Twilight of the Abyss, Session 13.2

* Kirran is running around at the speed of sound
<DM> *Kirran, after some time at mach 10, brushing up a storm through the Great Ruins of darkness, you finally arrive at the Twilight Palace. However, something is.... noticeably off. The light surrounding the Twilight Palace is... gone. All that lights it are the glowing geometrical teal lines coursing through the walls.
<DM> *You're not even sure there's a barrier around it anymore.
<DM> *On the flipside, the Gravity Bridge appears to be on, and there is nothing guarding it, on either side.
* Kirran keeps moving, albeit as quietly and as quickly as he can.
<DM> *As far as you can tell, there are no Interlopers in sight. You reach the Gravity Bridge. Looking to the other side, the main doors that lead inside are closed.
* Kirran tries to open the doors.
<DM> *You cross the Gravity Bridge, and open the doors. They open....... loudly scraping the ground.
* Kirran gets moving before anything can come investigate
<DM> *You enter the halls, met by darkness and complete silence, save for the tail-end echo of the door scrape. You can see the walls, but through your dark vision, you realize there's no other light here.
* Kirran thinks to himself: "Good, I'm used to this."
* Kirran remembers his training in the depths of the shadow temple and other Sheikah training centers.
<DM> *There are no Sols hanging above.
<DM> *You reach the cross-section of the elevator, and the choice of going West (Armory), North (Library), and East (Council Room or Village). Nothing else is in sight, save for darkness.
* Kirran heads east
<Kirran> towards the council room.
<DM> *The council room's door is open.
<DM> *Peeking inside, nothing is there. Though, the door on the other side that's normally closed is... open.
* Kirran heads in carefully.
<DM> *You head on in, and there, you find an elevator. Not the same one as the other one.
* Kirran investigates the elevator.
* Darte gains his bearings, preparing his Sacred Golden Arrow by holding it outstretched before him. "Hey, Light Spirit; you here? We could kinda use a hand."
<DM> *Kirran, right as you investigate the elevator, you find a Darte prepparing a Sacred Golden Arrow to your face.
<Darte> "... It's you? You're the Light Spirit?"
<Darte> "You were the Light Spirit the whole time??"
<Kirran> -_-
<DM> *Within you, you feel Faron face-palm. Audibly.
* Kirran is utterly non-plussed.
* Kirran pulls out the shield and wipes it off.
<DM> *There is a button on the elevator to jump it upwards.
<Kirran> Up we go
* Darte sighs.  "You sure? Midna took me to the light spirit... they might be right here."
<Kirran> Darte, if you don't want to die by elevator again, just get on.
<Kirran> This place is dead. I just walked from one end to here without seeing any light or any one.
<Kirran> Something is really wrong here and we're beyond out of time.
* Darte walks onto the elevator.  "Right.  Fine."
<DM> *The elevator moves up, and at the top, it dings.
<DM> *The door opens, and you see the snake-like form of Lanayru..... except instead of glowing bright, she's glowing with darkness.
<Kirran> o-o
<Darte> "Uhhhhhh.  Nice... Snake?"
* Kirran holds up the shield with a sol in the other hand.
* Darte decides to use the arrow as a weapon, now, nocking it.  "Right. Diagnosis?"
<Kirran> Bad times. Real bad times.
<DM> *You look around the massive room, and see just Lanayru floating around in it, in her dark form. In the middle of the room, you see the Twilight Mirror, well, its two-shard form.
<DM> *There is another door at the far end of the room, but it's closed.
* Kirran places the sol in front of the shield and shines the light from it on Lanayru.
* Darte points to the mirror.  "Off of that, then her?"
<Kirran> If necessary.
<Kirran> Faron, any ideas?
<DM> *You try to shine the light onto Lanayru, but it does very little to Lanayru.... asides from getting Dark Lanayru to look in your direction.
<DM> [Faron]: With the Golden Shield, if we can get Lanayru into it, it may restore her form and her power.
<Kirran> Darte, run distraction.
* Darte nods.  "Right.  As long as we're not doing 'Get Help'."
<Kirran> We are the help, and I have a bad feeling we may be too late.
* Darte beats his bow on his armor, firing an arrow at Lanayru and sprinting away from the mirror.
<DM> (standard arrow or sacred arrow?)
<Darte> (Standard for now)
<Darte> (Running distraction, not nuking the planet)
* Kirran takes off running in the opposite direction, trying to get close to the spirit.
<DM> *Darte, your arrow.... passes right through Lanayru.
* Darte blinks in alarm.  "Uhhhh.  Kirran? Something VERY wrong, she's not there there! She's fake there!"
* Kirran halts his advance.
* Kirran uses Eye of Truth on the dragon, or maybe dragon illusion.
<Kirran> Darte, go try that door.
<DM> *You Eye of Truth it, and...... it appears to be very much there as the symbol of an Eye of Truth appears on its head!
* Darte nods and sprints to the door, trying to open it.
<DM> *Kirran, would you like to ask a question?
<DM> *Darte, you reach the door, and..... it's locked.
<Kirran> What happened here?
<Darte> "No go.  Arrow time? You're the shadow master, here."
<DM> [Lanayru]: Dark Link came here. The Interlopers... they removed the Sol Orbs, and they overtook my mind. Now... I serve Fierce... Deity...
<DM> *At that point, the Eye of Truth moniker disappears and Lanayru's eyes glow red like an Interlopers.
* Kirran teleports to the spirit and touches her with the shield and the sol orb at the same time.
<DM> *Your Sol Orb explodes on contact, knocking both Lanayru and you backwards. Lanayru recoils, the light blast warding off some of the darkness, but something channels the darkness back into Lanayru immediately afterwards, fixing the Sol damage.
<DM> *As you land on the ground and recover, you see what appears to be a dark version of you (as in Dark Kirran) channeling the darkness.
<Kirran> Uh, Darte, you seeing that?
<DM> *The being stops channeling, then turns towards you, mimicking your exact movements.
* Darte nods, and gives chase.  "Faron, anything we can do against this thing? I'm gonna guess this is an interloper pal."
<DM> [Faron]: That's not just any Interloper... That's Dark Link.
<Kirran> You.
<Kirran> I know you.
<DM> [Faron]: I remember that one from 20 years ago. That one in particular is why we ended up taking out the Twili. We were fooled by it, only to learn later that it was likely the leader of the Interlopers.
<Kirran> I've read about you in countless stories, the shadow that lurks behind the great deeds of heroes past.
<DM> [Dark Link]: Speaking of heroes...
<DM> *The dark version of you pulls out the dark version of your Rokan's Lance.
<DM> [Dark Link]: I remember this one... quite well.
<DM> [Dark Link]: Why, this very being tried to foil us in the past... and now his spirit walks with you, trying to foil us now.
<Kirran> And we will. Just as the hero you mimic did.
<DM> *He suddenly starts rapidly switching between your other items, looking through all of them. Literally all of them, in cycle, save for Raine.
<DM> [Dark Link]: What interesting items you've acquired....
<DM> [Dark Link]: These Black Arrows, in particular... might be of some use.
<Kirran> Not a fan of my fairy?
<Darte> "... Kirran.  Strip down.  NOW."
<DM> *Darte, Dark Link is now a dark version of you..... and is now cycling through your inventory!
<Kirran> o_O
<DM> *Everything except your Living Armor.
* Kirran wakes Raine.
<Darte> "... Crap."
<DM> *Raine is still unconscious.... well, was for a bit. Your flickering from your unused Dark Epiphany kicks in, transferring over to her.
<DM> [Dark Link]: Oh, a Water Medallion! A Sage's power runs through me....
<Hal> (It's not the Water Medallion)
<Hal> (It's the Tide Medallion)
<DM> (right)
<DM> [Dark Link]: Or... a cheap imitation of it.
<DM> *Worse yet, Darte, Dark Link suddenly equips your Golden Armor and King's Mantle.
* Darte ponders.  "Right, let's make this weird.  Can't use what isn't around, I hope." He struggles out of the golden armor, tugging on the Living Armor, goes sword mode and flips over to Kirran.
<Kirran> (wouldn't be the first time someone's spontaneously stripping in this game)
<DM> *Dark Link continues to don your Golden Armor and King's Mantle, despite your equipment switch and form change.
<DM> *He then draws...... a dark version of the Master Sword.
<DM> [Dark Link]: I just need to imitate you once... and I have you all for eternity.
<Kirran> Raine, I think this might be the end of the road old friend.
* Kirran draws Rokan's Lance.
<DM> [Dark Link]: Oh, and while I'm at it...
<Kirran> (Darte, I think you're better off fighting as yourself.)
<DM> *He uses his other hand to imitate... your newly acquired Golden Shield.
<Darte> "You sure? Faron, focused through me, focused through you?"
<Kirran> I'm no sword wielder, and besides, I can't best him one-on-one.
<DM> [Faron]: I think we're better off running like we stole something.
<Kirran> How do you propose we save your fellow spirit then Faron?
<Kirran> We're not going to get a second chance at this.
* Darte ... nods, somehow? ... and flips back out to normal form.  "Drat. Think this arrow would be enough to draw her out from his influence, perhaps? Can we incapacitate this fiend long enough to get her loose?"
<DM> [Faron]: To be honest... I hate to suggest this, but.... saving Faron with Dark Link around would just mean he corrupts Lanayru again. We... might be better off... destroying her.
<DM> wait
<DM> *saving Lanayru
<DM> [Faron]: One vs. one isn't enough to stall him. Two could stall, but that'd require a third to free Lanayru.
<DM> [Faron]: ..... oh. Right. Me.
<Kirran> 'bout time you figured that out.
<Darte> "So we have a plan."
<Kirran> Nope. We never do.
<Kirran> Just don't waste that arrow.
<DM> [Raine]: Kir... ran?
<DM> [Raine]: What's... happening?
<Kirran> We're facing Dark Link down. And we're probably going to lose.
<DM> *She's weak, but conscious finally, after eternity of being MIA for many sessions straight.
<DM> *She looks up to see Dark Link copying your guys' gear.
<DM> [Raine]: ... can he... copy me?
<Kirran> Nope. He can't.
<DM> [Raine]: Alright. Kirran, I have an idea. My light... I think it's lethal to Interlopers. Can you... load me onto an arrow?
<Kirran> Will you be okay? I nearly lost you once already.
<DM> *She smiles at you.
<DM> [Raine]: Yeah! For sure!
<Kirran> Darte, think you can keep him busy?
* Darte 's robe flares. "Sure thing."
<Kirran> Faron, you handle Lanayru if she steps in.
* Kirran tosses Faron a sol orb.
<DM> *Faron removes itself from Darte, unveiling its full form. It gobbles the Sol Orb gleefully, glowing radiantly. Oddly, that glow seems to stop against the dark glow of Dark Lanayru.
<Darte> 22h8m | Augmented King's Mantle (+10 Armor)
<DM> [Faron]: Alright, Lanayru. Come, fight me!
* Kirran focuses inwardly on everything he's ever known or done with a bow.
<DM> *The flickering of your Dark Epiphany phases you in and out of reality, then focuses into your arrow, then into Raine as she latches onto your arrow.
<DM> [Dark Link]: I don't know what you're doing over there, but it won't make a difference. You two can't possibly defeat me.
* Darte dashes in at a sprint, coming at Dark Link from the side with swords sweeping in a pre-emptive.
<DM> *Roll it!
<Kirran> You're probably right. But that won't stop us from trying.
* Kirran does his best to position himself for the shot of the century.
<DM> *Dark Link does a Stat Focus to Courage.
<Darte> $48d10
<Navi> Darte: You rolled 48 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 8, 8, 5, 8, 10, 4, 5, 5, 2, 6, 8, 1, 10, 7, 10, 7, 10, 5, 4, 7, 5, 1, 5, 8, 8, 8, 8, 4, 6, 10, 3, 4, 8, 7, 2, 8, 1, 7, 2, 3, 3, 10, 3, 3, 6, 2, 10 and 6. Total: 281. Successes: 39.
<Darte> $46d10
<Navi> Darte: You rolled 46 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 6, 3, 2, 10, 4, 7, 8, 1, 4, 6, 5, 10, 5, 7, 4, 3, 4, 5, 10, 4, 2, 2, 6, 4, 1, 8, 6, 7, 10, 6, 2, 5, 8, 4, 5, 1, 10, 2, 2, 4, 7, 6, 3, 2, 3 and 7. Total: 231. Successes: 29.
<DM> *He holds up the Golden Shield, turning to block you.
<DM> $70d10
<Navi> DM: You rolled 70 Dice with 10 Sides. Total: 382. Successes: 53.
<DM> *Your attacks bounce completely off the Golden Shield. Kirran, you find a shot from the side you can make.
* Kirran takes the shot while Dark Link is focused on Darte.
<DM> *Roll it!
<Kirran> $51d10
<Navi> Kirran: You rolled 51 Dice with 10 Sides. Total: 270. Successes: 34.
<DM> *Dark Link is about to counterattack, but then quickly turns to defend Kirran's attack.
<DM> [Dark Link]: Too obvious.
<DM> $70d10
<Navi> DM: You rolled 70 Dice with 10 Sides. Total: 363. Successes: 44.
* Kirran rerolls himself
<Kirran> $51d10
<Navi> Kirran: You rolled 51 Dice with 10 Sides. Total: 271. Successes: 36.
<DM> *Kirran, your arrow, charged with Raine, passes through Faron, charging her light side up drastically. Right as the arrow should strike the Golden Shield.... it flickers and phases out, with Raine.
<DM> [Dark Link]: What the?
<DM> *Kirran and Darte, you two hear Raine's tearful voice.
<DM> [Raine]: Sorry... Kirran...
<Kirran> No. Dammit, no!
<DM> *The arrow reappears behind Dark Link, striking him directly in the back.
<DM> [Dark Link]: GAH!
<DM> *He falls to the ground, the light discharging into his back. At that point, with light appearing on both sides of the room, Faron charges Lanayru, clashing with it in the air above.
<DM> [Dark Link]: Scepter, to me, NOW!
* Kirran rushes forwards, lance in hand
<Kirran> Raine!
* Darte blinks to Dark Link's other side, trying to cover all range of motion to intercept this scepter thing.
<DM> *That Interloper boss you thought you killed earlier, Scepter, appears from Dark Link's faltering shadow. He holds up an actual scepter this time, and forms a barrier of darkness.
<DM> *Darte and Kirran, roll your attacks!
<Kirran> $27d10
<Navi> Kirran: You rolled 27 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 1, 1, 10, 2, 10, 4, 9, 6, 4, 3, 5, 6, 3, 9, 7, 9, 9, 5, 4, 10, 8, 9, 4, 7, 5, 10 and 9. Total: 169. Successes: 22.
<Kirran> $54d10
<Navi> Kirran: You rolled 54 Dice with 10 Sides. Total: 257. Successes: 29.
<Darte> 22h2m | Augmented King's Mantle (+10 Armor)
<Darte> $48d10
<Navi> Darte: You rolled 48 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 8, 3, 10, 9, 5, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 4, 1, 5, 7, 4, 2, 10, 5, 10, 10, 8, 4, 2, 7, 4, 3, 9, 8, 3, 8, 1, 10, 1, 10, 9, 5, 10, 9, 8, 2, 10, 2, 3, 4, 8, 7, 5 and 7. Total: 289. Successes: 39.
* Kirran rerolls himself
<Kirran> $54d10
<Navi> Kirran: You rolled 54 Dice with 10 Sides. Total: 311. Successes: 40.
<DM> *Faron's light-charged ram slams Lanayru into the wall right behind you all, its dark form writing as it tries to grab and choke out Faron.
<Kirran> Rokan, if you're still with me, I need your strength.
<DM> *Scepter's barrier blocks Kirran's attack, though with your call to Rokan, a spirit hand reaches out, cutting through the barrier.
<DM> *Darte, your blade cuts through, and impaled into Dark Link's back, you see Raine's body, physically fading away as she pours the last of her power into paralyzing Dark Link.
<DM> [Rokan]: It was an honor... serving with you, Kirran.
* Darte 's eyes widen a bit.  "Uhh.  Kirran.  She's..."
* Kirran shouts in inarticulate rage.
<DM> *Rokan's hand passes through Dark Link's body, grabbing ahold of what's left of Raine's spirit. Using his own spirit, he sacrifices his final moments to save Raine's life.
<DM> [Rokan]: Darte, grab Raine, now!
* Kirran makes a furious assualt against the barrier, Scepter, anything he can get his guantletted fists against.
<DM> *Roll it, gaining +15 dice on this!
* Darte clutches at her, trying to extract her from Dark Link.
<Kirran> $55d10
<Navi> Kirran: You rolled 55 Dice with 10 Sides. Total: 303. Successes: 39.
<DM> [Scepter]: I won't let you!
<DM> *Scepter loosens the barrier slightly to refocus it on Dark Link's backside, where Darte is.
<Kirran> I don't need your permission.
<DM> *Darte, roll your Power + your Courage.
<Darte> (You keep that scepter away from my backside.)
<Darte> (+DD?)
<Darte> $52d10
<Navi> Darte: You rolled 52 Dice with 10 Sides. Total: 283. Successes: 35.
<DM> (yeah)
<DM> $45d10 Scepter
<Navi> DM: You rolled 45 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 2, 4, 4, 8, 5, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10, 2, 4, 1, 10, 10, 8, 3, 2, 1, 9, 2, 2, 1, 9, 7, 9, 6, 6, 5, 8, 2, 6, 1, 6, 3, 6, 3, 4, 4, 1, 4, 5, 4, 4 and 4. Total: 221. Successes: 24.
<DM> *Darte, you're able to snatch away what remains of Raine's life, zipping away from Scepter's barrier turn.
<DM> *Kirran, right when the barrier loosens, you see Dark Kirran's smug expression, which is kindly wiped away by a Falcon Punch to the face.
<DM> *He's launched into the other side of the wall. Right as he falls to the ground, he stabs his sword into the ground, blasting a shockwave into both of you.
<DM> [Dark Link]: Get off, GET OFF!
<DM> *Kirran and Darte, either roll Power to stick around or back away and auto-dodge.
<Darte> $18d10
<Navi> Darte: You rolled 18 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 3, 2, 7, 5, 3, 5, 7, 4, 5, 6, 1, 4, 2, 7, 8, 9, 9 and 4. Total: 91. Successes: 10.
<Kirran> $1d3
<Navi> Kirran: You rolled 1 Die with 3 Sides. Result: 3.
<Kirran> $49d10
<Navi> Kirran: You rolled 49 Dice with 10 Sides. Results: 4, 7, 6, 6, 10, 9, 7, 3, 4, 10, 7, 8, 3, 8, 4, 7, 1, 8, 3, 4, 3, 8, 5, 7, 9, 2, 4, 8, 10, 8, 7, 4, 4, 2, 10, 4, 1, 6, 7, 4, 5, 3, 1, 8, 1, 5, 4, 1 and 3. Total: 263. Successes: 30.
<DM> $80d10
<Navi> DM: You rolled 80 Dice with 10 Sides. Total: 442. Successes: 52.
<DM> *The shockwave sends Darte flying all the way to the other side of the room, though he recovers fine. Kirran, you're knocked back to about the middle of the room, landing where the Twilight Mirror is, only to pass through it and realize it's an illusion.
<DM> [Faron]: Got him!
<Kirran> I'll never stop. Not until I've driven you back to the pit you came from!
<Kirran> Kirran begins to advance again.
<DM> *Faron finally bites into Lanayru.
<DM> [Scepter]: I'll stop-
<DM> [Dark Link]: No. Get us out of here. These two are hardly worth trifling with.
<DM> [Scepter]: As you wish.
<DM> [Scepter]: Aeternal Darkness.
<DM> *Kirran, you advance, but before you reach them, pure darkness envelops both of them, the paralyzed form of Dark Link getting masked even through your dark vision. By the time the darkness fades, the two of them are gone.
<DM> *Above you, Faron has pinned Lanayru into a wall with its monkey tail, trying to infuse his own light into Lanayru.
* Kirran turns and runs to them, wielding the shield and the last of his sols.
* Kirran is exhausted beyond reason, but is pushing himself still further.
<DM> *With your combined light reinvigorating the room and Lanayru, the darkness frees from its being, causing the whole room to glow radiantly with light.
<DM> *Lanayru's vision clears, the scales on her form glistening with light.
<DM> [Lanayru]: I am... returned!
* Kirran collapses in a heap, conscious but with further strength within him.
<Kirran> with no further*
* Darte runs to them as well.  "Well, this could have turned out better." He pats himself down, but finding no food, he settles for crossing his arms with a worried scowl.
<DM> *Faron and Lanayru turn to both of you, reinvigorated.
<DM> [Lanayru]: I must thank you. I was worried the darkness would consume what's left of me forever, but you've quickly changed that!
<DM> [Faron]: ... at a cost, unfortunately.
* Kirran flinches at this.
<DM> *Kirran, your Rokan's lance appears to be powerless, and Raine is in a comatose near death state. Alive, but barely.
* Darte looks morosely at the carnage.  "Well, there's still a lot of darkness left to go around, and then some to spare to make another go at you."
* Kirran manages only a strangled "damn" before slipping into unconsciousness.
<DM> [Lanayru]: That fairy appears to be... quite important to the Sheikah.
* Darte nods.  "Though I can't for the life of me fathom why."
<DM> *Darte, you suddenly experience the flashing of all of your deaths, then a sudden jealousy.
<DM> *Faron tries to absorb itself into Raine, but it seems to reject Faron.
<DM> [Faron]: It seems... when the fairy used the last of its light powers, it used all of its potential for light powers as well. I'm afraid I cannot help it.
<DM> *Faron's eyes widen a bit.
* Darte reaches a hand out for the not-fairy, hesitates, then withdraws as Faron delivers their verdict.
<DM> [Faron]: But... there is something... truly off about that fairy.
<DM> [Faron]: I've been around the Great Fairy, and she possesses incredible powers. But that fairy, though barely alive now... possesses the capacity for powers beyond that of myself or the Great Fairy.
<DM> *Faron transfers this message to the unconscious Kirran, using its light to reinvigorate him.
<DM> *Kirran, you're brought back to a barely conscious state, though your whole body is aching.
* Kirran refuses to wake up for now.
<DM> *You continue passed out.
<DM> [Faron]: Darte, if you can... help the young Sheikah find a new power, one not of Light or Dark, one with greater potential.
<Orithan> (They should feel that something has happened to Ordona)
<DM> (Indeed)
* Darte frowns.  "Neither, or both?"
<DM> [Faron]: ... I do not know.
<DM> *Lanayru recoils partially.
<DM> [Lanayru]: Something's off... Ordona...
<DM> [Faron]: I feel it too. Ordona has faltered. It's just us two now.
<DM> *Faron passes back into Darte's Golden Armor, re-empowering him.
<DM> [Lanayru]: I'm not of my complete form, but I can aid you, Young Sheikah.
<DM> *Lanayru passes into your Golden Shield, fully recharging herself, then granting you Spirit Affinity and Spirit Vision before absorbing into your Golden Shield and empowering you.
* Darte nods, reaching down to carry Kirran, taking care to allow Raine to stay nestled on him.
<DM> *The light tries to overwhelm the room, but it's blocked by a jesus 4.7 hours later-
<DM> -=LOADING=-
<DM> -=LOADING=-
<DM> -=SESSION END=-