Fantasy Into the Dread Labyrinth

[Thalia_Neko]

While dinner was being cooked, Daeva was attempting to decipher this strange thing before her.

She reread the sign, just to internalize what was being said.

Path of Sacrifice
To Enter the Land of the Wega
You Must Sacrifice Something
Three of You Have Sacrificed
To You Who Have Not, What Will You Sacrifice?

Jiànlong bounded over while the others were chatting. "Hey, Daev, wuttup?" he asked, cocking his head when he saw the sign. Sure he had been told things about the Labyrinth alongside everyone else when the Director was explaining the Labyrinth to them, but he still didn't recall everything. But still, he didn't remember hearing anything about this.

"Daeva, whats that?"

The dark-haired girl glanced over at him, then shrugged.

He leaned over her shoulder, reading the sign.

"Huh.."

Suddenly, next to them, a strange thing rose up out of the murky ground. It looked like a wide-brimmed chalice attached to a post or rod, or perhaps you could call it a small bowl.

Then, more writing appeared on the sign.

To Reach Their Kingdom, their Witch Stands In Your Way
Her Magic Will Hinder and Disable You
Surely You Will Fail
Should You Not Heed This Warning

"Huhhhhh," he repeated, glancing over at the strange bowl that just sprang up with some fanfare before them. He glanced down, as Daeva glanced up, looking into each others' faces with confusion. I mean it was pretty clear. They had to sacrifice something. But what?

It said 3 had already done so... And Daeva was here before him, reading the sign. When he arrived, something happened, and the sign changed. Did that mean, he was not one who had already sacrificed something? For a second he was considering the loss of his AES, but it seemed that did not count. "I guess this means I need to sacrifice... but what? What do you think, Daev?"

Just as he was asking her a question, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the murky water bubble. Something rose to the surface, then sprang out.

"Hey! Watch out!" He shoved her back, whipped out his sword, and sliced clean through the monster. It fell to the ground, with its stomach split open.

"Pond Hopper."

It was similar to the Dust Swimmers and Dust Hiders. Pond Hoppers were reptilian-like monsters that hid in the swamp and attacked in an ambush-like way. Kinda like what just happened. Actually, they were more frog-like, or amphibian-like, as they had fat bellies. They weren't particularly threatening, but their tongues could drag you down into the water, and had a small paralytic saliva.

Jiànlong glanced over, and saw three more. One rose up out of the water, and the frog-like eyes of two more appeared above the surface. He held his sword up before him. One of the ones in the water opened its mouth and out shot its pink rope-like tongue.

"Hya!" He cried out, and with impressive dexterity, cut the tongue swiftly, slicing off a part of it that hit the ground. The remainder of the tongue shot back into the mouth of the creature, as it squealed in pain. Daeva got to her feet, not bothered by the fact he shoved her down. She patted down her dress, standing behind him, using him for cover. Can't they even have a meal in peace?

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Sharon Ironblood​

Watching the happenings unfold, Sharon paid close attention to each of them, one by one. Unfortunately, her full attention could not be devoted to this as she looked around, scanning the horizon for threats, near and far, concealed amongst the landscape. Still, there were a few that stood out, no matter how far away it was, as she looked down her scope, a swamp, or what she assumed was one was a bit further away. From there, the next boss room likely, but it was too far out of range to make out more than a blur, even through the rifle scope and her natural perception. All things had limits.

And speaking of limits, it seemed Franseka had reached the end of her own. And just as quickly turned against them and came back again, while Vincent and Katja immediately went to coddle her. It made her sick to a degree. If the woman was so weak and wanted to turn around, why not let her? Still it did keep Sharon's gaze fixed upon her, as she rested with her had present upon the action grouping of her rifle. True to Franseka's own thoughts, the brief instant that the former looked at the sniper, she was staring back in turn, but then broke it off to scowl at the other three.

"Hokey religions and the ways of the old world don't match a good weapon at your side. If you two are going to pray, you'll be doing it on the move." To insist that she wasn't a sister, the fact that Katja immediately turned to prayer when faced with a difficulty, made her wonder if the other was always like that, or if it was a change enforced by gear and stats, a sort of curse like her own Maid stat. Then the old man went on with a yarn or two and prep talk. "How inspiring." It was his veteran remark and this being a profession where men died young, that however did illicit a more spring back remark,

"The hell do you know about being an Adventure old man? You don't even have a damn weapon, the hell you going to do, talk the enemy to death? Inspire them to commit suicide? Hell of a trick if so." And then her eyes finally settled on Franseka, staring for a few seconds at the other, her hand remained near the action of her rifle.

"And nah, jokes aside, if she wants to leave, she can. But I won't be escorting her back. Good luck making it through, but I'm sure you can take care of yourself. Though fair enough on how we all look, not sure what Katja there gets from hers, minus hard stares from men, but I suspect it's like mine with features, the Labyrinth has a way of changing you, molding you into what it wants to be."

With those words said, she motions down the road and to the samp. "If we push it we may get there in an hour or two, find some clues, not many places to pitch a tent, if not, we head to the boss room which should be in there. We'll rest when we find their camp, after the boss, or when we're dead."

Interactions: AnonyMouse Karcen Megilagor Thalia_Neko

 

[Karcen]

Katja Galinka
Mentions: AnonyMouse RedArmyShogun Megilagor
Location: 2nd layer​

Katja didn't really acknowledge what Sharon said. She seemed to be the kind to leave people behind if they weren't able to keep up and Katja wasn't. If she had met more people like Sharon then Katja knew she would have died as a child before ever making it to the church turned orphanage so she didn't mind not listening to her demand they keep moving. Katja stopped with Franseska again ignoring the words of Sharon about religions as weapons as the woman seemed to be a very worldly person, only believe in what you can see only think of what is there. Bringing up the dress that the labyrinth had given her was a point of annoyance to Katja she didn't really like how it felt close to some fetish costume, though it was not quite far enough to truly be indecent.

Katja reached out and grabbed Franseka's hand with her own and a warm smile. " Thank you, you don't have to have faith in god, god will have faith in you; just follow along i am sure you will know the words" Katja explained the last bit was because she knew the prayer was common even in none religious media before the coming of the labyrinth. She did feel a little bad that she had told a lie about this just being a prayer, but the shift made her worry it was some dark spirit clouding the girl's mind.

" Our father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. " Katja started keeping the pace slow so that Franseka could quickly catch up should she not know any words. Though as she prayed the area around Katja and Katja herself would seem to faintly glow. " Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heave." Katja continue not changing the pace though with each word the light seemed to get a tiny bit brighter and the area it covered grew. " Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us" The light around Katja and Franseska grew and grew now it was more like looking at bright light than a faint glow, yet it didn't hurt to stare at and might even be called calming. " and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen." Katja finished using the shortened more common form of the prayer instead of adding in the extra few sentences. With the finishing of the prayed the light faded and if an evil spirit had tried to take root in franseska it should be cast out. If there was no spirit then hopefully the girl was calmed down some by the action.

 

[AnonyMouse]

‘Faust’ ​

Location: Floor 2: Somewhere...​

Her Deception Talent was truly getting a workout today. As she took the nun's hand, Faust was dying with laughter on the inside. This stupid, fucking bitch actually thinks she can help me? Hahahahahahaha! Oh, the arrogance of these self-righteous fools! But, on the outside, she appeared timid, almost frightful, as if she absolutely needed this blessing and was sooooo grateful for the girl's help and kindness.

Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...

What is this drivel? The temptation to roll her eyes was strong, but Faust fought back such urges and played along, muttering the words under her breath. She lagged behind Katja, because she had never heard this incantation before. And, at times, would just mutter incoherently because she really didn't know what the girl was saying.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...

The stupid girl didn't realize this was neither earth nor heaven, but a plane infinitely superior to both. To even compare the Labyrinth to such fantasies was blasphemous. Nevertheless, Faust lifted her voice in harmony, though she stil stumbled to keep up with the words of the hymn. "...On earth as it is in heaven," she said, shutting her eyes. She was really getting into it now...

Give us this day our daily bread...

She felt a warmth beginning to rise within her. She felt... comfortable. She felt... loved. And she HATED it! Faust opened her eyes a fraction. A yellow glow had begun to form around them. She could 'feel' its aura seeping into her body, wraping its tendrils around her existence...

You... you fucking bitch! What are you doing!? Her mind raced with murderous intent and visions of visceral slaughter. Her eyes were wide open now, staring into Katja's. Flickers of red danced behind her pupils. Her veins were on fire as her blood itself rallied for war, marching beneath her porcelain skin.

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us...

Th-this cosplaying wench is casting a spell on me!? She didn't even need her Magelore Talent to see that she was under attack. Althought every fiber of her being told her to jump rope with this girl's entrails... instead, a strange ethereal calm came over her. Violence would bring instant satisfaction, but patience is its own reward. She saw a way forward. There was something devilish in Faust's eyes as those invisible golden tendrils wrapped around her un-soul, piercing it with 'love' and 'kindness' and pulled her deep, deep down into Fran's consciousness.

These humans were playing checkers. She was playing chess.

You win, wretched whore. Savor it while it lasts, she thought as she sank into the depths. Her eyes drifted closed, but remain fixed upon Katja until her lids hid them from view. This is exactly what she neeeeeeeeds. But later... I will have what I wannnnnnnt.

Franceska Feiss​

Huh?

Fran's eyes drifted open, as if returning from a deep slumber. The first thing she noticed was that someone was holding her hand. She wriggled uncomfortably, instinctively attempting to free herself. As her vision came into focus, she found the crimson-eyed nun standing uncomfortably close, with her head bowed in prayer. Fran momentarily stilled, partly out of respect and partly because... staring down into that yawning chasm of cleavage gave her vertigo. She felt lightheaded, as if she might tumble into it and fall forever.

And lead us not into temptation-

"-Deliver us from evil. Yeah, whatever. Amen!" Fran scoffed speeding through the prayer's ending before the nun could finish. She jerked her hand free, as if she had touched a stove. "I-I don't really like bein' touched, okay. So, uhhm, knock it off, alright? Geez."

She finally took in her surroundings. The old man and maid had gotten ahead of them a bit, giving Fran and the nun some 'alone time.' Ugh... Fran shoved her hands back into her pockets and shuffled away to catch up, hoping she didn't look half as embarassed as she felt right now. What a weird time for a prayer sesh. And why was it just the two of them? Pray for the damn maid, too! She' always so angry.

What was that about? Probably just Faust fucking with her again, putting her in awkward situations to keep her off-balance. Well, I'm balanced. Totally balanced. Super balanced. I'm fine. Finer than fine. You're not gonna mess me up or fill my head with weird shit, got it!?

She waited for a response.

None came.

As the seconds dragged on, Fran came to a startling realization: Faust was gone. Her mind and body were her own... for now. She felt free... free to fuck things up. That's all she ever did was fuck things up. I... I shoud leave while I still can.

The maid was watching the road ahead, as was the old man. Fran looked to her left, then to her right. She saw the nun and sheepishly averted her gaze. Wow, look at these rocks and this sky and this dust. So cool! Maybe it wouldn't hurt to hang around a little longer. They would have to make camp eventually, then she could leave with a full belly...

"Look, I'm not really into religious stuff, so lay off it," Fran said, out of the blue. She kept her eyes on the road, not even sparing the nun a second glance. "But... I guess I do feel a little better... so... thanks, I guess, or whatever."
Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun | Megilagor | Karcen

 

[TreasureSniper]

Muscles, it must be nice to have muscles as big as Samara. From what he could tell, her fine physique was the result of her S-rank abilities. He couldn't help but envy the shield maiden's strength. "You got a license to carry those around? " Seymour joked while at the same time complimenting her physique. As she resumed the meal preparation, his stomach began to rumble, and the thoughts of the finished product plagued his mind. How would even Rockshell taste like? Would they resemble their real-world counterparts? Tough chewy reptiles? He was eager to put this question to rest, but alas there was only so much he could do when it came to non-combat activities.

After a brief moment of silence, Samara finally spoke, stating that he was "nice" enough to everyone. He gave some rather nice compliments, something he wasn't accustomed to but nonetheless appreciated. But then moved on, revealing the true reason why she had been upset. Trust. A word that was frequently thrown around the thoughts of people, regardless of where they were. Despite his own thoughts on the matter, he did acknowledge it would be harmful to continue like this and some compromise was needed, mostly on his part. "Hmm..well I've always fought like that. What can I say old habits die hard?" Of course, Seymour would choose the address the easier issue first.

"Reckless, impetuous, daredevil. That's what the crowd has been describing my fighting style as. No one...sees thing as I do so I can hardly blame anyone for thinking that." Seymour took a deep breath, carefully deciding what word he would choose next. "My my, didn't think you'd care that much about some swordsman that just wants to kill monsters.." He decided to start the discussion lightly with a joke before giving a more serious response. "But even so, I am touched that you care about my safety. That said...for me to operate properly, I need to put my harm's way...a lot. It's a risk I take, but I assure its always a calculated one."

"In terms of trust...I am gonna honest...I still would like to see more of everyone before I make the judgment call for that, after all its only the second floor. That said..." If there was one person in this party he did trust, it was shieldmaiden, always willing to put herself in front of danger for the sake of everyone. "I suppose I can start trusting one of you. Though..I hope you don't go around telling people my talent. People tend to get the wrong impression of me once they know..." Which is why he had been apprehensive about sharing them in the first place. "My S rank talent is "Eyes of the futuresight.". It grants me the ability to-"

Just before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by the scream of an all too familiar party member. "Damn it Jian, what is it this time? Prey Seeker." Without hesitation, Seymour waved his hand over his eyes, triggering his ability, immediately highlighting a few hostiles through the bog. From here, he could see both Daeva and Jian standing dangerously close to the entrance of the bog where they are about to be surrounded by seven hostiles. "Daeva and Jian are in danger. They got the frog-folk closing in on them from the entrance. I am going in." And just like that, he was off, hopping from tree top to tree top.

---

On Daeva and Jian side, more of these "frog-people" made themselves known, some coming out of the water, while others hopped down from the trees. The 3 pond hoppers came armed with spears, ready to skewer the two to prep them for their next meal. One of the ones that hopped from the tree was a pond shell, another reptilian humanoid, with a noticeably large shell on its back. It seemed to be the "brains" of the operation, giving out croaks and whistles to command the other frog-folk. Pointing towards the duo, the remaining three pond gliders would reveal themselves, as slender agile reptilians. The trio would surge forward towards humans, ready to claw their faces out.

However, as luck would have it, a certain mindreader was nearby, arriving just in time to intercept the attack. The first pond glider would have its head stomp straight into the ground, while the second one continued it's trajectory forward, only to be cleanly bisected by the new challenger. The third one was fortunately just far enough to slow its momentum and retreat to the pack. "Come on guys...couldn't you wait until we ate first." Seymour said in passing, rolling his eyes, in disappointment. He's gonna delay his dinner for these things? Really? The frog-folk snarled and hissed at this new arrival, a bit weary but still confident with their odds of winning.

Noticing the creature under his boot was still squirming, clinging on to its life, Seymour swiftly breaks its fragile skull with another stomp of his boot. "If you're gonna attack do it already. Stop acting like any of you have a chance. If you're gonna die, at least make it quick, stop wasting our time." Seymour openly taunted these creatures with great disdain, annoyed they would even dare attack them in the first place. "Daeva, Jian. Get ready to back me up... I am gonna try something." The young whispered to the two, they looked a bit shaken, but surely they would have some trick of their sleeve for an encounter like this. Slowly and carefully, he took something out of his belt, it was one of his trophies, one that he was truly proud of. "Do you see this!? We've killed the dread. We hope do any of you have!?" Let's see if these creatures are sentient enough to at least have some form of self-preservation.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

The other enemies made themselves known after Seymour spotted them through preyseeker then launched an attack at them that ended in 2 Pond Gliders joining their Pond Hopper friend in death.

Thus, leaving a group of 1 Pond Glider, 3 Pond Hoppers, and their leader Pond Shell. The remaining group all croaked and jittered in anger, waving their spears, that the others pulled up out of the murk. The Pond Shell landed between the Pond Hoppers with a splash of brown water. It croaked out some sort of order and the group of monsters flung their spears at the group of Chosen on the bank.

"Huh, you didn't call me Walker this time!" said the guy, then nodded, "Uhhh.. right!" He stood just behind Seymour and in front of Daeva. For the girl, she pulled out her whip. She had no intention of wasting the mana she had regenned on these mooks.

Once their spears flew through the air, Daeva snatched a spear out of the air with her whip. Then Jiànlong dove out of the way of the others.

It seemed there were plenty of spears hidden in the mire, as the frog-like monsters continued to pull them up and throw them at their adversaries, croaking in amusement at the way the humans handled the attack. With the Pond Shell's throat expanding repeatedly in a croaky laugh. However, they didn't seem to react to Seymour's provocations. Perhaps they couldn't understand him. They likely did not speak English.

 

[Karcen]

Katja Galinka
Mentions: AnonyMouse
Location: 2nd Stratum ​

Katja noticed the hate and anger as the prayer and spell worked on whatever evil was inside Franceska and Katja didn't respond to hate with hate or even joy just pity and sympathy. It might seem odd for someone like her to not hate the evil, but Katja just didn't that was how they were and maybe if they tried they could be good, otherwise they couldn't really be blamed they had no choice. There was nothing to hate they could change or they couldn't. When the prayer finished Katja could almost feel the change even before the other girl seemed to wake up and snatched her hands away. Katja just smiled softly letting Franceska think and take everything in. Katja also paid attention to just how the girl acted to figure out who was who when it came to personality. The doctor that had traveled with them seemed to not be the original personality judging from their confidence and how she didn't remember she had agreed to the prayer.

" It is nice to meet the real you ms Franceska " Said simply to the girl not at all off put by what she said though making it clear she knew the difference between her and the other " The prayer was needed to cast it out as that is how I cast my spell " Katja explained " I would suggest you stay with us even if you want to leave, this is the second floor of the labyrinth and the monsters above are likely to return, and the dark spirit was with you from before when we met you it might return. If it does I might be able to cast it out again " She continued starting to head after the others

 

[Tau]

Sera smiled as Seymour claimed the next curse, every bit as power-hungry as her, it seemed… well, that sounded bad when she thought of it that way, yikes. She shook the thought out of her head by nodding, "Sure, I could use a few more swords!" she answered, her chuckles mixed with a light cough.

---

Seraphina carefully peeled one of many many cupcakes she’d packed. Possibly the least healthy provisions imaginable, who know cared: they were cupcakes! One of the six essential food groups. Strawberry jelly filled: yum!

Admittedly, the noxious air of the swamp did ruin the taste a bit. At least the roasting rockshell was a nice counterbalance to the lovely aroma of swamp fart.

"H-Hey!!" she yelped as a pink tongue snatched the tasty morsel from her hand. Granted, better her cupcake than her head, but still! "cough, Stupid, unsightly swamp beast! My food’s not for you, you blasphemous cr—!" Sera cut herself off mid-insult.

"What’s happening to my hand…!?" she exclaimed soon after watching a couple of the creatures be carved up by her team. It wasn’t too bad, given it was just a few fingers which had grazed the tongue, but the lack of smooth motion was pretty annoying, and hinted at most severe concerns. "Careful everyone, I think their tongues might be poisonous."

Just what she needed, even more poison running through her system. Hopefully, this would wear off soon. In the meantime, she ran off to hide behind Samara. Even without her shield, Samara was still a nice safe place. "Sorry…" Sera sighed guiltily as she positioned herself behind the much larger woman, gazing down at the ground in shame.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Sharon Ironblood​

With bated breath and annoyance, Sharon halted her walk as she waited for the old man to speak, but it seemed so far, he had nothing to say. Bloody hell, these fuckwits. Let them have their prayer meet. Gonna chew their asses out later.

As she maintained her position showed her annoyance rather clearly, her senses stretched out around her, the scouting aspect taking over as she heard bits of what the two were saying, a prayer of some sort, then some talk about casting out, monsters, if it returned... She did not like where that conversation was going at all, and her already token natures of mistrust had already painted this Franceska as a potential threat, or oddity. Then just like that, the other girl's manner of being completely flipped. Was it some sort of curse, but did it matter? Who was more useful towards her ends? Hands gripping her rifle she paused briefly as an odd sensation caught her attention, putting aside this strange matter for the time being. They were being followed, though, it was just dimly noticed by the battle maid, so it was unlikely to be a monster, sighting through her scope, first behind them, then in front of them, there was a bit of movement in the swamp, at the edge of it rather.

It was too far, too dim. It was like watching stick figures through a dirty lens.

"Enough of your prayer Sermon." She said to the pair walking over as her gaze dwelled Fran. That could be dealt with later. "We got something, more like someone following us. Whoever it is I'll wager they are experienced, maybe just another adventurer. I mean to see who they are. Also, I think I've found the others about ninety minutes out, if I left some of you here, I could run the distance in about twenty or thirty minutes, but that means leaving you all here without a good fighter. Let's see what's coming up behind, might solve our problems."

Interactions: AnonyMouse Karcen Megilagor Thalia_Neko EmperorsChosen

 

[AnonyMouse]

Samara Morghan​

Samara chuckled at his joke and returned her gaze to the cooking, to keep him from seeing the slight redness in her cheeks. Was he merely teasing or did he actually find her muscles attractive? Nonsense. Seymour probably just wanted muscles so he could slay more monsters. That is all that matters to him. Despite being surrounded by eligible women and young ladies, he was very focused on that goal. He didn't seem to take notice of any of them, not even Sera, who practically melted at the sight of him.

And certainly not me, Samara concluded, banishing that thought. She, too, was focused on a singular goal: defending them all. That is what this is about.

At last, he became serious and finally began to address her concerns. She nodded when he said he didn't want his Talent shared with others. If he was willing to trust her with this, she would do her best to honor that... but only if it doesn't pose a threat to the others. After all, she, too, has a goal she must focus on. While Seymour is a good friend, his secret is not more valuable than the others' safety.

"Future sight? Huh? Wait!" she said, but he was gone, dashing back into battle once more. His lust for combat was more important than her, it seemed. Samara's hands curled into fists. Her rage built. She was angry at the Labyrinth, for these constant interruptions, but just as angry at Seymour for turning his back on her so quickly, without even a moment of hesitation or care.

She outstretched her hand. The temptation to cast Anchor Pull, yank this fool from the battlefield, pin him to the ground, and demand an explanation churned within her... but, alas, she knew that would be wrong. As more amphibious creatures bubbled up out of the murky water, Samara saw what they were and knew the threat their slimy tongues held. She rose from where she was preparing the meat and, using Quick Swap, summoned her gauntlets. The floor boos lay ahead; she still needed to conserve her stamina.

Sera scurried behind her. "I got you, sweetheart. Protect the food. This won't take long," Samara said, sounding awfully kind and caring for someone who was in full rage mode seconds ago. She briefly rubbed the girl's numb hands. "Its paralytic, but they only grazed you. It'll wear off soon, dear. Just sit tight," she said before leaving Sera behind, so she could handle 'business.'

If this is all that Seymour respects, so be it, she thought as she quickly sized up the situation. Spears were flying. She was just about to summon her shield when she spied the Pond Shell, with it turtle-like armor. You'll do.

She outstretched her hand and cast Anchor Pull, hauling the creature toward herself, while also charging forward to close the gap. The shieldmaiden deflected the spear with her left bracer, caught it by the throat with her right, and bodyslammed the Pond Shell into the muck at the water's edge, pinning its tiny body down with her weight. There was murderous intent in her eyes as the spray of filth splashed around her. Its sharp claws raked at her body, but only revealed chainmail beneath her clothing. Its prehensile tongue shot out, narrowly missing her head, but Samara caught the slimy appendage and looped it around her gauntleted fist and began to pull and pull and pull until it tore free, bringing with it a long trail of guts and innards.

As if to ensure it was dead, she flammed her other fist into its froggy face twice before slinging the chain of bloody, slimy organs aside and stood, hoising the bruised and battered body up as both a trophy and a shield. "Is this what you want, Slaymore? Is this the glory you seek, pummeling these pathetic pests!?" Samara said boldly... and then snorted with laughter. "I... I didn't mean for that to rhyme," the shieldmaiden said, amused at her own wordplay.
Interactions: TreasureSniper | Tau
Mentions: Thalia_Neko | ERode | Skyswimsky

Franceska Feiss​

Fran kept her head down, scowling at her feet as the false nun continued to speak. She talked of driving out 'dark spirits' and being glad to meet the 'real' Franceska, as if she knew anything about her. When she said she could drive it out again, Fran nearly felt relieved. Finally, she had a way to fend off Faust! But, more than that, she felt angry that this person was talking down to her, as if she was in need of saving.

"Why are you still talking to me? We're done. You did your thing, so lay off it, alright," Fran scoffed, kicking aside a small pebble that had done nothing wrong. She should have quit there, but once the words started spilling out, they wouldn't stop. "Look around, Sister, everyone's got a li'l peice of the Laby up their ass. That means you too. Or did you have magic powers before all of this, huh?" she said, spitefully. Although that spite was directed more at the labyrinth than at Katja herself, she could certainly understand if the girl saw it as an insult. "At least there's a 'real me' left in here. I know where I end and the bullshit begins," Fran said, before going back to sulking. "Cast it on yourself next time. Might exorcise those double-d-demons in yer blouse."

But any chance at a continuation of this was cut short by the maid approaching and putting a stop to all of it. This time, Fran met Sharon's eyes directly. The fear was gone. She was tired of being pushed around by this woman. Even if Faust was the more dangerous of the two, Fran had seen enough and done enough to not wither in front of this gun-toting thug.

"Ya know, I used to think British accents were kinda cool, but I'm getting a little tired of being bossed around by a Harry Potter extra," she said, pointing at the maid's face. "Why're you askin' us anyway? You're the soldier girl, right? You decide! We'll be fine without you," she said, flippantly... and then instantly cringed.

She said 'we.' Since when did she start looking out for Big Sis and the old timer? Ugh, I need a hole to crawl into and die.
Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun | Megilagor | Karcen

 

[Skyswimsky]

As some of their party made themselves busy taking out the trash, Lumi didn't seem too fazed. "Mhm~" Instead, the S-Rank Narrator who wasn't doing much narrating, walked over to where Sera had just abandoned her camp.

Cupcakes.

She was just about to ask for a fair share! Buuuuut.... well, a fellow fan of Final Faith: Super Triangle Blade Epsilon — Echoes of the Heaven Saga surely wouldn't mind, right? Kneeling down to take a cupcake or more, Lumi dodged a stray spitball projectile hurled her way. Nom.

With a light hum, her next destination was the riddle pillar(?) that the Necromancer and the Step Guru had investigated. She too, wanted to read! "...A puzzle!?" Lumi stated the obvious, making an Eureka gesture, before putting her finger to her chin and thinking some more. "Buuuuut I am just a mere Narrator! The only thing I care about, worth sacrificing, is my voice and—" Nom. "Oh!" If whatever else the three others had sacrificed counted as, well, a sacrifice, meant that the sacrifice in itself could be pretty worthless in the big picture of things! Right...

Thinking back about it, the only worthwhile thing the group had sacrificed so far was Thames, after all! And after that, not-so-important things like Money, Stats(although that was more like a lease), Blobjun, Time, Sleep, Nerves... and the list went on!

Surely, Lumi trading a cupcake or all of them and going not-completely-sated would count among those things, yes? "Yes." She verbally concluded her thought process. "Oh, you strawberry-tasting pastries of heaven that have graced my taste-buds, I will be forever indebted to you." With these words, Lumi slammed the baked good and slammed it against the stone.

...

Did it work? Because if it didn't, she still had a bunch to go through!

Tau Thalia_Neko

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Sebastian Gerallt​

No sooner than he had returned to the adventurer's guild did they send him out again. While irked that he hadn't showed up on time, he hadn't been given much of an opportunity to reintegrate with civilization, and so Sebastian gave himself some wiggle-room when it came to a time. Gather some cookware and supplies, as well as clothing for the trip. He had spent years relying on scavenged goods and rags and was quite content to once again be in clothing tailored to his body. Interestingly enough, he was given some free commodities simply for being an S-rank and surviving to reach the bastion. Perhaps, with how giddy the guild was to send all of the S-ranks off, they didn't actually believe many would come back.

Nonetheless, he had departed, following the trail left by the prior team, what little there was. A few measly corpses, seemingly taken by surprise. They were avoiding combat, which made sense as the group consisted of mostly non-combatants from what he understood. Sebastian, too, avoided striking out at creatures he discovered, mainly to avoid the group travelling even further ahead of him. Though it did irk him to do so.

As far as he was concerned, all such creatures deserved to be butchered, and being within the labyrinth itself only served to make him more uncomfortable and antsy, even if he held his composure for the moment. Thankfully, he began to hear raised voices ahead which helped to steer him, and soon enough he saw figures. The caution displayed by the group worked to his favor, keeping them moving slow enough for him to catch up.

As he came upon the group of four, Sebastian curtly brushed off what debris he could from his clothing. Such a dapper sight might have appeared at odds with the current surroundings, were it not for the rather large cleaver strapped to his side that made him just strange enough that he fit in with the rest of the nonsense.

"I do hate to interrupt what fun you all appear to be having," The man spoke in a smooth, charming tone, with a clear dialect hailing from England. It was a more 'clean' British accent than that of Sharon's, but one nonetheless. Speaking of, she was the first person he darted his eyes to considering she was the one with the gun, holding up an index finger as if to request pause. "I'd appreciate it if you don't go straight to shooting me—Or, if you are, at least don't miss."

If that was intended to be a joke, it was spoken curtly and neutrally, enough to question. Nonetheless, he moved right onto introductions without waiting. "I'm glad I was able to catch you all. You may call be Sebastian, or Simon if you prefer the names this bloody maze gave us. As you might have surmised by my being here, I'm an S-rank like the rest of you. Butcher; a melee specialist and cook," He explained, quickly and efficiently, providing the necessary details yet skipping the fluff given their current location. "If any of you have any questions, by all means. Otherwise, I'm ready to get a move on as soon as you all are."

With that, his eyes glanced at the group generally. A maid, an old gentleman, a doctor—apparently, and a questionably-dressed nun. Oh, this would be fun.

RedArmyShogun AnonyMouse Karcen Megilagor

 

[Thalia_Neko]

From one cupcake placed upon the bowl-shaped pedestal nothing happened. And nothing continued to happen, as the blonde girl placed them down. Until the cupcake reserves were completed, nothing happened. But once they were... While these cupcakes belonged to a white-haired girl, it was the blonde that was placing them upon the pedestal, the Labyrinth didn't acknowledge their rightful true owner, or perhaps, it viewed everything as the party's. Regardless, something occurred.

The cupcakes all vanished -without a trace. Glancing at the sign, it changed to 4. It seemed the sacrifice -though odd in nature- counted. Perhaps the sheer amount was the reason for the sacrifice being accepted. Now 4 of the group seemed to fulfill the conditions. But it was not yet apparent what sacrificing accomplished.

Skyswimsky

~~~

Nearby, the Pond Glider and Hoppers all squawked and belched in fury at the death of their leader. Wielding its spear, the Glider popped up out of the murk then sprinted, its long legs slapping the surface of the water as it raced across it. The Pond Glider aimed its spear straight at Jiànlong. With its spear tip pointing dangerously at him, the boy felt a pang of fear. He could be skewered! Perhaps it would be a healable injury, but then again, maybe not! The fear made his body freeze up. No amount of ranked Talent could help him through this fear.

Just before the spear stabbed through the blonde, a whip wrapped around one of the feet. It was just before meeting its mark, atop muddy ground. The amphibious lizard glanced back in frustration, squawking. The goth girl gave a grin, holding the attacker back, her arms shaking with the effort. "Jiànlong!"

Her voice seemed to snap him back to reality. He saw the monster stopped before him, its spear inches from him. It hadn't reached him! In fact, it was frozen in place, struggling against its binding! It pulled the spear back, raising it up, aiming to stab it at the whip wrapped around its leg.

But Jiànlong had woken up enough by then. He stepped forward, with an attacking grunt, sliced clean across the monster's chest, causing it to screech out in pain as blackish red blood spilled out. Then, Jiànlong finished it with a stab straight to the face. The Pond Glider collapsed, and the whip went slack, yanked back towards the girl. Daeva flashed him a smile, and a thumbs up.

 

[ERode]

It took little to no time, really, for the party to get the advantage. These were just frogmen, after all. Meaningless critters that were better served giving Ken some more combat experience than anything else. Considering how Seymour and Samara performed against the Dread, the two of them alone could've settled this encounter without injury.

Kirsten, of course, had been listening in on their conversation. If the shieldmaiden wanted to be the one interrogating Seymour over his propensity for hiding information, then she would let her. And the contents were curious too. Eyes of Future Sight. Precognition. It must possess particular conditions then, or the party would not have been surprised by either that Level 6 Blobjun nor the Level 15 Dread. Either that, or Seymour hid that information too, out of some desire to push the rest of the party into a position where they had no choice BUT to fight. And from there, he could obtain his Trophies. Was that all he was hiding? Or did he tell yet another lie?

A charred branch cracked in half. The flesh of the rockshell continued to sizzle. Kirsten, remaining to watch the fire and cook the meat, waved Seraphina over. Taking out a small knife, she sliced a portion of the turtle-flesh off. The oils were clear and the meat was pale, lined with yellowed fat that hadn't fully rendered. She didn't necessarily agree with taking a break here, especially when she suspected that the party would want to take a break after vanquishing the Shaman as well, but what can be done, really? There was the message on the Path of Sacrifice, the disappearance of the cupcakes that Lumi offered up, and the fact that three more 'sacrifices' had to be made afterwards. They'd be here for a while, then. Or they'd progress, under the belief that they only needed half the party to take on the Shaman.

"Try it," Kirsten gestured, handing the knife over to Seraphina. "Looking at what Lumi just did with the pastries, we might be able to do the same with this meat here, so enjoy it your portion while you can"

She rose up, letting the Goddess take her place by the fire. Rummaged through her pack to pull out some dried rations to chew upon, before downing it with water. The fight was basically over; with the hoppers outnumbered and everyone thirsting for blood, there was no need to involve herself.

"I'm going to scout ahead. Let them know, will you?"

 

[Tau]

Samara always made Sera feel cozy and warm inside. She smiled in response to the assuring words as Samara ran off to take out the trash. She mostly focused on the ensuing battle to make sure no more froggies made a go at her, so she didn’t notice when a certain someone stole, not one, but the entire box of cupcakes. When she finally felt confident enough that one horrific threat to humanity had ended, she turned to see the other.

"Wh-what’re you doing!!?" Sera shrieked, running after the lunatic under the top hat. "Let go! You’ll ruin them all!" she demanded, grabbing the box only to realize it was empty.

"H-How could you…!?" Sera stared down at the box, her eyes welling up with tears at the extraordinary act of betrayal— no, treachery! "Y-You’re a— cough —h-horrible person. Just… awful…"

Still holding the box, Sera wandered back to the fire and plopped back down on the log, staring blankly into the box as if to wish the cupcakes back into existence. She only looked up once the juicy piece of meat entered her vision, meeting Kirsten’s gaze. "Right, I guess I’d better, huh…" she answered solemnly, glancing back at the roasted dead thing. "Okay, be careful, and watch out for the poison tongues," Sera waved as Kirsten took her leave to scout ahead.

Holding the knife solidly in her hand, Sera glanced over at the cupcake-wasting demon and began to attack the piece of meat rather than elegantly cutting it. After the thing had been thoroughly shredded into haphazardly cut little chunks, Sera finally glanced down into her box and tried a piece. The look of pure disgust made her thoughts pretty clear, but she added a little, "Blech!" at the end, for the sake of the visually impaired. "It takes like… meat."

 

[TreasureSniper]

Seeing Samara absolutely disembowel the pond shell, was unexpected but not welcomed. Afterall, killing these low-tier monsters is an excellent way of releasing stress. He was more so worried about the apparent source of her sudden anger, which was apparently him. "Not much glory in killing weak prey. Though...I was hoping to kill that one. Nonetheless, interesting technique. Oh and dont worry...we will continue that conversation from before." Seymour spoke, sounding a tad bit upset that he didn't get to kill the strongest one and yet was happy that Samara looked like she releasing some much-needed pent-up frustations.

At least there was some good that came out of this encounter. Seeing the way Jian handles one of the enemy, it was easy to forget he was the one who bisected the Dread. At least he was making some progress and even Daeva was using her weapons as opposed to her undead minions.

But it wasn't all fun and sunshine. The narrator had just sacrificed their biggest source of dessert. To think he was looking forward to eating some after dinner too. Why do they even need to sacrifice anything? Was this some sort of retribution for slaying the Dread?

Yet again, more questions. With the number of enemies dwindling to a mere three pond hoppers, the threat to the group seemed to diminish and yet these pests were still eager to fight back, almost like a cornered animal with nothing to lose. Seeing that everyone had just about lost interest in the mobs, he decided to be the "garbage man" of the team. "Daeva, Jian. You guys should eat up. I'll take care of the rest." Giving the duo a smile and thumbs up, Seymour sheathed his blade, and slowly walked towards the trio of frog-folk.

If these lower lifeforms was going to take his time, he might as well get something out of it. Opening the palm of his hand and having regenerated sufficient stamina, he would choose summon his new familiar. "Gaze Sphere." A red pulse of energy was released from his palm, and from that spark an eyeball was spawned, leading to much confusion from the frog folk trio. The summoned eyeball levitated upwards, it's focus shifting rapidly from target to target. "Hmmm this is gonna take some getting used to." Seymour was of course referring to this new form of vision he had gained. It was strange...like his mind was trying to reconcile the different perspectives of two sources of vision.

While the frogs were distracted by the floating eye at first, these lower mobs would immediately notice Seymour had seemingly let his guard down, immediately charging towards him with spears in hand. The young man for the most part, seemed completely oblivious to this assault, his gaze still was focused on the floating eyeball more than anything else. His eyes would then shift to the rockshell meat, that the others were already munching on. The first thrust had missed its mark, with Seymour shifting his body ever so slightly to the side. It wasn't even a full sidestep. While him dodging an attack was nothing out of the ordinary, he was usually at least maintaining eye contact with his opponents. "Hmmm yes this will do." The other two would soon follow suit, attacking other angles with spears and tongue shots, only for him to once again dodge and weave through them with unmatched precision.

He was feeling it, that small difference from trophies wasn't as small as he thought they were. The frogs were starting to get sick of the prolonged combat. "Alright, I've seen enough," Seymour spoke one last time, dodging another thrust of the spear, deflecting it with a gentle push causing one of the frogmen to stab one of their fellow frogmen through the head. Moments later, the same pond hopper was kicked in the torso, toward the jagged surface of a broken tree trunk, killing them instantly. Hearing thoughts of the frogmen, he could hear these simple creature's intention very clearly.

"Defend! Defend! Defend that strange brazier on the East side of the swamp!"
"Defend, defend!"

And now there was one, a lone survivor, clearly shaken by what it had just witnessed. Slowly, the pond hopper began to take a few steps backward, as if intending to retreat to which Seymour immediately turned his back on. At first, there were a few seconds of silence, but at the last moment, the hopper threw its spear at the slayer of his brethren, hoping to avenge them. As expected, Seymour caught the spear mid-flight, its pointy a few inches away from his body. After his final test, he returned the spear to its owner with impressive force, impaling the last hopper, and pinning it onto the tree with its spear. "Hmm...I can do better."

With the enemies neutralized, Seymour returned to the campfire none worse for wear and took a look at what was left of the meat. "Say Samara, which part is juiciest?" While talking he the eyeball familiar would float upwards as high as the limit would allow. From the high vantage point, it would search for anything notable. Namely, the brazier that one of the frogmen was referring to.

 

[Megilagor]

Valther Vincent Vernedotte

Location: 2nd layer
Mentions: RedArmyShogun , Karcen , AnonyMouse , EmperorsChosen ​

Valther zoned out for a little while focusing all his brain power on all of his senses and his thinking. Trying to find a quick, easy, and safe way to another group that you don't know their proper location is a pain to do but someone had to do it. But with so little information and his skill refusing to guide him too much without input of information he had to end his concentration for Sharon called out to him.
"I can certainly try and talk an enemy to death, and it's not like I don't have a weapon, though I doubt it's that useful, considering it nothing more than a heavy cane, but truth be told I would love to hold a gun in my hands again, though L.A.G. did take the one I had away saying that without a talent it's a worthless weapon, so yes I am missing my FN SCAR. And from what I gathered, or rather what my talent deduced, the other party can't be that far, for there are signs of a recent struggle nearby, and as you know the labyrinth can heal itself so such signs can't be too old so they are probably the other parties."

After the whole spiel, Valther turned around to the new approaching dapper fellow while removing the cane from under his cloak to use as a pointing tool and point at the man.
"Ah, I see a fella from England, quite dapper looking. You don't know how glad I am that some nice-looking fella came around, especially a fighter type sadly I am a support, though my old mercenary bones still boil themselves while thinking of a good fight. Well then group let's get a move on, we can ask the dapper fellow about him while on the road, but I do dare say let us watch our steps. The ground in some places isn't stable here and we can sink into it from what I gathered." Said Valther while gesturing with his cane, like it was an extension of his hand, and to prove a point about the ground, he picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it ahead of them into a patch of slightly differently hued ground only to see it sink slowly into the ground, and with his point being proven, Valther hid his cane into his coat by hanging it onto a strap and decided to walk off, in the direction while avoiding the ground pieces which could sink, finally taking the point as the guide he is supposed to be, though he is walking at a slow pace, slow enough that the others could easily catch up to him without even running after him.

 

[AnonyMouse]

Samara Morghan​

As the battle subsided, Samara lowered her guard. It seemed Seymour had a handle on the remaining enemies. A few launched spears at the group’s noncombatants, but she blocked them with the deceased Pond Shell she had captured. Soon enough, even those attacks ceased, as they focused their attention on Seymour, who was now trying out his latest skill acquisition.

A sense of shame washed over her. A moment ago, she had made a terrible pun, mid-combat, as if this were a joke. That was certainly out of character for her. For Samara, battle was often a solemn affair. The role of defender was not one to be taken lightly. Every injury or death rested on her broad shoulders.

But, lately, she felt herself beginning to take pleasure in this. Maybe that was because of Seymour, who seemed to relish these moments to an almost euphoric degree. Maybe it was because she had always adventured with F-Ranks, who needed her to cover their weaknesses. But there were S-Ranked heroes, some of whom had just as much or more experience than her.

Do they even need my protection? Samara thought as she watched Kirsten dash off into the marshland, having said something to Sera about scouting ahead. Normally, Samara would call out to her, beg her to come back, stick together. But now…? Perhaps my constant doting and worrying is an insult to them? she thought as she watched the woman leave.

With a small sigh of disappointment, Samara let the dead Pond Shell fall to the ground. It might make a decent spare shield if properly dressed --and would not be the first time she had crafted such a thing-- but she had neither the time nor the desire to strip the hardened carapace and make it suitable for combat.

Seymour called out to her from near the cooking fire, but Samara momentarily went to check on Daeva and Jianlong. She wasn’t quite ready to continue their discussion… nor was she ready to stop ‘doting.’

“You two alright?” she said to the necromancer and young swordsman. “Well done, Jian. And you’re pretty good with that whip, Daeva,” she commented to them both with a friendly smile. Samara was about to go on, when she spied Lumi near the signpost, and a very distraught Sera nearby. The shieldmaiden had caught snippets of this tragedy-in-progress during the fight, but thought the two girls were just goofing off, as usual. But now, as she drew closer, the true horror of the situation made itself clear.

“Huh… What?” the shieldmaiden said as she waded through the ankle-deep water to see what the Announcer had done, squinting at the sign as she got nearer. Her eyes drank in the message, reading it once, twice, as if it were in a foreign tongue.

First came confusion.

Then anger.

Then more anger.

Sacrifice!? Are you effing kidding me!? Samara thought, resting her hands on ehr hips as she stared at this piece of wood which had dared ask something of them. Yes, she self-censored her inner thoughts. Sadly, such etiquette quickly fell away: Every moment we spend in this shithole is a fucking ’sacrifice!!!’ Was Thames not enough!? Was Lumi’s sanity not enough!? Was Sera’s health not enough!? she thought... and that is when clarity hit. The gears began to turn.

‘Four have sacrificed.’ Did that mean Sera’s life was equal to a box of cupcakes? Both were worthy sacrificies in the Labyrinth's eyes. And the monster that had killed Thames? Same. This false equivalency hit her like a ton of bricks. The realization of just how illogical and unfair this place was sent her over the edge.

Leaving the sign behind, she marched to Seymour and stood before him, sizing him up for a moment, wondering how best to say what she was thinking right now. Her mind raced with accusations and rebukes. How much does he know? How long has he known? What else can he 'foresee?' Was it all a lie? The thoughts churned turbulently within her mind.

At last, she exhaled and spoke calmly. “The Shaman. Talk,” she said, snapping her fingers at him. "You've been far too casual about all of this, Slaymore. How did you know what the next boss is? Did you know about this too?" she demanded, gesturing to the sign. "What about Thames? The merchant? The Dread...?" she paused, bit her lip uncertainly. One thing at a time. Calm down. Another deep breath. "Explain," she said folding her arms across her chest.
Interactions: TreasureSniper | Thalia_Neko
Mentions: ERode | Tau | Skyswimsky

 

[Thalia_Neko]

With a sickening squelch, blood spurting out, Jiànlong pulled his sword out of the monster's face, wrinkling his nose at the gruesomeness of it. The monster's body that weighed upon his arm dropped, splattering and sinking a bit into the muck, its blood running red in the murky water. The boy shook his head, to remove the image from his mind, or to simply ignore it moving forward.

"Huh, he made the same motion you did.." Jiànlong said to Daeva as Seymour rushed over and spoke to them. She smirked and shrugged. The duo proceeded to watch as the man soloed the rest of the monsters, exchanging glances.

Samara was next to come over and speak. He smirked, "Thanks!" The dude felt a swell of pride within him, puffing out his chest a bit. The ego-inflating thoughts making him forget the disgustingness of the kill at his feet.

Daeva cocked her head, lifting her whip up, glancing at it. It was a compliment that was slightly confusing. She had used her whip pretty liberally thus far -at least on floor 1. Though, she hadn't really gotten to use it all that much, since their group had plenty of melee fighters that took out easy monsters without the need of her whip.

The people who had taken steps into the water -Seymour, Samara- would find strange fatty purple leech monsters crawling on their legs, attaching to the skin.

Swamp Leech lv. 1

As they sucked, the Vit bar would begin to gradually deplete. If someone did not have a vit bar, then they would immediately feel weak and despondent, and grow weaker the longer the leeches were left to suck.

Regardless, after gathering up the mats dropped by the monsters -with no other unique drops- Daeva and Jiànlong joined the others at the campfire, smoking with the cooked crab-like rockshell, its succulent smell wafting through the air. Both took a bowl of rockshell soup, listening in on their conversation.

Sitting at the campsight, Jiànlong saw a couple crawling up his leg, trying to find a place to attach. He let out a shocked scream, then swiped his sword at it. It cut through the monster, killing it quickly and easily. Swamp Leeches were extremely weak. But if you didn't keep your wits about you... Well, they were known to fell many adventurers who were ignorant to their presence, their valuable vitality drained from them before they knew it. Daeva, too, had a few she had to dispatch of, finding them wriggling critters fascinating, staring at them wriggling before they died.

~~

As Kirsten moved through the swamp, she would rush by predators hiding in those murky waters, or up in the brown, dry canopy of the trees above. Soon enough, her feet were forced to a stop. She would notice that the water she just stepped in felt different. Very different from the water she was just running through.

Looking down at it, she would notice the water was a darker brown color, swirling with black and deep green. It was uncanny. A step back, the water was its usual murky light brown, as if the water was saturated with too much dust and mud. The water spread out in front of her, was darker. It looked nastier. Like it radiated a darkness, and warned anyone from continuing. The trees sticking up out of the waters were gripped with blackened veins, running up their trunks, as if they were suffering sickness silently. A thick mist covered the entirety of its surface.

As Kirsten observed the water even more, she would see in her DS a popup detailing what was going on.

Blighted Swamp Water
Forces slow "Water walk".

Kirsten would see what this meant, dragging her feet through it. -It felt exactly as it said. She was forced to walk like she knew how walking through water felt back before the labyrinth appeared, back before she was Chosen. She realized she could not run, not for the life of her. Nothing she tried worked. She was forced into this extremely slow walk, that felt like she was moving through molasses.

Blighted Swamp Mist
Drains Stamina, Speed, and Agility.

Furthermore, she would notice she could not stay in this part of the swamp too long. Checking out her DS she would see her Stamina beginning to slowly -very slowly, but still noticeable- drain away. The green bar gradually depleted, even if it was very slow about it. Her stats, too, she would watch gradually turn into a descending red number. Speed 30... 29... 28... 27...

Looking forward, this strange swamp water spread out as far as she could see. Contemplating the layout of floor 2, where the entrance to floor 3 was, and the floor boss was located... she could only come to one conclusion. This -this, was the boss room. That was a sobering thought. This meant the boss room was most of the swamp -most of the swamp was afflicted by this effect, from its West most point, to its East most point, to the floor 3 entrance. Never before had the boss room been like this. Then she thought back to what Ripoff said about the boss. This was as far as she could go, she would have to turn back to the others.

ERode

Meanwhile, back at camp, which wasn't too far away, the others were discussing Seymour, the sign, sacrifices, and whatever Seymour knew. Their group -Group A- were about to be met by a new group of prospective S Rank Raiders. Group "B" was right around the proverbial corner -just entering the swamp area. The smell of cooked rockshell indicated to Group B that Group A was not too far away now.
Megilagor AnonyMouse Karcen EmperorsChosen

 

[TreasureSniper]

The leeches near his feet would not get a chance even to "bite" into him as they were immediately flicked away with great force towards a tree trunk. A moment later there it was nothing but a bloody smear on the tree. No matter the size, he was always vigilant to threats of any kind.

And just like that Samara would confront him directly about this matter. In truth, he was all but ready to tell everything at this point, however, with her current tone and demeanour he was having second guesses. At first, he was tempted to turn this into an interesting challenge, however, this thought was soon put to rest. The action of her snapping her fingers did not sit well with him, not one bit. Did she think he was a little kid? A pet that needed to show her attention?

While he didn't think too much about it at first it was starting to remind him far too much about his past, so much so that he had a visible reaction to it with a noticeable glare. "Don't do that." Despite still sounding calm, there was a hint of sternness in his voice along with a complete lack of his usual cavalierness.

Taking a deep breath, Seymour decided to answer her questions the best he could. Despite her recent attitude towards him, she at least deserved to know.

"Despite its name, my talent does not work the way you would think. No I didnt know about this, nor did I know about Thames, the merchant or the Dread." He would settle the smaller issues before moving on to the elephant in the room. "Rip off told me. His thoughts and reactions betray him. " and normally he would leave it at that, but he sensed that he needed to be clearer. Seeing as one else was within earshot, he saw no better time to do so. "I read his mind. Thats my ability." Seymour spoke, almost sounding disappointed at his own talent. While others had much more direct effects, his was only useful when specific conditions were met.

Having given her the answer that would hopefully satisfy her queries, he decided to speak out his feelings thus far.

"I was ready to tell you everything, yet you.... treat it as if I owe you something." He was upset with how pushy she was when he had already told her he would talk to her about it. He was disappointed at the shieldmaiden, for not trusting his words. This is what happens when people get too comfortable around you, they start to think they are entitled to know everything. Perhaps this matter was trivial to her, but this ability of his was something he did not like sharing around with everyone.

But now was not the time to share his grievances. Sera was on a timer, they still had two bosses to kill, not to mention sacrifices to make. Despite the commotion, he had been observing the events that transpired in the background and from there deduced that each person was encouraged to make a sacrifice before progressing. Unlike his peers, he didnt have much to offer in terms of food or consumables, but...if as long as whatever that was being sacrificed was something dear to them...it should work right?

Pulling out his necklace, he was hesitant to even try it. While not technically a "trophy", it was something he treasured as much, if not more than the other two. It was a monster tooth necklace, one that he had lifted from the Pitmaster after he reclaimed his freedom. A reminder of his past both glorious and tragic.

"Oh...and Samara. The frogs...they were talking about defending some "brazier" located on the east side of the swamp. It might be worth checking out as it is probably related to the lanterns clue as well." While he pondered on what he was going to sacrfice, he decided to share what he heard learned from the frogy ones. Hopefully now that she knows his secret, she would be willing to take his word for it, assuming of course he believes him in the first place.

Interaction: AnonyMouse

 

[Karcen]

Katja Galinka
Mentions: AnonyMouse RedArmyShogun Megilagor
Location: 2nd layer​

Despite what fran might want Katja didn't get mad at her words, in truth it might have been a bit more odd if she just went along with it in some says. Still Katja was not fully sure what she had done really get such a reaction. Well it didn't matter fran was herself even if she wasn't seemingly the most social person without the evil spirit in her head. Katja kind of did wish to speak with this evil spirit as she was curious as to what exactly it was and if she could perhaps help it find peace if it was another person. The idea it might be spawned by a skill or by the labyrinth didn't really cross her mind as well she had yet to encounter anything like that. It was just some rouge lost soul to her.

" I am sorry " Katja said if anything just to hopefully make fran calm down some and hopefully become less abrasive towards the others even if that last joke was a bit funny.

When Sharon spoke up Katja was a bit surprised she hadn't just left the two of them behind and kept going she seemed like the kind to do so. Katja couldn't really blame her she had mostly been babysitting them as they traveled, but still they were not on a time crunch to her knowledge. The person that she pointed out was another person who seemed to have been lagging behind them, well this whole expedition had been rather haphazardly put together so another person they had thrown in late made sense. it turned out that she was right as Sebastian introduced himself and Katja of course took it at face value.

" Welcome Mr Sebastian " Katja said in a rather friendly tone not really have any questions for the man.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Sharon Ironblood​

Shooting a glance off at Fran, any polite mannerisms as she started emerald daggers at the woman as she twitched her jaw to the side with her head and said in very accented English, which she had used up to this point regardless, a thick cockney accent flowed out, with what sounded like a mix of amusement and anger. "Oi, the fuck yah say? Yah Frankenstein bipolar bitch, yah av'n a giggle eh? Harry fook'n Potter eh?" Glaring at the pair, she only caught bits and pieces of what was said, but this one changed personalities and demeanor far too much and too obviously to not have some sort of issues there called out. "If its all the snuffin same to you, yah bloody arse face, I rather keep you all alive.... But yeah, I could just leave you all here and alone..."

Checking the bolt of her rifle, the unknown pursuer was soon upon them, a male, sharply dressed, dangerous in his own way... Though he was human, now days that was good enough to be considered an ally. Good enough, but not dumb enough to accept at face value. She made no efforts to move closer to a self-professed melee expert. Eyeing the rest it suddenly dawned on her none of them traveled with loads as heavy as her own... Which in turn prompted questions of her DS, it likely held a storage feature, like some crazy Video Game... Something to take in consideration as they moved on. But first was the issue of the old man, well older.

"Well met Sebastian, though Simon has a nice ring to it, like Simon Say's, though, far as I know most people when renamed by that Dread system take up the new name... But bloody hell it's only been but so long since it started happening, so who knows what's normal. You can call me Sharon, Sharon Ironblood the system calls me, Sniper and Battle Maid it terms me. And a Scar Eh? I mean if this old girl drops, ya might get one, though a mercenary, explains why you've kept up." She said switching her attention to Vincent.

"I'll call yah Vincent like you wanted, but also might call yah, Vinnie, yeah, that's a good nickname. Still Ladies and Gents..." She paused eyeing Fran directly, as if daring her to say something,

"If it's all the same and me ordering you around isn't too much, I suggest we get a move on, we got another team to catch and a whole lotta of things that want us dead, you three keep with mister Simon here, I'll take point, might be sometimes we gotta fight together, if anything you may be betta suited to it, what with your S rank, I rather not waste my bullets on the trash here, though anything important, I got it in my sights.. Let's move."

With that said, there was the occasional small talk and even a couple engagements here and there, no further disruptions and breaks were to be had, if anything, Sharon's sense of perception picked up the voices of the camp in a dim echo, as she smelled the cooking beasts and neared the bin, whatever conversations could now wrap up as she urged the rest to move as quickly as they could, with what haste they could muster, they finally reached the camp. Watching the group in general, if not distractedly, Sharon loudly announces her presence, as she took note of the sign and its strange bowl at the camps end. "G'day loves, Name's Sharon, Sharon Ironblood, the Director be it out of stupidity or as a true visionary sent us to link up with you, fellow S ranks, names and what have you ladies and Gents. Well, you got my name, I'm a sniper, system calls me a Battle Maid, just don't expect me to shoot a lot right now, I only got 20 bullets left. Anyone care to fill me in, or who's in charge, if even only in their own mind? And whats this fucking sign with the box? Sacrfice eh... Fuck it, would love them, reminds me of the boss, I'll get more someday."

Throwing her pack of cigarettes into the collection dish she wanted to see if it worked. They were worth something to her, enough to give a "Tch. With how damn expensive they are, this better be worth it."

Interactions: all/team b

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Jiànlong was shocked when a group of individuals walked right into their camp. He glanced at the brunette maid who made herself known right away; she talked in such a strange in-your-face way. Then glanced at the stragglers following her.

More S ranks? Could that be possible? Well, if they were.. then it made sense why the Director sent them after their group. Still, it was a bit shocking to just have another group of adventurers show up out of the blue to meet up with them.

Some of the things he overheard Seymour telling Samara were worrying, but he sprung up to his feet, and bounced after the maid. "Uhhhh.... hi?" he said, walking up to her, trying to immediately seem friendly. He wanted this new group of people to like them. He heard in school that when various groups of adventurers met in the labyrinth... well.. it did not always end prettily. Based on what she asked, a vague memory sprung to his mind about when the Director asked who their leader was, but that question had been left in the air, unresolved. At least, he thought it remained unresolved...

Jiànlong stared at the pack of cigarettes in the bowl. It didn't seem to do anything. The sign didn't change, nor did the cigarettes disappear. Not like when the cupcakes were placed within.

"Uhm, seems like it didn't accept them," he said, plucking out the pack. "Oh! Sorry!" He didn't know if grabbing her stuff would offend her; right away, he dropped the pack of cigarettes right back into her hand. The maid that was slightly shorter than him was kinda intense..

"I'm Jiànlong Xiaoxiao, now.. uhh..."

He thought about what he could sacrifice.

He didn't really own that much. About the only thing that had any significance to him was his Eastern Dragon Sword.. But he didn't really want to sacrifice that... That would be kinda stupid. He needed his weapon for the upcoming boss fight.

He considered what else he owned. Then upon realizing something, felt slightly odd. He held out his hand, and within it appeared a 1 surrounded by white-energy-like-fire. It was his recently gained Labyrinth Point. He had taken it out of the DS. So this is what it looked like.. But just before he was about to drop it into the bowl, he stopped. Obviously this was used for something.. Did he really want to sacrifice it here?

Jiànlong decided against it, and returned it to the DS (it disappeared). He looked at his highest stats. Could he? He then thought about it, and sure enough, energy appeared in his palm. He dropped it into the collection plate. What he dropped in was his lowest stat -Int at 5, 35 Stamina, and 10 Willpower. Sure enough, it took that offering, and the number 5 was added to the sign. as the offering disappeared from the bowl. When he looked at his DS, his Int was at 0 and red, and Stamina and Willpower were both red as well. But otherwise everything seemed fine.

"Huh! Well, I did it!" he exclaimed, feeling a bit satisfied with that. Sure it sucked losing stats, but he didn't think it was that big of a deal.

 

[ERode]

So this was the challenge.

Each step was a slog, her boots sinking into the mud before squelching out. There was something in the air too that made it harder to breathe. A heavy, heady stench lingered here, thick enough that it would clog the lungs if one took too deep a breath. It drained one’s ability to move in any way, and if Seymour’s bits of information were correct, the only thing they would be able to burn away would be mist itself. There would have to be a different solution for handling the waters.

Could she chase away the mist with just her own flames though?

Focusing slightly, Kirsten allowed her blood to ignite, her scars flashing an electrifying red before an aura of solar fire surged around her, causing ripples of water to emanate from her. The flames licked at the waters, causing them to gradually evaporate, but the curse that lingered over the blighted swamp remained. She could not burn away the Mist just like that, while the mud, naturally, remained unimpeded by her Raging Vigor. The flames disappeared and she trudged back, her eyes flickering around her surroundings in order to make out any significant landmarks. That was the other dangerous thing about it. Even from within the Blighted Swamp, she couldn’t make out the Wega Shaman that both Rip Off and Seymour knew about. The forest, its trees thick and moss-grown, was simply too dense to look through. Her eyes flickered up the canopy. The lighter, more agile members of the party could perhaps circumvent the Waters by climbing and then leaping from branch to branch, but that’d take effort all on its own. Could they construct a raft then? But who amongst them had such talents, or even just the knowledge for it?

The Dread Labyrinth was transforming. Altering itself in consideration with the concentration of S-Ranks present inside its bowels.

…

And when she returned, it appeared that the concentration of S-Ranks had only increased.

Her moonlight eyes flickered from one newcomer to the other. There was one, Sharon, who held a gun, and another who wielded a cleaver, but the majority of them appeared to quite comfortably be settled in some sort of backline role.

That worked out well enough. It would bring balance to another otherwise mismatched party thus far, even if the increased numbers would cause them to travel all the slower, to consume even more resources, to perhaps inspire the Dread Labyrinth to summon forth even greater threats.

“Call me Kirsten,” she spoke, nodding towards them all. “I scouted ahead. The ‘Boss Room’ has changed in a way that once again has not been recorded in previous raids.” A cursory glance at the sign. Five now, with Ken’s own sacrifice. They’ll need twelve if no one was willing to bear the punishment of not offering something up, but was it even worth it to do so? She continued with her report. “A large swamp, thick with trees, make up the arena that the Wega Shaman, if Seymour’s information is correct, dwells within. There are two passive debuffs that exist there: contact with the waters will make you incapable of moving past a slow walk, while breathing in the mist will drain Speed, Agility, and Stamina.”

It was clear that such design was built to functionally disable the threat of a high-speed assassin striking the Shaman down before it could begin layering its crippling debuffs and status effects.

“We can travel along the perimeter to pick out an angle of approach. Fire alone doesn’t burn away the Mist, however, and there were no lanterns that I could spot outside the swamp, so whatever you were looking for, Seymour, would be inside the swamp instead. Which means we need to spend time searching for the lanterns too.”

There were 12 of them. Did they need all 12 to commit to the raid itself?

“The trees are large and clustered together enough that it could be possible to circumvent the waters by climbing and then traversing the canopy, but whichever people do that will have to contend with the stamina drain nonetheless. Unless one of you newcomers have the ability to search for particular items or confer immunity to status effects?”

Most of them didn’t even look like the agile, tree-climbing type, all things considered. Samara was too heavy, and Kirsten’s own capabilities were centered more on brute speed rather than acrobatics. Her gaze settled upon Lumi and Seymour instead.

“If not, you two seem the most fit for that, so long as you can avoid detection by the Shaman, and so long as your Stamina lasts. That is, of course, assuming that the lanterns are still there to begin with.”

Considering the abject cruelty of the Labyrinth, after all, Kirsten would’ve imagined that the Shaman would have gone to collect them all itself, and then either guarded, buried, or destroyed them.

“A raft could be made in the meantime. Plenty of materials for it, and it’ll save the majority of us from the fatigue of swamp-travel, once we find a lantern and perhaps the Shaman.”

 

[AnonyMouse]

Samara Morghan​

Seymour's visceral reaction to her demands came unexpectedly. He sternly demanded that she not snap her fingers at him, as if the mere sight or sound of such a thing deeply wounded him. Under normal circumstances, Samara would have felt shame for comitting such an act of disrespect. But, in the heat of the moment, she only felt the slightest bit of pleasure, that she had broken through his cavalier facade. He knew she was serious now. Playtime was over and the Labyrinth was no playground.

Her eyes remained stone cold as he claimed ignorance of the perils that had befallen them. He hadn't foreseen Thames's fate, nor Blobjun's heightened level, nor Ripoff's surprise appearance, nor the Dread. As Seymour rattled off all of these threats which had slipped by him, Samara couldn't help but wonder what the hell he could foresee if he saw none of this. And then, at last, he arrived at the bombshell.

She gasped. "You... you what?" Samara said, mouth agape when he said he had read Ripoff's mind. He had read the mind of a denizen of the Labyrinth. Did such creatures even have a mind to be read? Did they have thoughts of their own or were they mere drones? Was this another trick? A trap? Why would the Labyrinth allow such a thing... and what did it take in turn?

These thoughts all raced through her mind in rapid succession, the existential 'whys' and 'hows' of it all. Until, at last, its light illuminated an awful truth: What if he's been reading us too? she thought. Every Talent carried a compulsion, did it not? It was even more powerful for an S-Rank Talent. Could he even resist such a temptation? Could she, if their roles were reversed? You... you have been reading us, haven't you? she thought, her frigid blue eyes zeroing in upon his.

He said something about frogs, lanterns and a damn swamp, but it was all lost within the fog of her absolute rage and confusion, but mostly confusion. "Y-you think you owe us nothing?" Samara said, her voice breaking, despite the words being so quiet she barely heard them spill from her own lips. "Reading our minds... invading our privacy... you think you have a right to all of that? How dare you." Her hand trembled, fighting the urge to strike him. Instead, she slowly shook her head, wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

When she looked upon him once more, she was resolute. If she had been on the verge of tears a moment ago, she certainly wasn't now. "H-how can one who sees so much be so blind, so heartless? You're a... a..." monster. She stopped, hanging mid-sentence. I... I don't know what you are anymore, Seymour. Dear god, what has this place done to you.

She had no lack of words for this transgression, nor the strength to say them, no matter how much it hurt them both. No, she stopped because they were not alone. This damned Labyrinth simply wouldn't allow them a moment's peace!

Samara turned to the south, where she spotted humanoid figures approaching from the swirling dust of the wasteland. Wega? Here, of all places? The shieldmaiden quickly rid herself of any lingering leeches and summoned her zweihander, readying herself for combat. Fortunately, as the figures drew nearer, she saw they were not the sickly, emaciated forms of the Wega, but fellow adventurers.

She upended her sword, letting its tip rest on the ground before her, in knightly fashion. "Don't you dare," Samara scolded Seymour, giving him a brief glare over her shoulder before facing the newcomers. She trusted he would know what she meant, seeing as he's a damned mind-reader... which is wrong and not something you should do to people without their consent!

Franceska Feiss​

Fran wasn't sure if the maid was making a joke or if the torrent of jibberish gushing from her mouth was how she actually talks. Either way, the redhead had to literally clamp a hand over her own mouth to stifle her laughter. Unfortunately, the moment Sharon accused her of 'hav'n a giggle' that is precisely what she did. Her face contorted due to the effort of holding it in, until, at last, a peal of childish laughter erupted from her, capped off with a little piggy snort. It felt cathartic, even if it was slightly embarassing. Whatever lingering fear she had of this trigger happy gutter nugget was washed away.

As if that weren't good enough, the newcomer was a cook. A butcher, actually. Fortunately, her dorky laughter had subsided by the time he came within earshot of the group, lest Fran make another awful first impression. As much as she didn't want to meet more weirdos, she hadn't had a proper meal in ages and the only thing the other three were serving were bullets, holy water, and cheesy not-dad jokes. There wasn't a speck of actual food in her inventory, other than the various bugs and dead critters Faust left there.

"F-Fran," she said to the new guy, while briefly meeting his gaze. "And... can you guys stop sayin' 'bloody?' It's weird, okay." And, with that, she retreated back into her shell. Hands in her pockets. Head down. He seemed more Bond than Potter and somehow managed to rekindle her faith that Brits can be cool, so she was determined not to fuck this up. Right now they had places to be and she sure as hell wasn't gonna ask him to whip up a five-course meal... yet. There would be plenty of time to place her order.

* * * * *​

Fran fiddled with her DS as they walked. While is seemed like most of these S-Ranks had waaaay more Talents than the average adventurer, Fran only had four. Well, there were actually nine there, but half of them were glitched out and unreadable. Even she didn't know what they said. The text looked pixelated, garbled, and strewn with non-alphanumeric symbols and glyphs, as if her System was broken. She kept her DS set to 'private,' and never showed it to anyone. But if this new group asked to see it, as adventurers sometimes did, would they think she was weak or 'broken,' too?

With a sigh, Fran shut the UI and retrieved her staff from her doctor's bag. It looked odd pulling a five-foot long metal rod out of a shoulder bag, but the Labyrinth did as the Labyrinth did. It was a rare weapon, meant for fighting, but she mostly used it as a walking stick on long journeys. And this was, indeed, a long journey.

At last, they reached the swamp's edge, close to where she knew the boss's territory began. The S-Rank party was already there, waiting. A huge woman and a rather tall man were speaking in lowered voices, while some others were slightly apart from them. They had a campfire going, with what appeared to be crab meat simmering in a pan. Rockshell, maybe? For the first time in a long time, Fran actually began to pick up her feet, instead of trudging along like a mindless zombie.

The huge blonde woman turned to face them and upended her sword before her. She seemed like the leader of this group. Monkey-brained adventurers often chose the largest or strongest for that role. Tribe mentality or some such. But, when Sharon asked, the big lady said otherwise: "Samara Morghan, S-Rank Defender. Our... umm... leader... is off scouting," she said uncertainly. "And this is Seymour," she added, with a warm smile, giving the man a friendly pat on the back.

She seemed nice enough. She had the hospitality bit down pat. But a warm smile and kind words don't hide the truth: These people don't even know who their party leader is? what a fine fustercluck this is gonna be, Fran thought as she plucked a chunk of rockshell from the skillet and plopped it into her mouth while the adults were schmoozing. May as well enjoy her last meal before the slaughter begins...

"And who might you be?" the big lady said. It took Fran a moment to realize Sharon had fucked off to throw smokes at a bowl, allowing the giant's full attention to latch on to her next. "Are you a doctor? Medical expertise is certainly welcomed. You seem... familiar. Have we met?" she said as she stowed her sword. For a Defender, she sure dropped her guard awfully quick.

Fran quickly swallowed, wincing as the meat burned its way down her throat. She withered in the big woman's shadow. Goddaaaaamn, this chick is fucking huge. Back up, geez, she thought, taking a half-step back and clinging protectively to her staff. As if the nun hadn't been oppressive enough. "Fuck no," she said, a little too curtly. In a softer tone, she added. "M-my old man sits on the board of Ambition General Hospital. You, uhhh, may have seen me around. But I ain't a doctor," she quickly corrected, before hesitantly offering her hand, something she rarely did. "F-Franceska Feiss. 'Fran,' if it's all the same to you." And then, in a tiny voice, she muttered, _{"Blood Mage,"} as the woman took her hand. Her grip was surprisingly soft, yet firm.

"What was that, dear?" the shieldmaiden said, having missed that last part.

"Nothin.'" Fran scrambled for any excuse to get out of this. Compliment the food? Talk about the weather? Run around screaming 'the British are coming' at the top of her lungs? At last she found her way out. Her gaze fell upon the adventurers clustered around the sign, which seemed to be asking for some form of sacrifice. But, that's not what Fran noticed. Despite her claims otherwise, she truly was a medical professional, and one of their members appeared to be... unwell.

"What's up with her? She ain't contagious, is she?" Fran asked, nodding to the white-haired girl with the awful cough, as she strolled over to the other group. Her intent was to get away from the overbearing mother bear, but the damn giantess followed her. Grrr! Boobzilla informed Fran that the girl's condition was the result of a curse, not a disease. "Oh, well, nothin' I can do. Nun, you're up," she said, gesturing for Katja to come rescue her.

"Oh, no no no. Sera chose this awful fate," Samara said, lamentably. She explained that the curse would drain her mana until they cleared the boss of floor three, at which point she will allegedly be rewarded for her sacrifice. But if it reaches zero... "She will die."

"Damn... that sucks. If only someone had, like, a fuckton of mana and a way to share it," Fran said, momentarily averting her gaze, as if embarassed. By now, they had arrived at the other group and she didn't want any attention. If anything, she wished she could literally disappear. The blood mage furtively glanced at the sick girl, as if pondering what to do, or if she should do anything at all. When the woman with the lance arrived and took charge, she wandered off to the edge of the gathering, hoping she won't be bothered or noticed.

Samara​

"So, the Shaman has grown wise, I see? Thank you for the intel," Samara said, after Kirsten reported what she had seen. She respectfully saluted the woman. The standard tactic for defeating the Wega Shaman was to rush her with physical damage. She had notoriously low defenses, so a high-DPS team could take her down easily, if they could punch through or avoid her magics. But, it seemed the Labyrinth was evolving yet again...

Samara noted most of these debuffs didn't directly affect her. She could simply approach and try the same old trick: pummel the Shaman with physical blows. But that would be foolish. If she has upped her defenses, she has likely upped her offensive capabilities as well. She may have new, more dangerous spells, the shieldmaiden thought, as Kirsten continued to speak. Fortunately, we also have new allies, she thought, glancing back to see if Fran was still nearby. But the redhead was gone. Samara spotted her behind the others, seemingly too withdrawn to join the discussion. What a strange young lady. She seemed so forthcoming a moment ago...

Regardless, Fran was not the only new asset. The sniper, Sharon, was a massive addition to their strategic options. Samara stepped forward. "I can certainly fell a few trees to make crude rafts, if that is what we wish to do... but tracking down the lanterns may take time we do not have and may lead to an ambush," she said to the woman. But she had a more important concern: "How quickly did your stats drain and have they recovered since leaving the area? Is it theoretically possible for Lumi's buffs to outpace the negative affects? Or..." her eyes slowly swept across all of those gathered here, "Do any of the newcomers have ways of buffing or negating the drain? We could... brute force it?" she said with a shrug.

Despite her appearance, Samara was usually the last one to suggest such a thing. But this swamp was a war of attrition, time was not on their side, and she was growing tired of playing by the Labyrinth's 'rules.' Some of these newcomers looked like they weren't suited for direct combat. Perhaps they were mages or support. If so, they may have tools to overpower the Shaman's treachery. Instead of looking for lanterns and braziers, why not find the Shaman itself and go straight for the kill?

"Chill. I can keep Curse Girl topped off, so don't do anything stupid, alright," Fran said, stepping forward. "And nobody mentioned the leeches, but I can handle those too... seein' as how I'm a blood mage and all," she grumbled, with a roll of her eyes. "Katja, you got anything for the Shaman's bullshit?" she said, redirecting the attention away from herself to the oddly-dressed nun. "I mean, I don't believe in that nonsense, but the Laby seems to... so... whatever," she said before shrinking back into obscurity.
Interaction(s): TreasureSniper | RedArmyShogun | ERode | Karcen
Mentions: Megilagor | EmperorsChosen | Thalia_Neko | Tau | Skyswimsky