TAKE X (6-5-17: The End)

>Ask how Breza how she is doing and tell them that you have an inkling about Tukha's desert presence

> Duximas: Brainstorm with Breza.



You catch Breza up on everything Krytikas has told you.

"Huh, really? Wild," Breza says. She doesn't look like she's going to react more.

"So that leaves Tukha t' find," you say. "Wherever he is, it's near a canyon."

Breza puts her hand to her chin. "A canyon, eh? Well, that means he could be by one of the canyons near the border of Alzabata and Kenba. Or maybe some of the smaller canyons in the Rasaka Desert. And, of course, there's... nah. He wouldn't be there."

"We can't rule anything out right now," Krytikas says.

Breza shrugs. "Whatever you say. There's that huge canyon in Khetaqa, but from what I remember, the demon that lives there keeps the mortals away."

Hm.

> Sienna: Head for Amata.



"All right. I'm as ready as I'm going to get," you tell Ione.

Ione claps her hands together. "Then let's begin."





"Remember, keep her distracted," Ione says as she disappears into the shadows.

You hear footsteps.



"And now there's someone else here," Amata says as she rounds the corner. "How many intruders must I tend to today? Goddess, give me strength."

> Palmer: Palmer Tackle.



You attempt a Palmer Tackle.



Needless to say, it doesn't work terribly well. You end up bouncing off of the squid to a different part of the sewer. It takes a few moments to shake off the embarrassment.



Though... Hm.

> Palmer: Bend the rules.







You have to admit that you didn't expect that to work as well as it did.

Current status of party:
Duximas: Virna
Sienna: Vezretti Church - Back Hallway
Palmer: Vezretti Catacombs - Sewer

>Sienna: Wait for her to make the first move. Use Ice Shield if she tries any fire magic- otherwise, hey, you did just buy a lot of knives.

>Duximas: You're the goddess of Danger and Adventure! As far as you're concerned, a demon is an excellent reason to check a place out.

Palmer: Use that empty health bar as a ladder and climb on out.

>Well, head Demonwards!

> Duximas: Head to the place with the demon.



"There's a place with a demon?" you ask.

Krytikas scowls. "Oh no. I know that face. That's the face of someone who wants to go do something incredibly dangerous."

"Hey, Tukha could be there," you say.

"Breza, surely you're against this foolhardy oh what am I saying, of course you want to go."

"Gotta tell ya, Sunshine, I'm liking this thing where I don't even need to pay attention to the conversation." Breza grins. "But yeah, let's go check it out."

"Fine." Krytikas taps her staff on the ground and a magic circle appears below your feet. "But I want it on the record that I don't think this is a good move."

You feel the familiar effects of teleportation.



It's quiet. Doesn't seem like there's anybody around. There's the canyon, at least.

"That's weird," Breza says. "Usually you can feel a demon miles away."

"Maybe someone killed it?" you say with a shrug.

Krytikas arches an eyebrow, and the fact that you can tell she's doing that without seeing her face is impressive. "Killed it? It's a demon. It eats mortals. Frequently. Who do you think killed it?"

You don't have a ready answer for that.

> Sienna: Defend yourself.



As you suspected, Amata comes at you with fire. You pop up an Ice Shield as quick as you can, blocking the fire mere moments before it hits you.



Amata growls and throws more fire at you. Your shield is starting to melt, but all things considered, it's holding up pretty well.







...Well, that seems to take care of that.

> Palmer: Exit the sewers.



You recall that there was a back way into the sewers at the far end. Using your newfound weapon as a makeshift ladder, you abscond.









And just like that, you've escaped from prison.



Unfortunately, your weapon disintegrates. Maybe it wasn't meant to leave the sewers.

Current status of party:
Duximas: Khetaqa Canyon
Sienna: Vezretti Church - Back Hallway
Palmer: Vezretti Main Plaza

>Palmer: Maybe have another go at Amata? Bend the rules, take "HOT FIRE" and make it "E FOR HIT" and clobber her with the letter E? I don't know, I'm sure you'll figure something out.

>Duximas: Maybe Tukha killed it? Tipped the odds in his favor, brought it to an end?

Maybe Tukha spread the demon story as cover. Or maybe the One Goddess did.

Either way, it seems worth looking around.

>Obviously the best way to lure Tukha out is to start playing some sort of card game in the middle of nowhere, and have two of you start losing badly

> Duximas: Lure Tukha out.



Well, if Tukha is nearby, you know a surefire way to find him.

"Hey Breza," you say. "You still got that deck of cards on you?"

Breza stares at you a moment, then breaks into a wide grin as she catches on. "Oh yeah, sure thing, Blade. You wanna play a game of chance?"



"You know it. I'm thinkin'... 52-Card Pickup."



"52-CARD PICKUP IS NOT A GAME OF CHANCE!"

> Palmer: Have another go at Amata.



You think about your options. Maybe you could go track down Amata again. Maybe this time you could catch her off-guard. Plus, now you have a better idea of what she can do.

You head back into the Church.



...Oh no. What's she doing here?

Current status of party:
Duximas: Khetaqa Canyon
Sienna: Vezretti Church - Back Hallway
Palmer: Vezretti Church - Back Hallway

>Happily greet Tukha!

>Palmer: wait, something is off

>"Hey, Tukha. What happened to your hat?"

>Palmer and Sienna: Don't have a fight! Do have a fight? Figure out whether a fight needs to happen.

Well well, all the remaining gods in one place. Easier than expected once Krytikas was found. Thus the pertinent question again becomes "Now what?"

As for Palmer and Sienna... well, we're probably gonna need those two to start working together SOMEHOW.

> Duximas: Ask what happened to Tukha's hat. He looks weird without it.
> Sienna: Notice lurking hoodie dude.

>Palmer: awkwardly ask what happened to the lady you were gonna fight
>Krytikas: give them the short version of what's going on, and get a move on FAST
>Also gods: check skills

> Duximas: Greet Tukha.



"I knew that would do it. Hey, Tukha," you say, clapping Tukha on the back.

Looking past the two of you, Krytikas asks, "Were you on the other side of that ridge the whole time?"

Tukha clears his throat and hurriedly gathers up the cards, sorting them back into a deck. "I was remaining incognito, friends. That aside, I'm quite pleased - though admittedly somewhat surprised - to see all three of you here. How did you know where to find me?"

"Ah. I can tell when you're hiding something," Krytikas says. "And you were keeping your location secret."

"That explains that." Tukha looks across all three of you. As usual, whatever he's feeling is a mystery - his sunglasses hide his emotions pretty well.

"Hold on, Shades," Breza says, breaking an uncharacteristically long silence. "Where'd your hat go?"

Tukha smiles. "Now that's a story. It all began when I found myself lying on the ground outside an inn in Eztebi..."



"...and when I returned with the chicken, all the stonemason could say was 'That's 77 for me!'" Tukha lets out a belly laugh and wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. "Hooo... anyway, so I lost my hat when it blew off my head and into the ravine here."

Krytikas' eyes flash. "Wait. So you're telling me that that entire story had nothing to do with your hat?"

"Oh, no, it was vital!" Tukha says. "You see, I had dinner with the stonemason that night..."



"...and so that's why my hat didn't fit quite as well as it used to."

"Hmph." Krytikas crosses her arms. "Well, that does explain it."

Breza applauds. "You always were good at spinning yarns, Shades. Got any other stories up your sleeve?"

"No!" you and Krytikas both yell at the same time. The two of you share a quick glance, then Krytikas continues. "Rather, no, I don't think we have time right now. Now that we're all together, we need to figure out our plan from here."



"The way I see it," Krytikas says, "the only way we can fix all this is if we can get into the Centrality. From there, we sneak into Meion's library and edit the contents to put things back the way they were."

Breza snorts. "Yeah, easier said than done. We only gotta get past a pissed-off goddess to get there. The same goddess who kicked us out without a sweat last time."

"So the odds are against us?" Tukha says. "Perfect."

"Hey, never said I wasn't gonna do anything," Breza continues. "Just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page."

Krytikas glances to you. "It seems so."

You nod. "Let's do it. We owe it t' every single mortal who we let down."

"Indeed. Then here's what I think," Krytikas says. "As you pointed out, Breza, we'll need to be clever about this. So we need a way to get to the Centrality and someone who can sneak under the notice of divinity. That way, we can get to the library without her noticing."

> Duximas: Check skills.



In addition to your skills, you know that the others can do the following:

Krytikas
Secrets - She can read the secrets that others are keeping.
Void Cloak - This skill allows her to avoid the notice of those around her if she so chooses.

Tukha
Odds - He can calculate probability for any situation, given a certain baseline of information.
Ends - He can unlock a special door in the Centrality, behind which lies the afterlife.

Breza
Athlete - Breza can master any sport if she practices it for a short period beforehand.
Ultraviolence - If Breza can grab a foe, she can pick them up and slam them into the wall, or the floor, or whatever else happens to be near at the time. She can finish this attack by either stomping on the foe or by throwing them.

> Palmer: Have a fight!



You leap from your hiding place and clock Travler on the jaw. She wheels around, nursing her chin, and glowers at you. "Who in the deuce are you supposed to be?" she hisses.



You have to admit, of the reactions you were thinking you might get, "total lack of recognition" was not one of them.

> Sienna: Don't have a fight!



Before you can really tear into this idiot, Ione reappears. "All right," she says, "Amata is dead." She pauses a moment. "Who's this guy?"

"I don't know," you say. "He just jumped in and punched me in the face, and I was about to blast him to the underworld and back."

"Wait, you killed Pia Amata?" the guy says.

Ione nods slightly. "Yes. Are you about to try and fight us? Because, fair warning, it won't go well for you."

He shakes his head. "I was coming here to do the same thing." He looks you over, apparently turning some things over in his head. "Why did you do it?" he eventually asks.

"We're going to fix everything about this world," Ione says. "We'll revert what the One Goddess did."

"What she said," you chime in. There's not a whole lot that you can contribute to this conversation.

His eyes flash. "I see. ...Deadman."

"Excuse me?" you ask.

"Palmer Deadman. That's my name. What was your plan from here?"

"We're going to spread the word that Amata is dead, to shake people's belief in the One Goddess," Ione says. "We just need someone who'd want to help get the info out while we move on to the next step."

> Palmer: Know a guy.



"I know a guy," you say.

Current status of party:
Duximas: Khetaqa Canyon
Sienna: Vezretti Church - Back Hallway
Palmer: Vezretti Church - Back Hallway

So, for sneaking into the Centrality purposes... obviously Krytikas's Void Cloak ability is useful for sneaking purposes, but, um. In terms of getting there?

>Tukha, is that door from the Centrality to the afterlife... a one-way trip? Or, if you died, would you be able to find the door and sneak in that way?

>Krytikas: Recall if void clock can temporarily be extended to those around you via touch, and if there are any secret entrances to Centrality
>Krytikas: Hell probably a good idea to try and pull up any secret plans mortals have that could make things work out easier

> Duximas: Ask Tukha about the door.



"Hey Tukha, I've never been too clear 'bout that door a' yours," you say.

"That's for a reason, friend," Tukha says with a smile. "I never told anyone much of anything about it. I suppose it scarcely matters now, though, so ask me anything you want."

"Is the door a one-way kinda thing? Like, could ya go back from the afterlife to the Centrality?"

Tukha laughs. "Thankfully it's not! I can't imagine what kind of chaos we'd need to deal with if spirits could come back into the Centrality after going to the afterlife. No, I'm sure you know this already, but how it works is as follows: When someone dies, their spirit is severed from their body by Tzarth, then I escort them to Diza and Dia's courtroom for judgment. Then, after Diza and Dia are done, I take the spirit to the door and usher them into the afterlife. That door only opens for me, and only in one direction." He pauses. "Or at least that's how it used to work. I have no idea how that usurper is running it now. I do know that my door has not been opened since we were ejected from the Centrality."

"Hm." You frown. "Sounds like we wouldn't be able to get into the Centrality that way, then."

"Likely not, friend."

> Duximas: Ask Krytikas about her void cloak ability.



"I remember ya told me ya could stay under th' notice a' most people, right, Krytikas?" you ask.

She nods curtly. "That's right."

"'Zat apply to people around you too?"

"Unfortunately not," Krytikas says. "And it's not 'on' all the time either. Just so you know."

You cross your arms. "No luck there, either. I don't suppose ya know some kinda secret entrance into the Centrality, either."

"Actually..." Krytikas stops and looks upwards, thinking. "I do. Come to think of it, Meion was keeping a secret about an entrance to the Centrality in mortal lands. Let's see... apparently it was a door, walled up inside a monument on some forgotten island."



Ah. That island.

"Believe it or not, I know where that is," you say. "How do ya get into th' monument?"

"Two stone spheres," Krytikas says. "One light, the other dark."

"Hm... anything else?"

"Yeah, maybe you know some mortals or something with secret plans?" Breza asks.

Krytikas arches an eyebrow, but considers the question anyway. "Actually, yes. There's a trio of mortals who are trying to... Huh."

"What is it?" Tukha asks.

"They're trying to kill the goddess."

Current status of party:
Duximas: Khetaqa Canyon
Sienna: Vezretti Church - Back Hallway
Palmer: Vezretti Church - Back Hallway

>Duximas: Well, we're going to have to find those spheres somehow! There's no way they'd already conveniently be there holding the door open, or anything.

>Guy who is known: Be contacted

>Consider contacting the mortals, they might be a better distraction if they cooperate with you

>Head over to them

Well, time for a team up then.

> God Group: Teleport. Let's meet those mortals.

> Palmer: Contact Makram.



You tell Travler and Raptis to hold on, then you head out of town. You run into Amjad in short order.

One quick explanation later, and he's on board. "An hour from now," Makram says, "everyone in town will know."

You don't smile often. Now is no exception, but you're definitely pleased.

You head back into Vezretti.

> Duximas: Find the mortals.



"No point reinventin' the wheel," you say. "Let's go find those mortals and give 'em a little divine intervention."

Krytikas nods and taps her foot on the ground. "Agreed," she says as a magic circle appears.

Away you go.



"Wait, this can't be right," you say once you arrive. "Are ya telling me that the mortal who's trying to kill the goddess is Travler herself?"

"Wh-what?! You're...!" One of the mortals, the one in the black suit, recoils. She looks kind of familiar too, now that you think of it. "You're members of the pantheon! But how...?"

"It's a long story," you say, "so listen up."



"You weren't kidding," Travler says.

"I don't know," says the mortal in black. "That wasn't too long. If you serialized it, it'd probably be around, oh, only 87 pages or so."

You shake your head. "Either way, the short version is that no matter who ya are, all y'all have the same goal as us. We want to set the world right too."

The mortal in blue crosses his arms. "That's all well and good, but what now?"

"Simple," Krytikas says. "We get to the residence of the goddess and use the library there to rewrite history."

"We just need these two rocks," Breza adds. "A light rock and a dark rock."



"Oh no," Travler says under her breath. She looks up. "The One Goddess has those rocks. She stole them from me."

Krytikas sighs. "Nothing is ever easy. Then," she says, "we need to steal them back. Ideas?"

>Perhaps the ex-hero's mask has some divine reside that could be used to track her down in the mortal realm, if she appears here

>It's too bad nobody here is an accomplished thief.