DUNGEON ♛ LIEFSTE CARNAVAL

[boardmaster]

LIEFSTE CARNAVAL
20 JULY (DELPHINE) 2016

The Heroes chosen for this dungeon may reach Petrosian by any means they choose (by Airy with passports, by foot, by train, etc.) but they must travel to the area under suspicion by a smaller train, sponsored by VIPs; from there, they will take the fifteen mile, bumpy ride from the quaint town station to an open valley downstream. As you’re jostled around in your seat, a cheery announcement informs you that this train ride was sponsored by the illustrious Ryder, who felt it was necessary to express his gratitude to the Heroes and their admirable efforts that just barely saved his life last month. How thoughtful of him.

As the train chugs to a stop, beyond the forest and behind our Heroes, endless fields of gold seem to stretch out as far as the eye can see. What was once rich green grass has been painted yellow by the sweltering heat and clear summer sky. Few trees offer shelter from the sun, but most Heroes will have to provide their own shade as they wait for Secretary Verdoni and Ryder’s quick debriefing.

	Verdoni [ he looks so done with Ryder, but he has a job to do ] Every year, this field serves as the site of the famous Liefste Carnaval. For obvious reasons, we do not usually spend money to send our forces here, and if anyone would like to convince me otherwise, I shall have them entertain their fellow rapscallions at St. Amant.
	Ryder [ coughs ]
	Verdoni [ shut up ] However, due to financial constraints and missing people reports in the area, the carnival was canceled. And yet it is here. We have reason to believe that the reports of missing individuals tie into this carnival. Furthermore, our researchers say there is an abnormal amount of mana activity in the area. Given your previous experience with those, I don’t believe I need to elaborate any further. Your job is to investigate the carnival, find the truth behind it, and retrieve the dungeon core. As for your transportation, we’ve arranged a—
	Ryder Thank you, Secretary. Heroes. Out of gratitude for your heroic rescue, the least I could do was provide some incentive to fetch me a souvenir. This train, the Big Red, was built by one of Gammon’s finest mechanics. I had it shipped here under great expense so that you could enjoy the luxury of Gammon. I hope you Heroes are fortunate enough to visit my land soon. [ and as an afterthought: ] Ah, and rescue those people. Of course. By the way, this weather is absolutely dreadful. My skin was never this dry back in Cochrane. Guard A, Guard B, set up camp. We don’t want to faint from the heat later, do we?
	Verdoni [ why is this guy even here ] To answer the question on everyone’s minds: yes, there is a point to collecting these dungeon cores. Apart from restoring natural order to the land, we have reason to believe the dungeon cores may hold the key to finding a way home for you Heroes... Once we have proper confirmation, I will soon be able to make a formal announcement. Secondly, yes, Commander Lisbrand is still recovering from the Noir attack. We are hoping that she’ll be well enough to join us soon. For now, we do what we can.

Basic info on the dungeon can be found here. Dungeon mechanics can be found here. All OOC questions about the event may be directed to the thread below.

ONE ♙
Welcome to the Liefste Carnaval! Don’t be shy, come on in!

There’s nothing of note when you approach the carnival’s entrance. The hustle and bustle of any other fun-filled festival can be heard from the outside, complete with excited shouts and distant music. The smell of popcorn and other saccharine treats waft over and make your mouth water…

Before you satisfy your cravings, you should get a ticket. You’ll be greeted by a vaguely humanoid ticket seller entirely covered in confetti and pieces of torn tickets, with a rattling breath as if it caught a cold. It doesn’t speak and merely points to a sign that says 500 colle per person! What? Not everything comes for free. An item of similar value will also suffice.

If you refuse to pay and shoulder your way past it, you’ll find yourself shoved onto your back, face to face with the ticket seller himself. The bits of paper on its face rustle before it shuffles back over to the stand. Try again and you’ll find yourself getting further and further away from the entrance as a minor curse begins to settle upon you. You may come up with your own curse (e.g. loss of voice, speaking in gibberish). Thankfully, the curse doesn’t last long, but the message should be clear: pay for your ticket.

Once you have acquired your ticket, you are free to enter the carnival at your leisure. Should you turn around to ask the ticket seller for more information, it will vanish into thin air, leaving nothing but a small heap of confetti.

Walk past the first booth; a gaggle of happy children with balloons approach you with boxes of welcoming gifts. Though you might want to remember what all children are taught: don’t take candy from strangers.

MONSTER ♟ Wicht
Weak against Fire, Holy	Strong against None	Immune to Dark
A demon possessing a wooden puppet painted and carved in the form of a happy child with rosy cheeks. It offers BOXES OF CHOCOLATE to unsuspecting victims. Be warned: the chocolate will give you CHILLS AND MALAISE, and eating it will prompt fellow Wichts to link their hands together and circle around you as they chant RING AROUND THE ROSIE. This is not an innocent game, but a spell that accelerates the progression of the disease inside you, manifesting in RASHES, FEVER, SNEEZING AND COUGHING. The Wichts have no sympathy to spare; they’ll keep chanting ‘til you all fall down! Don’t feel like chocolate today? Oh, the Wichts insist. As they shove their boxes at you, their giggles turn into maniacal laughter. Their cherubic features melt into something sharper, harder, and you barely have time to react before they try to rip your heart out with their SHARP CLAWS. Catching Wichts is not easy. They use the wind magic of their BALLOONS to fly out of harm’s way, and the more mischievous ones will inhale the helium inside to release BANSHEE-LIKE SCREAMS that will stun and knock your party back. You can eliminate these demons by any means, but defeating these wooden puppets with HOLY MAGIC will banish the demonic spirit inside them, rendering them lifeless with the angelic features they originally had. These Petrosian-style puppets show really good craftsmanship! DROPS: Colorful Balloons, Gift Boxes, Petrosian Puppets, Wicht Claws, Mana-infused Wood

Suddenly, the cheerful and festive atmosphere vanishes. A flag flutters against a strong, abrupt gust of wind. Shadows seem to whisper and point and watch with gleaming, uncountable eyes. The paths are deserted and what was a vibrant place full of life is now anything but.


TWO ♙
In the chocolate box of the first Wicht you defeat, you will find a hand-drawn map of the carnival. It is extremely detailed and meticulously labeled with every ride, shop, and sideshow. Does this cartographer have a perfectionist streak? There’s a crudely-painted red heart circling one attraction in particular: the tunnel of love. But from the way the color dried, you’re starting to think that’s not paint…

Before you reach the tunnel of love, you have to pass through game stalls and the haunted house. Move quickly; those familiar Wicht giggles are approaching and they will not take no for an answer. Hide behind stalls or large crates to avoid them. Perhaps Rooks or Illusion Queens can cover the party’s tracks!

If you choose to hide behind stalls and crates, a cold draft might hit your back, send a shiver down your spine and make you whirl around to confront—no one. But you could have sworn you saw a shadow in the corner of your eye… Before you can think, something too close for comfort bursts into hysterical laughter, attracting the attention of the Wichts and forcing you to abandon your shelter.

However, Wichts can’t touch you if you join in the fun, and the carnival offers a variety of games to play, from dime pitch games to shooting galleries. A man next to a strongman game might even holler at you to step right up and test your strength. Neither firearms, ammo or hammers will be provided, but you’re Heroes, right? Improvise! Win, and you’ll be greeted by...

MONSTER ♟ Steun
Weak against Holy	Strong against Dark	Immune to None
Carnival staff manning the stalls with smiles that will haunt your nightmares. People who win their games infuriate them! Their weapon of choice depends on where you find them. Food vendors will be eager to hurl BOILING OIL or throw an entire GRILL at your face, while those at the shooting galleries might come at you with FIREARMS—real ones! But sometimes, a bullet won’t kill you. Instead, it will make you smell like cotton candy. It will also cast CHARM MAGIC on you, making your party members fall in love with you. Only strong willpower can break the spell… or you know, a good, old-fashioned kiss. Staff members may also toss stuffed toys at you, but these cute and cuddly things aren’t a gift of goodwill. They’re enchanted grenades that explode into heart-shaped confetti and release a gas that will make you LAUGH UNCONTROLLABLY for a good five minutes. DROPS: Assorted Guns and Bullets, Carnival Food Items, Stuffed Toys, Carnival Staff Jacket

Glad that’s over! Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the last area you needed to traverse. Checking the map again reveals that the haunted house is up next. But that shouldn’t be a big deal; you can usually avoid those by simply walking past, right?

Wrong. As you enter the area, you’ll soon realize that the roads around the house are clogged up by cotton candy and popcorn which might serve as convenient snacks to replenish your mana. The only free path leads to the front door.


THREE ♙
The floorboards creak as your party enters the haunted house. A flash of lightning preceding a crack of thunder reveals a large, arachnid leg. Clicking noises of pincers are the only warnings Heroes get before your party is grabbed and hauled upwards, one by one. Tough strings like silk trap your bodies in a tight cocoon that dangles from the ceiling. Resistance is futile, as struggling will damage your clothes. Don’t worry about flashing anyone; the spider is more than happy to cover your bare areas with more form-hugging strings. The spider silk seems to be enchanted, since captured Heroes cannot escape on their own. You must help them to proceed!

As the spider works on hauling its prey upwards, the others must rescue their comrade before it’s too late! Unfortunately, your entrance has awoken a sudden rush of monsters, and the blood and drool they’re spewing make it hard to believe they’re in costume. Hobbling and groaning zombies, scarecrows and half molten blobs or something in between are eager to have you for dinner themselves. The enemies themselves are not particularly dangerous; it’s their sheer number and the furniture they’ve knocked over which make this fight a pain in the neck. Kick and bat and suplex your way through the enemy ranks until you reach the rickety stairs.

Climbing with care, you finally make your way to the second floor. There is a spider lurking in a corner...

MONSTER ♟ Heer Spinnekop
Weak against Water	Strong against Earth, Wind	Immune to Lightning
“I must say, that was very rude of you. No one has ever turned down an invitation to my tea parties.” A calm and chipper tea-sipping, monocle-wearing SPIDER too big to fit through the front door. The wealthy Lord Spinnekop studied in Gammon for a time and the accent has stuck with him ever since. Despite his manners, he isn’t too pleased to have his snack stolen from under its nose. What’s he going to dunk in his tea cup now? So he’ll try to trap the Heroes once more with his SILK THREADS, please and thank you. His threads will wrap around you in patterns that bind and appeal to the senses. “Ooh, could you do that again? It makes my spinneret tingle!” For some reason, LIGHTNING MAGIC doesn’t work against the monstrous spider. But continue to refuse him and he’ll splash piping hot Gammonian Breakfast tea at your face… or shirt. Let’s hope you didn’t wear something thin and white. As the battle goes on, he’ll crawl from corner to corner, and soon, you’ll notice a method to his madness: he’s been weaving a HUGE, STICKY WEB for you all! “No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. I’ll wash you down—after I chew and swallow!” Heroes he likes, he’ll trap in his web and eat. Heroes he doesn’t? He’ll toss them in a giant KETTLE of water he’s been boiling in the kitchen! How does Heroic tea sound? However, chatting with the spider (and boy, does he love to chat) will reveal that despite growing up in the lowlands of Petrosian and living in rainy Gammon, he detests water. WATER MAGIC might just wash the spider out! DROPS: Fancy Tea Set, Top Hat, Monocle, Gentleman’s Gloves, Silk Threads

You’ve had it with this @#$%ing spider in this @#%$ing haunted house! Goodbye and good riddance. The doors upstairs seem to lead to nowhere so you’ll have to climb through the open hatch in the ceiling to exit. On the roof, you can finally survey the entire dungeon, but don’t linger for too long. Otherwise, you’ll be compelled to jump off the roof!

Hope you’re not afraid of heights, because the only way to advance to the tunnel of love is by jumping from roof to roof.


FOUR ♙
Finally, the infamous tunnel of love rests before you in all its glittery, pink glory. Rose petals coat the sign and flower chains hang from the tunnel ceiling. Echoes of sensual moans can be heard from the outside, but there’s no turning back. Once you’ve secured yourself a swan boat, you’re in for quite the joyride. The dulcet tones of a romantic serenade give you something else to focus on other than the disturbingly intimate shadows on the walls, but even the music stops every now and then to amplify the voices further in.

Then all of a sudden, the water of the tunnel starts flowing in the other direction. Due to the shape of the boat, Heroes get doused in cold water, and that’s the least of your problems. More Steuns will come out of the woodwork and take potshots at the Heroes with their guns. Talk about wet and wild! The tunnel’s heart-shaped props might also come to life and attempt to drown Heroes. Why not? It’s not like couples ever want to leave.

After several merry minutes, the water will be drained out completely. Who doesn’t enjoy being stranded in the middle of enemy territory? As you walk down the tunnel, there’s a point that diverges into several paths. Following the path that smells like roses will appear to put you on the right track, but leads to a dead end. Looking around, you’ll find a raised, heart-shaped platform with graffiti that says, NOW DO IT! ❤

That’s awfully specific. Considering where you are, you probably meet the riddle with mild surprise. Maybe if you try to kiss someone, you’ll be able to advance! But actually, if you wait long enough, a simple hug might yet suffice.

Once the riddle has been satisfied, the wall opens to reveal the inside of a circus tent. Vacant bleachers surround the stage, and though they are empty, deafening cheers seem to come from people filling the seats. Without warning, all the lights go out, save for a single spotlight...

BOSS ♟ Y. U. Lyon the Spelleider and his Circus
Weak against None	Strong against Fire	Immune to Dark, Status Effects
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to the best show in the world! I’ve travelled the seven seas, so I should know.” An outstanding and prolific RINGMASTER who recently fell out of the limelight. After some soul searching, Ser Lyon’s back with a bigger and better show that’ll knock everyone’s socks off! Eat your heart out, Cirque du Etoile. As the leader of this circus, he has the fully loyalty of his performers—and pets. With a crack of his whip, he summons large, maned LIONS that growl as they bare their sharp, white fangs. They attack the Heroes on his orders. Don’t let the large felines jump through those flaming hoops, as these will ENGULF THEM IN FIRE, too! Use WATER to put the flames out. ”Such teamwork… Geluk and I were the same. Why am I thinking about him at a time like this? For our next act…!” Should you defeat his precious lions, he will send out his beloved CIRCUS PERFORMERS: acrobats that can kick your butt, contortionists that can bend themselves twice over as they lock you in a CHOKEHOLD, unicycle-riding jugglers waiting for the right moment to toss you a KNIFE or MOLOTOV COCKTAIL, and tightrope walkers ready to DROP DEADLY SPEARS onto unsuspecting Heroes. You might even get tackled by the occasional cannonball man and GET LAUNCHED OUT OF THE TENT with him! Circus performers of all kinds will try to steal the show, and your imagination’s the limit. Unlike the ringmaster, these people are WEAK TO STATUS EFFECTS. ”He told me to meet him during the Festivale de la Ceinturonne, but I had a show that night. I couldn’t abandon my circus! That was years ago… I haven’t heard from him since. I wonder what would have happened… if I had gone to see him… If I had gone to see him…!” Although his stars are gone, the show must go on. As the drum rolls, the lone Ser Lyon reaches inside his mouth to pull out a sharp SWORD with a flourish. How long has that been in there? Not important. Forget about admiring his top-notch swordsmanship, too—he’s here to kill! Even as you keep your distance, you can’t escape him when he strikes you with his WHIP and singes your skin with his FIRE-BREATHING SKILLS. From time to time, he pulls MAGICAL BIRDS out of his coat to distract Heroes. They will disappear the moment you strike them. ”Bravo, bravo. The circus is my life, but… your teamwork has reminded me of something far more important. Still… we put on a good show, didn’t we?” Before his last breath, he pulls a lovespur out of thin air. It was his closest friend’s favorite magic trick. A DUNGEON CORE rises from his chest, and he ends the show with an elegant bow and a smile. DROPS: Ringmaster Staff, Ringmaster Coat, Lion Mane, Juggling Balls, Sword, Hoop, Balance Pole, Torches

Once Y. U. Lyon the Spelleider and his lackeys have been defeated, the phantom cheering cuts off. The bleachers are suddenly occupied by the missing Petrosians, exhausted and confused as to how they ended up here. The dungeon magic appears to have compelled them to act the way they did. Reassure them, help them down from the bleachers and make absolutely sure you leave no one behind.

Soon, the carnival gates open. The show is over and it’s time for everyone to go home.


FIVE ♙
Once you step out of the gates, there’s a flash of light and a final pop of confetti. The next time you blink, you’ll find yourself in a campsite. It seems like Ryder kept his word and set up a rest stop for everyone exiting the dungeon. You’re back in one piece and the area seems to be back to normal as well. Relieved murmurs spring up from the rescued Petrosians who are quick to thank the Heroes profusely before they are whisked away by Blanc’s medics for a check-up.

Verdoni Good work, Heroes. What you do with the dungeon cores is your business alone, but all efforts to assist us in assessing them will be appreciated. That includes providing us with said dungeon cores, of course. I will report our findings as soon as we can. Thank you.

As he leaves, he catches the sight of Ryder and clicks his tongue. That Gammonian is making good use of his human footrest again. Some things never change.

Now that Heroes have left the dungeon, they are free to do whatever they want to. Rest in the tents? Fill your rumbling tummies? Treat injuries? It’s up to them!

Comments

[seventhgen]

[Anyone else hear some boss battle music?] You mustn't give up, Apollo-san! [Her shield comes up in front of the three of them as the whip cracks again, flame dashing against the mana barrier. It doesn't deflect, though. It gets absorbed. Even though the mana floods her system, giving Aigis a brief boost of energy, the force of the hit still makes one of her knees almost buckle... and the feedback from the fire causes her shield to grow painfully hot. Aigis hiss-yelps as the fire burns her lower left arm. The mana barrier fades.] --ah! [It's painful. She can't hold it. He rushes them with his sword.]

[nomicrequired]

Aigis!

[Minato's right, it's not bad until it's over. This might not be a time where he has to force his brightest smile, but he might as well be in the sense that he can't give up here. The ringleader surges towards Aigis, sword raised-]

No!

[His spear comes up, trying to use the shaft to block the downward swing of the ringmaster's sword. He puts everything into trying to block it, causing something unusual to happen. The sword hits a new barrier, one that surrounds Apollo himself as the spear glows. For a split second, the attack is stopped, his muscles burning with the effort of trying to keep that blade away from his friend.]

Ahhhhhh-!!!

[Until with one grin, one wicked pulse of energy and effort made by the ringleader blows Apollo backwards seven feet or so. He lands heavily onto the ground, trying to recover from the recoil of being knocked off his feet and onto his back. With Apollo out of the way, he tries again, hoping to cut off the head of the one that might be able to mitigate his attacks, the blonde girl...]

[burnmydread]

[ Minato's abilities are painfully offensive. Painfully. Apollo seems to have it, at least for a moment. But everything happens so fast. Minato raises his sword to counter the next attack, but he's not the target. Aigis' shield is down, Minato can't summon up another attack of his own in enough time to divert the ringleader, so he does the only thing he can think of in the few seconds he has.

He jumps.

Or rather, he lunges forward, pushing Aigis out of the way. She's movable, soft, and human. Her circuitry might have been damaged from such an attack before, but now? Now it's a death sentence.

And he's not going to let that happen.

It's strange. It doesn't hurt at first. It takes him a moment to realize that there's a sword right through him, sticking out the other end. He can feel it between his ribs, something cracked. He's numb, he's oddly numb, at least until he coughs. Punctured lung. That hurts.

The ringleader laughs and pulls back, drawing the sword out of Minato's torso. That hurts, as does the blood suddenly bubbling up through his lungs. He can feel it dribbling down from his lips as his knees hit the ground.

Yeah...that hurts too. ]

[seventhgen]

[Her arm hurts. It's burned, and she's never felt like this before. She can't tell the damage, she can't assess what systems may have been hit. All she feels is sensation, an overwhelming sensation that makes her want to retch. Pain. This is what... pain feels like? She feels almost blinded and overwhelmed by the pain in her arm, so that she barely realizes when the ringmaster charges her. She looks up, eyes wide, just to see him lunge. Time moves slowly as that glittering sword point rushes at her. She can't move. Then, suddenly, she's pushed, knocked violently to the side, hitting the ground in a roll (her weight hitting her burned arm doesn't make it feel any better) and coming, dizzy and disoriented, to her hands and knees. What just happened? She looks up and her eyes go wide in shock, her face turning a horrible pale. The ringmaster is there, sword glittering and coated red, through Minato's torso. The boy is standing, but only barely, and Aigis can barely even parse what she's looking at when the ringmaster pulls his sword back, and Minato falls to his knees. No. No, no, no. No, this isn't happening. It's not happening again. She won't let it happen again.] Minato!!! [This man hurt Minato. She's going to kill him. A horrible, barely-human scream of grief and rage rips from out of her throat as another cast of her gravity magic pins the ringmaster's feet to the floor. She raises her rifle, coming up to her knees, and fires nearly point-blank into his body, over and over again. If she'd still been a robot, she would be able to tell that her mana reserves are critically low. She's not. She wouldn't care. Mana bullet after mana bullet lands solidly on the ringmaster, who can't dodge.]

[nomicrequired]

[In that short breadth of time, it moves so slow. He's seen someone die before his very eyes once before, a fatal bullet wound that took an Interpol agent's life; walked in on the corpse of another man in the midst of a strange mystery surrounding a mythical figure, but it's another thing to actually witness the blow that might take the life of another. He hadn't seen the Interpol agent get shot. He didn't even know the guy. He'd at least talked to Minato before, when he'd arrived.

He didn't think he was about to witness that same man be run through by a sword, in a world that shouldn't exist, in a situation that was far beyond any rational thought.

His voice catches in his throat. The thud of Minato's knees against the ground. Aigis's sharp scream. The bullets that wrack the body of the man who'd just possibly committed homicide, if not serious bodily injury. But his mind doesn't think in legal terms right now.

Is he dead? He can't be.

The question presents itself, a bubbling concept that bursts into a waterfall of grief and rage. Apollo doesn't lose himself to it, no- he can clearly see his mechanical friend's retaliation, and the ringmaster's last hurrah to take her with him as she lets loose into his fleshy body. Fire forms in his mouth. Apollo has to move.

When the bullets stop, when he no longer has breath for his scream, when silence rings in his ears save for a choked, curdled gasp at life is uttered, Apollo can see his spear ran right through their enemy. White knuckles clench the weapon and he realizes those hands are his own, his eyes wide with fear, before letting go of it. The ringmaster stands there, smiling, saying his last words, presenting the Dungeon Core they'd sought after, before finally dissipating. The spear clangs to the ground.

And all he can do is glance backwards with a sickened stomach to Aigis and Minato.]

[seventhgen]

[She doesn't see that the ringmaster fades into nothing, leaving his dungeon core. She doesn't care. Her shield and rifle clatter to the ground, and she rushes to Minato, holding him in her arms and trying to see how bad the wound is.] Minato... Minato...! [She cries, desperately, her normal politeness replaced by desperation as she cradles him. Why doesn't she know healing magic? What good is she? His outfit is stained with blood; she presses her hand to his stab wound, trying to close it with pressure. Blood leaks all around her fingers. She held him once before as he faded. She couldn't cry for him, then. Hot tears drip from her chin onto his face.]

[burnmydread]

[ He can hear the barrage of gunshots she fires, Apollo's quick moving feet, the last gurgling cackle as the ringmaster disappears. He hears it all, but he doesn't really soak it in. He's on the ground when Aigis finally comes to him, each breath coming more painful than the last.

It isn't like how he died the first time. No, that had been peaceful, slow and growing colder, but otherwise like falling asleep. He thought it was fitting in many ways, how often he spent most of his days under his blankets wishing to ignore the rest of the world for a little while longer. But this...this is pain in his chest, spreading through his limbs, clogging his throat. He can taste his own blood.

He sees her. She's okay.

Well...no, she's not okay. She's crying, isn't she? He's growing numb, but that expression...

But she's alive. So...mission accomplished, right?

He doesn't speak. He knows he'll come back from this, but even with that notion, it doesn't make the process feel any better. When his body stops feeling all together, he's grateful, and that's the last coherent thought he has until he lasts a few more choked breaths.

It's not like before. He doesn't close his eyes and peacefully drift off into oblivion.

He just stops. His mana signature fades. ]

[nomicrequired]

[Everything moved in slow motion. Apollo isn't sure when Minato stopped breathing, or when he'd fallen to his knees on the other side of the man that lie in the arms of a sobbing woman. It had happened so fast, there was nothing he could do...]

M-Minato! Hey!

[He waits a moment, and when there's no answer, he tries again in vain-]

Minato! Answer me! Please!

[But there wouldn't be an answer, that logic slowly dawning on Apollo. He's gone. He's gone and the young lawyer doesn't know that he can come back yet. It wasn't supposed to be this way, he didn't truly understand how dangerous these dungeons were, he should have prepared better...

Apollo's head hangs, unable for the moment to comfort Aigis. They were just fighting together moments ago. How could this of happened...]

[seventhgen]

No... no, no, no-- [Aigis's face is pale with shock, her eyes wide and her expression disbelieving as Minato goes limp, as his mana signature fades, as he fades. Once again, she holds him as he dies, but this time it is violent and bloody and her fault. It is her fault. She has never cried like this before. Deep, wracking sobs burst from her lungs as tears stream down her face, and she doubles over, clinging to him, pulling his lifeless body up against her chest. She wails in grief, grief that feels all the more immediate and real this second time because of how sudden it is. She wishes she could stop feeling.]