I LIVE!
In all seriousness, I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to this story. A number of things kept me from working on it, the least of which being the other crossover which, if I timed it correctly and the system doesn't fuck it up, should have been released at roughly the same time as this chapter.
That being said, in the last chapter, Rose and Oobleck's quest raid explored the [Underground Root Complex] while Myrtenaster and company ventured out in the forest to grind. Fate conspires to bring those two groups together. Whether fortune smiles or frowns upon them is a different matter entirely.
Enjoy if you can - if you can't, I apologize
REMNANT ONLINE
"Myrt, there are too many at once!" That was the thing everyone screamed all at once. They didn't necessarily say exactly that, but the message remained the same.
The moment midnight hit, all the mobs that were chasing Myrtenaster's party turned into Grimm. As it happened, a pack of a dozen forest wolves at levels 18-24 became a pack of Beowolves at levels 27-36. Unfortunately, the highest level player in their team was Magnhild at level 39, followed by Stormflower at 37, Milou at 34, and lastly Gambol and Myrtenaster both at level 32, the soft level cap. Before that point, all of the enemies they had been clearing were trash mobs that weren't worth their time or effort as the experience they gave were, thanks to diminishing-returns, all but useless. Then the mobs all gained ten levels and suddenly they were being overwhelmed.
Thus they ran.
"Isn't there a safe-zone nearby!?" Maggy asked from the back, her lower agility stat preventing her from keeping pace with the rest of her party whose builds went heavy into agility.
Milou, who was running just a few paces ahead of Maggy, responded with bad news. "Those are neutral zones! With all of them aggro-ed like this, we'll still need to kill them when we enter the zone!" She said with a huff, her shield and armor weighing her down.
At the front of the group, Gambol and Myrtenaster dispatched two Beowolves with a few well-placed stabs to the head, right under the armored skull. "Turn and fight! We can take them as long as we don't get surrounded."
As Myrtenaster said that, Milou stopped and raised her shield at an approaching Beowolf. Right before the mob made impact, she ducked down and angled her shield, causing said mob to tumble over her. She quickly followed up with a [Sky Strike] directed at the Grimm's exposed neck. The usual explosive death animation played shortly after.
Similarly, Maggy skidded to a standstill and swung her [Grizzly War Hammer], her technique making a solid connection on a Beowolf's head. It was flung back towards it's friends, causing the rest of the pack to stumble as their pathing forced them to go around the fallen wolf. It did not die, however. "What gives!?" Maggy yelled in outrage.
"Complain later!" Myrtenaster yelled pulling Maggy by the arm, saving her from another pouncing Beowolf. "Keep moving! As long as we kite, we can win!"
As they continued running, a thought occurred to Myrtenaster. The only reason they weren't being slowly whittled down by the now nine Beowolves was because of kiting.
The concept of kiting normally only applied to ranged players keeping their distance from an approaching enemy while still stopping to deal damage - stop to attack, move, repeat. However, she only just realized that it was perfectly possible for a melee fighter to kite. The principle remained the same in that they were still stopping and moving, but now the goal wasn't to prevent damage by staying far from mobs but instead to minimize damage by preventing the mobs from surrounding and overwhelming them.
It was a genius move, now that she thought about it. Unfortunately, as they were still in combat, Myrtenaster didn't really have any way to enjoy her own brilliance.
It was tense work but they made do, picking off a Grimm or two every time they stopped. Stormflower was even contributing the while they were running by kiting in a traditional sense, running ahead of everyone and taking potshots at the chasing Grimm with his bow. They eventually wore down their numbers to just four. At that point, the party could easily take them on.
By the time they reached the neutral zone, they all collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
"I... have never been this tired... in my entire life..." Myrtenaster said as she rolled onto her back, taking deep breaths between every other word.
"What about after the last Gate Dungeon Raid?" Maggy asked cheekily, trying to sit up. "Or when you and Milou and Rose and Crocea fought an Ursa for the first time?"
Myrtenaster found it in her to roll her eyes. "Fine. This is the third time I've been this tired. Happy?"
Maggy laughed weakly. "You kidding? I've never been happier!"
Myrtenaster raised an eyebrow and glanced at Stormflower who was sitting with his legs crossed in a meditative stance. "Is she really that easily amused?"
He closed his eyes. "No," he answered plainly.
"Mmhmm." Myrtenaster looked back to Maggy who was staring up at Remnant's shattered moon with a satisfied smile. The fencer tilted her head curiously. Well, from Stormflower's answer, obviously there's more to it than that. She must have her reasons. She looked up and joined Maggy and watching the moon.
REMNANT ONLINE
"Um... Sir Oobleck? Can we leave now?"
Rose's voice was tiny as the mass of Cave Spiders became all the more terrifying when they transformed into their Grimm version, the [Scrambler]. Even considering that they were all only level 18, the sheer number of them would send most people running. Every fiber of her being wanted to be as far away from them as possible.
"Yes, I do suppose now would be a good time to leave," he agreed. He turned on his heel and began moving in the opposite direction. "Hop to, Miss Rose. We have a lot of ground to cover if we are to return to our respawn anchor and we do not have much time. Believe it or not, this flame will not last forever."
Rose gulped at the thought. "Do Scramblers act the same way Cave Spiders do?"
"Yes, except they're more aggressive. If they outnumber you, they will attack unless given a reason not to."
Rose gulped once more. "I have a feeling that all the other teams died already..."
"Unless they found our relic, the most groups likely have died. If they're smart, they remained at the respawn point as if they die again, they won't be coming back." He frowned as he said that. "I honestly can't believe that your people no longer come back after death. It makes me fear for my own life as well."
Rose nodded, remembering that, as an important Quest NPC, Oobleck couldn't be permanently killed. Just like with players in the beta, should Oobleck ever die, he'd respawn in the last major town he was in - or, in this case, he'd respawn in the room he turned into a respawn point.
"Couldn't we just kill ourselves to get back?" Rose asked, the thought suddenly occurring to her.
"Unless you want to experience the trauma of physical death, I'd prefer that we go back on foot. Now hurry."
REMNANT ONLINE
Myrtenaster and her party found themselves huddled together on top of a stump in the middle of the neutral zone. Several Grimm had entered the circle of stone pillars surrounding the zone and were now wandering around the clearing. They seemed disinterested in the players watching them tensely though said players did not want to test the extents of that disinterest.
Myrtenaster leaned to the side and whispered. "Milou, you were tanking for us the entire night. How's your health?"
Milou tightened her grip on her spear. "I need at least five more minutes to regenerate all of it but I'm good on health."
Myrtenaster nodded before leaning to the other side. "Maggy?"
"A-okay, your highness. Me and Re-er... me and Stormflower are still in the green."
"Good, good," Myrtenaster muttered. "And don't call me your highness."
She took a glance at Stormflower who was massaging the bridge of his nose. Myrtenaster managed a small smile of amusement. From what she gathered, Magnhild had been using Stormflower's real name by accident for what seemed like the entire time they were in-game. She couldn't necessarily say she could relate to Stormflower in that regard. With Myrtenaster, the only people who knew who knew her outside the game was Gambol, Wilt, and Milou, all of whom seemed to have no trouble calling her by her user name. Then, of course, there was Torchlight who liked to deliberately call her Ms. Schnee to annoy her. He didn't count.
In the corner of her eye, Myrtenaster could see more Grimm entering the area. "Gambol, status report."
"Detection is still on cool down. I can count two Beowolves approaching from the south and one Ursa from the east, bringing us to a total of eleven. I can't tell how many more are coming."
Myrtenaster bit her lip. Should those monsters attack, their chances of survival were abysmally low. She was at a loss. What were they to do? They were completely surrounded so they couldn't run - not without casualties at least. Staying where they were was also an option, but that meant assuming that the Grimm wouldn't attack them in a neutral zone. If that assumption was wrong, they'd be immediately killed. She had to think. What were they supposed to do to get out of the mess they were in? Think.
Maggy sighed dramatically. "Well girls... and boy." She glanced at Stormflower who raised his eyebrows at her. "Looks like things are going pretty badly for us. Anyone wanna say something before we dance what might be our last dance?" No one replied. "Well I have something to say. I haven't told any of you guys - really only Stormflower knows - but a few years ago I lost my legs." She put a finger on her chin. "Well, not really lost, but I couldn't use them the way I wanted to. It's more like I broke my legs. Anyway, I couldn't run. I couldn't jump. I could barely even walk. But ever since I started playing this game, I could do all of those again and more. I could fight and win. I never felt more alive! I'm more than happy with being trapped in this game right now. But, darn it, I ain't gonna die tonight. Not like this!" She slammed the butt of her Warhammer as she spoke, punctuating every word with a deep, resonating thump. "I WILL SURVIVE!" She raised her weapon, as a savage war cry erupted from her mouth. She moved to charge into the Grimm.
As soon as Myrtenaster and the others realized what Maggy planned to do, they rushed to grab hold of her and keep her from getting both herself and the rest of them killed.
"Maggy, don't be an idi-" Stormflower was just about to scold her when the stump started shaking.
As expected, the combination of the shaking and Maggy's initial leap into danger's gaping maw caused the entire group to fall off the stump. What came as a surprise, however, is that they didn't drop onto soft grass as they expected. No, instead they found themselves tumbling down a spiraling stone incline going deep underground. By the time they stopped rolling, their sense of direction was already completely lost.
"Head count," Myrtenaster groaned, pushing herself up.
"I'M ALIVE!" Maggy yelled with equal parts joy, relief, and disbelief.
"Yes, I'm still alive as well," Milou said shortly after.
"Here," Gambol and Stormflower replied, almost simultaneously.
Myrtenaster breathed a sigh of relief. That little fall may very well have saved our lives, she thought. She pushed herself up to a crouch and looked around, unhappy with the visibility. Too dark to see...
"Gambol," she began, the shadow already anticipating what the order would be.
"We're in a dungeon. Some sort of maze of tunnels by the looks of it," Gambol reported, her eyes visible in the darkness from the bright glow of yellow caused by her [Detection] skill. She squinted. "I'm detecting...
The pause was longer than anticipated, prompting Myrtenaster to turn towards the light of Gambol's eyes. Said eyes were wide and frightened. A sense of urgency welled up inside Myrtenaster. "Gambol, what's wrong?"
"I'm detecting over seventy mobs in within a fifty feet radius from us," Gambol breathed. "Most of them are congregating around some... thing in an adjacent tunnel." She glanced to something only she could see. "By the color of the dot on the mini map, they're surrounding a player. The rest of them are being drawn to the player as well. They're all ignoring us."
Seventy mobs... Seventy...
Myrtenaster pressed her hands against her eyes, hoping to rub the sleep out of them. She was dreaming, right? Right?
"Let's kill em'!" Maggy exclaimed.
"Maggy, no," Stormflower said almost immediately.
"Oh come ooooon~"
"Maggy, after that stunt you pulled earlier, it almost seems like you have a death wish."
Myrtenaster heard grumbles of protest but it didn't seem like Magnhild went through with her suggestion - more of a threat, really - of attacking the mass of mobs. It was a gratifying turn of events considering what just happened in the last two minutes - the tenseness of the situation making it seem much longer.
"So, what's the plan, boss?" Maggy suddenly asked. "Got any more genius moves up your sleeve like that kiting thing earlier?"
Myrtenaster scowled. No, not really, she wanted to say. Except she couldn't say that. Her pride would not allow it. She had to come up with something - anything - to fix this jam they were in.
She wanted to scream. It was luck that saved them from the Beowolves and Ursa. They had no idea what the stump in the center of the neutral zone was for and it was a miracle that it gave them a way out that didn't involve taking their chances with the Grimm. It was that very same luck that brought them to the unbelievably worse situation they were currently in, surrounded by even more Grimm. It was like fate wanted a laugh at someone's expense and chose her to be the unwilling sacrifice. Even now, it was toying with her, the Grimm occupied with some distraction, letting them live a little while longer. At some point, they'd all stop ignoring her party and attack. It was inevitable.
"Or is it?" She whispered to herself as she made one very important realization.
"What?" Maggy asked, Myrtenaster's words too quiet to register.
"Gambol, that player's distracting the mobs. Keep your eyes on them. We're following."
"Ooh~ I like this plan." Though Myrtenaster couldn't see her face, she could tell Maggy was grinning. "I'm in!"
The rest of them were in agreement as well.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go. Move it, people!"
REMNANT ONLINE
"Miss Crescent Rose, I'd like for you to run. I will be able to hold them off with high spread fire spells. You, on the other hand are at a disadvantage with your melee weapon."
Rose turned to Oobleck. "What? No! You'll die! We'll both die!"
"No, only I will," the mage corrected. "I'll draw their aggression and while they're distracted, you can make a break for it. We're close to the respawn point by now. You'll make it before I fall."
He raised his staff and swung it in a motion similar to a [Sweeper] technique. A wave of fire spread towards the Scramblers up on the ceiling. Loud screeches followed after as the many-legged mobs descended en-mass towards Oobleck.
"Go now, Miss Rose!" Oobleck yelled, issuing another area-of-effect fire spell to cover Rose's escape. A column of crimson flames ran along the tunnel, clearing a path. "Head straight and don't stop for anything!"
Something deep within her clicked as it suddenly registered to her that she was in danger. With a rush of adrenaline, she broke into a run, activating [Nimble Feet] as soon as she was sure she wouldn't suddenly stumble forward.
She wasn't sure how long she was running. Even without her the sound of her pulse deafening her ears, the heightened level of alertness she felt had numbed her sense of time. She could have been running for less than ten seconds and it would have still felt like she'd been running for an eternity.
I let another one die, she thought to herself. Another person died to keep me alive...!
He'd come back, of course. Part of Rose knew that to be true. But the fact that she allowed that to happen in the first place - it didn't sit right with her. Especially not after... after...
Not after Jaune, Rose thought bitterly. She felt an overwhelming amount of emotion - so much emotion that she would have cried if the game allowed her. Not again. Not again. Not again. She spoke that mantra in her thoughts until it blended into the sound of her bounding footsteps.
After a while, an unpleasant feeling of numbness took her over. And with that numbness came a certain sense of clarity - a calm that blocked out all emotion and only allowed rational thought.
She was close to the respawn point. She could already see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just a few more steps and she'd sprint into the room. Part of her debated whether she should slow down for fear that she might accidentally tackle someone who just respawned, killing them. Upon reaching that thought, Rose immediately put on the brakes and skidded to a stop. She was not going to watch another person die - especially not by her hand.
Rose suddenly became aware of a number of footsteps running behind her - enough footsteps that she couldn't make out the exact size of the party - five maybe? She looked behind her, seeing a mass of green cursors approaching. Players were approaching at a decent speed.
"Hurry up!" Rose yelled to the group, unsure if they could hear her. "The respawn point is this way! I'll meet you there!" With that, she continued running, silently wondering how long those players were following her.
REMNANT ONLINE
"What did she say?" Maggy asked, huffing as she tried to keep pace with the other players with higher agility stat.
Myrtenaster ignored the question, opting to keep her eyes trained on the girl running through the patchwork tunnels far ahead. The fencer knew it was a girl because of the way she ran. The identity of the girl was also easily inferred - there were surprisingly few players who wore a hooded cloak like that. The irony of running into Crescent Rose of all people was not lost on Myrtenaster - especially considering that she specifically did not invite the reaper to their little late night excursion. No doubt others figured it out as well, but something within Myrtenaster compelled her not to bring up the subject. Thankfully, no one else brought it up in her stead.
She got off her train of thought. They were approaching the light at the end of the tunnel and it wouldn't do well to dwell on matters that don't really matter in the long run. Her pride could take a back seat if it meant being somewhere safe - safer, at the very least.
They emerged from the tunnels, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the light.
They were in a large circular room filled with around twenty or so players - most of whom were part of the first gate dungeon raid. She saw more than a few faces she recognized. In the center of the room stood Crescent Rose, conversing with a tall man in a trench coat and safari cap. The man had a white cursor of an NPC, and the name [Sir Bartholomew Oobleck Lv75] floating above him. His HP bar looked completely depleted but considering he was still alive, he must have had a sliver of health left. He turned to face the new arrivals.
"I am unfamiliar with your faces. I trust that you are not here to undermine our quest? Because if you are, I have no choice but to kill you, which I suspect would be unpleasant for the both of us."
Oobleck was quick of speech and rather blunt. With his staff, level, and imposing height, Myrtenaster might have been intimidated by his threat. However, the matter stood that he had less than five percent of his health remaining - he wasn't quite as menacing as he would've been otherwise. Still, the fencer wasn't one for impoliteness. She bowed slightly and introduced herself
"I am Myrtenaster and this is my party," she said, gesturing to Maggy and the others. "We were out hunting, you see and-"
"We fell off a stump and ended up here," Maggy said, cutting Myrtenaster off. "Were you the guy shooting fire everywhere?"
Oobleck seemed amused by Magnhild's words. "Yes, I do believe I was. I am Bartholomew Oobleck, one of the last remaining mages in Remnant." He looked between the members of Myrtenaster's party. "I suggest you speak amongst yourselves. It may be less time consuming if others of your kind explained this situation to you." He strode over to the nearest exit and tapped the foot of his staff in front of it. "I must reinforce the barrier protecting this room. Please do not disturb me as this is a very delicate process that can mean life or death for everyone in here. That being said, if there's another life or death situation you wish to inform me of, feel free to disturb me."
Myrtenaster immediately walked over to Rose. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.
Rose looked taken aback. She smiled awkwardly. "This is a quest, silly. We're supposed to follow Oobleck around and look for some sort of relic. He said we'd know when we see it."
Myrtenaster snorted. From the way Rose spoke, obviously they hadn't found it yet.
"And since you're here, you're part of the quest too."
Now it was Myrtenaster's turn to be taken aback. She ended up joining some quest by complete accident? She eyed the corner of her vision. Sure enough, the blinking scroll icon of a new quest was there, waiting for her to read it. She tapped the icon and skimmed the quest notes.
"You do understand that it was not my intention to join this quest," Myrtenaster said, dismissing the quest dialogue.
Rose shrugged. "That's just how quests are in this game. Even just seeing a player in the middle of doing it can make you part of the quest. It really depends on what kind of quest it is."
Myrtenaster rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I came out to grind Beowolves," she muttered. "Quite honestly, I'd rather be back up there than down in here. At least Beowolves are mobs I've fought before."
Rose scratched the back of her head as she averted her eyes. "Yeah. I know what you mean. Spider Grimm." She shuddered. "They're called Scramblers..."
Myrtenaster raised an eyebrow. Rose's voice sounded uncharacteristically small. In fact, for their entire conversation, she seemed on edge. Could it be...?
"Are you scared of spiders?" the fencer promted.
Rose blushed, looking awkwardly at her feet. "Kinda...?"
Myrtenaster felt sympathy for Rose. It was one thing to be surrounded by a swarm of mobs. It was something else when those mobs were something you had a phobia to. It was surprising the Rose didn't faint.
Feeling the need to spare the reaper any more discomfort, Myrtenaster abruptly changed the topic to one that was related but much more relevant. "How are we going to get out of here?"
To that, Rose had one answer - that is to say: she didn't know. "I was asking Sir Oobleck about it and he said he'd handle it."
As if in response to their very conversation, Oobleck spoke up, silencing the crowd of players. "I'd peg this attempt as a failure. None of us managed to find what we're looking for and almost all of you used up your respawn charge."
Myrtenaster leaned over to Rose. "Respawn?" she asked in a whisper.
"I'll explain later."
"That being said, some of you still have your respawn charges which means the barrier around this room remains intact. And since it is so, I have modified it somewhat." He then pulled out a large rectangular gemstone from the pouch on his belt. "Upon consuming this crystal, I will be teleported back to town. Thanks to the barrier, so will all of you." Murmurs among the players resumed before Oobleck even finished speaking.
"To those who wish to continue braving the tunnels, you are free to do so - just step out of the confines of this room. Otherwise, please gather near me." None of the players left the room. "Very well. I shall now activate this teleport crystal. Please stand by"
There was a blinding flash, a feeling of vertigo, and a sudden lack of sensory information, all occurring in the span of the split second it took for Myrtenaster to blink. The next time she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the circular room in that dungeon and was, instead, back in town.
"There. That should do it," Oobleck said, his health rapidly regenerating now that he was in a safe-zone. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there are things I learned during our expedition today - many problems that are in need of a solution. I shall see you all again when the time is right." With that, he stalked away somewhere at a speed she doubted any player could follow.
A notification screen appeared in front of Myrtenaster.
[Quest Objective Complete
Reward: Healing Crystal II x1
Exp: +8,000
Lien: +1,000]
Myrtenaster raised an eyebrow. They were substantial rewards, especially considering how late into the quest she had entered. While the experience and money weren't quite as helpful as they could have been at her current level, the tier-two Healing Crystal was quite something. Unlike potions, they healed instantly instead of healing over time. The amount of damage they healed depended on the tier level - for tier two, that was 250 health which was a little under a third of Myrtenaster's total health. They were considered quite rare - not something sold in NPC shops. Was the quest that important for it to be the reward?
"Oh wow," Rose said next to her. Myrtenaster could only assume it was due to the quest reward, though she couldn't be sure - neither of their notification screens were visible to each other at the moment Rose blinked, as if realizing this and leaned in close. With the usual card flipping gesture for the showing of notifications to others, Rose explained in very few words what got her excited.
[Quest Objective Complete
Reward: Healing Crystal II x3
Exp: +12,000
Lien: +1,500]
"This is way more than I expected to get. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Oobleck was playing favorites," Rose joked.
Myrtenaster eyed Rose skeptically. "Earlier, he said he was a mage and we saw him burning down a whole swarm of those Scramblers back when we were following you into the tunnels. How does he do that?"
Rose shrugged. "I don't know? I asked, but he wasn't able to tell me before we got surrounded by mobs."
"And what about that respawn business?"
"That was another spell of his. He turned the entire room into a respawn area. It was kind of like a buff."
Myrtenaster frowned at the unfamiliar word. "Buff?" she repeated.
"You know, like a status effect - one that doesn't make you take damage over time, or slow you down. Helps instead of hinders."
The fencer had some words to say about Rose's matter-of-fact tone but let it slide since she had other things occupying her mind - primarily, the topic of magic and Sir Bartholomew Oobleck.
"We need to find out how he does it," Myrtenaster said firmly. "Torchlight's gonna flip when he finds out."
To that Rose chuckled. "Oh? He already knows. Sent him a PM a few minutes ago."
"Why'd you do that!?" the fencer suddenly asked in too loud a voice. I could have told him! He pays for this kind of info, she then added, though not aloud.
Rose shrugged once more. "It's my job? I'm one of his best sources for anything that happens at night." She waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, if we're gonna play twenty-questions, I might wanna know how you ended up in those tunnels. Your story has a bunch of holes and I want to see it whole."
REMNANT ONLINE
Myrtenaster Lv35 (as of chapter 18)
Weiss Schnee 18 yrs old
Stats
Health: 40
Defense: 35
Strength: 35
Agility: 65
Luck: 35
Equipped weapons:
Tailor's tail (+5)
Attack: 54
Block: E
Crit: A
Parry: A
Scaling: Strength E / Agility A
Weight: B
Wind Flueret (+5)
Attack: 39
Block: E
Crit: A
Parry: A
Scaling: Strength F / Agility A
Weight: B
Most Used Skill:
Nimble Feet Lv5
Passive: Increase movement speed outside of combat and decrease falling damage
Active: +105% movement speed boost for 3 seconds. Cooldown of 30 seconds.
REMNANT ONLINE
This is the longest chapter written yet.
If you want to say the [Underground Root Complex] is an unfair dungeon, be my guest. It is absolutely unfair, considering the kind of enemies it has. However, keep in mind that many story quests in RPGs actually require you to lose before you can win. There's sometimes a trick to win them early if you know what you're doing but most players will not know it. That being said, this is new content that was not in the beta. It'd be highly improbably for someone to figure out the trick already.
With regards to the magic system: I'm working on it. I have a few notes involving dust crystals but for now, it isn't concrete enough to be put into the story. Suffice it to say, there's a magic system in the game that will fit well with the system all of these players are familiar with.
The reveal that Nora broke her legs being part of a joke is something I do not regret. Call it anti-climactic, I don't care.
And in case anyone's wondering, the rating A-F on all of the weapons in the character stat bios determines how effective they are at doing a thing. That means rapiers like Weiss' are very very effective at killing with crits and maces like Nora's are not. Maces and most other blunt weapons tend to have the lowest critical hit rating but higher base damage to compensate. They do, however, get bonuses against heavily armored enemies and enemies with shields. Shellfish and knights beware - your armor will not help you.
Well, that was an End-note. Got nothing left to say so I'll leave it at that.
Until next chapter.