nunchaku proficiency and…" his voice trailed off, "I...I don't wanna bring the other ones up…" remembering the barrage of anger and fury he unloaded onto Lazarus, "And you're, an unarmed swordsage?"
"Yeah! It's my favorite class!" Shantae shot back.
"Mine too...I didn't get to pick mine," Cody sighed, "I love swordsages…"
Alice was behind him, staring down at him with narrowed eyes, "Idiot."
"Where'd T go?" Shantae questioned, looking around, then back at Alice, who he gave a big smile with closed eyes and head tilted slightly, "Oh h-hi! Are you Alice?"
"Damn faggot," Alice crossed her arms.
"Good question, where is T?" Cody asked.
"Damn pervert," Alice said, now referring to Cody, completely ignoring what they were saying.
[Opposed Checks: T (Move Silently) 11-7+5(Circumstance)=9,Cody(Listen) 10+3=13, Cody Wins!]
Cody sat up, hearing an oddly loud, very exaggerated banging in a cabinet, popping it open-
"My men! Come in here with me!" he instantly heard Jessi whine at him, still crying a bit, seeing her latched onto a platemail wearing figure.
"Stop with that shit, and just calm down!" T hissed, "Hugging? Really me?" he complained at himself
"Hey, no threesomes in the church," Cody crossed his arms, "I'll tag in when you're done with T, missionary only!"
"I'd be more pissed if I didn't comedically deserve this." T said with a look like this was fair and justified.
[Shine On]
[Name: Tristan]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Crusader Lvl 11]
[Attributes: STR 20(26), DEX 12, CON 16, INT 14, WIS 12, CHA 14(16)]
[HP: 103]
[AC: 25, Touch 11, Flatfooted 24]
[Initiative: -5]
[Speed: 20ft]
[TAB: +19/+14/+9 Melee, +12/+7/+2 Ranged]
[Saves: Fort 14, Reflex 7, Will 11]
[Weapons:]
{(Bastard Sword+2): 1d10+8+2}
{(Long Sword+2): 1d8+8+2}
{(Luka's Longsword): 1d8+8}
{(Heavy Mace+1): 1d8+8+1}
{(Angel Halo): 1d8+8+2}
{(Masterwork Bastard Sword): 1d10+8+1}
{(Gauntlet+2): 1d3+12}
[Armor:]
{Full Plate +2: +10 AC, Max Dex 1, Check Penalty -6}
{Ring of Protection +1: +1 AC}
{Towershield +1(unequippable): +5 AC, Max Dex 2, Check Penalty -10}
[Notable Skills:]
{Balance = 8}
{Climb = 13}
{Craft(Food) = 9}
{Diplomacy = 21}
{Intimidate = 19}
{Jump = 13}
{History = 13}
{Spot = 8}
{Listen = 8}
{Sense Motive = 8}
{Bluff = 8}
{Search = 9}
{Survival = 5}
{Swim = 12}
{Tumble = 8}
[Personal Magic Items:]
{Arm of Armored Giant's Power (+6)(+3)}
A combination of the Belt of Giant's Strength, Gauntlets of Ogre Power, and a pair of recently gained Bracers of Armor (+3), granting +6 Strength, and +3 Armor
{Cloak of Guts (+3)(+2)}
A combination of the late Luka's Cloak of Resistance, recently upgraded, Cape, and T's Cloak of Charisma, gives +3 on all saves, and +2 to Charisma
{Feather Token (Tree)}
Spawns a tree from token instantaneously
[Feats:]
{Steely Resolve 15}
Damage is delayed in this pool until the end of the round, limit based on level
{Furious Counterstrike}
Bonus attack and damage based off delayed damage pool, 1-9 = +1, 10-14 = +2, etc.
{Indomitable Soul}
Charisma bonus to Will Saves
{Zealous Surge}
Once per day reroll saving throw, must take new result
{Smite 1/Day}
Once per day add Charisma to attack, and Initiator Level to Damage.
{Diehard}
When reduced to negative HP under -10, character can instead choose to be Disabled instead of unconscious or Dying. Automatically becomes Stable.
{Combat Expertise}
Trade BAB for AC
{Improved Trip}
+4 on Trip Attempts, No AoO triggered when Tripping
{Knock Down}
Free Trip Attempt if at least 10 damage is dealt
{Able Learner}
All Cross Class Skill Ranks Cost the Same Skill Points as Class Skill Ranks
{Improved Grapple}
Do not provoke AoO when attempting a grapple, +4 to Grapple Checks
{Power Attack}
Trade accuracy for damage, 1 to 1, up to users base attack bonus.
{Extra Granted Maneuver}
When granted maneuvers on the first turn, gains one more then normal.
{Desperate Frenzy}
+8 Strength +2 Dexterity +2 Constitution, functions like rage, cannot be activated at will.
{Fearsome Presence}
Only active when in frenzy, enemies with 9HD or less must take a 25 DC Will save, if failed, they are panicked for 6d6 rounds, if they are more than 9HD, they instead become Shaken for 6d6 rounds.
{Avenging Strike}
Uses equal to Charisma Mod(3), adds Charisma Mod to Attack(3), and deals 1d6 per character level if the enemy has hit an ally within the last hour.
[Maneuvers 10, Readied 6, Granted 4, Stances 3]
[Maneuvers]
{WR: White Raven Tactics}
Swift Action: Give another player another turn.
{WR:War Leader's Charge}
Full Round Action: Charge without provoking attack of opportunities, if attack lands, deal 35 extra attack damage.
{DS: Rallying Strike}
Standard Action: All allies within 30 ft heal 3d6+Initiator Level HP.
{WR: Covering Strike}
Swift Action: Enemies hit by the Crusader during the turn this is used lose the ability to do attacks of opportunity for 3 rounds, does not stack.
{SD: Elder Mountain Hammer}
Standard Action: +6d6 bonus damage, ignores hardness and DR of target hit
{DS: Radiant Charge}
Full Round Action: +6d6 bonus damage if enemy hit is evil, gain +10DR/- until the end of the next turn.
X{SD: Bonesplitting Strike}X
Standard Action: When an enemy is hit by this maneuver, they lose 2 Constitution.
X{SD: Mountain Hammer}X
Standard Action: +2d6 bonus damage, ignores hardness and DR of target hit
X{DS: Revitalizing Strike}X
Standard Action: 3d6+Initiator Level HP restored on hit.
X{WR: Order Forged From Chaos}X
Move Action: All allies within 30ft get to take a single move action for free.
[Stances]
(DS: Iron Guards Glare)
Opponents user Threatens get a -4 to attack if they don't target the user, opponents intrinsically understand the effects of the stance when under its effect.
(DS: Thicket of Blades)
Any movement period provokes an AoO from the Crusader using this stance.
(WR: Leading the Charge)
Add Initiator level to Damage when Charging.
[Name: Cody]
[Race: Dragonkin]
[Class: Expert Lvl 2, Warrior Lvl 8]
[Attributes: STR 28 DEX 18, CON 18, INT 14, WIS 16, CHA 16]
[HP: 95]
[AC: 28, Touch 21, Flatfooted 24]
[Initiative: +3]
[Speed: 60ft]
[TAB: +18/13 Melee, +13/8 Ranged]
[Saves: Fort 9, Reflex 7, Will 10]
[Weapons:]
{Unarmed Strike: 2d6}
{Nunchaku of +1 Speed}
{Returning Dagger}
[Notable Skills:]
{Bluff: 8}
{Diplomacy: 17}
{Intimidate: 12}
{Sense Motive: 12}
{Survival: 10}
{Hide: 7}
{Autohypnosis:9]
[Armor:]
[Amulet of Natural Armor]
[Ring of Protection +1]
[Regalia of Fateburning Incense]
Wearer lets out a constant, light cloud of smoke and requires no sleep from the effects of the fumes. The smoke clouds smell vaguely like a weak potion. This grows 2d4 flowers every morning which shares the scent of the smoke, these flowers wilt after three days. Consuming a flower will bestow a 50gp potion effect associated with its color (Eighth Level Caster). Comes with matching magical belt, pants and boots, but these do not sprout flowers, they simply have the traits of a magic item.
[Alice's Scarf]
+2 CHA
[Boots of Elvenkind]
+5 Move Silently
[Hand of the Mage]
Mage Hand at Will
[Feats:]
{Monk Abilities}
{Improved Grapple}
+4 Grapple, No AoOs on Grapples
{Able Learner}
All Skills are Class Skills
{Close-Quarters Fighting}
No chains can contain the anger of a monster. Prevent Grapples on AoO, always get AoO on Grapples.
{Dragon Apotheosis}
The soul, heart, and body of a dragon. Gain the half-dragon template when HP is low. (CON, CHA and INT is kept in human form)
{Morphic Weapons}
Preach coexistence with the claws of a tiger and the venom of a snake. Grow natural weaponry as a move action.
{Polymorph Self}
Scary Monsters and Super Creeps. Cast Polymorph Self at will as a spell-like ability.
{Extraordinary Wild Shape}
With no innocence left to preserve, the corruption of monsters takes what's left of the soul. Take Extraordinary abilities of alternate forms
{Superior Unarmed Strike}
No matter how hard or fast they can hit, throw back even more through sheer force of will. Increased unarmed damage.
{Flurry of Blows}
No matter how hard or fast they can hit, throw back even more through sheer force of will. Able to make an extra attack at -2BAB
{Multi Attack}
No matter how hard or fast they can hit, throw back even more through sheer force of will. Secondary natural weapons have a -2 instead of -5
{Improved Rapid Strike (Unarmed)}
No matter how hard or fast they can hit, throw back even more through sheer force of will. Five extra attacks at less and less accuracy for a pair of natural weapons
{White Raven Sight}
When the chips are down and there's stakes to be lost, pain is not a luxury you can afford. Don't go unconscious at negative HP (still dies at -10), +2 Morale Bonus to AC
{White Raven Roar}
Double the attacks in a turn once per day at negative HP, must be able to scream.
{Island In Time}
Gain The Fallen Angel's Blessing and act as an immediate action once per encounter