278 lines
No EOL
21 KiB
Text
278 lines
No EOL
21 KiB
Text
LAST CHAPTER
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*BRING ALL 12 REGALIA FORTH*
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*CALL DOWN ZEROTH*
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The island itself begins to rumble, all twelve gates shining with ethereal glows of their respective colors. You suddenly see a bright golden glow from behind the welcome center in the distance. Right after, you see trees slowly bend away, hear crashing of metal & glass, and watch the entire welcome center collapse.
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From the cloud of dust and rubble steps Reiji the Stallion from the front gate, eyes shining an ethereal gold and body brimming with warbling energy, head held high. Every step he takes causes a crater to form beneath his hooves, shaking the citizens around him violently.
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When he finally arrives at the center of town, he stares at you all and extends his hands toward you. "CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING YOUR MOST VIRTUOUS TASK. YOU HAVE BEEN DEEMED THE MOST OUTSTANDING MORTALS TO EXIST AND THUS ARE BUT A STEP FROM WHAT YOU WOULD REFER TO AS GODHOOD."
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*ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS*
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"I NEED ONLY RECLAIM THE FRAGMENT OF MY POWER AND YOU MAY HAVE YOUR PRIZE." He places his hand on the ground of Diadem, and everything begins to rumble all over again.
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The rock walls surrounding Diadem begin to crumble and dissolve one massive chunk at a time. Once the rock is gone, there are clean golden magic metal walls in a jagged 12-point circle around Diadem, resembling something of an extremely large crown, with each of the gates embedded into it like crown jewels.
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The gates all shift from their respective colors to gold, and every person and creature inside is suddenly forced out. When these people and creatures realize everything is shaking & breaking, they begin to scream and run in a panic, a few of them falling off Diadem into the ocean through the lowest points in the metal walls.
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*IF THEY COMPLAIN*
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He will retort "I HAVE WITNESSED THESE PEOPLE GROW, WITHER, AND DIE OVER THE LAST 547 YEARS. I HAVE LEARNED THESE PEOPLE ARE INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO THEE. SO LONG AS YOU ARE ELEVATED, THE REST CAN BE IGNORED."
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*If they protest again*
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He stops shaking the Diadem. "HMM... I MAY HAVE UNDERESTIMATED YOUR MORTAL SENSE OF CARE... I HAD HOPED IT A SIMPLE MATTER TO APPEASE TO YOUR MORTAL DESIRES."
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"I HAVE A SOLUTION. WE SHALL HOLD OURSELVES AN HONORABLE DUEL, FOR THE FATE OF THE PEOPLE OF DIADEM AND YOUR GODHOOD. NO CHALLENGE CIRCLE, THE PEOPLE WILL BE OUR BOUNDARY AND BARRIER. BEST ME, AND YOU MAY HAVE IT ALL. BUT FAIL, AND EVERYTHING & EVERYONE WILL BE FORFEIT. WILL THAT SUFFICE?"
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*THE PEOPLE THAT FELL*
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"HM.. I WOULD NOT WISH FOR ANY DISTRACTIONS FROM OUR MOST HONORABLE DUEL.. VERY WELL. ALLOW ME A MOMENT."
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He will raise his hand, glowing with gold energy. Every person that fell will suddenly be encased in that same energy and lifted from the water, then placed safely on Diadem. "WILL THIS SATISFY YOU?"
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Every person in Diadem is very quickly converging on your location, slowly encircling you all and literally becoming the arena boundary he claimed they would be.
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AFTER THE FIGHT
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He kneels in pain, panting softly. "I YIELD... YOU HAVE BESTED ME..." He looks up to your group. "I have witnessed this planet's evolution for an entire eon, watched the denizens of this false island for half a millennium, and none have come so far as to have the power to best me, even in my current state."
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He slowly stands and walks forward. "I will keep my word and allow these people safe passage from the Diadem. Before then, shall we discuss your true prize?"
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*WHAT IS THE PRIZE*
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"As I offered, your prize was to be power akin to my own, but of you like, I will offer each of you anything of your choosing. You could be immortal like myself or the other concepts, have unlimited power in a different matter, endless wealth from any nation, anything your heart desires."
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He bellows in anguish as he is struck from behind by Nash, still carrying his golden cutlass. And he is looking very excited.
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"I HEARD THE WHOLE THING, YOU SON OF A BITCH! You never intended to free us, you were gonna let us all DIE HERE! Which means I was FUCKING RIGHT!!!" He laughs hysterically before continuing. "Hey Zeroth, wanna know what I wish for?! I wish to sentence you to death like you just tried to do to ALL OF US!"
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He jams his whole sword into Zeroth's back, causing him to cry out in anguish, but the sword does not come out the other side.
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All the hysterical joy Nash was experiencing disappears in an instant. "What?! What are you-- NO! LET GO OF ME!!" His arm is being pulled in and against Zeroth's body, slowly becoming absorbed into him.
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With a sharp scream of terror, the two bodies fully combine. A brilliant golden flash erupts from their physical union, blinding all of you for a brief moment, and a new entity stands before you.
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A ten foot tall prismatic fox man with flowing pearlescent hair, atop centaur legs of the same hue, stands before you, followed by thirteen fox tails, each of which is tipped in a different color matching each element of magic.
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The eyes open, and within shine the colors of all thirteen shades of magic, as the new creature gazes upon your group, as well as himself. His voice sounds like Nash, but with Zeroth's as an echo.
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"I... have assumed control of all... All his knowledge, his magic, his POWER, everything is in my grasp." He suddenly bellows out in anguish, his new form pulsing with energy. "This body is unstable with a humanimal element... it seems I am not suited for this power..." His eyes drift toward your group. "...but you are! COME TO ME!"
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He raises his hand and aims it at your group, your bodies glowing gold as he attemps to force you to come closer. "Join with me and we will all get our wish! Freedom! Godhood! Anything we desire will be ours!"
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A black long sword falls from the air, glowing with red magic, slicing directly into the center of his left hand and binding it to the ground. "WHAT IS THIS?!"
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Your group's bodies land on the ground, but you feel several HP and MP vials fall into your laps as twelve familiar bodies pull forward and around you. The twelve demense Masters have stepped forward. "You would dare to defy your Master?! Your Creator?!"
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Aodaghan: We would defy the shit out of you any day of the week!
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Conroy: Not the words I'd choose, but I concur!
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Zahir: This party is over! It's not fun anymore!
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Corentin: You have disrupted the peace of this land!
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Dorrin: And made the people cry!
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Arledge: We don't wanna fight ya'll, but we will!
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Miranda: We love these people like our own!
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Whittaker: We've always been careful around you, and we're done!
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Fulmo: There is no justice in your actions!
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Thanatos: We will fighd you, do prodecd dhem!
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Cassius: ... (He will just be standing there cross-armed and silent)
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Striker: What Master Cassius means to say is, we're done hiding in the dark!
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Tlaloc: WE! HELP! FRIENDS!
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Nash-Zeroth slams his free hand into the ground, one eye shining vibrant gold only while the other maintains its multicolor glow. His voice has suddenly changed to be dripping with hatred.
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"ENOUGH OF YOUR SENTIMENTAL BULLSHIT! YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN EXTENSIONS OF ME! LITERAL FRAGMENTS OF POWER DESIGNED TO BE MY LESSER! THESE CREATURES WERE THE ONLY ONES THAT SHOWED ANY POTENTIAL TO EVOLVE AND BECOME MY EQUALS, AND THEY PROVED TO BE A FAILURE OF A SPECIES! THEY DO NOT DESERVE TO DRAW BREATH!"
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A golden sword this time falls from the sky and into Zeroth's right hand, pinning it to the ground. But attached to it is King Akarui, now wearing his military outfit. He jumps off the colossal hand and lands before your group, facing Nash-Zeroth.
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"If that's how you feel, Nash-Zeroth, then the Thirteen Kings of Diadem will fight back!" He turns back around to your group with a smile and a wink. "With a little help from the Kings of Kings, of course."
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The twelve demense Masters step forward with Akarui leading them. "Okay.. Aodaghan, Dorrin, Tlaloc, you're on offense. Hit him hard and make it hurt." All three jump in to the fray and IMMEDIATELY start either blasting him with spells or straight punching him.
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"Zahir, Corentin, Whitaker, Fulmo, you're on range. Keep him distracted so their hits are more effective." All four either take to the air or slide into a position closer to his rear and begin slinging spells, immediately catching Zeroth's attention.
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"Conroy, Miranda, Thanatos, Cassius, you're all on support. Make openings for everyone else. Arledge, you back them up and keep everyone on their feet." All five jump to a sparse combat position, launching spells as well for the rest of the team.
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"Hold your positions from here. I'll be preparing your reinforcements." He then runs back to your group, kneeling down and making sure you've all taken your potions.
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"Okay the Masters are amazing, but it's like he said. They are literally DESIGNED to not be at his level. Now I have a really stupid idea that might just work, but it all hinges on one thing. I didn't have a great view from where I was, but is there any chance Nash combined in him WITH his gold weapon?"
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AFTER THEY CONFIRM
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"Okay, then this might work. I want all of you to challenge him, full gold circle, and wager the gold sword inside him. I have a hunch, and this might fix everything at once."
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Nash-Zeroth suddenly bellows out as his thirteen tails all glow with raw magic, the gold tailtip suddenly sending out a wave of energy so bright it blinds all the demense Masters for a moment.
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While they're distracted, the other twelve tails all fire magic beams at a different Master, each one hitting their (as you have learned) elemental opposite and knocking them to the ground around him.
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Nash-Zeroth looks around at the twelve injured Masters, showing immense disdain. "Pathetic. I expected better from extensions of myself at the very least."
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He groans as his body begins to warble again like before, the injuries he sustained attempting to heal themselves. He turns his attention to Akarui. "This was the best you could do? An asssult against me with my own fetters of power?"
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Akarui smiles at Nash-Zeroth. "I can do far better and you know it. That is why I was chosen to be King, and you were my assistant! The best idea you ever had was to put everyone in a tin can and hope we didn't die!"
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Nash-Zeroth slams his hands into the ground as he charges forward, coming up to a few feet from your group and well past the demense Masters. "WE ARE WELL PAST THE POINT OF THIS. The people no longer matter to me, all that matters is I rip your head off your arrogant shoulders!"
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Akarui sighs a bit and shakes his head. "Well then... it's all up to you, Kings of Kings. Say the magic words." And right before you say those words, he jumps far outside its capture range. "I JUST HOPE I'M RIGHT!"
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-----
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*CHALLENGE NASH-ZEROTH*
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Upon hearing the phrase, Nash-Zeroth actually bellows in pain as the outline of the gold cutlass appears in his torso. The gold walls will begin to radiate with energy, before a gold circle expands from your group's feet AND Nash-Zeroth.
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Akarui lands outside the circle. "I was right! The Diadem is a Regalia! IT'S ZEROTH'S REGALIA! The gold circles are INVOCATIONS of its magic!"
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The sword was a big enough piece that it could work like an antenna! And Nash was the first one to get his hands on it AND give it a command it could work with!"
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This revelation causes the unstable Nash-Zeroth to screech in anger, clawing at the ground for a moment. "I WILL FEED YOU YOUR OWN ENTRAILS YOU POMPOUS PIGEON!"
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Akarui actually looks a little offended at that one, as Nash-Zeroth turns to your group in the circle. "FINE! ONE FINAL BATTLE IT IS! THE KINGS OF KINGS WILL BECOME THE FIRST CASUALTIES OF WAR!!!"
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AFTER THEY WIN
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Nash-Zeroth will collapse in defeat, his body beginning to warp and writhe in pain as a small gold circle appears on his chest, the golden sword from within producing its handle, awaiting the victor to grab and remove it.
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(FIGHT/PHYSIQUE ROLL)
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The sword is surprisingly not giving immediately and requires more effort to pull out.
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Upon removing it, you pull an entire separate body out of its chest that is also clinging to the back of the sword by its non-bladed edge. Nash goes careening several yards away and lands & rolls a couple times with a dull thud.
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The body in front of you pulses with energy, glowing brightly and thrashing about with an ear piercing screeching noise, the body expanding like a balloon, the skin peeling and revealing golden energy in its rawest form underneath.
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You don't need to be a genius to realize that body is going critical from losing its primary mind (Nash) and is about to explode.
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King Akarui will see this, and yell at everyone. "ANYONE WHO HAS A GOLD WEAPON, GRAB IT AND FOLLOW MY LEAD!" He will then run over, grab the gold sword he flew in with, and run into the growing body, hacking and slashing it with the sword.
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Every cut anyone makes causes misting of the gold dust to appear as it slowly eats the magic body, and it does appear to slow the expanding with every cut made.
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(LET EVERYLNE MAKE A FIGHT/SHOOT ROLL WITH THE WEAPONS & RESPOND ACCORDINGLY BASED ON RESULTS)
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The hacking and slashing has caused the massive body to go DOWN in size significantly, but it is still getting brighter over time, and is still likely to go critical in only a few seconds.
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IF NOONE ELSE HAS A SOLUTION, NOTICE ROLL
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You hear a familiar chittering from within your own shadow. "Hehehe.. looks like "I" get to be the big hero this time~" Striker appears from Akarui's shadow and pushes him & all the other gold weapon holders away.
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He chuckles and pulls out all the gold weapons everyone had, as well as a few more gold daggers. "Consider this MY repayment for you saving my Master from his fate, Kings of Kings~" He turns to the expanding body.
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"I've always wanted to say this.. I CHALLENGE THEE!" It takes a moment, but the six gold weapons he holds AND the Diadem glow gold again as a barrier circle appears around Striker and the unstable Zeroth.
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With a rebellious screech,h he leaps forward and stabs all six weapons into the body, causing it to burst and erupt with magic energy. Striker turns to your group and gives you all a small wave, before the light is too bright to see.
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The explosion is completely contained within the gold magic circle, but after a few seconds, it does eventually shatter like glass, and everyone is knocked back onto the ground by the blast wave.
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-----
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When the smoke clears, you see Zeroth, battered and bruised but in one piece and lying in the middle of a crater. You also see small particles of gold dust elevating from his body into the open air, like snow in reverse.
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The demense masters run to his side, Conroy gently lifting him up a bit so he can talk. "You... may not have meant to, but you saved me... I thank you... Kings of Kings."
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King Akarui calls out to you from a distance. "Guys... Nash feels cold... and his heartbeat is really slow..." Anyone who inspects him will notice he feels cold, his fur is less colorful, and his pulse is weak.
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Zeroth speaks out. "You are correct. The physical trauma of melding with me, taking on so much damage, and being ejected how he was was too much for his mortal body. His life is fading... as is mine."
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The demense Masters all freak out hearing this. "The strain on my existence is too much... being defeated in combat, struck down by a piece of my own Regalia, fused with a mortal in such a manner, defeated a second time, and having my own magic carved away in that corrupted state has taken most of my strength..."
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*IF NOONE ASKS*
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Conroy will look around. "Well if noone else will ask, I will. What does that mean for us?"
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Zeroth will shake his head slowly. "I gave you all separate lives and will, but the essence of your existence is still tethered to mine. It matters not if it is yours or mine, equilibrium MUST be maintained. If I go, then... you go with me." All the demense masters turn to themselves, then look to you guys before Zeroth continues. "And I do not have long."
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(Give everyone a chance to complain, cry, and be angry about it)
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Zeroth will speak out. "You truly care for them, don't you?"
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WHEN THE PARTY SPEAKS OUT
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Zeroth will turn his head to your group. "I was not referring to you." All twelve demense Masters nod in agreement. "I see... I am not a fan of such a title, but as YOUR 'King,' I am going to give you my final order. Bring me to the one you call Nash. I wish to speak with him."
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AFTER ANY RESPONSE
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"When I was melded with him, I saw inside his mind. Sifted through his memories. His deceased parents were the only people in his life that mattered to him. Without them, he was alone. Adrift amongst a sea of beings he felt no connection to, no matter how much he desired it to be otherwise. I resonate with him on that level. Please... grant me this one request."
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SOMEONE CARRIES HIM BESIDE NASH
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He will lie beside him, lying on his back while Nash lies on his stomach. "Hello Nash..."
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N: H-hey.. you son of a bitch..
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Z: Still alive I see..
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N: Yeah.. gonna take more than that to kill ME..
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Z: I wish I could say the same.. I will cease to exist very shortly..
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N: Yeah.. cards on the table, I'm probably right behind you..
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Z: ...do you have any regrets?
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N: Well, I... wish I hit you a little harder, heh
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Z: Hm.. all things considered, I suppose I could say the same..
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Both of them laugh at the joke weakly, sighing a little after.
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Z: Truthfully, I.. have only one real regret..
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N: Lay it on me, Z.. Dead men tell no tales and all that shit..
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Z: When I found this planet an eon ago, I had a simple curiosity, to see what life was like from their perspective. A species with origins not so dissimilar from myself. For a brief moment, I was able to see it from your eyes, however corrupt. It felt... nice. I wish to experience more of it.
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N: Is that right? Well.. I guess it was kinda nice not being alone in my head.. or.. your head..? You get the point..
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Z: Indeed I do... I have a proposal...
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N: I'm all ears...
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Z: Rather than leave this plane of existence individually... what if we simply... became one entity? Properly this time?
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N: You even got the juice for that..?
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Z: Even in this state, I have more than enough power to perform such an action. Though... I cannot guarantee what the end result will be. I cannot guarantee we will live through it either.
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N: Well... the way I see it, it's either we both die here... or we both get a chance at living together... tough call, and I know I'm gonna hate myself for this one, heh.. (cough hard) ..but, what the hell, I'll give it a shot..
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Z: Your bravery is admirable.. Goodbye, Nash..
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N: So long, you arrogant horse's ass..
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Zeroth reaches for Nash's hand and grasps it as tight as he can, and both bodies begin to glow. You see both physical forms overlap, but this time the glow is soft and warm, shifting in hue from old gold to new gold.
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Once the shine fades, a new entity lies before you with a mix of traits of both species. The body and fur pattern is largely Nash's fox, but the limbs are cloaked in Zeroth's limb fluff. The feet end in solid hooves, the tail becomes horsehair in a fox pattern, and the ears have become stubby little horse ears. The hair has also become longer as a whole, but he mostly maintained the foxy face.
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It takes a moment, but he slowly wakes up, groaning heavily as he makes his first moves as a new being. "Urgh... my aching head.." He looks around at everyone. "Is... there a reason everyone is staring at me..? Is there something on my face?"
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He reaches for his face, noticing a distinct difference in the feeling of his paw. "Wait, what the..? Why are my arms so fluffy? Why is my tail so ropey?? Are those fucking HOOVES?! AM I A HORSE?!?!" He suddenly winces in pain, both hands grasping his head. "WAIT... It's all coming back to me now... bits and pieces... okay, okay... I get it now... this is me now... or, US, I guess..? This is so weird..."
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Aodaghan steps forth. "It ain't much better from where we stand." All the demense masters are still here, Aodaghan helping the new guy to his feet. "Welcome back to the livin' world, Zeroth. Or do we call you Nash now?"
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"No... new me, new name. What did Zeroth call himself when he was greeting new people at the door? Reiji? How about... Reggie. I like the sound of that." He smiles at the demense Masters and sighs. "This is gonna be so weird..."
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Reggie's entire eyes glow gold for moment, his voice changed to sound more like Zeroth. "This will be an adjustment for all of us it seems. This union was better than I had hoped. We are, in effect, no different than the demense Masters."
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The gold in his eyes fades, and he blinks a few times rapidly. "So... he is still here too, and I guess we just kinda... share this weird-ass body now..?"
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-----
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IF ANYONE ASKS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF DIADEM
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Conroy speaks out this time. "That depends on what the Kings of Kings decide. They won the right to claim ownership of the Diadem in that last fight, no differently than our own regalia. So now... they are our new Kings. True Kings of Kings."
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You can almost hear the depression seeping off Akarui, but he sighs and nods. "They are right. Diadem is a giant Regalia, and you won the rights to it fair and square. This is, quite literally, your property now. So... what will you do first?"
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PITCH THE FOLLOWING
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Get everyone off Diadem
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Make Diadem a legit country
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Give control to Akarui
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SKIP TO ONE YEAR LATER AND DETERMINE AN APPROPRIATE ENDING ON YOUR OWN |