As the party enters the chamber, more light monsters emerge, ready to viciously rend the party into dust
Anmai: We need to move and move swiftly ‘
Corcan: I thought that was obvious
Atoll: Yeah and just standing around talking is going to stop those goobers from reviving their boss
Anmai: Well ok then
Fight against The Light Monsters
When you’re victorious
Anmai: Let’s move, move, move
Atoll: Which way to the evil summoning chamber?
Corcan: They should be doing it in the Hall of Birth, where souls close to entering this world are stored in makeshift vessels, them doing that there would cause Optica to enter the world of the living faster
Acantha: Hey how come you didn’t tell me about this “Hall of Birth”
Corcan: Because I don’t want you to have a mortal body again!!
Anmai: Can we really not argue about this n-
Acantha: Why not!!
Corcan: You spend all your time worrying about the things you can’t control, but never account for the things others want, you spend all your time worrying about how to stop the next crisis, when other people will stop the next crisis when it arrives, your time as a hero and legend is over and as your friend, I want you to stay with me here and stop worrying about things you can’t control
Acantha: Well you’re constant worrying about me goes against what you just said, you can’t control me and I will simply do as I please
Corcan: This cavalier attitude is WHY Optica could easily crack you and get you to do her bidding because you would convince yourself the whole thing as your idea instead of one planted in your head by her lies. In fact, WHY did you have a piece of the White World in your office?
Acantha: I stole it from her so I could monitor the situation in case something arised
Corcan: Do you not think your obsessive desire to stop threats led to Optica’s corruption of you? Do you not think Optica LET you steal that so she could infiltrate your mind?
Acantha: Corcan, I have a solemn duty to protect the innocent and fight evil and I will do whatever it takes. Even if there is a risk of me losing myself to the madness. Even so, I forged the sword that would later be my own demise, I was prepared for every scenario.
Atoll: Actually I shot you, I figured you wouldn’t be so quick to forget
Acantha: It was a metaphor, nevermind, Corcan needs to understand that I know threats are coming, I can feel it and I need to act upon this desire sooner rather than later.
Corcan: And you need to understand that this constant desire to fix things often leads to one’s own demise, in fact IT LITERALLY LEAD TO YOUR DEATH, THAT’S THE WHOLE REASON YOU’RE HERE!!!
Acantha: I know what this really about, it’s not about me, you love to pretend that it is but it’s about you
Anmai: We really don’t have tim-
Acantha: You HATE The Red Realm, you want to go back to the human world and live out the rest of your life as a normal person again even though you’re much better off being here because of situations like this!
Corcan: SO WHAT IF I DO, you have no right to control my every move and boss me around anymore!!
Suddenly, a massive burst of light echoes throughout the Chamber and something appears on the wall, a large progress bar that shows the ritual completion percentage, with bright white text that says “SOUL RESTORATION”
Acantha: Oh look Corcan, if you simply listened to me this would be over by now’
Corcan: You kept pressing the damn subject, how about you-
Atoll: BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP
Acantha and Corcan: …
Atoll: We’ve got a job to do
Anmai: He’s damn right, all this bickering is pointless if we don’t stop the threats ahead of us
Acantha: Fine, I’ll leave this to rest
Corcan: Don’t think that this is over
Atoll: Finally, let’s go
Begin Chamber Halls
When the ritual progress is at 10%, another burst of light echoes through the halls, but it’s brighter in certain spots, indicating where the Hall of Birth is
Anmai: Aha, a path
Corcan: Well, this made our jobs easier, let’s roll
Atoll: We’re coming to help you Atlantic and other guy
Anmai: His name is Thosmrr
Atoll: Oh thanks for the reminder
Resume Chamber Halls
When you arrive in the Hall of Brith, Hedal is using his most potent magics to weave Optrica’s soul back into her body while Phote watches. Thosmrr and Atlantic are tied down to the table, seemingly distracting them, they don’t notice Corcan, Atoll and Anmai enter the hall
Thosmrr: So if light can bend, and the White World is made of concentrated light, then could you bend pieces of the White World into fun shapes, like furniture, or animals
Atlantic: Ooh ooh I want a dragon
Thosmrr: Dragons aren’t real Atlantic, they’re a myth
Atlantic: They are real, just like Santa Claus
Thosmrr: That’s just your parents
Atlantic: Jokes on you, my “parents” were assholes
Thosmrr: Ok well yeah not as much as mine
Atlantic: No I guarantee you mine were worse
Hedal: Will you two shut up, I’m trying to concentrate
Thosmrr sees the party in the corner and gestures them to come free him and Atlantic
Atlantic: Well why did you capture us if you didn’t us around?
Phote: Because that way you couldn’t regroup with your friends and get here fast enough to disrupt the ritual, duh
Thosmrr: Why not capture all of us and then have the ritual happen without any interference, I thought you guys were supposed to be smart?
Phote: We couldn’t find your friends!!
The party has now snuck behind them to free them from the clutches they are trapped in, Atoll begins cutting free their restraints
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Atlantic: I guess you’re too stupid to have your plan work then?
Thosmrr: Yeah, couldn’t find all of us, now you’ll definitely fail
The progress bar for the ritual is now at 30%
Hedal: I doubt it, Optica will rise and-
Atlantic: This is getting old
Hedal: You’re getting old
Atlantic: I’m 10
Phote: I tire of this
Suddenly, the restraints pop and Atlantic and Thosmrr are free again, joining Atoll, Corcan and Anmai
Atoll: Surprise!!
Phote: Oh you have to be kidding me
Hedal: Phote, please hold them back while I work on this
Phote: It’s just five warriors. How hard could it be?
Corcan: We killed your buddies pretty effortlessly
Hedal: So, doesn’t mean you’ll take care of us that easily
Anmai: It kinda does
Atlantic: So, thanks for freeing us, can’t wait to kick your ass
Phote: You’re messing with the wrong witchling
Hedal: Optica at her new peak from this ritual will destroy you
Corcan: Sure, we just have to stop you first
Phote: You’re welcome to try
Fight against Phote
When Phote is at 90%, the ritual progress moves up to 40% and Acantha’s purple light form darts off into the hall
Corcan: Where is she going?
Phote: The Light?
Atoll: Bet she’s abandoning us
Anmai: Sounds about right
Atlantic: Who?
Corcan: Former guild master
Thosmrr: Acantha?
Phote: We hate that one
Resume against Phote
When she is at 80%, the ritual progress is at 50%, a bright light erupts from Optica’s body as her soul is being lowered into view out of the Idol of Light
Hedal: We’re so close to our boss’s return, I can feel it
Corcan: Damn it Acantha where are you…
Thosmrr: So I have an idea to stall the process?
Phote: Do not try this “idea”
Anmai: Do it
Thosmrr: I’m doing it
Atlantic: You guys are like, so screwed
Thosmrr fires a disk of disruption at Hedal, causing his focus to be shattered, resetting the ritual progress back to 30% with Optica’s soul becoming heavily disturbed and shaky
Atoll: Good job everybody
Hedal: You disturb my focus briefly, but that cannot stop this ritual from being done!
Phote: You will fail here
Resume against Phote
When Phote is at 70%, the ritual progress creeps back up to 40%
Thosmrr: Ok, I’m gonna fire again
Thosmrr fires another disk but this time Hedal blocks it with his light needle
Hedal: Your parlor tricks mean nothing when I am prepared for it
Anmai: You tried Thosmrr
Corcan: I’ve got an idea
Phote: Don’t you d-
Corcan creates a massive red cage, entrapping Phote temporarily so they can all focus on Hedal
Hedal: I am more then prepared to defend myself
Fight against Hedal
When Hedal is at 90%, Phote breaks out of the cage
Phote: Parlor tricks will not stop us
Hedal goes back to the ritual while Phote resumes her fighting stance
Resume against Phote
When Phote is at 60%, the ritual progress is at 50%
Hedal: We are so close to perfection returning to our world
Phote: Well keep going then
Anmai: Hey watch this
Anmai fires a beam of red energy to dislodge Hedal from his position, allowing Corcan to trap him in a red cage
Atoll: I wish we could do something disruptive like that?
Atlantic: Maybe we can?
Hedal: No, don’t do anything stu-
Atoll and Atlantic rush Hedal and steal his needle while he is trapped
Atlantic: Can’t do anything without this now?
Atoll: Genius play Atlantic
Atlantic: Thanks Atoll
Hedal: I will have your heads when I break free
Phote: You all tire me
Corcan: Same
Resume against Phote
When she is at 50%, Acantha’s purple light appears again, indicating something to be shot at
Hedal: What is she doing?
Corcan: I think I know…hey Atoll shoot her way?
Atoll: Really?
Corcan: Just do it
Atoll: Fine
Atoll shoots at where Acantha’s light is, causing a bright orange soul light to fall into Optica’s open body, Hedal and Phote can only look on in terror
Orange Light: At last, I have a vessel to use again, Atagne will rise again
Suddenly, Optica’s body wraps around the orange light, causing solar energy to form around it
Optica: You can’t have this body
Atagne: But it’s MINE NOW
Hedal: What have we done?
Acantha: More like what did we do?
Corcan: Acantha what did we do?
Atagne: This is my body now, SO SIT BACK
Optica: I don’t think I will
Solar and Light energies collide inside the body, creating something new
Solar Scion: What is this life? We hate it
Hedal: Holy shit
Atoll: Did I make things worse?
Anmai: The two conflicting presences have created a weakened abomination
The Solar Scions twists and turns before turning into light and disappearing from the Red Realm
Corcan: Wait what it got away?
Hedal: How dare you defile our god in the manner you have!!
Atlantic: Someone’s pissed
Hedal runs up and kicks Atlantic in the face, sending her flying and taking his needle back
Hedal: Phote, we must defeat these interlopers!!
Phote: Well you see Hedal, Optica is technically back so I’m gonna bail
Phote also moves to leave
Hedal: COWARD!!
Anmai: Well looks like you’re all alone
Hedal: Fine, I’ll kill all of you for ruining our perfect deity
Resume against Hedal
When Hedal is at 80%
Corcan: Why devote your life to such a figure such as Optica?
Hedal: She is perfection, you are nothing
Acantha: Blinded by such loyalty or maybe it’s more akin to delusion
Atoll: I can’t blame him, faith is a powerful thing
Resume against Hedal
When Hedal is at 70%
Hedal: You shall be punished for what you have done!!
Anmai: I can’t stand this attitude from you, no matter how “perfect” your boss was
Thosmrr: Company loyalty creates toxic workers as they say where I’m from
Atlantic: Well that’s not exactly true
Atoll: It kind of is, look at Acantha
Resume against Hedal
When Hedal is at 60%, a bright glow can be seen above
Atlantic: What is going on up there?
Hedal: Judgment?
Acantha: I don’t like that
Corcan: We shall press on all the same
Anmai: I’ve got a bad feeling
Resume against Hedal
When Hedal is at 50%, bright lights begin emanating from the spot where Optica and Atagne became the Solar Scion.
Hedal: These remnants give off a strange glow…
The lights then twirl into the sky and begin shooting into the sky
Acantha: I have no idea what’s happening
Corcan: Same
Atoll: Me too
Thosmrr: Sane doesn’t describe what I am witnessing
Resume against Hedal
When Hedal is at 40%, the lights cease glowing
Corcan: We may have to wrap up this engagement in short order
Anmai: I agree, something is coming
Hedal: Only your demise
Resume against Hedal
When Hedal is at 20%, flickers of bright lights begin vibrating, a small hum can be heard
Hedal: A judgment will soon be administered, they heed my call once again
Corcan: Your call?
Acantha: Everyone get down
Atoll: Why?
The room begins shaking as stars come into view
Atlantic: Oh shi-
The Party dodges out of the way and seeks cover as the Court of Stars reappears in the room, sounding angry
Hedal: You are here!
Court of Stars: We have a punishment to administer
The strange light from The Solar Scion shoots down, revealing a Herald of The Court
Thosmrr: What the hell is that!!
Acantha: A herald of the court of stars, they are strong warriors born from stars, but normally they take generations to reach down…unless
A familiar face from the Century Corps walks out of the light
Court of Stars: We sentence all those currently in the Red Realm with having violated the laws of nature for combining two powerful souls into one body, for the birth of the abomination, your existence will be terminated
Acantha: I’m sorry what?
The Herald of The Court reveals herself as Zaylee, who is connected to a distant star
Atoll: Zaylee?
Anmai: Oh, well, speak of the devil…
Hedal: Yes, strike down these interlopers!!
Zaylee, Celestial Herald: I shall
Seemingly empowered by the Court, Zaylee fells Hedal in a single strike, turning Hedal’s body into dust
Court of Stars: We will rectify our mistake for letting these mortals into the Red Realm
Corcan: Oh shit
Zaylee turns her head to the Party
Atoll: Hey, stand down, we’re part of the same team
Zaylee, Celestial Herald: We are nothing alike
Court of Stars: We have borrowed your friend to administer our judgment and we will not let go until either you fall, she falls or we fall, and WE WILL NEVER FALL
The court begins expanding but this causes The Red Realm to react in a defensive matter, with several portals opening up to other times
Court of Stars: AAAARGH
Thosmrr: What is happening?
Anmai: The court, which is a manifestation of the will of the stars, is being stretched across time by the Red Realm due to it’s invasive presence
Corcan: Wow that is surprisingly accurate
Anmai: Thanks, I try to make educated guesses
Court of Stars (Being Stretched): HERALD, DEFEAT THESE HERETICS SO WE MAY LEAVE
Zaylee, Celestial Herald: It shall be done
Zaylee moves to the center of the chamber, with four various timelines absorbing the Court’s energy
Atoll: Hey, do you think if we invoke our court to destroy itself in those times, that we could free Zaylee and escape?
Acantha: You’re a bright one
Zaylee, Celestial Herald: Your crusade will fail
Anmai: Well, we have a plan
