DETERMIBENT (Text Adventure) [COMPLETE]

>All: attempt to come up with some way to slow her down at the very least.

>John: prepare for emergency ZAP evacuation in case no clear answer comes to light. As it stands, it looks like EARTH isn't surviving this.

SBURB truly does not stand for cheaters, the efforts to save your friends appear to have resulted in those whom Skaia had foretold death to be recondemned. Or perhaps it was never averted in the first place. Who knows? The point is that this 'verse is totally and utterly screwed, without some way to mask Yomi's powers from her pursuer, there is no way to take on Vriska without having to fight one more Ascendant than you have the power to deal with.

Edit: >HECATE: Here's a plan, dependant on exactly how powerful denizens are capable of being, you could perhaps convince the players to free you by offering to help them resolve the new crisis in return for the heart players freeing you from the confines of SBURB.

>All: attempt to come up with some way to slow her down at the very least.

The Yelling resumes upon Rhozee's declaration.

ARANEA: EVERY8ODY QUIEEEEETTTT!!!!

The Yelling Ceases.

KARKAT: WOW. AND HERE I THOUGHT *I* WAS THE LOUDMOUTH OF THE GROUP.
ARANEA: *Huffs angrily*
ARANEA: Look, everyone, let's just... at the very least find a way to slow her down?
YUUI: So... i'm pretty sure another scratch is off the table.
YUUI: If we've merged with another multiverse outside of the original laws of paradox space, then we can't just use that to wipe her out.
ARADIA: true, besides that, our session didn't come with a scratch construct that i'm aware of.
ARADIA: but that could simply be due to the mitigating circumstances that kept me from exploring my planet any.
DAVE: so we cant erase her
DAVE: can we exile her?
FEFERI: you mean back to alternia and beforus?
MEENAH: the old ladies wouldnt like dat, ill betcha.
MEENAH: (who are we exilin' again? i was lookin for food...)
ARANEA: (Shoooooooosh you!)
KARKAT: IF WE'RE LOOKING TO SLOW HER DOWN, I HAVE MY [BLOODY RESTRAINT] ABILITY.
KARKAT: WE COULD TIE HER DOWN TO THE BATTLEFIELD AND THEN HAVE JOHN ZAP IT THROUGH A DEFENSE PORTAL?
YOMI: If that would hold her, possibly. You should test it on me first, I think, just to make sure I can't slip from it.
YOMI: If I can't escape, then she surely can't.
ROXY: maybe i can banish her to the void or something?
RHOZEE: Unfortunately, I suspect she would be heavily resistant to that.
RHOZEE: Besides that, we have no idea which void you'd end up sending her to, what with the Furthest Ring now apparently consumed by another Multiverse.

>John: prepare for emergency ZAP evacuation in case no clear answer comes to light.

JOHN: what if we just evacuate all the planets- take the one good battlefield we have left- and leave her here on her own?
RHOZEE: Good point. We haven't even built the houses up yet...
RHOZEE: At the very least, you should move the planets somewhere safe in case the fighting gets to the levels it did in our last endgame session.
DIRK: (Poor LOTAK, struck down by a stray black hole before its time.)
JANE: That's a good point. At the very least, we don't need to have Earth here during all this, as it's not a SBURB generated planet.
DAVE: yeah that's just tempting fate at this point to leave it floating around.
RHOZEE: Agreed.
RHOZEE: As it stands, it looks like Earth isn't surviving this if it stays.

> ARGO: Be DETERMINED.

ARGO: guys!
ARGO: i know exactly what we need to do!
MARRIN: what's that? :?
REZI: Y34H, wh4t's th3 pl4n?
ARGO: we rip vwiskers' soul out of her body and shove it in one of those gemstones like yomi put jaspers and becs souls in!
ARANEA: I approve.
ARANEA: It nearly worked on me once when Dirk tried it.
DIRK: What? When did I try that?
DIRK: Pretty sure I'd remember that.
JAKE: Ah... that'd be because it was a brain ghost you?
ROXY: o yeah! brain ghost dirk!
REZI: H3h3h3h, 1 r3m3mb3r h1m.
DIRK: So what, my Prince of Heart powers let me almost tear a spider troll's soul out once, and you expect me to do it again?
YOMI: You'll have to, at least, to get the souls out.
YOMI: I think I can safely soul trap Vriska if it comes to it.
YOMI: But I have a bad feeling that if I do anything more I might set off a signal beacon to my pursuer.
JAKE: That's right, we're not in a closed off bubble of Paradox Space anymore, are we?
MEENAH: (water we talking about now? i got thirsty so....)
ARANEA: *Deep Sigh*
CALLIE: if i might make a sUggestion?
MARRIN: sure! .w.
RHOZEE: Of course you can.
CALLIE: let's take a page oUt of john's brief retelling of past events and do as all those faced with a devioUs, all too powerfUl enemy do.
CALLIE: we speak with oUr denizens.
JOHN: somehow i just knew it'd come to this.
CALLIE: what more can yoU tell Us aboUt that fight?
JOHN: well...
JOHN: not a whole lot, really!
JOHN: i wasn't there for most of it and i just got the cliff notes version after--

A Second JOHN EGBERT and ARADIA MEGIDO appear just then with a flash of TIME TRAVEL MAGIC.

F.ARADIA: hah! told you i could find it!
F.JOHN: right, right, you told me.
JOHN: oh come on!!!
ARADIA: oh, it's me!
F.ARADIA: oh, it's you!
ARADIA:/F.ARADIA: hello, self!
KARKAT: OH FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING THAT IS HOLY AND RIGHT IN THE MULTIVERSE CAN WE NOT DEAL WITH TIME TRAVEL CLONES RIGHT NOW???
F.JOHN: karkat's got a point. you two have to go off and become us- but first, you gotta go pick up the secret weapon from torin and ask about the denizen deal details!
JOHN: BLUUHHHHHHHHH
JOHN: fine.

And with that, the CURRENT JOHN AND ARADIA leave via ZAP TRAVEL.

MEENAH: so what's the deets, blue buoy?
F.JOHN: well, our situation isn't as 'special case' as their session was.
F.ARADIA: basically their denizens were unchained and unrestricted.
F.ARADIA: ours aren't.
F.JOHN: and we can't really do anything TO unchain them unless they want to be unchained and they don't.
F.JOHN: belive me, we asked. will ask? have will asked???
F.JOHN: (aradia??)
F.ARADIA: each are equally accurate
KARKAT: JUST FUCKING FANTASTIC.
KARKAT: ANY OTHER FLIPPING FANTASTIC NEWS TO REPORT?
KARKAT: ARE OUR ASSES STUCK ON THE GRILL LIKE SOME KIND OF GRILLED CHUMPASS SANDWICH? IS THAT THE BAD NEWS?
KARKAT: PLEASE TELL ME THAT THE UNCHAINING RESTRICTIONS IS THE BAD NEWS PART.
F.ARADIA: the unchaining restrictions is the bad news part.
F.JOHN: the good news is that there IS one denizen that wants to be unchained!
DAVE: who? please say hephaestus because we could totally use his hammer as the best grilled cheese press in the history of grilled cheese presses.
F.JOHN: her name is Hecate.
DIRK: Mother. FUCK.
DAVE: (language, son.)
DIRK: (You're not my Dad, Bro.)
DAVE: (alt me begs to differ, kiddo)
JANE: (Would you two kindly can it for the moment??)
YUUI: Well, that was a twist we should have seen coming.
F.ARADIA: that's just how life works sometimes.
KARKAT: ALRIGHT LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT.
KARKAT: SO THE PLAN IS...
KARKAT: GO TALK TO OUR DENIZENS.
KARKAT: AND SEE WHAT CONCESSIONS THEY'RE WILLING TO GIVE US IN FIGHTING VRISKA-THE-SECOND-COMING-OF-HELL?
KARKAT: MEANWHILE UNCHAINING THE ONE WHO THOUGHT IT A GOOD "CHOICE" TO SHOOT A BULLET AT DIRK'S HEAD AND BASE THE ANSWER ON IF HE LIVED OR DIED?
RHOZEE: Yes, that about sums it up.
KARKAT: OKAY. GOOD. JUST MAKING SURE I DIDN'T GO INSANE AT SOME POINT DURING THIS CONVERSATION.
DIRK: Well, I've already talked with Hecate and made MY deal, so it's going to have to be someone else who talks with her and almost gets their heads blown off.
ARGO: well, you said she went to my land, right? so... it should be me, right?
YOMI: I'll go with you.
YOMI: I am wearing the proper Heart colors, after all.
YOMI: (Still no idea how that happened. Strangest bit of magic I've ever felt...)
YOMI: *trails off into mutterings of arcane spell matrixes*
KANAYA: Should Those Of Us With Doubled Aspects Do The Same Thing
KANAYA: ?
CALLIE: she has a point.
CALLIE: a lot of Us have doUbled aspects, after all.
RHOZEE: I would say, yes. That should save some time.
ARANEA: Alright then, it seems we have the 8eginning stages of a plan.
ARANEA: Shall we execute it?
MEENAH: SHELL YEA!!!!
MEENAH: (what's the plan again? i was chowin down on this funky blue puddin i found in a crate over there by the stairs)
REZI: OH FOR TH3 LOV3 OF- YOU 4TE TH3 R3PULS1ON G3L!?
MEENAH: what? it was actually kinda good.
MEENAH: also... 'repulsion gel'?? i don't like tha sound a dat.
REZI: *S1111GH*
REZI: you all go on ahead and deal with the denizens.
REZI: F3f3r1? 1 could use your help taking care of this.
FEFERI: okay. 38|
FEFERI: (seariously, meenah! i told you you should have eaten breakfast this morning!)
MEENAH: (but i didn't want calamarine soufflé!!)
DAVE: alright everyone, you heard the lady
DAVE: its time to go play, 'let's make a deal.'
KARKAT: IN NOT SO MANY WORDS. LET'S MOVE, PEOPLE!!

> JOHN: Before you lose your ZAP POWERS, go grab ALTERNIA, BEFOROUS, and their RESPECTIVE MOONS.
> JAKE: HOPE BRAIN GHOST DIRK into existence to INCREASE FIREPOWER.

> DAVID + DAVE + YUUI + ARADIA + ARGO: TIME ATTACK!
> YOMI + CASSIE: Raise a ZOMBIE ARMY.

> VEIL + BATTLEFIELD + PROSPIT + MOON of DERSE: Evacuate.
> ARADIA: TIME STOP.
> JAKE: HOPESPLODE.
> SOLLUX + ARADIA: HURL METEORS.
> ROHZEE: PILOT the MOONS of DERSE and PROSPIT at VRISKA.
> REZI: FLIP.

>Hecate: Show up and wreak some havoc
>Reinforcements: NPC battle technique: Orbital Bombardment
>John+Dave: Alchemy loophole abuse #612: Airdrop giant mecha to aid in fight.
>Dirk: Show her your slices.
>Everyone: Initiate 21 person FRAYMOTIF finisher
>Yovi: LIMIT BREAK: Reaper's Vengeance
Ibris: arrive and turn this into a three-way strife.
Earth's governments: turn out to have panicked at BALI's arrival and launched nukes before getting zapped out.
Carapacian armies: support strategy level 1025: black skies.
Jakes+Eridan: KAME HAME HA.
John and Aradia: reveal secret weapon.

((I have to admit I see no feasible way for this to NOT be the grand finale. Caliborn is just small potatoes after this.))

>{S} Revise

The Smoke Cleared.

Though heavily wounded, BALI THE CONSUMER stands tall, many eyes GLARING at the enemies before her until they settle down on a few in particular that are clustered together rather than being spread out.

Aradia, John, Jade, and Marrin all look worried as Vriska's eyes FLASH with a decrepit purple hue.

[0:14]

That's when HECATE steps into the Ascendant's LINE OF SIGHT- eyes narrowing upwards as a massive ball of energy gathers in the Ascendants MOUTH.

Everyone not standing directly behind the Denizen wisely back off several dozen yards in conscious awareness of what was about to happen.

[0:27]

The Energy Ball FIRES out of BALI'S MOUTH and hurtles forwards like a ROCKET.

Hecate just stands there, slowly raising an arm as if to block the oncoming projectile that is coming in much too fast.

[0:33]

Then- the burst of energy clashes against a GOLDEN FORCE SHIELD- with the only thing passing through it being the SHOCKWAVE OF AIR.

Behind Hecate, JOHN creates a WIND SHIELD around his fellow players. Hecate Herself doesn't so much as flinch as the shockwave tears into her and quite literally tears her skin from her bones in large chunks, like wet paper being tossed into the breeze of a fan.

And what strange Bones they are indeed, golden and metal, curving and also straight. Instead of muscle there is strings, and instead of eyes there are glowing orbs.

[0:46]

The Energy blast dissipates, and then the golden skeleton of Hecate LEAPS FORWARDS- metal bars and strings all unspooling and revising and GROWING.

Tiny orbs of hands suddenly become massive, giant claws with bones the size of skyscrapers connecting them to the elbow and then even more to the shoulder. A slender Ribcage suddenly becomes a MASSIVE STRUCTURE that could contain whole armies of ELEPHANTS within.

A rough set of bars making an attempted knockoff of a human skull shift, bend, and twist into the gaping maw of a MIGHTY WOLF.

And that's when the skin and flesh and fur begin to flow back onto the reshaped, massive beast like a fire burning in reverse.

STRIFE: ROUND TWO!!! [0:58]

This all happens in mid air- in mid leap- and then the UNCHAINED DENIZEN unleashes their full FURY upon the Ascendant, who quite literally has no idea what the hell just happened.

Claws and punches and feral ROARS are exchanged between the two massive combatants even as Bali sheds the remains of her Giant Vriska Guise, becoming more and more monstrous, attempting to replicate the sheer mechanical elegance that is HECATE'S CURRENT FORM.

[1:12]

Back- Back- Back! Hecate pushes the Ascendant backwards across the Battlefield, towards a NEARBY CASTLE.

Nobody thinks anything of it- least of all BALI THE CONSUMER- until it is much too late.

The FORWARD WALL COLLAPSES- and out from behind it emerges MECHA GROUDON, Piloted by the PAGE OF BREATH himself!!

[1:25]

With two giants now opposing her, Bali begins to shift forms once more- becoming something with SPEED- more than anything else. Tentacle Legs receede and somehow the Ascendant FLOATS on air.

Bali has become a MOCKERY of a WHALE, and even more of a MOCKERY of whatever Pokemon was supposed to counter GROUDON, making Tavros ROAR IN RAGE and order his mecha to launch a LAVA STRIKE straight into BALI'S FACE.

[1:39]

MECHA GROUDON fires the blast from the mouth- and BALI COUNTERS with a WATER-LIKE EXPLOSION of RAINBOW ENERGY.

An EXPLOSION occurs where the two attacks meet- and then the RAINBOW ENERGY PUSHES ONWARDS, smashing into MECHA GROUDON, and sending it BLASTING OFF into the distant horizon.

BALI, thus distracted, MISSES the FOUR-PERSON ASSAULT on her top by ARADIA, JADE, JOHN, and MARRIN until it is MUCH TOO LATE.

VOID, TIME, SPACE, BREATH- FRAYMOTIF: IMPLOSIBLE CATERWALL.

[1:50]

A massive AIR BUBBLE surrounds a LARGE CHUNK of Bali's SPINE, and then CONTRACTS AND CONTRACTS, compressing the space within across several different time lines until finally DETONATING THEM EXPLOSIVELY on the TARGET ENEMY.

This has the WONDERFUL EFFECT of BLOWING A CHUNK of Bali's Back SKY HIGH- looking something like a whale's water spout.

[1:58]

Bali, of course, dislikes that this much damage was done SEVERELY.

From the wound- FOUR TENTACLES emerge fresh and ANEW, each grabbing onto one the four PESKY PLAYERS and GRIPPING TIGHTLY.

They cry out in pain- and then Bali THROWS THEM at the Ground.

[2:05]

HECATE ROARS- and LEAPS HIGH INTO THE AIR before coming down onto Bali's back and TEARING INTO THE WOUND with CLAWS and TEETH- even going so far as to revise her form to have an EXTRA SET OF ARMS and THREE MORE ROWS OF TEETH.

Bali begins BUCKING wildly- shifting from a MOCKERY OF A WHALE into an INSULT TO BULLS EVERYWHERE.
[2:16]

But then Hecate pulls off another TRANSFORMATION of their own- spawning MASSIVE WINGS of GOLDEN STEEL even as FUR FALLS AWAY, revealing MASSIVE DRACONIAN SCALES. A LUPINE TAIL becomes DRAGONOID.

Claws GRIP TIGHTLY into Bali's EXPOSED BACK, and then WINGS FLAP- and Hecate LIFTS the Ascendant high into the air before ROARING, and throwing her transformed enemy into the REMAINS OF THE CASTLE that MECHA GROUDON had first emerged from- setting off A ROUND OF HIDDEN EXPLOSIVES and sending MASSIVE REMAINS of ROCK, EARTH, and, yes, it needs to be said, TENTACLE CHUNKS flying everywhere.

[2:32]

During this Reprieve, JANE arrives on the scene of the FOUR FALLEN HEROES, and uses her LIFE POWERS to restore them to FULL HEALTH.

[2:40]

As BALI emerges from the RUINS of the Castle- shifted back into something vaguely more humanoid once again- YUUI TIME TELEPORTS MECHA GROUDON back into position- just in time for the SLIGHTLY DENTED ROBOT to spew MASSIVE FOUNTAINS OF FLAME AND ROCK out of its mouth at the Ascendant.

BALI ROARS in DISMAY as the CASTLE MELTS, causing her to SINK DOWNWARDS.

[2:52]

That's when KARKAT focuses his BLOOD POWERS through EVERY AVAILABLE PLAYER for the ULTIMATE FRAYMOTIEF:

THE TIES THAT BIND.

This has the WONDERFUL EFFECT of turning the MOLTEN EARTH into MOLTEN BLOOD- which shoots up BLOOD-MADE MANACLES that attach around BALI'S NECK AND WRISTS- holding her firmly to the spot.

[2:59]

A STARING CONTEST ensues as all players GLARE at BALI, and BALI glares RIGHT BACK AT THEM.

That's when ERIDAN withdraws his AHAB'S CROSSHAIRS, lines up a shot, and FIRES OFF a concentrated stream of KAME HAME FUCK YOU VVRIS!!!! straight at her face.

That blast is JOINED by SOLLUX'S PSIIONIC EYEBLASTS, and HECATE's DRAGONOID MOUTH spweing out a concentrated beam of ICE MAGIC, for added effect.

Finally, that's when RHOZEE aims ECHIDNA'S NEEDLEWANDS at the SKY, and FIRES OFF A SIGNAL FLARE (Made out of MAGIC!)

ROUND TWO, END.

----

A.N.: I think I've got enough commands left over for the FINAL ROUND and between that and my own planning, we should be good to go to end the act! Still, any suggestions are still welcome!

> SOMEONE: Ask ARQUIUS how to build SOUL BOTS.
> FUTURE PI: What is life?
> TWIN QUEENS: React to LOSS of KINGDOM.

> EVERYONE: Flee.
> SPRITE(S): Shit, let's be cannon fodder.

> {S} Reprise.

IBRIS steps forwards, slowly, surely making her way away from Hecate and towards Yomi instead.

[0:20]

John rushes to the forefront- windy powers gathering in the palms of his hands as if to weaponize his zappy powers.

Ibris takes one look at him- and it is a look filled with contempt.

[0:40]

Leisurely, as if she has all the time in the world, she raises her right arm and points the tip of the blade at John. The message is clear- leave, or die.

John narrows his eyes at her as the windy energy gathers to full force. Go ahead and try, that look says.

And so she does.

[1:00]

The Gun portion of the massive arm cannon fires- and John Egbert is Blasted across the battlefield- bowling over anyone who was not fast enough to get out of the way.

Aradia, one of those who had been standing behind John, quickly gets up to check on him once he lands. The bell chiming sound the gun makes as it reloads settles his fate in everyone's minds.

Heroic.

[1:10]

Everyone turns to glare at Ibirs, and she eyes them- daring them to attack. She could kill any one of them just as easily.

While everyone else takes a wise step back- towards a defensive position around whoever was closest to them- Aradia takes a bold step forwards.

[1:20]

She draws not a whip from her sylladex, but instead a CLOCKWORK THEMED HAMMER, and then leaps forwards into a Time Travel Attack.

With reflexes faster than the eye can blink, Ibris nonchalantly moves her sword into position to block every single attack Aradia makes until finally catching onto the pattern at which Aradia was appearing at.

The next movement doesn't so much as block as it does predict where Aradia will be- by having the blade's tip be occupying the same space as Aradia's stomach.

[1:40]

Everyone cries out as Aradia appears, self impaling completely by accident.

But even so, Gritting her teeth, Aradia raises the hammer, and glares straight into Ibris' eyes.

'Got you!'

The TIME HAMMER comes crashing down on IBRIS'S ARM CANNON with a resounding CLANG-- something inside the cannon breaks from the SNAPPING SOUND that echoes out a moment later. It turns out to have been something in the firing mechanism- as the gun CLICKS LOUDLY as Ibris tries to fire it off again.

Ibris ROARS, and swings the cannon arm- dislodging Aradia off of the blade and sending her flying into a RANDOM NEARBY TREE.

[1:59]

Now disarmed of her RANGED ATTACKS, our Heroes RUSH IN to avenge and/or rescue their fallen friends.

With a frightening ease, Ibris kicks, punches or swats the annoying heroes away as she continues on her one-woman-march towards Yomi, who continues to back away with every step forwards Ibris makes.

Weapons clashing against her armor make loud noises as they bounce off and drag their owners with them. Even stranger- weapons that hit Ibris' exposed thighs and stomach similarly share the same knock-off effect, only without the loud clashing sounds of metal on metal.

Kanaya swings her chainsaw in for a decapitation blow at the neck- but quickly finds her chainsaw's blade half the length it used to be.

Energy blasts from Rhozee's wands and Eridan's CROSSHAIRS simply get absorbed by the FLAME AURA around Ibris.

[2:22]

Feferi and Meenah arrive at Aradia's side, finding her still alive, and try to use their magics to HEAL HER.... but for some strange, and concerning reason, their LIFE POWERS do nothing to close the wound or stop the bleeding...

If anything it just accelerates it.

Panicked looks shoot across Meenah and Feferi's faces as they realize what this means- something to do with either Ibris' weapons or specific attacks are designed to ensure a fatal strike each and every time.

Feferi roars- and leaps at Ibris' back with her own trident- and ends up cut in half at the waist when Ibris delivers a nonchalant heel-spinning slice with the sword.

[2:30]

Meenah goes to move after Feferi, but it stopped by Aradia grabbing her hand. Meenah looks back, and Aradia shakes her head 'no.'

Meenah looks over at the ongoing fight, and closes her eyes as tears threaten to flow from them.

[2:40]

Tavros brings MECHA GROUDON to bare- and the heroes all scatter behind it as he unleashes a LAVA BLAST.

Ibris launches a FLAME ATTACK from her LEFT HAND that hits the lava blast and stalls it out, holding and holding it in place until finally overwhelming it and smashing straight into the MECHA'S MOUTH- then down the SPECIAL TUBES that generated the LAVA BLASTS.

The lava generator inside the Mecha Overheats and EXPLODES- creating another MOUTH BASED EXPLOSION that sends Tavros flying off into the horizon yet again- only this time without the aid of a mecha to cushion the landing.

The heroes continue their RUNNING RETREAT even as Ibris SLICES CLEAN THROUGH the remains of the robot, and vaults over the LOWER HALF to continue her charge.

[3:05]

Jade nods to Marrin, and as the Prince of Void FADES OUT to do whatever it is they plan to do, Jade steps forwards and ROARS as the muscles beneath her skin clearly expand- the fur covering parts of her body then expand to cover everywhere it does not- which thankfully hides from view the disfigurement going on in the face as it becomes that of a wolf's rather than a human girl's.

For the first time in the entire session, the WITCH OF SPACE unleashes her full powers, and leaps into battle with a SHORT RANGE TELEPORT.

Ibris tries to do the same trick as she did against Aradia, yet finds it incredibly hard to land a hit on the pesky werewolf girl.

Instead, this time, Jade lands hit after hit against the Ascendant- tearing long GROOVES into the armor, and lightly scratching the skin wherever she makes contact.

[3:25]

Argo's eyes widen as she recognizes the tactic in play, and leaps in with the BLOODIFIED KATANA in an attempt to exploit Ibris' confusion- only to get a roundhouse kick to the gut for her troubles, knocking her far away, and forcing her to lose her grip on the katana.

[3:33]

Jade then grabs hold of IBRIS'S CANNON ARM and then BITES DOWN upon the leather armor in between the END OF THE CANON and Ibris' SHOULDER.

Ibris roars in pain as sharp teeth finally penetrate deep into the flesh beneath the leather- and blood is drawn on the Ascendant for the first time.

[3:44]

Marrin fades into existence as they pick up the sword Argo had dropped, but this turns out to be a costly move.

Ibris clenches her free hand, and tosses an exploding fireball at Marrin- knocking them away and forcing Jade to teleport away to catch them.

Both fade away from sight as she does this, and Ibris' next fireball fails to hit her target at all.

[3:56]

That's when Roxy summons a GIANT PERFECTLY GENERIC OBJECT right above Ibris, and seemingly SQUASHING HER FLAT for a few critical moments...

But then Ibris's AURA pracitcally EXPLODES- vaporizing the GIANT GENERIC OBJECT and leaving her looking more than a bit UNHINGED from all the resistance thrown against her.

[4:06]

Why? Her eyes ask of the heroes. Why do you protect her? What has she done to earn your trust??

Jake answers with a firm glare of his own- one that shoots back that she told them the truth, and that they accepted Yomi regardless of what she had done.

Ibris scoffs as she process that idea. Trust? Who needs trust?

[4:13]

She decides that she'll make them all pay for that trust with their lives.

She begins to gather up another FLAME AURA attack- this time, there would be NOTHING TO STOP IT.

That's when JADE comes out of thin air- wrapping her legs around IBRIS's WAIST, and holding on tight as she bares the extreme flames of the left arm to aim it upwards at the sky with one hand/paw, and restraining the SWORD ARM with her other.

[4:25]

Marrin fades into existence in between the other heroes and Ibris- their clothes are burned clean through to the skin in places- where blood can be seen flowing from the wounds.

In their hands is the BLOODIED KATANA, and in their violet eyes are ASSURED VENGEANCE as they briefly lock with Ibris's eyes, then shift over to Jade's.

Jade gives a NOD to Marrin, then BITES DOWN with her teeth into IBRIS'S neck, right above the RIGHT SHOULDER- eliciting another scream from the Ascendant as a SPACE-VOID FRAYMOTIEF BEGINS,

Marrin closes their eyes, takes a deep breath as they enter a STANCE, and then PROPELL THEMSELVES forwards with VOID POWERS.

The SWORD glows with the power of the MOTIEF.

[4:45]

Rhozee's eyes widen, and she quickly gives the command for everyone to GET AWAY as QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

Dave and Yuui abuse their TIME TRAVEL POWERS to clear everyone away as fast as humanly possible within the next few critical seconds.

Flying STRAIGHT and UNERRINGLY TRUE, the KATANA'S BLADE pierces into IBRIS'S CHEST- straight through the center of the ribcage where the faintest outline of a BLUE STAR suddenly IGNITES as it is pierced- then continues on through- and out IBRIS'S BACK into Jade, who merely bites down HARDER through the pain.

The BLUE STAR expands- shooting high into the air as the FRAYMOTIEF: Opposites Collide reaches its FINAL STAGE.

SPACE and VOID icons appear on either side of the BLUE STAR- which CRACKS, and then SHATTERS as the SOUL EQUIVALENT REACTION of MATTER and ANTIMATER meeting occurs.

[5:05]

From the AERIAL PERSPECTIVE of the BATTLE FLEET, a WEARY VILLAGER watches as a massive FOUNTAIN of BLUE, GREEN, and PURPLE FIRE shoots up, swirling into the air like a massive geyser of ARCANE ENERGY.

The flame tower continues upwards and outwards, and then begins to CURVE thanks to the OTHER BATTLEFIELD'S GRAVITY, drawing it back downwards and smashing into its surface.

This lasts for several seconds before the FLAMES VANISH and TWIN TUNNELS have been carved into both Battlefields, going down straight to the CORES.

[5:27]

With the light show over, Dave and Yuui teleport back to the Trolls Battlefield to see what happened.

On either side of the GIANT HOLE IN THE GROUND, Marrin and Jade's bodies lay peacefully, both having succumbed to their wounds- no doubt HEROIC in any book.

That's when Meenah comes walking over with Aradia's body across her back, and FEFERI under each arm, crying her eyes out.

With Dave and Yuui pulling time travel double duty, they carry each dead body upwards and away from Skaia.

As they ascend, our view shoots down into the TUNNEL- down and down until we reach the core and discover the fate of IBRIS' BODY...

A body that has reverted to the state it had been in before ascending- the shape of a young school girl- that slowly, but surely, decays away into dust as the fragments of its soul drift out and away into the void...

Where those would land? Nobody could say.

Our camera then pulls back and away from Skaia- then out of the Medium- past the Veil- then into what should have been the Furthest Ring, but is instead now just a writhing mass of ENERGY TENDRILS and SUB-SPATIAL STATIC.

[6:12]

Our view then pulls outwards further, through a GLASS PANEL that is part of a FOURTH WALL, resting within a LARGE BOXED IN CRATE.

Out further, the CRATE that rests in the former ATTIC of the HARLEY RESIDENCE that Rezi lived in...

Out further to the EXTERIOR VIEW of the house itself, as GREEN LIGHT flashes through the ATRIUM WINDOWS, before EXPLODING VIOLENTLY as the HOUSE enters the Medium.

Our view pulls out again, to see the planet as it is hit by a LARGE METEOR shortly there after, and then out again, once more into the SUB SPACE STATIC.

[7:13]

Then, out past yet another FOURTH WALL, framed with CURTAINS that slowly draw closed as the sound of static overwhelms everything.

>END OF ACT 5 ACT 2 (V.2)

> INTERMISSION: Begin.

You are now FEFERI and.... you groan as you come to.

JANE: Oh thank god it worked!
FEFERI: wh...what hit me?
FEFERI: i feel like a sword fish gutted me.
MEENAH: you DIED!

And then as you start to sit up, Meenah is hugging you and... when was the last time she had ever hugged you??

You look around and... there's John's body, Aradia's... Jade and Marrin??

FEFERI: what the shell happened?
JANE: That's... a long story.

> ==//=>

You finally get Meenah to stop hugging you enough to fully stand up and examine the METEOR LAB that you all had been hiding in earlier. (Meenah then latches on and wraps her arms around your right arm as if she doesn't want to let go.)

Not everyone is around right now, only those who are currently grieving over their lost ones.

JANE: Meenah told us about how Aradia's wound wasn't healing up.
JANE: Yomi told us after she'd finally calmed down, but Ibris' honed specialty was preventing healing magic of any kind from directly working, as a counter to Yomi's necromancy.
FEFERI: That B---EACH!!
JANE: We weren't sure if I could heal you or not after Marrin and Jade killed her.
JANE: Yomi wasn't optimistic, but.... then again, she had no idea that Space/Void as a combination could utterly annihilate a soul like that.
FEFERI: I didn't know that was an option either!! 38O
JANE: According to Roxy, it's a Suicide attack for the Void Hero that performs it.
JANE: Last Ditch as Last Ditch Gets.
JANE: It was only teachable through Nyx as part of a Denizen Deal and Marrin...
RHOZEE: *sniff* she thought she was expendable, being an alternate version of me.
FEFERI: Oh Glub!
FEFERI: But what about Jade??
JANE: I don't think she knew about the exact connotations of the Fraymotief specifically.
JANE: But then again, I never really got to know her all that well in either time line so I can't say for certain.
JANE: Callie certainly wasn't aware of it existing.
RHOZEE: *Sobs*
KANAYA: I Was Not Aware Of It Either.

> ==//=>

Kanaya's sudden entrance makes you jump slightly, but then you realx as she kneels down and starts masaging Rhozee's shoulders. While she does this, however, she looks over at Jade's body, where Argo is kneeling nearby, silent, but clearly upset.

KANAYA: I Am Not
KANAYA: I DO Not Feel As If I Should Be Able To Speak Of Her Motives
KANAYA: However
KANAYA: I Suspect Jade Was Well Aware What Restraining Ibris Would Do To Her When Marrin Struck With That Sword
JANE: Dirk says he saw Jade nod to Marrin like he'd done to Dave back in the old time line.
JANE: Remember, I had to put his head back on and...?
RHOZEE: *WAILS LOUDLY* WHY, YOU STUPID CAT!??!
JANE: ....Maybe we should go elsewhere...

> ==//=>

Meenah and Jane lead you both to another room in the Meteor, passing by John and Aradia along the way.

Their bodies are positioned next to eachother, hands held together.

Yuui is nowhere to be seen, although you're sure you saw her here when you woke up. Rezi sits at a COMPUTER near John, but seems busy writing something to pay you any attention.

FEFERI: What was that about?
MEENAH: Rhozee said they were datin', so...

She goes uncharacteristically silent, and it's only then that it hits you that she's been silent as well.

JANE: I put their hands together, so that they could be together, at least.
FEFERI: And we can't help them?
JANE: No, it's--

ZAP!!

JOHN: whew! okay we're baaaa.......

You, Jane, and Meenah both stare at John and a LONG HAIRED ARADIA who have JUST REAPPEARED out of thin air.

ARAIDA: john, i think you screwed up the landing.
JOHN: wow, you three look like you've seen a ghoooo....
JOHN: fuck... things went wrong, didn't they??
JOHN: wait...
JOHN: OH COM---

Meenah quickly leaps out and slaps a hand over John's Mouth.

MEENAH: SSSSSHHHH!!!!

She lets go, and John gives her a sad look.

JOHN: we died, didn't we?
JANE: Yes. You Did.
JOHN: fuck.
ARADIA: that about sums it up, doesn't it...?
JANE: Did you get the secret weapon?
JANE: Future you didn't have it on him.
JOHN: what? no, it wasn't finished yet so...
JOHN: we...came back....fuck.
JANE: Damn it.
JOHN: aradia, stay here, i'm gonna go grab it before something bad happens and throws us off course.
ARADIA: okay

And then the ghost is gone with another ZAP.

ARADIA: how did it happen?
ARADIA: how did we die?
ARADIA: we beat vriska, obviously, but how did we die?

And just like that, your heart feels like it's going to stop.

They don't know.

> ==//=>

FEFERI: we can't tell you.
ARADIA: i understand
ARADIA: it would throw off our deaths to know how we died...
ARADIA: shit, fuck, damn it all...

She stomps her feet on the floor. You're heavily inclined to agree.

JANE: Aradia... I...
ARADIA: it's fine. i get it...
ARADIA: we obviously died twice and you couldn't get to us on time...
ARADIA: who else?
MEENAH: ja-
FEFERI: you can't know.

Aradia grimaces, and plants a hand onto her head.

ARADIA: of course i can't.

John RETURNS then with a ZAP, but this time curiously with a NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT COLOR to it. A more BRIGHT RED than the BLUE he'd been using up until now.

He looks excessively pale.

JOHN: urgh... who know giving up retcon powers would be so tiring...
JANE: What?!
JOHN: i'm going to die anyways, so i gave my powers over to one of the kyoryugers.
JOHN: i had her send me back here with the secret weapon.
JOHN: well, not before i went and made sure the flooded earth was in place in the new universe, i mean.
JOHN: i went and did that first.
JOHN: put all the planets in a nice little orbit around a nice new sun
JOHN: AND THEN went and transfered my powers over, got the weapon, and came back here.
JOHN: that order....
JANE: ...
ARADIA: ...
JOHN: right anyways...

And then he pulls out a small battery, and hands it to Jane.

> ==//=>

JOHN: behold, the ultimate secret weapon to defeat caliborn once and for all...
JOHN: i guess we don't use it against vriska, huh?
JANE: ...No, we don't.
JOHN: *sighs*
JOHN: okay so there's a trick to this zyudenchi.
JOHN: you have to put souls into it in order to let it work.
JOHN: the original plan was to just have me zap a bunch of people into it, and then we'd come out alive on the other side but...
JOHN: i guess that's not an option any more, is it?
MEENAH: no, it ain't bluefin!!

And then for the first time since you woke up, Meenah has latched herself onto someone else- or rather, two someones, John and Aradia in this case.

> ==//=>

After several awkward minutes of silence, Meenah lets go, and returns to your side.

ARADIA: did yomi soul trap our souls into crystals yet?
JANE: I don't know if she did or not, why?
JOHN: because you might as well just use mine and aradia's so our deaths don't go to waste.
JOHN: put them in the charger, have someone activate it, then use it on the caliborn that's inevitably going to be born on the old-world earth.
JANE: After we went to all that trouble to trap the prat, he's still going to exist??
ARADIA: he had many exit plans, as i recall from our strategy sessions.
JOHN: dude was crazy prepared.
JOHN: besides that, i've already put the final steps of that plan into motion too.
JOHN: one last sucker punch from a dead ghost
MEENAH: so where did u put that lil adventure in the timeline?
JOHN: oh, somewhere between planting the planets in the new universe and fetching a super weapon.
JOHN: ....
JOHN: man, it feels weird knowing the clock is ticking down and i'm going to die.
JOHN: but at the same time, it's kind of a relief, you know?
JANE: HOW is it a relief!?
JOHN: you all... got rebooted. i didn't. you may remember bits and pieces, or even all of it, i don't know, but...
JOHN: i've got ten thousand times all of those memories now.
ARADIA: i'm in a similar boat as well...
ARADIA: i spent countless eons in the furthest ring before it finally collapsed into that black hole
ARADIA: i have about the same grand total memories.
ARADIA: it's... overwhelming, just a bit.
JANE: That still doesn't make it fair!
JOHN: sometimes, people live too long.
JOHN: immortality can be SO overrated!

> ==//=>

John and Aradia look at each other, and you can see a bond forged from a shared mutual fate between them in that moment.

ARADIA: you know what i could go for right now?
JOHN: no, what?
ARADIA: ice cream
ARADIA: and cheese sticks!
JOHN: oh! i think i know a place we can just... ah...

They go nowhere, an evident fact of John's powers being missing now.

ARADIA: i think i have this part covered, john.

She smiles sweetly, and then- VWORP, both are gone before any of you can say so much as a goodbye.

MEENAH: ...they didn't even stay to say goodbye
JANE: No. *Sigh* They did not.
JANE: ...I guess... I need to go talk with Yomi.
FEFERI: would you mind if i came with you?
MEENAH: me too?
JANE: No, I wouldn't.

> ==//=>

On the DENIZEN TEMPLE on DIRK'S LAND, a DENIZEN and an ASCENDANT talk.

HECATE: It's my fault.
YOMI: Oh? I thought we were firmly settled on it being my fault.
HECATE: I am being completely serious here!
HECATE: If I hadn't hesitated while Bali had them in her tentacles, they might still be alive!
HECATE: They died because I *hesitated*- and that wasted their One True Revival before they NEEDED IT!
YOMI: You had no way of knowing that-
HECATE: It's Still *MY FAULT*!
HECATE: I wasn't even Supposed to BE on that battlefield!
HECATE: I am... WAS a Denizen.
HECATE: I was MEANT to guide, offer advice... Not to FIGHT along side them.
YOMI: You could have turned down my offer to unchain you, you know.
HECATE: The worst part is that I would have KNOWN this outcome could have happened if you hadn't...
HECATE: Now... now I don't have access to Skaia's well of potential.
HECATE: I can't see into other possibilities now.
YOMI: So what? Just because you couldn't see the future means your choice was already set in stone??
YOMI: And what if you still COULD?
YOMI: What if you could see that your actions would have caused their deaths regardless of what you chose?
HECATE: I.... I....
JANE: Yooo-hooo! Anyone home??
MEENAH: (why did we climb up all these stairs again???)
FEFERI: (because i wanted to use my legs since i still have use of them now shoosh!)
YOMI: Now how did they find us??
HECATE: Dirk, no doubt.

> JANE + FEFERI + MEENAH: Talk to YOMI.

JANE: Yomi! Hi!
JANE: Good news! We found the Secret Weapon John fetched!
JANE: He, ah... hid it.
YOMI: He did?? Strange of him to do so without telling us but alright...
JANE: Yeah. Left us a note saying that it needs to be powered by souls- he had a plan for using his zappy powers for it but... we don't have that now.
HECATE: *Observes cautiously*
YOMI: ...What do you want me to do, exactly?
JANE: John said that if he and Aradia died then we could use their souls to power it.
JANE: Explicit permission, pretty much.
YOMI: I see...
YOMI: I suppose that's... reasonable.
YOMI: I don't know if I have the full power to harvest their souls for the weapon right now or not, though.
YOMI: I'm still somewhat ti....
YOMI: Feferi?
FEFERI: Hi! *waves*
YOMI: You... were revived??
FEFERI: Jane fixed me up, yeah. 38( Too bad about everyone else though.
HECATE: *Sighs* I knew it was my fault...
YOMI: Not now, you!!!
YOMI: Anyways. As I was saying... I'm still feeling tired and drained from that massive spell matrix.
YOMI: I suppose if I don't recover my energies fast enough to harvest their souls before they depart, I can always time travel back in time once I have my powers.
YOMI: May I see this weapon?
JANE: Sure.

> ==//=>

Yomi takes the battery and looks it over with a spell of some kind.

YOMI: This...
YOMI: Two souls aren't enough for it.
JANE: Really? How many do we need then?
YOMI: Four.
YOMI: The internal reservoirs match this icon on the back, the SBURB Logo.
JANE: I was wondering about that...
JANE: *Sighs*
JANE: It's the House Juju.
JANE: John had the House Juju remade.
MEENAH: So it needs four souls... we've got a surplus!!
MEENAH: All those ones we fished out of vriska, right??
YOMI: No. We can't use them.
YOMI: Besides the fact that I would have to harvest the souls directly into the weapon...
YOMI: It seems specifically bound for four specific elements. Light, Time, Breath, and Space.
JANE: Of course it would...
JANE: *Face palms*
FEFERI: Well, we have three of those.
FEFERI: John and Aradia were Breath and Time, and Jade was space!
JANE: We can't use Jade's soul for this! She can't give us permission!!
MEENAH: What if we did have it though?
MEENAH: Sent someone back in time and asked if we could use her soul in-case she died?
FEFERI: That's horrible!
FEFERI: We know she dies, and to ask that of her is...!
FEFERI: ...
JANE: What is it?
FEFERI: How much would you be willing to bet if we checked Jade and Marrin's pesterlogs with John and Aradia, that they would have already given permission to use their souls for such a weapon?
YOMI: Why Marrin?
FEFERI: It was something Rhozee said earlier.
FEFERI: Marrin thought she was expendable being another verison of her.
FEFERI: Light and Void are opposite aspects, aren't they?
MEENAH: i think i see where yer goin' with this, sis.
MEENAH: marrin was voidy because she... i dunno, capsized her aspect or somefin?
FEFERI: She could fit the Light Aspect Void regardless...
JANE: *groans*
JANE: Because it'd be a VOID of LIGHT. God. DAMN IT, John!!
YOMI: Heh... I'm sure he's laughing at us somewhere as we piece it together.

> ==//=>

HECATE: You do realize that if you use their souls in that weapon then there's no way to bring them back afterwards, right?
HECATE: Even I can tell that weapon was designed for souls that were alive, not souls that have had their permanent ties to the mortal world severed.
HECATE: Using their souls would burn up so much of who they were, what they were...
HECATE: That would be just as bad as if we were killing them with our own hands.
HECATE: They would BURN, and there would be almost nothing left of who they were.
HECATE: All of their memories, all of their powers, everything that made them THEM would just be GONE.
HECATE: And they would never return again.

You all share looks for a moment, before you make the hard decision...

FEFERI: I'll speak with their loved ones, get them to agree to it.
FEFERI: I'll be the bad guy in this.
FEFERI: It will be my idea.
FEFERI: That way...
MEENAH: no way in shell am i gonna let you flounder for this, fef!!
FEFERI: It's fine, Meenah. I've already made my decision.
JANE: Feferi...
FEFERI: Yomi, could you teach me how to use the soul trap spell?
FEFERI: I'll do the harvesting myself, if I have to.
YOMI: No, there's no need for that, I'll--
FEFERI: Please. Yomi. You've done so much already for us.
FEFERI: Let me do this for you, now.
YOMI: ...