== > Advance.

You pull out a long knife, the blue veins shimmering. At your side, Persus pulls out his blade, and Ninfia has five Fiduspawn ready.

PERSUS: RighT NoW It'S JusT US.

PERSUS: WE WilL HavE Back-uP SooN, I PromisE.

NINFIA: D(o) y(o)u have any idea wh(o)'s c(o)ming?!

PERSUS: NOPERSUS: BuT TO BE HonesT... WE Don'T KnoW IF That'S A GooD OR BaD ThinG. TheY MighT BE ON ThE OtheR SidE.

NINFIA: H(o)w can you even suggest that?! They're (o)ur friends!

PERSUS: I KnoW. SorrY, ThiS IS GettinG TO ME. ThiS WholE DerseE BeinG ThE DarK PlaneT, DesteN KillinG ZeN... ID NeveR BetraY AnyonE, I LovE YoU AlL, BuT IM BeinG A BiT ParanoiD.

CANIRA: We just h@ve to #ope t#ey @re com!ng @nd t#@t t#ey'll help u$. Thoug# ! c@n't !m@g!ne they'd do @nyth!ng el$e.

You hear a shriek and someone tumbles out of the air. It's Irisen, armed with a party cannon. Ciphre, hearing the shriek, climbs out of his room to stand with you.

IRISEN: ****** Hay.

IRISEN: ****** So Hekata is furiously attempting to alchemize a transportalizer to Derse while the others find their own methods of getting here. She's got a flying broomstick that she lent to Cariel because she trusts her most. Iferna shifted into something flying.

CANIRA: @nd the other$?

IRISEN: ****** I think they're gonna use Hekata's transportalizer when it's ready.

CIPHRE: the others bexng?

IRISEN: ****** Coanan, Desten, and Alternia Zenana.

IRISEN: ****** Pixela as well, I think.

NINFIA: I d(o)n't want her in danger!

IRISEN: ****** We need all the help we can get.

PERSUS: WerE AlL IN DangeR NoW.

Hestus joins you as well, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

HESTUS: ~Wha1 are we here for?~

CIPHRE: the archagent of derse xs rxsxng. jack noxr, he^s called. x saw thsx xn my vxsxons... x also saw that one of us xs goxng to dxe today.

HESTUS: !

CANIRA: W#@T?

CIPHRE: xt^s so unclear... but we aren^t ready for the fxght. when he comes, we should run.

PERSUS: NoT A ChancE, BlindeyE BoY. WerE HerE TO FighT FoR OuR FriendS.

CIPHRE: thxs xs a bad, bad xdea! as the seer of doom x know these thxngs! you^re about to dxe! one of you xs, anyway!

PERSUS: IM UsuallY AbouT TO DiE.

PERSUS: AnD WerE StayinG TogetheR. NonE OF US ArE GoinG TO WalK OuT ON EacH OtheR.

CANIRA: M@ybe C!phre'$ r!ght, thoug#, guy$...

NINIFA: PIXELA!

PIXELSPRITE: sup

Desten, Hekata, Zenana, and Coanan race up from below. Pixela floats on ahead.

DESTEN: wheres the fight?.

(Heeeeeeeeeere!) Zenana whispers. She draws her... tiara? Desten crouches into a fighting stance, fists up, chicken wings flared. Coanan facepalms and pulls out his cane. Hekata whips out her wand and lights the tip. Jack Noir rises into the sky, wings open. Wait, wings?

CANIRA: Why doe$ he h@ve w!ng$?!

CIPHRE: not the txme to worry about that!

CARIEL: +— Take ThaT!

She swoops down on Hekata's broom and slices a gash down his back. He whips around and suddenly Cariel and the broom are plummeting toward the ground, smoking. Hekata races toward her Moirail as Persus and Ninfia charge.

PERSUS: LetS, UM, FighT StufF!

NINFIA: HERE WE C(O)ME!

You race into the fray alongside Pixelsprite, whose hands are crackling with electricity. Darting aside from a bolt of lightning directed at you, you leap into the air at Jack Noir. Hestus strikes from behind you with a pocketwatch. He jabs it into Jack's eye. Growling, Jack smacks Hestus with his... hoof? He falls down, down, down, to the ground, ko'd.

HESTUS: ~oof~

You drive the blade downward, but it's parried easily. Looks like you'll need the element of surprise next time. Good thing dreamselves can fly! You yell for backup and Irisen leaps into action, having finished modifying his now-lethal party cannon. Persus is coming at Jack fast. You dart out of his way as he draws a blue plastic hairbrush from his pocket.

PERSUS: BraccaS Meas VesciminI!

He throws the hairbrush to distract Jack as both you and he thrust with your blades. The hairbrush falls directly onto Hestus's eye, waking him up. But only temporarily as he slips uncon

== > Be Cariel.

You are now a ko'd and electric-shocked Cariel, lying on the ground beneath the battling dreamselves and Jack. Hekata is trying to wake you, unsuccessfully.You can't... you can't leave. You need to save them. You are a hero.Jack Noir turns to face you. He must have been a Dersian at some point, but not anymore. He wears a ring on one disfigured hand, and one troll horn juts from his head in dark black. He posesses huge, angelic wings, mismatched legs (a hoof and a paw), and upon his head is a large crown that curls around two large, canine ears with spikes like Canira's horns.He is the sum of all of your sprites.He is a monster. He is the last thing you will ever see.His huge, monstrous maw opens in a deadly grin as it lights up, ready to blow indigo flame.At that moment, a dragon slams into him.It's a large, gray dragon with orange horns.Iferna, shapeshifted into a dragon, takes the full blast head on, roaring in agony. She falls back, and you realize that now she has become the (possibly even more dangerous) projectile headed towards you.Hekata yells Pr•teg•! and you're both momentarily shielded.

== > Hestus: Try to awaken Iferna.Hestus runs over past you to where Iferna lies, also knocked out. He has a red bruise where the hairbrush hit him. He falls over her, bleeding russet blood across her own scars.

HESTUS: ~NO!~HESTUS: ~YOU CAN'1 DIE!~

IFERNA: hestus///

IFERNA: theyre caling me/// the meowbeasts///

CIPHRE: guys thxs mxght be xt

CIPHRE: we need to fall back now!

HESTUS: ~SHU1 UP! CIPHRE, SHE'S NO1 GOING 1O DIE!~ 

He begins to glow violently. Time itself opens up, a wide gap in the battlefield.The scars close and Iferna shrinks rapidly, returning to a now fully healed meowbeast form.

CIPHRE: You just lxterally destroyed space-txme rxght there

CIPHRE: how dxd you...

Hestus smiles, a crazed light in his eyes. Then, exhausted, he collapses.

== > Be Zenana.Wow, quick switches tonight. Right, whatever you want. Currently, Irisen is protecting you from everything. You don't think you've been in such a dangerous situation in your life! You attempt to summon The Breeze to save you, as a bolt of electricity strikes by your feet. It swooshes by your feet, carrying you out of harm's way. Up you float, onto a nearby tower on Prospit.

Someone's already here, watching but not participating in the fight.

DESTEN: oh dear. looks like the embarrassment to every highblood whos ever lived is here.

ZENANA: (What_did_you_call_me?)

DESTEN: a fuckin. embarrassment.

ZENANA: (How_dare_you?!)

He ignores you.

DESTEN: what if you were to die.

DESTEN: wouldnt it be a shame.

DESTEN: but blindeye boy predicted one death. i thought it was gonna be the furry but well, if jack gets you maybe we get another one. 

ZENANA: (What_are_you_implying?!)

DESTEN: see these wings.

ZENANA: (Yes?)

DESTEN: i have one last tier to ascend.

DESTEN: but it requires some difficult work.

You look over the edge. Is he stalling you or are you stalling him?

ZENANA: (What_are_the_requirements?)

DESTEN: i paint with all the colors of all the wind.

DESTEN: long live the king, bitch!.

With that, he shoots you in the stomach and you fall over the edge.

Down, down, down... your stomach is in flames and purple stains your dress as you plummet down, down down, past Jack, past the battling Ciphre and Canira, past Hekata and an injured Cariel, past Irisen's horrified face.

Whoomf.

You land on one of Prospit's tiers, the one below the battle, and gaze up at Skaia, high above you. Clouds, tranquil and passive, drift across its surface. A gentle breeze tickles your face and you slowly, painfully lose consciousness.

== > Be Cariel.Aching all over, you get to your feet. Drawing your sword, you turn to leap back into the Fray.

HEKATA: Y•u c∆n't st∆rt f|ght|ng ∆g∆|n. Y•u're |njured. Y•u'll d|e, ∆nd | c∆n't l•se y•u.

CARIEL: +— I'M a fIghTer. I have To Do thIs. for our frIenDs.

HEKATA: |'ll kn•ck y•u •ut t• st•p y•u.

CARIEL: +— You won'T.

HEKATA: | w|ll.

She readies her wand, tip glowing. She means business.

You'll just tell her you'll leave the battlefield and then come back to fight. You're the most trained fighter here and they need you.

CARIEL: +— I'll geT DesTen. The basTarD Isn'T even helpI- whaT?

HEKATA: W∆s th∆t...

CARIEL: +— Zenana?

CARIEL: +— DesTen WIll pay for ThIs.

CARIEL: +— You go help The fIghT. They neeD your magIc, and you can'T keep thIs shIelD up forever. I neeD to get revenge on DesTen.

HEKATA: W|ll n•th|ng sw∆y y•u?

HEKATA: Very well.

HEKATA: Ple∆se... be careful.

She launches herself upward and you whip around to Desten. He's reloading his salt gun, a smirk on his face. You'll kindly wipe it off for him.

== > Be Hekata.Whipping out your wand, you cast spell after spell after spell as you soar through the air towards the fight.

HEKATA: EXPELL|∆RMUS!

HEKATA: LEV|C•RPUS!

HEKATA: uh, L•C•M•T•R M•RT|S!

HEKATA: PETR|F|CUS T•T∆LUS!

HEKATA: STUPEFY, STUPEFY, STUPEFY!

Seeing Ciphre begin to fall, you cast a shield between him and Jack. You miss and it bounds harmlessly into the sky.

HEKATA: PR•TEG• H•RR|B|L|S!

You point that last spell at all your teammates, one by one. Canira turns to you, narrowly missed by a bolt of lightning. Her sword is snapped in two.

HEKATA: C∆N|R∆!

HEKATA: ZEN∆N∆'S HURT!

HEKATA: Y•U NEED T• HELP HER!

She looks down and a horrified look crosses her face. She drops down, out of your sight, toward where Zenana is prone on the ground.

Jack rises still further into the sky. He inhales deeply and releases a huge thunderbolt, staggering in size, from his hands, hitting each of your friends in turn. When it hits you, you stagger back and fall, down to where Zenana's lying.

Jack prepares another huge burst.

CIPHRE: FALL BACK! XT^S OVER!

Everyone retreats. Cariel and Desten are nowhere to be seen.

It's over.

== > Be Canira.You drop down, down, down to your friend, sprawled out below. The others who aren't looking for a friend who may have fallen in the battle are behind you, smoking and weak.

ZENANA: (Canira...)

You scramble closer to her side, hoping against hope that you can somehow save her.

CANIRA: W#@t !$ !t? Zen@n@?

Bending by her side, you listen to her weak whisper as closely as you can.

ZENANA: (Canira,_please...)

ZENANA: (Please_don't_let_them_lose_hope.)

ZENANA: (There'll_be_a_happy_ending_someday,_I_promise.)

ZENANA: (Not_for_me,_maybe.)

ZENANA: (But_for_all_of_you.)

ZENANA: (I_know_it.)

She begins to cough and you and Ciphre rush to prop her up with more pillows Hekata conjures.

IRISEN: ****** NO!

IRISEN: ****** I WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT YOU!

ZENANA: (Irisen.)

ZENANA: (Irisen, could you... could you...)

She whispers something in his ear to quietly for you to hear. Irisen's heartbreaking face shows a small flash of understanding. He leans close to Zenana and kisses her, gently.

ZENANA: (true love's kiss...)

And then she closes her eyes one final time.

== > And this is when...

HEKATA: C∆R|EL!

HEKATA: H∆S ∆NY•NE SEEN C∆R|EL?!

== > Chaos ensues.

IRISEN: ****** ZENANA NO!

== > All

PIXELSPRITE: I'm going to contact the Alternian versions of you guys. Hol'd' on.

== > According

IFERNA: ugh///

HESTUS: ~Are you okay?!~

IFERNA: yes i am/// thanks to you///

HESTUS: ~Oh my gog.~

HESTUS: ~Oh my Gog I'm so happy you're alive.~

He leans in and kisses her.

BROKENSPRITE: yOu lIEd, shIftIng skY.

BROKENSPRITE: yOU mOnstEr.

== > To

IRISEN: ****** She talked to you before she died. 

IRISEN: ****** WHY YOU?!

CANIRA: #ow d@re you! ! w@$ her fr!end!

IRISEN: ****** How dare you, you pinkblooded freak! You know what, I bet your blood isn't pink. I bet you're hiding something!

CANIRA: #!g#blood $not, don't $uggest !'d h!de $ometh!ng from my fr!end$ ju$t bec@u$e ! don't show my hemotype!

IRISEN: ****** You are.

CANIRA: $hut up!

IRISEN: ****** Liar!

CANIRA: @$$#hole!

IRISEN: ****** BITCH!

== > Plan.

You switch between them, asleep in the Medium,  and their dreamselves, wounded or dead on your husktop, smiling.Then you hear a muted buzzing noise, accompanied by a friendly notification from the Trollian app.Someone has sent you a message.Your username, UnconscionableUvula, is written in large text across the screen. This should be interesting.