We open on Husk, left on a bench, motionless, he tries to lift his hand but cannot. We look deeper into his mind.
___: Why can’t we move?
Husk: You’re trying to go against me, thus we’re immobilized until we can actually agree on something
___: Why damn you
Husk: This is your fault ya know, we spooked all those friends you care so much about
___: I know…but like…I don’t want to be you
Husk: Sure you don’t
___: Husk…is a lie…built over time
Husk: It’s our name that has been gifted to us by others
___: No…our name is Hyane
Husk: Well tell me Hyane, is everyone gonna start magically going back to the old days if you just told them your name was Hyane
Hyane: …..
Husk: That’s what I thought
Hyane: It won’t be easy, but we can transition
Husk: You’re selfish ya know
Hyane: And you’re cynical
Husk: Well I’ve been eating people and killing them violently, I might as well be the devil
Hyane: I have to bear for all your sins don’t I…
We leave Hyane’s Mind, and go to the Century Corps Guild, where two new people are entering
Juni: Hey Xen, sorry we got back here so late
Zaylee: Yeah, should have told us the whole city is under attack
Xen: It’s fine, you are here now
Iseri: We need all the hands we get here
Xen: Oh Iseri, you can probably go home now
Iseri: No, I chose to stay
Xen: Are you sure?
Iseri: Yes
Zaylee: Well sweet, more hands are always good
Suddenly a massive surge of light emerges from Acantha’s old room
Iseri: What the hell was that
Xen: Oh yeah, there’s an entrance to The White World in Acantha’s old office
Zaylee: We should investigate
Cosma: There’s no need for that Zaylee, it’s just us
Indica’s Group emerged from Acantha’s Office, looking really shaken up
Xen: You are back
Hudson: Yup us in the flesh
Viridian: Good to see you Juni and Zaylee
Juni: Thanks, the feeling is mutual
Zaylee: How’s the White World?
Hudson: Not fun
Iseri: Oh and wasn’t Husk with you?
Cosma: We had to leave him somewhere here, re-enter The White World because a Bell-Spider attacked us and come back through here
Falconer: By the way, he is in a comatose state so he’s of no help to us right now
Xen: I see
Atlantic: Anyway, what’s the game plan?
Iseri: We should probably destroy that room so they can’t get into our world from there
Juni: That would probably be smart
Indica: Prevent any unwanted visitors
Cosma: I could cast a spell
Viridian: Alright everyone stand back
Suddenly a lot of Light Monsters begin emerging from the Room
Iseri: What the hell
Cosma: Huh, did us coming back enable this attack
Suddenly Optica herself appears with the army
Optica: I’m afraid that’s not the case, it’s that Acantha’s little stunt with those room is actually anchoring the White World to this realm, and if you destroy it, it’ll mess up my plans.
Atlantic: So that’s what this is…
Xen: Manipulating our fates so we have to follow your plans
Optica: What do they say, “one step ahead”, I’m more like an entire staircase ahead.
Atlantic: We’re gonna get you for this
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Optica: No you won’t
Optica vanishes and The Light Monsters attack
Indica: Well, fight on shall we?
Juni: We don’t really have a choice do we.,
Fight a Light Monster Wave
When you win
Iseri: We just gotta destroy this room
Indica: So focus our attacks on the foundation of it
Cosma: The monsters are really just fodder huh
Hudson: I’ll play decoy if it’s what you need
Falconer: Me too
Atlantic: Me three
Fight Acantha’s Room
When the room is at 75% health, a massive wave of Light Monsters appears, this happens at any health interval
Iseri: Optica wasn’t lying about this room’s importance, and that’s why it must be destroyed
Indica: I kind of feel bad destroying some that is part of the guild we worked so hard to be a part of
Zaylee: Well, we can replace it
Juni: Well the sentiment is still there
Falconer: Yeah…
Xen: I don’t mind, I trained you so you’d do anything to save a city you cared so much about..
Resume against Acantha’s Room
When the room is at 50% health….
Zaylee: How important is the Guild to Optica’s plans even
Xen: Very, she manipulated Acantha and Gladian in the past, and put her anchor for her grand evil plan right here in plain view.
Juni: She’s had a history of messing with us…in all the wrong ways….
Hudson: We have to stop her plans, anyway we can
Atlantic: I don’t want a powerful Light Witch to rule the world.
Indica: She won’t if we have anything to say about it
Resume against Acantha’s Room
When the room is at 25% health…
Falconer: This is certainly more dangerous than our previous escapades together, Juni and Zaylee
Juni: Certainly, if only a certain someone was here with us
Zaylee: Husk?
Juni: No, the person he was before…
Zaylee: Hyane…then…
Indica: Can we save the sentiment for later, we’ve almost won here.
Viridian: Harsh words..Indica..
Resume against Acantha’s Room
When it has been destroyed, a horde of light monsters appear and attack the party trying to drag them into the glowing pit of light
Cosma: Brace yourselves, (she makes a protection bubble around everyone).
The monsters keep attacking and even chip the bubble
Viridian: How do we stop them…
Zaylee: Maybe we destroy that pool of light?
Juni: But how…
Cosma: I have no idea..how…
Xen: I’ll do it
Iseri: What?
Xen: I have to, if no one else can..
Without saying another word, the party looks on horrified as Xen runs out of the bubble and begins sprinting towards the pool of light, taking down light monsters on the way before jumping into the pool
Suddenly, it explodes with furious force and the pool is annihilated and the Light Monsters are slain, with a frothy smoke appearing from the remains of the pool…
The Party rushes out of Cosma’s bubble to see Xen, a battered and bloodied mess.
Xen: Hey..don’t cry…you still got the day to win…
Iseri: Friend…
Xen: Death…is just another part of life…we all have the moment where we have to go…
Iseri: I understand…
Cosma: I want to be sad, but we can’t allow ourselves the chance to mourn, if we have nothing to come back too
Xen: Yeah…please…bury me among the flowers…
Xen’s breathing gives out, and The Party surrounds Xen’s dead body and they load him into a spare casket they have as protection from natural decay.
Indica: I don’t want him to rest in peace?
Iseri: Huh
Indica: He wouldn’t want that, he would want to keep fighting for everyone, even in death…
Iseri: That..makes sense, you know my old friend well
Cosma: He’s our friend too…
Zaylee: Goodbye…
We move over to Gladian’s Group at the elevator door, opening it and entering the tower of fate
Gladian: This is the point of no return guys, Optica must die.
Atoll: How are even gonna lure her out
Zkn: Isn’t it obvious, we’re intruders so she’ll head home to ward off the home invasion
Vendil: Well, we have a goal
Ehl: Let’s get this done
Beline: If you’re so sure of this…
Olivia: I will be free
Begin Climbing The Tower of Fate
When you reach floor 5
Olivia: Where is she…
Beline: Her absence worries me
Ehl: Maybe she has bigger problems?
Gladian: Bigger problems then us crashing her place?
Zkn: She’s an all powerful witch, the possibility is there
Ehl: Well still, she’ll have to notice us eventually
Resume
When you reach floor 10
Zkn: Her absence means she probably isn’t home
Atoll: The Optica I know wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to goad us
Vendil: Still, we have to keep going or else she’ll never notice our intrusion.
Gladian: Maybe we’ll destroy some stuff on the way up
Resume
When you reach floor 15
Olivia: This place is more drab and boring then I thought
Zkn: This is your first time?
Olivia: First time I’ve seen it with my own eyes, it’s certainly ugly and disgusting.
Zkn: All powerful witches have bad taste in decor, who would have thought?
Beline: Zkn, your benign attempt at humor is not amusing.
Zkn: Eh. It was Worth a shot
Resume
When you reach floor 20
Vendil: Ok, this is ridiculous, we’re raiding her massive doomsday tower and she can’t even be bothered to show up for her guests?
Zkn: Maybe she’s already dead?
Olivia: No, if she was already dead I would know
Atoll: The longer she’s not here, the more I worry
Gladian: I can feel that something’s not right
Beline: But it doesn’t seem to be a trap….
Resume
When you reach floor 25, Optica is sitting down at a table musing to herself, The Party moves slowly around her
Optica (Musing her thoughts): They destroyed my anchor to the Earth, I’m gonna need something else if I need my plan to work…
Gladian (Whispering): Go
Optica: Maybe if I
A dart from Atoll rips through Optica’s concentration as it penetrates her arm, Olivia deflects her counterattack as Gladian stabs her in the back
Optica (Surprised): An Ambush! Here!
Gladian: That’s right, you’ve met your maker
Beline thrusts her spear into Optica’s side but she dislodges it and throws it at the ground.
Olivia: Once you die, I’ll be free to be who I want to be
Optica: Shut up child, You ARE Me, We are one in the same
Olivia: Shut up, Shut up, SHUT UP, we are nothing like…
Optica: Denial will get you nowhere darling…
Vendil reverts the ground Optica is standing on into cement, nailing her there, she jumps up
Optica: You fools really brought my soul back to me on a silver platter..with your lives no less
Ehl: I don’t get it, is she saying this was a trap?
Zkn: No..it’s more like, she’s gearing up for a fight
Zkn then manifests a cage around Optica which she tries to break out of, Atoll barrages her with darts but she evades most of them. Optica escapes The Cage
Optica: If a brawl to the death is what you want…
Beline: I’ll give it to you
Fight against Optica
The fight is a scripted loss, when you lose…
Vendil: Uh, I don’t understand, we jumped her in her own home, how is she winning?
Zkn: Clearly we didn’t prepare a battle strategy…
Olivia: No this can’t be how it ends!!
Optica: Oh sweet child, you’re part of me, we’re meant to be together…
Atoll: I won’t let you
Atoll fires a dart directly at Olivia who deflects it into Optica’s eyes
Optica (Actually Hurt): HRAAAH, I don’t CARE what you want
Optica begins absorbing Olivia, suddenly Beline’s spear begins to glow with a piercing energy
Beline: I was always running out of time, I could feel my life slowly…slip away
Gladian: Hey what are you saying…
Beline: I will have to say goodbye again
Beline grabs her spear and throws it at the walls of The Tower of Fate, causing it to collapse
Optica: NO!
Optica continues to absorb Olivia but Beline jumps infront of her instead and stabs Optica in the stomach. The rest of Gladian’s Group runs away as Beline duels Optica alone in the collapsing Tower of Fate
Fight against Optica
The fight is a scripted loss, when you lose
Optica: Your sacrifice achieves NOTHING
Beline: But I’m grateful I had another life to give…
Beline’s cipher explodes killing her and heavily wounding Optica
At the base of the collapsing tower of fate, a crack opens that leads to the city
Olivia: I wish…I could say goodbye to my friend…
Atoll: We’re still your friends…
Olivia: I couldn’t do it….
Gladian: I know…but we have bigger problems right now…
Tower debris falls at an increasingly fast rate
Zkn: Brace yourselves
Zkn creates an astral basket and loads everyone into it as The Tower’s base collapses