"You feel weird," Flamberge suddenly said as she and Dan Heng were jumping over a ferris wheel. The horses had laser eyes.
"What does that mean?" Dan Heng asked, his spear tearing through another wall of star blocks.
"Spiritually, I mean," The swordswoman elaborated. She traded her flamberge for a black cannon, which fired a large plume of lava at the ferris wheel, melting it and causing the wall on the far side of the distorted space to open up. The two ran towards the opening, just as the cosmic wall consumed the space they were standing on.
"That didn't explain anything." Dan Heng said. He stabbed his spear into the ground and used it to vault his way over towards the next floating island. Flamberge just flew to the otherside.
"Hmm… how do I put this…?" Flamberge muttered as a Spark Doomer appeared above them, shrieking in anger. "I feel like you're older than you let on," She eventually said, summoning heer sword. "Does that make sense– No, I feel like I can word this better, but I don't know how…"
"Older than I let on…" Dan Heng murmured to himself, ducking to his knees as the Spark Doomer lunged at his face. He slammed the butt of his weapon into the back, knocking it towards Flamberge who slammed it back with the side of her blade.
That somehow translated to the two of them playing tennis, with the Doomer as the ball, while they waited for the monster to die.
"Yeah! Or… I guess the more accurate way to explain it is like your soul has changed," Flamberge, knocking the Doomer back to Dan Heng with a backhand swing. "Sorry I couldn't explain it very well."
"...It's fine," Dan Heng said, sending the Doomer back with a volley. Flamberge jumped up and spiked the Doomer, causing it to shriek and explode as it hit the ground. The Doomer dropped a square shaped gemstone with the orange icon of fire inside.
"...Hmm, magic stone," Flamberge said, pocketing the orange. Around them, color returned to another dimension. "Anyways, let's get out of here," the fire mage said, turning around and jumping out of the portal that had recently formed.
Dan Heng jumped in after her as the space began to collapse around them, now that the… whatever the Doomer had eaten was. He looked around briefly, watching as the ruined carnival they just ran through slowly dissolved.
He was blinded for he traveled through the interdimensional gateway, but eventually landed on the hard snow of Jarilo-VI, right next to Flamberge
"Dedede, Bandee, we're baa… aaaack?" Dan Heng frowned at Flamberge's voice, but when he looked where she was frowning, he realized why. Stelle, March, and Kirby had returned, the latter now having electricity for hair. In addition, they also brought three armed men, two of which carried halberds while the (more than likely) leader carried a guitar case.
"...Is this the part where we beat them up because they forced you guys to lead them here?" Flamberge asked far too casually, and in Dan Heng's opinion, far too eagerly.
"What, no!" March quickly said upon getting a side-eyed glance from the one carrying the case.
"We'll be taking you to the city," The leader of the two soldiers said. "It's in your best interest that you do not start another conflict."
"You heard him, Flamberge," Dedede said, storing his large mallet away in hammer space. She huffed, but eventually Flamberge followed his example.
As the group started walking fowards, Dan Heng quickly reconvened with Stelle and March, placing himself between the two. "What happened?" He asked, getting an awkward laugh from March and a tired sigh from Stelle.
"Nothing much, really. Just defeated a giant monster sealed away from the rest of society so that it doesn't destroy everything," March explained quickly. "In other words, basic Express shenanigans."
Dan Heng nodded in understanding.
"So… Do you guys do this sort of thing on every planet?" Stelle asked.
"Well… not every planet," Dan Heng answered. Beside him March made a "so-so" motion with hand.
"Every couple of planets, basically," She said. "With how portals to Another Dimension are basically popping up everywhere, we're going to have to be the heroes a lot more often."
Gepard stuck out his hand, motioning for the Express Crew and Dreamlanders to stop. The heavy cloud of fog coming from the snowstorm began to thin out, allowing them to see more than five feet in front of them.
"Outsiders… I welcome you to Belobog - the City of Preservation," Gepard announced, leading the group to a cliff.
The city was in the middle of a snowy field, surrounded by large walls that protected it from the Fragmentu, not that it mattered at the moment. Long bridges went over the walls, leading to an incredibly large tower in the center of the city. Multiple gear-shaped structures spun above the skyline, occasionally stalling for a moment before resuming.
Large plumes of smoke slowly rose from the city, and even from this distance, they could see multiple collapsed buildings and even entire districts. Above the city were flocks of Doomers, circling the skylines like vultures waiting for their prey to drop dead.
Stelle stumbled slightly as Gepard led them into the city walls. The moment she passed through them, she felt… something underneath her, bubbling. March managed to catch her before she could fall, thankfully.
"You okay?" She asked, and Stelle nodded.
"I'm fine…" The Stellaron's host looked at Kirby. They shared a look and nodded in acknowledgement.
There's a Stellaron somewhere underneath this city.
"Woof… this place has definitely seen better days…" Flamberge muttered. Stelle looked away to see what she was talking about.
Snow gently drifted down from the sky, fillings the streets until it was nearly 2 feet thick. There were multiple abandoned buildings wherever Stelle looked, some which had massive holes in the side. Even from the streets, she could hear the growls and Chatter from Doomers and Dupas, scavenging the rooms for any energy they could find. Soldiers were everywhere, patrolling the streets and trying to fight off whatever monsters they managed to corner.
Stelle turned to another street, and saw a group of citizens huddling against some sort of heaters. As they were doing, a Doomer swooped down and snatched its jaws, managing to fly to safety before the Guards armed with rifles could shoot it down.
"This is all because of the portals that emerged only a few hours ago," Gepard replied to Flamberge's earlier comment. "When the monsters started to attack, the Silvermane Guards were caught off guard. They easily managed to overcome our forces on the outskirts of the city, where fewer guards were stationed. Meanwhile, monsters like the Hanged Man suddenly appeared on the frontlines as well."
Gepard let out a sigh and paused. His shoulders sagged, as though the weight of the world was beginning to weigh him down. "We're spread thin, and that's putting it lightly," he muttered.
The captain led the group deeper into the city. As they did, Stelle noticed that more than by citizens were looking at them rather oddly. She also took note of the fact that snow, both on the streets and falling from the sky, began to thin out as they reached the center. The fog became less thick, harsh winds turned gentle and even the clouds parted, revealing the blue sky. Stelle almost missed the sun.
"If ya don't mind me askin'..." Dedede spoke up, getting Gepard's attention, "You mind explaining why this planet's a giant snowball? No offense," The King quickly added once he noticed Gepard's unamused gaze. He sighed, but agreed with a nod.
"About seven hundred years ago, monsters from beyond the sky set the word ablaze, turning the land to scorched earth," He started to explain. Pretty quickly, March, Stelle, and Kirby assumed he was referring to the Antimatter Legion, considering the fact that they found their frozen bodies buried in the snow an hour ago. "In the midst of the conflict, the Eternal Freeze descended without warning, driving away and burying the invaders, but leaving only Belobog standing."
The Dreamland crew all shared a glance at the last bit. Flamberge made a gesture with her hands, but Dedede shook him subtly.
"Thanks for tellin' us," Dedede said, nodding his head at the captain. "So, anyways… you were takin' us to meet the… Supreme Guardian, you said? Who is that guy, and what does he do for the city?"
"The Supreme Guardian, Cocolia Rand, is the leader of Belobog. She leads the Architects, the ones who have built and manage the city," Gepard explained, leading them towards a large building that was built on the central tower they saw from a distance. "This is Qlipoth Fort, the heart of Belobog and headquarters for the Architects. I will lead you inside to meet with her, but have your words ready. The Madam Guardian's time is precious."
"Wait, we're meeting her right now?" March squeaked in surprise. "Can we at least freshen up? I think I'm sweating…"
"There is no need," Gepard reassured her. "The Madam Guardian cares little for formality, and like I said, her time is precious. Follow me."
Stelle and the group Gepard followed through the winding halls of Qlipoth Fort, her heels sinking into blue carpet that lined the floor. As she walked, she turned to Flamberge, whose placid expression turned into a frown.
They eventually reached a pair of large brown doors. Gepard pushed them away and led them inside a wide open room. Above them, standing in front a large wooden desk with gold designs was a blonde-haired woman in black and white clothing, adorned with many medals on her shoulder. Flamberge took notice of the oddly placed holes exposing her hips.
"–But that's a meaningless sacrifice, how can you–!" There was a girl speaking to Cocolia, and she paused when Gepard entered the room and led the Express and Dreamland Crew inside. Cocolia regarded them briefly before glaring at the person standing in front of her.
"Ahem… You may leave, Bronya," Cocolia ordered. "Visitors have arrived."
The girl, Bronya, flinched slightly. She looked at the floor before nodding. "Yes, mother…" She muttered, practically through gritted teeth, before turning around and walking out of the room. She made sure to glare at the group before she did.
"Zoo wee mama…" Flamberge muttered, her eyes lingering on Bronya. Dedede hit her in the side with his elbow to stop her from ogling further.
"Madam Guardian, have brought the group of outsiders to see you," Gepard announced, his voice echoing as he gestured to the group. Kirby waved at her. Cocolia did not, and she tried to ignore the glowing green electricity that was shooting out from his hair.
"The messenger informed me of your arrival. Well done, Gepard. You may leave," The Supreme Guardian flatly said. The captain nodded and walked out of the room silently. Cocolia watched him leave, and as the door slammed shut, she faced the crew with a plastic smile.
"Welcome, visitors from beyond the sky," Cocolia began, standing up from her seat and moving in front of her desk. "Or, for some of you… beyond this reality. I am Cocolia Rand; the eighteenth Supreme Guardian of Belobog. I would be grateful if you would tell me why you have come."
"Hold up lady, how do you know we're from an alternate reality?" Flamberge huffed, much to the shock of the entire group, and Cocolia's surprise. "We only told Guitar-Case that we're from off planet, not off universe."
"Flamberge!" Bandee whispered harshly, tugging on her jacket to pull her back. "Don't be rude!"
Cocolia only laughed lightly at Flamberge's interrogation, hiding her expression behind an ice-covered hand. "I'm not offended; it's a perfectly fair question." She said,
"To answer your question… I believe it's reasonable to assume that at least one of you is from an alternate reality. The portals that have recently appeared all over Belobog are otherworldly in nature. I've read reports of those who have bravely ventured inside; how they end up in distorted reflection of our past and present that defy logic, and how they've been nested by creatures whose hunger is insatiable.
"Given you seemingly know how these portals behave, what caused them, and how to close them for good, it's natural to assume that at least one of you at least comes from another dimension, wouldn't you say?" Cocolia asked.
Stelle was about to open her mouth; something about the Supreme Guardian's reasoning didn't add up. Before she could speak up, Dan Heng hit her foot to distract her for a moment.
"...Yeah, you're right on the money," Dedede eventually said, putting on a smile for show. "Speaking of gettin' rid of the Portals, we think we've got a solution on how to fix the problem. Ya evah heard of a Stellaron before?"
"Stellaron…" Cocolia murmured softly, as if tasting the word in her mouth.
"Objects that fell from the blue on separate worlds. Their appearance spells disaster. Many of the planets we've visited," Dan Heng quickly explained. "Our current theory is that the energy being produced by the Stellaron is attracting the Doomers, who are now tearing apart your world to locate it."
"There's also the fact that Stellaron brings disasters wherever they land, like the Fragmentum or the Eternal Freeze," March continued once Dan Heng said his piece. "So, you can see us as… kindhearted multiversal public servants, lending a hand to any world affected by Stellarons or Doomers!"
Cocolia sweeped a frigid gaze over each of the Express Crew and Star Allies as she contemplated their words. She tilted her head, her gaze lingering on Stelle for a moment far longer than would be comfortable before speaking.
"Your analysis of our current circumstances is true. We have suffered the disasters you speak of, some of which prove vexatious to us even today… but why should you care?" Cocolia asked. "Even if this Stellaron did bring about such a disaster, even if you're from the same world as the… Doomers, I don't believe anyone would go through such lengths to help a world unrelated to them, unless they had something to gain."
"W-well, Ms. Rand…" Bandee spoke up, walking to the front of the group. "Doomers aren't just your typical monsters. The more energy they consume, the more powerful they grow. If we let them eat for too long, they'll eventually gain the warp reality and eat everything, everywhere, at any time!"
"In addition, the Stellaron's energy is also preventing us from leaving. Unless it's power away, we will be unable to leave," Dan Heng added. Cocolia's eyes narrowed for a split second, before crossing her arms under her chest and taking everything they said into consideration.
"You know how to… 'seal' a Stellaron?" Cocolia mumbled to herself. She shook her head momentarily before looking back at the group, King Dedede specifically.
"Very well. Your arrival is the hope that Belobog has been waiting for centuries. I am willing to assist you in any way possible to locate the Stellaron and close the portals," Cocolia said, leveling a firm gaze and fake smile. "It's getting late, and you must be tired. I will arrange for you to stay at a nearby hotel, where you can rest."
"Thank you, Supreme Guardian," Dedede said, slightly bowing at Cocolia. "If it's alright with you, there's something else that I would like to discuss with you. I hope you don't mind if lil' Bandee here joins us, do you?" He asked, patting the smaller boy on the shoulder.
"Yes, that's fine," Cocolia said with a nod. An… odd smile appeared on her lips. "As for your companions… I shall arrange for them to stay at a nearby hotel, where you can all rest. Then at noon, I'll send for an escort to bring you back here, so that we may discuss this matter in greater detail."
With that, two Silvermane Guards appeared at the door, quickly ushering the group out of room, sans Dedede and Bandee.
"Soooo… I think we can all agree that Coco is sketchy as hell, right?"
The moment the Guards left them in the lounge of the Goethe hotel, Flamberge flopped on the nearest couch. They sat on the circle of furniture near the entrance, watching as more Silvermane Guards entered and left the building.
"She's definitely hiding something," Dan Heng agreed, sitting down with one leg crossed over the other. "Was it safe to have Dedede and Bandana Dee stay with Cocolia? She could be dangerous."
"It's fine! Those two can take care of themselves. In times of sheer power, Dedede is the strongest out of all the Star Allies. Bandee's also just as skilled as Spear Kirby, so he can definitely hold his own as well," Flamberge reassured him. She brushed a lock of her red hair away and let out a huff. "I'm more worried about what Coco is hiding from us."
"She seemed to think that Another Dimension is just that, another dimension, not the gap between realities…" March said, placing a hand on her chin in thought, "and that you guys came from the same reality as the Doomers. But, you guys don't even look remotely the same? How did she even come up with that conclusion?"
"...It's likely that she didn't," Dan Heng said with a shrug. "This may sound like a stretch, but… What if she somehow came into contact with someone, or something, that knows about Another Dimension?"
"That only brings up another question, if she is working with somebody. Was she fed false information, or did she misinterpret it?" Stelle pondered. Kirby was sitting on her lap, twirling a lock of gray hair with his fingers.
He spoke up next, mentioning how he's not sure how Cocolia would've gotten such information. The only people who could've done so would've been Magolor or Susie, as they're the ones who both know more about and have personal experience with Another Dimension. But since neither of them had contacted the group beforehand, and Cocolia seems to have misconstrued some of the information, it's highly unlikely that they could've done so.
Flamberge quickly translated for the others.
"So… what are we going to do now?" March asked with a shrug. "We know Cocolia's up to something. But, we can't just go in guns blazing and beat her up."
Kirby poyo'd, saying that they could.
"Well, you're right," Flamberge said with a shrug, "but since Coco's the one running the place, that also means she has an army to back her up if we do jump her. So… yeah, I say we don't do that."
"So… I guess all we can do is investigate," Dan Heng said. "Tomorrow morning perhaps, once we're all well rested."
"Ha ha ha… there's no need!" Flamberge said, laughing to herself. She reached inside her green jacket, and pulled out three bottles. She tossed them to the Express crew, and Stelle caught one in her hand. She turned the bottle to read the label, which read: "Whispy Wood's Maxim Power Punch!"
"It's juice… made out of Maxim Tomatoes…?" Stelle muttered as she examined the label. She watched March open the bottle to take a sniff, only to reel back at the smell.
"Fruit punch, technically. It won't do much for hunger, but it should replenish your stamina just fine," Flamberge explained, tossing another bottle for Kirby. He ate it in one gulp. "We have a few hours before the sun sets. Before the Guards get suspicious, we should look around town and investigate whatever we can. Maybe we'll find something that explains what's really going on here."
"That sounds like a plan!" March said excitedly, grimacing as she looked at her juice and downed it in a few seconds. She gagged at the taste, making Stelle recoil slightly. Still, March tossed her bottle to the nearest trash can (she missed) and turned back to Flamberge. "So, what're you going to do?"
"Simple. I'm gonna look for that Bronya chick," Flamberge answered with an unapologetic smile.
"...You're not going to hit on her, are you?" Dan Heng asked.
"Yesn't," Flamberge said unhelpfully. "Besides, did you see her outfit? First off, thighs, second, she's wearing a Silvermane Guard uniform, and has a bunch medals on it as well. Chances are she's probably a high ranking member, probably beneath Coco herself," The fire general reasoned.
"Well… As long as you're not chasing after other skirts, I suppose that's a good idea," March said with a defeated shrug.
"Hehe, I know… Hey, wait a minute–!"
"In that case, why don't March and I look for clues in the library?" Dan Heng suggested. March blinked and looked at him.
"What!? Why do I have to go to a stuffy library!?" March exclaimed in opposition to his idea.
"That sort of makes sense," Stelle muttered. "Getting a sense of Belobog's history might help us in the long run. We could get a better sense of where the Stellaron is if we figure out where more disasters seem to appear. Plus, Cocolia wouldn't be able to pull a fast one on us if she decides to tell us an abridged Belobog's history."
"Those… are perfectly valid points," March said with a defeated sigh. "I guess that leaves Kirby and you to explore Belobog itself, right?"
Kirby nodded. He looked up at Stelle and smiled. Stelle returned the look a few moments later.
"All right," She said. Kirby nodded happily. "That gives us a chance to take a look around and see the sights."
"...Oh," March muttered. She grabbed the camera that was constantly hanging around her waist and tossed it to Stelle. "Make sure to get some good pictures, alright? Otherwise, I'm not inviting you to the pillow fight tonight!" She said with a huff.
"Ah ha… okay," Stelle said with a slight laugh.
"Alright then, we've got our plans set up. Let's go and skedaddle then!" Flamberge said, getting up from her and walking towards the hotel rooms.
"Wait, where are you going?" March called after her. "Aren't you supposed to go look for Bronya?"
"I'm gonna go see if the hotel rooms have some make-up I can use. Or at least, some fancy clothes," Flamberge responded, looking over her shoulder and winking at March. "If you want, can you help me pick out a dress before we split?"
"U-uhm…" March muttered, finding the hands on her thighs more interesting than Flamberge's cocky smirk. Dan Heng sighed, and Kirby pouted at Flamberge.
Stelle meanwhile…
A few minutes passed. Stelle and Kirby were walking next to the monorail tracks, following them as they explored the frozen city. He finally dropped the Plasma ability back at the hotel, mainly to avoid the odd stares, but also because Flamberge handed him a lighter before he left. Given that this is an ice based world, having quick access to his Fire ability would be more beneficial than having to rub his hands together to generate electricity.
In general, the center of Belobog is far more put together than the outskirts of the city. There weren't many people outside, only a handful walking around quickly going to get groceries or supplies. There were almost no heaters outside, something Stelle assumed was to keep Doomer from snatching them away.
Speaking of them, Stelle looked up to see those blasted birds in the sky.
Stelle stuffed her hands into the pockets of her skirt, watching as the pink boy hummed to himself. He often spun his circles, the endless cosmic abyss that was his eyes latching onto every single thing that moved.
"What song are you humming?" Stelle asked. Kirby whirled around to look up at her. He didn't answer directly. He opted to instead point up at the sun and made a gesture with his hands, opening and closing them repeatedly.
"...Twinkle Star?" Stelle guessed. Kirby corrected, as the song was officially titled "Twinkle Stars" on the OST, but otherwise nodded happily. He jumped up and latched onto her arm and then her shoulder, hanging from it like a kid on monkey bars before pulling himself up. Stelle had remarked that Kirby was light before, but right now, as he clung to her shoulder; he was practically weightless. A feather was probably heavier than him.
Kirby started to hum again. After a few seconds, he paused, and repeated the first few notes. Stelle blinked, and after a while, she started humming the song as well. She hummed slower, since she didn't know the tune as much as Kirby, but she managed to sync up the sound of her voice with him eventually.
The two walked followed the rail, Kirby turned his head to glance at a small store off to the side. He leapt Stelle's arm and skipped over. Stelle followed after him, and her eyes widened slightly to see that he was running towards a flower shop: "Eversummer Florist." She didn't think flowers still existed on this planet.
Kirby opened the door slowly, the bell ringing softly as he and Stelle made their way inside. It was warm inside, thanks to the heaters on either side of the door. While Kirby made his way to the front desk, Stelle lingered behind to examine the rows and rows of bright and beautiful flora. She reached to gently brush against the petals of the flower. However, her eyes caught a twinkle to her right. She frowned.
Even here, the flowers were beginning to freeze. A bright yellow rose's stem was covered in a thin sheen of ice. The petals were beginning to wilt as the ice visibly expanded.
"Koromaru, if that you?" Stelle flinched, drawing her hands away from flowers out of fear of being yelled at. She turned to the front desk to see a woman coming out of the back, wearing a green and white dress and a hat. Her smile brightened upon seeing the two.
"Oh! Finally, customers!" The woman said cheerfully. "Welcome to the Eversummer Florist! How can I help you?"
Kirby spoke up immediately. He spoke in poyo for a moment, and then pointed to a bouquet, behind the florist. "Oh, that one?" The bouquet had tulips, bluebells, white roses and red spider lilies. The florist's gaze became dour for a split second, before she nodded in understanding.
"Of course," The florist said, her mood becoming more chipper as she turned around to reach for the flowers. Stelle wondered why her expression changed for a split second.
"So…" Stelle spoke up, getting the woman's attention. "Um…" Her mind blanked for a split second, unsure of what to say. "Rough business week?"
"Like you wouldn't believe…" The florist said without skipping a beat. She gently pulled down the flowers Kirby asked for, and started to prepare a basket for them. "Ever since those portals and freaky monsters showed up, the Silvermane Guards have basically got the entire town on emergency lockdown," she groused. "Only people going to work or grocery shopping to leave their homes are allowed to leave their homes."
Stelle quickly but two and two and together. "Ah… that sounds unfortunate," she muttered awkwardly. The florist nodded at her words, letting out a long sigh afterwards.
"You're tellin' me. I'm here working 9 to 5 without as much as a 'hello' for the entire day," She said. "The only one who comes here to visit is Koromaru. Speaking of which…"
The door opened again, and Stelle watched as a small gray and white shiba inu with red eyes walked inside the shop. It wore a white shirt with wings on the shoulders, and had a weird head-set like device around its neck. The dog barked, walking up Stelle and sniffing at her feet.
"That's Koromaru," The florist said as the gray dog then walked to Kirby and sniffed his feet as well. He giggled and leaned down to scratch behind Koromaru's ear. Koromaru sat down and closed his eyes, allowing Kirby to do so. "He started showing up a few days ago. Sad as it is to say, he's been my only company for the past week."
Koromaru then walked over to the front desk, placing a few gold coins on the floor and sitting down, looking up at the florist expectantly. She giggled and went to the back, and returned with a single blue rose. Koromaru licked her hand, and gently grabbed the rose with its jaw. As quickly as he had appeared, Koromaru walked out of the flower shop, his tail wagging all the while.
"...Do you know who his owner is?" Stelle asked. The florist only shrugged.
"Nope. He doesn't have a collar or anything. I guess he's one of the regulars," The florist said as the door closed once more. "Anyways, here's the bouquet he wanted!" Kirby smiled as he took the basket. He sniffed them, and as he did, he noticed something moving on one of the thin petals of the spider lily.
A single brown spider with white marks.
"Ah!" Stelle flinched, having been jumpscared by the tiny and frail arachnid. Kirby didn't share her reaction. He smiled at the creature, watching as the mandibles and front legs twitched. Kirby turned around and raised the bouquet to her eyes. Stelle took a step back when she and spider locked eyes. Eight pure yellow dots stared right at her, causing her to shiver.
"Poyo!" Kirby said.
"...Yeah, c-cute…" Stelle muttered halfheartedly.
"Aw, it seems like you guys made a new friend!" The florist said, smiling at the two. Kirby nodded, and walked to another set of plants off to the side. He gently blew on the spider, and the creepy-crawly slowly crawled from the spider lily to another plant.
"So, will that be all for today?" The florist asked. Stelle blinked, turning away from the spider to the florist, who was walking towards the cash register.
"Yeah, I guess. How much do we owe you?" Stelle asked, not paying attention to the fact that Kirby was already walking out the door.
"Hmm… 120 shields," The florist said with a cheeky smile. Stelle paused, patting her skirt for anything. Alas, all she had was her phone. She didn't even have any credits. "Since you're my first customers in a while, I slashed the price by 50% percent." Stelle hissed through her teeth, feeling guilty.
"Actually, before we go…" Stelle said, looking around the shop in a panic. "Can we also have that bouquet as well? It really… speaks to me?"
"Sure!" The Florist said, turning around and walking towards. "Nice combination of flowers, by the way. This combo in particular represents an acceptance of incoming hardships, but determination to carry on." The florist turned around–
But nobody was there.
"Well, fuck me in the–"
"Kirby!"
Stelle quickly jogged after him, who was waiting outside the front steps of the shop. She grabbed Kirby by the wrist and quickly dragged him to the opposite side of the building, hoping that the florist inside wouldn't follow them.
"Maybe we should've asked Cocolia for some money…" Stelle groused. Kirby nodded with her. He stopped for a moment, taking out his phone and taking a picture of it.
"Who are you sending it to?" Stelle asked. Kirby went into his contacts and tapped an icon. "Taranza" was the icon that he highlighted. Stelle's golden eyes glanced downwards for a moment, seeing that he's already gotten a few texts from Meta Knight. Below him, she could see he messages from someone named Su–
And Kirby swiped his thumb on the screen, preventing her from reading more. Once the picture was taken and sent, he moved to the sidewalk. Stelle watched as Kirby raised his fist and punched the ground, destroying the cement and unveiling a patch of dirt. He dug a hole and planted the bouquet inside.
"Huh…?" Kirby looked up at Stelle and explained that he didn't want the flowers to get damaged while they investigated the city.
"Oh, right…" Stelle muttered, slapping herself on the face. "How are we supposed to do that anyways? It's not like we can just walk up to people and ask 'Hey! You wouldn't happen to know where a world-ending magic relic is, do you?' And it's not like we can ask the Guards, especially if we don't want Cocolia on our radar."
Kirby agreed with her on that front. He pointed up at the sky, specifically, the Doomer that continued to circle the city like vultures. He reasoned that Doomer's are looking for the Stellaron. Like the two of them, they can sense that it's somewhere in the Belobog, but where it is specifically.
"Yeah, so… are we just going to wait for them to find it eventually?" Stelle muttered. As she looked up at the sky… a thought occurred.
"Well… what if the Stellaron's underground?" Stelle proposed. "That could be why we can't sense it right now. The energy being emanated from it is probably being covered up by layers and layers of rock."
Kirby nodded slowly, his eyes brightening. If the energy of the Stellaron is trapped underground, then all they have to do is make a whole hole in the ground that's large enough to let it out! He pointed to the weird monument in front of Qlipoth Fort; he could use the ice to turn into Ice Kirby and make a drill. Then, Stelle can use the Rainbow Sword to make a hurricane around them, so that they can drill their way underground.
Stelle narrowed her eyes on Kirby, carefully considering his plans and possible risks that could come up while doing so.
"...I see no flaws in this line of reasoning," Stelle said, giving Kirby a thumbs up. "Let's do it!"
Kirby cheered. Casually, he ran up to the funky monument, snapped off a piece of ice, and gnawed at the corner of the tip. Once a piece of ice snapped off, Kirby transformed and skated back to Stelle. He slammed the piece he stole borrowed from the monument, getting about half of it stabbed into the ground and cratering the surrounding area. From there, he breathed out a massive amount of frost, turning the ice into a fifteen-foot tall cone with a sharpened tip.
Kirby jumped on top of the makeshift drill, and told Stelle to start spinning. He'll jump up and slam his feet to make it go deeper.
"You got it," Stelle said, summoning the Rainbow Sword tightly gripping the hilt. The blade shone brightly, and the small molecules of oxygen and hydrogen in the surface started to come together, forming into water. Stelle made a circling motion with her free, and the water began to imitate it, floating around the icy drill faster and faster.
More water surrounded the drill, which started to spin faster. The drill shifted in its place slightly, but otherwise wouldn't budge. Kirby frowned when he noticed, so he jumped up and slammed his feet down.
The drill rocketed downwards an entire four feet, sending large shards of concrete and shrapnel everywhere. Stelle had to use a small amount of water to knock pieces of the street away before it could hit her. "Hey, warn me next time before you do that," She huffed. Kirby let out an awkward laugh before nodding.
Minutes passed, and Stelle's hurricane grew in size. As she kept generating water, Kirby used some of it to add to the size, and thus the weight of the drill he created. They'd managed to dig 15 feet into the ground just as Stelle dropped the hurricane.
"So…" Stelle said with a pant, the Rainbow Sword losing its solid form and splashing back to the ground. "Do you think we've managed to far enough down?"
Ice Kirby jumped down into the crater they created. He made a few crude shovels with his ice and started to dig, but only found more soil and cement. He shook his head, and Stelle let out a disappointed sigh.
"Well… I guess we should take a break before…" Stelle paused as she felt her phone buzz in her skirt. Kirby's did as well. He reached into his parka and turned it on, revealing a text from Flamberge.
Belobog 'Blazers
March: everyone Hey guys! Me and Dan Heng are going to deal with the portal on the far side of the planet. We're taking Gepard and Pela with us. Wish us luck! [10 Min Ago]
Flamberge: found bronya, gonna talk to her rn [7 min ago]
Flamberge: Kirby Stelle go to portal near hotel [7 min ago]
Flamberge: pick up lines didnt work lmao [6 min ago]
Flamberge: cute anime girl robot chasing me rn [5 min ago]
Flamberge: giant axe holy crap Kirby Stelle hurry up pls [2 min ago]
Flamberge: Stelle Kirby [1 min ago]
Flamberge: Stelle Kirby [1 min ago]
Flamberge: Stelle Kirby [1 min ago]
Flamberge: Stelle Kirby [1 min ago]
Flamberge: Stelle Kirby [A few seconds ago]
Flamberge: Stelle Kirby [Right now]
"Oh…" Stelle muttered as Flamberge spammed their group chat. Not even a second would pass before she pinged the two of them again. Five more times. She's not even sure if that should be physically possible.
"Should we… leave this here?" Stelle asked, pointing to the drill sticking out of the hole they made. Kirby just shrugged nonchalantly. He skated around and closed up the hole they made with his ice breath. Once he made sure it was strong enough to keep anybody from falling inside, he gave Stelle a thumbs up and skated away.
She lagged behind briefly as they ran back to the Goethe Hotel. The Silvermane Guards turned around when they saw Kirby and Stelle round the corner. Stelle felt… odd as she looked into the portal. It didn't look like a standard Fragmentum portal, but it didn't look like a portal to Another Dimension either. It was almost like it was fused together.
"Hey, what are you–" The first guard said, before they were frozen instantly by Ice Kirby's breath, sans their head. Kirby jumped up with a twirl, falling into the portal with any resistance.
"Sorry," Stelle muttered to the Guards before jumping inside the portal himself.
"So… what are you guys doing tomorrow?" The first Silverman Guard said.
"Shut up, Dub."
When Stelle first passed through the portal and landed on the cobblestone concrete, she expected to see distorted space and random geometric shapes, just like March and Dan Heng had described.
What she didn't expect, or even wanted to see, was the entire city of Belobog burning to the ground. With widened eyes, she saw buildings torn apart by massive lasers falling from the sky, swaths of concrete reduced to lakes and rivers of lava. The entire area was covered in a thick cloud of smoke, slowly rising into the sky and blocking out any light from reaching her eyes.
"Kirby?" Stelle shouted. The Stellaron inside her pulsed.
She reached out, and managed to find and latch onto Kirby's cold mittens. She could hear stomping on the ground, and looked down to see footprints made out of ice. What little light could be reflected off them bounced into Stelle's eyes, allowing her to see barely a foot or two in front of her.
Kirby poyo'd, urging him to watch his ice trail in case he lets go. With that, he skated across the floor, dragging Stelle with him. The ground quaked as the laser from the sky fell down, decimating streets in an instant. The brightness from the lasers allowed Stelle to see a bit farther through the fog.
Kirby skidded to halt, and steadied Stelle with her other hand. In front of them was a river of molten concrete, with large fireballs jumping out of the surface before falling back down. Stelle summoned the Rainbow Sword, and with a swipe of her weapon, shot out a blade of water. Fireballs turned into stone as the liquid splashed over them, but strangely, they didn't fall back down.
Kirby didn't care that much. He knocked Stelle off her feet and carried her, bridal style. Using his ice breath, he created thin platforms on top of solid fireballs and used those to jump over the river. Once he landed, the platforms melted and the fireballs fell back into the lava.
The two continued down a ruined half-melted city block. The roofs of the buildings were warped and gnarled like the branches of a dying tree, forming a thin strap of cracked cement over a wide drop of nothingness. Kirby, acting on pure instinct, skated quickly. Stelle looked behind them as he did, watching as their weight caused the bridge to crack even more and fall down, down, down.
Kirby continued skating down the trail, but slowed down for some reason. Stelle squinted her eyes to see further into the fog, and realized that the reason why he did so was because the trail ended. They didn't have to think about that for long though, as one of the massive lasers struck an already tilting skyscraper a few miles. The building toppled, and just as it was about to tip over the edge, Kirby used it to skate over to the other side.
Stelle held in her breath as she saw the world curve in on itself. Upside buildings hovered over them, each in the same ruined and lava-riddled state. She created a shield of water over them using the rainbow sword, just in case the gravity decided to behave for once.
Kirby slowed down when the duo approached their final challenge.
Like a few moments prior, there was a large void of nothingness separating them from the exit. Above them, however, was a melting city block with slow moving trails of lava falling from the streets to the void. And from those, three fireballs moved between them in a circle, dipping into the lava again before flying out.
Stelle raised the Rainbow Sword, and sent a wave of water at the closest set of fireballs. Kirby jumped at the same time, and after a breath of ice, landed on it before jumping over to the next set of fireballs. Stelle and Kirby repeated the process again, but they performed it a bit slower than last time. Stelle hissed as she felt the falling lava drip onto her skirt. Kirby quickly froze it before it could ignite her clothes.
As he jumped towards the next lava-fall, Stelle realized there were only two fireballs rather than three, and they moved significantly faster. She shot out her water, timing so that the moment fireballs exited the lava they would be doused and cooled. Kirby landed on the first rock, and aimed his breath behind him. Just as the second exited the lava flow, Kirby's ice breath had created a platform. The left side had evaporated for being too close to the lava, but regardless, it was enough to get a decent foothold and jump towards the exit.
The smoke cleared up once they hit the ground. Stelle quickly pushed herself to her feet and readied the Rainbow Sword. But the fight she was expecting never came. "...What?" She muttered silently. The exit portal was already hovering in front of them.
Kirby furrowed his brow. It's likely that the Doomer that's nesting in this space already has enough energy to keep open from a distance.
"That doesn't sound good," Stelle muttered. The ground shook as another laser fell from the sky, tearing through the memory of the city behind them. "But at the same time, I don't want to hang out for any longer. That's go help Flamberge, then we'll deal with this." Kirby nodded and jumped through the exit portal, and Stelle followed closely after him.
Flamberge sighed as she levitated over a frozen-over section of Belobog. Fire that she conjured floated beneath her, allowing her to above the watchful gaze of the Silvermane Guards that started chasing, especially that (admittedly cute) killer robot.
"Jeez…" Flamberge muttered, scratching one of the burn scars on her neck. She saw a small number of guards running through, so she released another surge of fire to move out of the way.
As she flew, she crossed one leg over the other. She wondered what exactly got Bronya to be so hostile earlier. Their first interaction (if you could even call it that) in Cocolia's office only lasted a split second, with a glare. Flamberge wasn't too bothered; she had a habit of defrosting ice queens. Francisca would attest to that.
Still, Bronya went from mildly annoyed at Coco's place to trigger happiness in the span of… like, an hour, now that she thinks about it.
Flamberge blinked, sensing the power of Void from off to the side. With a smirk, the fire around her intensified as she flew over to where she sensed Kirby.
"Heya," Flamberge said, silently landing behind Kirby and Stelle. Her voice caused Stelle to jump back slightly.
"Where did you come from?" Stelle asked.
"The sky," Flamberge said. She leaned back, her natural ability to float preventing her from falling onto the ground. It looked like she was lying on a bed, with one leg crossed over the other. "I would've appreciated it if you guys had come over a bit faster, though."
"Sorry, but we had to wade through a volcano," Stelle said, pointing to Another Fragmentum Portal. "So… anime robot girl, right?"
"Yeah, that," Flamberge said. She gestured for the two to follow her.
"What even happened between you too? She didn't come off too strongly, did you?" Stelle asked. She was slightly miffed that she was the only one running, not only in heels, but on an icy floor as well.
"What? No, of course not! At least, I don't think so," Flamberge huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "We didn't even get to talk for an entire minute. I just kinda showed up behind her, spooked her, and the next thing I know she's got her rifle pointed at my face! Apparently, we're under arrest for trying to overthrow Cocolia, or something dumb like that."
"What the hell? I thought we were supposed to work together!" Stelle exclaimed. The ground shook. Kirby mentioned that Cocolia might've planned to betray them from the beginning. After all, she didn't give them any money that they could use. "I think you're grasping at straws with that point…" Flmaberge muttered.
"So, now what do we do?" Stelle mutterred. "We left Dedede and Bandee back at the Fort, and– Shit! Dan Heng and March could be in danger too! They went to the other side of the planet with Gepard! How the hell are we supposed to help them!?"
"Good question," Flamberge said with a shrug. She slowed down as both Kirby and Stelle flattered from another earthquake. She looked in front of them, and could see buildings shattering as it came closer. "Though, I think we should be worried about ourselves first…"
Flamberge landed on the ground, having led everyone to a circular field courtyard with an ornate fountain in the center. The buildings off to the side shattered instantly as Flamberge's pursuer appeared; it was feminine robot, as Flamberge described, but she emitted the fact that it was dressed like a Japanese highschool girl, wearing a sailor uniform with a yellow bow. Her arms were covered by large red gauntlets, and she had red eyes and long light blue hair styled into a ponytail.
Most distinctively, however, were the massive labrys in her hand, and below her, were large bull-like monsters chained to the ground with flames sprouting out of its horns and skeletal mouth.
"What the…" Stelle muttered as the robot girl floated down, landing in the head of bull monsters.
"Even though it has suffered Fragmentum corrosion, this is still part of Belobog. It was our home. The Guards know this place like the back of their hands," An icy voice spoke. Stepping out from behind the massive bull monster was Bronya, accompanied by an entourage of Silvermane Guards carrying muskets. Stelle narrowed her eyes, and was about to speak, but Flamberge had already beaten her to the punch.
"And you've done an oh so well job of protecting it," Flamberge muttered, a comment much more aggressive that Stelle had anticipated. "You've what you've done with the place. Having that bull thing smash through homes? Great decorative choice, I'm sure the people who had to evacuate will love seeing their home reduced to a pile of steaming rubble."
Bronya grit her teeth at Flamberge's obvious attempt to get a rise out of her. "Enough cat and mouse. Surrender yourselves and come with me."
"Under what charges?" Stelle said sharply, narrowing her eyes at the opposing young woman. "We've been on this planet for a grand total of… an hour max? What changed in that time? What crimes did we commit?"
Please don't say petty theft, vandalism, and destruction of private property.
"My orders are to arrest you," Bronya said through gritted teeth. "It is for the adjudication panel to present you with the nature and penalty of your alleged crimes."
"Hmm… nah," Flamberge said with a grunt, surprising Bronya and even Stelle She turned around and waved her arm for Kirby and Stelle to follow. "C'mon guys, let's bounce. We can save the world without her help."
"'Nah…?'" Bronya repeated, her eyes narrowing. "I'm not sure you understand. The Supreme Guardian conducted an investigation on your backgrounds. She saw through your lies and deceit! You seek to overthrow the government."
"She conducted an investigation… in not even an hour?" Flamberge asked, tilting her head so that Bronya could see her blue eye. "That doesn't sound suspicious to you? We were first invited to Qlipoth Fort when we arrived. We talked to Coco–" (Bronya fumed at the nickname) "–for seven minutes, then we went to the Goethe Hotel to rest. 20 minutes, max. Then, we split up and explored the city. We were doing that for thirty minutes."
Flamberge turned around and stomped her foot on the ground, her eyes blazing as pillars of fire burst from the ground on either side of her. "You mean to tell me that Coco had ordered somebody to investigate our backgrounds, have that investigation conducted well enough to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that our motives and origins are fake, contact you, and order you to chase after us. She did all that… in fifty-seven jamblasted minutes?"
Bronya's hardened gaze faltered slightly, as did her grip on her rifle. Even the other Silvermane Guards shifted uncomfortably. Flamberge smirked. "If you asked me, either Coco really has it out for us, or she's incompetent leader who lets her biases get in the way of doing a decent job."
"Publicly insulting the Supreme Guardian only elevates the seriousness of your crimes!" Bronya growled once the words left Flamberge's mouth. "Throw down your weapons at once!"
"Great… another world without free speech…" Flamberge growled. Kirby frowned as well.
While Stelle didn't know what they were talking about, she could tell that they weren't just going to run away. She summoned the Rainbow Sword again, water forming around her hand until it hardened into her colorful blade. Flamberge, meanwhile, raised her hand, a pillar of flames shooting out from her hand until it revealed a wavy sword with a red hilt.
"...Very well then," Bronya said. She backed away, turning to her troops to address them. "Back away. Provide covering fire." She looked at the robot and the monstrous bull standing in front of her with a grimace. "I suppose we will see if our benefactor's… creations… can match up against human threats, not mere monsters…"
The ground began to melt, even evaporate as a large hand slammed on the ground. Chains rattled as a large humanoid figure tried to pull itself out of the ground, one with a bull-shaped skull for a head.
On the middle of the skull was a stylized, orange H.
Above it, a robotic school girl twirled an oversized ax in her hands. She landed, cratering the ground as yellow eyes blazed. Behind her, the minotaur-like shadow howled into the air, it's burning eyes screaming bloody murder.
Otherworldly Bull of Destruction
PARALLEL LABRYS
Labrys went back into the air as Asterius, the minotaur chained the ground, lunged.
Kirby retaliated with a swift punch, knocking Asterius off balance. He noticed that Labrys didn't respond to the damage herself, and quickly relayed that information to the two girls.
"Great…" Flamberge muttered to herself. She spun her weapon around, creating three more copies of it and launching them towards the Silvermane Guards surrounding them. While a few were knocked away, a good majority, including the ones closest to Bronya managed to evade.
While Flamberge busied herself with the Guards and Kirby with Asterius, Stelle engaged with Labrys herself, ducking and weaving underneath swings of her giant ax. Despite what she expected, the iron maiden was much quicker than she initially anticipated. As the giant ax crashed next to her, Stelle lunged, but her slices were knocked aside by Labrys' armored gauntlet.
She was going to attack again, as Labrys tried to pull her weapon out of the ground. Her shoulder was struck by gunshots from the Silvermane Guards, so she backed away on instinct. Once Labrys freed her weapon, Asterius turned away from Kirby and charged right at Stelle. The flames coming from its horn intensified as it lunged.
Kirby quickly skated beside Asterius and breathed ice into its eyes. The minotaur shrieked in pain and flailed its arms, trying to swat him away. Kirby jumped out of its range, and he noticed the Labrys also flinched, her right eyes closed.
Stelle surged forward, slashing at Labrys' hand and making her drop her ax. Watery chains wrapped themselves around the handle, and tossed the ax towards the nearby Silvermane Guards. With Labrys disarmed, Stelle pushed forward, slicing off bits of the androids armor until she slammed the hilt of the Rainbow Sword against her face.
Just as Labrys had flinched when Asterius' eyes, Asterius roared in pain as Labrys reeled back in pain. Stelle whirled around and launched a thin wave of water at the flaming bull, and just like the fireballs in Another Dimension, Asterius' horns hardened. Its head body turned to stone, and Labrys froze in place, unable to move.
Multiple flames appeared over Asterius' head, transforming into silver and red flamberges. Flamberge snapped her fingers, and the swords drove themselves into Asterius' head. They came out the other side and ignited, covering its entire body in Flamberge's magical flames. The rocks melted and Asterius was freed only to writhe in pain moments later. Labrys lurched uncontrollable, able to sense the pain Asterius felt but her body incapable of reflecting it.
The Silvermane Guards surrounding the arena fired rapidly, trying to get Stelle and Kirby off their weapon of war, but their shots were intercepted when plumes of lava shot out of the ground. All Flamberge had to do was snap her fingers, creating a spark that would fly to the ground and ignite violently.
"This is taking too long," Flamberge muttered. She swapped out her sword for a black cannon that she held under her shoulder. Taking aim at the Guard's feet, the cannon shot out a plum of thick liquid and caused the ground to melt.
Bronya growled, and fired multiple bullets. Flamberge didn't even flinch; she merely conjured multiple wavy blades that circles around her, slicing away the bullets before they strike her. Upon seeing this, Bronya lowered her rifle, and then slammed the stock of her firearm into the ground.
Asterius' eyes glowed, and it roared loudly, the flamberges in its head shattering, its flames intensifying. Labrys' felt the same surge of power as her Persona, and managed to catch Stelle's sword as it came down. Her golden eyes widened as Labrys slammed her fist into her gut, shattering her concentration and causing the Rainbow Sword to disappear.
"K-Kirby!" Stelle breathed out. She grabbed Labry's wrist and pulled, tossing the robotic girl to him. Kirby skated away from one of Asterius swiping hands and looked up, seeing the android correcting itself mid flight. It reached out a hand which shot forward, grabbing her forgotten labrys and pulling it forward, throwing the blade at Kirby.
Ice Kirby raised a hand and caught the ax by the blade. With his tremendous strength, she pulled Labrys towards him and headbutted her. Labrys' face crumpled slightly from the blow and was launched away. Kirby simply pulled on the ax again, dragging Labrys towards him for another devastating headbutt.
Asterius shrieked. It tried to reach for Kirby, but Stelle conjured harpoons made of water, stabbing them through Asterius' hands and turning them to stone. She twirled the Rainbow sword in the hands, and went to work slicing petrified arms, reducing them to mere pebbles on the floor.
Labrys' arms went slack as Asterius' was destroyed. Her eyes widened, and a brief cry left her mouth as Kirby spun the ax in a circle, dragging Labrys with it. At first, he slammed into the ground. Metal shrieked as her internal systems were damaged, bits and pieces crumpling and shattering away.
Kirby tossed Labrys towards Labrys. Flamberge smirked as she aimed her cannon at the metal body thrown her way, and fired. A plume of red hot lava slammed into Labrys body, covering her entire body, burning away at her clothes and causing her mechanism to melt away.
Before the lava could cause her to melt completely, something inside her sparked. Parallel Labrys exploded from the inside out, her pieces sent flying everywhere and landing as silvery globs of half solid, half liquid remains. Asterius cried in pain as its body disappeared in a cloud of thick gas. The only thing that remained was a steaming heart shaped core that glowed red.
"Well… that was certainly a thing," Flamberge joked as she stepped away from the Silvermane Guards, who all stood in shock and awe once they realized Parallel Labrys had been utterly destroyed. The fire mage picked up the heart, and twirled it on top of her finger. "All in all… this was a really bad match-up!" Flamberge laughed.
Bronya all but growled, infuriated as Flamberge stabbed a sword into the ground, creating a great wall of lava to rise. Once it fell down, the trio had disappeared down the street into an alley.
"Why you–!" With an enraged huff, Bronya burst into a sprint chasing after the group without her entourage.
"Miss Bronya, wait!" One of the Guards shouted after her, but Bronya didn't listen. She had a duty to perform. She had to arrest them. She had to prove that her mother was right and just and that these intruders were out to destroy Belobog.
As she rounded the corner, Bronya yelped as a silvery blade whizzed past her ear.
"Oh, come ON!" Bronya narrowed her eyes as she saw Flamberge hovering over the floor. Her spiky hair cast a shadow over hers, preventing her from seeing anything of her face except her flaming eyes and burning red eye shadow.
"What do you want, kid?" Flamberge growled, several wavy swords floating ominously behind her. Bronya could feel her arms shaking as an intense wave of heat filled the area, causing the frost and ice on the surrounding buildings to melt.
"Intruders… give it up!" Bronya said, raising her rifle. "You will be given a fair trial."
"Do you really believe that?" Stelle and Bronya both blinked as Kirby spoke up. Bronya hesitated for a moment, but after taking a deep breath, she stomped forward to fight all them.
Bronya paused as she felt her boot stepping on something round and smooth. The ground cracked as multiple thorny vines shoot up from the ground.
"What in the–!?" Stelle exclaimed just before the vines wrapped around her throat and squeezed. She tried to summon the Rainbow Sword, but the vines restrained her hand, drawing blood as the thorn dug into her palms. "What's going…" She tried to say as her vision began to fade, the vines squeezing around her throat deeper.
She thought she was hallucinating from lack of oxygen. Flamberge and Kirby's bodies dissolved, crumbling apart like clay. But that shouldn't be possible.
The vines eventually released them all, but the lack of oxygen had already caused Stelle to black out. The last thing she could remember was falling on the destroyed ground was a flash of a golden metal and colorful hexagons.
FLAMBERGE
Fire / Destruction
Faction:Star Allies
Character Introduction:Once upon a time, there was a young girl choking on the fumes caused by her burning family home. Before she met her end, a kindly stranger appeared before her and unlocked her potential for fire magic. That girl was soon reborn as Flamberge, the Blazing General of the Jambastion.
VA: Molly Zhang [Compared to Seele, Flamberge is audibly more calm, even lazy sounding when she's undisturbed. Her voice is more excitable when talking about or to Francisca or Zan Partizanne. When angry, Flamberge shouts loudly to the point where it's ear-grating.]
HP - 1201
ATK - 691
DEF - 366
SPD - 96
BASIC ATK - Berg Combo [Single-Target]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 50% of Flamberge's ATK to a single enemy.
SKILL - Mega Broiler [Blast]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 170% of Flamberge's ATK to the target and Fire DMG equal to 95% of Flamberge's ATK to adjacent enemies. The DMG increases by 50% when the enemy is Frozen or Shocked.
ULTIMATE - Scorching Sword Plunge [Enhance]: Apply the following effects if there is at least 1 Ice and/or Electric character as an ally, then inflict Fire DMG equal to 205% of Flamberge's ATK to all enemies. This attack deals 35% more Fire DMG if those allies are Fransisca or Flamberge.
-Ice: Change all enemy buffs to stacks of Scorch (at the end of an enemies turn, reduces their HP by 15% of their current HP. This does not count as taking DMG), then, if Francisca is active, all enemies gain stacks of Scorch equal to the average of all Scorch stacks currently in play.
-Electric: All allies gain a shield equal to 15% of Flamberge's ATK + 344, then, if Zan Partizanne is active, they gain DMG Reduction equal to 34% of Zan Partizanne's ATK.
TALENT - BBQ Skewer [Enhance]: At the start of Flamberge's turn, she gains three stacks of BBQ Rock. When attacking or taking DMG, one stack of BBQ Rock is removed to deal Fire DMG equal to 55% of Flamberge's ATK to the attacked/attacking enemy. Flamberge gains the following effects if there is an Ice or Electric ally.
-Ice: If a stack of BBQ Rock is removed when attacking a Frozen enemy, that enemy has Frozen removed, but it's replaced with 10 stacks of Scorch and their toughness reduced by 15. If Francisca is active, that enemy also has their Ice, Fire, and Electric resistances reduced to -5%.
-Electric: If an enemy attacks an ally, removes one stack of BBQ Rock to apply a shield to that ally before Damage Calculation equal to the 15% of Flamberge and the targeted ally's ATK. If Francisca is active, that shield gains HP equal to 34% of Zan Partizanne's DEF. This shield lasts until the end of the attacked character's next turn.
TECHNIQUE - Fiery Sonata to God [Enhance]: If Francisca and Zan Partizanne have already used their technique, if a Nihility Character inflicts a debuff during the first three turns of the battle, that affected enemy also gains 5 stacks of Scorched.
VS Parallel* Labrys
One of the prototype anti-shadow war robots created by the Kirjo Group in order to end the Dark Hour. This model in particular has been infected by a malevolent entity, which created a dark copy of the original* Labrys. This copy has formed its own ego, allowing it to create a Persona named after the minotaur that was sealed in Daedalus' labyrinth.
*Don't worry! Parallel characters are not the same version from the source material! They are completely unrelated.
SKILLS
Persona - Fortune Asterius [Enhance]: Summons Asterius at the beginning of the battle. Asterius and Labrys' share the same Toughness Meter. When Labrys is Weakness Broken, Asterius disappears, but returns at the start of Labrys' second turn after recovering. Asterius does not have HP.
Flash Freeze [Impair]: When Asterius takes Ice DMG, it becomes petrified until the start of Labrys' next turn. While petrified, Asterius loses 10 more toughness when attacked by one of its weaknesses, also, if Asterius is weakness broken while petrified, Labyrs loses HP equal to 16% of Asterius current ATK.
Megaton Press [Single-Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 120% of Parallel Labrys' ATK to a single enemy.
Matarukaja [Enhance]: Increases Labrys' and Asterius' ATK% by 22 for two turns. This effect can stack up to two times (Asterius).
Maragidyne [AoE]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 145% of Asterius ATK to all enemies.
Primal Force [Bounce]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 175% Parallel Labrys' ATK to random enemies two times.
Makarakarn [Enhance]: Creates a shield to protect one ally for two turns. If that ally is attacked, any damage they would have taken is transferred to the attacker (Asterius).
Raging Will [Enhance]: Parallel Labrys or Asterius enters a charged state. On the next available action, Parallel Labrys will perform "Gigantomachia," or Asterius will perform "Titanomachia."
Titanomachia [AoE]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 405% of Asterius' attack to all enemies. There is a 44% chance that enemies who have lost HP because of this attack will be inflicted with Fear (There is a 37% chance that Fearful enemies will not attack Asterius. If they do, Asterius will not lose any toughness. This debuff can be removed by applying any buff).
Gigantomachia [Single-Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 405% of Labrys' ATK to a single target.