Duty Session 556: Shrine of the Dragon King

    So yes, Asuna said she wasn't interested in the Palace Lands. But you know she IS interested in? Loot. Well, and a certain samurai. But he's all busy with something or other, so loot is all she's going to get.

    So she's here.

    "So according to my notes, this is a creepy shrine with a diety inside its chewy, caramel center. The mist is allegedly the breath of said diety, as opposed to water vapor coalescing due to the lower temperature in the area or held in place because a game designer thought it would be visually impressive."

    She pauses as she enters the thicker fog. "Oh yes, tradition. Tradition. What to wear.."

    She is musing over her options with care.

Soujiro Seta is all about adventure. And when there is adventure time you have to grab your friends and go to very distant lands. Palace Lands is far. Friendos are here! "They put so much love and detail into it," Soujiro says with a simple smile as innocent as a child's first trip to an amusement park. His body language conveys his tempered excitement, one of really enjoying the details to the atmosphere with a 'lets carpe some diems, everyone!' vibes. "We might get to fight an actual dragon in this one," he says with that desire to fight strong enemies running deep in that samurai blood.

Loot isn't something that has always been high on Curtana's list of priorities as an Adventurer, which does give him odd looks. Sure, it's always good to find goodies and physical goods of what you managed to conquered, but the Pooka tends to see items on how they could help others. So it's not the destination that he's here for, it's the journey with others that Curtana finds himself in the Palace Lands this day.

"It could always be a dragon made out of mist, considering the name of the place...though that would be really out there." The Hedge Knight ponders this as he double-checks his armor and gear once more. Always have to make sure his armor won't break in the middle of battle. If Fukaziroh ever heard of something like that happening, she would never live him down and he would die of embarrasment. Perhaps literally, but he does not want to try to find out.

Schneider hasn't done a lot in the Palace Lands, and it's an empty space on his to-do list. "This was one of Proph's projects, I think I remember," he mentions. "Not sure what he had to do with it, but he honchoed it at first." As far as creerpy shrines and chewy deities, Schneider shrugs. He generally packs enough firepower that those sorts of obstacles turn into charcoal briquettes. "We shall see what we see, I guess?" Loot has never been a motivating factor for him. It's nice, but he plays for the cool factor of playting. To do cool things coolly.

Meanwhile, Borywick Rockborer came along because he heard Asuna was coming, and he's sort of like a lost puppy. You feed him once, and he wants to hang out with you ALL THE TIME. And since Asuna fed him a BUNCH of times, he tags along whenever there is an opportunity. Like right now. Also loot. Yessssss....

"Do you think.... There will be any gems with the loot? I like gems. It's kind of my thing."

    "Aaaaaand... this one!"

    A swift press of a button and Asuna starts switching into her newest dungeon gear. She's going as Chun-Li. Because why wouldn't she? It's a measure of confidence that she barely blushes at all now! Or, more reasonably, it's the thick fog that conceals the redness in her cheeks. Either way, the group has reached their destination.

    Ahead, the mists part, revealing an ancient mountain path winding into a valley. As the group proceeds, the remains of a broken dragon statue lie in a rubble pile to their right.

    It's around this time that the group notes a foul stench in the air.

    "That's... really unpleasant, but it could be worse.."

    No sooner does Asuna say this than things go, of course, from bad to worse. Much worse. Monkeys flinging every projectile for which they are infamous. It's time to get out of here quickly, and swiftly! More than just fast, the party will need to find the best way forward.

Schneider looks over at Asuna, and wonders wht she's blushing at the Chun Li cosplay. "Huh?" he asks. "Is there something wrong?" he asks. Apparently what's wrong is monkeys, and he scrambles for cover. This does not help him find a path forward, but at least he's clear of the poo flinging.

Luckily, DosBox is used to having things thrown at him! In gym class, everyone always aimed for him first because he was the least popular kid in school, so he got a lot of practice dodging the ball! Like a small child who had been trained by a namekian, he really knows how to... DODGE! That being said, he really doesn't know where he's going, so in between side-steps, he looks to his companions for any guidance, "Should we... Uh... Just jump down?"

"That is a good one!" Soujiro supports with the Chun-Li outfit. "Classic," the sword saint smiles. The three samurai are down one samurai but that means they will fight fifty percent harder together! As to the gems, the samurai looks to Bory, "Possibly. I'll count on you to keep an eye out for them." He isn't going to loot shame. Loot is an important part of the game! Also exploration, so he directs to Schneider, "What was the project about?"

At that point there is the stench. The need to 'duck' as monkeys are being monkeys.

Wait. Fruit? Blades? There is only one thing that should be done here: Try to rack up a score by cutting the fruit thrown at you! This is exactly what Soujiro does. He keeps a spare set of eyes to look for a way on, but its clear he is having too much fun slicing fruit. One couldn't ask for better training tossers!

The mist conceals everything within it's grasp, stopping you from reaching out to the truth of what lies before you until you are right on top of it. And that is something that Curtana is greatly appreciate of as he sees Asuna change her outfit into something that shows off a lot of bare leg. A tint of red floods his own cheeks, and he makes the effort to give Asuna a bit more space. Don't want to get accused of being a pervert, after all!

Rotting fruit is certainly disgusting, but it can be easily weathered with the proper gear. Raising his shield above his head like a metal umbrella, Curtana is more concerned about the narrow ledge he's traversing now. It'll be too easy to go tumbling down, especially with the size of this party on such a narrow ledge. Doing his best to ignore the falling fruit, Curtana gets ready to reach out to grab someone if they start to fall, but there's still the threat of the knight going down with whoever he tries to save.

    This round is not as fun as a barrel of monkeys! Little known fact, though: "I hate monkeys!" Asuna hates monkeys. "Creepy little faces." Still, she can avoid the worst of the throws.

    While everyone does their best to not get hit by droppings (flingings?), nobody is quite able to pick out a good path forward, either.

    Sensing indecision, Asuna resolves to take decisive action. She will point in a random direction. "This way! Follow me!"

    How she picked that way out is unclear. Especially to her. But if there is one thing that Asuna is known for, it is making a call when things look grim. Leadership isn't always about knowing what to do. It's more often about knowing who to turn to find that path. But ultimately, when there's no direction, she is ready to make the call and take the responsibility for being wrong. This time, though, by instinct or luck, they made it through. And whatever Curtana tries to do in staying away, she does unabashedly duck under his shield along the way. She knows how to tap into the skills of a tank!

    At the end of the rush, the group is facing a dragon statue. This time, it is in excellent condition. It stands at an intersection surrounded by ever thicker fog. The first attempt to trace a possible path forward leads to some success. It goes up, through a cave, down an unfamiliar path, and then back to another intact dragon statue!

    "This... is the same statue, isn't it?" asks Asuna. It's rhetorical. Hopefully someone can figure out a way out of this mess!

Schneider says to Seta, "You know, I don't remember now, I think it was a year ago or more." His defense is more suited to deflecting heavy attacks than dodging them, which doesn't help. Well, rotten fruit smashing on a magic shield is better than rotten fruit in his face, but in either case, he's been Fruited. What he needs is a defruiter.

Sadly, he's lost and didn't see which way Asuna went. When he does catch up, it seems that we're lost. Which kind of doesn't help. "So wait, which way do we go?" he asks. "What's the point of having a challenge if you can't find out where it is?"

When in doubt, adventure it out! Soujiro stays towards the front of the group like the big/little/omni brother to everyone. All this wandering around might lead to frustration. Not with Soujiro! So long as the group is here and having a good time, all paths are the right path. "You know what I like about mazes," he asks Asuna, "that when you go the 'wrong' way that you find the treasures that the developers put on the off path. Thing you could miss." And so to Schneider he sparkles, "All ways are the right way." If the maze plans on sapping morale, it shant! Also its hard to say if its dumb luck or not, but Souji's instincts are good when there isn't logic to work on like these situations. Puzzles, on the other hand, are his bane.

Dosbox answers the rhetorical question, "I think it is the same statue." Then he realizes the question was rhetorical, and goes beet red. "Er... Yeah..." Whenever Dosbox is uncertain about the answer to a test question, he writes numbers on each of the sides of a number two pencil and roles it like a die to pick which answer to take. Since this isn't a test, and there are no number two pencils IN THIS WORLD, he figures he has to try something else.

He ties a long gem to a string and dangles it down, watching where the crystal leads. The gem sways back and forth a couple times before it catches on Soujiro's armor as he passes by. "Uh... I think we should follow Soujiro. He looks like he knows where he's going, right?"

Being so close to the cosplaying Asuna after he already tried to distance himself makes certain that his blush would become too vibrant for the mist to hide, but these are trying times! A knight would be a terrible one if he let a little thing like embarrasment stop him from protecting his allies. "...that outfit has to be Gwen's handiwork." He doesn't instantly recognize it, but something that skimpy has to be her creation.

Staring at the dragon statue for a moment, Curtana frowns before just shrugging his shoulders. "I think it might be? Hmmmm...I got an idea." Plotting out a map isn't exactly his forte, but obviously it's time for a classic trick when it comes to mazes. Curtana moves towards the tunnel they took earlier and slashes his longsword against the rock wall, leaving a gash. But before he can congratulate himself, some of the mist gathers in the gash and restores the rock, leaving it as pristine as before. "...welp. I got nothing, then."

    Confronted by a maze of fog and confusion, the party is seriously put to the test. Schneider's attempts to plot a course are unfruitiful. Sadly they are not defruitful. Likewise, the self-healing maze seems determined to foil Curtana, as well.

    Asuna will point out, though, in response to Curtana's comment, "Gwen with a lot of input from Morri, yes. Do you like it? It's not too much, is it?" That, remarkably, is not rhetorical. Getting back to things...

    Soujiro has better fortune with what is bestcalled the powers of unquenchable enjoyment. It's hard to say if the path was always this way, or if optimism is a hidden power that actually changes the very fabric of the universe. Asuna knows where she's putting her money, though.

    "Scale Samurai always win!"

    And honestly, when the path of Soujiro is verified by a dangling, pretty rock, what needs to be said?

    "Well, if one out of one shiny rocks agree, this has to be the best path, right?"

    Faith is a powerful thing, too. Belief in her friends! Trusting them to never be beaten and all of that.

    "Asuna, if you mess this up," she mutters softly under her breath.

    So yeah, the faith and support is only outward. Her batsu practice is so brutal that few can stand to watch it.

    Luckily, there will be no need to work out until well past the point of physical exhaustion this time. Because she has managed to come up with an idea. She knows the group's tracks. There are other tracks here. And those she is able to make out thanks to the perfect path picked out by Soujiro and Borywick.

    "Thank goodness, we are out of there. Very well done, everyone! We've got this!"

    And there's a dead end. But it's not a dead end. It's full of more dragon statues. More important, though, there are three monkeys. Kinda gross, but still very annoying monkeys. Each has various highly unpleasant bindings (worms and insects and just ewwww, don't wanna know) that make them into representations of see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.

    Apparently do not evil isn't part of the deal, cause these monsters immediately start hurling powerful elemental magic. Fire, ice, and lightning are hurled down at the party!

Schneider arches an eyebrow to Seta, and says, "It may be the right way, but I don't think we needed go go that way multiple times." Adventure is cool. Wandering lost is kind of meh, and unfruitful. His path is undefruited, more's the pity. Finally, though, Asuna manages to find a way forward. To a dead end.

Said dead end being guarded by elemental monkeys. Well, this is a direct challenge to Schneider! Who's the bigger flamer? "Deep Doomsday," he chants. "To the spirits of land and air, bound by the pact, fulfill your obligation now." A slow breath, and he intones, "MEGADETH!"

The fiery conflagration is collossal and hugely destructive, and the fire monkey is badly outclassed, it seems.

Soujiro Seta is always winning! It is a mindset above all else. "Shiny rocks agree," he looks to Asuna first, and then Dos as the resident shiny rock expert. Smile. Sparkles.

Sparkles are rewarded with combat. "Elemental combat," the samurai observes, his body already moving in to oppose the fire monkey. He has not needed to draw his katanas at all yet and this fight is no exception. His fists are imbued with water from the training he has been doing with Vertina to Tsunami Break, looking every bit the martial artist to extinguish the flames and pummel the beast with raw strength. This too, is TRAINING! When in a kung fu monkey temple, do some kung fu!

Monkeys. AGAIN!??!? DosBox is beginning to think that these monkeys are only here to torment them! Actually, he starts to puzzle that, since this is a dungeon created by a programmer, their purpose in existing COULD BE just to torment them. And now, they are starting to throw around some strong magic instead of poop now? Well, DosBox was going to show them some strong magic, alright.... He was going to show them --

"UNLIMITED POWER!!!!!!!" DosBox's deep, rumbling caster voice, which is a stark contrast to his typical nervous squeaking, echoes throughout the area as he shoots out his copyright-breaking force lightning like some dark sith emperor at the monkeys.

Oh no, The Flash is asking for his input on her outfit! Certainly not how he expected this dungeon delve to go, and she's certainly not as uptight as some rumors point her out to be. Doing his best to push aside his discomfort and making sure not to give the impression that he was leering at her, he honestly does give the oriental outfit his full focus. This, in turn, makes his face nearly as red as a lobster, but he's trying! "It's...uh...honestly a wonderful dress. I, just, uh...might not be the best person to give you the proper opinion you deserve." Please, oh please let them find the exit quickly.

His silent prayers are answered and three monkeys that are clearly following the "___ no evil" line appears, taunting the party with their orbs. No, not like that, the crystal orbs for this puzzle! Finding himself squaring off with the monkey capable of controlling air, Curtana cuts through the tornado with his plain longsword. Enchanting the air to flow around his blade to build up an electric charge, he starts sending electric blasts after the monkey, keeping it off balanced enough for Dos to strike it with the full force of a Sith Gnome.

    Asuna, it seems, has been busy storing away pure cheese for the right moment. Her fans just love it, so it's imperative. Seeing Schneider step up to engage a monkey in a firefight really requires this.

    Asuna laughs and shouts out at the hapless mob, "You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia,' but only slightly less well known is not to engage Schneider of the Scale Emblem Alliance in a contest of fire when death is on the line!"

    She really loves her work, and she studied that to get it down. It was mandatory. The monkey, alas, does not seem to appreciate the quote. It is reduced to ash in moments.

    Then it is Soujiro's turn. Asuna, admittedly, likes watching the most powerful of the Scale Samurai at work. Not like his harem likes watching him, this is more an admiration of skill and creativity. In this case, he demonstrates a remarkable efficiency in snuffing out fire with blow after blow of water-infused fists.

    Just as this is monkey is falling before a superior force, Borywick does his best Emperor Palpatine impression. The monkey is reeling back, but its attempt to buy itself some breathing room only leave it in Curtana's cross hairs. An improvised game of monkey tennis follows, with the creature bouncing between devastating air attacks. Eventually, it is quite undone.

    Asuna, who was enjoying the show, realizes that all the enemies are dead. "Oh. Right. Well then, great work, gang! That was amazing! And Curtana, the way you did all that while appearing to be on the brink of fainting from a blush was pretty inspiring work, honestly. What's that line? Ten points for New World Order?" It's hard to keep all these quotes straight when you don't really know the reference material.

    Regardless, when the fog is cleared. Well, as much as it ever clears, the group just needs to figure out what to do with the orbs. This should be easy, right? All they have to do is discern the proper placement by raw math or gleaning the meaning of the various runes on each of the dragon status. Of course, this being a dungeon, the wrong placement is going to exact a high toll.

Schneider chuckles as the thunder of his Megadeath spell fades slowly. Taking stock of what is left behind indicates a puzzle of some sort, but there is a reason Schneider is Scale's Librarian, and it's not his affinity for fire. Rather, puzzles and secrets unravel for him with almost uncanny ease. Perhaps something in the combination of his librarianship and the spark of the Rune Knight. He peers at the dragon balls, and inhales deeply, clearly expecting the inspiration to come, but for some reason it does not, and he is denied. His expression is shock. "This should have been blatantly apparent," he protests.

Soujiro Seta gets to do the 'victorious with a clenched fist steaming with justice' pose towards the end. The steam is mostly from water hitting fire, but it looks cool all the same. "Good job," he thumbs up, with steaming fist, especially to Schneider and to Bory for their big wammajamma attacks back there. He makes sure that everyone gets their time to shine and the right amount of hype associated. Schneider needs minimal hype, as the bish BA knows he is a bish BA. And Dos might explode with too much praise. Curtana and Asuna get the next thumbs up.

Puzzles! The bane of Soujiro's existance. It doesnt mean he won't try them, but this is the time where the brains like Shiroe shine. Soujiro trusts his instincts along the traps and... what the deuce? Every choice is the right one. Is he some modest genuis or just that lucky? (Spoiler: Soujiro is just that lucky.)

Dosbox is busy scribbling on his map and not paying too much attention to the statues. He draws a butt. He snickers to himself like a 3rd grader. Then, he activates a trap that is absolutely no where near where anyone had to be standing. He is just as shocked as Schneider. But literally, and not metaphorically, like his companion. Further, the shock destroyed the piece of paper that he had drawn his work of art on. Sad pandas...

The battle against the monkey is something that goes rather well, even with knowing that a woman in a skimpy outfit is nearby. Seriously, how is everyone alright with this? How is Asuna alright with this?! Several years in Japan and he still isn't used to 'armor' like that.

Sheathing his longsword again, Curtana turns to the most serious threat in the room now: trying to figure out how these orbs are actually supposed to go! And unfortunately for him, the elaborate runes on the dragon statues might as well be ancient Gnome. Not trusting himself to have any proper advice, he step back to let those with an idea get to work. And thankfully that is something Curtana actually gets for once! "Hmmm...obviously Scale is Gryffindor. I guess that makes New World Hufflepuff, then?" Now this is a puzzle he can enjoy.

    Unfortunately, some puzzles are really irritating. This is one of them. At least for Schneider, who may simply be overthinking it. Regardless, the puzzle stubbornly resists his attempts at solving it.

    As if to prove that, Soujiro just... randomly seems to get some of the objects perfectly placed. The goddesses and the coders laugh at wisdom and delight in simple good fortune. But really, having Soujiro around is good fortune on its own.

    Speaking of good fortune, Borywick does not have any at the moment. In fact, Asuna isn't even sure where he is until she hears the trap go off on Dosbox.

    "Look out everyone! The area is boobytraaaa... um. Why are you..." A pause as Asuna quickly reconstructs the most likely explanation for why her friend is off away from the puzzle they are trying to work on. Well, she has it pretty much right in her head, but that's no good. A leader never wants to embarrass their comrades, though!

    "Oh, Dossy, you know I appreciate you sweeping the area for traps, but maybe just stay over here with the group now? I bet we're safe since you got that trap disarmed."

    Asuna notes that Curtana isn't exactly diving into the puzzles. Which means, sadly, that they are just not going to bring this one home, because she's just going to guess. Okay, that's a total lie. What she WILL do is pull out paper. She does math. That's right, the Flash is doing math. She's actually writing out a detailed proof. Everyone has to just sit there, waiting for her to work through it. She looks determined. She looks focused. She admittedly looks kind of ridiculous and since she has the paper on the ground and she's on her knees leaning over it, well, Curtana may just need to be revived cause Morri figures all exposure is good exposure.

    "Ah dammit!"

    Asuna sits on the floor then and sighs. She walks right over her paper, moves one of the remaining orbs into position, and says, "Sorry everyone. My solution can only get one."

    And for just a moment, she looks completely deflated by it. Sure, it worked. But they can't succeed now. But that moment cannot last long. She'll deal with herself later. It's a long ride home. She can certainly beat herself up for days over this!

    So onward, in any case. Onward to a chamber that stinks of yet more rotting fruit and animal... let's just say what animals leave behind. It's gross. On the plus side, the fog is to thick the team has no idea what they are stepping near!

    That's when things get really weird. The mist coalesces into the monkey trio again. Who then, after a bit of scariness and screaming and all that, combine to form Voltron. That is, if Voltron were a giant ape with white fur.

    THE GREAT MONKEY SAGE!

    It's dark magic attacks are sudden, dangerous, and a clear source of corrupting influence over this shrine!

Schneider has no idea what Dosbox has done, but Seta has correctly deduced that he thinks sufficiently highly of himself that he doesn't need a cheering section. He knows exactly how good he is. Or maybe approximately how good, as he thought he was a bit better at puzzles and mysteries. There will have to be some training, it seems. Asuna may be right that he's overthinking it, but Schneider is generally not one to be accused of too much thinking.

But he at least knows what to do when face to face with a foe. The mysteries and monkeys were difficult, but this one is a straightforward fight. The enemy may be butch, but Schneider is the Exploder Wizard, and he casts, "Fiery Power Blast of the Damned!" and even that low level spell, when weilded by Schneider's fighting spirit, is enough to do significant damage to the enemy.

Dosbox fumes, "Enough is enough! I am sick of these stupid monkeys in our awesome adventure! They are driving me.... Bananas? Eh? EH?!?"

Dosbox notes the monkey's dark magic attacks... And laughs. "You think you know dark magic... I'll show you dark magic... you... DOODIE THROWER!" DosBox throws his extended arm behind him as if to cast back a cape that he isn't wearing. "I pray to the darkness," Black lightning starts to run up each of his arms as he lifts them skyward, as if he were preparing to generate some kind of spirit bomb from DBZ.

"Merge your strength and mine," he lets his voice carry as he actually DOES start forming a giant sphere in the air, albiet a giant pure black one made of darkness. The orb slowly grows in size as his arms continue to crackle with energy.

"...And deliver doom equally to the fools that stand in our way!" The monkey's own magic seems to be losing its efficacy due to the power of the dark conjuration before it.

"DRAGON SLA--- Uh. nightmare sphere..." DosBox trails off at the end as he hurls another intellectual property which he does not own at the monkey sage.

Thankfully, Curtana has the ultimate defense for avoiding any exposure that may come his way thanks to Gwen and Morri's wicked handiwork: Looking in the opposite direction! After all, this is still a dangerous area, so he can still Asuna all the privacy she needs due to her malfunctioning wardrobe. Honestly, she might need to get that checked out. "Hey, getting even one route open is better than I can do, Asuna. You did wonderfully here."

A large monkey sage wielding a massive staff. Thankfully this Sage is not at all like the Monkey King of legend. If he was, then things would be much more dire if the legends are any indication. As it is, this magic-casting monkey has still made a mess of a spiritual sight, one that would make the master of this shrine angry. Eyes narrowing in disgust, Curtana steels himself for the battle ahead. "I don't hold any faith in any gods or goddesses, but what you done to this place is still punishable. Prepare yourself!"

Dark magic is cast about with abandon, and what better to oppose evil curses than energy that comes from the sun? Taking in a deep breath, Hamon starts to make his kite shield shine as he channels the energy from his lungs. Leaping forward, Curtana closes the distance, letting the magic wash against his shield harmlessly. With a mighty swing, the Pooka knight slams his shield directly into the simian sage, letting out a rare battlecry. "Celestial Shield...OVERDRIIIIVE!"

Where there is darkness, light shall banish it! Soujiro's intuition connects with Curtana's intentions without needing to say anything. That is the samurai's true power. It is not his strength in combat. It is his ability to connect with people and synchronize with them to make their power greater, together. The word 'hero' is loosely defined to many. However even the sharpest of contrarians would find room for doubt in their convictions as the samurai begins to power up at the same time as Curtana. The same motions, as if they are in a music video or a power pose together.

Brightness. Fierce as the sun. Not from a Soujiro's shield, as he has none to speak of, but from his hands. Its easy to miss that he is there as the knight charges in, until the last minute. The 'resonance' in 'Celestial Shield Overdrive' comes from Soujiro's voice as well as he makes use of the sword saint swiftness to slide past the simian sage, bracing his foot againt a wall and receiving the shield-bashed sage with a shield-bash return to Curtana using only his arms crossed in an 'X'. Captain Curtana and Bucky Seta versus Simian Stark. We can do this all day.

    By this point, it is clear the team is focused. And really sick of mind games, puzzles, and traps that may or may not have needed to have been found. Now it's time to just punish a primate.

    And punish they do...

    Sure, Schneider already unleashed one of his trademark moves, but when honestly, fire magic /is/ always a trademark move for him. The evil dark ape finds this out with a scorching dose of pain. It's entire right side goes from white to charcoal black in the process. Bellowing in wrath and pain earns it no respite.

    Fortunately, its yapping is cut off for a time when Dosbox introduces it to a black hole. At least, that's kind what it looks like to Asuna. She has no dragon ball experience, really. She is the most ignorant cosplayer ever to have slipped into a body suit, really! Unlike cosplay, though, the dark attack Borywick has selected is the real deal, and the ape's hp continues its downward spiral. Oh, and after that it resumes its ienffectual screaming. However, it also fires back, as well. Some of its attacks are AoEs, which in this place is night impossible to avoid. Others are more targeted.

    This is a boss that needs some tanking, as well as good, old-fashioned DPSing. Asuna learns this when she gets a bit too forward. Not like that! She simply moves into very close range. Fortunately, there are some here who can actually properly tank, rather than just bait an enemy in for wicked respost maneuvers.

    This moment of danger is remarkably brief, for a second later, there is this amazing, brilliant glow. So bright that one might be excused for being stunned by it. The hapless boss, though, is more than stunned. First it is smashed away from the party and then crushed from behind. The ape is caught between the hammer and anvil.

    It will not be making an appearance in any post-credits scene.

    It explodes into a cloud of pixels.

    So, funny thing about this movie. It isn't over yet. It just got more gross is all. And considering the bar that has been previously set, that does leave an impression.

    The dead ape is not so pixel dead as it seemed. Perhaps it was just a visual artifact or glitch caused by the insane crossing of the shield bash streams.

    Instead of being gone, the ape is now a mess of centipede grossness. The vermin has spouted from all its wounds and various openings. Exact details are best left to the imagination.

    CENTIMONKEY SAGE!

    It seems as dangerous and powerful as the attacks from this nightmare is, the bigger issue is that it instantly heals from attacks. Unfortunately, the giant centipede that has left clear via the great sage's maw is the target. And it has come in like a wrecking ball.

Schneider is not quite sure what to make of the follow-on boss, but he wades into the fray unafraid, and swirls his capr around him to deflect attacks, but also, waves of fire rain from the cape, like droplets of water from a rain poncho when its snapped taut. The centimonkey sage is forced to deal with the intense flames, and cannot focus on the exploder wizard, who plies him with such intense flames nearly continuously, it's almost like he's sweating gasoline, spraying flames over the sage until he's had enough. Until Schneider's had enough, that is. Clearly, the Centimonkey Sage would have been happy with less fire.

Dosbox looks at all the legs gnashing and swirling all over the place... and he emits a sound akin to a 5 year old girl with a cockroach in her dress. He throws out his hands in a defensive gesture, which forces out a bright green burst of mana... Out of the ground bursts as many vines as the bug has legs, and they are all wrapping around the main body, binding and pinning it to the ground. It seems that DosBox doesn't even notice what he did, because he is shivering in the back of the group with fear.

The fate of that simian, to be consumed and used like a puppet, is unacceptable. Soujiro steps towards the Centimonkey Sage as it spills out into its final form. His hand rests upon the hilt of Kogarasumaru. It is a blade that has been used many times before. The steel is as white as a cloud and glows. Often he draws it too fast to be noticed, but this time he takes the time to remove it from the saya that keeps it sheathed. Light spills out as the sentiment of protection and vengeance ripples around him as if pulsing divine light. He doesn't say anything that is extra. He doesnt /need/ to. It is all in his eyes. That steely seriousness that clicks over when things are serious.

I swear to protect those that cannot protect themselves
    To avenge those that have been wronged

Soujiro launches into an assault against the creepy crawly sage, his blade looking more like a lightsaber than a katana as it moves through the air. The light draws out the ethereal image of a creature that looks part bird, part kitsune, and blades for arms as the two give the creature no quarter. Not a moment to breathe to keep it pinned for capture and burnination. The Scale Samurai in his finest form.

As the Great Monkey Sage is hammered upon by Schneider's flames and Dosbox dropping a black orb of burning darkness upon him, Soujiro and Curtana worked perfectly in tandem with one another to protect everyone. And all the while, the shaggy-haired Knight had kept an eye on the Samurai. The breathing, the movement, the energy output? All perfect. "Excellent work, Soujiro!" He can't help feel pride at seeing his own original technique start to spread, to crush evil where it is found.

Alas, this simian isn't easy to falter and becomes an demonic taint upon this shrine. It was already bad enough when it was just a monkey, but now an undead abomination that has taken root upon this world? It is a sickness.

And sickness must be purged.

Drawing his longsword and igniting it in the Firebrand Arte, Curtana starts flinging the blade away from him, heated metal cutting up centipede and monkey flesh alike before flying back to his hand. There's no battle cry this time, but fustration in his voice as he tosses his longsword into the twisted mass. "No more tricks. You are DONE!"

    The boss, hideous as it may be, has messed with the wrong group. While some combat is very focused, the first attack is rather guided by instinct. Borywick's vines keep that creepy crawly nightmare stuck fast in its place.

    Being unable to move bodes poorly for the creature, as Schneider's cape of weeping fire has more than enough incinerating power to punish it and the sage itself. Trapped and searing, the creature lets out a horrible, keening noise. Even bugs can scream in ETO, it seems.

    At least, scream for a little while. The Sword Saint descends upon it, joined by what first appears to be an angel of death. The hybrid creature of light moves in tandem with its summoner and positively lays waste to the pinned monster.

    Yet the monster continues to lash out, diminishing HP in alarming fashion as it defies all efforts to tank it. For some, this is particularly troublesome. Asuna tends to get very close to enemies and tends not to fear a diminishing life gauge. Operating on absolute faith in her team, she stays up close and personal, interfering with attacks and drawing as much fire as possible.

    It is a good thing when Curtana's last attack strikes home, slaying the centipede and exposing the boss to its final doom. At last, it erupts into pixels. Yet there is no relaxation in the Flash's posture. Not this time. Only when the loot falls does she finally relax.

    "... and stay dead!" she growls softly.

    But then, it's time to focus on the team. Smile up, confidence on! "Great work everyone! That was awesome! And really, really amazing." Asuna never played before the day of the dark wave, so she never got to see all the epic attacks she had heard of from way back then. Until today.

    "So.. that's what the real attacks used to look like in the top tier raids? I've never seen anything quite like that! And combo moves, too? Curtana, I want to learn some of those!" And yes, she just has to be in front of him when making this request. His blushes are kind of fun, honestly. Not that she noticed.

    ... she totally noticed.

"Good job leading us to victory, Asuna," Soujiro says as he puts his katanas back into their sayas. Thats right, in his eyes it was Asuna that was leading this effort all along. Of course he can't help but see how Curtana handles all the blushing with a smile. Looks like the knight has an admirer! As for Dos, the sword saint observes the loot, "This is gem-like, right?" as he remembered the gnome's original ask from the start of the adventure.

Dosbox nods excitedly to Soujiro, "Heckles to the yeah! I have no idea what I am going to make with this, but it's not going to be no sharktooth necklace, believe you me!" Considering the orb's size in comparison to him, it's a surprise he can carry it.

Sighing in relief as the insect-undead-simian creature finally shatters for good, Curtana sheathes his longsword and doublechecks everyone's HP before letting his guard down. He even closes his eyes in relief. "Good work, everyone. That could have gone poorly, but we all worked together and-erk!" His humble thanks to his friends and allies is cut off as he opens his eyes and suddenly finds himself in close proximity of one Flash. And just now is he realizing that her cosplay has a plunging neckline.

From pale skin to ruby blush, Curt takes a moment to process that she was asking him something. The knight who just charged headlong into battle without a pause is taking a step back in shock and stumbling over his works. "I-uh...y-you mean the Hamon technique I-I taught Soujiro? I m-made it and could teach y-you...uh..." Taking another step back, he quickly advances in the opposite direction to collect his own orb. Nope, totally not fleeing. "...just...now Gwen or Morri-crafted outfits. Please?"

    "Thank you, Soujiro! I can't always make you take the lead. Though That attack you did at the end." Asuna can't quite get over that one. "That's unique to your weapon, isn't it? It's one of the powers from before the game reset, right?"

    She can't help but sound a bit reverent. That was the coolest attack she's ever seen. And yeah, it kinda kills her knowing that it's almost certainly one of the unique talents. She's working on one herself, admittedly, and now she's also wondering, can she do something that amazing?

    It helps to refocus herself on Dosbox, though. "And you have a massive gem there. Seems like it has a ton of light power inside it. Considering the shrine, this would indicate we were successful in purification. So it was a great clear! Just a hunch, but I bet if we took a slightly different route, there may be an alternate drop."

    She has to turn her attention back to Curtana, at that point. Asuna looks down at herself, then back up at Curtana. Who is suddenly a lot farther away. The Flash tries to figure out how to put him at ease. "Oh, don't act so worried about it! I mean, none of this is real, you know. It's just digital imaging of my body scan." It occurs to her that this is probably not at all helpful, actually. Plus it causes her to blush as she realizes again that cosplay is a most revealing business to be in. However, her mother did not raise a quitter! Besides, if she changes due to blushing it's a defeat! Somehow!

    "But anyway. Yes. Training. I want to learn some time! And hey, you know, I can wear whatever I like, right?" That smirk is her secret. It somehow prevents blushing.

Soujiro Seta gives a pat to the katana at his side as he goes into heroic exposition dump, "It is. Kogarasumaru and I were a pair before the expansion hit and reduced our levels back down to 1. It also made all of our items, like the vessel Kogarasumaru resides in, broken." The hand rests at the side. "I went back to Ezzo to retake the quest that Adventurers can take to find her again, and reforged our bond as soon as I was strong enough and had stalwart friends willing to risk the corruption in Ezzo." A smile sparkles on his face, "So it is not just an attack for us, but represents the wishes of many." Sparkle.

"Training! It is a great technique, learning it was a lot of fun," Souji says with enthusiasm, having put it into a great combo move earlier. TRAINING!

Hearing Asuna's last comment is more than he absolutely wants to hear right now. Yep, there's the good old Bleeding debuff. Oh, and Overheat on top of that? You two are never far apart when it's women around him. "It's more than real enough to me!"

...ugh. The rumors of Asuna are far different from the reality.

The lands of Ezzo are certainly an area that no one traverses for a good reason, and that alone has Curtana give the katana Soujiro wields far more respect. "It's clear you are proud of your partner. My sword's nothing amazing like that, but I been using it since the day I first crafted it, over two years ago." Curtana pats his plain longsword, resting in it's sheathe on his hip. "You should be proud." And no, he's totally not taking this chance to distract himself from Asuna.

    "Oh wow! Ezzo?!" Asuna is obviously among Soujiro's fans. Not a harem member, but she definitely looks up to her fellow samurai.

    "What an awesome story! It really sets my aspirations high, too. If I work hard, maybe we can do a combo move together someday."

    She can't sparkle like Soujiro, but she is beaming, to be sure. And dreaming of being able to fight like that someday. Asuna knows that she did okay today, it's not that. Well, not exactly that. She will address her 'deficiencies in performance' later. But ultimately, she wants to be more powerful! To be the best at what she does. Despite shared classes, this is not the same thing that Soujiro does.