Worthy Core Chapter 127: A Roll of the Dice

Lyota Silverstar was fine. Okay, yes, she was a little irritated, but that was for perfectly understandable reasons. The rabbits and flying lizards had been rather annoying to have to hit and kill one by one, though at least they had not been particularly durable. Exploring the forest for the bridge key had also been slightly frustrating, and even a little alarming when the party found themselves sward by particularly agile shades. However, that at least had not been so bad as the demoness had first feared - Lionel's bardic music had actually proven quite adept at slowing or even stunning the undead, leaving them relatively easy prey for the team's magical attacks.

However, Lyota was very definitely not feeling any adverse ntal effects from the stench of sin she could still detect around her. Very certainly not. With over a full day spent in diation, a practice the Lasher hadn't had to engage in for years, she now had full control over her emotional state and her taphysical hunger. It helped that they had taken the shortcut portal down to the fourth floor and so they had not spent much ti in the dungeon yet for the day, but even so, Lyota was still slightly worried about what the effects might be as she got closer to the dungeon core.

For now though, as Wetears was keen to remind her, they had more imdiate concerns on their minds. "So, glorious team leader mistress, we ready to take on this boss, or are we just gonna stare into the mist for a while longer?"

The demon shakes her head before shooting the goblin a look. "Just preparing myself - which I hope is the case for all of you, as well. The monster ahead has been rarely challenged, so we may not have a complete grasp of its dangers. We do know that it is a form of shade, so we at least have had a bit of practice for such a foe. Fatestealer, do you believe you can repeat your trick against a boss-level opponent?"

The incubus winces slightly, a less-than-promising response. "Can I affect it? Most likely I could, yes. Lock it down as I did the lesser creatures? The odds are low...but of course, I do have ans to beat the odds, if pressed to it."

Barny chuckles, showing off a snoutful of sharp teeth. "Oh, are we finally going to get to see the 'Gambler' part of your Gambler Bard class at work? I was wondering exactly how that works. Especially outside of an actual card ga."

Lionel smirks slightly, but the man doesn't seem particularly inclined to try and show off. "It's a powerful thing, to manipulate luck, but a difficult one. Fate is the domain of the gods, after all, and if you wish to challenge their domain there are always...costs."

Lyota peers at the man. "Explain, then. I assu these costs must be worth it, or you would not have bothered acquiring these skills?"

The man nods. "Often, but as the na implies, it's always a gamble. I have the ability to, among other things, gain a great amount of luck for a single attack, whether it's my own or soone else's. Or in other cases, to cause terrible luck for a foe. However, it's a debt, not a gift - the luck will need to be repaid in equal asure, and not at a ti of my choosing. In the long run, if used at the correct mont, it tends to pay off! But then I must spend the rest of the day, or the week, feeling as if I have a sword hanging over my head, haha!"

"I see. Well, do not use it lightly, then - but if you have the ability to stun the creature at a key mont, then do so. We're nearly at the end of the dungeon, so hopefully any blowback will be at a less violent mont. Follow ." With nothing further said, Lyota steps into the mist, her hand already on her whip. As the party steps into the cetery-thed arena, she keeps her head on a swivel, but her senses fail to detect the boss she knows is present.

"I feel this monster has killed before, but still very rarely. I cannot find its hiding spot, dungeon monsters being what they are."

A deep voice behind her makes her twirl, though fortunately the boss takes the opportunity to taunt the group rather than to imdiately attack them. "YOU SEEK TO JUDGE FOR MY CRIS, PERHAPS? IRONIC. IS THERE ANYTHING FAIRER THAN DEATH? THE HATED AND THE BELOVED FIND EQUAL PEACE IN MY EMBRACE."

As Lyota spots DEATH OF RABBITS, forming from the dark mist at the edge of the arena, her mood slips further into irritation. "Pfaw! What is this, a stage performance? YOU THINK TO TAKE ON THE ASPECT OF DEATH ITSELF? THE RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY? A FALSE CREATION OF A DUNGEON WEIGHTED BY ITS SINS? I KNOW CHILDREN BETTER SUITED TO JUDGE A LIFE THAN YOU." Even as she responds Lyota ntally curses herself for slipping into the demonic tongue to do so - as if the act itself was sohow validating the role the boss was attempting to claim. "Bah, ignore him! Slay him where he stands!"

"YOU YOURSELF JUDGE BASED ON LITTLE MORE THAN YOUR STOMACH, AGENT OF FURY, WHEN YOU OUGHT TO BE USING YOUR EYES. WE SHALL SEE WHO IS SLAIN, AND WHO IS JUDGED!" With that the shade leaps forward, swinging his scythe, but he's imdiately forced to dodge as an array of light beams crisscrosses the field. From behind a larger statue of a rabbit, Passy shouts.

"He's undead, alright! I'll need to hit him with sothing focused to burn through a boss, though, so try and keep him pinned down!"

"On it!" Wetears repeatedly slams his weapon against his shield as he charges in, creating a mystical shieldbrother at his side each ti he does so, and his group quickly forms a wall between DEATH and the party's ranged mbers. The monster attempts a single attack, but when the shieldwall easily blocks him, he glides back and gives Wetears as much of an unimpressed look as his bony face can manage.

"STATIC DEFENSES. I HOPE YOUR FALSE FRIENDS ARE QUICKER ON THEIR FEET THAN YOU ARE." Before the goblin can reply, to his shock the boss leaps entirely over his head, landing between Barny and Lyota. The demoness needs a mont to recover, her weapon not being suited for such close-range fighting, and only Barny's short height saves him as the kobold rolls away from a swing of the scythe. Wetears does attempt to turn and re-engage his opponent, but after a few steps he realizes to his surprise that he's doing so alone. As he looks back, he spots his summoned soldiers fighting off a swarm of albino rabbits.

"What? Ignore those rodents, they can't hurt you! Dammit, they're too stupid to prioritize targets!" He turns back just in ti to spot DEATH firing off a blast of dark magic in his direction, and while the goblin does bring his shield up in ti, it's no holy weapon. "Fuck! M'arm's going numb just blocking that shit!"

While he shouts out, Lyota and Passy do manage to score a few glancing hits on the boss, but to little imdiate effect, and the music Lionel plays to encourage his companions only just barely gives Barny the speed he needs to stay one step ahead of his own personal death. It soon becos clear that DEATH's managed to identify the party's healer, and with Wetears entirely out of position, Lyota quickly judges that they simply have no way of slowing down the semi-physical creature. Sighing at the fact that it's beco necessary so quickly, she issues the Bard his new orders.

"Do it, Fatestealer! We need that boss stopped in his tracks!"

"As the lady commands! Fates curse my foe!" Rather than imdiately get to playing a new tune, the incubus first pulls out a pair of dice from his vest - and then tosses them straight up into the air, high enough that they soon go out of sight. When he does begin playing his magically-enhanced lody, Lyota can feel there's layers to it she hadn't heard on his earlier renditions - a reverb within her soul, and not just her ears. As the intended target, it seems to affect DEATH even more strongly, and the boss halts with one hand placed against his hood-covered skull.

"THAT - THAT IS THE WORST MUSIC I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY UNLIFE. NOW THAT IS A CRI WORTH PUNISHING." Before he can do anything about it, however, Lyota and Passy both take full advantage of their opportunity. As the fury demon's mystical whip wraps itself around him, further holding him in place, Passy unleashes a charged spell she'd been building since the start of the fight. Yet at the worst mont, whether it's an effect of Lyota's weapon or Lionel's music, the boss collapses to his knees and the massive light beam only grazes him - with most of the magical attack striking Lyota instead.

Her armor takes the brunt of it, but the fury demon is unable to fully contain a scream as the imitation sunlight burns her face. Wetears does leap forward in ti to block so of the last effects with his shield, but Lyota falls to her own knees as she reaches for a healing potion. "Passy! Watch your angles! Gah!"

Passy's eyes go wide as she attempts to quickly shoot off a second attack. "I - I thought I was! You were - I swear I thought you were standing a few feet further away!" While she prepares, a pair of Wetear's summoned shieldbearers finally make their way to DEATH, but an apparently blind scythe swing from the boss manages to carve its way through both of them. Their imitation armor should have held up to more than a single attack, yet it was almost as if they'd lined up so that their throats would be at the perfect height for the move. Wetears growls at the sight.

"The hell'd you do, Bard!? You call that giving him bad luck?"

The demon stamrs a little in response, rather surprised himself. "The - the fates are often unpredictable, but I've never seen it play out quite like this! The effect should end in monts, however, if this is indeed an effect!"

Fortunately for the party, it takes DEATH several monts more to free himself from Lyota's whip, still left entangled around him, and that's all the ti Passy and Barny need to hit him with a simultaneous mystic barrage. Passy's second beam manages to hit its target this ti, while Barny's soulfla proves far more effective at burning the undead than any mundane fla ever could. With a demonic shriek the boss fades away into so much black mist, and the party rushes to see to their wounded captain.

Lyota does her best to restore so calm to her voice, as a splash of healing potion helps to regenerate her skin. "...Fatestealer. I find myself far less inclined to see you utilizing your more advanced techniques, if this is representative of their reliability."

"I...can't entirely disagree, Soul Lasher. Unless the boss had an astounding amount of luck to start with, I cannot see how it managed two such effective moves while under the effects of my performance. That said, shall I play sothing to ease your pain?"

Barny waves the man away. "No need, music man. Fortunately, healing flas are actually quite effective at healing burn wounds. May I?" Lyota nods, and a few monts later her face is lit up again, this ti by green-burning flas. She doesn't cry out this ti, however, and when the flas flicker out her red-skinned face barely shows a hint of sunburn.

"Thank you, Soulfla Wielder. An...unusual experience, but not an unpleasant one." Despite her words, Lyota's face turns into a frown after she spends a mont in concentration. "Unfortunately, I do have unpleasant news. The Church of Bounty claid the dungeon core was located below this island, but I can sense the dungeon's sins are further away still."

Passy's snout turns into a frown of her own. "You an, like, the core's managed to hide itself sowhere in the mountain?"

As Lyota recovers her weapon, she shakes her head. "No. It ans that Floor Six has been completed, and awaits us now. None have yet seen it, but the forr Association Rogue is said to be its champion." The stairwell leading to the tunnel below makes its sudden appearance along with the boss's reward chest, but Lyota eyes it warily. "We will need your light, Solar Arcanist. Darkness awaits us ahead."