[Celestial Arms Quest 2-6] A Promise

[Capsule]

[attr="class","solcap"]

As the Assassin Lander died and the vision faded, Capsule had her consciousness returned to her body. The Enchanter lied flat on her back, eyes lolled to show nothing but the whites, and limbs twitching in a fashion similar to what Guinevere had experienced. In her mind, she was still stuck in the dying body, body raw with multiple hornet stings. It took a few minutes and some curious prodding from a Ratman to stir the woman. It was a horrible thing to experience, dying. It was also a first for Capsule; she was too careful and had several escape tactics to avoid the trauma of death. Not even Brachyura gave her pause for concern, as she had had Gauze, the Pompadour Samurai, to back her up. To experience the helplessness of Guin, however…

Capsule punched the Ratman in the snout. She was in no mood for tomfoolery, and in her mind, Guinevere was still in danger. If she could go back in time and stop the Lander from dying, she… Capsule scrambled up onto her feet. The hold from the ghosts and Ratmen had long faded, though there were still a few rodents in the area. She kicked one in the groin when it lunged at her. «Shove off,» she snarled. Both her main and rp subclasses were much higher than the levels of the rats, so they would have no choice but to obey, unless they fancied death.

As the rats sulked off to hound a less capable Adventurer, Capsule clambered out of the hole. It led her out of the Catacombs, as expected, and into an area she had visited only through the eyes of someone else. The Fountain of Fate had long fallen into ruin, as had its surroundings, but she recognized it all the same. And there… that pile of rubble was where Guinevere made her final stand.

She turned her head towards the sky, in the very same spot the portal appeared centuries ago. In her hand, the Pebble of Philosophy was steadily glowing with light. As the portal made its entrance, the light from the pebble became almost blinding. The swarm of hornets fully materialized as the radiant glow reached its zenith. A dark figure appeared alongside Capsule, whom she could only guess was Guinevere. The Enchanter made a promise, a promise to protect Guin from death, and ensure that she lived long enough to see her sister married.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 406
♫: A Promise
✏: Get set to get decked!
@: Capsule

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Capsule]

[attr="class","solcap"]

The light from the pebble began to dim as the battle was ready to commence. Standing just a few feet away was Guinevere, dagger in one hand as she bundled the cloth of her flowing red dress into one hand. "I was going to wear this to my sister's wedding, but now I may never be able to…" With a slash of her dagger and a hard yank, the cumbersome fabric was sheared from her knees down. This was a woman who thought she was going to die fighting.

"Don’t be so sure about that." That effortless smirk was plastered onto the albino's face. Guinevere blinked back in confusion, for a number of reasons Capsule could think of. Her gear would no doubt be strange, as it was modern, and she had never been seen around these parts before. "There is no time to explain who I am or why I am here. Just know that no one will be dying here." She gave the woman a sly wink.

"Oh… I feel so much stronger." The threat of the Praesepe Sentinel was great, but the other woman was distracted by her sudden boost from level thirty to ninety. Capsule, being so close to ninety already, felt little difference when the change occurred. Having appropriately leveled gear once more was divine. "Tch, I can take care of this swarm on my own." That was actually a fair assessment. The Sentinel was only level fifty, and Assassins boasted the highest burst damage in the game. Or something close to that.

Capsule summoned Kasper as well, and buffed the party with Keen Edge, just as the Sentinel was swooping in for an attack. Guinevere activated Accel Dance, and dashed forward to perform Swift Sakura Slash. Kasper attacked from a different angle, using Festive Shotgun on the swarm. The Enchanter, having observed the its weaknesses while locked in the vision, used Fireball Pitch. With all their attacks combined, the Sentinel was nearly obliterated on the spot. Cherry blossoms littered the area around it as Guin finished up her attack with a few basic slashes.

A loud buzzing filled the air as the Sentinel fell towards the ground, dispersing in a sea of bubbles. "Ha! That was easier than taking sweets from an infant!" It was easy -- too easy. Capsule gazed up at the portal with dread. The fact that it was still there, and that the Sentinel had fallen so easily…

She waved a hand at Guinevere. "Don’t get ahead of yourself." Peeking out of the portal was a tendril of hornets, and these were sure to be a larger threat than the others.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 441
♫: Visitors
✏: Sentinel is down for the count.
@: Capsule

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Capsule]

[attr="class","solcap"]

Sure enough, they were confronted by a level ninety Genius: the Praesepe Hive. It was still weak to fire, which was a good thing. It also had a heck of a lot more skills in its arsenal, which was not so great. Mitotic Manifestation would be annoying to deal with later, while the rest of its new skills would be a pain in the ass to mitigate or avoid. Capsule summoned up a Gehenna Swarm, while at the same time mentally instructing her Reindeer to fire off Red Nosed Reindeer to blind it for a few seconds. Over in her corner, Guin was setting up her Explosive Sigil skill.

The Reindeer was redrawn as Capsule performed Thorn Bind Hostage on the Hive. While it was trapped in place, Guin the rune inscribed dagger at it. The Hive was rocked to one side as a burst of fire rose at the direct contact. Capsule threw in a Fireball Pitch for good measure, inflicting more damage onto the swarm. A series of thin, shadowy wires formed around Guin, a defensive Assassin skill known as Shadow Wires. Capsule would have to be careful to avoid stepping into it, as she would also succumb to its effects.

Now cloaked with the aid of a stealth skill, the Assassin hurriedly rounded on the Hive, and attacked it from the back with Assassinate. At that moment, the Hive broke free. Being unable to see the Assassin, it immediately made a move for Capsule. A segment of the Hive was detached to assault her, but the Pestilence was counterattacked by her Gehenna Swarm. Stupid move, really; the hornets may have moved away from the main fleet, but they still shared health values and debuffs.

Guin took advantage of the slightly debuffed monster to slash and hack into its back. She only had so long before the Hate would be redirected at her. Capsule sent her Crystal Ball flying into the heart of the swarm, ignoring a few stings from the Pestilence. It was surprisingly not as bad as hornet stings from the real world, but the poison was dangerous.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 352
♫: Chaos
✏: Praesepe Hive: 70%
@: Capsule

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Capsule]

[attr="class","solcap"]

The Hive caught on very quickly, and moved to target the high damage dealing Assassin. Being closer to the Hive, she made for easy prey. The Hive performed a move called Final Sting, and dove hard at the woman. Guinevere bit back a scream as the Hive made contact, but not without taking damage of its own. The Shadow Wires latched onto it, dealing dark elemental damage and hindering its movement for five seconds. Capsule took that time to further impede the Hive with Astral Bind, giving Guinevere ample time to escape and recuperate.

Capsule sent a cascade of meteors down onto the Hive, with her Metaconscious Meteorskill. It left a burning impression on the monster… well, not in the literal sense, but it would at least reduce its mana pool by some. Guinevere had resorted to ranged attacks for now. Melee was fa too risky, but ranged attacks were all fair game. The combat Crystal Ball was serving Capsule well in that act, bludgeoning the Hive from a safe distance.

The Enchanter whipped out a Corrosive Poison in one hand, and summoned up a Fireball Pitch in the other. As the swarm freed itself and turned its sights back onto the Assassin, Capsule threw first the volatile mixture, and then the fireball. Combined, the potion and skill sent the Hive reeling and buzzing with rage. It was a shame she had not researched Greek Fire yet. The stronger flames would have proven themselves to be highly efficient against the glorified swarm of bees.

Guinevere also realized the importance of fire, for now she was using another Explosive Sigil on the swarm. With its back turned to the Assassin in favor of the weaker Enchanter, Guin struck it in the back with a flaming dagger, and then proceeded to use Congregating Arc. Even with the Pestilence alternating between the two women, this was going in their favor.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 317
♫: A Promise
✏: Praesepe Hive: 40%
@: Capsule

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Capsule]

[attr="class","solcap"]

Of course, there was such a thing as cool downs to consider, as well as the poison now coursing through their veins. The two of them alternated Hate as best as they could, though it was often not enough to deflect the threat of Sky Dive, Final Sting or Pestilence. At some point, the monster also smartened up, and distorted their vision with a cloud of hornets. This reduced their melee and ranged attacks by fifty, making accuracy a real work of art. That was more of an issue for the Assassin, but Capsule had it easier; a lot of her higher tiered skills were AOEs.

The resorted to using Metaconscious Meteor again, and Thorn Bind Hostage when she could. Gehenna Swarm was back at her side for a few seconds, before ensnaring itself into the brunt of a dive attack by the swarm. This was where Guinevere came in with Accel Dance and Assassinate. Their assault on the hoard was mostly brute force, ranged attacks, fire, and a whole lot of bondage and dodging.

It was all rather taxing, as the difficulty seemed strongest near the midpoint. Capsule feared the low point, where the Hive would be forced to do something drastic, just to stay alive. The Enchanter was pretty beat up at this point, but the Assassin had it worse, being the main source of damage. Capsule had to toss the woman a medicinal tablet, just to keep her in tip top shape. As for her own injuries, she could manage with Prana Drain, though the constant shifting made it difficult for her to heal more than one hundred health points at a time.

At least Brachyura had not been so mobile. That fight was not so hard, in hindsight -- 'Brachyura!' Capsule reached into her magic bag and pulled out the water shooting crab too. No, wait… it was not the toy but the gem, Empathion of Fortitude, that she needed. Almost throwing the toy onto the ground in disgust, Capsule pulled out the level one accessory.

Dodging the persistent Pestilence, she summoned the avatar of the fallen crab Genius. There was an audible gasp from Guin as the crab man avatar mauled the Hive with Four Arms. "Yes! Yeeeees!" That high damage attack was what they needed right now, and had even knocked the Hive down a grand scale -- "…Oh no!" This was bad.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 399
♫: Up In Flames
✏: Praesepe Hive: 10%
@: Capsule

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Capsule]

[attr="class","solcap"]

The Hive was so close to dying, but it would not be that easy to kill it, and rushing to do so would only get them killed. They had to approach this with some caution and strategy. Mitotic Manifestation had taken effect after the heavy blow from Brachyura, and now they had two swarms to contend with. Not only that, but there was also Beehive Nebula to consider. If they strayed ten feet within range of the Hives, it would knock off twenty five percent of their health.

The biggest issue Capsule faced was restraining the monsters at the same time. She could only hold back one at a time, so that left it up to Guin to trap the other with Shadow Wires. The strategy of switching Hate back and forth became keeping one swarm on each other, less one of them be double teamed and overwhelmed. Capsule groaned as stingers and venom continued to penetrate her body. She threw Fireball Pitches when she could, while Guinevere continued to exploit Explosive Sigil and Congregating Arc.

The Enchanter leaned against her staff, eyes screwed shut as she fought for breath. All this running was wearing her out, which the Hive may have intended. Guin had come to a stop a few feet away, equally exhausted. Capsule had a plan in mind, one that would end this fight once and for all. She gritted her teeth as one of the Hives slammed heavily into her side, a flurry of stings ravaging her prone figure. Somewhere to the right, the other Hive was charging up for a Beehive Nebula. In her eardrums, she could hear the high pitched cries of "Submit. Surrender. Despair."

Capsule sent a telepathic message to Guin, to instruct her of what to do at the signal. It was a fail proof plan. She closed her eyes and counted the agonizing five seconds. Five… four… three… two… one… As pain coursed through her body, Capsule began to cast Lunacy Metronome.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 331
♫: Ray of Light
✏: Praesepe Hives: 5%/8%
@: Capsule

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Capsule]

[attr="class","solcap"]

As Lunacy Metronome took effect, the swarms were forced into a trance. It would only last ten seconds at the most, and that was if they were not attacked. Capsule fully intended to kill them before the effects wore off, or before they could retaliate. She urged Guinevere to hurry onto her feet, and prepare another Explosive Sigil. Eight seconds left. Capsule needed two more to summon up her Gehenna Swarm. Six seconds. Next, she used Force of Infinity on the swarm with the highest health pool (eight percent). A critical hit was bound to be landed, even if it were overkill. Three seconds.

In those last three seconds, Guinevere acted. She darted in and sliced at the higher health swarm with Perfect Autopsy, while simultaneously throwing the rune inscribed dagger at the other swarm. As the Hive was rudely awakened, the Assassin used Swift Sakura Slash to finish them off. The hornets screamed in a rage that died down just as swiftly as it started. They had failed, whereas the women had triumphed.

From her spot on the ground (how had she ended up here?), Capsule grinned dumbly at the Lander. "Enjoy the wedding," was all she managed to say before blacking out. Guinevere had a few seconds to marvel in her shared victory, before realizing the Enchanter was fading from her very eyes; not in a bubbly death, but almost as if she were being teleported out of the area.

"Ah, I see your mission was a success. What a shame that it did not amount to much!" The Trickster's raucous laughter echoed though her dazed mind. "Worry not, comrade. I can teleport you out of there… for free. And back again, if you ever so desire. " Capsule was dimly aware of being levitated, and then lowered onto something soft and warm.

Two gentle hands began caressing the small of her back and the crown of her head. "Drusilla and Katheryn will take good care of you until you are all better." This time, the Trickster's voice seemed to be coming from somewhere above her. In a hush voice, he whispered "Dru is not a real doctor, so take anything she advises with a grain of salt, kid." Capsule forced her eyes open into two slits. All she could see was patches of bare skin and parts of the nurse costume. Too tired to complain, the Enchanter fell asleep in the woman's lap.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 406
♫: Beyond The Infinite Void
✏: Finally
@: Capsule

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]