Unpaused Konngara gives a faint smile to Ensemble...

...before turning straight back to Blast, throwing a Damage Cutter!

Unpaused Konngara takes a moment to look away from the Ts, overhearing "Nameless".
...
She thrusts her palm to the ground, a flurry of slices carving into the earth to form what almost looks like an underground house.
Or, well, it looks like it could easily become one with a few finishing touches, but for the moment its just a hole.
In the center is a series of engravings, which the silent knight gestures to while looking over at "Nameless".

Unpaused Konngara gives no response to Blast's first call for attention, any speak of worthiness, or even Star's mention of heroism.
The moment Blast invites the group to strike, however, she turns around, and readies an Attack Boost.
...

Sodoma...is gone.
Nearby the group hovers an unfamiliar figure, almost unaware of their presence...

---

---

Attack Boost | Neutral/Attack | 4 WE? (Pre-existing MMRPG Ability)
Raises the Attack of the user or an ally by 2 stages.

Damage Cutter | Damage/Cutter | 25 Damage, 90% Accuracy, 4-6 WE?
Throws a scissor-like blade at the opponent. Restores the user by 30% of the damage dealt.

No Good Deed | Wily/Damage | 45 Damage, 100% Accuracy, I honestly have no clue what a fair WE cost is for this move
Sends a sharp pulse of pain through the opponent's body. Fails if the opponent hasn't used a support (healing, buff, anti-debuff) move in the last 3 turns, deals normal damage if such a move was used the previous turn, and deals double damage if it was used earlier the same turn.

Faint Warp | Energy/Speed | 6-8 WE?
For one turn, the user is protected from any attacks (including debuff and status-inflicting moves) that don't bypass all shields. Goes first, but does not distinguish between opponents and allies. Chances of not failing are divided by 3 for each consecutive use, for a minimum of an 0.1% chance of success.

---

"Who?"
A strange figure, originally from an end of the Chaos Zone abandoned for its own reasons; more importantly, it seems that her survival is due to the mess of destruction somehow not leaving her lost to time, but trapped by it...

Sodoma does nothing.

Sodoma's screaming dies down to a whimper as she falls to her knees amidst the wrecked treasures.
...I really don't know why I should try.
Even with her energy slightly more under control, the treasures in Sodoma's vicinity begin to repair themselves without her even thinking to do so.
Unfortunately, a Bloomy Flower also appears in front of her, half-heartedly aiming at Zircon.

As the Chalice wilts, Sodoma continues hyperventilating, baffled about how she could have "darkness" in her heart when her life goal has been to spread light.
Almost like an answer to her own questions, a memory enters the front of her mind...

...
As all begins to sink in, Sodoma clutches her head, screaming at the top of her lungs as stickerbush and rafflesia fill her Cyclone Shield.
Again, her power out of control, a new Cyclone Shield surrounds Punch Man without warning.

Schmitt and Re-Class have gotten themselves comfortable nearby a small cottage, conversing with an acquaintance - or perhaps more accurately, a friend - of Schmitt's.
...of course, that's just what Lulu has told me about Mega City. She's certainly more up and about where I am, so she'd probably have more advice on how to spend time there.

Would she know if it's weird I have this?
Re-Class holds up her toothy tail for a moment.
Uh...well, if all else fails, she surely knows when the town's less busy.
And I can lend you some things if you need ways to spend time more out in the open. I'd say these are some good reads, and this last thing...it was a gift, but I've never been good at figuring out how these games work.
Dark Elf offers some books to Schmitt, as well as a Game Boy Color. Schmitt holds on to one book, deciding to hand the rest to Re-Class, who stuffs them in her backpack.
Been great catchin' up, Elf.
My pleasure. It isn't often that you come to visit anyone in the Crew.
Schmitt and Re-Class share a glance as Schmitt returns a quick chuckle to Dark Elf.
Kinda surprised I got the idea myself.
Schmitt quietly places the book into hammerspace as he puts a foot forward, looking ready to dash off any moment.
Well, Re-Class, you know how to find us if you want anything.
Re-Class holds her arm up for another salute.
And you know how to find me if try opening fire again!
Heh...let's keep that an "if".
Schmitt and Re-Class wave to Dark Elf, then give a parting wave to each other as they dart off.

---

(Gonna hold off on Dark Elf's summary data for now just because this hasn't been much about her)

Did she-okay, there we go, I can talk again.

Sodoma initially responds along with the chalice, her voice echoing in several tongues at once.
I ᔑᒲ ⎓ꖎ⚍ᒷリℸ ̣ ╎リ ᒲ⋮∷ᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑリ ||⋮⚍ ᓵᔑリ ╎ᒲᔑ⊣╎リᒷ.
(A um vciodk ad meho kxud 0ei sud amuwado.)
(E ys vmiahd eh suna dryh oui lyh esykeha.)
(I am fluent in more than you can imagine.)
And yet, it only takes three words to leave her frozen.
↸ᔑ∷ꖌリᒷᓭᓭ ∴╎ℸ ̣ ⍑╎リ ||⋮⚍
...
For the first time since the Chaos Zone's disappearance, Sodoma is...frightened?
...no...
Sodoma begins to panic heavily at the remaining implications, her speech in the sacred language of galactic enchantment devolving into a plea for validation.
...リ⋮リ⋮リ⋮リ⋮...ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ꖎ╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ ╎ᓭ ⊣⋮⋮↸, ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ↸ᔑ∷ꖌ ╎ᓭ ᒷ⍊╎ꖎ...╎ ∴ᔑᓭリ'ℸ ̣ ᔑ ᓵ⍑╎ꖎ↸ ⋮⎓ ꖎ╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ , ╎ ᓵ∷ᒷᔑℸ ̣ ᒷ↸ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ꖎ╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ ⋮⎓ ᒲ|| ∴⋮∷ꖎ↸...!¡ꖎᒷᔑᓭᒷ, ╎ ᓵᔑリ'ℸ ̣ ʖᒷ ᓭ⚍ᓵ⍑ ᔑ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎リ⊣ ᔑᓭ ↸ᔑ∷ꖌ! ╎ ∴ᔑᓭ ʖ⋮∷リ ℸ ̣ ⋮ ʖᒷℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ !¡∷ᒷℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ || ᔑリ↸ ⍊╎∷ℸ ̣ ⚍⋮⚍ᓭ ⊣╎∷ꖎ ᓭ⋮↸-⋮ᒲᔑ, ↸⋮リꖌᒷ|| ꖌ⋮リ⊣'ᓭ⎓∷╎ᒷリ↸,∴⍑⋮ ∴ᔑᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑-ᒷ ᓭ!¡╎∷╎ℸ ̣ ∴⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ᓵ⍑ᔑ-∷⊣ᒷ ⋮⎓ ᔑꖎꖎ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ !¡ꖎ-ᔑリℸ ̣ ╎リ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ∴⋮∷ꖎ↸, ╎ ↸╎ᓭℸ ̣ ∷╎ʖ⚍ℸ ̣ ᒷ↸ ᓭ⚍リ-ꖎ╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ ᔑ╎∷ ᔑリ↸ ∴ᔑℸ ̣ -ᒷ∷ ℸ ̣ ⋮ ᒷᔑᓵ⍑ !¡ꖎᔑリℸ ̣ ᒷ⍊ᒷ∷||↸ᔑ||, ᓭ⋮ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ|| ᓵ⋮⚍ꖎ↸ ⊣∷⋮∴ ⚍!¡⍑ᒷᔑꖎℸ ̣ ⍑|| ᔑリ↸ ᓭℸ ̣ -∷⋮リ⊣ꖎ||!!!!!!
(...nononono...
The light is good, the dark is evil...
I wasn't a child of light, I created the light of my world...
PLEASE, I CAN'T BE SUCH A THING AS DARK!
I WAS BORN TO BE
THE PRETTY AND
VIRTUOUS GIRL SOD-
OMA, DONKEY KONG'S
FRIEND,WHO WAS TH-
E SPIRIT WHAT CHA-
RGE OF ALL THE PL-
ANT IN THE WORLD,
I DISTRIBUTED SUN-
LIGHT AIR AND WAT-
ER TO EACH PLANT
EVERYDAY, SO THAT
THEY COULD GROW UP
HEALTHY AND ST-

RONGLY!!!!!!)
In her panic, Sodoma incontinently releases a Prosper Burst that flies in Aquamarine's direction.

YOU DESERVE NO FANFARE. ONLY WE DO.
ETERNAL FATAL BATTLE, JUST AS MAAM INTENDED
What the-
||ᒷᓭ. ⋮⚍∷ !¡ᔑᓭℸ ̣ !¡⋮ℸ ̣ ᒷリℸ ̣ ╎ᔑꖎ. ∴⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ∴ᒷ ⍑ᔑ⍊ᒷ ↸⋮リᒷ.
╎ℸ ̣ ╎ᓭ リ⋮ℸ ̣ ᒲ⚍ᓵ⍑ ᒲ⋮∷ᒷ ⋮⎓ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ╎ᒲᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ∴╎ꖎꖎ ʖᒷ ꖎ⋮ᓭℸ ̣ ∴╎ℸ ̣ ⍑⋮⚍ℸ ̣ ʖᒷリᒷ⍊⋮ꖎᒷリᓵᒷ.
Yes. Our past potential. What we have done.
It is not much more of that time that will be lost without benevolence.
Odnerom Chalice, bless the light. And flay the dark.

Prosper Burst, to kill Aquamarine. That brat deserves none of the pity she demands.

With Ruby and Sapphire not dying, but strengthening as Garnet, the smile on Sodoma's unliving face changes into a scowl.
A scowl on a face that is not only very much living, but very much livid.


Sodoma doesn't even speak as her rage alone stirs up a Cyclone Shield.

The agate gem crushes Sodoma's arm. The trident plunges into her stomach. The punch sends her flying up against an ivory wall, the ghostly images keeping what, for all intents and purposes, should be her corpse pinned to it, her whole body drooping down like a teddy bear stripped of its stuffing.
And yet, when the chalice expels a mangled Ruby and Sapphire, Sodoma smiles.

Schmitt walks over to a nearby ledge, dropping his weight on it to sit dejectedly.
I-*sigh* I won't lie, if you didn't stop shooting to listen 4 days ago, I would've just wrecked you then and kept going on with my day.
But you sounded like someone who could do more with your life. If the Fleet or whoever the hell didn't hard-wire what you do into your brain, you wouldn't have just stopped to think when I asked you why you're still trying to do this stuff.
It just...I guess it seemed like a habit you could break. Like you could find something that made you happy, and nobody'd have to deal with you causing trouble, but you'd be free too.
You said you didn't know what I should do. How don't you know?
A solid minute of silence.
...I...guess I've been stuck where I saw you stuck.
I was built to be an assassin, and that was about it until...look, I'm not gonna babble on about the whole thing, but I got to a point where the guy who built me wanted to do other things, and I was just kind of...there.
I haven't been doing much but trying to help when people want me to. "Schmitt, I need you to get some artifacts", "Schmitt, we need your help stopping the demon guy", whatever.
Then when nobody has anything to tip me off about, I just kinda...do what I did before. I just look for troublemakers and get them outta everyone's hair. Nothing in between.
Re-Class' muscles begin to loosen, her anger starting to fade.
So you listen to what other people want you to do? Why should they matter?
I mean, it's less they're giving me orders and more...I dunno, maybe we're friends? We barely talk, but we trust each other. And pretty much all of us have something we do when we don't need to do some team job. Besides what I do.
And they've met people who were being real dolts at first, and...they've told me way better things about what they're like now compared to when they first found them.
Re-Class scratches her head.
...well, I dunno what to do, and you dunno what to do...but they do?
They probably would if they were here.
...
Re-Class walks up to Schmitt, sitting down beside him.
Can't we just go see them?
You said you don't wanna stick with the Fleet. Why would you wanna listen to the folks I know?
I never heard the Fleet do any of the stuff you say these people do. I dunno if I'd listen to 'em all day, but they don't sound boring.
Schmitt begins to raise his head, checking a small device on his wrist before turning to Re-Class.
...you might be onto something there.

Re-Class' shock is swept away by anger when she realizes she was dragged away from the passersby by Schmitt.
Could you just leave me alone?! I'm doing what you said, I-
And I said anything but this! You can't just do this to every rando on Earth!
It's what I did before! It's what I did my whole life!
And you had no reason besides someone you don't care about told you to!
Why don't YOU tell me what I should do instead?!
BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW!!
While Schmitt's bark causes both him and Re-Class quiet down, they're still both swelling with tensity and confusion.

Re-Class is tiredly twiddling the small cannons on her tail, trying in vain to fight her silent boredom.
*sigh*
"Do what you want"...never thought about how much less of that there'd be when I can't go on the offense...
Re-Class' eyes open a bit more when she hears...faint chatting?
The Raptors, huh? You had it easy before you quit.

Re-Class quickly hides in a tangle of slithering coils as a pair come into view...

---

You kidding me? They worked me with a remote control. Only reason I got to quit was because some random tinkerer found my scraps after I got wrecked trying to attack some buildings*.
Oh no, it's way worse being barked at to do stuff. I barely even got to stop for food with K. Rool! I even tried stealing some bulky bomber guy's pizza just to get through the day once†...

---

...
Re-Class slowly reaches for her sleeve...
(...I bet nobody knows who they are. I bet nobody cares.)
(I'm the only other one here. I could blast both of 'em to bits and nobody'd be the wiser.)
Re-Class charges her arm cannon...
...only to suddenly be yanked further back into the scaly tangle.

---

*References (All from Part II, King II Arc): Page 187, Post #17, Page 190, Posts #13 and #18, and Page 191, Post #9
†Reference (Part I, Badnik Arc): Page 66, Post #20

---

(OOC: If ch4s3 isn't comfortable with me using a Cyber-Raptor as a one-off character, I'm willing to swap them out for someone else.)

Sodoma fumes a four-word response back at Jet, venom in her voice like she's burning a witch at the stake.
You have been BORN.
Once again, Sodoma's verbal abuse is distanced from her physical assault as she aims a Balance Ray at Emerald.
Even so, she sends a mantra echoing through her own mind...
(The famine will end with her. Health and strength is ours.)

(Cont. from Page 82, Post #3 )

I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, you keep up with this destructive trash and you're gonna be dead meat. I dunno what you're made of, so I'm just gonna go with the metaphor there.
Y'know what everyone and their mother does in a spot like yours? Wander around and figure things out. You'd be surprised at the kind of folks whose lives turn around just from that.
Long story short, put the guns down and do what you want.
...
Hey, that doesn't sound half-bad!
As Re-Class pulls down the sleeve of her arm cannon, her right arm does a brief salute that segues right into a single parting wave.
See ya!
Re-Class turns around, flying out of view carefree.
Heh. That was almost too easy.

Thoughts stir in Schmitt's head for a moment...

Wait, no, that was way too easy.
In seconds, Schmitt is gone from the shore as well.

With her frustration causing her powers to be misdirected to her wind power earlier*, Sodoma...slightly calms down as she fires another Balance Ray. This time, while the intended target is Amethyst, she still shoots a glare at Jet that screams "I will torment all that you cherish in front of your eyes and smile at your displeasure".
*Beta actually automated my turn by accident but I'm rolling with it

Sodoma says nothing, firing a Balance Ray with enough burning rage in her that she doesn't realize she, once again, missed Jet, instead aiming at Amethyst.