The party has finally emerged from the Dark Forest, and now find themselves face to face with a run down keep, the home of Vio.
Indica: The witch lies here
Hudson: Let’s tear down this legacy of pain and darkness
Boone: I’m with it till the end
Atlantic: The witch of the woods
Wadah: Our work is never done
Griay: Heh, let’s show her what we’re made of
Vivuhal: Let’s all approach it together
As the Party walks towards the keep, a group of Hollowed Orphans covered in purple runes attack the party
Indica (Swinging at the attackers): This must be one of Vio’s special controlling runes
Griay: Yeah. that would seem to be the case.
Wadah: Well let’s give her forces the what for
Fight against The Hollowed Orphans
When you win, The Party continues the walk towards Vio’s Keep
Begin Approach to Vio’s Keep
When the party is 10% of the way to the keep, another group of Hollowed Orphans attack the party, but Indica and Hudson use their weapons to chop them into tiny bits, scattering them across the ground like ashes
Hudson: This is the only mercy that we can provide
Atlantic: At least I saved myself before I succumbed to this fate
Resume the Approach to Vio’s Keep
When the party is 20% of the way to the keep, another group of Hollowed Orphans attack the party, but Vivuhal unleashes a large blast of aether that destroys them before they can swarm on the party
Griay: We are making it there no matter what she throws at us
Hudson: The world around us has suffered enough due to that woman
Resume the Approach to Vio’s Keep
When the party is 30% of the way to the keep, yet another group of Hollowed Orphans engage the party but Wadah unleashes a large gust of wind to knock them down, when they are down, Boone fires a few powerful rounds into the knocked out orphans, black blood begin to pool on the floor
Boone: I wish this could bring my family back
Indica: At least the family you had was one of love, unlike my family of evil dickheads, you tried your best no matter what the world did to you
Resume the Approach to Vio’s Keep
When the party is 40% of the way to the keep, purple runes that look like crests begin attaching themselves to the ground
Hudson: What the heck is going on?
Suddenly, the purple runes explode, expelling powerful energy trying to steal the crests from the party
Vivuhal: I won’t let you
Vivuhal uses their aether energy proficiency to absorb the purple energy into their body, dispersing it
Atlantic: Thanks for the save Vivu
Griay: But are you ok?
Vivuhal: Oh yeah, it’s no problem
Resume the Approach to Vio’s Keep
When the party is 50% of the way to Vio’s Keep, more purple runes fly towards the party as more contigents of the Hollowed Orphans approach, Vivuhal diffuses the Purple Runes before they land by sending small amounts of Aether at them like homing missiles while the Hollowed Orphans are taken care of by Griay using the Governess Suit to lock on a powerful projectile while Atlantic slams it around with her sticks.
Wadah: Let’s send Vio a direct message, we’re close enough
Indica: What do you mean?
Wadah: I’ll try to blow her keep off the map
Indica: Oh that’s brilliant
Wadah: I thought so
Hudson: Alright, do it
Wadah unleashes a power gust of wind, one of their most powerful. It tears through the sunken plain and begins to damage Vio’s keep, tearing one of the parts of the roof off. More purple runes attempt to damage the party, but Wadah’s gust continues to repel them.
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Eventually, the keep is significantly damaged enough to notice a distinct lack of movement
Hudson: Good job Wadah
Wadah: Thank you
Boone: Let’s continue our approach
Resume
When the party is 60% of the way to Vio’s Keep, a small group of purple Hollowed Orphans approach the party
Hudson: Looks like Vio’s elite guard
Atlantic: I got this
Atlantic uses her sticks to defeat the enemies in front of her with relative ease, moving swift and striking hard
Resume
When the party is 70% of the way to Vio’s Keep, purple runes continue flying at the party but Wadah blasts them back towards The Keep, damaging it even more
Hudson: I think she’s running out of steam
Vivuhal: It sure looks like it
Atlantic: We’ve only got a little bit left to go
Resume
When the party is 80% of the way to Vio’s Keep, Black Crest Clumps begin surrounding the party, emitting a powerful aura.
Hudson: Let’s take care of the problem in front of us
Hudson slashes at the crest clumps, but they don’t dissipate and instead circle around them more
Vivuhal: Hudson?
Hudson: I don’t know what to do
Vivuhal: What does your knowledge say about this?
Hudson: It’s unprecedented
Indica: Then we’ll just have to do something unprecedented
Atlantic: The swan crest was always important to Vio right?
Indica: Yeah?
Hudson: The Swan Crest meant that you’d be an elegant royal according to the notions she used to have, but you ended up defying their destiny to run away from them
Indica: My crest also defied the destiny they had for me
Atlantic: Indica, we can do this
Indica and Atlantic take swings at the crest clumps and end up destroying them
Vivuhal: Way to go!!
Indica: We’re going to end this today
Resume the approach to Vio’s Keep
When the party is 90% of the way to Vio’s Keep, a final group of Hollowed Orphans appear
Vivuhal: We’re so close to the end
Atlantic: Let’s take them down
Hudson: Follow my lead
Fight against The Hollowed Orphans
When you win
Boone: I’m relieved to be done with this madness
Indica: Let’s go, forward, forward one more time
Resume the Approach to Vio’s Keep
When The Party finally makes it up to Vio’s Keep, it is heavily damaged, with Vio lying on her throne, looking drained
Vio: Look who came home to dear old mom?
Vio tries to attack The Party but Hudson parries the attack while Indica rushes past the attack and pins Vio to the throne via stabbing her sword through her gut
Vio: Hehe, (Blood comes out of her mouth), well, looks like I have daughter of the year
Indica: You’re a sociopath who kidnapped and broke thousands of orphans, we released them all from your grasp on our way to give you what you deserve
Vivuhal: You’re a monster, and nothing we can do to you can ever make up for all the harm you’ve caused throughout your life
Boone: Your actions led to the indirect death of my family
Hudson: The direct death of my family…and me
Vio: Aww, her little corrupter friend
Griay: You trapped me in a suit of armor and made me a slave
Atlantic: You kidnapped me and tried to make me your perfect hier
Wadah: Death isn’t enough
Vio: Aww, well, you may have me bleeding out….but I have one more trick left
Indica: No more games
Without another word, Indica moves her sword out of Vio’s gut and beheads her
Hudson: That was for the best
Atlantic: I wonder what this trick was?
Suddenly, a purple hand grabs Atlantic and tries to rip the crest off of her
Atlantic: GET THIS THING OFF OF ME
Griay and Boone destroy the hand as something else rises from the keep, a giant hollow Indica with a fake Swan Crest
Atlantic: What the fuck
Indica: Aww, she made me her last act
Hollow Indica: Looks like you have nothing left to do expect die by my hand
Indica: Hey guys, want to knock this thing down together, destroy the last of Vio’s legacy
Hudson: It would be an honor
Griay: I’m down
Vivuhal: Let’s do it
Wadah: Let’s go
Boone: Yeah
Atlantic: Oh what the fuck, why not
Fight against Hollow Indica
When Hollow Indica is at 75%
Hollow Indica: How do you feel, being an empty shell of what you could have been
Indica: I’m not hollow like you
Hudson: The Indica I know is strong and brave and headstrong, while you’re nothing but fake version of her made of memories
Hollow Indica: Heh, I’ll show you
Resume against Hollow Indica
When Hollow Indica is at 50%, she tries using her purple crest to do big damage against The Party but Hudson and Indica counter it with a combined attack
Hollowed Indica: I’m supposed to be the superior version of you
Indica: You’re clearly not good enough to be me
Vivuhal: Let’s show her the light
Resume against Hollow Indica
When Hollow Indica is at 25%, she begins to fall down, Vivuhal takes this opportunity to blast her through the eye
Boone: Nice shot
Vivuhal: Thanks
Hudson: You’re doing kid Vivu
Atlnatic: We’re bringing her to her knees
Hollow Indica: I’m clearly going to win in the end
Griay: I didn’t think your empty shell would be this much of an arrogant gloat?
Indica: Me neither but Larkin’s clone is a callous dick so hey maybe all evil clones are just destined to be second rate
Resume against Hollow Indica
When Hollow Indica is finally defeated, she lets out one final groan of agony before disappearing
Hudson: Well, we did it
Indica: It’s over…
Boone: What now?
Vivuhal: What do you mean by what now?
Boone: What’s left for me
Wadah: A hero’s rest for you Boone, you deserve all the peace your heart desres
Boone: I don't’ desire peace, I desire war, menaces like The Buzzard that threaten peace are always out there, I want to make sure no father has to lose a daughter again
Indica: Well Boone, I have the authority to welcome you to the Century Corps, right here and right now
Atlantic: Wait what
Indica: Hey shut up Gladian will just totally not care about this
Atlantic: Oh right lovebird is in charge
Vivuhal: Hudson, I still have so much to learn about crests after this experience
Hudson: Me too Vivuhal, but let me tell you what? You can only do so much learning under me, you have to learn more about this on your own
Vivuhal: You mean you won’t mentor me anymore?
Hudson: No, I totally will when you need it, but you should do somethings on your own
Wadah: Well not completely on your own, I’ll be by your side every step of the way Vivuhal
Vivuhal: Thank you Wadah, and yeah, maybe I should learn more about our world
Griay: Well, I think we learned something valuable here
Indica: What was that?
Griay: We’re the best family we’ve ever had
Indica: Hell yeah
Suddenly a strange artifact can be seen in the back of the keep
Hudson: Hey do you see that?
Griay: Let’s take it back for inspection
And so, the Party headed back, taking their new strange artifact back with them
