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EX Hidden Temple - The Source

Scene details

Setting: The Star Chasers arrive at the source of the mist, a strange radiating orb. However, they come across a challenger who seemingly comes from somewhere far beyond their understanding. Can the explorers face the man's challenge?

Log


  Earlier, the explorers braved through the unknown dungeon, challenged by the water elementals that dwell within, puzzles, and the giant spider. The last set of challenges beared a warp gate that washed over the explorers and transported them into the bottom-most level of the temple.

 When they materialize, everything initially appears dark and quiet. Despite the dank appearing room, there appears to be sufficient air enough to find themselves to see through the mist that vaguely obscures the view.

  However, upon their arrival...

  Flames ignite on each side, revealing torches that spark to life upon sensing their arrival. This lights the way to a large hallway. The hall appears rather expansive, now leading to a large flight of stairs. Something large can vaguely be seen at the end of the stairs. It is an ominous glowing energy that pulses.
 


 Ivo blinks to adjust his eyes first to the darkness, then to the light of the torches flaring to life, briefly shielding his face with one gloved hand. Even in this long-sealed place, the mist still lurks. The concentration of water aether here exceeds what he had thought possible outside of the depths of the sea.
 "Once again, we unseal some terrible force."
 With a sigh, he tucks the Bishounen Rose carefully into his cloak.
 "And also whatever's down those stairs."
 Straightening, he grins wryly at his companions, who have hopefully also recovered successfully from the traumas of the previous encounters. Like *block pushing*. Heavens forfend.
 "Shall we, friends?"
 He assumed there would be some sort of elemental golem or some such in a place like this, as in the Ruined Aqueduct, which was similarly defined by a high concentration of water aether. But this phenomenon seems categorically different. The mysteries of the Misty Forest have a deeper mystery at their core, and he's no longer confident in guessing what awaits them.

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago


 At least the spider isn't following them. But with Rui's injury bandaged and Anna's relationship status with the vampire deepened it's time to press on.
 Into the hallway of ominous torches at the bottom of the temple.
 "That's welcoming." The berserker princess mutters, clutching her axe a little tighter.
 "Yes, let's." Muttered to Ivo's intrepid desire to push forth.

Ruidosa La Crima tiptoes down the stairways, sort of watching the torches flare to life. She's idly rubbing at her bandages, which are doing their job of stemming her 'bleeding'. Or whatever count as blood in her body. She hugs her tome to her chest and keeps quiet otherwise as she frowns.

"There better not be a world ending force at the end of this dungeon, we just dealt with one." she makes a huff.


  Reize looks ahead with a curious look. "...So this is it." As he is taking a step forward, he can feel a tug of sort. This causes him to look back at Ruidosa, who does not seem to be in good condition. While she has the bandages that stem the nasty after effects of the giant spider's bite, he knows that he'll need Ruidosa at full capacity.

  Upon Ivo's question of 'Shall we'..

  "Hold on a moment."

  He walks back past Anna and Ivo to grab Ruidosa's hand, the boy offers the two a blithe smile. "Ahhh, I will have to ask you both to stay here and look away for a few moments." He cracks a grin to the two reassuringly, "It should be quick!" There is the duty that Reize has to do as Ruidosa's partner to get her back in good health.

 


 Ivo's eyebrows shoot up so fast you can almost hear them.
 "Not at all, chief," he says grandly, casually stepping over to Anna and draping an arm over her shoulders in friendly and overfamiliar fashion. "Come now, Anna, let's give them some privacy."
 As knowing as he sounds, Ivo hasn't entirely processed what Reize is planning yet, which is unusual for him. But ever since he stopped reading Ruidosa's journal, he has tried not to think too hard about vampire needs or proclivities. He's just extremely entertained both at the nature of this request and its timing. Obviously, he's going to indulge his younger friend, and then make insinuations for weeks to come.
 "I've been meaning to ask you, Princess," he is saying to the petite blonde, as though either trying to distract her or take advantage of what might be her momentary confusion, or both (probably both). "It seems that our dear Ruidosa has awakened to the true powers of the vampire curse, as I had long feared." He has spent a long time afraid of vampire curses now, at least. "As you saw, she can turn me into a frog. Accidentally, of course, but such things might happen. Now, legend has it that a princess's kiss that turn a cursed frog back into a man."
 He beams brightly down at her.
 "Should such an accident occur again, may I count on you to restore me? If you'd like to practice the kissing in advance, just say the word."
 The opportunistic dilettante believes himself to be properly setting the mood.

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago

Anna rolls 1d2.
Roll(s): 2. Total result is 2.

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago


 "Stop rubbing at them, you'll make it worse." Anna says mildly to Rui. But then the princess heaves a sigh.
 "I'm kind of not in the mood to save the world again right now, too." She admits.
 Then Reize calls for a hold. And asks Anna and Ivo to look away?
 "Uh?" ... "Okay?"
 Anna turns away. Is this vampire stuff?
 It's probably vampire stuff isn't it.
 Ivo pulls her aside and for a moment, the Suryle princess only looks all the more bewildered.
 "Oh."
 Oh right the frog curse thing happened didn't it. For a moment the princess stares owlishly at Ivo, cheeks heating up a bright shade of pink. Goodness that certainly is a request. But with a steeling breath she closes her eyes and tenses for a moment, before stepping forward, gently resting a hand on the cosmopolitan's chest. There's a brief look askance to make sure Reize and Rui are distracted with whatever it is they intend to do...
 Before she slides a foot behind Ivo's ankle and shoves; one arm hooking around him to forcibly dip HIM.
 Uh.
 Huh.
 Anna does not need kissing practice, it would seem.


Ruidosa La Crima gently blinks as Reize takes her hand and blushes. J-just what does he think he's doing!? Well!

She gets the idea fairly quickly, however, when she disappears back up the stairs, to the side...

 > A bat, chases a sparrow...

Ruidosa, appears, moments later around the doorway, wiping her mouth and looking much better! Well. Much better as a normally pale person can look, anyways. She pauses and looks back. "Are you going to be okay, Reize?" she asks. "I...I didn't take too much, did I?" c.c

Luckily, she's looking backwards, away from Ivo and Anna, for them at least.


  OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!

  Just as Ruidosa returns, looking better than before, Reize himself is emerging, clutching against the wall while he huffs. He lifts a single arm up, extending a palm out. "...I... will need a moment." In fact, the boy is using that required moment to reach into his satchel, then he pulls out small vial with green contents inside. The youth uncorks the vial and he takes a swig. He inwardly grimaces, remembering the horribly bitter taste of the contents. Luckily, Aoife made this for him should he need to make use of it.

  He gives Ruidosa a smile, added with a thumbs up. "I'm ready to go now!"

  Soon, Reize has emerged to see Ivo and Anna.

  Blink.

  His antenna hair waves around, flattening as he scratches his head. His cheeks turning red. "... Should we give you both a moment as well?"
 


 Ah, Ivo has fun with the princess. Her berserker rage is terrifying in its own way, of course, but he's grown oddly fond of it as they've fought side by side, finding that his style of hanging back and exploiting gaps in their opponents' defenses complements how her rampaging creates those gaps. And her demure dignity and frequent puzzlement are otherwise quite charming. Of course, neither shrinking violets or violent sorts are his type, but there's nothing wrong with that. She's become a good friend and teasing her is fun in small doses.
 But he should probably shouldn't take this too far. He wouldn't want to give the shy girl too much of a hard time, especially in a situation like this. Ah, it's a burden yet a privilege to be the older brother of the group.
 He grins at her as she blushes prettily, patting her slim shoulder reassuringly. Better lay off now. He parts his lips to offer one last quip--
 "Mm?"
 .....
 "Mmmmmmm!?!?!?"
 .................

> Ivo's Affection Points for Anna increase by 50.

 *pant* *pant* *pant*
 Ivo, hair somehow tousled by this experience, eyes widened, is left practically gasping for breath when all is said and done, eyes widened, cheeks flushed red.
 "S-S-Seems like I'm the one who needs practice!"
 He gulps and manages a wavering, distinctly bashful smile.
 "Ah ha... ha ha ha."
 He fidgets a little before looking back, freezing as he only then notices that Reize and Ruidosa have returned. This is not exactly the sort of position he intended on being in when he came up with all the ways he could tease Reize upon the boy's return. Ivo's thoughts race desperately, the young man clearly more frazzled than ever. In a split-second, he tries to think of something, anything.
 "Hmph."
 And then, with a grin, he gives Reize a Cool Guy Definitely in Control of this Situation, Why Would You Ever Think Otherwise thumbs up.


Ruidosa is ready to go! She turns around and---

Ruidosa is not ready to go!

"W-wha-wha-whaaaaat!?" she sputters. She leans forward, before hugging her tome to her body and frowning hard. "We disappear for a moment to handle something important and you two are... kis...-kissing!?" she huffs and marches past Anna and Ivo with a HUFF down the stairs!

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago


 By the time it's all said and done, Anna rights Ivo back to his feet, takes a step back, and then spends a moment smoothing out the cosmopolitan's clothes as though she had simply found an unsightly wrinkle in his shirt and nothing more, and fixes up his tousled hair to at least help him look less frazzled by the *ordeal* while she looks completely STONE DEAD CALM.
 When she's done she takes a beat to blink owlishly as Rui storms by.
 "Ah..."
 "Well... Ivo's not really my type." She does admit while moving to follow.


  Blink. Blink.

 Reize sweatdrops when he sees Ruidosa's reaction and then Anna following suit. The boy approaches his older friend, offering a smile while patting him on the back. "Onward we go, my friend!" He is happy to just forget what happened. Truth be told, he is curious on what lies beyond the stairs.

---

 As the group traverse down the stairs, the fog becomes thicker, yet not obscuring their view. Its presence is very abundant, accompanying the feel of magic that radiates around the hall. As they make their way to the very bottom of the stairs, the hall expands to a full circle.

 At the center is a human-sized glowing blue orb. It is hoisted up by a golden arch, leaving the orb levitating and radiating a powerful magic.
 
The four hear a voiceless whisper, while hushed, deafens everything else to include their own voices.

... Those who have braved the trials...
... One more trial stands before you...
Do you take the leap forward?
It is not too late to turn back.


 The air behind Ivo seems, somehow, to crack like glass as he remains in his Cool Guy Thumbs Up Pose.
 "Guhhh."
 As though deflating, he slumps to his knees before Reize, collapsing palms flat on the dungeon floor. Looking up as Anna calmly walks away and casually stabs verbal daggers into his chest, little tears can be seen in the corner of his eyes. His hair may be fixed, but will his heart ever be?
 "What..."
 His fingers curl, digging into the stone tiles.
 "...were those goblins teaching her!?"
 Not her type! Outrageous. Well, forget it. He'll find some other cure for vampire frog curses. He's a popular guy. She's not even that cute anyway. Probably would break him in half. Berserker girl.
 Still slumped, Ivo continues to watch Anna walk away.
 ...

> Ivo's Affection Points for Anna increase by 10 more points.

 "...Ugh."
 He tries to wipe the tears away with the back of his hand, but when he looks up at his younger friend, Ivo's eyes shimmer like a plaintive damsel.
 "R-Reize..."
 The boy, patting Ivo on the back and moving on, may be glad to forget what happened. But Ivo never will. The true secret boss here was the troubles of the heart.
 He shambles after the rest of the party, seemingly in a daze, showing none of his usual curiosity and offering none of his usual trivia as the fog thickens and strange magic permeates the place. Ivo just gazes listlessly into the middle distance.
 "I can never turn back," he mutters. "I'm changed forever."
 Get it together, man.

Ruidosa laments at Ivo. "Oh brother." she rolls her eyes.

She turns back towards the orb and the voice as she frowns and tries to determine the source of the voice. But she can't. These we're trials? Well. The spider ''did'' almost kill her. Maybe.

"Okay fine. I'm ready!" she spouts. "So now what?"

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago


 Glancing back over her shoulder at Ivo, Anna purses her lips. Poor guy, look at him. Completely in shellshock.
 Ultimately, he will live, Anna decides.
 "... What kind of trial?" She has already moved on.
 It's probably for the best.


  Reize glances back towards Ivo's state, who appears dejected and listless. He is not exactly himself. The young explorer offers his friend a faint smile, placing his hand over his shoulder. "You got this, Ivo! We're counting on you!"

 As for the voice, he looks over towards the glowing orb, eyes darting around trying to find the source of the voice. Failing to find that source, he gives off a furrowed eyebrow. "...Yeah! We're ready!" He cracks a grin, "Bring it!"

 ---

 The orb before the group continues to shimmer. It occasionally flashes a birght color before fading off and remains overing. Through the mist, nothing seems to come forth.

... We are in agreement, then.
Arm yourselves...
Show your bravery... ... And show how well you've improved.

 Through the mist, there is a figure emerging in a swoop into the air. The presence of the figure is obscured by the mist that covers the surrounding area. While it did not obscure the area itself, it does obscure the form that takes a leap into the sky.

 As the figure lands before the four, the fog starts to clear away...

 It reveals a figure shorter than them, maybe closer to Ruidosa and Anna's height, if maybe shorter. However, the figure is quite bulky. The mysterious stranger is cast in blue armor, helmet obscuring any facial features save for the twin horns on each side. The small frame holds out a weapon, adopting a stance leaning forward...

  A shovel.

  "FOR SHOVELRY!"

 


  BOSS FIGHT: SHOVEL KNIGHT
 

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Mental recovery check
Roll(s): 20. Total result is 20. This is a success (by 10).

Ruidosa La Crima blinks a little. A.. short knight? Who has a shovel? Surely this is some jest from the powers that be. Regardless, she isn't about to let short blue and stocky have the first attack, raising her palm and holding her tome to her chest with the other as she fires out a bolt of dark energy that races towards the figure!

"W...What is shovlery?" she asks the party.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Dark Bolt!
Roll(s): 11. Total result is 11. This is a success (by 1).


 "Oh, good."
 In the silence that follows this bizarre figure's sudden appearance, the bleary-eyed Ivo speaks in a drained-dry tone.
 "He's here to dig my grave."
 A beat passes, but finally, Ivo furrows his brow and clenches a fist. No, he can't mentally collapse here. There are too many beautiful women counting on him to survive this, pining away, desperately awaiting his return. Priel, Camellia, Fox. All smitten with him, all surely devastated were he to give up. He must turn this pain into purpose. He must endure. He must...
 "So I might rise and fight again! En garde!"
 ...be cool!
 Drawing Hauteclare with a dramatic flourish, its blade gleaming in the dark, he leaps forward, cloak whipping with his movements, passing by his friends as for once he takes the lead.
 "I..."
 His steely eyes gleam at Ruidosa's question.
 "...don't know!"
 He lunges as though to thrust the point of his blade straight at the shovel-wielding knight's armor, but that blade detaches at the last moment, spinning in an arc to strike at an arm point and leaving a spark of energy glowing at the hilt. That is what Ivo attempts to plunge into Shovel Knight's chest, in a one-two slice and shock, a rare display of his close-range capabilities.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20+5>=10.
Comment: Morale boosted attack / attempt to become Anna's type
Roll(s): 7. Total result is 12. This is a success (by 2).

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago


 "Reize maybe we should-" Nope, too late. Reize declares the party ready. And thus their greatest opponent yet emerges.
 For shovelry.
 Anna binks, staring for a long moment.
 "I'm s-sorry what?"
 She's... Taken a bit aback by these circumstances, blinking owlishly. But to her credit she rallies quickly enough.
 But before she can rally enough to join the attack, Ivo goes in for the close range combat.
 ... What are you doing, that's not-..." That's not Ivo's usual strategy and it baffles the Suryle princess for a moment before she lunges in, herself, to try and shoulder charge the shovel-wielding knight and get him off balance.

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago

Anna rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: pomf?
Roll(s): 18. Total result is 18. This is a success (by 8).



  In an instant, Reize's hand rests along his head, feeling a bit of a pang. It almost stings the boy a bit. "Ngggh...." Everything starts to feel rather hazey to him as he eyes the knight. What he sees is not the surrounding area of the deep cavern, but it was vaguely along the outskirts with a large waterfall.

  "...Huh..." In that brief moment, his eyes become vacant. Something about this feels... familiar? But he's never seen this figure before.

  It takes Reize a moment to settle, looking over towards both Ivo and the others are fighting. Reize is slowly drawing his boomerangs, trying to get himself mentally ready for the fight.

---

  Shovel Knight takes in the group that bravely stand before him, starting with the girl who launched out a dark bolt of energy his way. While he lifts the shovel blade to guard against the magic, he fails to deflect the energy, and as a result, is knocked back into the air and he loses his footing. This gives Ivo the opportunity to take advantage with the blade arcing at the arm, followed by the shocking voltage jolting his body up. The smaller framed knight is spasming from the heavy voltage.

  Lastly, the Suryle princess makes purchase of her attack with the shoulder charge, impacting against his body and sending his smaller frame sprawling across the ground. After skidding through, he sets the shovel blade aside to quickly pull out a pair of golden heavy gauntlets.

  "This will pack a punch!"

  With a wind of the fist back, there is a massive gauntlet fist manifesting above his form, likely not far from the size of the Sol Ascent. That massive fist soon plunges forth to strike the three combatants.
 

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Can Rui Dodge Roll?
Roll(s): 17. Total result is 17. This is a success (by 7).

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Wind elesphere defense: Galeburst Evasion
Roll(s): 10. Total result is 10. This is a success (by 0).

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago

Anna rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: I'MMA TANK IT
Roll(s): 10. Total result is 10. This is a success (by 0).

Ruidosa does some things. Mainly, this involves a few things. First is that she turns into a bat. She is smol and therefore, a smaller target. Secondly, she starts flapping for dear life and just vaguely gets out of the way in time. She starts panting as she un-transforms and falters on her feet as she does so on the run a moment, nearly tripping over herself.

She then suddenly turns and fires off a bolt of chain dark lighting through the air, trying to rebound it off the wall and into the strange knight's side.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Chain Dark Lightning
Roll(s): 5. Total result is 5. This is a failure (by 5).


 There are a few good reasons why Ivo does not tend to fight at close range. Some are obvious, as being able to attack without being attacked is ideal. But thanks to Cosmopolitan magitech, Ivo's defenses are better than they might seem. The main issue is that, under the burden of that magitech, he does not move quickly. Though a dexterous fencer, he is the least swift and agile of his allies.
 But there's a modern solution to everything.
 When that enormous gauntlet plunges down with a terrible roar of rushing air, only shreds of Ivo's cloak remain in its wake -- with the rest of it still attached to him as he skids to a stop, blisters on his cheek from the narrow escape, his sword suffused in green aether. Deploying a wind elesphere at close range, knowing it would not have the force to stop the oncoming attack, he blew himself out of the way. If he could help defend, he would have. As it is, the best and coolest course of action, he surmises, is to assist his friends by counterattacking.
 As Ruidosa's dark lightning arcs through the air, Ivo's gleaming blade aims to ride it, darting through and obscuring itself with the vampire girl's magical assault before it swoops above and behind the shovel-wielding knight and blurs into a wind-imbued spinning cleave, the rending gale hewing at that armor. Should it catch him, the aether around the strike renders the single slash a kind of multi-hit attack, the winds potentially affixing him in place for a while to help Ivo's allies follow up.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Magitech Fencing Art: Air Grievance
Roll(s): 14. Total result is 14. This is a success (by 4).

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago


 That... That is an awfully large gauntlet.
 Anna stares up at it in awe for a moment.
 Before her clear green-blue eyes shift to a shade of bloodshot red.
 There's a moment- a moment as the massive fist comes down where it seems to hang in the air.
 his is because Anna leaps- meeting it axe-first, gritting her teeth and snarling as an unstoppable force meets her immoveable rage, and the inertia of the impact yields the sound of creaking, groaning, metal like a struggle scene right out of Asura's Wrath where the player has to press X rapidly to not die, and also get angrier at the same time.
 Anna mashes that X button.
 Anna breaks the controller as she growls, voice rising into a howl of unrestrained fury as she exerts herself, trying to deflect that great fist back at the small, blue-armored, figure.

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago

Anna rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Press B to shut Wyzen up
Roll(s): 9. Total result is 9. This is a failure (by 1).


  After launching the massively flying fist, Shovel Knight is running along the side, distancing himself from the three fighters as they take the defensive end. This is the tactical advantage that Shovel Knight needed in order to get into a better footing. With the Dust Knuckle unequipped, Shovel Knight quickly draws back the Shovel Blade and notices that Ruidosa release a bolt coming towards him.

 He takes the daring leap into the air, then he rolls along the ground to avoid the chaining part of the lightning that follows suit.

 As he swoops back onto the ground...

 ?!?!

 Shovel Knight is caught by the tricky dancing blade as the aether-attuned weapon strikes with the windy blade, capturing him with a rapid strike of sort.

 However... as Anna throws the massive Dust Knuckle back towards Shovel Knight....

 He draws out a war horn.

 With a night blow against the horn, there is a large, thunderous roar of soundwave spreading across the hall. This knocks the giant Dust Knuckle back before it dissipates. In addition, given that Ruidosa, Anna, and Ivo are the closest, they are in proximity of the attack.

---

  It is soon that Reize is jumping into the fight. No longer sitting on the side lines, the boy calls out. "Oooi! Don't forget about me!" The boy was not going to go for a cheap shot, considering that it is supposed to be a duel of sort, but he does use the time to get the knight's attention before he charges in with a leaping kick out.
 

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20-1>10.
Comment: Penalty for closeness. Can Rui Dodge some more!?
Roll(s): 13. Total result is 12. This is a success (by 2).

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Artificer Improvization: Wind Elesphere Noise Cancelling
Roll(s): 17. Total result is 17. This is a success (by 7).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Cutting in with a Flying Kick
Roll(s): 7. Total result is 7. This is a failure (by 3).

Ruidosa La Crima watches as a horn is pulled out. This isn't some nursery rhyme, because it's happening. Little boy blue is blowing his horn. So she quickly stumbles backwards juuuust out of range but still catches some blow back, just a little as she moves back a few inches. "G...guh..!" she groans.

She lobs an orb of dark energy out which hovers and shoots out a spray of dark energy towards the knight as she continues her attack.

"..is this what the dumb cowboy was protecting!?" she asks.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Dark Orb Spray
Roll(s): 2. Total result is 2. This is a failure (by 8).

  • Character: Anna
  • 1 year, 5 months ago

Anna rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: I WILL TANK THE SOUND TOO
Roll(s): 9. Total result is 9. This is a failure (by 1).


 Ivo is in a tricky spot. What appears to be a wave of force emanating from that surprisingly nimble armored fellow's horn is spreading towards him with the promise of serious pain for his eardrums and more besides. With his sword committed to an imbued strike, it's not likely he'll be able to return it to its hilt and prepare any meaningful defenses in time. He'll have to respond creativity and hope for the best.
 Gritting his teeth, he withdraws one of his last green elespheres from the remains of his cloak and hurls it to the ground, emitting a brief gust of wind of a similar sort that had helped him to evade earlier. Used manually like this rather than channeled through his pommel, its force is lessened. But the rushing sound seems to mitigate the horn's blast, the frequencies invisibly colliding and partially negating one another. The Cosmopolitan hunkers down as dust and debris whip about him, but within moments, as the blast's field of effect passes through him, he seems more or less none the worse for wear.
 "Or whatever summoned our phantom shoveler to this place," he replies to Ruidosa, brow furrowed with exertion. "My hilt's sensor isn't picking up anything like an eidola or Anna's power of Chaos, just high concentrations of elemental aether, as though this is a natural phenomenon. But..."
 At least, with his mental state recovered, Ivo is back to metaphysical speculations, but there's no time for that now. This knight really is astoundingly slippery for someone clad in heavy armor, in addition to being able to unleash massive attacks. He can't rely on others to create an opening for him. He'll have to pin down the shoveler's movements to help create an opening himself.
 "Reize!"
 Ivo calls to his friend, who seems to have recovered from his earlier disorientation, as he throws out a second elesphere with a little sleight of hand, not waiting the few seconds it would take for Hauteclare's blade to return. He aims the little blue orb for Shovel Knight's feet, trying to create a similar little burst of undamaging aether that creates a field of ice to ensnare the hero from another realm, so as to give his ally a better chance to strike.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Artificer Improvization: Icy Snare / channeling Cool Guy power to Reize
Roll(s): 6. Total result is 6. This is a failure (by 4).


  Shovel Knight becomes well aware of the boy who charges in. "Let us see what you can do, young lad!" The knight beckons the charging boy. Given that Reize gave up the element of surprise, Shovel Knight has plans of his counter. Before he can act on that, the knight becomes aware of the more crafty magitech noble. "Such craftsmanship! However.." Shovel Knight immediately leaps up into the air, then he brings the Shovel Blade downward to a downward thrust. This impacts against the blue orb and then he bounces off from it with it disappating. Upon his landing, he brings the Shovel Blade back down and he quickly digs it against the ground, scooping out debris against the boy's trajectory, cancelling him out of the flying kick attack.

  Just as Ruidosa shoots out the orb of dark energy, she too will learn the power of the Shovel Blade. The short knight brings the weapon to the ground to dig up more debris, colliding with the spray of dark energy. He draws out a green orb. "Your dark magic shall not faze me, lady! This will put an extra spring in your step." He throws out a green orb, the Chaos Sphere towards Ruidosa and then another one for Reize.

  As for Ivo, he draws out a wand and out produces a fireball trailing towards the magitech swordsman.

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Avoiding Chaos Sphere or else I explode badly
Roll(s): 7. Total result is 7. This is a failure (by 3).

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Dodge a Sphere
Roll(s): 16. Total result is 16. This is a success (by 6).

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Fireball vs Ice Elesphere
Roll(s): 16. Total result is 16. This is a success (by 6).

Ruidosa La Crima manages to avoid being hit by the chaos sphere. Mainly by making herself vertical and becoming a bat again. She untransforms again and lets herself fall and eyes Ivo a long moment, before she frowns a little, and then mutters..."I Curse You...!" before trying to curse him.

Then, when turned into a frog, proceeds to throw him at the Sholved Knight, as it we're.

"Kiyah! Frog Grenade!" She has no idea what she's doing.

Tranquila will roil for days laughing at this when Ruidosa eventually tells her the story.


 As Hauteclare's blade clicks back into its hilt, Ivo fumbles desperately with his other hand into his cloak for another elesphere. Several threaten to tumble out as he hurriedly loads another blue one into his sword's pommel to intensify its output before slashing with an icy strike that manages to cleave the fireball in twain just before it scorches the fencer to a crisp.
 "I won't be able to catch him with something as simple as that," he mutters to himself, pausing to look at the remaining aether-infused pebbles in his hand. He's running low and, worse, now they're all jumbled from his fumbling around. Great.
 But his morale remains high, his spirit unbreakable. Nothing shall dent his courage again. He flashes a grin as at their opponent's proclamation.
 "You are brave, sirrah," the noble banters back, "but you underestimate the lady's sorcery. Her sinister magics are beyond comprehension. Why, I-- uh-- wha--?"
 A dark miasma begins to settle over him. His eyes widen.
 "No-- no no no no-- no, please--"
 What did he do!?!?
 "Rui, if this is about the poem I wrote for your mother," he blurts out, sweat beading at his brow as a black mist envelops him, "I want to assure you that the references to melons were not intended as allusions to--"
 And before he can finish, he is gone, a croaking frog in his place. Oddly, it has a little tiny half-shredded blue cloak on it. Soon that little scrap is fluttering as the frog is hurled toward Shovel Knight. Time seems to pass in slow motion as the frog closes in. And then--
 "Ribii~"
 --bounces off with a little squeak.
 For a split-second, it really does seem like absolutely nothing is going to happen, and that Ruidosa just bafflingly chose to turn Ivo into a frog and then throw him against some metal armor to take out her frustrations regarding this battle, Ivo himself, and maybe unlife in general. But then the frog begins to glow. Four multicolored orbs begin to spin rapidly around the little creature, each interlaced with dark energies. It seems that the remaining elespheres in Ivo's hand at the time of his transformation are interacting with the shadowy curse energies in a rather unstable fashion. An extremely unstable fashion, it turns out.
 *BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
 A rapid-fire shockwave of four elemental attacks in quick succession, followed by a final blast of pure Destruction, rain down on Shovel Knight, before a little smoking frog may be seen bouncing and rolling away before falling still, one little frog leg twitching.
 Any chance Anna has another kiss left in her?


  This is a familiar feeling. Reize's eyes widen as his vision seems to have shifted once more. He no longer sees the dark, misty corridors that they're collectively battling in, but the sun shining and the sight of the waterfalls around.

  "H---Huh....?"

  green orb nails Reize, knocking the wind out of him. "Haaa--gghh!" And then it starts bouncing around, smacking him all over, from the front, to the back, not unlike his ricocheting boomerangs. The boy soon flies across his back, wincing while trying to get up to his feet.

  ...He clutches onto his pendant.

  ... remember where he is at.

  "THIS IS MY WILL!"

  The aura erupts around the boy as he clutches his pendant.

----

  Shovel Knight, meanwhile, notes the defenses of Ruidosa and Ivo, nodding in approval. However, he does look bewildered. "...You turned your ally into a frog?!" He looks horrified, even insulted for the man. The four multi-colored orbs rain down in a rapidfire shockwave. The energy of powerful gives a thunderous explosion...

  As the smoke emerges, Shovel Knight remains unyielding, readying his weapon once again.

  "IGNITION!"

  And then a barrage soon strikes the knight down, causing him to fly across the makeshift arena before he drops to a knee.

  "...Hah! Enough! What a resounding fight. The victory is yours."
 


> Victory music plays.
 Ivo, still smoking, twitches his little frog leg again. He is otherwise still.

> It sounds strangely off key, though.