[CONTINUE + 3] INTRO

[foundationmods]

[After so long a trip, you're all finally here. Taken through a hidden passage inside of the very mountain itself, you find yourself standing in front of a field of flowers, growing well due to the open roof above it. If you look up, you can just make out the shimmering colors off of the barrier - looking almost like the shine off of a soap bubble.

Try not to trample on the flowers as you approach the open, purple gate. And remember to wear your masks, now that you're here!

...Still, the sight of the yellow flowers waving in the wind....such a cheery sight fills you with determination for what's to come.

Welcome to the Underground.

...Again. The loop happened again, and you're here. Everything is the same.

Someone who was dead is alive again.

...The man, who's name you forgot...You've just forgotten almost everything about him. Anything he did, or said....there's just a person-shaped hole in your memory now.

You know someone was there, and that he was important. But....

Not only that, But more monster names have faded from your memory.

...You're losing so much.]

Comments

[onemolife]

What a tricky being this is. It seems to also be taking more and more monsters... it reminds me of a soul stealing Goddess Statue I've encountered before.

Maybe there's a way we can set up something like a trap?

[sageking]

[ ... ]

Maybe. It didn't seem like it could possess anyone after it was engaged in a FIGHT, for example.

[ But, he's still. Hm. ]

The problem in that situation would be to know how to subdue the enemy without killing who it possessed. And if we weren't going to use a FIGHT to entrap them, we would have to find a way to keep it from soul-hopping.

We also need to bear in mind that it does seem capable of controlling two people at once, though it didn't try to go for Sherlock this time. Whether that was because it thought two would be better than one or because it couldn't due to possessing him before is an unknown.

[onemolife]

We are learning more about them... I do wonder if two is the limit or if it's slowly flexing it's muscles as it learns more. [ It did think to try to hide it's prints with moonshoes ]

Did it try to toss in the accused again or someone else?

[sageking]

'As it learns more'...

[ ... ]

I'd say I'd hope it's simply 'two is the limit', but we can't really afford to assume that's the case. If it were, we'd have to start a discussion on why wouldn't it have attempted two before, which we could look to its own confidence, and the fact it knows it has many more abilities, and advantages over it...hence why it didn't bother.

Even so, we'd have to remember our enemy hasn't been simply waiting for Thursday to come, as I've mentioned to Solomon. It wouldn't make sense, otherwise so many creatures wouldn't be disappearing from our memory despite us having not seen them being possessed.

[ Gilgamesh had more or less told Solomon to assume that the enemy was on the move, but not acknowledging that the enemy was capable of learning or gaining anything from these movements would be a mistake.

He's really not so arrogant to make an error like that, having more or less thought of it as a possibility himself. He just didn't like it, which he'll get over fairly quickly. ]

...But, all that aside, it attempted to throw Undyne into the CORE instead of Marisa. Which was interesting, when you think about it. A divergence in its previous actions so far.

[onemolife]

It may be trying to get whatever it can get, or hoping that after throwing her in, we would be distracted enough to not protect our own? It definitely seems to be learning. It's actions for my murder are proof of that, though I do wonder why it needs to go through this game in the first place. Does it get something like the Miasma did from the house or is it just fun to watch us relive the experience?

[ You have activated Wei Wordy Wuxian ]

Maybe it's growing stronger which is why it can do two now?

[sageking]

...There was that thought; that it was a distraction. Since, if you recall, that other woman had shown up, and she may have been considered a target as well.

[ ... ]

I'd simply wondered if it enjoyed forcing us to relive the experience, but...that doesn't make much sense. I feel as if it had something to gain from this, though at this time that would be an unknown. Though, an idea would be that its simply a condition that it has to clear in order to help with achieving its goal.

...It'd also make sense that it was growing stronger if possessing Monsters that disappeared right after added to its strength. Not to mention that person it managed to take.

[ Which, coincidentally, Gilgamesh couldn't remember much about, but he could connect the dots, however vaguely...that this person had to have been taken by the enemy. ]

[onemolife]

It seems to be growing less and less... busy each week. Though I can't recall if there were monsters in certain places and I haven't been checking every place, but it does feel like there's less around each week. I do wonder if it feeds on those it takes or maybe it does some thing else with it?

[ Since the Dancing Goddess fed on souls to become stronger, it may be similar ]

That person... it seems like we lose more and more of them each week, but we're losing our memories of the monsters at a much quicker rate.

[sageking]

It's not your imagination.

There certainly seem to be far less than before. It'll likely have to do some feeding

[ Gilgamesh, out of habit, always walked around the town and had even gone so far as canvassed Hotland.

...He even checked out Temmie Village for a hot second after the hullabaloo had died down with the mission (and had some regrets for it.) He just really can't sit still and was far too used to doing something. ]

I'd spoken to Solomon regarding the loss of monsters before; which I thought at the time was easier for it to occur due to the nature of their weaker SOULs in comparison to a human's. [ Or...a demigod's. ] Nevermind the fact that their history is entirety limited to this place, and affects far less of those from the surface than our own.

[onemolife]

Makes you wonder how many more there were before we arrived.

[ Since...things have been funky long enough for Red to originally be sent here. ]

This has probably been a light buffet for it until we arrived. We might be the main course.

[sageking]

[ The reaction's far too immediate for Gilgamesh than he liked to hold back—from visibly stiffening that is. Though more low-key was the fact that his fingers clenched tightly, digging into his palms, but he'll allow that to relax soon enough, even as his expression contorted into something somewhere between displeasure, and...something else as memories flash back to something. A pathetic, but unsightly figure wreathed in shadow speaking to twenty-nine people, telling them 'what' they are to it, standing before them but in a far more enclosed space...

...

He shouldn't even have to say a thing regarding that, so he won't. ]

...Hmph, such is the nature of our situation. I have figured that it would end up becoming something like this.

At least once we had lost our powers. It was an unavoidable consequence...however I have no intention of simply allowing us to become something's food.

[ It's strange, feeling like this again. And he didn't like it. ]

[onemolife]

[ Sometimes you accidentally remind people of House Trauma, even when you were part of the House group. ]

You aren't short of help in that matter. If something tries to take anyone over, we'll be sure to keep them from falling into the core just as before.

[ So even if it goes for Gil again, he will have support to keep anything from happening. ]

[sageking]

[ Gilgamesh liked to pretend he didn't have any trauma from the Winchester House; he's too proud for that.

...

That was probably not healthy and not good for long-term, but that's how he's dealt with it for now. So. It's fine. ]

...As to be expected. Though idiocy does run rampant amongst most mongrels in this group, we are all not so foolish as to let our guard down in such a situation.

And even though our enemy may grow stronger, we will still overcome them. No matter what's happened before, I will believe in this, and see such a victory be created from our own hands once more.

[ It's funny thinking about the idea of 'support' in a situation like this. But he's a King, naturally he would have it; not to mention there was Solomon too. ]