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Balcerzak

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About Balcerzak

  • Birthday 04/23/1983

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    dev+

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    Eden Prairie

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  1. As soon as they stepped foot inside, the iconography drew an ironic smile to Susan's lips. Of course it would snakes. Why wouldn't it be? Nisha seemed to be correct on her assumptions, no strife yet between the members of the cloth. "Sure, you can wait back here if you're more comfortable that way," the magus offered, sensing some hesitation, or at least discomfort, from the other's stutter, but for herself she strode forward, entering under the shadow of the serpentine statue, facing the priest directly. "It's been ages since I've been to a church, and never to one of your faith. Hopefully that's not an issue for you, but you might need to explain things to me like I were five years old. Why don't we skip past any bits of creation or cosmology and just start with what feels most important, at least to me: What does following Hess impact in the day-to-day? What does she demand of her adherents, and what does she provide them? What are the flaws of the competing faiths, and why is yours superior?"
  2. Nisha's panicked reaction brought unforeseen levity to the situation and, much to Susan's surprise, she found the comedy of the situation bringing her to laughter. The flailing hands, the look on the wraith's face, and this from one she had pegged as a seasoned killer. It was just, so, counter to her suppositions she couldn't help herself. Would Nisha take her laughter as a sign she'd been playing up a joke at her expense the whole time, though? The thought crossed her mind in short order, and Susan found her mirth melt away as it did. "Maybe I am a touch mad," she mused. "Most of my travelling has been alone. A few occasions with a partner, once a small group, but even that paled to this company's caravan. Whatever trouble my whims and impulses got me into tended to be mine alone to try and escape, or to suffer through the consequences." Susan disagreed with Nisha's point of view that this would be done 'without reason', but if the other woman wasn't inclined to help willingly, then neither arguing with her, nor trying to go it alone would be good ideas. Maybe there were adjustments to her approaches that would need to be made, but striking back at the church today was dead in the water now. At least, after peeking in quick, Nisha was still amenable to letting her go ahead with their previous plans, take a look around the church, maybe get up to date on, well if not everything that's going on in the world of religion these days, perhaps the basic primer. "Yeah, you win. I'm still looking for answers and we did come all the way here, so I'm glad you're not going to make us turn around and leave because I suggested something foolish. Let's head inside, maybe have a chat with the priest of Hess, who'll probably be equally confused what this other fellow is doing here..."
  3. Wasteland Woes Susan just shrugged at being given the judgement of weird. Even if she wanted to protest, it was absolutely true. How many people in this world were as fucked up as she was? Probably not many. So the shoe fit. "You asked," was what she settled with, and apparently the wraithkin wasn't done asking, or too put off with her weirdness, and there came another batch of questions. "Myrreenthia? She's one of the gods who I'm used to, and honestly I don't know why it's always her name upon my lips, considering she's never answered any of my many prayers, but, old habits I guess?" A slight frown at this bit of introspection, but it swiftly passed, leaving in its place a thoughtful expression. "I wonder if she's just changed her name, or faded to the background, or something else entirely." Being questioned about Lucille was somewhat surprising though, and it showed on her face as she turned and looked Nisha in the eyes for a few seconds, before once again facing forwards as they navigated the streets. "I rather expected you knew her..." better than I were words that almost slipped out, but were bit off and reconsidered, given the rather deep talks the two had had when Susan had found some time to press her for questions--well strictly speaking, she'd been the one spending most of the time in the hot seat, but she had learned much through Lucille's reactions to her story as it was told, as well as from the questions of her own that did make it to the fore. "Oh, maybe just my phrasing? Uh, there was a forested country to the northeast, I'm sure it has different borders and a different name now, but there were many dark folk tales from the region, and one of them involved the doppleganger. Depending on the telling details differed, and mostly it was used just to frighten small children, but the jist of it was a being who shared the exact likeness of another, and frequently its goal was to hunt out its image partner, kill them, and take their place. So, I suppose my usage was inexact, considering my sister is firmly in the past, Lucille has no such motives, and..." Susan's mouth had been going faster than her brain had been laying track, so she wasn't sure exactly how to finish the thought. "What do you call such lookalikes today, or has that concept not survived?" It was comforting, just rambling back and forth like this, even if Nisha didn't end up believing a word she said, or even if it placed her more firmly in the weird column she already definitely inhabited. But the woman's curiosity could be trusted enough that it wasn't like she was suddenly going to leave her in the lurch, abandon her at a church and disappear. At least that was the impression that she got. Speaking of which, they finally did arrive, after the wraith led them the long way around, avoiding the bazaar, much to Susan's indifference on that matter. As previously stated, she didn't have the coin to spend, so it was probably just as well not seeing any curious or exotic wares, lest temptation take hold. The building they arrived at was sized according to its esteem, certainly among its adherents if not shared by everyone. It was larger than other structures in the vicinity, and designed to attract the eye, and the coiled carving atop its entrance put in a goodly amount of work on that front. Susan was trying to figure out the best way to reply to Nisha's comment doubting the veracity of Hess 'birthing all monsters', when an interrupting voice spoke up from behind them. An older man in some rather ornate robes, clearly the priest then, and they were blocking his entrance. "Ah, go ahead then, Father," Susan murmured, as her companion stuttered her own similar message of approval, and the pair of them parted to allow passage. After he'd disappeared inside ahead of them, however, Nisha's next words sunk into Susan like a knife, and she felt her blood run a little cold. "Ilrios..." a small shudder at that name, much a curious one to hear as Hess's. "That's Coteon's church, is it not?" Confirmation was not fully needed here, but speaking the words still felt right, as did the next words, seeking, searching... suggesting. "So, we're killing him then, right? Best to follow him in, finish it quick and fast? Or, hmmm, wait outside here in an ambush? Your opinions?"
  4. Jade's first instinct was to reply by telling Lavinia that even without her armor she's strong, that she could put up a helluva fight. Vampire that she was, a lot of really fearsome wounds could be shrugged off, recovered from, mitigated. And maybe if it were night-time that was what she would have gone with. After all, she'd already survived the decapitation in the arena, a few towns back, hadn't she? But the zombie had an inkling that, while convenient, that particular voiced discontent didn't truly strike to the heart of the matter. And when she heard the shifting of fabric, and the sound of the tall woman lowering herself onto the massage bed to her left--the star then taking the one to her right at the end of the row--as Jade turned to give a reassuring smile, Lavinia's next complaint perhaps spoke to the truth of the matter. Disarmed of protective pride, struggling with shame and vulnerability, that must be the real bother of the moment. It was a battle the merchant understood quite well, with her own feelings of inadequacy, and tainted beauty, but it was one Lavinia had been helping her through. "I daresay few actually seek out and hope to embarrassed, that would take a rather special kind of person," Jade snorted softly as she imagined such a scene. "Getting used to this is probably just, mmm," the zombie broke off in a groan as the elf delivering her massage first began to sink her fingers into her shoulders. A few moments to recompose, then she continued. "Just mindset, and realization, I guess? To the establishment, this is just a transaction, and they've surely seen it all before. Even us, we're probably well within the middle band of their clientèle. And by all means, this should be a place of safety. We've enough time to let our hair down and relax a little before worrying over any possible upcoming dangers, so let's just, ahhh, yes, right there." Maybe Jade needn't have said anything at all, as almost the same time the zombie was melting under the ministrations of the masseuse, she heard uttered an agreement from her partner, and the level of contentment in her tone... wheels started spinning in the merchant's head. She knew she wouldn't hold a candle to professionals, but perhaps with practice? It would be a nice way to give back, surely, and maybe... "Mmm," Jade just breathed deep the soothing scents, and let herself succumb for now.
  5. Jade followed along as they were led up the stairs and passed off to a different elf, clad in green. The use of the tree as architecture was no less stunning as they continued to travel, the branch leading outside was sure to be some sort of an option, though, not likely one to be exercised for their particular services. Aromatherapy worked better in a room with controlled air circulation. Not that it couldn't be done outdoors, but controlling for all those variables... As Lavinia expressed a sense of admiration for the establishment, the zombie couldn't help but echo the sentiment. "Truly, I would have felt guilty if I hadn't spent anything, assuming the delivery matches the ambience they've built up for us here." Then following the directions given, she moved to one of the changing stalls, and began disrobing. There was some hesitation in removing the ribbon around her neck, hiding the absolute worst of her scars, but after some second thoughts, off it came. The robe looked comfortable, felt comfortable, but... the masseuse would need to work on her anyway, and there wasn't anything Lavinia hadn't seen of her body by this point, so all she had to do was leave her stall before the star, and lay down on her designated bed quickly, before Astraea had finished changing and had the opportunity to catch any glimpses. Still, it was one thing to resolve it, and another to do it, and so Jade ended up carrying the robe with her, folded up, hanging over her arm in front of her, providing a minimal modesty as she made her way to her destination. And it would serve her well for transit on the way back, after the massage was done, a secondary benefit she hadn't consciously planned for at first, but realized quickly after the first couple paces out from the safety of the stall, feeling a bit more exposed than she had thought it would seem to be. The grumbling protestations and sense of embarrassment her off-hand comment seemed to cause Nisha struck in a Susan a queer sense of confusion. Especially when juxtaposed to the sense of hurt and betrayal the shade's previous comments had given her reason to believe was the other's baseline. Well, she owed it to her 'acquaintance at best' to put to bed any misunderstandings. "Sorry, turn of the phrase. I have no expectations in that regard, and you shouldn't either. Just, was joking to lighten the mood, you know? You had seemed like you'd every bit as much reason to know, it appeared as if you were just as jaded as I, that you knew 'romance' was something that only exists in fairy tales. In real life, everyone wants something from you, and sometimes that something just happens to be..." a shrug here, but things should have become perfectly clear now. No need to be gauche and go any further. "I don't desire that from anyone, not any more. But if I need to to get what I want... I guess it's not off the table." Perhaps that was more truth than she needed to drop here, time to change the subject. "You are right there on at least one thing, though. The doll-maker being sealed up along with the rest of us doesn't make any sense... and I can't believe she and the red devil have set aside their differences, and both seem to be ignoring me, or maybe even have legitimately forgotten. But who am I to look that gift horse in the mouth?" Then there were a few moments of dead air, with Nisha moving to fill that void with background noise, which was fine until. 'Prolly Hess.' One of the most unlikely of names possible for gods of the new pantheon. Susan couldn't help but stop suddenly, then feel a thump as Nisha continued walking right into her. "Ah, sorry," she mumbled, and the lurched back into motion, a bit detached from reality, as her mind whirred, and she tried to figure out if this was impossible coincidence or actually something even stranger. Again her wraith companion tried to fill the void with speech, and some of it passed through her entirely, but at the mention of food her stomach gave the most unfortunate of growls, and a rare wave of embarrassment took hold of Susan. She sighed and hoped that Nisha hadn't heard, and maybe that was true, as the other asked the unrelated question, 'What happened really', (well not exactly those words, but that meaning, more or less). An escape rope of sorts, and far be it from the magi to let that slip past her, when she could use it to help divert attention. "Look, tens of years, hundreds of years, I couldn't answer definitively from anything I've seen just yet. But yeah, either enough time has passed for people to have completely redrawn the map, or maybe a council of wizards rewrote the fabric of reality, or perhaps the whole lot of us just died and were reborn in another world. Together. In some twisted replica of her tower..." It sounded more and more fanciful the longer she drew it out. "The razor of truth is tending to suggest the former, though," Susan sighed and shrugged. "Sweet Myrreenthia, though, the shock of seeing my sister's doppleganger... it really has been hard to process. But I'm forced to come to grips with it, as long as I draw breath I've got to keep moving forward." Susan stopped and stared up and down the streets. She'd been walking with only vague sense of destination, but the interruption had jolted her out of autopilot, and now she wasn't quite sure which way was best. What would Hess, of all people, have chosen to adorn her houses of worship? What sorts of holy symbols were in vogue these days? What traditions, what expectations? Was it confession, penance, flagellation, ablation, indulgences? A slight wave of dizziness, with dark despondence threatening to advance, and she had to shake it off. "...Where are we?" A question unconsciously slipped from her lips.
  6. "Full body as well," Jade replied at Lavinia's prompting, "But I'll spring for some aromatherapy in addition to the base package. Call it weakness if you want, but what can I say, I love good smells." The star still seemed to be a little nervous, but was hopefully mellowing out. If everything went right, that was one goal well on its way to being met. The sudden voice caused a bit of a start, but Susan quickly regained her composure, turning to face the wraith she'd been half searching for. Giving a semblance of a shrug, she responded. "Wasn't looking for anything specific, just trying to get a feel for things in general. You can learn a lot about a society by seeing how its least fortunate are treated..." She tilted her head as she trailed of, then added, "Except maybe looking for you, I guess? I hadn't seen you disappear, and well... That egg thing you bring up is more connection I have with most of this world. The only stronger bond was elsewise occupied and I didn't wish to intrude." "As far as danger goes, I'm not really looking for trouble, but I couldn't care less if I find it..." Susan shrugged dismissively, but as a small twinge in her arm reminded her, she amended her statement somewhat. "That said, overconfidence has bitten me before, so maybe I should stop tempting fate. Especially when I'm still not completely sure how things have... changed." Nisha's remark that she hated crowds, disliked cities, was a bit of a surprise, if not really shocking. Biting back an almost involuntary 'Who hurt you?' only a faint 'wh' sound left Susan's mouth, but it could have also been a 'what', 'where', or even 'well', for all a listener knew. In the end she pivoted to the following, "Well, I'll have you know I'm not going to be a good date. Without so much as pennies to my name, the only place I can think of that's not like to throw me on my ass for not having two coins to rub together would be a church. For all their rotten underbelly of corruption, they generally like to keep up a good public image. And hell, if nothing else, it'll get me updated on whose names I should be taking in vain these days." As she started walking off with this vague new destination as a goal, she turned back over her shoulder and called out, "Of course, this is just unless you've got any better ideas."
  7. Susan's connections, from faint to strong, had gone off already. Some when she had been looking, and some when she hadn't. Some permanently, like when Ren got a ritual to deal with other matters, and some just temporarily, like Lucille going on a date with her boy-- her close friend, and a couple of clearly unwanted plus ones. If it hadn't been the red devil, she would have stepped up as a sister and tried to play interference, but interfering with Ishtaria herself was more than she could handle at the moment. The dragon and the redhead seemed to be spending time together as well, and while it was hard to get a solid read, probably better to leave them alone as well. So that left Nisha, who she hadn't seen disappear, but if nothing else she could explore the city while looking for her. The axewoman hadn't had much presence to begin with, so it was no wonder Susan hadn't noticed, and probably meant the best places to go hunting were in shady alleys and backstreets. Such snooping around would also be informative whether or not she ended up successfully tracking her quarry, since you can tell a lot about a kingdom by the way it treats its least fortunate citizens. Beggars, whores, crazed doomsayers, if you took the time to listen, could grant interesting snatches of wisdom. Or complete loads of bollocks, you honestly never know what you're going to get. Thieves, cutpurses, urchins, more reliable--if more dangerous to get mixed up in, though without much in the way of assets she was pretty hard to rob at present. Whatever she end up coming across, Susan would have to hope that playing the "out of town" card would explain enough of her being out of touch and out of time, without having to break out any of the impossible to believe truths. The magi headed off, alone, in a random direction, ending up behind Mead Mead Mead, and then continuing to wind her way through the backstreets, looking for signs of Nisha, or of something else interesting or informative. The Willow was an impressive establishment, and were it not for having been forced to serve a literal witch for a time, the touch of mystery and magic mixed with more mundane magnificence of tamed natural wilds would have had much more of a breathtaking effect on Jade. Assuming she had been remembering to take breaths in the first place, which sometimes slipped the zombie's mind. As it was though, it was certainly a sight to take in. Lavinia seemed a bit gobsmacked, and only gave a faltering reply to the elven woman checking in customers, whose manner of query seemed to presuppose a level of familiarity that may not be entirely warranted. "Lavinia has given you our names now, but I must admit a bit of curiosity on what you mean by preference? My awareness of this place and its services was mostly from vague reputation, so are you asking if we're looking for say, aromatherapy, acupuncture, massage, or what was that foreign one I was hearing of from... was it reiki or something? Or were you merely inquiring about a particular focus are of the body being sought, like say the legs," Jade glanced at Lavinia here, mostly because the vampire was tall and not because she knew that was a particular point of need, "one's neck," she rubbed her own, unconsciously as the thought came to mind, "or something else like the arms or back?" The star here also chimed in, a bit wet-blanket like and ashamed at her lack of currency. Such behavior had to be put a stop to, and the merchant would see that it was. "No, don't be that way, Astraea. You shall have the same level of service as us, if not the same course or courses, I've enough coin to cover it, and enough mind to do so. We shall enjoy ourselves, all of us."
  8. Hearing her girlfriend's voice from behind her brought a smile to Jade's face, and she turned to show that to her. "Not interrupting at all," she assured her, echoing Astraea's assuagement, then stepping closer, leaning up on tiptoes to whisper into Lavinia's ear, "I think she's lonely, so honestly, the more the merrier." The zombie then both indulged herself, and badly attempted to cover things up by giving the vampire a kiss on the cheek on her way back down to normal standing height.
  9. "I didn't have anything especial planned," Jade began to respond before qualifying, "Though I do hope to visit the Trade Guild at some point before we leave, that will require a bit more planning and organizing to go about properly. So for now, the docket should be fairly open. Where were you thinking you'd like to..." The zombie trailed off, realizing that her question was stupid. The star was still so unfamiliar with the mortal realm that putting the decision in her hands would likely cause more confusion and apprehension than comfort in getting to choose. "Greg's might be fun, but hmm," no, on second thought, let's not take the innocent to a den of gambling, what are you stupid. "Actually, I just had a better idea. What would you say to the spa? Especially after having come through the wastes I feel like it would be quite invigorating."
  10. Nisha's question brought Susan's mind back to the surface, but it wasn't really an easy one to answer. "You were... convenient, I guess? I wasn't really, but I think a part of me..." Following the other woman's lead, Susan let gravity slide her body down the wall until her butt hit the floor. Unlike the chaos of her thoughts, there was actually a bottom for her body here. "In an instant... I've lost pretty much all my goals and hopes. It's hard to say if there's anything left to live for, or if I would've been better off locked away asleep for another several hundred years... heh." Sniffing back tears after her derisive laugh, she rubbed her eyes and cheeks, then shook her head. "And here I am, in uncommon honest and open mood. I know better, I should just shut up and ride it out, and yet... haaa." Another deep sigh and Susan tilted her head back, suddenly a burning urge to examine the ceiling.
  11. Apparently her unconscious actions had laid an invitation, one not fully realized by Susan until the touch of hands on her body somewhat startlingly woke her to the realization. She could only guess at the exact sequence of events that had led two people trying to help, one of them taking her "offered" hand, and the other, presumably having aimed to do the same ending up shifting to a different supporting role, helping to stabilize with a hand on the opposite shoulder and a bit of a boost from below the armpit. A little embarrassed, but there was nothing to be done but lean into the help and push herself back to her feet, then thank each of the girls in turn, shaking the one's hand after the other released hers upon her having gained her feet. "Ah, um, thanks..." The fox Changed took her moment to interject here as well, which was also embarrassing. Susan certainly hadn't been expecting to have her hair stroked or her head pat or anything, and honestly was feeling rather overwhelmed and done with the whole situation. Her 'sister' was no doubt in the same boat. "I should, uh, let you get back to your boyfriend now... and I'm gonna need some time to think about all this. But, later, when I'm ready... expect another visit from me, and umm... well, whatever happens, you know," it ended with a bit of a trailing ramble that probably made no sense, but Susan had surely overstayed her welcome, so she turned to leave, and without really knowing why grabbed Nisha's hand again in the process and pulled her along after her as well. Maybe it was a fear of being left behind, the rest of the group somehow receiving Hecate's blessing, mystically departing this sunken tomb of a tower, and she didn't want to be passed over, wouldn't be with the proper company? Or maybe it was just nervous energy at work, with no higher purpose? The urge not to be alone in a time when she desperately wanted to be was paradoxical, but not unreasonable. And who else was there for her, really? Enough distance later, and a bit of wall to lean against found and engaged, Susan loudly sighed and covered her face with both hands. What was the next step here?
  12. Garmraid Blaze G: Ending up with the version that Hugo pilots is not as big an advantage as it might otherwise have been, since Aqua can get a solid 30 kills in her solo map, nearly getting her up to Ace. The problem then comes with how you've prioritized your skills between fighter and backpack. So it's nice that I didn't have to pilot swap, I think that would have dragged me down a little bit, but probably nothing insurmountable. I have no idea on comparison with the Cerberus as a machine, but Real Hugo swaps Zeal for Soul, which is basically a run ender, imo. So somehow despite drafting last, I got the best possible OG for my playstyle. The OG unit is strong, and while it's a bit held-back until the upgrade, giving it favored unit series boost for extra upgrade bars helps. Hugo was top ace for most of the run, until Akira really managed to get enough skills bought from PP to absolutely take off. Getter Robo G: A solid second pick, but with full hindsight I probably should have picked Raideen in this slot. There were several Getter plot maps were it being forced and levelled absolutely saved turns though, so still an invaluable pick and an absolute powerhouse. Juggling kills between Ryouma and Hayato was a bit of a balancing act. Ryouma only got his Ace at the final kill of the game, so I could maybe have done better there. I definitely misallocated a skill here or there as well, triple main pilots is always a bit of a puzzle robo. Raideen: God Voice MAP attack made so many things so much more managable. I should have prioritized Hit and Away sooner, but still managed it in a fairly timely fashion. It's held back by having a somewhat short movement range, needs that Infight to patch it up. Almost made it to a clean 400 melee stat by then end, only 19 off. EVA-01: Quite a bit of a disappointment, comparatively, to the headliners from other major series. The tether hurts a lot, and most of its attacks are quite weak, even at full upgrades. Amazing defensively, of course, but LTC doesn't jive with that all too well most times. That said, it packs a MAP attack, and there's always room for more of those in one's army. EVA-00: So much better than Shinji once she learns Zeal because hers is ridiculous cheap. The N2 Mine MAP on top of her other MAP? Stop, I can only get so excited. Biggest drawback is being forcibly removed from the roster due to plot, but she saved so many turns with the flexibility brought to the team in a game where Zeal is the only Enable. Dragon Gundam: Definitely the better of the two Gundam Fighters I drafted due to movement range, which enabled a huge influx of early PP which lead to more movement range via Infight, which spiralled it so far ahead of the heavier hitting Bolt. Basically benched during endgame though, due to no Zeal. Invaluable for the quasi-route split maps where I had awkward amounts of forced units, so still gets very high marks for that. Getter Q: While initially drafted at this position because I was eyeing the Combo Attack potential, she ended up being one of my weaker overall support spirit bots and not really stellar at combat. She did pull her weight, but, and I'd have to look at jointimes etc. to be completely certain, it does feel like Mari's spirit list overall outclasses her. Blueger: The cheapest Bless, Cheer, Hopes you could ask for. She does her thing and she does it well. Super Gundam: Gave me a place to train Judau early. I needed some UC coverage for quasi-route splits, and this was what fell in my lap. I initially drafted it because Elle had a Daunt, and she did end up getting cycled in, but in retrospect I could have grabbed just about any of the machines for this slot. Fuunsaiki: Drafted primarily for jointime and useful support spirits. Apologies to Domon's drafter, but I have no regrets. This horse has a lot of move, which also helped in certain maps. Galvar FX-II: Another support bot. I may have overloaded on them, but I still had enough combat capable units, so I guess that was the right call, as being able to rake in double money and double XP kept the gravy train rolling and financed a lot of important upgrades. Daimos: Held back by jointime and actual route splits. I could easily see it being a powerhouse with more PP and more investment, although the spirit list does hold it back somewhat compared to the top tier drafts. Bolt Gundam: See Dragon Gundam. Triple Jim: My only source of Renew. A crutch. Literally invaluable. Re-GZ: Surprisingly versatile, and an S rank in Space on its finisher gave it more punch than it probably deserves. A good home for Zeal UC pilots. Venus A: Sayaka and Jun are both fantastic supports, with slightly different focuses (lategame it's Rouse vs Hope, earlier it's Bless vs Cheer). Being able to mix and match is great. MP Great Mazinger: Being able to use both is even better. What an amazing bottom pick for me. If Boss's goon's spirits weren't locked to level 80 he'd have put up a good fight for this, but as it is Jun just does so well here.
  13. Chapter 54, Soul's Refrain , in 2+1?+2 turns: Chapter 55, Across Far Away Eternity, in 1 turn: Chapter 56, The Promised Land, in 2 turns: The Epilogue and the End Scroll. Thank you for reading. You get an Alloy Gren for clearing, all of the equipable parts you haven't used (rip expendables), and a chunk of $ on NG+. No kill counts and questionable levels of PP are retained. It didn't let me keep record of final kills/levels/etc. I'm too lazy to go through the final stats window for final upgrades etc. I FUB Eva01 because I needed to give it one more move (short on MBooster/Haros so I had to make due), and I gave some mobility and HP to Hugo IIRC. Finish 55 Total Turns: 205 Unit thoughts and draft musings to follow shortly,
  14. "Mmm, I suppose it counts for you, Tundyssa, though I wouldn't have counted it for me," Jade kept an upbeat and joking manner as the dragon relayed how her primary company had been the cursed sword that had made its curious journey from the demon king's family, through unknown numbers of hands until reaching the merchant's, and then back again to a royal member. "I'm surprised to hear it worked against the golems, to be honest. I thought it hungered life force, and that's why I never had much luck with it until I lent it out..." A shrug, a glance to Lavinia for her thoughts, and then the zombie considered the final matter raised. "No strange humans in our sector, but I'd say our find outranked yours, whoever she was. So you're not exactly wrong there. We were lucky she aimed her spell away from us," Jade's voice lowered in contemplation and she continued. "I may be hardier than most, but looking at the devastation it caused I wouldn't have wanted to be in its path. Magic is rather outside my wheelhouse, so I left her to the General to figure out. Focus on the things I can do instead, you know?" The Saint's name coming from Xalrei's--Tundyssa's lips--was a surprise ending there as well. Hadn't she just said she'd been alone? Jade found herself looking around for where the tall, cowardly-seeming woman had ended up. She hadn't really much in the way of personal interactions, an inescapable consequence as the ragtag militia group had continued to expand, often in completely unexpected ways. Perhaps a conversation was coming due... Altair meant nothing to Susan, and of course neither did Laranoa nor anything else this Lucille was saying. Enough was said to know she was not Cosette, but as far as what else any of it went to prove... And then something startling and shocking was said, causing Susan to freeze. She, Susan, looked like Lucille's mother, like someone else as well? But that, that would be impossible? Certainly they were sisters, but they weren't that kind of sisters. They all had different colors for names, they all had shown up at various times, they all... But the monks were proven liars. What if they also... Susan's skull pounded, her head throbbed, it hurt to think. And to make matters worse, here came the sibilant voices she knew too well, adding to the present confusion. Truth be damned we can alwayssss jussst, make her family. A nudge of Desssire and-- Shut up! Susan found herself mouthing the words to add force to her mental refutation. Initial outburst aside, she managed to regain enough presence to keep the next sentences to just pure thought. Family is family. It's not something you can fake! Sssaysss the one who Deceived the farmer, the other sneering voice teased. Enough! Sleep! These words again were silently mouthed, then Susan clasped her hands in front of her, took a deep breath, held it, and set about forcing the snakes to slumber. There was enough on her plate without them butting in, and active combat was over. She needed time alone, to think, to process, to decide. Susan made to stand, not quite sure where she planned to go, but certain she couldn't just stay slumped on the ground, that she had to move. But her legs betrayed her and she only managed a little lift before stumbling, barely saving herself from planting her face into the hard tiles of the floor by putting her good arm out in front of her and bracing against it. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to... I just... I should, I need some..." Offering scarcely coherent words, Susan raised her right arm absent any conscious thought, perhaps seeking aid from someone as she geared up for another go at standing. Final destination was still unsure, but one step at a time. Susan's harness was strong enough that even if the prosthetic were gripped hard and pulled by someone, it would stay attached. But anyone taking hold would be able to tell immediately, by both temperature and firmness, that there was not living flesh beneath her glove.
  15. Chapter 51, Elegy of the Victors, in 1 turns: Chapter 52, The final GEAR is Hope, in 3 turns: Chapter 53, W-Infinity, in 2 turns: Total Turns: 197
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