The Unnecessary Balance VII

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Reclass.

8 hours for a mini poll seems like enough to me, no? A is locked. Leah shall become a bad*** Elemental. Will update after I get off work.

Yes. The only class Leah's kid won't inherit is Diamond Weapon.

(Continued)

"I want this, and this... Let's see... This too... Ooh, definitely this." You bounce around the room, skipping like a mad hare, quickly grabbing as many items as you can safely bring.

When you're finally finished, you shove a piece of breathtaking emerald armor, the sister piece of your Gilgamesh armor, a couple bullions, an oddly shaped leather bag, and some odd trinkets all into Lazzy's arms. However, you decide to keep a certain sword for yourself. Lazzy grunts and glares at you, but he doesn't object. You giggle and place a gentle kiss on his mouth. "Oh, stop glaring at me. I'm an expensive gal. If you want to keep me, you better get used to this."

Poor Lazzy sighs and shakes his head, but at least he smiles slightly. "Point taken. And you're worth it, Leah. Every last coin."

You beam at that, rewarding him with another kiss, before skipping over to the nearby wall, the wall with ancient writing. Hmm... You already know a lot about runes-ancient magical writing- and you don't really need the power of the heavens... After all, you're already the avatar of a deity, and your boyfriend is a god. You can't exactly get more heavenly than that. So that just leaves the last one... The power of nature.

"Would certainly be helpful to control the elements," you mumble under your breath. You'd never have to worry about rain again.

You place your hand against the surprisingly warm stone, and immediately, a soft white light begins to flow from the wall, right into you. You gasp, not from shock or pain, but from the images and sensations. Images of all kinds flood your mind; vast ancient cities, words of power lost to time, knowledge of things long forgotten. You feel the power flood through your veins, and you close your eyes, relishing the feeling.

Behind you, Lazzy gasps, and this is a gasp of shock. "Leah...! What... What's happening?!"

Confused and worried by his tone, you open your eyes, and you too gasp in shock. You're floating a good foot above the ground, while streams of rock and fire and water circle around you. Your silky black hair has turned to living flames, and your skin has turned pitch black. Golden lines of power adorn your skin, complete with glowing runes, and later, Lazzy tells you your eyes had turned a liquid gold, and were glowing like small suns. You feel... Incredible.

Suddenly, your new power subsides, and you revert back to normal. "I... I don't know," you tell a concerned Lazzy. "But... It felt incredible."

Dol seems to be lost in thought, and you notice. "Do you have any idea?" You ask him.

He nods. "Yes, but it's only a guess at this point. Let's head back to Belial's study. We might be able to find a clue there."

You don't have any objections to that, so you simply nod. You aren't exactly in a hurry to face Belial anyway.

*You received the Night Emperor, Heavenly Garb(this is actually it's real name, made a mistake before), and Ethereal Armor! You received Large Bullion x2, All-Guard x1, Uber Skill Booster x1, and the Bottomless Bag!*

Note: The Uber Skill Booster increases the limit of active skills available by 5. The Bottomless Bag can hold up to 50 items, weapons and armor included.

"Found it!" Dol exclaims, after only a few minutes of searching the library.

You're admittedly a little impressed, considering the size of Belial's study. You assumed it would take an hour at best. Dol rushes over to where you sit, reclining in Lazzy's lap on the plush sofa, like an excited schoolboy. It's... Kinda a scary sight, a six foot something demon encased in black armor, acting like a student who just aced his exams.

He hands you a book called 'Races of the Fourth Age', already opened to a page describing a group of beings called Elementals, or Spirits. Your eyes widen a bit. While there aren't any pictures, it sure describes your new form to the letter.

While the Fourth Age-more commonly known as the Time of the Ancients or Age of Knowledge- was an era focused on technological advancements, it was also an era of exploration and diplomacy, though few today still remember that. In their prime, the Ancients sported vast cities all over the planet, and each city, or Nook, had a team of official diplomats whose sole purpose was to build relations with different races. This team would be accompanied by a squad of Battlemages, and would journey all across the globe, forming relatons and trade with every race they encountered. This played a pivotal role in forming the Empire of Knowledge we know today. Arguably the most powerful and splendid of all the races the Ancients encountered on their travels, were the Elements, or Elementals. The Elementals, according to the Ancients, were a race of godlike beings who held mastery over fire, earth, water, air, light, and darkness. While the official records are lost to time, the surviving accounts of these beings are truly incredible. It is stated, in one Lord Demetre Highland's journal, that while these Elementals could choose to appear humanoid, their true forms were quite... Extraordinary. He described them as having 'Skin of Darkest Shadow', 'Eyes of Sunlight', and 'Hair of Fire'. Lord Demetre also went on to note, that when an Elemental summoned it's true power, 'Lines of Gold crisscrossed their skin'. While this may seem far fetched to normal folk, I implore you to remember, we still have dragons walking among us to this very day. It is widely believed among scholars, that if it were not thanks to these Elementals, the Ancients would not have achieved their level of power, as they did in the latter half of the Fourth Age. It is speculated, that when the Great Cataclysm destroyed the Ancients, the Elementals perished alongside them. However, like the Ancients, it would not be unreasonable to suggest the Elements may have found a way to pass their knowledge down to us, their descendants.

"That's... Interesting," you breathe, unsure of what else to say.

"Let me see," Lazzy says, unwrapping his right arm from your stomach. You give him the book, careful not to lose the page, and turn to look for Kara. You haven't seen her in a couple minutes. Where did that ghost get to now?

"Hey Leah!" Said ghost calls down from above you. You look up, to find Kara hovering near the top of the stacks, with a worn brown book in hand. "I think you should see this!"

Lazzy's arms suddenly envelop you again. "Leah kitten? You alright?"

You give a slight nod, though your hands are still shaking. "I... I think so. But... This explains everything."

Well, maybe not everything... You still don't know how you lost your memories, or who rescued you from Jeckel... But... You still know a lot more than you used to, even if all that knowledge isn't exactly what you wanted to hear... Lazzy takes the book from you, and you don't object. "Um... Leah? I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you upset."

You turn to Kara and smile gently. "It's alright Kara. I'm not upset at you."

Kara softens, clearly relieved, and you turn to Dol, as a sudden thought strikes you. "Hey Dol, as long as we're here... Does Belial have any weaknesses? Anything we can exploit when we have to battle him?"

Dol seems disturbed by your question, for whatever reason. "Er... He does have one significant weakness, and that's his split personality. If you could cause a rift between his personalities, it would cause a massive drain on his powers. And the only way I can think of that you could do that... Well..."

"You mean me," Kara says suddenly, and you blink. "My father... As twisted as he's become, some part of him deep down still loves me. We could use me to create a rift between my father and Belial."

"We are not using you as bait," you growl. "I refuse to allow that!"

Kara gives a sheepish smile, though adoration shines in her eyes. "I know. I'm not suggesting that. But, if I can just get a chance to talk to him, to really talk to him... Even if it's during battle... I should be able to create that rift Dol is talking about."

"That's definitely a strategy for us to consider," Lazzy interjects, motioning for you to get up.

You sigh and reluctantly obey, leaving his lap. You stand up, only for Lazzy to quickly pull you aside, out of earshot from the others. "Listen Leah," he whispers, keeping his voice low. "We should search for these so called Weapons when we get back to Asgard. We'll have to reunite with Trail first, and we probably shouldn't attempt to do so alone... But I've been sensing odd energies for the past few years, and if my guess is correct... I believe I may know where these Weapons are. We may be able to find out the truth. The entire truth."

You nod, feeling a bit nervous. "O-Okay..." You aren't really sure you want to know the truth. You don't know how it might change you...

-------

New Sidequest available!

What lies beyond the Clouds
Place: High-Brink Ruins, Gallagher's Deep, Jolten Tor
Objective: Locate the Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald Weapons.
Difficulty: ********
Restrictions: Must bring Leah and Lazareth
Rewards: The Diamond Weapon class for Leah, a new character, and the Hammer of Krios
Length: Long
Note: Completing this quest before finishing the Last Crusade arc(Chapter 13-18) will slightly alter both dialogue and plot. The Hammer of Krios is one of ten legendary artifacts from the Age of the Ancients, and is ungodly powerful. Finding all ten Artifacts of Krios, and all Fell Arms, as well as satisfying the requirements for the true ending will force you to fight the Super Boss immediately following the End Boss. Please be aware of this, as it is an insane jump in difficulty, and easily the hardest fight in the CYOA. Even harder than the Postgame fights.

Boss time! Remember those stone titans I mentioned way back when? Yup, time to meet them!

Platinum Estark Lv 30 Gigas
HP:200
Str:100
Mag:0
Skill:30
Spd:30
Luck:42
Def:80
Res:50

Avoid 68 ATK 100

Skills: Pavise, Aegis, Stoneskin(Damage from Swords/Lances/Axes/Bows/Daggers are halved, but damage from Tomes and Magic is doubled), Wild Rush(Deals half of ATK as set damage. If triggered, but the skill is blocked or misses, this unit takes the damage instead), Battlecry(Raises all stats by 10 for one battle. Can only be used once per turn)

Weapon Level: Lance SS
Items: Ogre Halberd(25/25 Mt 0 Hit 60 Crit 0 Rng 1 des- 10% chance to activate Negate on every strike), Broken Hilt(The broken hilt of a once ornate sword. Drops)

Titanium Estark Lv 30 Gigas
HP:200
Str:80
Mag:0
Skill:42
Spd:30
Luck:30
Def:100
Res:60
Avoid 70 ATK 80

Skills: Pavise, Aegis, Stoneskin, Wild Rush, Battlecry
Weapon Level: Lance SS
Items: Ogre Halberd(25/25), Naga's Tear(Drops)

Don't worry, you don't have to battle them both at the same time. But you still better get your sacrifices ready. Those Ogre Halberds and that Wild Rush skill are very nasty. Things could get dicey fast if Anna doesn't like you. In fact, if Mr Platinum procs Negate with that Halberd of his... You better hope it misses, or one of your skills activates. Because that would be a OHKO for everyone except Lazzy.

Anyway... Your characters(I'm going to give their full stats so you have a better comparison).

Leah Lv 1 Elemental
HP:95
Str:51
Mag:32
Skill:47
Spd:61
Luck:40
Def:79
Res:46
Avoid 113 ATK 79

Skills: Vanish(Forces one attack to miss. Trigger&= Luck Stat), Locktouch, Shadowcloak(Negates one attack. Trigger%=Skill Stat), Miracle, Sol, Ruler's Vault
Special Skills: Windwalker(Once per turn, this unit can warp to any space in range. Cannot attack on the turn this skill is used. Rng 1-10)
Weapon Level: Sword S, Dagger D, Bow E, Tome C
Items: Blade of Sol(-/- Mt 24 Hit 80 Crit 5 Rng 1-2 des- Str+5, Spd+5. Has Fire Attribute. Deals Bonus Damage to Earth Attribute enemies), Naglfar(-/- Mt 25 Hit 95 Crit 15 Rng 1-2 des- Mag+5), Aegis of the Ages(Negates all critical hits and Lethality), Night Emperor(-/- Mt 20 Hit 100 Crit 10 Rng 1-2 des- Spd+5, Skill+5. Deals Dark attribute damage. Grants the Lethality skill), Elixir(3/3)
Special Armor: Golden Helm, Golden Armor, Hyper Gauntlets, Golden Leggings, Jet Boots

Lazareth Lv 9 Balrog
HP:112 (132)
Str:77 (92)
Mag:31 (51)
Skill:52 (72) (Capped)
Spd:50 (70) (Capped)
Luck:46 (66)
Def:78 (93) (Capped)
Res:55 (75)
Avoid 99 (137) ATK 105(122)

*Stats in parentheses are from Lava King Form*

Skills: Rightful God(Adds 30% to Skill Activation rate), Pavise, Aether, Awaken(All attacks for the next five battles become critical. Trigger%=Str÷4), Meteor Storm, Immortal(This unit can survive a lethal blow up to twice per turn, and regain 50% HP)
Special Skills: Lava King
Weapon Level: Axe S, Lance A, Sword A
Items: Gaia Cleaver(-/- Mt 24 Hit 70 Crit 20 Rng 1 des- Str+5, Def+5), Elixir(3/3), Bottomless Bag(21/50)

Kara Lv 14 Shade
HP:49
Str:12
Mag:37
Skill:29
Spd:32
Luck:30
Def:28
Res:45
Avoid 73 ATK 50

Skills: Miracle, Vanish, Shadowcloak, Vantage, Defenses of the Veil(Halves all physical damage)
Special Skills: Blood Magic(-10 HP to heal all allies in range by 20+Mag. Can only use once per turn)
Weapon Level: N/A
Items: Lightning Strike(-/- Mt 13 Hit 100 Crit 0 Rng 3-10), Shade Bolt(-/- Mt 10 Hit 80 Crit 0 Rng 1-2 des- can strike consecutively)

Dol Lv 30 Dark Lord
HP:120
Str:70
Mag:70
Skill:70
Spd:50
Luck:50
Def:70
Res:70
Avoid 107 ATK 105

Skills: Demise(If this unit is KO'ed/killed, the enemy who dealt the death blow is also killed. Trigger%= Luck Stat), Armageddon(Command Skill. All enemies within 10 spaces die in 10 turns. This skill is negated if this unit is defeated), Rightful King, Lethality, Nihil
Special Skills: Retribution(If this unit is hit with a critical hit, the damage is halved, and this unit automatically counters with a critical hit for x4 damage, instead of x3)
Weapon Level: Sword SS, Lance SS
Items: Chaos Fang(-/-), Hoplon Guard, Elixir(3/3)

So, there you have it! The battle shouldn't be that hard. But before we get started, you guys have some before battle options available this time around.

You may... Change equipped weapons, deposit or withdraw items from your handy dandy Bottomless Bag, and use any consumables you have.

Current Items in storage: Gaia Plate, Heavenly Garb, Heavenly Helm, Ethereal Armor, Muramassa(-/- Mt 20 Hit 80 Crit 30 Rng 1 des- SPD+5, Res-10. Grants 100 Avoid if the enemy is using a Light Time or Lance), Masamune(-/- Mt 20 Hit 95 Crit 15 Rng 1-2 des- Str+5, Spd+5. Deals Bonus DMG to Undead), Gespenst(-/- Mt 23 Hit 80 Crit 0 Rng 1-2 des- Mag+5, Spd-5), Might Tonic(2/3), Evenstar, Belial's Master Key, Flawless Diamondx1, Flawless Emeraldx2, Flawless Sapphirex2, Flawless Rubyx1, Super Bullion, L.Bullion x2, All-Guard x1, Uber Skill Booster x1

A: Withdraw Item/Weapon/Armor
B: Deposit Item/Weapon/Armor
C: Change a character's equipped Special Armor.

All options can be chosen multiple times, just be sure to remember to specify what you want done.

Hint: These particular bosses are of the Earth Attribute. Stoneskin is NOT Dragonskin. All of their skills can miss. Wield the twins wisely.

Oh, and Leah is at her capacity limit for active skills. You might want to think about using your Booster on her.