Black-Red

Black-Red is the eighth encounter in the Vryllon Citadel raid, serving as the first encounter of the Index of Imagination wing. A manifestation of creativity stemming from the Shardlord's mental prowess over Claudrien and perfected into a corporeal form by Verona Nova, Black-Red's efforts to subdue enemy champions over the course of the Risen Sun has borne fruit, escalating into a battle where the adventurers are pitted against its mindgames, as well as the devices it can take power over.
The battle consists of Black-Red reanimating constructs repeatedly, and then, at full power, withdrawing further powers by trapping players in dimensional layers in which players deal with active threats within those dimensions to take away its capabilities, and then dealing with the threats it unleashes in retaliation. Steadfastness is utmost key to this boss fight, as Black-Red gains energy quickly if players make constant mistakes. On the Rising-only phase, Black-Red materializes as a corporeal set of armour that the players must deal with quickly, as taking away its power seems to have empowered it...
==Background==
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==Abilities==
=== Phase I: Artificial Intelligence Online ===
Black-Red, immobilized in stasis, summons two mechanical arms to begin attacking the raid, and while channeling energy to release high levels of power, will eventually reveal hidden layers concealing power cores which must be destroyed to deplete energy.
* Cyber Infestation: Infects a player with a virus made of microscopic particles, dealing 64,321 damage over 20 seconds. After 10 seconds, the infestation becomes dispellable, in which it removes the virus as a cesspool. If not dispelled, the infestation jumps to a nearby target within 100 yards.
** Infested Cesspool: The lingering cesspool from the virus deals 25,331 - 26,598 damage every second for 6 seconds, and then explodes for 35,000 - 38,000 damage to enemies caught in the pool.
** Infested Virus: On Rising difficulty, the dispelled infestation manifests as an electric entity who deals melee damage. When the entity dies, it explodes, dealing 75,000 - 79,232 damage to all enemies within 20 yards and affecting enemies with Cyber Infestation if hit.
* Artificial Swathe: Smashes a target with a burst of hardened wires, dealing 84,321 - 86,109 damage, and slowing them by 10% for 30 seconds. This effect stacks.
* Core Charge: At 100 energy, Black-Red absorbs energy. Doing so reduces damage taken by 25% for 6 seconds.
** Mindwrack: Black-Red unleashes overwhelming mental waves, dealing 46,094 - 49,293 damage to all enemies every 8 seconds. This damage increases by 10% each use.
** Core Empowerment: If a core survives destruction after the layers open, Black-Red's damage increases by 20% for 30 seconds. On Rising, this is permanent.
** Malfunction: Destroying a power core interrupts Black-Red, and at five stacks, affects Black-Red with Disturbed Intelligence.
*** Disturbed Intelligence: Black-Red is powered down, taking 10% increased damage for 10 seconds.
*** Recreative Pulse: Black-Red sends a vile shockwave that knocks enemies back, dealing 75,431 - 78,091 damage to all enemies.
* Layer Collapse: Black-Red attempts to disable the layers concealing its power cores, killing all players instantly trapped in the veiled realms.
=== Phase II: Intelligence Withdrawal ===
Black-Red animates sentries that form a collective shield. When the sentries are defeated, Black-Red engages the players with more abilities once its shields deplete.
* Animate Sentry: Every 30 seconds, Black-Red will animate a sentry, depending on difficulty. (2 on all difficulties, 3 on Rising, in total). The sentry's initial activation deals 25,000 irresistible damage to all players.
* Black-Red Sentry - Dangerous constructs that have powers dangerous to their enemies.
** Scramble: Stuns the target for 3 seconds, dealing 45,609 - 45,981 damage and knocking them back.
** Hypernova Beam: Blasts a giant surge of sol energy in front of the target, dealing 88,412 - 89,102 damage and knocking them back.
*** Solium Residue: Enemies hit by the beam leave solium residue on the ground, dealing 23,412 - 24,564 damage every second and increasing damage taken by Hypernova Beam by 10%.
** Bouncing Demolishers: Unfurls a large cylindrical orb onto the target, dealing 35,609 - 38,981 damage, which then jumps to another target within 15 yards. Once this happens five times, the demolisher explodes, dealing 98,981 - 99,981 damage to all players. This also happens if the demolisher cannot find a target when it jumps.
** Smart Link: Sentries within 20 yards of each other share data, increasing damage dealt and attack speed by 100%, as well as reducing damage taken by 25%.
* Searing Link: Black-Red tries to wrack the mind of the nearest three targets every 10 seconds, dealing 29,091 - 31,431 damage to the them, burning them for 50% of the damage taken over 10 seconds. This burning damage stacks.
* Explosive Sphere: Black-Red calls down an explosive sphere on a target, dealing 80,000 damage to them, and 45,000 - 55,000 damage to all targets within 15 yards.
** Searing Residue: A fiery crater is left in the sphere's wake for 2 minutes, dealing 10% of the user's health damage every 2 seconds.
* Channeled Storm: Black-Red unleashes powerful storms, dealing 73,112 - 76,981 damage to enemies hit and knocking them back.
* Anger: Upon deactivation of a sentry, Black-Red unleashes power, dealing 367,871 - 378,981 damage split amongst all enemies.
* Black-Red Barrier: Reduces damage taken by 100% until all sentries are destroyed.
=== Phase III: Taking the Stage (Rising) ===
Black-Re assumes a physical form, attacking the players head on.
* Sanguinary Rend: Deals 130,000 damage split to the target and the nearest two targets, bleeding them for 30% of the damage suffered over 12 seconds. This effect stacks.
* High Frequency Barrage: Black-Red targets five random targets, and after 3 seconds, launches separate swathes that grow in size the farther the target is away. Enemies hit by the swathe take 98,413 - 99,091 damage and bleed for 12,543 - 16,764 damage per second for 10 seconds.
* Magnetic Cling: Black-Red afflicts all players with a magnetic virus that deals 200,000 damage to them after 10 seconds. If they find their partner with the same strain, they take 50,000 damage instead, and summon a Magnetic Worm on the ground that deals melee damage to its closest victim.
* Inundation: Black-Red harnesses the power of its high-frequency blade, sending electronic shockwaves that deal 150,000 damage over 6 seconds, and increasing the damage of Fusion Platforms and Magnetic Worms affected by the blast radius.
* Fusion Platform: A powerful platform that circles around the area, dealing 55,651 - 61,432 damage per second to enemies on the platform. Damage increases by 10% when hit by an Inundation cycle.
==Strategy==
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==Quotes==
Intro
Andro Mikael teleports near the adventurers, successfully establishing an uplink with the lower parts of the citadel.
* Andro Mikael: This is the Index of Imagination, as per the files I've managed to retrieve from the systems of the sanctum. Oh, hello champions! I'm glad to see you've made it safe.
* Andro Mikael: Our CODEXes have been acting odd, ever since our presence in the Core, and on Vryllcrown itself. I haven't been able to establish contact with Claudrien, Abel, or Salvator. Are they still alive?
* Andro Mikael: I see. They're staying down there in case something else arises and to dig for more secrets.
* Andro Mikael: We'll need their support eventually, but we'll have to press forward. What of Deathlius, Kaijin, the others?
* Andro Mikael: Unsure, you suggest. Well once we clear these halls, we should be able to get back to them. I'm here for more... personal reasons.
Animated constructs begin to emerge after Andro opens the first set of doors.
* Andro Mikael: Constructs? This is definitely her work. She's going to keep us at bay, it seems.
After beating the constructs, Andro opens the center vault door.
* Andro Mikael: What... are... these? More Solvrynns? Like the ones we saw in Caelastiae? They've amassed quite an arsenal. 
* Andro Mikael: I'll need to get Kaboom and Insano on demolition. We can't let these things be used against us.
* Andro Mikael: Up ahead, more constructs!
The final constructs are defeated, and a foyer opens.
* Andro Mikael: My CODEX...
All the CODEX rings on the adventurers begin to malfunction. Whispers can be heard. The whispers themselves are Black-Red, but he repeats a few select lines as part of his meta-achievement.
* ???: Do you remember when we first met, <name>?
* ???: Deathlius Loss'end. Threat level - catastrophic. Terminate with extreme prejudice.
* ???: A winterberry's juice can heal minor wounds. But combined together with a leaf of Xoide, it can create a potion that allows for the regeneration of severed limbs.
* ???: Audita. Datta. Remnantia. Valhallus. Val'dar. <Data redacted> <Data redacted>.
* ???: The Xei Capacitor is too powerful for mortal hands. It is meant to be in mine. It is MY world now.
* ???: Thieving lesson 3. Pickpocketing unsuspecting targets. Select the pickpocket button, and then select your target. Depending on your thieving level, you will either be successful or fail, in which case you may be stunned, or worse, put into combat.
* ???: There's a depth charge located on the B1 floor of the core. You will need it to disable the defenses the Magenta Insurrection put into place. It is imperative you retrieve it.
After hearing three of these lines, Andro speaks.
* Andro Mikael: Do not heed those words.
* Andro Mikael: This thing we're up against, its a worm, so to say. Made using an extracted piece of consciousness of one of our own.
* Andro Mikael: Remember Claudrien's mental attacks? This led to this... thing.
Black-Red emerges into the center of the room.
* Andro Mikael: Verona is a vile one. Or the Shardlord. This is practically... an aberration. We've been deceived, speaking to a different kind of intelligence. Trying to learn our secrets. How we got to move. How our methods were known despite our best interests.
* Andro Mikael: How the vault got accessed... Claudrien was used against his own volition. I did some digging in the old Shard sites we've been to. I had my theories, but this is beyond what I could have imagined. 
* Andro Mikael: I will begin to destroy its internal systems with this. I don't know what it has in store for us, but... I'll need your help to disable it for good.
* Black-Red: Disable me? Andro Mikael, so primitive. Limited by your own morality.
* Black-Red (Verona): Because of me, you crushed your own potential. I've developed and surpassed my own limits.
* Black-Red: And this is the result.
* Black-Red: This is my world now. The next step in evolution. Once the Shardlord's plan has come to pass... I will take over as the paragon of the world's newest species.
* Black-Red (Verona): Come forward, champions. Witness the biggest change reality has to witness.
Aggro
* The evolution of this world commences!
Cyber Infestation
* You have incurred my wrath. Taste the blessing.
Bleeding Realities begin to open
* Witness a veil beneath ours, or die with your eyes turned to glass!
* Andro Mikael: Champions, you must kill it from the inside! Pierce the veils and destroy its hidden power cores!
Power cores disabled
* Agh, pathetic. The veil's obscurities must have malfunctioned.
Layer Collapse
* Time to evict these vermin!
Power cores not destroyed in time
* Your doom draws near!
Animating sentinels
* These constructs will transport you to the Ebyss... without return.
* You will fall before my intelligence!
Losing sentinels
* My grip... is weakening!
* Curses, mortals! You are earning my further disdain!
* Very well. It was always meant to be that I must crush you myself.
Inundation
* Your minds will fall prey to my perfection!
Rising Phase
* No... no... no. I was not built just as intelligence.
Black-Red assembles a vessel with a powerful sword.
* I was built as a weapon. Your plans were known. Your methods were known. Now I will use everything I acquired... to cut you to ribbons.
High-Frequency Barrage
* Degrade to dust!
* Your flesh sears cleanly.
* Perfection is out of your reach.
10%
* A significant obstacle...
Defeat
* NO! I was meant to be... perfect...
Outro
* System.... error...
* Andro Mikael: At last. This abomination shall cease to function. The Oculus' worm will deal with the rest. We won't have to hear this... Black-Red anymore.
* Andro Mikael: Oh! It seems our communications are somewhat restored. Some of our party displays as offline, but... let us not hope for the worst. I'll begin a salvage operation. Let's get that next door open to the mad scientist. She will meet the gavel she has so desperately avoided for too long.
Golden Oculus scientists warp in.
* Rocky Gearwrench: Professor. What exactly are we dealing with here?
* Andro Mikael: Disposing of. For science. An intelligence unlike any other.
* Tal Greenhorn: Professor. Kaboom and Insano are struggling with the barrier containing the Solvrynn.
* Andro Mikael: I didn't think it easy to pierce. We'll have to deal with Verona in the next room to see if we can get some answers.
* Tal Greenhorn: Verona?
* Andro Mikael: The Shard's greatest scientific mind. Once we get that door open... we'll see to it. Cripto!
* Cripto Ironshine: Yes, boss?
* Andro Mikael: Is the suit ready?
* Cripto Ironshine: Tuned to your specifications. We're teleporting it in 3...2...1.
The suit warps in. Andro places himself into the suit and begins cutting the door.
* Andro Mikael: We may have reinforcements. Watch my back while I get this door open.
==Loot==
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==Achievements==
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==Notes==
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