Endgame: Part 2

[letsplayamod]

The week goes on. A small miracle, how quiet it is. With no motives or attacks to speak of, you can breathe a sigh of relief even when a tension gripes the air. So few of you now, what exactly would you do were Typhon to return and decide the game was over? Was Athena always going to be out of reach? And what exactly did she want you to find in the center of this mountain temple, anyway?

Questions abound, and no answers.

...Until this morning. The sky itself is clear with very few clouds, but something still falls into your home. Not "physically," though, it's more of a feeling. The sensation of some great power entering this space. Everyone will notice it, and the way it passes by, sinking beneath the floors - all the way to the bottom level.

And there it ends up, waiting for someone brave enough to investigate.

Comments

[fillets]

[ SAY THE LINE, LEAH

Does Riful recognize this power signature? ]

[letsplayamod]

[Yes, she does.

It's Athena.]

[yourheroine]

…boop boop…

[Aoi follows the source of the power then pulls out her phone to see if she can get any signal from Athena.]

[letsplayamod]

[She can!]

[raisethemoon]

What do you suppose this is?

[ Luna has no real way of sensing that, but she's sticking close to Aoi as soon as she realizes the filly's going to investigate. They've only just gotten her back. ]

1/2

[letsplayamod]

[Directed by a message on Aoi's phone, you descend the levels of the temple one by one. Because the lift is still inoperable on account of the roots, it's slow going, but eventually, you reach the bottom floor. The long stretch of hallway extending out before you with its grand designs of the past cared into the stone on the walls...]

2/2

[mygoodbye]

[Athena is here.

She's standing by one of those large murals, staring up at it. She cradles her right arm, a noticeable gash in her left arm occasionally drips a golden blood down her elbow and onto the marble floor.]

[mygoodbye]

[Athena starts walking down the hall, towards those massive doors at the end.]

It looks like that entrance is still locked. I don't suppose any of you have a way to get in?

[murchada]

...I have a weird key, does that help?

[Taking out that key she got after getting Weed-Domed.]

[sweetsynergy]

...Are these literally the doors to Hell, is that what you're saying.

[fillets]

I'd like to ask another question, actually! If you're not of this world, how is it that you know what's behind those doors?

[catsgothistongue]

I've got four ways.

[Raising fists, and nodding his head to the weapons strapped on his back. pretend this wasn't late shhhh]

[letsplayamod]

[Peeled away over time, the shell guarding your prize pulls away in its entirely. Words written on your hearts unlocked the way to this moment, new gods that have survived the ordeals of a worldly struggle forced upon them reaching the absolute center of Olympus. And the treasure within.

Before you now, wreathed in the heat of a barely glowing flame, is a massive box. Its lid tightly shut.]

[mygoodbye]

There it is. Finally.

[Quiet for so long, Athena takes steps towards the box.]

It's closed. The power must be inside.

[pariunt]

[Hmmmmm.

Yeah, he's not sure he likes this.]

[markofnobility]

[He snarls and spits from the ground, watching them leave. Once the force fades he stands, grabbing his spear]

Damn it!

[letsplayamod]

[Your actions, while growing seemingly increasingly chaotic in nature, bear fruit. Each of you, working together to overcome this new adversary that's haunted your time here.

Katos, holding his own against your mighty onslaught, continued to try and reel the box in, his chains still wrapped round the box and holding strong, despite Ranma's efforts to shatter them. That is until, Omega shoots flaming gopher at him. Which is, unthinkably, something the shade has never witnessed before.

It latches onto Kratos, fiery and vicious, and the God of War is understandably flummoxed. Enough that this distraction, along with the rest of their firepower, serves to loosen the chains on Pandora's box.

Just in time for Lebkuchen, so small, so determined to aid, summoning as many vines and roots as she can to dislodge the box... succeeds. The Blade of Chaos falls loose from it, and Luna's aid in knocking Odysseys off it comes through.

While the rest of you distract the oncoming hordes. More and more monsters pour from veins in the walls, open wounds to nothingness. The rest of you handle the monsters with ferocious valor - save of course for those assigned to the safety of Quark's phantasmal bar, free with healing.

In particular, Athena dances between Algaea and Vanity. The three locked in as Athena strikes back at them while they slowly whittle her down.

This could turn the tied right now. The choice of what comes next is yours.]

[yourheroine]

Athena! We don't have to fight like this...if this power wasn't gonna make Typhon happy, what'll it do for you?

[markofnobility]

[With the box free, Ferdinand leaps back from Kratos to focus on the hordes, summoning bursts of flame and stone from the ground to make a wall to hold them back]

I will handle the horde, focus on the sword and protecting the box!!

1/2

[eeeonetwothree]

[ Omega manages to spot Leb wresting Pandora's box away from Kratos's chains, and moves to action. He fires his jets and rushes in, getting in front of Lebkuchen, and calling up his shield once again to cover her. ]

FALL BACK TO QUARK'S! I'LL HOLD THEM BACK!

[ Without waiting for confirmation, he turns back to their enemies and fires through his shield, unleashing a storm of flames, missiles, and bullets at them. ]

[stringup]

[ The hordes of monsters pouring in starts to become enough of an issue that Velvet has to redirect her focus to deal with them, using her wires to restrain or trip them for the others to attack, and in some cases outright strangling or decapitating a monster or two that manages to get too close. ]

This is getting ridiculous—!

The Fate of Athena

[letsplayamod]

[It's been a long, hard journey for all of you and finally it feels like you've reached the downswing of the climax.

Leb mentions wanting to return upstairs to seek out "Hope" and in that moment a series of tiny bursts of gold light blink throughout the chamber. It's like a horde of lightning bugs has woken up inside the mountain.

As the little lights blink softly around them, a low and gentle hum reverberates through the air. With it sweeps in a voice that isn't quite a voice but is nonetheless familiar. It's spoken to all of you very recently, after all and gifted you with the golden symbols shining on the walls.]

It seems you've decided.

[markofnobility]

[Ferdinand watches the lights with open wonder. It's hard to picture this power could be used for anything bad]

Amazing...

[He's gonna try and touch one]

[sweetsynergy]

...ah, capital-H Hope and not just. The abstract concept, got it. Hi.