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It wasn’t so much that she was a copy-cat, ice is just one of those specializations that stay around when you use it, useful for keeping enemies cold. Mariette now turned away from the rest of the girls in the office to focus on the battle.

… A cyclone, huh. It was a cute little trick. Weaker projectiles wouldn’t be able to get through. Still, it had a notable weakness. But that was for later.

So, the monsters that the assault team were fighting.

As they were heading forward, there was a sudden howling as their flanks got attacked by bloodthirsty, magically empowered wolves, their most common opponent. These frosty wolves were jumping at them from various sides, and are likely the ones Sakura is currently fending off. Here’s a picture in case you can’t imagine a wolf.

[hider=wolf demon thing][center][url=https://i.imgur.com/VeLO5pK.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/VeLO5pKl.jpg[/img][/url][/center][/hider]

They were disposable, gathered from the wilds of a frozen world, manipulated by Ronja’s mind powers to wish harm upon the foes of Mariette, and were not expected to survive this encounter. They’re also really annoying to hit with a greatsword.

Then, there were the Victoria clones that suddenly launched themselves out of the snow, able to travel through the cover of cold and then launch themselves at their enemies with Victoria’s physical capability and her ever-present grinning and leering.

[center][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][/center]

[color=9c87c9]‘Hey, hey!’[/color] [color=9c87c9]‘That’s all of you?’[/color] [color=9c87c9]‘I could beat you all on my own!’[/color] echoed out from various places in the blizzard, but never from a clone that was about to attack.

A couple launched themselves after the members of the Red Nest, having seen that their efforts were making life a pain for Mariette, intending to use their athletic ability to dodge past their attacks while they were focused on portals to harass and punch/kick them if possible.

Because I feel like it, another couple targeted Aurelio and whoever he’s next to, launching out of the snow and trying to deliver a flying kick to his chest. After likely failing, she grinned at him.

[color=9c87c9]‘Heeey, don’t I know you!? We played beach football together! How nice of you to join us!’[/color] she said, while also trying to assault him with more kicks and punches.

Whenever a clone took a blow, they’d shatter into ice, proving themselves to have been ice-clones all along, despite the full colouring and ability to speak. That said, even though they were disposable, the clones would fall back and dive into snow to save themselves if they were clearly losing, their job was to ensure the enemies were harassed for as long as possible to drain the enemy’s power outside the mansion as much as possible before the main battle.

Then… Lea’s little surprise burst out of the snow.

With a vicious speed, a giant bug launched itself to attempt to bite down at Hyun Long. Another broke through the cyclone to attempt to breathe fire at Kimble. A third launched itself at the rabble of Justine’s thralls, trying to swallow them whole. These were Remorhaz, monster’s from a different world, super-heated creatures that insulated themselves in cold climates, 12 meters in length, and [url=https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Remorhaz]feel free to read all about them[/url].

[hider=Remorhaz pictures][center][url=https://i.imgur.com/xrI5xCN.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/xrI5xCNl.png[/img][/url] [url=https://i.imgur.com/n646h8Q.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/n646h8Ql.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://i.imgur.com/yGeeYKZ.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/yGeeYKZl.jpg[/img][/url][/center][/hider]
[sub]classically cannot breathe fire, but I’m saying these can because cool[/sub]

Numerous of these beasts erupted from the snow here and there to strike at whoever was closest. That should keep them from being too confident for a bit…

Mariette grunted when Justine threw that lance. The portal closed and Mariette immediately sent Josefin and Ronja to tend to the impaled girl. Josefin to ensure the blood magic didn’t do any further harm and Ronja to attempt to save the girl’s life. So far, their only injured. Still, it irked her. She’d somewhat forgotten how these girls broke all semblance of common sense about how capable they were. Still, it wasn’t as if Mariette would be disabled so easily.

From that point on, the portals still opened, but they opened on an angle. Her ranged troops could attack on an angle towards anyone that WASN’T Justine. She’d also position them on angles that were difficult for the Red Nest to target. If Justine threw another lance, she’d find it impaling not a girl, but a wall inside the mansion, because the girls were now firing on angles towards the portals to ensure they were never in a direct line of fire from Justine. And that would do.

[color=A2DFF6]‘Enemies have appeared in the Void Room,’[/color] Mariette was suddenly informed by the companion beyond the communicators, as was anyone still in the office. Mariette blinked a bit and looked at the map, to the basement and the Void Room. … Ugh.

Alicia and Sonia were bad names. There were Mariette and Eli, which didn’t annoy Mariette as much as not knowing who they actually were. And then there were others…

[color=077ae6]‘Connect my communicator to the Void Room,’[/color] Mariette requested.

[hider=Mariette][i]Specialization:[/i] Portals, Light
[i]Power:[/i] Tentacles
[i]Perks:[/i] Gifted, I. Home, Blood M., Overcity S., I. Tourist, H. Handbag, Allies, Aware, A. Direction
[i]Benefits:[/i] C. Doom, Reason, Minions, Retrieval, M. Might, Mana Font.
[i]Drawbacks:[/i] Quick-T., Mind-Bent, Insomnia, Bane, H. Sapping
[i]Str:[/i] 4 [i]Agi:[/i] 4 [i]Vit:[/i] 4 [i]Mag:[/i] 22 [i]Lck:[/i] 10[/hider]

[in assault squad][@Ariamis][@Shifter_Master][@AtomicNut]

[maybe in the room][@BrokenPromise][@Ariamis][@Card Captor][@FamishedPants][@AtomicNut][@Majoras End]

[hr]

The Void Room was a room of absolute darkness, or so it looked. There was some sort of ambient light that allowed those inside it to see each other, but the walls, the ceiling and the floor was nowhere to be seen. It was impossible to tell how big the room was from mere vision. More than that, there was an eerie sensation of being watched.

It took all of five seconds.

[color=077ae6]‘Is there no way we can talk this out, Alicia?’[/color] Mariette asked, her voice coming from somewhere in the corner of the ceiling. Of course, anyone still in the room with Mariette also heard her ask this.

Under the assumption that the answer is “no” to that first question.

[color=077ae6]‘I suppose I have no choice. Welcome to the Void Room, a place where the walls between dimensions are thin, and where I sacrifice things to my patron.’[/color]

Suddenly, a trap went off. A sudden, powerful gust of wind blew past them, blowing out any candles left unprotected. There was a slight beat as the room went silent after the wind settled.

[center][color=077ae6]‘Bon appétit.’[/color][/center]

In that moment, holes formed in the floor. Portals, dark portals with no edges completely unlike Mariette’s portals opened, leading to nothing but darkness. From these launched a rapid assault of dark hands and tentacles, seeking to grab and drag them into the depths. They launched with ferocious speed, a great mass of hostility that would not end even if they were cut down, new hands and ends would seek to grab them and drag them into the void. They’d first target anyone with their feet on the floor, dark portals opening near on beneath them to try to snatch them up, targeting more or less everyone with no inclination. If there was a central mass to destroy, it was beyond the portals that had opened in the midst of darkness, basically impossible to see with the naked eye on account the portals were as dark as the floor. It showed no sign of ever stopping.

This was not Asengav, as much as Mariette would like them to believe it. Asengav wouldn’t be bothered with involving himself in Mariette’s little struggle here. However, it was a creature directly bound to Asengav, one which does its duty for him to take things that his champions offer and take it to their master. They were facing…

[center][url=https://i.imgur.com/TM8WGqZ.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/TM8WGqZl.png[/img][/url][/center]

[@Flamelord][@Ariamis][@Ponn][@AtomicNut][@Majoras End]

[hr]

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[color=9b83de]‘It could be more effective to use the disguise artifact during the chaos of battle than before we enter. They’re more likely to lose track of us then,’[/color] Ronin replied to the potential use of Disguise Artifact. Because, they’d be discovered immediately when entering, and at such a point Disguise Artifacts would be useless. Anyways! With candle in hand Ronin went back to Connie, Gaia and maybe MDP if she’s not bounced off somewhere. [color=9b83de]‘There’s absolutely a magical trap waiting for us, it’s just a question of how potent it is~’[/color] Ronin said with a little grin about Leena’s thing about nullifying. That could be really good. Also nodded about the thing about getting used to it. How nice.

[color=9b83de]‘Alright, we’re ready.’[/color]

And then, they arrived in the Void Room…

[color=9b83de]‘Huh, not entirely what I imagined…’[/color] Ronin commented as she looked at the absolute blackness around them. [color=9b83de]‘Wait…’[/color] she blinked as she realized what it might be. Oh. Oooooooooooh.

Mariette introduced the place as the Void Room, and… [color=9b83de]‘Uh-oh,’[/color] Ronin made a noise. Then the wind-trap went off, and Ronin made a noise as she hadn’t entirely been ready for it, and her candle was clean blown out. Really should have seen that coming. 

[color=9b83de]‘Everyone who can, get off the floor…!’[/color] Ronin called out, leaping onto her own mid-air barrier and offering a hand to anyone who wanted up on it, primarily her allies. The dark hands and tentacles reached forth for them, and Ronin was quick to cut at some heading for her Connie or Gaia. [color=9b83de]‘Okay, whatever happens, do NOT get dragged down! We [i]REALLY[/i] need to get out of here…!’[/color] she called to the others, Alicia, Sonia and Tenebra primarily…