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

> Palmer: Interject.



"One problem," you say. All eyes in the room turn to look at you. "The Miracle Men."

Krytikas tilts her head, thinking. "Miracle... Men. Yes, that sounds familiar."

You sip your coffee. It's strong. "The goddess has them under her thumb. They're nasty pieces of work. Turn your back on an orange puddle, and that'll be the last thing you do."

"Orange puddles? Hey, I know those guys," Shadan says. She grins a bit more widely than you would think would be appropriate for this particular discussion. "In fact, I think I know someone who could give us some insight on keeping them at bay. She survived one of their attacks."

"Excellent. There's another problem taken care of." Krytikas paces up and down the hall - at least as much as she can, given how crowded it is. "How quickly can you get her?"

The smile on Shadan's face doesn't fade. "I'll have her ready to go before you need me. Don't worry."

Krytikas nods. "Very well. Then let's split up and review."



"I will be Group 1," Krytikas says.

"You're the entire group?" Breza asks. "You're awfully small for that." She lets out a laugh, but is quickly halted when Krytikas elbows her in the gut.

"As I was saying," Krytikas continues, "I'll begin by getting the Goddess' attention."



"Shadan is Group 2."

Shadan shoots a sidelong glance at Breza. "Spare me your jokes, please."

"She'll steal the orbs from the Goddess and deliver them to Group 4."

Breza counts something out on her fingers. "You skipped 3, didn't you?"

"Have patience, dear Breza," Krytikas says, shaking her head. "I'll get there."



"Group 3 - Breza, Tukha, Duximas, and Shadan's friend - will be on call to run interference for me. I know I can't handle the Goddess on my own, so I'll need backup."

"Aw yeah!" Breza says. "That's a fancy way of saying I get to beat Travler in the face! I'm all in!"



"Finally, Group 4 will be the three of you. As the members of our party who can cloak themselves in the void, it'll be up to you to use the orbs to sneak into the Centrality. I will find a way to meet you up there if I can get away from the Goddess once Group 3 is on her, but if I can't, it'll be on you to fix history."

Ione nods solemnly. "Understood. I will end her reign by my own hands."

"Enough talk," Breza says. "Let's get this done!"

"Agreed." Krytikas looks around the room one last time. "Shadan, go get your friend. Then we will begin."



> Duximas: Begin the plan.





"Explain again why we're waiting up on top of this mountain," Breza says from her perch on the edge of the cliffside.

You squint. "Are ya sure ya ever spent any actual time doin' your job?"

"You know as well as I do that I spent most of my time getting kicked out to the Normal Place."

"I guess I can't argue that," you say. "Th' boundary between th' mortal world and th' Centrality is weaker on mountaintops. It'll be easier for the goddess to catch onto Krytikas from here."



"Speaking of," Krytikas says, "get ready. She's coming. I can feel it."





"I should have known it was this group of has-beens!" the goddess says with a sneer. "Especially you, Krytikas. I've been waiting to get my hands on you. Once I kill you, I'll finally have everything I need to make everything finally work!"

Krytikas starts to say something, but can only stumble over her words for a moment before managing "Is... is that my staff?"

"What'd ya do with it?!" you ask.

"If you must know, it was murder. But believe me when I say I don't need it to completely destroy you!" she says. "By the time I'm done, you'll be nothing but dust!"

Krytikas looks over her shoulder at you. "Group 3! Interference!"




...(Oh right! Since I got more than just me on my team this time, I can direct what actions my teammates take with the 'Allies' command. But... knowin' how Breza works, I feel like if they get too ticked off, they might not listen t' me an' end up doin' their own thing.)


...(Jus' so I got it all in my head, these are the skills I can use:

Vorpal Edge - A quick sword strike that hits enemies arranged in a row.
Crimson Crash - A stab that hurts the foe nearest to me. Can cause recurring damage over time, and has a greater chance to do so if I use a knife or dagger.
Grapple Check - A grab attack that lets me either suplex a foe or throw it at another foe. Causes more damage if I'm unarmed.
Cross Strike - A powerful attack that causes damage along an X-shaped pattern. Can only be used if I can reach higher ground than the foe.)


...(An' these are my items:

My sword
A stack a' autopsy reports
A paper crown readin' "Sunset Pose Champion"
A dagger
A history book an' a burnt book on magical critters
The sixpike
A cape a' dramatic wind)


...(An' these are the skills my allies can do, aside from a basic attack. I feel like they could probably perform one action each every time I make an action myself.

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

Breza:
Athlete - She can master any sport if she practices it for a short period beforehand.
Ultraviolence - If she 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 th' time. She can finish this attack by either stomping on the foe or by throwing them.

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


...(Finally, there's Shadan an' her friend. They're stayin' hidden for now, but I can call them into the fight when I think it's the right moment. Shadan can use Five-Fingered Discount to steal from the One Goddess, and her friend can do... whatever it is she does to neutralize the Miracle Men. I gotta be careful, though - I bet those two can only do their tricks once. I need t' make sure I get them into battle at just the right time.)


...(This is it. I need to think carefully about my actions.)