== > Minutes in the past...

You soar over to Desten, two Seraph blades out and shimmering. Uriel and Michael have come to your aid.

CARIEL: +— I GAVE YOU A CHANCE.

CARIEL: +— I DIDN'T KILL YOU WHEN YOU ALMOST KILLED ME, WHEN YOU KILLED ZENANA THE FIRST TIME.

CARIEL: +— and now, IT's coMe To ThIs.

CARIEL: +— your tIMe is up, asshole.

Desten readies his fists and his gun.

DESTEN: bring it, bitch!.

Alternia Desten: Join the fight.

Normally, it's difficult to have two dreamselves awake at the same time. But when Ninfia was injured, a bit of her splintering, healing HEART MAGICS spiraled into space. Naturally, it was easy of someone of your rank and class to capture and use it. As your second self leaps in to engage Cariel with his/your fists, you aim your saltgun and the second one your Alterniaself fetched you. She's not making it out of this one.

== > Be Cariel.

You spin and dodge Desten's fists. Are there two of him? How! You're losing blood fast - unlike Desten, you actually battled Jack Noir. But you're wounded and there's two of him. Now, it'll be a fair fight.

CARIEL: +— TOO WEAK TO ENGAGE ME ON YOUR OWN?

CARIEL: +— NEEDING TO HIDE BEHIND BACKUP?!

> boy. fire. your. saltguns.

> do. not. listen. to. her. distractions.

The BOORISH CASTAWAY knows a fight when he sees one.

The boy aims his two rifles at the warrior girl. He fires once, with both of them. Once is all it takes.

== > Cariel: Die.

You feel like you're sucker-punched in the heart. Twice. And then you don't feel anything.

== > Desten: Cease Murder Mode at once!

A fog seems to float away from your eyes. wow, that sure was badass,. you think.

You high-five your Alterniaself, who leaves via Hekata's transportalizer. You head back into your Dersian tower. Time to wake up.

== > Be UU.Let's see who this joker is.

grippingConundrum [GC] began trolling UnconscionableUvula [UU]GC: 50, Cl3V3R GUY,GC: WH0 4R3 Y0U R34LLY? 

UU: W)(y don't you try to deduce?

UU: You're supposed to be gr8 at that :::;)

CG: 1 KN0W Y0U'R3 N0B0DY 1 KN0W. 1'V3 7H0R0UGHLY H4CK3D TH31R 4CC0UN75 4ND 7H3R3'5 N07H1NG 1NT3R3571NG.

CG: WH47 3L53 C4N 1 D0 70 F1ND 0U7 WH0 Y0U 4R3?

UU: D —> Is that a rhetoric?

GC: N0, 1'M L3G171M473LY CUR10U5.

CG: N080DY G375 70 5H0W M3 UP, Y37 Y0U H4V3.

CG: W17H Y0UR H4CK1NG. Y0UR CL04K1NG 0F 4CC0UN7 N4M3.

CG: 1 H473 Y0U M0R3 7HAN 4NY 07H3R L1V1NG B31NG.

UU: wwoah coa youre comin on a little strong wwith the caliginous flirtin

UU: :33 < why dont you learn a bit of classiness furst?

UU: tHEN WE'LL sEE ABOUT,,, mY IDENTITY,,,,

UU: im in n0 hurry t0 reveal myself

UnconscionableUvula ceased jeeringgrippingConundrum [CG]

== > Be Coanan.

<3<

Coanan... is a bit busy. Fangirling.

COANAN: 1 0BJ3C7 70 7H47

== > Be Ciphre instead.

You are currently in your mansion when there is a knock on the door. Excellent. He must have finally showed up to help you. Hestus waves as you open the door, welcoming him into the foyer. You and Canira are sitting back and relaxing. She's writing something in an old notebook you never used and you're working on prototyping some new things for the room.You also have put your consorts (adorable things they are) to work. Canira has made a whole colony of hers sitting around, while Canira attempts to create a whole new culture around them. Their deities are you and her, and although you don't like to stroke your ego, oh screw it you love stroking your ego.Hestus sits down next to you, displacing one of Canira's small consorts who hits a Fancy Lamp. You are thoroughly disappointed as the lamp breaks against the floor.

HESTUS: ~I feel like shi1.~

CIPHRE: Any partxcular reason?

HESTUS: ~My moiral is a 1rai1or and my auspis1ice is engaging in blackrom with 1rollian. My quadran1s are emp1ier than Des1en's pan1s.~

CIPHRE: Well xf we have gotten to comparxng your quadrants to Desten's bulge somethxng xs clearly not rxght here. X am glad, however, you responded to my xnvxtatxon.

CANIRA: We $ent one to !fern@ too! @nd N!nf!@! 

CIPHRE: But xt was most xmportant you come because you are the one who can destroy txme.

HESTUS: ~So?~

CIPHRE: You^re an asset. X can predxct the future. You can destroy xt. Together we could be unstoppable.

HESTUS: ~... fine.~

== > Begin training.

Thirty minutes have passed.

HESTUS: ~I CAN'1 DO 1HIIIS.~

CIPHRE: YES YOU CAN!

HESTUS: ~BU1 I DON'1 KNOW HOW TO.~

CIPHRE: YOU JUST HAVE TO FOCUS OR SOME SCHXST!

Hestus wrinkles his nose and then attempts to do something, but nothing happens. 

CANIRA: Bel!eve !n your$elf, #e$tu$!

HESTUS: ~You know wha1?! You're righ1!~

He puts his hands together and slices downward, tearing apart paradox space neatly into a realm of temporal possibility.He picks from the vast catacombs of timelines opened up before you and pulls out... you.

CIPHRE: THAT WAS REALLY ALL XT TOOK.

== > Stare in awe.

Your alternate self comes through the portal. He's dead. Deersprite, to your surprise, leaps at him, second-tier prototyping him immediately.

???SPRITE: I'M ALIVE SO*MEHO*W. Wait, this is what I fo*resaw? 

CANIRA: Oh my go$# #e !$ @dor@ble!

???SPRITE: Canira! Yo*u have no* idea ho*w happy I am to* see yo*u.

CANIRA: D!d $omet#!ng #orr!ble #@ppen?

???SPRITE: Vario*us ho*rrible things. But they didn't happen because I'm here no*w.But I guess I'm no*t really Ciphre anymo*re.

CANIRA: !t'$ ok@y, we c@n g!ve you @ new $pr!te n@me! Ummm.... Deerpersprite. Deer l!ke deer @nd -per, l!ke D!pper, bec@u$e t#@t'$ C!p#re'$ $elf !n$ert OC !n all of h!$ $elf publ!$#ed mystery novels.

CIPHRE: CANXRA WHEN DXD YOU READ THOSE?!

CANIRA: Oops, my b@d.

CIPHRE: X TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF THE LXBRARY

DEERPERSPRITE: That is a terrible nickname.

HESTUS: ~I think i1's a-okay.~

DEERPERSPRITE: Fiiiiine. 

CANIRA: Y@@@@@y!

Canira grabs him by the neck and drags him away happily.

CIPHRE: Let^s get back to busxness.

HESTUS: ~I'm exhaus1ed. Can we please break for a bi1?~

CIPHRE: The team needs thxs power under control now, not later!

HESTUS: ~Fine.~