Dellis

We are nearing the end. I'm sorry if this is taking long, but this is my last work as a GM on this site and then i'll be off to become a player again, since I have lots to do with my college and little time to do that. I've been granted the power to award you all rewards when this ends, but it's the last thing i'll do on this site. So, please bear with me if it takes a bit. I'll make it worth it, promise.

The players didn't waste time, recovering from the hit fast. Keith did miss his mark, but Nikki and Akua didn't. The Atherial staggered, almost dead, the health bar in the red.

It shouldn't be underestimated though, as it demonstrated with his last special attack. A cornered animal's the most dangerous one.

Nevertheless, it was recovering from its tremendous attack, and only managed to attack once before retreating from the players closing in. He lunged its beak at Keith, and then began to charge its electrical attack once more.

Time was of the essence - many players on the tower couldn't withstand a hit like that again, and the tower, under the many hits received, was starting to crumble.

Would the players manage to kill the beast before it was too late?

Atherial: 5/30 HP remaining

Daeron's attack hit the bird in the chest, cutting through flesh and feathers, leaving a red mark. The Atherial gave no sign of feeling the hit, yet its health bar went down a lot, so the hit damaged him.

Similarly, when Swift cut through its back, the Atherial didn't even flinch, even as its health bar dropped to red. The eyes had stopped moving erraticly, and the bird just stood there, bleeding heavily, its beak raised towards the sky.

As Aqua cut through the back of its legs, in the exact moment her hands closed around the feather, the sky began to darken.

It was like the times the Atherial had used its special attack before, yet it felt different. The darkness had enveloped them completely, and the player's hair began to lightly stand up, as if there was a lot of static electricity in the air.

And in the darkness, a thunder hit the Atherial's beak, charging it with energy, much more than it had ever shown before, enveloping the tower in a blinding blue light.

The Atherial lowered its head, and screeched.

And as it did so, the lightining departed from its beak, in a wide arc of roughly 90 degrees, hitting the top of the tower, covering it in blue lightning, as a deafening sound originated from the Atherial's beak.

The hit was tremendous. Daeron was pushed away by the blast, almost to the edge of the tower, while Swift was smashed to the ground, every fibre of her body in pain.

Keith was hit right in the chest by a stray blast of energy, and fell on his knees, hands to the ground.

A blue thunder spark impaled Aqua in the shoulder, before disappearing in a thousand luminous fragments, and she fell to the ground, coughing blood. Aisu hadn't attacked, so he was able to refuge himself in a secure part of the tower before the blast, but as he saw his master falling down he ran towards her, putting himself between the bird and her.

The players had been severely wounded, and yet victory was near. The Atherial's health bar was almost depleted.

Atherial HP 8/30

Keith, Aqua, Daeron and Swift all lose 5 Health Points due to the Atherial's Thunder Screech, which was a critical hit.

GM MODERATION:

EVENT TRIGGERED!

Event - Feathers of the Sky

Daeron has cut out some of the avian's feathers. They are valuable crafting materials, will you be able to secure one?

There are 5 feathers now visible on the tower, flapping about due to the wind, excluding one which is assigned to Daeron due to the attack which triggered the event being his.

The feathers work as crafting materials, granting a +2 to the craft roll. Your characters have a chance to catch them.

Eligible Players: All the players can, at their turn, decide they try to get a feather. If their loot roll is higher than 10, they've managed to take hold of one. They can attack at the same time, using the current combat rules. This does not require a double post - you simply check your battle dice to see if you've hit, and the loot dice to see if you've caught a feather.

Rewards: Every feather is a +2 crafting material. When all the feathers have been caught, the one which has more (excluding the one which Daeron already has, which doesn't count for this purpose) gets an Event Point, which I remember you is important in calculating which drop you get from the Atherial.

Good Luck!

The Atherial had no time to recover. Almost immediately after his special attack, Aqua's attack hit him right in the flank, leaving a red mark in its wake, while Aqua dashed away to safety.

Its erratic movements made it difficult to attack with ease, despite its massive size, as Aisu discovered as its bite snapped the air, missing the avian. It directed its rage at Aqua's attack to the snow leopard, aiming a gust of wind at him, flapping its right wing strongly. The swift Leopard jumped out of the way right in time.

Just as he was doing so, though, Swift cut through its ankle, and at the same time Daeron sneaked up behind it and hit its tail feathers. Their attacks were almost crippling. The creature fell to its knees, screeching in pain, unable to answer the attack, and blue feathers scattered about from its tail when Daeron hit it. The hit didn't detach completely the tail, but Daeron had obtained its aim - it wasn't going to take flight anytime soon.

Apparently, he and Swift had it right - the bird was programmed so it could be attacked in various places, to various effects. Cutting its knees had reduced the number of attacks it could do, and cutting its tail had prevented him from flying, restricting him to attack only those close to him with the thunder beak attack. Its health bars had dropped to about half.

Eri, laid down in a safe place, spoke up. "Those feathers he shed are valuable crafting materials. Try to catch them, if you can, but be careful, now that the Atherial has lost half its health he'll become much more dangerous. Take care!"

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Atherial Health: 15/30

Attack 1: missed

Attacks 2 and 3: lost due to damage from players Swift and Daeron

OOC: Answer to Nikki's post will come later. This is only the reply to Nazo and Ichigo's post. I have little time now, sorry! ç_ç

Dellis raised his head from the counter, on which he had almost fell asleep from overwork.

He stared at the flier handed him by Nazo, and said:

"Ok, Nazo, I think I can make this. I just need time... and materials. You might go find them yourself, though, if you don't want to wait!" He stated, with a smile.

He then looked at the little girl which had strolled through his shop - well, stall more than shop, but nonetheless - putting her arms on her sides and demanding he teach her how to craft a weapon.

He laughed heartily. "Well, you've got courage, I'll grant you! Well, I can help you, but we'll need some training materials first. They do not create real swords, but are okay for making you understand the process. I should have some in the back, will you please go fetch them? They look like big iron ingots. Is that ok with you?" He smiled, putting his arms on his sides like she had done before.

Dragon Dice Roll - Fire Breath (no bonuses, target: Dellis)

Dragon's Turn

The Red Dragon had avoided both their attacks, and now stepped back a little, coiling his wings about him.

"YOU HAVE DARED MAKE MY BLOOD RUN... YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS... FEEL THE FURY OF FIRE MADE FLESH, AND DIE, HUMANS!" He shouted, in fury, the fire accumulating once again in his neck.

He breathed once again his fire. Dellis, weakened, made it almost in time to raise his shield, getting hit but not lethally.

The fight was still open.

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Dellis: 10/17

Dragon: 9/18

Next Turn: Takuto!

Dellis Dice Roll

He nodded to Takuto, and shouted back: "Yes! We can do this, he's gonna go down! Let's combine our strenght!"

He managed to jump on time with Takuto, and put all his weight behind the shield to bash the Dragon in the face while it was still in flight, to do a combined attack.

He felt a pang of pain from the wound, but didn't let go the shield even when it made contact with the Dragon. He was gonna destroy it, and protect his friend, even if it cost his arm to do so.

Yet, the skin of the dragon was too thick - he didn't manage to hurt him much. The dragon prepared to attack with his breath again...

Dragon Dice Roll - Clawed wing and bite

Dragon's Turn

The Dragon stood, with great effort.

Every trace of malice was gone from its orange eyes, only red rage remaining, its evil intentions clear.

"You puny childe of man... you, who art called Takuto... you dared injure me... YOU WILL SUFFER!" He shouted, charging him.

Too injured to fly, he swung his right clawed wing at him, trying to impale him. "YOU WILL BURN!"

He snapped his mouth at him, trying to swallow him whole. "FEEL THE WRATH OF A DRAGON!"

The fury was making him imprecise, both his attacks missing Takuto, which avoided them with his acrobatics skills. It was now their turn again to make the Dragon feel the combined strenght of two friends!

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Next turn, Takuto!

Dellis Dice Roll

(Sunlight sword is enchanted to do +2 damage, so your attack actually did 6 HP (2 critical, +2 plan, +2 enchantment), not 4!^^)

Dellis turned to Takuto, smiling, panting heavily from the damage he had suffered.

"That's the way, Takuto!! We can do this!" He grinned.

"Let's get that overgrown worm right were he belongs!" He shouted, ignoring the pain and flexing his legs against the earth to gain thrust. He jumped, and with the shield, aimed right for the Dragon, which was coming back, roaring in fury.

He hit the dragon in the face, making him lose his balance and fall to the island once again. He stood on four legs, shaking, drips of blood coming from his neck, burning the ground where they touched it.

It was time to end the battle.

Dragon: 9/18

Dragon Dice Roll - Special attack, Fire Breath - +1 roll, +2 damage, targets: Dellis, Takuto

Dragon's turn

As soon as Dellis planted his shield in the rock of the island, from the darkness came the sound of the wings of the Dragon.

"Takuto! He's coming!" He shouted, holding fast to his shield.

"I'll try to hold him off, i'll leave to you the decision on when to jump out and attack! Aim for the throat, it's the less protected part!" He added, whispering.

The sound was circling them, coming off from every part of the cave, the Dragon trying to hide his real position using the echo.

And, suddendly, he emerged, scales shimmering brightly red.

But this time, he didn't pass overhead them, trying to decapitate him.

He stopped at the edge of the island.

"It has been fun, childe, and yet this game tires me. I am old, and cannot indulge in such plays for long." His melliflous voice was menacing.

"I'll give you and your dead friend a present." his laugh was something terrible, a sibilating hiss from his mouth.

"You shall witness the Fire of the Dragons."

And, with that, his chest started to shimmer even brightly, the radiance slowly ascending into his throat, the light shining through the Red Dragon's mouth like a star itself.

And the dragon breathed.

Dellis held desperately to the shield, hoping to deflect the burst of flame coming from the Dragon, and save Takuto, which was hidden behind it...

The hit was tremendous. The scorching, blinding flames hit Dellis' shield, the burst threatening to send it flying from his hands, and yet he couldn't let go, because if he did, they would both die.

The flame didn't hit them directly, since he had deflected them with his shield, and yet he screamed in pain as the heat washed over him and the flames scorched the skin near them.

Takuto was hit with a stray blast that he couldn't protect, that reached him at the shoulder...

And then, as soon as it came, it was past.

The dragon's breath had ended, and all around them spots of magma rock were still on fire, liquefying slowly. The Dragon still hadn't noticed Takuto... safely hid behind Dellis' shield.

He let go of it, and it fell down to the ground with a loud thud.

The only thing he managed to say was: "Takuto... now... his throat, remember!"

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Critical on Fire Breath - Special attack from the Dragon. 4 HP of damage to Dellis and Takuto.

Next Turn: Takuto - Remember the +2 to roll and +2 to damage due to your plan

Combat Situation:

Dellis: 11/17

Takuto: 8/13

Dragon: 16/18

"Dellis! I got it!" Shouted Takuto, while the red dragon was giving them some respite from his attacks.

The young man got closer to him, whispering so as not to be heard from the dragon.

"remember in the cave when i hid behind your shield to be protected from the blast?" Asked the young man.

Dellis nodded. "Sure, I remember. Why are you asking?" He said, tilting his head slightly.

Takuto answered promptly. "Well, I hide behind your shield and at the right moment I leap out and hit the beast."

He answered excitedly. "That's a good idea! You're right, Takuto. This way, he won't be able to notice you right until the last moment, and he'll be forced to get close to attack. If we do this correctly, you'll be able to hit him easily. Let's do this!"

He smiled, and planted his shield in the earth.

"Ok, hide behind this. I'll try my best to make you unnoticed." He stated.

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GM moderation:

+2 to damage, +2 to your next attack roll for your plan.

Dice Roll Special Attack Thunder Beak - Darius

Bonus/Malus: - 1 to the atherial's damage since Darius used his action to use a defensive stance.

Dice Roll Beak Attack Daeron

GM MODERATION:

I apologize for the delay. Here's the next Atherial action post.

The players were combining efforts in order to save their guide. And yet, in doing so, they paid less attention to the Atherial, and each second spent trying to save Eri could be their last.

But they resolved to do that nonetheless, for reasons the Atherial could never comprehend, and yet they could.

Swift ran towards the guide, fast as a blinding flash, and the Atherial moved to intercept her.

It ran, its talons leaving deep marks in the hard stone of the roof, and stomped its foot in front of Swift.

She jumped, avoiding it, but the Atherial was ready. Two claws cut through the air, aimed at her back...

and in that moment, Daeron ran, and hit the Atherial.

The sword did no damage, connecting but not cutting through the Atherial's hard flesh, but it saved Swift, since it unbalanced the bird and made it miss its two attacks.

Enraged, it aimed its beak at him, thus giving more time to Swift, which reached Eri and took her up.

It hit him right in the back, sending him flying four meters away. He hit the floor hard, and saw his health bar go down a little.

With Daeron now out of the picture, nothing remained between the Atherial and Swift.

It turned its head to her so suddendly it almost snapped its own neck, and ran towards her. Blue sparks were coiling around his beak...

Dang. The Atherial was running towards Swift and Eri. It'd kill them both in a single hit, if it were to reach them...

Dang. Darkness started to descend again on the tower. The Atherial was preparing its signature move...

Dang. Yet something seemed to distract it...

Dang. Darius was banging his shield on the floor. Screeching with fury, the Atherial tried to ignore it...

Dang. Darius used the howl skill.

At the last moment, before unleashing the might of its attack on Swift and Eri, the Atherial changed course, and flew towards Darius, the blue sparks giving off blinding blue light, and with all its might, crashed into him.

And yet, Darius was ready. He raised his shield...

The hit was tremendous.

As soon as the beak touched the shield, there was a deafeaning sound, the thunder sparks coiled around it making a screeching noise as they passed from its beak to the shield.

A blinding light lit the darkness, and for a moment, the only things which could be seen in the void were the Atherial and Darius, entwined in the fight for their lives.

Then it stopped, as suddendly as it had began.

With a last loud bang, Darius was thrown five meters away, and he hit the ground. Blue sparks of electricity still traveled randomly through his body.

The shield and his stance had deflected most of the damage, or he'd have been dead by now. And yet, he had suffered terrible damage.

Near the edge, close to the Atherial, stood Keith. He saw Darius getting hit, without being able to do anything due to the darkness.

When it started to lift, Keith knew it was his moment. He ran towards the Atherial, fast as Swift was, and thrust towards its neck.

The Atherial hadn't had time to recover from its attack. The neck was wide exposed, and Keith's blade cut through his flesh, leaving a red mark in its wake.

It had hit him in a vital spot. The Atherial stumbled a bit, then fell to the side, panting rapidly. It would take time for him to recover, and yet a cornered animal was as dangerous as ever.

Their fight was far from ended.

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1 hp of Damage to Daeron.

2 hp of Damage to Darius.

One attack of the Atherial was lost due to Keith's critical.

Atherial HP: 22/30

The young girl opened her eyes slowly, blinking several times to focus her sight.

"nnnh... what happened?" She whispered, looking right and left, while Swift was laying her down.

She turned her bloodied head to the side weakly, and noticed the players fighting with the Atherial, jumping right and left to avoid incoming hits.

"It has appeared then..." she whispered again, coughing a bit. "I've been careless, haven't I? Going straight to the nest, knowing it is a very territorial bird... I put you all in danger."

He turned her face back to Swift.

"Now that you've saved me... it's not gonna forgive you... it wanted death... but..."

She stretched her hand towards her, weakly.

"Thanks... for saving me..."

She abandoned herself to the ground, and laid there, now breathing regularly.

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GM Moderation:

Eri's Doom Event Concluded

Winner - Swift

Event Points Awarded - 1 for saving the girl, 1 bonus for good description= 2

eventual Unique Rewards will be given at battle's end.

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GM MODERATION:

EVENT TRIGGERED!

Event - Eri's Doom

Your guide is about to fall from the tower, due to it shaking after the tremendous attack of the Atherial. Will you save her?

Eligible Players: For Eri's Doom, every player that currently participates in the fight can try to save Eri once. It works exactly like attacking, you've got to roll a 7 or higher on the battle roll to pull her up. You can do so even if it isn't your active turn, but just once. The description on how you save her is up to you.

Event General Rules: Completing with success an Event may award Event Points. These are calculated in the treasure sharing fase, so that those with more points get better items.

Some Events may even award unique items, that aren't included in the normal Treasure Drop of the Boss Monster.

Action 3:

Special Attack againts Garou - Thunder Beak - Dice Roll

Action 2:

Claw Attack against Hunter Yagami - Dice Roll

Action 1:

Claw Attack against Swift - Dice Roll

Rearing towards its nest protectively, the foul bird tried to threaten his attackers screeching once again towards all of them, rising his chest high to seem even bigger and flapping his wings menacingly.

But one of them won the fear the bird tried to instill in their eyes, and leapt forward ignoring the danger.

Garou raised his two-handed sword high into the sky, hitting the bird right in its center.

The Atherial's screech stopped for a moment, as the hit's pain bit through the Atherial, shocking him and causing him to fall to the side. Its health bar went down a lot due to the critical hit.

And yet the bird was far from done. He stood up again, blue thunder collecting around him. He begun thrashing wildly in fury, looking for Garou with murderous rage in its eyes, without caring for all the other players.

He got sight of him...

But didn't manage to act.

When his head cocked left, Swift knew it was her chance to attack. She dashed forward, scraping the sword on the floor, eliciting small sparks from it.

But at the same moment she lifted her sword to cut through him, the massive avian turned its head, and with surprising quickness avoided the hit.

It wasn't like normal fighting, Swift understood, the Atherial wasn't evading, it felt... different. in his madness, it moved so randomly and suddendly that hitting him was even more difficult.

Yet, Swift's move was far from useless, since it distracted the bird from Hunter's charged sword skill, coming from behind.

His two swings cut through the blue bird's body easily, leaving red marks in their wake. The Atherial turned fast, and clawed at both Swift and Hunter. He wanted to get rid of them quickly, his right eye still fixed on Garou.

He missed them both, but managed to still drive them out of threatening zone.

After having dealt so with them, he finally had a clear path to Garou.

He stopped for a moment.

For a surreal instant, all was darkness. The rooftop had been enveloped in a sudden night veil, and there was an ominous silence.

Then, from the darkness, where the beak of the Atherial had been, something started to form.

One or two sparks of blue lightning broke the silence, shining brightly in the darkness.

Then, slowly at first, then faster and faster, more and more sparks began gathering and collecting in that spot.

And suddendly, the darkness was lit up.

A blinding globe of electrical energy, coalesced around the bird's beak, radiated a strange light in the utter darkness, at the same time majestic and terrible, in its light all things seeming disfigured and warped.

And then the Atherial charged, ignoring all other players in its path, running madly towards Garou, which had only the warning of the light getting closer to understand death was coming on swift blue wings.

It raised its head to hit, and then discharged its thrust with all its might on Garou.

It missed by inches.

Where he hit the floor, the stones exploded outwards, part of the roof collapsing. The entire tower trembled, threatening to collapse.

Garou had been very lucky, not so Eri, their guide, which already was at the side of the roof, unconscious, when the tower started trembling. Her body rolled forward towards the edge, ever so slowly.

She needed immediate help, someone that recovered her before she rolled over the edge and fell down. Would the players worry more about the enraged monster, or her endangered life?

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Atherial HP: 24/30 (Enraged)

No Damage to Players

Event Triggered