Ohhh... Library Battle SIMULATION: Let's Play Library of Ruina

[TeeQueue]

Technological Sciences—211.30—Singing Machine

Music: Lobby
Alriight… I'm doone with teesting..!

Good work. Walk us through it, Kaori.



For the booss… I modified the Oolga page that I saw Rooland using… Instead of fire, I went with paraalysis to help us oout…

It's more disheveled than I prefer. This tie is crooked and the collar is unbuttoned.

It was the best of the ooptions… You'll see what I meean…



D.A.D, I reeally liked that setup from the Aart flooor..! If there's a weak enemy, just trash theem… Um… sorry that there isn't much ooomph after turn 1…

I'm just glad you had fun building it, kiddo. What do you have?



I focused on bluunt attacks, since that's what Forsaken Muurderer likes… Without any good sustaain besides the boss, we'll have to hit hard and faast…

Luckily, that's our specialty. :mmmhmm:

Still, be ready for anything.



As the floors have become more complete, it seems we have been running into more difficult Abnormalities.

Your point?

This is the first time that one of our floors has progressed to this point. Remain vigilant.

I don't need you to tell me that. My team will handle the next Abnormality without fail.

Then handle it.

SNAP

Music: AbnormalityBattle01


It's that Singing Machine again.

Looks like it's already gotten hold of a few people. This could get complicated.

All other music is nothing more than noise to me…

If everyone threw their bodies into me, it’ll certainly create an even sweeter melody…

The music that wraps around me… I want to hear it again… Let me hear it once more…

It’s because you didn’t hear it yet… You’ll choke up in awe, I bet…?

The performance guides my body… It makes me lift my limbs…

Singing Machine puts us up against three different Addicted Employees, while it sits in the background with a strange sheen over its single die. As usual, we should start by reading its passives.



The sheen over the Singing Machine's die represents that die being untargetable. We'll see it again later on, but this is the ability's introduction. Here, we don't need to worry about it—Singing Machine doesn't actually do anything. In order to win this fight, we need to defeat the Addicted Employees.




They're not too complicated, though they'll change modes on turn 3—and this will trigger Singing Machine's second passive. Basically, we're just burning time until then.





On turn 1, all of the Employees use Trembling Motion. This page gives the Employee 1 Feeble and 1 Disarm if it loses both clashes, giving it a -1 to all rolls on the next turn. Needless to say, we want to win these.



Hey, boss. We came from books, right? You don't think…

I don't recognize these three.

So that means they're former clerks, right?

…It's possible.

At least it'll be easyy, then…



Those guys were responsible for a lot of the minor tasks around there, you know. Just because they didn't work with the Abnormalities directly doesn't make them weak.



They're not weeak… but they're not stroong, either…



Oh hey, that reminds me. Did you guys hear about the rumor of the Library ghosts?

Don't spout nonsense. Ghosts aren't real.

This one's legit. Trust me.



Sounds iinteresting… Deeets me..!

Huh. Her curiosity drew Forsaken Murderer's power right to her.

It makes sense… That Abnormality is the embodiment of curiosity taken to abusive ends.



We're still just sort of spinning our wheels right now—turn 3 is when the fight gets interesting.





This turn, two of the Employees use their second page, Shaking Blow. This page has a weak opening attack that can deal 3 Bind, keeping us from being able to outspeed them on the next turn. Because the next turn is turn 3, we want to avoid this if possible.



I was promised deeets..!

Ah, right right. My bad, kiddo. So anyways, there've been reports of people hearing these screams through the library.

Unsubstantiated reports, mind you.

You'd hear screams from the staircases, or behind a bookshelf, and when you go to look, nothing would be there.



So who's screeaming..?



That's the thing, kiddo: Nobody knows. Some say it's the spirits of the guests we've turned into books, roaming the halls in search of their own one perfect book. Others say it's a couple of tormented souls, driven mad by their situation.



All of our personnel recovered from the books have been accounted for, and there's no evidence that the books our guests become have sentience.

C'mon, boss. Let me tell the story.



Very well. Is there any more to it?

…Not really. Nobody knows what it's supposed to be, but the noises stopped a couple receptions ago.

How iinteresting..! I wonder what haappened..?

I'll bet Angela herself got to 'em, and made them into a book.



Whether these are clerks or not, something's happening. Stay focused.

On turn 3, the Singing Machine opens up and the background changes to show off some musical notes. As usual, this means new text.

You want to be a good instrument, don’t you?

Make me move… Light my path with the songs!

Hahaha… Ha… What will I do? What can I do? Haha…

Beautiful music must come at a price…

The air is full of erratic and filthy noises… I need gorgeous timbres…

The Addicted Employees have also changed their tactics. All three of them play the same pair of pages: Hear this Beautiful Sound! and I Pine for the Song!!



Hear this Beautiful Sound! is always the first page played, and while its dice aren't large, it's a 3-die page. This means we either need a good Evade die or a 3-die page of our own to deal with it—if it fails to get any damage through onto our Librarians, the Employee will instantly be Staggered. This is important because of the second page they would otherwise play:



I Pine for the Song!! is a single 3-7 die that shoves the victim into the machine on hit. While we can stop a 3-7 die with the right pages, the better strategy is to simply ensure that this page doesn't get played. This turn is tremendously important, as it'll determine which side has the momentum going into the next one—Staggering all three of the Addicted Employees is basically an instant win.



Wrath of Torment plus Kaori's 1 Strength from Solidarity ensures that our minimum rolls cannot lose on this clash, at the cost of a mere 7 HP.



D.A.D's Jikan page with Now Die is similarly stacked in our favor. Thanks to Violence, our minimum possible roll on die 2 is only a 4, but given that the die in question is a 1-10, the odds of it hitting a 1 and the enemy hitting a 5 are so small as to be not worth considering.



Yesod's clash has the highest chance of failure, but it still isn't very high at all. Daring Decision still basically wins any clash it needs to right now.



This is the pivotal moment. Follow the plan, and you'll be fine.



Mine's stuuned..!



This one's chained down too, Yesod.



Then that's three.

The one Yesod attacked is last one Staggered, and none of our people were hit by I Pine for the Song!! last turn. As a result, on the start of the next turn…



The bottom Addicted Employee is shoved into the Singing Machine, and takes 30% of its max HP in damage.



This brings the Singing Machine into its playing phase, which means that for this turn all resistances to Stagger damage are changed to Fatal, and all combatants get a free 5 Strength. It also gives us one last set of quotes.

Nothing could make as fascinating music as a human can…

Let me hear this performance longer…

Eternal happiness would be mine if this tune lasted forever…

Yes! This is it… Behold this powerful melody!

If this performance that substitutes my soul reaches an end… I’ll…

Oooh, I reeally liike this soong..! I hope we get it for ourseelves..!

Stay focused! This music is what robs you of your sanity in the first place.

Aaww… I wanted to cut looose..!



I never really got all those newfangled music trends the kids like, anyways.



You're both just oold… You can't understaand my generatioon..!



That's enough, Kaori. Settle down.

Alriight…

_{Aren't we all like 10,000 years old, anyways?}



The combatant trapped inside of the Singing Machine is released on the next turn (so long as they have HP remaining, of course), and the fight returns to normal at that point.



Of course, with it only being one Addicted Employee vs the entire floor… there's only one way this can end.



The Addicted Employees are all down. Is anyone still hearing the music? Any compulsions to make it play again?

Noo… Even though it played, I'm fiine…

I guess it's true that these Abnormalities are weaker now. "When it plays, someone goes crazy." That rule was absolute, back in the day.



It seems we're done here, then. Singing Machine's accepted us.

Good job, team. Hit the showers.

We diid iit..!



Singing Machine is easy so long as we can make sure to prepare for turn 3's special pages. In the event that the enemy comes out of that turn with some of the Addicted Employees still able to fight things become much more testy, but the +5 Strength being universal means that we still have a chance to win. Overall, it's a major step down in challenge from Tomerry.

VIDEO
Music: YesodStory


I’ll just leave them here and go before Mister Viper bites my ass~

Who told you that?

Told me what? What are we gonna argue about this time?

You referred to me as a “Viper” just a moment ago.

Well, I called you that because you like to spit venom at others with that sharp look.

Y’know, there was one guy I used to know who was kinda like you… He was nicknamed “The Viper”.

That’s funny. I was also nicknamed as such a long time ago.

See, people all think in similar ways. You’re a bit milder than that guy, though.

Is that supposed to be a compliment, or an insult?

More of a compliment. In any case, you’re… upright at heart.



Back in Lobotomy Corp?

Correct. Back then, even a small mistake could lead to substantial casualties.

Doesn’t hurt to be strict when caution is needed.

I wanted to remain level-headed at all times. I tried to conceal all my emotions, even when I felt anger or sadness. So I treated others in a frigid manner under the pretext of rules and discipline.

Is that why you’re being so cold to me as well?

No. It is the opposite, in fact. I am upset at your compliance with Angela precisely because I cannot stand to tolerate what we’re doing with a cool head. In my first life as a person named Gabriel, I wanted to make the world a better place. I wished technological advancement would bring comfort to people.

But look at what we’ve gotten into… In Lobotomy Corporation, we turned people into Abnormalities, and sacrificed even more people to the Abnormalities, all to generate energy as part of our Singularity. And what we are doing now isn’t any less ruthless. For the sake of retrieving the Light… We are killing people yet again and turning them into books. Inflicting pain on others in favor of information. It’s as if comfort can only be achieved… through the agony of others in this City.

Like I said, Yesod, you’re upright at heart. Though I don’t really get why anyone would bother to care so much for others. I think the opposite, actually.



It’s very much like you to think so. Does that kind of mindset truly ease your mind?

Nothing I can do about it, anyway. That’s that, and this is this. Still, I don’t wanna say that your way of thinking is outright wrong or anything. You’re right. Way too right. That doesn’t vibe too well with me or the City.

You must be thinking I am pathetic like others do.

Y’know, this difference between our mindsets might be what’ll let you do things I couldn’t dream of doing. To shake up the whole system, you need perseverance more than anything. Who knows, you might actually create technologies that don’t need sacrificing others to run someday, right?

I’ve already endured for so long, and you’re telling me to stay silent yet again…

Just this once, man… Just one more time. Things could turn out differently this time around. And besides, some things did improve over your time in Lobotomy Corp, right?

…That is true. I can at least… be with my former employees, who have always been loyal to me.

Yeah~ What did I tell ya, there is one improvement at least! Change up stuff one at a time like that, and you could make a huge difference eventually.

Don’t force me to do the same, though, since I’m totally not up for that!

You’re quite the foolhardy individual, aren’t you. …But you do have a point, Roland. Some things have gotten better as you said. I will try and persevere as long as there are improvements to be made.

Can I leave you with my share of persevering, too?



I just want to say that this smiling Yesod is not in my sprite sheet anywhere, and it's precious.

See~ You’re just too nice. Angela would’ve instantly shut me down with a “Bullshit.”



Yep. I have my charm, you see. And let’s drop the courtesy while we’re at it.

I am more comfortable speaking this way.

Eh, figured. Cheers then.

…It was nice talking with you.

Music: Lobby


Another day, another level. Of course, we get Abnormality Pages as well.



Music is our first Level 3 Abnormality Page. Every floor gets exactly three of these, and they show up when the entire floor reaches Emotion Level 5—the maximum. We can't pick it right now, but when we can it's… fine. It ups our damage at the cost of taking extra Stagger, but honestly most Level 3 pages come online too late into a battle to be particularly strategy-defining.

Rhythm, on the other hand, is kind of lackluster. It gives one Librarian +1 Strength at the cost of 1 extra Stagger damage each time they're hit, and when they hit enemies there's a chance that other people will get the same effect. It does let us snowball if we get lucky, but Yesod has a lot of very good Level 1 Abnormality Pages already, so there's no reason to take this over things like Violence.

Musical Addiction is the real get here—slap it on a Librarian with only offensive dice and watch them go to town on enemies. It stacks with the rest of Yesod's +power Abnormality Pages, and it's a solid Level 2 pick to continue Yesod's power stacking strategy.



It seems we're already partly done.

You're very welcome for the blood, sweat and tears that went into that~

Yes… thank you. How much longer until our new assistant is awake?

We asked, but she doesn't answer us at all.

…Well, Angela?

Ah, is the question directed at me, now?

It is. You're the one who's reuniting me with my employees, after all.

…That's correct. Well done to remember that. It should be any moment now.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Is it just me, or are they getting along a little better?

Maybe a pinch.



Greetings, fellow humans! I notice a certain amount of continuity—shall I take it to mean we've been reconstituted? Humans do reconstitute on occasion, right?

Not normally, but nothing about this situation is norm—

Human friennd..! You've retuurned..!

Ah! Yes. I see you are here as well, fellow human!

…wait, you had more than one nonhuman here? _{Geez, if the head finds out about this, they won't hold back…}

What are you talking aboout..? T.Hinman is a huuman…

Yep, definitely human. :mmmhmm:

As human as any of us, at this point.

I have never been any sort of alien snake, and the idea that I may have been is simply preposterous, fellow human!


Yeah yeah… I got it, sheesh. She's a human.

I hope you've been taking notes, fellow human friend Kaori. It's my turn to ask the multitude of questions this time!

Of coourse..! I've got a handle on eeverything..!

As I'd expect.

_{Will this really be okay..? What kind of wing hired people like this..?}

The questionable hiring practices of the manager are not my concern. We have a new ally, and now it is time to move onward.

Yes, ma'am~

Next time, on Library of Ruina



Pick on sweepers. Makes fine silk!

Drawtech is still here. It's grown old.

Please tell me the noise a rabbit makes.


Videos

Yesod 4

[Gespenst]

Level three pages are interesting, there's no RNG involved at all, so you can always pick exactly which one you want, no messing about with positive/negative emotion balance needed. they're also kinda pointless. in most cases the fight is well and truly decided by the time you get the full team to emotion level 5. there are some exceptions though, a handful of level three pages are outright win conditions, but they're exceptions to the rule and a substantial way off too we don't even have the floors they show up on unlocked yet

[TeeQueue]

The poll has ended, and it looks like we're going to be doing the middle-right node next. Time to stab someone. Factually.

[vulpixall]

Singing Machine was...fun for me, I guess. I kept getting my tiny little clone boy murder machine stuck in the meat grinder, but he lived and I won first try so I guess I must've done something right. I never really find a use for its EGO pages, though, I usually end up going with a mixture of some later stuff and Forsaken Murderer/The Roomba.
Also, I may have a vendetta against it. Just a teeny tiny small one. You know.
Either way, glad to see everyone's favorite normal human return. I love Kaori and T.Hinman's dynamic. Frens is when you have a bud.

[TeeQueue]

Book 21: Dawn Office—Chapter 1

Music: Lobby


Our node for today is the center-right, based on the results of our poll.

Those Zwei books are really paying dividends, aren't they?

Yes. They've been surprisingly invaluable in inviting new guests to the Library.

You're welcome, boss~

Indeed… Thank you, Roland.

Ye...yeah. _{You didn't have to actually thank me.}

It's important that credit be given where it's due. Now, to work.

VIDEO
Music: StorySimgak




Um, master…

Good grief, this is what I must hear from my old friend…

This tea has a strong aroma and taste today. I like it.

Thank you for the compliment, sir. What is the news you received from your old friend, if I may ask?

Philip, have you heard of ‘The Library’?

Yes, although I know little about it other than that it’s an Urban Legend.

It has recently been exalted to an Urban Plague, and it appears that the Zwei’s Section 6 fell victim to it.

Then the old friend of yours is…



Foolish old pal… He struggled so much trying to rise up the ranks, and yet this is how he ends.

I’m sorry for your loss. I heard he was your colleague back in the Zwei. It must be heartbreaking.

My heart is unscathed, boy. I never was fond of Walter.

…Pardon?

He didn’t quite have the potential to be a capable man. He seemed clever, but his thoughts were one-dimensional. And his habit of making rhetorical questions… Goodness, was that annoying. Although I suppose he did have some talent, seeing as he managed to stay in Section 6 without getting demoted further. Perhaps it was savoir-faire, or mere luck.



Hello, seonbae.

Hey, Philip. Looks like you’re getting better at making tea day by day, huh?

He certainly is. Philip is an expert when it comes to brewing ssanghwa-cha. Maybe I should learn from him so that I can make some for my wife.

…Thank you.

Cut it out with that awkward smile. You didn’t join our Office to make tea all day.

Now, Yuna. Philip has shown excellent results in the field as well. He’s become a proud Grade 5 Fixer now. If his ssanghwa-cha expertise counted toward grade evaluations, he would have easily become a Grade 1 and gotten a color, too.

Yes, if he were to receive a color… Perhaps it would be bright yellow, much like the hue of this egg yolk floating atop the tea. Hoho, it’s also the color of forsythia, my favorite flower…

Please stop with the silly jokes, master. Philip needs a trusty role model. Anyway, I’ve taken care of the request regarding the ‘Thousand Needles’.

Wow, you’re impressive, seonbae. Solving an Urban Legend-class request on your own.

Music: StoryChaboon


The building started melting, needles kept pouring out of that lump like crazy, people struck by those needles started exploding and creating chaos… It was awful. And the culprit behind that was…

Was it Yesterday’s Promise as expected?

Yeah, that seemed to be the case?



Strange symbols and stuff were carved on every needle. I haven’t even heard of any other amplification device that can do that. Not from my knowledge, at least.

Music: StorySimgak


It feels like I’m the only working member, though. And monthly rent is rather intimidating since our Office is in the Nest… You know the request I just did won’t be enough to cover it, right?

Ah, no need to worry about our financial situation. I received a request that could keep us afloat for three months.

Is that an Urban Plague-class job or something?

It is indeed.

An… Urban Plague?

What is it about? Is our Office going alone?

It’s ‘The Library’. I tried contacting the Wedge Office, but they seemed to be busy with their own work. Thus, we will be taking care of it by ourselves for now. Besides, this request was directly assigned to us by the Zwei Association. Perhaps they deemed that they need an Office proficient in combat for this job.

Got it. I’ll make some calls, then.

Please do, Yuna.

…This is gonna be my first time handling an Urban Plague-class case.

That is true, Philip. I know this is your first time with an Urban Plague-class request, but try to loosen up a bit. Think of it as a learning experience. Watch how I or Yuna act on the field.



You surely have ways to get yourself fed, Yuna.

You know how much I love to eat, don’t you gramps? And your cooking is awesome, too.

House party, huh…

Why the long face, Philip? Got too nervous to take on an Urban Plague?

…It’s nothing.

Well, alright then. I’ll be preparing first.



Sure?

It seemed as if you had concerns in your mind.

…Understood, sir.

Music: Lobby


You know him?

Hmm… It’s nothing huge, I came across him a few times in the past and owed him some favors. And he’s one of the veterans, too. He made his bones to a degree in the Smoke War when he was younger.

He did seem to have many connections.

Although he’s washed up now, just like me.

He seems to be faring much better than you, though?

Oh did you really have to stab me with those facts!

Music: Entrance


Reminds me of the factory we raided as part of the ‘Midnight Pancreas Burgers’ request.

Ugh, please! I don’t even want to be reminded of that case. And I’m not seeing any similarities here.

I mean, that factory was also pretty clean and moody for a place where terrible things…

Hohoho… Philip? I almost got to retaste the ssanghwa-cha I drank a bit ago.

…Sorry sir!



A pleasure to meet you. You must be Angela.

Yes. I am the director and librarian of my role’s namesake.

Tell me, what should we do to kill you?

I’d like to know that as well, hm?

I see, I see. You have the capability for casual banter, hmm.

Let’s cut the chat short, shall we, master?

Now, Angela, do not hope to meet a peaceful end after imbruing your hands in so much blood.

I believe the same can be said of you. May you find your book in this place, then.

Next time, on Library of Ruina: What color is this Dawn Ordeal? :abrathink:


Videos

Dawn Office 1








Didja hear that, Bishop? Grade 5, and he's your age—

He's definitely older than me.

Well, really, you're like, ten thousand and twenty? So he's definitely got you beat~

He does not have me beat. Compared to Abnormalities, a couple Urban Legends aren't anything.

But you couldn't even handle those without E.G.O, right? Ah, it's okay, I'll protect you~ My rates are perfectly reasonable!

I'm not falling for this extortion scheme of yours.

Oh, boo! I haven't been able to find a single guest who understands the relaxation that comes with a good gaming console, so I haven't gotten anything new in aaages!

And how is money supposed to help with that?

I want your brains, not your wallet! Find me a book I could make into a cool game!

…this is a waste of time. I'm going to go see what Malkuth's up to.

Hey! Don't just leave me behind! This is a serious problem!

[vulpixall]

Ah, Philip. I have...mixed feelings on him. I like him as a character, though.

[TeeQueue]

Book 21: Dawn Office—Chapter 2

Magic: GuestBattle01


Roland's using the same Olga build we've seen quite a few times now. It's a good workhorse, and he likes suits.

If you're going to ask me to handle the guests just because I met them once, I'll have to stop admitting when I knew them, ma'am~

In that case, I could simply have you handle every reception to be safe.

That hardly seems fair!

Then it's best we keep things roughly how they are now.



Guns, huh? I guess you did always prefer ranged weaponry.

The ability to fight without moving is too nice to pass up.



And you're still using the oboe?

I need to show the power of the combat oboe off this time, since I got my head handed to me before.

I'm not really 100% sure what I'm doing with Steve's deck. Shuffle Hands is a decent draw page with Bottom Deal on his passives, and Stay Calm will work well alongside it, particularly with his innate +1 Strength. Loosen Up and Wrath of Torment are there just to round things out.



Our opponents, the Dawn Office, are another 1 floor affair. The trio we met are the only members, but unlike most of the opponents we've seen thus far each one has a very distinctive combat niche. As a side note, this battle limits us to only 3 Librarians—even if we were to bring Yesod's floor, someone would be staying home.



Salvador exists to make the rest of his team more difficult to beat. His Guardian passive grants each of them 2 Protection on the first turn to cut the damage they take, and he can deal slightly more Stagger damage to our Burned Librarians. His final passive is one all three of these opponents share—while each of them has a different specialty, they all ultimately revolve around Burn.



His signature page, Crack of Dawn, is going to hit us very hard and serves to give Protection to the rest of his team again.



Yuna, meanwhile, has the Lone Fixer passive. This passive gives +3 Strength at the end of a turn if she doesn't have any other allies. This turns her into an absolute wrecking ball, meaning that we don't want to let her be the last one alive. Her deck is mostly multi-hit pages, to take advantage of this Strength should we let her have it.



Phillip is a very momentum-based fighter. He gains +2 Power when he gets to Emotion Level 1. This used to also go up to +4 Power at Emotion Level 2, but this was removed because he could effortlessly destroy entire floors alone. His deck is also built with multiple hit pages in mind.



His unique page Stigmatize factors into this plan by giving him an automatic Emotion Coin, and if it clashes both dice then he's guaranteed to level up.

This particular fight is closer to an Abnormality battle than a normal reception, in that there's a clear order to how to deal with our opponents, and we'll be put in a very tight spot if we don't pay attention to their passives! For players who haven't been checking on enemy passives in reception fights, Dawn Office can be a bit of an Ordeal.



Music: KeterBattle01


Hoh..! Be careful now, you two. One of them's carrying a combat oboe.

A… combat oboe?

It was before your time, Phillip… but long ago, such instruments of destruction were a regular feature in certain parts of the Backstreets. I've lost several limbs to their ilk in my time.

Is that why you recommended this weapon to me?

I'd say it works quite well for you.

Well, you've got a point, there.

If these weapons are so dangerous, why haven't you ever used one?

Phillip… despite my love for jazz, I've never played any myself. Do you know why?

You've… never tried, master?

I'm tone deaf, my boy. It's a true shame.

Trust me, you never want to hear him sing.

Ah… I see.



Hey boss, I think I've got them all distracted.

Huh… Well, I'm sensing that the kid is going to be the biggest threat. Let's take advantage of the situation. Let me introduce you guys to an old technique.





I call it the steamroller. You like it?

It's just focus firing one target en masse. Won't we take a lot of hits?

You guys will. I don't have to move. I like it, let's do it.

Ganging up and booking one enemy using all your actions at once is an… inelegant strategy, but I can't deny its effectiveness. Given that we want Phillip gone, it's also perfect for this particular battle—the Dawn Office probably won't be able to put out enough damage to stagger any of our Librarians in a single turn. Just remember: doing this means the person we're annihilating isn't going to be able to drop very good books, due to their low Emotion Level.



Got 'im opened up for you. It's like fish in a barrel.

Oh… oh geez..!



Don't feel too bad, kid. It's nothing personal~



Master, seonbae… I-I can't..! This is too much, I can't..!

I suppose it was too early, after all… Go. We'll handle it.

But..!

Just go. Can't lose a bright talent like you yet.

…



Aww, c'mon. That's not sporting!



The people that ganged up on a newbie on his first outing don't get to complain.

Ugh… not more facts!




At least their oboist is off guard from their imbalanced formation…

Hot hot that's hot!



And it's only going to get hotter.

Music: GuestBattle01


After the first turn, we're left with only Yuna and Salvador to deal with. Steve's half-dead, but that's normal for him.

Well, it worked out pretty well last time. Wanna' do it again?

I'm pretty sure I'd have bled out if that sword didn't cauterize the wounds as it sliced…

C'mon… we're all still fine here! They're not even focusing on you right now.

Well… Alright.





Looks like they're going after me, next…

Do what you can… I'll do the same.

And if they kill me?

Then that boy may need a new mentor.

I'll give it my best.



Never going to get tired of this.



Could do without this part, though…

Warriors like you and I don't get to complain on the battlefield.



You've got some punch, but I can tell you're holding back…

It's just difficult to unleash this thing's full power while I've got allies around to worry about.

Why thank you for the information, ma'am~

I figured you people would know already, somehow…

We may have had an inkling. The information is always appreciated though, dear guest.



Are you alright, Yuna?

Yeah. That's the two who attacked last turn… We should be fine.

No… There's still—



COMBAT! OBOE!

Hell! That thing really does pack a punch…



Not doing anything on the first turn, only to attack when our minds are off of him… That oboist played us, I'm afraid.

I'll have to handle him and that gun user at once…






I see it's not going to be that easy…

Afraid not, geezer.



Those moves… I see, Olga's been here.

Ah, you knew her?

Offices like that are bound to run into combat offices like mine from time to time. It's a shame to see she's fallen here…




In honor of her memory, then.

Geez- Steve, you just took one of these?!



It's not so bad, when you compare it to that whip!

Ah… yeah, I guess not.

Ah… drat it. I suppose between the two of you I won't be able to protect her, will I? Were I only a bit younger…



Don't take it too badly. You were outnumbered, after all.

Music: KeterBattle01


Ah, there we go. I definitely prefer this song.

Why's that?

It means we're winning.




I've been alone on the battlefield many a time… surrounded by enemies of all sorts. This is nothing new to someone with my experience.



And yet… Why is it now that that same experience is telling me my end is here?

Experience is a double-edged sword. Too much of it can convince you something's beyond you, and your body gives up instead of rises to the occasion.

Too true, too true… That sort of arrogance which changes fate itself can only be found among the young. That's why I hoped to guide the new generation of Fixers…



To show them how to read a bullet's trajectory from the angle of the muzzle…

Wha—oh, hell!



You lot are still green, as well. You shoot like an amatuer.

Least I'm not about to be a book.

Yes, true enough…



Olga, too, had a number of quirks that made her attacks easy to read. Her build and endless stamina made her powerful, but someone so straightforward as her couldn't get beyond Rank 5 no matter how long her Molars ground away at it.



Simply stealing their power and making it your own won't be enough forever. Even ten years ago, I could have killed you all.

Really glad we're only fighting now, then…



I think that's enough sass out of you!

And you…That savage way you swing your oboe… It's an insult to such an elegant weapon.



That's the trick. Nobody expects you to just club someone with it really hard!

Truly barbaric…



Just sticking me with this, aren't you..?

Sorry, boss. I need a second to catch my breath.

And I'm on break.

I'm not really surprised, anymore…



Farewell, geezer.

Ah… one thing. Could you watch over that young man should he ever come back here?

You're making a request now?

As an elder, it's my job to guide the youth. This is simply my duty.

Sorry, old timer.



This isn't that kind of gig.



Well you look relieved, Bishop.

Of course I do. That guy you were talking about got away.

How's that a good thing?

I'm sure he'll be back. So when he shows up, I can show which of us is stronger.

Ooooh… so you are jelly. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone~

It's not that, I just don't want to give you any reasons to make fun of me.



The Dawn Office is actually not too terrible to deal with as long as we fight them in the proper order, since Salvador is unlikely to output enough damage with Crack of Dawn to stop us from simply steamrolling his partners one at a time. Attempting to target the members in any other order, however, is simply asking for a bad time.

Music: Result


Roland, it's time for the debriefing.

Be right there, ma'am~ You guys have the cleanup handled, right?

It's six books. We've got it. Go.

Doesn't that mean you should be working on it, then?

It doesn't matter if the books are put away now, or twenty seconds before he shows back up. I'm savoring the moment.

Ahh. As expected of you, Zaida.



VIDEO
Music: Lobby


He didn’t seem to recognize you, though.

Fixers meet so many people in their lives; it’s pretty much impossible to remember them all. And gramps knows even more people than most Fixers, so there’s no way he can recount everyone he’d met. Not like he needs to, though… And he’s old, so his memory probably got shaky.

Why didn’t you say to him that you knew him, then?

I just didn’t wanna make a scene. Giving him the time of day would only make both of us uncomfortable. Imagine walking up to your enemy in battle and saying “Hi there, we were friends three years ago… Remember?” It’d be awkward for sure. And bothersome, too.

I don’t dislike how you try not to leave any loose ends in relationships.

I guess so. I gave up caring about bonds long ago…

And as I say from time to time, you never know when anyone will backstab you in this world, even those who you casually joke with. Gramps knew that better than anyone, I’m sure.



Now that we're done with Dawn Office, Netzach has a new Abnormality Battle available. In addition, we have access to something else that's just as important:



Flash of Sunup is our first no-frills draw page. As long as we have this, we can now play two pages in a turn without losing our hand presence. Combined with our Light regeneration pages, this means we can better use longer strategies that don't rely on the brief rush of power we get from increasing our Emotion Level. I immediately farm 15 of them.

Things are continuing smoothly.

You're saying that in a way that means I'm about to have to fight another one of those creatures…

It's good that you've learned to interpret correctly. However, please remember that the invitation is choosing what our next activity is.

Yeah, yeah… we're following the will of the light or whatever… Just wake me up when it's my turn.

Next time, on Library of Ruina



"Now it's time for my head to burst. Good day."

Request complete: weave silk for Index.

Thanks for the meal, but… I don’t feel like eating yet…

Helping friends by dropping phat beats.


Videos

Dawn Office 2

New Key Pages




New Combat Pages

[vulpixall]

Dawn Office was one of the first fights I actually struggled with, even with my strategy of "just use Yesod". This may have been because I initially ignored Philip, since I'd been spoiled for the game and thus knew he wouldn't die properly.
This was a mistake.

[TeeQueue]

Indeed. If someone is going to be tossed out without giving books, there's 0 reason not to immediately focus them down.

Especially Phillip, who is a nerd and should be stuffed into a locker.

[TeeQueue]

Appendix 14: Dawn Office

Case Name: ‘Thousand Needles’
Serial Code: DN-00113
Grade: Urban Legend
Date of Occurrence: XXXX/XX/21

Description: This document is a compilation of relevant information on the case of the Thousand Needles, which occurred in the Backstreets of District 22. While a clear conclusion on this case has yet to be made, it is speculated to be a case of the Distortion based on the apparent inability to confirm the cause or analyze the composition.

Case Report: Entity A-01, the first apparent source of the incident, was wandering the Backstreets of District 22 before swelling up and exploding. Numerous needles were dispersed upon the explosion, flying in all directions. The needles which stuck onto building walls caused the site of impact to melt and crack; when a human was struck with one of the needles, they were transformed into A-02, going through the same bizarre process of detonation A-01 did. The orange symbol on the nape of A-01’s neck was also found on the needles discharged from its body. When I arrived at the scene after taking the request, the bits of flesh scattered around the streets began to merge into one giant body using a brainstem focus resonator, becoming a 3-meter-tall (~10ft) mass that I will refer to as A-03. A-03 began throwing large needles, the length of which varied from 1 to 3 meters. Unlike the small needles fired from the explosion of A-01 or A-02 that could only leave small dents on building structures, the giant needles flung by A-03 caused buildings to helplessly melt. In addition, local residents who stared into the entity’s eyes or holes in its body soon produced a boiling sound before turning into A-02, so I had to forbid people from observing it closely.

A-01 visited OO Office to give a request four days prior to the incident. (Refer to [Audio Transcript of Testimony from a Fixer of OO Office]) Judging by what they said, such as “Made a deal with the devil”, and “Terrible things will happen if I break the contract”, it is speculated that ‘Yesterday's Promise’ is behind the incident.


Audio Transcript of Testimony from a Fixer of OO Office
File Name: #S-0012-XXXX/XX/23

I’m fine. Can I just talk like this? ……Oh, okay. Got it. When was it… A person visited our Office last Wednesday, if my memory serves me right. They introduced themself as an ordinary resident of the Backstreets of District 22, and said they urgently needed help. There were huge bags under their eyes, and their hair was a tangled mess. Their eyes were lifeless and blurry, and there was some sort of symbol on their neck, as if they’d been attacked by a Stigma Workshop product… The desperation was palpable. They couldn’t even walk straight, and they were straining to approach me with their awkward steps. I managed to calm them down, and they said… I’m sorry. I’m not sure how I should explain it… In short, they made a contract with a devilish person of some kind, and they’re scared that they might break the contract, so they were now asking us to take care of the devil so it can’t kill them as punishment. I still don’t get what that was about, even though I’m talking about it. To be frank… I just couldn’t understand what they were saying. Not just because their level of knowledge and manner of speech was lamentably inferior, no. All they uttered was a series of simple words, but the splendid images delivered in those hysteric words they let out like they were possessed by something, I can’t dare try to describe them… They kept saying confusing things like ‘Will skewer people's heads and make a necklace out of them to offer to it.’ ‘They keep getting closer. They're multiplying in numbers. They're approaching from inside me.’ All with a mysteriously bright glint in their eyes. Oh, our Office records counseling with our clients by principle. You’ll see how confusing the whole situation was if you give this file a listen. Don’t worry, we record them with the client’s consent and everything, so there’s nothing illegal about this. (Refer to [Evidence 5-1: OO Office Counseling Audio Recording].) But what can I do, really. The whole deal with the devil thing just sounds too unrealistic. I honestly thought they were lying, so I made up an excuse to turn them away.

Audio Transcript of Testimony from District 22 Resident 1
File Name: #S-0019-XXXX/XX/25

(Omitted) I think it was last Monday. Dery said something strange to me. They told me they made a contract with someone and they’re scared that they might break it. They said they don’t know what horrifying penalty they’ll have to face upon breaking the contract. I tried to calm them down, saying they should be fine as long as they don’t actually breach the contract, but Dery got ticked off and complained that it’s unfair how they’re supposed to comply with unfavorable terms hidden in the fine print. Then they broke into tears, saying they’re doomed anyway. They apparently agreed to do three tasks in exchange for gaining power. (Omitted)


Audio Transcript of Testimony from District 22 Resident 2
File Name: #S-0021-XXXX/XX/25

Do I have to recall that messed up memory…? …Alright. If it’s necessary to prevent another incident from happening… I guess there’s no choice. You can record it, sure. I don’t remember everything that happened, actually. That day was just like any other, except Dery showed up in the streets after going missing for a few days, looking awfully gaunt… Other than that, the weather was normal, and the streets were the same as always. I know, that’s when the incident started… Dery was walking the street as they mumbled something, but they didn’t seem to be heading to a specific destination. It’s like they were staring off into space and forcibly dragging their feet along. They said strange things like something… keeps coming, or boiling; they were always a bit of a weirdo, so that didn’t bother me too much. But then… Dery’s body began swelling up. All I could think at that moment was how funny they looked, expanded like a balloon. The scene was that unrealistic. Maybe it was the shock of confronting an unbelievable situation paralyzing the human brain, or the brain beginning to believe that it’s only a dream and marveling at the scene, but I was just standing still and staring at what was going on. “Am I really in reality?” But before I could gather myself up, the incident happened. Dery’s body blew up and weird needles went. Mrs. Madrid, who was standing in front of me, was struck with one of the needles. And her body swelled up and exploded into a shower of needles, just like Dery did. I luckily managed to get away without getting hit by any needles. I ran right to this Office without turning back once… And now… Now… I don’t think I can get back there. I wonder if anyone else lived… If my friend Mijin’s alright… If my house is fine… I’m curious, but I just can’t go back—I can’t do it… What do I do… I don’t wanna go back to… (The interviewee’s breath became coarse and unstable afterwards; the recording was suspended as it was deemed that the interview could no longer proceed.)

[TeeQueue]

The crowd has spoken. Seems like Netzach will be doing his next Abnormality Battle, and we'll get to see who else is joining the Floor of Art!

[ApostleOfBlueStar]

I found this Abno fight overwhelmingly easy, might just be me but idk

[Gespenst]

Dawn Office is my pick for "Hardest fight in the first tier of Urban Plague" burn is attrition you really don't need, Salvador has some hefty rolls if luck is on his side and Phillip is pretty spooky since he'll almost certainly be running a permanent +2 power by scene 2. oh and I guess Yuna can rampage if you leave her till last, she's honestly kinda forgettable since she doesn't have the big power gold 3 cost or the +2 forever. I never really liked using their combat pages either since the rolls have enough range that you can't consistently win clashes against anything. except Crack of Dawn, 'cause that's incredible. also a good pick for Brawl decks 'cause even without the protection its dice are amazing.

[TeeQueue]

Art—412.98—Porccubus

Music: Lobby


Another day, another Olga. I've swapped in Keeping in Stride from Zwei just to keep Netzach's health up a bit more.

It works, and I kind of like the don't-give-a-damn look.

It does work with your whole vibe, boss.



HAHAHAHA! I've decided to toast our next enemy up close! What was it named again..?

Porccubus, apparently.

Yes, that's the one! I'm sure it'll burn as well as anything else!

Salvador with Lulu's 50% chance of adding another stack of burn, alongside a Solidarity for +1 Strength. Nice and simple, this deck is a good option for handling most things at the current tier. With Wait Up! and Flash, we've also got plenty of staying power for longer battles.



If you're setting it on fire… I don't want to be anywhere near it. Guns sound like the right move.

This is a basic Liwei build. Do not bring a deck like this to Porccubus if you want to have a good time.



I trust that you won't disappoint me.

No more than usual, I'm sure.

That is… satisfactory. You haven't failed yet, after all.

See you on the other side, then.

SNAP

Music: AbnormalityBattle01


There it is, boys…

HAHAHAHAHA! Why, I remember the smiles being so overwhelming people's heads would explode!

I took a gun… to fight this thing.

Come under me. I’ll liberate you from all kinds of pain.

It’s scary at first, but the next step won’t be difficult at all.

Don’t you want to feel the dazzling and vibrant display of colors?

You can’t touch me if you’re so far away. Come closer.

Your head will soon be filled with happiness.

Porccubus comes at us alone, but in Library of Ruina that doesn't always mean we're safe. First things first, we check its passives.



The first one isn't a big deal—getting hit gives us Emotion Coins that let us level up quickly. It won't matter much. The third one is an interesting wrinkle, since the more copies of "Pleasure" we have in our hand, the more Light we regain every turn. In exchange, when we get to 3 or more in hand we'll take 20 damage and all of them will be exhausted immediately. The second passive, though…

I brought a gun… to fight Porccubus.

Well THAT'S not very good at all! You can only hurt this thing from within its range. A smile for a smile, as it were!

Yeah, I know that, Mr.Black! Why the hell did I think this was a good idea?!

Does it really matter? We're here now. Just do your best.



Time for the Head to Burst is Porccubus's strongest page, and the dice from it will add 2/1/1 copies of Pleasure to our hand should they hit. If the first die hits, we'll be hard pressed to avoid Unbearable Pleasure's penalty.



Wide Grin is another page with high dice compared to what we have available to us at this point—it's a 1 cost, but those numbers wouldn't be out of place on one of our 3-cost pages. Because all of Porccubus's defense dice are Evades and it has such a high resistance to Stagger damage, Staggering it isn't likely to happen. So, what's our plan?



We game the action economy, of course! Even discounting Mr.Blond, we still have a full two speed dice more than it does, and Mr.Blond can eat up actions with clashes just fine.



Sure enough… guns are worthless!

Mr.Blond manages to win a clash and hit, but Porccubus's effect negates all of the damage that he'd deal… except for 1. That 1 is from his Double Kick passive, which deals 1 damage upon winning a clash. Abilities like this ignore almost any form of resistance or immunity, and are nicknamed True Damage by the community.

This almost never matters. It's more curiosity than strategy.



When Porccubus hits us, the screen momentarily gets a kaleidoscope effect, indicating the Pleasure has been added to our Libarian's hand.



Mr.Blond's second shot is just as effective as his first, but he does pass Feeble to the enemy. Status effects aren't negated by damage immunity passives either, so we'll be hopefully using Mr.Blond to pile these onto Porccubus since he's useless for damage.



Mr.Black, meanwhile, manages to take a good chunk of its HP off with his attacks. The Burn he piles on will serve as one of our main forms of damage—Sunset Blade and even Flash of Sunup can pile on the Burn with the passives we've got on right now. The Stagger damage may also look decent, but…



Hey, get back here!

It's basically negated by one good Evade.



Even against Daring Decision, Porccubus is able to dodge most of the attacks and strike back with its own attack. Accepting that any attack that runs into a Porccubus evade die might just get eaten is important to our strategy.



Of course, sometimes you also manage to beat one of its evade dice with a Wait Up!, so really anything is possible.



This thing's spines… they definitely have a kick to them. It's different from Enkephalin, or alcohol… Are you guys okay?

HAHAHAHAHA! No worries! I'm always smiling, so you can't get me addicted to simple things like pleasure!

…

Mr.Blond?



I don't… hate this feeling.



Pleasure itself is a 3-cost page with three 1-10 offensive dice on it. When played, it removes itself from our deck. It's not terrible in a pinch, but it's a bit too swingy for my liking. As long as it's hit on the previous turn, Porccubus also changes up its battle lines.

Just a little taste of heaven won’t hurt, right?

I pity those fools who don’t know this happiness~

Once you’ve had a taste of this sweetness, you can’t quit.

Sure, I’ll bend down for you~ Feel free to pet me.

You must’ve come to me expecting something, haven’t you?

Game of Trust is Porccubus's final page, and it's a decent first die followed by two more of those 1-10 evade dice it loves so much. It's the ideal situation to throw up a page with a massive first die on, since any hit from it gives 2 copies of Pleasure—putting the person hit on the edge of triggering Unbearable Pleasure's effect.

Now, I could say that my plan here was playing Refine on his other die to turn this 2-3 into a 4-5, which would give it a 50-50 shot of clashing with the guaranteed 5 of Porccubus's die, allowing me to effectively block the attack for free… but that'd be a lie. I just wanted to show off Unbearable Pleasure's effect. This does mean that I accidentally gave myself a 50% chance of missing out on it, so I guess I might be bad at playing poorly?



This, on the other hand, is just wasting that giant 1-10 evade die on a bad attack and eating the hit in return.



You know, now that I've had a moment to look around, those decorations are actually quite delightful!

The people with the blown off heads? It's not really my kind of statement.

But they're all smiling so wide! I'm sure they were in the depths of joy!

Yes that is how this thing works, can we fight already? I want to feel that… I-I want to finish this.

Sure thing…



Ahhh, this takes me back! I always did wonder if you'd go well as a garnish!



We wind up losing the coinflip, and Mr.Blond takes the 20 damage from Unbearable Pleasure. The visual is the same as a normal hit, but with a screenshake effect.

GAH!! Holy hell that hurts..!

Where's the kaboom?! I was expecting a skull-shattering kaboom!

Not sure… but I'm definitely over this now. Not worth it.

We're on the same page, then.



Netzach scores some chip damage to round out the turn…



And Echoes from Beyond gives us some Stagger relief. Our Abnormality Pages aren't going to be much use in this fight overall, so there's little reason not to grab it.



At this point we've seen everything Porccubus can throw at us—it's all about technique from here.






Mr.Black is spamming Sunset Blade with both dice this turn, and really wants to land those hits since each hit is ~2.5 Burn on top of its own damage. If all six were to hit, it'd be another 15 damage outright. I could have done this by having both his dice target the 2 die on Porccubus, then having Mr.Blond steal it away with his 3 die, but I didn't notice that until right now, so instead he's grabbing one of the clashes. I did at least make sure he'd get one unopposed Sunset Blade off, though!



Mr.Blond opens up by inflicting Feeble next turn again.



HAHAHAHA! We've thrust the Abnormality back to the very edge of its world! Also, it's on fire!



A cornered beast is still quite dangerous, though..!

The second Sunset Blade only connects once, leaving it at 16 Burn total. Still not bad.



Meanwhile, Netzach just sort of goes ham on it.



Mr.Blond gets Tentacles and after Burn, Porccubus is ~2/3rds done.



Hit me all you like… I barely feel a thing anyways.

Netzach eats another evade die with a Wait Up!—Olga's very good for avoiding the downside of Pleasure, since it can't keep a page in hand for more than a turn anyways. The resistance to piercing attacks is a plus, too.



Mr.Black, meanwhile, is busting out the heavy ordinance.

Technically speaking, he can lose either clash—and losing the first one would be particularly bad since he'd eat 20 damage off of Unbearable Pleasure—but he's very unlikely to. Crack of Dawn is great for this tier.



You know, I've been thinking, and I think I know just what this beast needs!

Is it a smile?

Yes! It doesn't even have a proper mouth, you know! Very unfortunate!



Fair enough… but what can you do about it?



It's simple! If there's nowhere to put a smile…



I'll just draw one myself!

Huh… That kind of rings a bell.



HAHAHAHA! That's because I learned it from working with you, boss!

Heh. Fair enough, then.



Be honest with me, do I want to know?

…Probably not.

Then I won't ask.

Come, comrades! This plant has very nearly been sauteed to perfection!






Because I figure this will be the last turn, I throw out both of the Pleasures in Mr.Black's hand. Between them, we should be able to do at least 18 damage to Porccubus for the win. Netzach also drew two Daring Decisions, so I threw those into the mix as well. Mr.Blond's run out of pages, so he's playing whatever he draws now.



Welp… I've distracted it a little, maybe..



Then I'll slice it open!



Which leaves me with finishing it off.



It's done. You all still standing?

HAHAHAHAHA! I don't think I'll be forgetting this one for some time!

Same, but for a different reason. Head's still killing me.



Porccubus is actually a pretty easy fight overall, and it's hard to have trouble with it so long as we don't bring 3 gun-focused decks with us. Even two people can make relatively quick work of it, between Burn and our extra Speed Dice. The hardest part is balancing the Pleasure hits to ensure nobody gets more than 2 on them at a time.

VIDEO
Music: NetzachStory


Cuz I didn’t drink. I just wanna stay sober today.

Hmm… What’s gotten into you?

You look pretty sad to miss out on a chance to drink.

Whoops, was it that noticeable?

Well, today’s a special day. The day I died and perished from this world.

Really? What’s the date, again? It’s hard to keep track of time staying here.

The date doesn’t really matter. It’s this exact moment I’m commemorating. I learned all about the life and death of Giovanni, my first incarnation.

That’s what you meant, huh…

Do you think the followers of the Church of Gears are a bunch of fools, Roland?

You mean how they’re so desperate to find meaning in their lives, going so far as to join a cult? Nah, I don’t think they’re stupid. They’re just pitiful.

That’s what I think, too. I grew up without anyone to call parents.

Same here. I was raised by my grandma, had a rough childhood.



I’d have died already if it was the Backstreets. I was lucky to be born in a Nest, and unlucky to have lost my parents so early.

What Nest was it?

K Corp’s.

That’s one of the more decent ones I’ve heard.

Yep. My life was pretty smooth. Slightly more unfortunate than others, and slightly luckier than others. I never really starved, or got bullied by anyone. It was a sheltered life, free from any outside influence. All I did was breathe in that shelter without meaning. I thought it was the natural thing to do. Everyone else had the same expression as mine. In the school or on the streets, all the people in the Nest made the same face.

Lost focus, spacing out and staring into empty places?

Mhm. You’re spot on. I figured life just comes and goes. I kept living a monotonous life… Until I met someone with a face I’d never seen before.

Oho! I’m guessing you met your first love?

…I suppose. It was Giovanni’s first love, to be exact. She was giving a passionate speech in the middle of the street, even though no one paid attention to her. I barely understood what she was saying, actually. All I could think about was how brilliant and alive a person could be.

Love at first sight, eh?

She went on about how she’ll change this world and its people. And she was looking for recruits to join her cause.

Isn’t it funny? Who in the Nest would want to give up their comfortable life for research like that, really?

Yet you did.

True. Maybe she went out into the street expecting to run into someone like Giovanni.



Carmen, huh…

Whenever I saw Carmen brimming with joy and pride for her cause, I felt alive too. I wanted to stay with her forever. Though she probably just saw me as a good friend or colleague and nothing more.

Ah, the heartrending agony of unrequited love.

It didn’t matter to me that much. I was content with living on like that. But…

Then tragedy befalls the research team, right?

Yep. Slowly… Progress of our research stagnated, and Carmen gradually lost her liveliness. And then, when a kid named Enoch died during an experiment… It’s as if something within her snapped. I wanted to cheer her up somehow, but seeing Carmen’s lethargic face scared me so much. It’s like I was erased from the world. And Carmen ended her own life soon after that.

That sure sounds tragic. Must’ve shocked you hard.



I thought, even the person who was more alive than anyone could meet such an early and miserable end. I decided to stay in the laboratory to help out with completing the research Carmen started. Her colleagues were still there, and they didn’t lose hope just yet. Then one day, they said we might possibly be able to save Carmen.

A tempting offer, wasn’t it?

It was. And…

I’m guessing it came at a price.

It was a risky experiment. The subject could slip into a permanent coma if it went wrong. No one was willing to participate, so I volunteered to be the subject. Carmen coming back would’ve been the ideal outcome, but even if it failed and I ended up sleeping forever, I was okay with that. In a world without Carmen, I lost my light anyway. So I can understand people taking desperate measures to find meaning in their lives, like the Church of Gears we recently saw. I participated in an experiment that could get me killed for a similar reason. And its result was…

A failure, huh?

Yep. Then I was given a second life. Woke up in Lobotomy Corp. as Netzach. Even though I had already abandoned all attachment to life before I died… In the midst of confusion, I could hear a nostalgic voice. It told me to try and live on.

After all those twists and turns, I finally got here. Now with the fearlessness to keep on living.

That’s a commendable spirit, Netz.



If I get a chance to, that is.

I’m starting to think it might actually be possible this time around. The world is bigger than I expected, and it has lots of hideous sides, but there certainly is beauty to be found.

I guess your drinking habit was a coping mechanism to get you through each day.

Pretty much. I do enjoy alcohol for what it is, though.

Same for me.

I feel like a drink now. Shall we?

I’m all for it! Cheers for today.

Music: Lobby


With the incredible revelation that Netzach doesn't always drink, we successfully hit level 4 on the Floor of Art. Of course, we get Abnormality Pages to go with it.



Thorns and Elation are both average at best, with Thorns being too slow to be reliable and Elation being a +1 Power with a substantial downside—taking it means treating that Librarian with kid gloves.

Laughing Powder, though… Laughing Powder is the best Level 1 page on Netzach's floor, and it effectively doubles or triples our Stagger Resist for the next while. Given that our Stagger Resist is usually equal to ~half of our HP, this means it effectively removes it as a concern. For all allies. If you're running Netzach this page is an instant pick, and because of some mysterious mechanics regarding Abnormality Pages that I don't want to talk about yet, it's almost always available in the first set of 3 we see. It's amazing, and we'll be using it every time we select Netzach's floor from here on.



Well! It seems like the 'set everything on fire' strategy worked exactly as planned!

True enough. Good job, team.

You look happy.

Had a good time reminiscing, since it always takes so long for Angela to finish.

I must balance efficiency with accuracy. You wouldn't want a companion who was lacking an arm or had a second mouth, after all.

Yeah… So long as it's to create a proper body for our companions, it's fine if it takes a while.

Still… it seems like it's been hours more than usual.

You think so? I really can't keep track of time around here.

Roland and I have had time to drink and sober up, so…

Under normal circumstances, you and yours would have left with a new ally, yes.

I'll go check, then. Shouldn't be any problems, right?

…I can't think of any.

We'll wait here!



Found 'em. Good news, it's not the kook we were stuck with last time.

Sorry everyone. I was trying to read up on the new protocols and rules, and there were… so many books, and most of them were just nonsense... I couldn't really find them, and I didn't think you'd be waiting on me.

It's no big deal. Welcome to the team, Carlos.

I remember you from your time in Training. I'm glad to have another hard worker around here.

Don't be silly! We all work and smile at 120% of our full power!

I'll leave the hard work to you three, thanks. Have Mr.Blond tell you about how we do things around here. Welcome to the team.

Glad to be here, sir! And, about Mr.Blond… _{He's not going to..? Is he?}

That was a one time thing. You'll be fine.

Yes, it's a good thing he can't kill you a second time!

Could you please not make it awkward?

Next time, on Library of Ruina



A gift, since you've grasped it yourselves: Malkuth's next Abnormality is past this reception.

Transpierce.

A truly meaty beat drop.


Videos

Netzach 4

[Seniorswitchback]

Ah Porccubis, I think I completely forgot about it until it popped up as a choice here. It’s a good fight with a neat mechanic but it’s so weird to come in when it can be action economyed into the dirt, especially since you need to beat dawn office to get it. The abno fights always feel like puzzles but the answer to this one seems to just be “punch it while it looks at the other guy.” I guess maybe it was balanced around people who don’t grind for all the pages?

[vulpixall]

Porccubus was incredibly easy. Still the best dog though.

[TeeQueue]

I feel like Porccubus was basically a one-time GOTCHA for people who went all guns all the time because of their immense power.

But yeah it's just. Not hard.

[Gespenst]

Laughing powder is amazing and outright one of the reasons that Art is an extremely strong floor forever. Getting staggered annoying you? just say no.

the fight itself isn't great, depending on what receptions have been done your power could have a pretty broad range, so I think it was probably designed to be doable if it was your first abnormality in Urban Plague. but it'd probably be easy even without any Plague pages, it'd have an action disadvantage if you weren't using any speed key pages at all.
I wouldn't be surprised if it'd been designed to be earlier in the game, but needed to be set back so its "immune to ranged" trick would work at all.

[TeeQueue]

Looks like we'll be doing the far left node next, to finish off the first tier of Urban Plague!

[TeeQueue]

Book 22: The Carnival—Chapter 1

Music: Lobby


Today, our new guests are on the far left node, the very last one for tier 1 of Urban Plague.

That musclehead's book, huh..? I wonder what it'll bring?

I'm sure it'll be something interesting. I'm learning a lot about the Backstreets as we move forward.

You didn't pay much attention to them, huh?

Nah… I've heard that there are some Nest folk who'll look out at the Backstreets to watch what's going on every night, but I wasn't ever one of them. I couldn't really afford the study break, you see.

You're a really steadfast one, aren't you?

Of course! If you stop practicing for a single day, it can take three days to regain the skills you've lost.

Is that how it is? I'll keep that in mind.

VIDEO
Music: StoryAlley


This is your friendly reminder that all nonhumans are banned from the City, so anything you see is at its core a human according to the Head!



Reminded of taste of Fixer we ate. Was soft? Was happy.

Hard to eat, but tasty? Produced good silk. Was satisfied.



Because we must spin more silk?

Index gave such Prescript.

What if Mother of Sweepers move before we finish.

We hunt. And feast? Must weave cloth.

Know? Wondered if we have plans once Sweepers start retaliation. If they all seriously try to eat us, we must have limits?

Sweepers are quiet for now? Reasons unknown.

Index has its gaze on us. We only make fabric as Prescript pointed?

No other Prescript from Index?

None? No need for worry. Index is good friend?

Music: StorySimgak








Yes~ Thanks for the greetings. I’m here to give you guys a new Prescript.

Head to Library?

Have other paper with you? This is no Prescript.

You’re right, this is an invitation to the Library. It’s needed according to the Prescript.

Must go to Library?

We must eat Sweepers and weave fabric.

Can we eat messenger?

Will be tasty? Would produce good silk.

…No, I’m afraid not. You guys must obey the Prescripts, remember? You want to continue your silk-making business, no? If you don’t follow your Prescripts, the Proxies will visit you.

Prescript come first for us?

If we break order, Prescript will not forgive?

……

Perhaps Library have new ingredient to make new silk with?

Since I’m done delivering the Prescript, I’ll be on my way. …I’m sure you guys are already aware, but don’t forget what happens if you fail to carry out any Prescript.

Music: StoryNervous


Hello there~ It’s the Kurokumo Clan, a Thumb subsidiary, right?

Greetings, Kurokumo Clan?



By the by… I’m certain a Finger Bow-Bell is about to begin, and this is a rather frivolous behavior from the Index.

What should we do, dame?

He may be a simple messenger, but he’s still an executive member of the Index… It will be difficult to take him on by our own. It is a valuable opportunity nonetheless, especially since the messenger is alone right now.

…Sure. All I do is deliver words from above.



……

…Now then, why don’t we go our own ways if we’re done with all business here? The Carnival can visit the Library, we can take our fabric, and mister messenger… probably has places to be.

Music: Lobby


Yep. Quality fabric is a rarity. Tailors are just as important as Syndicates and Fixers.

Those guys seem to be operating underground. Looks like they’re eating people to make silk…

What’s so special about it? Isn’t it just the same old piece of cloth?

Nuh-uh, that’s not your ordinary textile, ma’am. You still have a lot to learn.

There’s a good reason a lot of hotshots in the City are dressed in normal-looking attire and not plate armor. You’ve probably seen it from some guests, but those aren’t just regular clothes. A high-quality fabric can provide just as much protection as an augmentation procedure. Not even money could buy top-of-the-line fabrics sometimes.

Some can only be earned by joining memberships of workshops or tailors. Some things in this world are entangled in a complex web of interests like fame and stuff, which can’t be cleared with money alone.

I’m starting to feel dazed from all this information.

Well, that’s enough of that… Why don’t we close our eyes for a moment and make a wish?

And you aren’t helping at all.



Okay… I can close my eyes, and make a wish.

…Uh, are you actually playing along?

I wished for you to stop babbling nonsense.

Hunh… Anyway, things could get real messy once a Prescript points at the Library. The Index, one of the Five Fingers, is gonna be after us. They’ll do anything to keep coming for our asses.

The Index?

That’s one of the five giant Syndicates that rule over the Backstreets. They’re called as such because they literally have all of the Backstreets in their hands. It’s simple, really.

Anyway, the Five Fingers have enough power and influence to rival the Wings, so nothing good will come out of opposing them. And the Index is like a group of zealots. They obsess over the orders they call ‘Prescripts’. For them, Prescripts are…

Something they must follow?

Yep. Prescripts must be carried out, as they say… And we have a subsidiary of the Thumb butting in, too. I just hope things don’t escalate too much.

Whoever may visit, we simply do our best to receive them.

Music: Entrance


Can spin new kind of thread. Excited?

…Greetings, guests.

Greetings.

Greetings?

Greetings. Okay to eat. Could produce wonderful silk?

Will make pretty, blue silk?

Seems she would taste even worse than Sweepers?

True? Does not seem human.

Want to eat something tasty now? Tired of disgusting food.

Sigh… I’m Angela, director and librarian, may you find your book…



So insincere, too?

Disappeared.

Next time, on Library of Ruina: Don't fear the weaver.


Videos

The Carnival 1









This one's no good either. Do you have any other builds prepared?

That was the last oone… I didn't think there'd be noothing that worked for yoou…

Now that I have this new light-based body, I'd like to at least customize it to spit poisonous acid, or move more nimbly than an average augmented human.

Mmm… we don't have anything that dooes thaat… The guuns are ranged, though…

It's not the same if it's firing tiny bits of shrapnel instead of pure energy. This is why I preferred that giant mallet… Say, do we—

We don't haave any giant mallets…

Drat! How remarkably humanlike of me to want a thing that we currently lack!

It's okaay… I'll come up with some more builds, and we'll see if any of theem clicks…

I appreciate all the work you're putting in, human.

You're my aalien buddy… I gotta' do my beest..!

[Gespenst]

that conversation is so good, Angela just does not care for the Carnival and their nonsense, so you get the hurried "mayyoufindyourbookinthisplace" and she's out

[TeeQueue]

Book 22: The Carnival—Chapter 2

Music: GuestBattle01
Yesod, Netzach… One of your new librarians needs to get some combat experience, and this seems the ideal time for it.

I'll have to decline for now. There have been some… complications, and T isn't yet ready for the field.

I guess we are still dressed for the part… Hey, Carlos.

Sir!

Put this on.



It feels lax, sir!

Don't worry. You'll be just fine.

But the protocols…

Some things you can only learn by doing.





The builds are exactly the same as they were for Porccubus, only the person wearing Olga has changed.

So what are you going to be doing, boss?



Observing.

I mentioned this earlier, but all fights from Tier 1 Urban Plage and below have a limit of only 3 Librarians on our side participating. We can select who to bring by clicking on the red X or green checkmarks on the upper-right of our Librarians' portraits. Clicking the check turns it to an X, and clicking the X will change it to a check if there's room left. This never matters in a normal playthrough.



The Carnival are a step down from the opponent's we've been fighting—they were the first of the Urban Plague fights to have been added, and also the first of the Early Access updates period. This shows in their overall strength level; they're usually recommended to beginners as the first group to tackle. Their only notable feature is their +2 Strength they gain for the rest of an Act after one of their allies is defeated. This only works once, losing two allies doesn't make them get 4 Strength.



Music: NetzachBattle01




Okay… okay. So first we read their intentions, and then we act based on that.

Pretty much.



Alpha's using an interesting page: Will Make Fine Silk's second die adds a copy of the unique page Fascinating Fabric to the hands of both the user and the target, and the third die gains +1 Power for each page in hand. That means with the right setup that die can be a powerhouse—even right now we're looking at a 4-5.






Opponents. Now eat?

Looks tasty. Might make fine silk!

Defeat foes. Weave cloth.



Hello there, guest. Please stay… far over there.



Iron and powder? Tastes terrible.

Ahhhh, hell.



Not flesh… How best to weave?

Guys, this thing just bit me! Hard!

Actually… that doesn't look nearly as bad as the old days.

It's not, no, but it bit me!



Mouths where mouths shouldn't be is hardly a surprise. You saw the introduction.

Pain. Maybe in trouble?


…I'll just get payback later.



Hello to you, my good beast! Smiling like a good boy?

Greetings? Face does not change. Only for comfort?

That's a shame…



Everything's better with a smile, don't you know?!



That song… Fragment of the Universe?

That's the one. The Abnormalities fight with us now.

I'd heard about that… Borrowing the strength of those things is a heck of a gamble.

HAHAHAHA! Nonsense! It's perfectly safe!

I don't think that'll convince anyone, coming from you…

We get some amazing damage rolls off of Echoes from the Beyond to end the turn. The damage is applied after the numbers disappear, so their situation is actually much worse than it looks right here.



Like so. Echoes is really at its best in the early game when nothing has more than ~20 Stagger Resist.



This turn, Beta is targeting Mr.Blond with Tailoring, a 4-cost page with two powerful dice that inflict a lot of Bleed on hit.



Fascinating Fabric, the page added to our hand on the previous turn, is a decent response to it—its powerful block die will blunt the first hit, and the evade die has an okay chance to dodge the second.



Mr.Blond, though, has a gun. We can simply use our other die to target Beta, and we'll Stagger it before it before it gets a chance to move.



I am gonna get so ripped from carrying this team.



We're all putting in work. From my estimation, we'll be able to really push them back this time.

Just bear with the bitemarks, Mr.Blond! Remember: Smile through the pain!

Not a fan, but alright!

They work very well even without you there to lead them, Netzach.

They're used to it. They were my team, after all.

I suppose you're correct there.



Unexpected fire. Off balance? Not ideal.

That's one…

Protect friend? Engage enemy.



Fat chance!



They're both open!



Consume? Become silk. Prevent destruction.

Ghh—and that's the third one! All you guys!



I'll cut in, then! They're all defenseless, this is the time to go all in!



That's one seared to perfection, then!



This one's too tough—I couldn't quite get through it!



HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Is he always like this when he's on a roll?

He's just always like this.

At the end of the turn, the 4 Burn damage lands on Alpha, and…



Come on, then! I've plenty left for the rest of you..! Wait, they're all gone already?

They weren't nearly as strong as they looked.

I guess this really was the ideal training mission.



The Carnival was the first Urban Plague reception released, and it's definitely the easiest of them. They're frequently used as a starting point to get into the rest of the tier, and coming back to them after clearing half of it is basically a curbstomp.

Music: Result


Good work, team. Take some time off.

Don't we have to sort the books?

We got a volunteer for that today.

The way they moved… I wish to read this one, fellow human.

Eh, knock yourself out.



VIDEO
Music: Lobby


Want amputated? Bones melt. Flesh explode? Won’t die.

Sorry, ma’am. I’ll stop here.

So, what do you think will happen next?

Looking at how things are going, we’re pretty much guaranteed to confront at least one of the Fingers. We’ve already heard the Thumb, and the Index… Any one of ‘em is gonna be a huge pain in the ass.

I look forward to it.

Oh, of course you do~ I’m the one doing all the fighting and bleeding for you.

I know this goes without saying, but I am thankful for what you do.

Sure you are, ma’am~ In any case, let’s give it our best shot!



With our latest victory, both Hod and Malkuth's floors are ready for their new Abnormality Battle.



Finally, another reception has appeared as the Tier 2 in The Carnival's column.

So it's one of us next, right?

Most likely. Angela always says it's up to what the light decides next, but…

It always seems to pick Abnormalities, ahead of other things.

There was that one time, though…

You mean the train thing, right? That wasn't much different from an Abnormality itself, don't you think?

I admit, there are definitely similarities…

See? Abnormalities, every time.

Maybe… Ultimately, there's no way to know until we've received our orders.

Next time, on Library of Ruina



"Everything will be peaceful while you are under the fairies' care."

"Unsurprisingly, not a single employee volunteered to retrieve the corpse of their cocooned colleague."

From my observations so far, it shouldn't matter if I tell you Sayo shows up again here.

Further, I don't think revealing Phillip is hiding here will alter things.

You'll likely pick one of them regardless, right? You should do as you like.


Videos

The Carnival 2

New Key Pages




New Combat Pages

[Gespenst]

The Carnival have some fun stuff, there's some good irony that the "Fascinating Fabric" they make is useless on them and kinda helpful for you, it's a terrific defensive page with a hefty block followed by an equally hefty evade. the three cost hurts it a bit, but it's pretty scary on a Walter deck. Which is what you should be using it on because The Carnival have pretty trash key pages.
Tailoring is the other stand out page, the first 4-cost available, and for good reason. It's a pretty solid addition to a brawl deck too, as it'll only cost three light through brawl

[TeeQueue]

Appendix 15: The Carnival

There are many important things to consider as a Fixer, and attire is one of them. A Fixer’s attire is the most effective way to signify the image of an Office. It’s important for an Office to show that it has formality and class; most Offices have set a dress code for that reason.

As much as it’s necessary to choose the right attire according to the code, the most important factor is the fabric that clothing is made of. Quality fabric can offer better protection, lighten the wearer’s weight for quicker movement, or allow the wearer to carry heavy weapons as large as their body. Those who create and provide such fabric are called ‘Tailors’.

We are Tailors who consume people and make silk out of them. Whether it’s melting people inside our belly and congealing them in a mold, or it’s unraveling humans into the thread they’re really made of, the fundamentals do not matter. This technology doesn’t originally belong to us. We merely took hold of a technology that came off patent when a Wing was broken. The only thing that matters is that silk made from humans has strength that differentiates it from ordinary thread. Only those who crave it visit us.

Cloth weaved from human silk possesses various powers depending on the human’s strengths. Some humans may have a strong body, another may be fragile but wise, and yet another may flaunt incredible speed. Since the silk reflects the characteristics of the human it was made from, there are as many forms and powers of cloth as there are humans in this world. Therefore, there is more to being a Tailor than simply weaving silk carefully. Picking the right people to meet the demands of the client is the most important. Hastily making silk out of a human that looks courageous on the outside might end up yielding useless cloth that does nothing but bolster courage, so one must be careful with picking the right material.

Not every piece of fabric is accessible, however. It takes more than cash to purchase high-class fabric; one must earn the favor of Tailors first and foremost. Many Tailors will only give their best fabric once the trust between them and their client has been established after complex turns of events.

Because of that, Tailors who make high-quality fabric usually belong to an organization and create cloth exclusively for them. But we were different. Until the Index gave us a Prescript, we did our work without taking orders from anyone, unchained to any Syndicate or other organization. We were free, as some may call it.

L8372-#928: ‘Eat 15 Sweepers and extract silk from them to make fabric.’

[TeeQueue]

Looks like we'll be in the faeries' care next. It's just a ZAYIN, so how bad can it really be?

[TeeQueue]

History—113.83—Fairy Festival

Music: Lobby


Is everyone ready to face that Abnormality?

Olga is Olga is Olga. It's still good, and it will be for at least through the start of the next chapter. There's little reason not to run it.



Bishop is using the same Tamaki build he used the last time we saw him. It's a solid ranged build for messing up our enemies' day.

Ready as I can be… Ultimately we're dealing with something we've never met before. You mentioned it was a ZAYIN, but a low threat level doesn't always mean safe. It could have an advantageous condition.



That's why, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to go for something that can last for the long haul!

Dimi's Jikan has Solidarity and Keeping in Stride attached for some bonus Power and recovery. Her Binding Arms will get more cost-efficient the longer the fight goes on, and with Flash of Sunup and Loosen Up to take care of her hand and Light amounts, she's in a good position to deal with longer fights.



Bishop's overwhelming immediate power, despite its quickly diminishing returns! My unmatchable strength and long-term prospects! And Malkuth's ability to flex effortlessly between whatever's needed for the long term! This is the perfect strategy that the great Dimi thought up by herself! Feel free to marvel at its magnificence, Director!



That doesn't look like marveling to me! Perhaps you didn't understand me. I said-

I don't think she's paying any attention to you, Dimi. It's the same for me. She still hasn't answered that question.

As long as she refuses to accept your existences, it does make your communicating with her difficult… but Dimi, we all thought of our own decks. You shouldn't take credit like that.

I would never! I'm simply saying… I waited to see what you would use and constructed the perfect companion to complete the strategy! Was that unclear too? Ah, I know I can be a bit beyond the normal person's ken…

Well, setting that aside. We're ready, Angela.

More or less. We're lacking information, but…

Oh, it'll be fine! Now, Director! Make sure you give us someone good once we're done! I mean a Gaia or Switch, someone I can really push the work ont-rust to be a proper comrade!

Judging by the pattern, it should be Chinely or Omni for sure this time. One of them would be the actual ideal—we've got a lot of experience working in a tight group like this.

I am pleased to hear that you are ready. You have your duty. Handle it.

SNAP

Music: AbnormalityBattle01


Now I remember this thing all of a—dammit, she did it again, boss!

Not now! I don't think this thing qualifies as a ZAYIN anymore!

Yes ma'am!

I need something fresh… I’ve been starving for a long while…

Only few fairies protect me now…

Be gentle with my fairies… They’re precious beings…

I want meat… Unspoiled… And clean…

Only soft and tender meat can fill this empty stomach…

In addition to the faeries we've come to expect, Fairy Festival comes complete with a queen. As usual, we start by checking out their passives.



Her Majesty comes with two passives. The first one tells us that if we knock specific allies of her to 1 HP, she'll consume them and gain a number of debuffs until the end of the next turn. This effectively makes her incredibly vulnerable to damage for that turn, as all of her dice results will be a 1 and she'll have 10 stacks of feeble to make her take additional damage.

The second passive, however, is a problem: if she's reduced to 25% HP, she'll gorge herself on all of her allies, and in exchange get 30 Strength every turn for the rest of the fight. This allows her to effectively delete one character per turn. Basically: we don't ever want this to activate.



The Fairy Masses, meanwhile, have HP and Stagger Resistance numbers we'd expect to see back in Canard alongside weaknesses to every form of Damage, and Pierce Stagger Damage to boot. They are built to die and feed into the Queen's playstyle. Their only passive, Care, gives them 10 HP back every turn—given how weak they are, this is basically nothing.

Overall, the strategy here is simple: We don't want to allow Fairy Queen to be below 25% HP until the turn that we defeat her. Meanwhile, we don't want to accidentally defeat more than 1-2 Fairy Masses. Thankfully, only ones marked with Prepared Meat can actually be defeated.



Fairy Queen leads off with Queens Decree, which is a consistent Block page that gives the Prepared Meat status to one of her allies. It's turn 1, so Bishop's +4 Power should tear right through it, leaving her vulnerable for the rest of the turn.



All three Masses lead off with Wingbeat, a somewhat weak offensive page that inflicts a small amount of Bleed. Dimi has a 50% chance of Staggering her Mass with her first hit, and even if she doesn't Jikan's page doesn't mind bleeding a bit.




Malkuth is intercepting the other two Masses herself, since Olga's page takes low damage from Piercing attacks.



Everyone understand the plan?

Of course! The great Dimi shall focus all of her energy on rendering one of these fairy swarms inert!

And while you two're covering for me, I'll force the Queen into a corner.

That way, we'll all take her down before she gets a chance to show us how nasty her hunger can be! Let's do it, team!

Just inhale… exhale…



And squeeze.

Bishop rips a decent chunk out of Fairy Queen's Stagger Resistance.



None of you are getting past me today!



Make way for Dimi!

That one's still moving!

What-?



How dare you..! That's it! No more holding back!



Are you holding up over there, Dimi?



I'm fine, I'm fine! I'm a lot tougher than certain other fighters who can only stand in the back and shoot things!

I'm serving an important tactical niche!

Of hiding!

Now, now. Everyone's got something very important to add to the team's dynamic.



Let's just analyze the situation calmly and react accordingly.

The status effect symbol on the bottom Fairy Mass is the Prepared Meat status. That means we absolutely can't knock this opponent down to 1 HP this turn, or it'll get eaten. All three of the masses are Staggered, however, leaving the Queen wide open.

Additionally, because some of the Fairy Masses have recovered HP with Care, the Abnormality gives us some new lines.

I’ll give you the pleasure of receiving my care…

Enjoy the fairies’ care to your heart’s content…

Be thankful that you are under my sacred care…

This turn, the Fairy Queen is using Starved Fluttering, a relatively powerful offensive page that inflicts more Bleed to us with each hit. It's not quite as powerful as the likes of Daring Decision, but it's still worth looking out for.



No matter how I think about it, an all-out attack is the right option here.

I couldn't agree more! I'll hit it as hard as I can!

Then leave it to me. I'll distract it so you guys can hit it hard.



:blastu:



Smacked it right over!



Good job everyone, it's off guard!



So we're doing this, right?

Of course!

Fairy Queen has a third page it can use, which never came up in this battle. Because of that, I've pulled the statistics from a community tool that happens to contain every page in the game. It's a handy reference for checking on exact page effects.



Predation is a small heal for the Fairy Queen paired to a sizeable attack, and another decent Block die to follow up. This turn, let's talk about eating.

When one of the Fairy Masses is reduced to 1 HP, a screen filter appears as the Queen eats it. Here's a shot of it from the wiki, it's very red and there's teeth everywhere. The red filter remains for the remainder of the turn. Naturally, there are also special lines for when it eats one of the Fairy Masses.

Scarred and rotten meat isn’t tasty…

Meat has to be kept fresh, I must eat it before it spoils…

My fairies are dwindling in numbers… I need them to serve and protect me…

As well as when they've all been consumed and the +30 Strength passive has been activated.

I’ve starved for so long, I can hardly resist myself…

It’s your duty to protect me…

Come to me… It’s time to pay for my care…

I bring this all up now, because…



History team, tear it up!

Right!

It's not getting a next turn.



Bishop rips off ~half of its remaining HP with his opening salvo.



Huu~ Paah~!

We do take some scratch damage from the Masses this turn, but ignoring them for a single turn isn't going to do us any lasting harm.



Muahaha! This thing has no chance against me! Soon, I'll be known as the great Queenslayer Dimi! One more slice and—



Ugh! I've been interrupted by the small fries!



Don't worry, Dimi! I'll cover for you.



Queenslayer Malkuth, huh? It kinda has a nice ring to it.

Wha-hey! That's my title!

But I beat the Queen.

After I weakened it!



I demand a contest for it! When I win, I'll be the Queenslayer Dimi, just as I was supposed to be the whole time!

Whoever takes out the most masses wins?

You're on!

I'll just watch from back here, then.

Once the Queen is done, we're in mopup mode. The Masses themselves aren't a threat to our librarians by themselves.



That's one!

Wha-that was my target! That's fine, I'll simply defeat the other two and—



Two down! I'm the true Queenslayer after all.

So fast..! Did I pick the wrong body? No… no that can't be right. I'll get the next one before she can…



And that's all of them!

I lost… again?!

Don't worry about it so much. We won, and that's what counts.

I… just wasn't feeling well! Next time, I'll definitely show you up!

Then I'll look forward to facing you at full strength!



As long as we don't allow the Queen to hit her +30 Strength trigger, Fairy Festival's a fairly easy fight. Should it ever trigger, our options are to Stagger/finish her within a couple of turns, or else lose—she will Stagger or outright defeat one librarian a turn.

VIDEO
Music: MalkuthStory


Cheerful as always, Malkuth. What are you up to?

Oh, hi Roland! I was just having a training session with the assistant librarians.

Seems lively. Guess you’re good friends with each other?

They were my employees back in Lobotomy Corp!

Back then, I could only assist them from the backseat, rather than on the field.

It’s nice to be able to work alongside them this time around!

Former coworkers from Lobotomy Corp, huh… Must be refreshing.

It sure is! I used to push them too hard because of my faulty mindset.

But it’ll be different this time. We’ll start with the things we can do, one at a time.



I like this quote. It feels like a good way to summarize the essence of history. It’s similar to something I would hear before too.

You ain’t wrong. But there aren’t too many people who can actually learn from history these days. The lessons seem obvious, but putting them into action is the hard part.

I’ve been thinking about the past a lot. I was a person called Elijah.

That your first life?

Yep. Born in the Nest as an ordinary citizen, went to an ordinary school. I wasn’t anyone special. I wasn’t richer than most people, and I didn’t really have special talent in any field. The people in the Nest where Elijah lived… They all seemed to have lost focus in life, spacing out and staring into empty places. Everyone only saw black and white things.

Isn’t the Nest full of shiny and bright arrays of colors? It was almost an eyesore sometimes.

That’s true, but those other colors weren’t necessary for reading. There’s already too many black and white things for the eyes to take, it’s no use seeing other, useless colors…

Hmm, I guess Elijah could see those colors, then?



Elijah wanted to let others know. About how diverse and brilliant colors are… About how colors are ever-changing and free-form, like how the mix of two colors can bring out a brand new color.

That’s what Elijah thought, I think!

You sound like you’re talking about someone else, third-person.

To be honest, I don’t really feel like Elijah and I are one and the same. Maybe too much time has passed since then. The other librarians probably feel the same. My current life feels more like an extension of that life as Malkuth from Lobotomy Corp, rather. My time as Elijah feels kinda distant and unfamiliar, even though it was my first life… It’s like, the memories of someone from a distant past are now a part of me, if you know what I mean? It’s nostalgic in a way, and a bit sad and stuff!

I don’t know a whole lot about that reincarnation jazz, but I guess that’s a good thing?

Yeah! It doesn’t feel so bad. It feels good to finally have the time to reflect on myself. Looking back at the lives I lived, and the history I made. I think we didn’t spend enough time looking back. We were all too busy heading forward.



No one has the time to look back. Even now, I’m running straight ahead. But still, looking back at the past can supposedly give the solution for troubles of the present or worries of the future.

I think that’s correct. Although I’m not sure I can find the solution for the problems we’re facing right now… I think I’m getting close to finding the answer for what Angela said to me before.

About who you were and how you wanted to live?

Mhm. I didn’t really have what I could call a dream at that time… But things are different now. If I were to dream of what I’d do after this… I think I would’ve wanted to be an architect, maybe! Y’know, the person who designs buildings and oversees the process of construction until it’s finished.

Huh, I guess great empires weren’t built in a day.

Of course it wasn’t. You have to start with designing the most beautiful exterior that can be created within the functional limitations.

That sounds complicated…

Did you know, Roland? There’s this phrase, “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” It may be too late to change the people who’ve lived so far, but what influence will the structures of the City have on future residents as they grow up…

If I were to make a building with colors that’ll be remembered by everyone…

…Those are the thoughts I had!

I’m sure you’ll do a great job if you get the chance, Malkuth. Sounds like the job would fit you well, too.

Haha, thanks.

Maybe you should reflect on your past like I did, Roland! It’ll be a helpful exercise.



Anyway, hope you can realize the dream of becoming an architect!

Music: Lobby


As usual, we get our level up and our new Abnormality pages.



Gluttony is the real winner here, giving us a low damage boost and a very nice amount of sustain with a very easy to trigger condition. The Faeries' Care is also good, so long as we can reliably avoid being hit three times—it's workable. While I don't really like Predation all that much, the healing can serve as a balance if one of our librarians has taken an unusually heavy beating, and the 3 Haste+Strength all but ensure that on the next turn the librarian will both pick whatever clashes it wants, and also win them handily. I prefer pages that work for multiple turns, but a 3 Strength boost can be a powerful way to regain control of a battle.



—and while we're on the subject, I'd appreciate it if you'd upgrade our foodstuffs. While it's true that we don't need to eat, that doesn't mean that I don't want to eat!

…

What have you two been up to while I was chatting with Roland?

I asked politely again about the memories that we've been receiving out of nowhere. Angela didn't pay any attention, again, so Dimi's listing off some of her own issues. While we're here.

…Ah.

…That bad?

I just think that I should probably just ask her directly.

There will be time for that later, Malkuth. I've finished reconstituting your librarian.

Already? Doesn't it normally take longer?

This one turned out to be deceptively simple.



Hey everyone! Uh… wait. Malkuth? This isn't the Training department anymore, is it? _{That would explain the books…}

Is she doing this on purpose?

Angela. I appreciate the new help, but we were hoping Chinely or Omni would—

The librarians are resting within the books of these Abnormalities. Which one is resting where is up to them.

So… there's no way to get the old team back?

You are the reliable Patron Librarian of the Floor of History. I was under the impression that you could succeed with anyone.

Er… yes, but…

Then I will leave you to your introductions.

SNAP

Huuuf… Paaaa~

Right! You're… ImIdiot, right?

The very same! I heard we're a library now, right?

More or less.

You'll be in charge of waiting on me and doing everything I ask.

Can do, boss!

No, ignore her, she's—

Too late we're off for training byeee~

Oh! I'm… being pulled along! Okay!

Malkuth…

Yeah, Bishop?

We're… still going to be able to receive guests, right?

……Probably.

Let's just do the best we can! We'll have another training exercise, right after a nice break.

Roger that. I'll track down a book with something interesting to try and meet you back at the desks.

Next time, on Library of Ruina



"Unsurprisingly, not a single employee volunteered to retrieve the corpse of their cocooned colleague."

It's probably held in place by a Singularity. Most things in the City are like that.

You guys must really like Phillip, huh?

The Red Notes continue to wait for their time to play.


Videos

Malkuth 4

[Whilimbird]

Excuse me while I cackle at the Floor of History’s perpetual disappointment with the new librarians. At least Bishop and Malkuth have each other.

[vulpixall]

Eh, I still have high hopes for Chinely and Omni showing up somewhere. Eventually. Call it a premonition.
ImIdiot is great though. I love you, small idiot nugget.
Not much to say on Fairy Festival...I don't actually remember how I got past this one, just that it was annoying.

[TeeQueue]

I think we can call this one. Next time, we'll be following up with Hod and company!

[TeeQueue]

Literature—314.43—Spider Bud

Music: Lobby


Hod's running a basic Salvador build, the same one we used for Porccubus and The Carnival. It's particularly powerful on her floor, since Literature's Abnormality pages work very well with Flash of Sunup and Sunset Blade.



Medea is using the same Solidarity/Keeping in Stride Jikan base that Dimi used earlier, but the deck's been changed out. She's got Observe to keep her Strength up, and while I should have used 2 Opportunity Spotted, I put one Crack of Dawn in instead because… Well, honestly, I don't know why.



Olga. I'm literally out of things to say about her until we hit the next chapter, where she becomes even better. Olga is the workhorse of the early game.



We've come up with an overarching strategy, Angela.

By letting the Abnormalities power up Miss Hod, we'll be able to ensure maximum damage, while Medea and I contribute by—

She doesn't pay any attention to us, Elle.

Oh… yeah. Oops.

I look forward to your success, then.

SNAP

Music: AbnormalityBattle01


Not one for spiders, huh?

They're… not my favorite.

We don't seem to be able to attack the mother yet, at any rate.

Growing children are always hungry.

Well now, we have a tasty meal ready for consumption… Come, children.

Rejoice. You will bring joy to my offspring.

For my children to be fed… You will become their prized meal.

We never know when we’ll find another prey… Let us preserve this one.

Standard Abnormality battle procedure applies: the first thing we do is read their passives to find out how the fight works.



Spider Bud itself only acts once one of its children are defeated, and then it attacks for two turns afterwards, focusing on whoever last defeated one of its children.



The Spiderlings, meanwhile, are very weak and vulnerable to Blunt attacks. They'll all focus on targets who have the 'Cocoon' status effect, which means at some point in this fight we'll see something inflict it on us.

Hey, Miss Hod? Since the Abnormality tends to become active when its spawn are harmed, I think we should begin by focusing on them.

When its children were harmed, it would descend… but it'd also wrap up the one who hurt them to eat later. It'd be certain death, wouldn't it?

Not this time. There's three of us, instead of just one like the old days. Whoever it targets, the other two will be able to beat it up.

Well… the Abnormalities are weaker than they used to be. And frankly, I don't see any other way forward… Let's try it.

Then let's smash some spiders!



Thin Webbing is one of the two pages that the Spiderlings can use, and it's a relatively powerful defensive page. The Bind it inflicts will also make intercepting attacks much less likely for whoever it happens to hit, but it's not that much of a concern.



Stingy Fangs is their other page, which inflicts Disarm on each hit. Disarm is like Feeble, but for defensive dice. Since we don't use any of those on Olga's page and she has Pierce resistance, I have Elle Tee steal this one.






The plan here is to focus on ensuring everyone generates 3 Emotion coins this turn, in order to let me get Look of the Day online as quickly as possible. This setup is at its weakest on turn 1, but taking damage this early isn't going to matter once our Power gains get rolling.



Oh, c'mon! That should've worked! That always works!



They're a bit tougher than I remember, too…



Don't worry. This was part of the plan, right? My powers should be protecting you, as well.



Yeah… I just wish it didn't involve getting bitten by spiders.

It's alright, Elle.



This time, we'll be able to bite them back.

I'm all warmed up, too. Let's crush them all at once.

Alright! All together now.




Medea's 4 Strength this turn will turn both of these clashes into near-certain victories, and deal a ton of damage to two of the spiderlings.




Hod, meanwhile, is going to be able to use her 1 Strength and +2 Power from Look of the Day to similarly crush these Spiderlings. They'll be able to get their next Emotion Levels from these clashes alone, but the only way for Elle to realistically get a level up as well is to finish off one of the weakened Spiderlings.



To that end, I have her target a pair of Spiderlings that should be left barely alive by the attacks I've lined up. Because she's using Olga, it's not the end of the world if she misses... But I do want that second Abnormality page online ASAP.

On three.

One…

Two…



Three!



I've knocked two of them off-balance.



Nice work, boss! That's why you're giving the orders!



One down over here!



The other's down, but not out! Find any soft targets, Elle?



Just one! _{You sort of… killed the other while I was on the way.}

That's still a job well done, you too. Now we just have to see if it worked…



In the meanwhile… I'll allow this bloodthirst, just for now.

Axe will heighten the first two attacks of Hod's Sunset Blade page even further, turning it into an overall 5-12/5-11/5-10 page. It also buffs her Flash of Sunup similarly.



Well… the good news is, it worked.

The bad news is it's looking right at me.

Whenever we defeat a Spiderling, the eyes in the background all glow red as Spider Bud activates. In this state, it targets the last librarian to have defeated a Spiderling. It also gets new lines.

You lowly creature… You dare touch my children?!

You will pay!!! The hunt begins now…

I shall be precise this time…

Go ahead, show that worthless courage you had when you robbed me of my children!

A prey, mocking its predator… How pathetic.

Spider Bud's only combat page, Catching Food, is a guaranteed 10-10 Blunt attack which inflicts the cocoon status. Its guaranteed Speed Die of 10 makes it all but impossible to redirect, and even if we could there aren't a lot of pages which can match that power reliably.



While Elle tries to take out the remaining Spiderlings, Hod and Medea focus in on Spider Bud itself.



For reference, Elle Tee goes into this turn with 24 Stagger Resist to her name.



Guys, it's got me all tied up! I can't move!

Catching Food has another secondary ability that it doesn't mention: on hit, it will instantly Stagger its target. This makes the passive of the Spiderlings which gangs up on cocooned opponents particularly troublesome, since they'll be taking double damage from each hit.

Don't worry! We've got it!



Hod tears a chunk out of its hide.



While Medea Staggers it.

Passing it back to you, boss!

I have it.



Hod's floor is designed to throw out a lot of damage if we know what we're doing. It's a little excessive, to be honest.

It should burn away before it can act again. We're all done here.



I'd rather not take that chance.



Now, who's left?



Like with Fairy Queen, we do have to finish off the Spiderlings before the fight is considered won. The spider icon underneath Elle Tee is the cocoon debuff, indicating that all the Spiderlings will try to target them.



I think a feint here will be enough to finish off each spider, right?

Seems like it. You've really gotten used to standing on a battlefield, Miss Hod.

I've been making an effort to learn everything I can. I can't simply hide behind you all forever, after all.

This is really touching and all… but could you wait until after I'm untied? The web's kind of pulsating and it's really creeping me out.

Of course. Hold on just a moment.

With only two low health Spiderlings left, I clash their attacks using our slower speed dice with each of our two Librarians. This lets us get in a pair of one-sided attacks against them before they ever get the chance to attack us.





It ends exactly as you'd expect.

Well… that's that, I suppose. Let's get Elle Tee unwrapped.

Thank you, ma'am…



Spider Bud can get a little bit testy if we have to deal with it and three of the Spiderlings at the same time, but either focusing it down quickly when it first appears or defeating all the Spiderlings at once to put it into a permanent active state are both perfectly good ways to deal with it. Overall, Spider Bud isn't too difficult of an opponent.

VIDEO
Music: HodStory


And the librarians here seem calm and collected, just like you are, Hod.

Oh, hey Roland. They may seem meek and quiet, but when they work, they work hard. I rely on them a lot.

And I’m relying on my librarians quite a bit, too. What are you guys doing anyway, all gathered up here? Doesn’t seem like you’re sorting books.

We were having a meetup of our book discussion club. We pick a book that catches our attention, read it, and then talk about it.

Not exactly the kind of meetups the librarians on my floor would like to have. I’m guessing your librarians are all gladly joining in with you then?

Yeah, they are. They’re helping me out with this more passionately than I expected.

I was thinking at least some of ‘em would protest out of laziness.

Imagine if you asked Netzach to join. He’d have run away before the meetup could even start.

Hahaha. You’ve got that right, he totally would. Still, I can tell things have changed from the past. I used to have similar meetups back in Lobotomy Corp, you see.

Really? I suppose those weren’t the peaceful book club meetings you have now.

You’re right. I ran a counseling program with my employees. They were always living in fear of the Abnormalities if they were lucky enough to survive. I wanted to be of help somehow. But back then, I imposed myself and my ideas on them too hard. If the employees seemed ever so slightly uncomfortable with counseling, I’d beat myself up over it and let the wound fester inside of me. I was upset that no one understood my goodwill.



…I know, right? I think so too. All the things I did to help others weren’t really out of goodwill or anything. I was just seeking consolation for myself. I wanted forgiveness for the misdeed I committed in my first life. By being helpful to others somehow.

So, did you get to be a helpful person?

No… There’s no way I’d actually be of any help with that kind of mindset. I even tried Enkephalin.

Enkephalin, huh… The pressure must’ve been serious if you started doing drugs…

Despite everything I tried, I couldn’t find salvation anywhere. Nothing I did could liberate me from the fact I was a bad person and a sinner.

And then you almost had the chance to take that weight off your mind, but Angela foiled that in the end?

Yeah, that’s how it went.

Even when Angela was standing in our way, I was only thinking about myself. Selfish, wasn’t I? “This was my one and only chance to finally repent once and for all, but it all came to naught…”

It’s silly, I know… I was still too stupid to realize it then. That you can’t just become a good person through a good deed or two. What really matters is the mindset that prompts you to do such deeds.

And how’d you run into that realization?

Well, I learned it after talking to my librarians face to face and holding lots of meetups like this, ironically enough. I carefully suggested having these book club meetups, too. Like you said, a few librarians didn’t like the idea at first. But when I explained why I wanted to hold this meetup and how I felt, they warmed up to it and helped me out with enthusiasm. It wasn’t about the method or action itself. I realized that we should lay our hearts out in the open and let our thoughts confront each other.

All’s well that ends well.



Hmm… Not sure if our prideful Miss Library Director had the delicacy to set up a plan so considerate.

…I think I’m going to confront her for real this time.

For what, exactly?

I’ll face Angela and let her know what I think.

That’s going to take some courage.

You’re right. Angela still feels a bit distant and scary to me, but I’ll try to approach her nonetheless.

And I’ll be rooting for you from the sidelines when that time comes!

You might end up losing your limbs again if things don’t go well. Are you gonna be okay with that?



You’re a coward just like me, aren’t you, Roland?

Well hey, birds of a feather flock together. Let’s be both brave, together as cowards.

Yeah. Thanks for the encouragement, Roland.

Music: Lobby


All of the Lower Layer is finally up to Level 4! Let's take a peek at our goodies.



Cocoon gives us a very good trio of debuffs when we roll maximum damage, making it particularly good when paired with pages like Opportunity Spotted with a lot of 2 range dice.

Meal gives Hod some decent sustain in specific types of battles—whoever takes it can focus down Staggered opponents while giving the team a very good heal with every attack they make. It's not the best HP restoration page, but there's no downside to it either.

As for Alertness… I really like Alertness. It's effectively +1 Power in every clash, meaning it stacks very well with all of the other Power stacking that Hod's floor gets. On top of that it gives us a 50% chance to slow the enemy and let us pile bonus damage onto them next turn whenever we're clashing, which we'll always want a power-stacked Hod librarian to be doing. It's basic, but it's good.



Angela…

Hod, you're just in time. Your new teammate is prepared.

Already?

We appear to have passed a threshold. I had theorized the last one came so quickly due to their simplicity, but it seems that as the Library materializes further the process becomes more efficient.

I see… Where are they, then?

I took the liberty of sending them to your floor. There was no reason to wait here for you to appear.

I suppose that's true… Thank you, Angela.

I guess you're putting a pin in what we discussed?

It's alright. I'll do it later. My old employees should come first.

Maybe I'll go meet them, too.

Unfortunately, Roland, you're needed elsewhere.

Something come up?

Precisely. You'll be meeting someone.

…oh?



Miss Hod! Welcome back.

Oh, Switch. It's good to see you. Have you been briefed on everything?

I started to give him the rundown, but…

I already knew about it!

You… knew?

It was in a book that I read through. This business about defeating foes and transforming them into reading materials… It's all smoke and mirrors, I'm sure of it.

Ahh, you're still on about this sort of thing, huh?

Obviously! Everything has to have a rational explanation, and I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of what's going on around here if we keep our eyes open.

…The best of luck to you, Switch. I think you'll need it.

---

Lastly, since we've gotten all four of the Lower Layer floors to level 4, we've unlocked an entirely new floor!

VIDEO
Music: TipherethStory


Its Patron Librarian is Tiphereth… What’s up with all these weird names?

Hello! Tiphereth~! Are you there~!!



There's a satisfying THWACK noise accompanying this line.

Hrk…

I’m standing right in front of you. Where do you think you’re looking?

What, you’re totally a kid?

I’m actually a lot taller than I used to be, you know?

Oh, compared to your past self in Lobotomy Corp?

No, I mean compared to my first life. I was an actual kid back then, but it looks like I woke up with an older body this time. I’m not sure if it was the Library’s powers or Angela’s thoughtfulness, but this body should be better suited for librarian work, so I’m cool with it either way. Although, if it actually took all the years I’ve lived into account, I’d have to look a bit older.

Putting that aside, isn’t it a little rude to punch someone you just met in the face? This is giving me flashbacks.

Well, it’s because you were being such a clumsy dork! What’s your name, anyways?

Roland. Previously: A Fixer scraping at the bottom of the barrel. Current Status: Helping Angela.

I suppose you’ve already met the ones of the Upper Layer.

Upper Layer? I thought I was going up, not down?

…Right, it would be the lower floors this time around. Still, you get what I mean, so just roll with it!

Sheesh, aren’t you the sassy one.

I’m Tiphereth, in charge of the Floor of Natural Sciences.

I thought doing science required actual thinking, though?



You’re pretty brisk with throwing punches, but it’s not quite as quick as someone I used to know, eh?

Grrrrrrr! Stop looking down on me, will you? I heard a lot of stuff about science in my past workplace, you know?! I’m probably a lot older than you in actual age, too!

What’s the point of being older if that doesn’t reflect your words and actions, little miss~?



Curious as always. She almost feels like a child sometimes.

That’s understandable, I suppose… Angela lived her whole life in a basement after all.

Yeah. Said she never even got to see outside. I’m guessing you aren’t holding some deep-rooted grudge against her like the other librarians are?

I roughly know what she went through. I thought she was just cruel, but… I could see some events of the past while I was asleep. I could also see things happening in the present, all the way down to the moment you woke me up. So I can understand Angela somewhat. I’m pretty sure the librarians who are still asleep all have a grasp on what’s going on as well.



So, you agree with Angela’s choice?

It depends on the one final choice she’ll make at the end of this. I’m willing to help her out for now, at least. Our primary goal is the same, all things considered.

To complete the Library?

Yep. The light is only truly meaningful if it shines for seven days straight.

Boy, is it refreshing to meet an amicable librarian for once! Alright, I’ll make sure to bring some picture books next time as a bonus.

Urrrrgh…!

Music: Lobby
A-ny-ways! Now that I'm here, we can really start to get things underway.

Y'know, the work we do isn't exactly suited for lone children to handle. Not to mention you don't have those Abnormality things helping you out…

Not a kid!

And who ever said I was alone?



Starting with the Middle Layer, every new floor comes with a pair of Assistant Librarians in an attempt to make them playable. This mostly doesn't work—the lack of Abnormality pages and the low max Emotion Level really hurts underdeveloped floors.



This has… certainly been a strange month.

I dunno, I kind of liked it?

Omni… what are you doing here?

I'm not really sure. Maybe it's a side effect of trying to unleash my E.G.O weapon's true power?

There was a reason Malkuth and I told you not to do that, you know. We had to clean you off the Central department's floor after things were done…_{or we would have if there was time, anyways.}

But did it work?

When the dust settled, we couldn't find you or that Magical Girl anymore… so, maybe?

She vanished, and now I've made it here. Seems to me like it all worked out, boss! Just like in my animes.

Please fix that Upper Syndrome if you're going to be working here from now on…



With our new floor acquired, we're finally out of Abnormality Battles to deal with for the moment, and we've also hit the level required to go on to the next chapter. All that's left is to complete the rest of the Urban Plague receptions and we'll be ready to go.

Next time, on Library of Ruina



Slash.

Pierce.

Blunt.


Videos

Hod 4
Tiphereth 1

[Seniorswitchback]

The auto-stagger on spider buds attack was something I never noticed but certainly explains why I had so much trouble with it. I was also far too cautious with the spiderlings, afraid that if all 4 died the bud would enrage or something so I made sure to only kill one at a time. Makes a huge difference once they all ganged up on the cocooned librarian. Good to see some attempt a making new floors more viable but it really does seem that using any floor lower than your max level is a handicap.

[vulpixall]

Called it. I bet we're gonna see Chinely on this floor, too, if only because I cannot imagine separating the Anime Duo.
Spider Bud is...interesting? Yeah, interesting. Kind of difficult if you're like me and forget to actually read things before fighting, but otherwise just kind of...there. It's neat, though. The tiny little spiders are a nice touch.

[ApostleOfBlueStar]

spider bud got me multiple times since i couldn't deck build.

[TeeQueue]

Looks like you guys prefer stabbing people to slicing them or bashing them in the face... so we'll be going for the node above Dawn Office next time!

[Talow]

Stabbing people is surprisingly effective, to be fair. good luck with Ruina.

[TeeQueue]

Book 23: Wedge Office—Chapter 1

Music: Lobby


Hey, Angela.

Is something the matter?

We're clearly going to be facing off with these guys, right?

I thought it best if one of our more experienced floors handle the receptions for now. They have more options, and more members.

We'll be fine, you know…

If we're not going, that means we can watch from up here, right?

I don't think there'll be a problem with it.

Not like we have any books to sort yet… let's take a peek from the best seats in the house.

Make sure to keep an eye out for any good strategies we can use.

Can do.

VIDEO
Music: StoryChaboon




No wonder, your Office got wiped out. You should harden your heart, still.



Note the subtle change in title, here.



Yes… Had I stopped them… Had I been stronger and more mature… Had I… stayed there and not run away…

Then it’s your fault.

…Huh?

You were too daft and weak to keep the others safe. It’s your fault that everyone died.

……

Feel better now? Think what you want. When something happens, all you gotta do is make up reasons that are convenient to you, no? It’s not like you actually care about the cause; you just want to believe whatever that convinces you.



I didn’t do anything. It was all Pameli.

Alright, Philip. Feeling well enough to talk now?

Yes. Thank you for your kindness.

We are sister Offices, after all. Gotta help each other out.

Music: StorySimgak


Those victimized by ‘The Eight o'Clock Circus’ held a show of pure insanity and hedonism. It was akin to a festival in hell. Gave us quite a bit of trouble.

I had to get my body replaced, too. This one’s seriously not my style…

…Is that a robotic body? Doesn’t that shape infringe the Ethics Amendment, though?

It’s not mechanical, it’s a clone of my body. I got biological body-recovery insurance some time ago. Pameli’s body was torn apart beyond recovery, so this was the only way we had left for her. Her head was thankfully intact. I thought Fixer insurances were a complete robbery, but it did help us out for once. Speaking of, doesn’t your Office have any insurance?

I was a relatively new member at that Office, so I didn’t know that much…

Yeah, you’ll want to see if the Office had any. There are many types of insurance with various conditions.



What? I urgently had body cloning surgery to save you, and this is how you thank me?

What’s the point? Even just looking at the mirror is discouraging.

Don’t you dare damage that body. You know what, why don’t you just die a permanent death this time? That way you can’t be recovered by any means. You won’t have to pay me for the cloned body then.

You asking for a fight?

Yeah, you punk.



You flatter me, sir…

A penny for your thoughts, Philip. Did ‘The Library’ appear to be related to the Distortion Phenomenon in any way?

I’m not sure. I haven’t experienced the Distortion myself. But that place looked more alien than anything I’ve ever seen. And master and seonbae… They got turned into books there…

…That doesn’t help.

Music: StoryChaboon


It’s not just the Associations; even the Wings and the Fingers are clueless about what to make of the Distortion.

Alright…

You don’t seem too interested in the current topic. You must want to forget all this fuss about the Distortion and head right back to the Library and retrieve the books of your colleagues.

…I wish I could do just that. But my master said to me in his note that I shouldn’t act hastily and instead depend on your aid.

That old friend left me with quite the troublesome little fellow… Death is a staple in this business, but his wife and children must be heartbroken still. Have you met them?

No… I couldn’t visit them yet.

Why is that?

…I’m too ashamed to face them.



…Thank you, sir.

Don’t mistake this for kindness. We’re simply taking you with us because we were already planning to go there. And this is the least I can do to bear responsibility for my old friend’s death. Personally, I’d never let a Fixer like you join my Office. It would give us a bad name.

…Is it wrong… Is it so pathetic for me to want to repay the favors of my colleagues, for their sake…? Everyone says not to act upon attachment, that it’s an unclassy and naive thing to do…

Can’t we as Fixers… no, as people living in the City, do anything on the behalf of others!!!



He just doesn’t want those kinds of Fixers in our Office, simple as that. Don’t be a miserable ass about it. Nothing is as unreliable as someone who’s easily swayed by their feelings. You want us all to die just so you can fulfill your ideals or what?

You must be sincerely believing that your actions are for others. That you are different from all the other unkind and selfish denizens of this City. Thinking that you are fighting for some higher cause. But know that those are in fact entirely selfish thoughts. It’s the most dangerous kind of selfishness. You deceive yourself into thinking you’re selfless. There can be no such thing as a selfless action for us humans. Even the act of self-sacrifice is ultimately for oneself. A very dangerous kind of selfishness, one that slowly eats away at your peers and leads them to damnation…

I…!

You gave a fine speech, but I must wonder if you’re truly upset for the sake of Salvador and your other late colleagues.

…I’ll go prepare myself.

Music: Lobby


Few things are as dangerous and nasty as selfishness in the guise of “for the sake of someone else”…

I think I know what you mean. The determination to work for the good of others can be a dreadful and loathsome weapon. Especially if one strongly believes that the justice they’re pursuing is worth sacrificing for… They’re blinded by self-righteousness, and have no regards for their surroundings. They don’t care what happens to others. They justify themselves for pressing forward pursuing their justice, crushing everything in their way…

Wow… This might be the first time we understood each other for real. I’m touched, man.

How about some champagne?

Music: Entrance


He’s still recovering. We should give him some space.

Tiny things like this can still affect my psyche.

…Nevermind. You don’t need to care about me. I’ll try not to be a hindrance.

I’ll stab you as soon as I determine that you’re getting in our way.



There's a whooshing noise here, indicative of swinging a weapon.

I thought you were a machine… But could it be that you are partially human?

Don’t stare at us so viciously now. We just poked you to make sure, not to kill you or anything.

How rude. Hasn’t anyone taught you to behave?

Hmm, I heard the librarian of this place was supposed to be nice.

Someone advised me that there’s no need to be courteous with ill-mannered guests who slap and spit in my face without reason.

I apologize. We couldn’t afford to be polite when our very lives are at risk.

Oh, really now?



She must’ve had her own woes.

Next time, on Library of Ruina: Phillip gets another office completely wiped out.


Videos

Wedge Office 1







Aren't you lucky, Bishop?

Why am I lucky, again..?

That guy who's a better fixer than you's come back.

Oh yeah… Phillip, was it? I do owe him a beatdown to shut you up, I guess.

Don't get cocky, Bishop~ He's a five, and you're a seven. That's just mathematically better.

If you only care about the ranking, you'll get taken down by someone you were sure is less than yourself.

Ooh, there it is! The underdog special attack! "He's stronger but strength is meaningless!"

Astounding! You use it so flawlessly, Bishop!

That's not..!

I understand! It's only to be expected that you wouldn't really want to face him in combat, now that all your posturing backfired like this. Luckily, if you act now, I'll give you a deal on my protection rates so that you can—

Malkuth. Can you get a request in to Angela?

Actually, I thought something like this would happen! I've already requested to receive these guests.

That's why you're the best, boss. Okay. I'll go in there, beat this guy to death, and then you're going to shut up about 'protection rates.' Got it?

Got it! And when you lose, don't feel too badly about it. It's perfectly normal to fall before a stronger foe, and I'll make sure to keep my special deal open until you can—

I'm going to get my equipment in order. You guys do the same.

Oh! Uh… Yes sir!

Hnnhnn..! My circuitous plan slowly comes together. Soon, those new games will be all mine!

[TeeQueue]

Book 23: Wedge Office—Chapter 2

Music: GuestBattle01




Malkuth and Bishop are still using the same decks as during Fairy Festival.



Dimi's running mostly the same thing, too.

What, no chains this time?

Since my deck was all figured out, I spent the extra time on finding an outfit that worked. Doesn't it just scream 'Dimi?'

It sure screams something, alright…



…And then there's ImIdiot.

I'm ready to go, guys!

Are you… sure? Really sure?

Totally! I put a bunch of our strongest pages into one deck, and if I can't move then it's no big deal since I'll just get more Light back to use later.

That's not the only thing that matters when preparing for combat, but… I guess some things have to be experienced.

It is the best teacher!

I'll… try to look out for the new guy.

As will I, of course~

Alright. Let's do this.



Wedge Office is our first proper 4-on-4 brawl between guests and Librarians, and Wedge themselves can be troublesome opponents. Let's get into why.



Oscar is a beast, with powerful defenses and a flat +1 Power on all Pierce dice, alongside the Speed passive, for an extra Speed Die on each turn. Most troublesome of all, though, is his Unrelenting passive: Effectively, it means that we can't finish him off in the same turn as we'd normally knock him to 0. It's possible to overcome that 25 HP protection effect (and any character who does it gets his hat as a Battle Symbol!), but it's really not worth the trouble right now.



Pamela and Pameli are pretty much the same character, with the only difference being if they do bonus Stagger or normal Damage with their Pierce dice. Wedge Office really loves Pierce attacks. Wait…



…Eh, this is probably fine.



Lastly there's Phillip. He's shuffled his endurances around and gained 10 HP, but he's otherwise unchanged aside from a single new attack page.



Music: MalkuthBattle01


Oh hey, it's the boss! Kick their ass, boss!

I'm your boss now, Omni. You can just call her Malkuth!

Oh, it's good to hear from you two again! Take good care of my employee up there, okay?

Obviously!

Bishop, you've gotta head up here sometime so we can compare notes!

Oh… sure, I guess? New anime, I take it?

I got spoilers, man!

Great! I'll get up there when I can. _{There's a lot of stairs, you know.}

They're talking to someone we can't see.

That didn't happen last time… this isn't the same place we were, either.



That's correct. You're on the Floor of History this time, and I'll be receiving you guests today. You can call me Malkuth.

Rue is Phillip's new Combat Page, and it's actually quite good for a 2 cost. Unlike the other pages he uses, it doesn't inflict Burn.



I'm her right-hand-man, and you have the honor of being transformed into books by the great Dimi.

Is that so..?

Transpierce is Oscar's signature page, and it hits like a damn truck. Its range of 6-18 is only 2 maximum away from being a multi-use Aiming for Bullseye, and it gets both an extra Block die on the end, as well as 5 True Damage on hit—and this thing is nigh guaranteed to hit. Crack of Dawn is our best response, but if Oscar manages to throw 2-3 Transpierces at one target over the course of the reception they're almost certainly a goner.



Collision is a high-risk, high-reward page. If Pamela/li wins two clashes with it, it effectively becomes a 1 Light page, but otherwise it can wind up costing a lot for a relatively small gain. Since both of the pages Brawl can land on can overpower it, we go with Brawl.

I'm ImIdiot, and I'll be helping out too! Don't feel bad when I win, okay?

I'm not going to lose to you!

And who's our last opponent, if you're all going to introduce yourselves..?



My name is Bishop. I'm sorry, Phillip, but I need to kill you.

What's your problem with me?

It's nothing personal. Just need to win a bet.

So all of this is just a game to you, huh..?



…Let's go with that.

You son of a-!



Hold it right there! You didn't forget about me, did you?!

Get out of my way!



If you lose yourself in those emotions, you're just going to lose again and again.



I could say the same for you. Leaving an opening on the battlefield?

That wasn't an opening, it was a—



Feint? Two can play at that game.

HECK! Then how about this! My next attack!



Two-handed taser hammer fist!

…You've managed to scratch me. Not bad, girl.

Why thank y-SNEAK ATTACK!



…That one was a little deeper, but you still don't have the instinct yet.

Ahhhh… th-that's fine! I've still got all of this well in hand!



And I've really got a knack for this! Check it out, I haven't even taken a hit!

They're every bit as strong as the rumors say…



What did I tell you about losing that body..?

Shove it, you! I'm fine!



What's that… high pitched noise?

Sorry, that's us. I think you broke Omni.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

Breathe, man.

Is this how it always is?!

More or less..?

Oh man… oh man! I've got to think up move names… Figure out how to comment on the fight properly… Tylana, we need to work on a victory pose!

…



Hm. I have a grasp of the situation, now.

The one in the back is the easiest link to break.

The gunner is troublesome. I'll focus on him to cover you.

And I'll ensure that beast woman is distracted. We can ignore the purple-haired one. She doesn't have anything behind her swings.

Hey!!



I only have enough in the tank right now to stop the attack coming at me. Im, you're on your own.

About that… I uh. Can't do anything. Not enough Light.

This is why you don't use nothing but the big attacks!

Don't worry so much about it, boss! It's a learning process, I'm learning!

You can't learn anything if you die, Idiot!



Now isn't the time for arguments! Do what you can, and prepare for what you can't!

Yes ma'am!



_{That's perfect. Just focus on each other…}



We practice against each other regularly. Direct, piercing attacks like a gun makes are child's play for us.

When you put it like that it feels a bit silly, yeah.

_{And while everyone's attention is off of me…}



I strike like a viper!



Dammit… even for their sake… I can't do it?

Your excuses are still holding you back. Retreat.

I can still—

Or I fulfill my promise.



He escaped again?! How dare you!

Hey, what're you doing?!

Killing Phillip myself, so you can't win the bet! But he ran away like a loser! Again!

That's not funny, Dimi!

All's fair in love and gaming!



Taaaake this!

A good deal of strength and balance…



But you overcommit, try too hard, and it sets your formation off balance. It seems like an old habit…

Yeah?! What do you know!

Look out, Former Boss! He's going past you for-



The weakest link.

Haha! Weak nothing, I could take a dozen of these!



Then how about this?!

This hurts… considerably more, yes..!



I slap Happy Memories on ImIdiot in hope of bringing down Tailoring's cost to something reasonable. This was an error, I should have done anything but this.

Bishop. Dimi. They got to ImIdiot.

Stop them cold.

Her vibe is different now.

We've made her angry… Let's finish her off before she can become troublesome.



People who show their emotions show openings, after all. And no matter how tiny…we can wedge it open into a fatal weakpoint.

Don't mistake this for anger. I'm protecting my employees who need me.



Bishop. I understand your jealousy over my determination to win. However!

You grab mini-white's attention, I shoot while she's distracted?

My plan was ten times better than that one, but I suppose we can do what you like! As a peace offering.

Let's do it.



Both sides are sizing the other up, but despite everything most of the battle isn't decided through clashes, but by the attacks they're choosing to ignore! It's a real… a real…

Fracas?

A real fracas down there!

It's unusual to see someone so hyped up over watching all this.

Are you kidding? I can't get enough of this stuff!



Pesky sniper…

I've opened her up as best I can! All you, Dimi!



Two-handed taser hammer fist… two! How's that?!

Painful.



But worth it, if only to keep your eyes off of your leader.

Huh?!



Unpredictable power inevitably fails its wielder.

That hurt…



And that's not all!

They're ganging up on Malkuth!



Not if I have anything to say about it!

A valiant effort…



However, I'm the one you should be worrying about.



Malkuth, are you alright?!

I'm fine, I'm fine. Still plenty of blood in the bank.

Isn't it 'gas in the tank?'

This seemed more appropriate, considering.



ImIdiot, rejoining the battle!

You two. Pick one.

The leader.

The weak link.

And I'll split the difference.

ImIdiot has a pair of 5 dice targeting him, and we can't redirect either one. This is probably going to suck.



Wrath of Torment or Scratch That! would be the best play here since we need to avoid getting hit, so instead I use Brawl because I'm committed to the bit.



This clash, meanwhile, is a classic "clash with a low Speed Die to pour on a lot of damage." With her having only 6 Stagger Resist left, she shouldn't be able to get to this page.



Out of ammo?

Just for the moment. I need to reload.

No problem! I'm reloaded and ready to go.

Hah! You can both just leave the offense to me. And of course…

I'm not paying you for it.

Booo.



Oscar's attack reduces ImIdiot to 2 HP.



And Malkuth eats a one-sided Transpierce.

That… sure packs a punch.

I can't wait to get my hands on it.

You think I'll just roll over like that..?



We're both on our last legs. It's all about who can stand up straight even when they're in hell… and we won't lose at that kind of thing.

Neither will we… we've been in bigger pinches than this.



I'm feelin'... Tailoring! Again!

I've seen this move once already.



I just need to hold on through the storm…



And strike when there's an opening!

I didn't… see that one coming…



One book down. Shouldn't be long now.

This is very unfortunate, as it means Solidarity won't be doing anything for the rest of the fight.

…Dammit, Im. If you'd had a lick of sense you'd still be standing right now.

Such a shame, to lose him on his first ever outing…

We can't do anything about it now. Focus that hurt inside on the enemies who're still standing ahead of us.



Don't worry, boss! I haven't lost focus! I've just gained vengeance!



With everyone on my side down ~30 HP, I decide to slap The Faeries' Care on Malkuth. She's unlikely to get hit 3 times now that Oscar's run out of Light, and her defenses are the best of our entire floor—I want to keep her healthy.

Music: MalkuthBattle02


Looks like we're back to an even fight.

No… you killed one of our comrades. That means you've made us angry.

ImIdiot's death gave our entire floor +3 Negative Emotion, which gave everyone a level up. Most importantly, this topped off Bishop's Light. Pure gun decks don't get a lot of Light regain or page draw.



I've decided to give you the honor of handling the one who slew our late comrade, Bishop! Don't disappoint me!



Don't worry. I'm busting out the high-caliber stuff for this one.



The only guy standing after I'm done's gonna be eyepatch.

Whereas last turn we were largely running dry on resources (particularly Light), ImIdiot's timely demise has basically secured our win. Losing a Librarian is rarely the optimal strategy, but it certainly worked out for us this time.



That's one down…



And two! All you guys!

Just leave it to me! The great Dimi will unleash her ultimate attack, one which has never been seen before!

Let me guess… Two-handed taser hammer fist three?



Hah! You fell right into my trap! This is 'Make them think it's a punch, but you just ram yourself into them while they're dodging!'

That's not even a move.

It worked, didn't it?!



And now… Two-handed taser hammer fist… trois!

Knocking him down this low means the next hit on Oscar will trigger his Unrelenting passive.



You're! Really! Resilient! But that! Won't! Save you! Forever!

Tch. We miscalculated…



The Abnormalities are whispering again! I'll answer the call this time.

Go for it. That one's basically made for you anyways.

Why thank you!



Because we activated Unrelenting at the very end of the last turn, it's now gone. Oscar's unprotected, and this fight is over.

Everyone, let's pay them back for ImIdiot!

Ma'am!



That's three kills for me… and how many did you get, Dimi?

I got the only one that mattered!

He ran, Dimi. That doesn't count.

Mrrr… This isn't over!



While Transpierce is terrifying, Wedge Office itself can't really put out the kind of focused damage output that we can. As a result, they tend to be a bit underwhelming… even Transpierce is only really good at ensuring we make it to Act 2 down either a Librarian or a lot of HP.

…You guys did notice the Act 1/2 at the start, right?

VIDEO
Music: StorySimgak


… Yet again… I… I thought… I could fight with them until the end this time… How long am I going to keep hiding behind others… …What could I have changed if I stood with them and fought along. If only I had… the courage to stand up to something. If I had that courage, I…

… …

When I was told to run… I hesitated. If I ran away leaving my master and seonbae behind, they might think of me as a coward. Maybe they actually wanted me to stay with them? But the decision I made… Was to listen to them, believing that it was for their sake. I convinced myself that I’d only be a hindrance if I stayed. There’s nothing I can do here, so I should go outside and ask others for help. This is all for seonbae and master…



But I forfeited, telling myself that this wasn’t the right time… Told myself it’s fine because I’m still a selfless man…

Said a vile and selfish person…

I involved Wedge Office telling them this is for my master and seonbae… And I took their sacrifice for granted and ran away again. “It’s not for myself…” Trying to justify what I wanted to do…



The words I uttered to disguise my selfishness as something greater.

… He was right, I was the most selfish and dangerous person.

…I don’t want to embellish my motives saying it’s for others. I was doing it all for me. For myself above anything else. For me, who’s feeling sadder than anyone…



Next time, on Library of Ruina: A seed sprouts, reaching out towards the blue sky.

Videos

Wedge Office 2

[Gespenst]

Ah Wedge office. this is the hardest fight in Plauge by my estimate. unlike Tommery where the first wave was a warm-up to build emotion, Wedge is an honest 4v4. certainly attempting it with only three librarians would be absolute hell, but we'll need to see scene 2 to get the full scope on how bad an idea that would be. Also being the first fight (I think) where the numbers are categorically out of your favor, 1 floor for 2 scenes; no room for a firing squad to finish things off here.
on the bright side; even if you lose you still get books and Wedge has some really good pages.

[TeeQueue]

Book 23: Wedge Office—Chapter 3

Music: GuestBattle01


While there's a mid-Act screen like normal, it doesn't tell us anything about what we're facing or what its abilities/attacks are. We also can't change what floor we're using, so this is really only useful as a quick look at how beat up our Librarians are.



Malkuth is just about topped off after The Faeries' Care, but the others are hovering around half HP right now. At least Dimi has Gluttony to keep her HP up as we go.



VIDEO
Music: StorySimgak


Looks like Phillip's got a new look.



If I must… carry this emotion, if I can’t get rid of it… If I have to repeat this cycle of sinking into the swamp of despair and then thinking whatever comforts me. Then I’ll take the path of getting back on my feet with this sadness instead. Because I believe I can do it… Because it’s what I must do. I have to move forward… This power has to be an opportunity given to me.



Angela, what's going on?!

The library is reacting to his emotions, just like with that other creature.

Be careful, Malkuth. That thing was a real pain in the ass to take down.

Music: Warrior _{It's not in the Ruina OST, so I'm using Dark Fantasy Studio's public link for the song.}


Hey, hey, Bishop, hey. Can you sprout a wing like that?

Not the time, Dimi. This guy's dangerous.

You're telling me—that thing's definitely a boss fight, and you're already down ImIdiot.

It's alright. Let's just do the work like we always do!

This time… I won't run. I won't hide. And I'll burn you all away!

Phillip's manifested some new fiery superpowers, and as a result his stats have changed again. Since the Act screen told us nothing, the first thing we'll want to do is check his stats like he's an Abnormality.



Phillip starts with only 240 HP (Since we took 60 off of him last round—his new maximum is 300), and his Stagger Resist is a whopping 100. He's resistant to Blunt attacks, and he's another Shimmering opponent, meaning we've stumbled into a boss fight.



As for his other passives, Phillip adds 3 Burn on to all his opponents at the start of every turn that he isn't Staggered. This will plateau eventually, but it does mean that we can't rest on our laurels for too long. The last one is something about his stances—every few turns he swaps between Feather Shield and Searing Sword modes, with his passives changing slightly. The shield next to his name in his stats breakdown means he's in Feather Shield mode, and will be for 2 turns. The other status symbol is the countdown before he uses Blazing Strike, which is some sort of supermove.

I've got a good bead on him from right here, Malkuth. Won't be able to hit as hard if we wait… What's your order?

…Let's give it a shot. Let's go, everyone!



Dimi takes the initiative by stealing Phillip's attention. Feather Shield is a relatively powerful defensive page, but if it isn't blocking anything it can't really put out a lot of damage.



Rueful Eventide, his other page, is much the same. Two defensive dice, and one very low Slash die at the end. 2-5 isn't going to be winning him any damage records.



Since his first dice are both 5's, I pile on as many one-sided attacks as I can muster. He'll deal us a bit of damage, but I really want to take advantage of Bishop's first turn damage output.



Shoot all you like. Those bullets are just making more sparks.

He's not getting ventilated like I'm expecting… Dimi! Give it a shot!



Even though the damage is falling flat right now, pairing a gun deck with a person using Gluttony is generally a pretty good plan since it means we can ensure that Dimi's always able to activate Gluttony as long as Bishop hits the target first.

Two-fisted taser—what?! That didn't do anything!

One by one, you've killed every one of my comrades.



I'll make you all taste every last ounce of this pain!

Heck!!



I'm not going to just stand there while you bully my fellow librarians, you know!

Compared to before, your hits are like nothing.

What in the world..? Why aren't we doing any damage?



Maybe if I try again..? Ugh—it's still barely a scratch, boss! It really felt like a good one, too!



It doesn't matter. After today, this Library will be no more. I'll burn away all your rotted pages, and take back those important people you made into books.



We're actually in a bad situation right now. How bad?



Here's our HP before the turn starts.



And immediately after. Everyone but Dimi had 10+ Burn on them at turn's end.

This heat is insane…

What the heck?! He's only supposed to do a bit of burn, right?!

I'm not sure, but if we don't figure it out…



Oh geez, are you serious?! I can't take this anymore! It's that feather shield of his!

Tiphereth?



That shield of his is blunting your attacks where you can't see it, and it's making all that fire pile up on you! It's all because you guys all went big on the first attack that you're in this situation right now!

Ah… Then we've messed up.

It was worth it to get this information. The next team—

There is no next team, you dummy! You'll stay in there, you'll fight, and you're going to win! That's the only option!

Right… think. How can we turn the situation around..?

Attacking him is just going to burn us harder…

Not that it matters. You're dead in three rounds no matter what.

What?!



Your burn's at 13. Next turn you have 17 health remaining, and the Burn will drop by a third to 9. It'll go to 12, and you'd have 4 health left. No matter what happens…

That's checkmate. Heh. Well that sucks.

Sorry, man. It's two turns if you attack, three if you don't.

UNACCEPTABLE!

It is what it is.

It's unacceptable! If you die… then who's going to go hunting for my games after I kill this guy?!

Then I guess you're going to have to kill this guy in two turns, huh?

I guess it could happen… But he seems to be running strong after all the punishment we put him through.



All that work you did wasn't in vain. You've chopped off 62 from his Stagger Resistance… there's only 38 left. Another push like that and he'll be wide open. That's your chance.

Thanks for that. But… how did you know all of this?

It's all right here clear as day when I'm looking at the fight.

In order to more efficiently guide battles, I've made sure to allow myself the ability to see the vital information of all parties to the minutest detail from this place. We've simply never needed to formulate a strategy with such precision prior to now.

And here I thought reading intentions and seeing general characteristics was all this system allowed for.

That's only on your level. I thought it best the fighters themselves not be too distracted by cluttered information.

For now, leave the technical stuff to us. You know what you have to do, right?

Yeah.

Knock 'em dead, Bishop!



History team! All together now!

The "proper" strategy for dealing with Phillip's second wind is to simply pass the first two turns while only attacking him with massive single dice like Dimi's main offensive pages (if at all). Doing so means that he won't be able to do any real damage to us, and that we'll be able to save our Light and pages for once his phase switches. Do not do what I have done here. I've put the team in a terrible situation because I could not be assed to read a passive effect until the second turn, and now the entire team is going to fry in the next few turns because of it.

Now that we're in the horrible flaming river, though, our only option is to paddle.

I've queued up as many attacks as possible here. Since Bishop is dying in 2 turns no matter what we do, and Blazing Strike is… bad, there's no way that we're going to win if this fight goes past turn 5 at most. We've got no choice but to out-offense Phillip.



I've thrown everything at the kitchen sink at this guy, and he's still up!

He's at 15, you're doing just fine!



Meanwhile, the Paralysis Dimi slapped him with last turn…



Pays off bigtime in blunting Phillip's offense.

My body isn't moving how I want it to…



Good thing that mine's working just fine.

You won't defeat me. I won't let you win!



It's not about letting or not letting. I'm getting my games, and that means I'm going through you!

I'm the one who's going to finish him off, Dimi!

I'm not just some game you can bet on! I'm-



Wide open!

Every one of you is so damn insistent… I'll burn you all to nothing!



Shaddup!

Hk-!

With the last attack of the turn, Dimi manages to Stagger Phillip. Barely made it!



Phillip is Staggered with 2 Fragile on him for even more damage. While Staggered, his Feather Shield falls off as well—he's properly defenseless.

…Hey, Malkuth? Since I'm about to die no matter what we do…

Don't worry. I'll pass those hidden research notes of yours along.

Thanks, Malkuth. Let's do this.



The enemy's down! All together, everyone!

Got it!



If I'm going down, I'm going to be the biggest thorn in your side I can on the way.

That's our Bishop! I worked with him, you know!

Yeah… we know.



I've done my part. Dimi, it's all you from here!



Take that! And now, you turn into a book!



I'm… still here… asshole.

But that means—my games!!

Bishop dies when the burn ticks at the end of turn, completely offscreen. This emotion pushes Dimi to Emotion Level 4, maxing out the floor.



And I am faced with an interesting choice. Footfalls would turn our remaining librarians into ticking time bombs once they hit 20% of their HP or lower (about 15 or so), and would deal 30% of their health upon attacking into Phillip (Around 20 or so). We would lose out on their damage for the remainder of that turn, but we would get a nice amount of damage on him that might manage to finish him off—ties go to the Library, after all.

Predation, on the other hand, would let me siphon 10 of Dimi's HP off to give Malkuth a boost, alongside 3 Haste and 3 Strength. That 3 Haste would also allow her to move before Dimi, ensuring that Dimi's Gluttony can recoup the HP she lost from the Predation.



After thinking it over, I decide Predation on Malkuth is the play. Phillip's about to enter his Searing Sword phase, and that means we might not get to spend time at 20% or less health.

That was the last Librarian you're going to kill today.

You didn't show mercy as you tore Salvador and Yuna apart right in front of my eyes, and you didn't show any mercy when you slew all of the Wedge Office afterwards.



I'm not showing any mercy, either!

Tiphereth, something's changed!



He's traded defense for an all-out offensive posture. Now's your chance—but if he hits you, it's gonna' burn even worse than before.

The Searing Sword phase is when we should be attacking him, winning clashes will keep our HP high and also allow us to avoid more Burn damage.



The 1 point of Feeble Bishop applied on his last turn alive means that this page is completely incapable of winning any clashes against our +3 Strength Gamble. We'd need to have the worst possible luck to even see one die get a tie with ours.



The other offensive page he plays, Fierce Charge, is a single 4-10 attack. Dimi's the target here, and since we need every point of damage we can get I opt to let her take the damage.



One turn until that Blazing Strike comes out.

With a name like that on an effect with a timer… there's no way that can be good.



Plenty of time. We'll be fine.

Yeah… yeah. We're definitely fine. This is all actually just part of my plan!



Malkuth's initial attack knocks 26 HP off of Phillip.



He blocks the second attack from our Gamble, though.

It's over, Phillip.

Not… yet.



It's fine, you know! You can close your eyes and give up at any time. Nobody would blame you. In fact, you really should. Stop moving, I mean. Seriously, stop it.



You're a mouthy little brat, and I've had enough of it.

Ghwgh..!



And you. A damned hypocrite who talks about protecting her allies while she robs me of each and every person important to me! This power is an opportunity to pay you back tenfold!



Guys, it's coming!

This hurt I feel won't be cooled by the likes of you. Its red-hot anger will see me through this fight. I've lost everything… everyone. But I can still stand, still walk, despite all this pain.



And with all of my power, I'm going to charge right over every single one of you! Nothing will remain!

While active, Blazing Strike gives Phillip 2 additional Speed Dice for the scene. Additionally, he plays the aforementioned Combat Page, currently targeting Dimi.



Holy… Guys, don't let that thing hit you!

A 30-40 Blunt die is enough to deal massive damage, even through Dimi's Endurance to Blunt attacks. With her sitting on 11 Burn, a hit from this will all but ensure she's a goner at the end of the turn. As for Malkuth…

Dimi… I've got some bad news.

You're using Olga's skills, you have to still have moves you can make!



It's not that. I'm… not going to make it much longer. I can feel it… It doesn't matter what I do, this is the end for me.

That can't… no! I'm not going to lose everyone! That's not the plan, it's not-

It's okay. We have a job to do, remember?

I refuse to suffer a victory that leaves me the only one coming home!

…It's an order, Dimi.

Dammit!!



It's alright. I'm going to go down fighting with everything I have, just like all of you.

That's not better at all!



The circled die is Phillip's Blazing Strike. Our one lifeline here is that it's going after almost all of our own Combat Dice, so we might be able to finish him off before he pulls it out and finishes us instead.



You're past your limits!



So are you!



Yeah… But we're still not alone!

You damned bi-



Eat maximum voltage!

(CLICK)

…Click?

No, no, no no nonono-!



What just happened..?

I'm not sure.

It seems like some kind of emergency escape device.



Well… he's gone! That's what matters! Malkuth, we can still-!



…I'm too late. Well. That's… shit.

Ultimately, Ruina's fights are won by dying a little more slowly than your opponent. Whether that be an eternity, a turn, or a single move slower doesn't matter. Dimi stands alone atop the charred remnants of the battlefield, and we are victorious.

…tch.



Wedge Office is a serious step up in overall difficulty, since it's the first 2-versus-1 fight that we see. We have to get through the already-formidable Wedge Office with our team intact, then manage to weather Phillip's attacks when he gets his second wind. We would have had a much easier time of it if I'd simply read how Feather Shield worked on the first turn, but despite the increase in difficulty we still managed to take him out on our first attempt.

Music: Result


That was the most awesome thing I've ever witnessed in my life! I can already tell all our research is going to come in handy here… you should join in, I'm sure we can find a copy of—

I'm not interested in that kiddy stuff.

Uuugh… that hurts.

It's just the memory of the trauma… Our bodies are fine now.

…Huh. So they are! …I'm still going to lie here for a few minutes…

That's fine… I need a moment, too.

Did we win..?

Just barely.

Y-you… you should have seen it! Everyone was down and out, but the great Dimi came in at the last second to smack that guy upside the head! Bam! He won't be back here again, that's for sure! So, I've won the bet for sure!

…And the book?

That is to say… there were complications outside of my own incredible control.

He got away?

I'll take care of him next time for sure!

Not if I get to him first…

It's unfortunate that we went through all that effort for nothing… But that's how it goes sometimes.

I wouldn't say it was for nothing.



As he was leaving, it seems he left part of himself with us.

Every time we successfully clear Wedge Office's reception, we're given two copies each of Feather Shield and Searing Sword. The game only tells us the name of one or the other, since it used to be you'd only get one of the two—they changed the drops but not the dialogue box.



They're both decent enough Burn pages, though I slightly prefer Feather Shield.



VIDEO
Music: Lobby


When did he get such a high-performing workshop gear? No, not even the workshops could make equipment as good as that… This actually… reminds me of that guy…



That appears to be ‘E.G.O’.

‘E.G.O’? You mean the ego? As in someone’s consciousness?

It’s a silly wordplay. They’re essentially the same thing. The shell of one’s ego. It’s a physical manifestation of the mind.

What?! The mind? Physically brought about? That sounds too vague to be a real thing that could happen.

It was the Singularity of L Corp, although the process was different… While L Corp. extracted E.G.O deliberately, Philip must have manifested his thanks to the influence of the White Nights and Dark Days.

Yeah, I understand somewhat now.



Don’t rush me. This is also my first time seeing it manifest this way. If you were so curious, you shouldn’t have let him get away.

Sigh~ I didn’t know that coot would put that kinda device on him… Old Man Oscar’s still not honest to himself.

You seem to have a number of old friends.

Well, yeah. They’re seasoned veterans with mountains of experience. It’s hard not to run into ‘em at least once or twice as a Fixer, y’know?



Still… hell of a day we've had, huh?

Yes. The reappearance of E.G.O in this form, the unusual actions from Tiphereth in the middle of the battle, and their result upon the outcome… I've much to consider, it seems.

Thinking about how to proceed, then? I don't suppose you could stop working me quite so hard, could you~?

If anything, you may be working harder from now on.

Please have mercy, ma'am.

Next time, on Library of Ruina



After what you've already overcome, Bleed is scarcely a threat.

Honestly, I don't think the musicians will be more than a moment's distraction anymore, either.


Videos

Wedge Office 3
Wedge Office 4
vs EGO Phillip (Unedited combat footage; may cause distortions. Watch at own risk.)


New Key Pages






New Combat Pages

[TeeQueue]

Fanart post updated~!

I'm tired now. I will sleep today.