Endgame

"...I..." "No... No reason to..." The inky parasite on Masson's back begins to squirm in displeasure. Alatreon reacts quickly, suddenly pinning Massond down with one of his mighty talons. The Harvester clatters out of his hands. "Now, listen! I could roast that detestful thing off of him, but unless you want this man back charred, hurry and peel it off!"

"Are you just going to stand there as he threatens the child...?"

"BE QUIET!" Masson recoils backwards. "I just... Neeed time to..." "You're... almost there, I think, nearly complete. You've already attacked his sense of love, his paternal instinct, his loyalty to The Regret.... You're doing well, very very well. Well, there's only one thing that's left, and that's deconstructing his logic behind his obedience. All it would take is perhaps just one non sequiter, or perhaps not even that, perhaps even a fallacy, and you may get to him... You're doing... a Very good thing here. Thank you, heroes, thank you." "I suppose a father would know his son, hmph." "Well, we all know who here is the logician." ---------------------------------------------------------- ELSEWHERE... "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice..." The Regret slams an angry fist onto the cold stone of his inner sanctum, the sound echoing several times over through the cavernous space. The light from the Lifespark casts an ominous shadow from him. "They cannot be allowed to keep throwing things into disarray like this! I need to make absolutely sure they are fit for their purpose..." "They've more or less proven themselves already, sire." "No, the plan is risky enough. The second stage is a gamble, and I cannot risk anything on the first. ...Hm. Speaking of gambles, what did you do with the ambush of Oculoids you had stationed earlier?" "They're closing in on Alatreon's chamber right now." "And if, I recall, Alatreon is very messy when snacking on the Oculoid invalids. The remains should be enough, along with the troops we're sending now... Perhaps its time to see just how large an Oculoid Amalgam can get." ---------------------------------------------

"I'm not hesistant, they're holding my child hostage!" "...Nrrgh." "You're wrong. She would never allow you to kill our child."

"You... Wouldn't dare. It'd jeopardize your mission."

"I am speaking purely factually here. The fact is, I was raised as a killer, and I imagine the only way for you to be able to live your days alongside me is to become my deviless. And Heroicans can die. One of The Regret's minions have put a Hero down before. It's not imposs-" Masson straightens his posture even more when Karie mentions a child. "...What?" "A child... You carry my offspring. The devilization process can be harmless, assuming you don't resist. The child can persevere. You can still be its mother, and I its father. However, if you think I have become an abuser, than the chances of that happening are zero, isn't it? it is your duty to protect the baby. Don't you dare just sit still and allow me to take two lives. Draw our weapon." "...He... Cares about his child."

Lynne looks at the rocky man with a distinct sense of awe. "There's just... So much on Olegaia that I've never even heard of. Especially after my time, uh, away. Ahem. Hello there! Could we commission a ride into Farrech, if it wouldnt be too much trouble?"

"No. I have been ordered to stand my ground and fight, and I intend to do just that. I have been granted some of my memories back you know. A select few... Enough to know who I am dealing with. Boomingham. If you think I have wronged you before, then the Harvester is only going to be reaching a far wider, far more malevolent scale soon. If you're willing to sacrifice your life to end our petty grudge, when the man who had ignited your hatred has vanished, then you truly are among a fool among fools. Mortimer. You confessed your true name to me, almost two years ago now, because you thought a quiet world would be admirable. I cannot say what I'm working towards now matches that dull old vision, but yes, the world will be much quieter... paradise usually doesn't cause too much of a noise. Jeaux. You've always perplexed me, but you seem like a valuable ally. Although you are bound to your allies by contract, know that The Regret would always be willing to give you a taste of what you so desperately crave. Erdathcath. You were my leader only a few short hours ago. Then you feel from grace, and, well, so did I - at least in your eyes, anyway. Amazing how things change. Johon. I've known you the least. You at least seem competent in battle, so perhaps this will be an actual test of skill. You see, I've always had this fear of... Hurting someone. That if I cut loose, someone would inevitably die, that someone would be hurt beyond repair. I was right, but that does not in any way excuse any prior weakness. I am a paragon. I've been raised as a killer, a child assassin, since I was seven. For a long time I've been playing the lovestruck idiot, learning what it was like to be in "love". No more of that. I think it's about time that I shed that exterior and show what lurks beneath my many masks: one of the most efficient killers Olegaia has ever seen. That is my nature, and The regret has only made me stronger. ...And, Karie. The Oculoids tried to withhold the fact that you are my wife, but they, for whatever reason, were unable. As long as you are human, our marital status is meaningless. If you are truly so infatuated with me, you may choose to become my deviless. Otherwise, draw your weapon."

+50 Power, +900 HP, +10 SP. Sorry, not everything in this quest is going to be converted into loot.

"If only it was that easy. I can still move my neck, I could clamp these old fangs of mine down on the chains, but it's not that simple." "...You are only familiar with the militarized Oculoids. They've existed for centuries. They were The Regret's eyes and ears, a huge surveillance network. That's what they started as... Taht's how the Regret can lay his claim to "omniscinece", the arrogant bastard. Slowly, they gained power. The power of mental manipulation came first. You would be shocked how many suicides, deemed were "unexplainable", were just the primordial Oculoids working their "magic" on some poor victim. Within the past few years they have become competent fighters." "So... Oculoids were lying in wait, even the *wheeze* first time we faced The Regret..." "Cut those chains and you'll doom me. The Regret was clever... If the chains are disturbed, sliced, or released by someone who is not of high rank, well... A lot of hellish things would happen. Poison would be injected into my veins, I'd be electrocuted, burnt, impaled, all by this damned harness, practically melded onto my body. My capturing was not at all pleasant, that's for damn sure. You have the right attitude, at least. You strike me so very stereotypically human - greedy, drunk, fat - but perhaps something else lurks under that exterior, eh? Now, unless you have business here, you must bego-" Alatreon is suddenly hit in the jaw with an electric burst, the magnificent dragon recoiling back. "What in hell's blazes...?" "Alatreon?" Alatreon reorients himself, howling at the direction the shot came from. He roars with the ferocity of a true dragon, despite his years of humiliating captivity. 'WHO DARES?!" From the other end of the room steps an ivory clad figure. His deathly white clothes cling to his body, a sickly parasite coiling up his spine and wrapping around his shoulders. His eyes blaze with azure malice, the Harvester he was holding crackling with electric residue. "...We meet again." Royce's shoulders sag at the sight of what his one and only child had become. His once proud posture becomes slumped and saddened, his ghostly cape rolling pitifully over his drooping shoulders. His voice is no longer grave, but infused with desolation and despair... "...Son..."

"Mortimer, are you from Dastan too...?" "Unless you're a high ranker in The Regret's legion, the most you could help me is to fork over some food. I do not deserve bowing. Perhaps in my glory days, when I was celebrating victory after victory, stacking my piles of gold high. But no. I was a materialistic sort then, but starvation changes you. But do not think my ego is broken, merely bruised. One day, I sahll snap free from those confines, and I will snack on even the most powerful of Oculoids! Stand up and continue your fight, human. Don't waste it bowing to me." "Everyone in this place has, well... Seen... Better days, if you could call it that, yes... Maybe even The Regret himself."

QM Note: I may not be able to update until later, so I suppose I'll take advantage of this time and move this along. "We have many corridors to navigate through, then, so let us make haste, yes..." The party heads into the vast array of the rooms, each corridor similar to the last. Without Jeaux's expert navigation, the party weaves through the numerous passages, turning left and right, up and down, before they find themselves heading towards the exit. They soon escape the labyrinth, heading into another corridor...A more distinct one. It was here where the unfinished sections of the Citadel and the finished ones almost seemed to blend together. Some walls were craggy and unfinished, while others were built to perfection, each groove on the wall meticulously cut. Splotches of ink are strewn all about, some even landing onto a sign on the wall... "How... Unpleasant." says Royce, as mellow as ever. The party continues before the hallway opens open into a large room with a large occupant. As the sign had warned, a dragon was waiting for them here. Heat emanated from its fiery wings, the obsidian menace looking down at the heroes with a look of curiosity. Despite being impressed with his initial appearance, they notice that the dragon appears to be malnourished, its ribs poking out from its scaly skin. Alice steps back, in utter amazement. A smile dances upon her lips as she looks at the beast. "A... A dragon? Here? Wow...!" The dragon speaks, its voice gruff and hoarse. "Humankind, wandering these halls...?! How would a human even get here, let alone break into the Citadel? Your kind hasn't lived on this island for centuries. So what are you here for, eh? Here to rob this dragon's hoard of gold, perhaps?" "Is... Is this the *wheeze* dragon Iris spoke of capturing?" "Hah! So that cycloptic bitch still boasts of that to this day. Yes, I am Alatreon - once known as the Brilliant Black Flame, once a great dragon. But now... I am an unwilling executioner for those stupid Oculoids. However, their misfortune makes them my one and only meal, so I have lived off of devouring their inept for years now. And, to be honest, if you're just Oculoids in disguise, I don't give half a damn. I've voiced my displeasure with your kind before. Doesn't make the chains any looser, now does it?"

"It would seem the automaton has it figured out, just tracing the map with my finger... Well done, very well done, yes... Fascinating machine with a fascinating mind. And... I'm sorry, druid, but... I'm not sure if you simply spoke your directions wrong, but following them eventually casts you off into a space, well, between rooms. I cannot imagine that that would be very pleasant... Remarkably unpleasant, if I had to hazard a guess."

Actually, he's meant to sound like obscure character ( and by "like", I mean "exactly" )from Transistor, though I suppose Jeff Goldblum is pretty accurate. He can express emotion easily, though, Royce Cour can hardly do it all, ever.

"You couldn't notice? It's... Uh, just a speaking problem, I suppose... My manner of speaking is irregulary, highly, highly, irregular, and... I don't what causes it or why. It's impossible to string a coherent sentence, maybe a semi-coherent one, but expressing emotion is.... Very hard, very, very, hard. If not, well, impossible, and sometimes it seems impossible. The thoughts in my head are coherent, at least.... They have to be, or you'll die in a laboratory, and I died because I was accused of... Witch craft, not because of any particular incident, but... Anyway, the thoughts in my head are coherent... They just... Don't come out right. At all." It was becoming exceedingly clear where Masson got his more awkward tendencies from... The ghost of his brilliant, but impaired, father shed some light on this. "Also, uh, don't think I mind you or anything... I guess I could say that, well, I expected my son to pursue someone on the more intellecutal side of things, someone from his university, considering he finished six years of coursework in one, but, uh, I guess... He... Chose, differently, very differently from what I was expecting him to choose, I'm sure you're, uh, good for him, is that how you say it...? But very differently nonetheless." "...I know you want to kill him. My son. If you cannot free him from The Regret's grip, please do, please kill him. He shouldn't hae to live like... that. If you can free him, though, please, i ask of you, do not kill my son. Well... let's... Get this over with, then. Onwards." The party follows the purple specter until they reach the entry to a large and baffling labryinth. "Now, I've walked these halls and corridors ahead of us for... Well... Quite some time, quite some time. And I think I've developed a decent map of it. However, there are, certain... conditions that must be fulfilled to truly make it through here. A very powerful illusion lurks here, very formidable indeed." Royce presents a map. Central Citadel -Each square on the map represents one room. -The party starts the the purple square, and has to make it to the white square at the other end, BUT: -The party must enter each grey room once and only once. -The party must enter each red room twice: No more, no less. -The party can only travel through the red paths shown on the map - this means no cutting through the walls, and no going diagonally. -If the party reaches the white-marked room while fulfilling all previous conditions, they will get to progress forward. Otherwise, The Regret's magic will fling them back. -You can express your answer as a drawing, or a series of directions. I'll asume for each Up, Down, Left, or Right, you are moving one square in that direction. "Now, I've only walked these halls long enough to find a method to their madness, not... Not the answer. No, I know their layout and how it works, but... I don't know the path, really..."

Hmm, I could in 105... But I cannot guaruntee that they will, well, live.

"I can fight, if my very presence here wasn't being... blockaded, shall we say. it is an odd feeling, a very odd feeling. Like I said, my ancestry is in the army. The Cour family line has a odd habit, a nasty habit, mind you, of... Going from rags to riches, and to rags again. Very peculiar, very... peculiar. Shall we go?"

"In battle... No, no. I cannot go far. The Regret is has a chokehold on the line between the living and dead. I'm lucky, very lucky, that I was even able to apparate, but this is incredibly exhausting. I will be able to accompany you for some time, but... Not much, not much at all. If The regret loosened his grip, then perhaps I could join you in battle, but... No. My father himself was a general in the army. Although he taught me swordplay, I am, in fact, a scientist. It would seem that my son took after me in more ways than one, despite my... minimal involvement. He doesn't have my... issue, though, thank the gods He also chose a very different wife than I expected..."

"Hmm. Excellent question, excellent question. I suppose there is one way to find out..." Royce grabs a parcel from the Dauntlet's sorting tale, and presses it onto the glowing device. Instinctively going for the next pakcage in alphabetical order, The Dauntlet makes contact with the machine. Coils of light burst out from it, coiling around the Dauntlet and practically strangling it. After quite a bit of struggling, the light disspates, and the machine snaps out of its control. It returns to work as if nothing has happened. "A device meant to bind things, by the look of it... Not what I expected, no... Though I... Must confess, i had no hypothesis on the matter. None. As for why I'm here, well..." "There is... Quite the labryinth up ahead. Perplexing, very... very perplexing. And I've taken to... Learning the method to its madness, in a way. And if we were to go through it, I could help you out. And... Someone to talk to, I suppose. I know something bad has happened to my son. And... Although I was only around for his childhood, I'm still his father. And I'd like to at least meet his friends and family."

I think the most gold was Galen at the end of 48 - something insane like 5000. Then again, it was after 50 rounds of fighting OP The regret with old mugging rules.

"Yes, yes. And to... Talk to some of you, I suppose. This current situation is... Not good. Very bad, in fact, very bad." "More of a confrontation of the past then a family reunion, I suppose... But yes, I suppose you have been meeting the family of your enemies, haven't you? The Regret. Can't say I heard about him until, well, today. Hard to believe... Hard to believe that he was building this." The device has a coil of light stuffed inside of it... Could it perhaps be the Borealis Binder that incapacitated Marcus? "Very interesting device, that is... Yes. Intriguing."

How loose is the Decamodifier when transofmring enemies? For example, as long as its a golem, it doesn't have to be the golem on the card, right?

No, that only happens when they either destroy his plan or tear down his "Dark Side of the Moon" poster.

Yeah, on a scale from 1 to 10, this registers at about "Table Flip".

"Thank you very mcuh for the information - you've been a lot of help." Lynne eyes her brand new tonic, wondering if it would be the difference between life or death in one of the battles that were sure to come.