Thor is understandably surprised when Iris correctly guesses the reason he wanted to keep this particular discussion private on her first try.
"The people of G.E.M. are decent, Iris. Were that not the case, I wouldn't have made a point of insisting that we only employ nonlethal force if we're forced to fight them to reach the usurper," he says. "However, they've lost a lot because of Navitus. Their world was scarred and ravaged by the power of the artifacts. As much as I wish I was wrong, I can't imagine they would take kindly to learning that you and Navitus are one in the same."
He places his hands on Iris' shoulders and looks her in the eye.
"That's why I cannot have you joining me on this mission. If G.E.M. learns of your true identity, they will turn on you, and the absolute last thing I need right now is an impossible choice between which side to take in such a conflict."
-
Loki strokes his chin while the angels explain why the possibility of a shapeshifter's involvement has suddenly put them on edge.
"Entire planets, you say? Suddenly, Thanos' cullings seem almost kind and merciful by comparison," he muses.
His gaze then flickers to Xion when she explains what a Gummiphone is.
"Impressive. Tell me, how exactly might one go about acquiring these devices?"
"If these shapeshifting... things are dangerous enough to get the Divine Guardians off their arses, I'm going to take a wild guess and say theyprobably aren't easy to perish," Sylvie says. "On the off-chance we are dealing with one of these mass-murdering arseholes disguised as Seth, how the Hel do we kill it?"
"That's the spirit," Red Hood snarks in responses to Beruka's comment. Finally, he thought, he had managed to find someone who could probably give Bruce a run for his money in the broodiness department.
While Bucky was admittedly surprised by Rumia's request, he nonetheless answers her with a nod.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I'll what I can dig up while I'm there."
Vi reminds herself to keep a close eye on Vladek in case he tries anything funny, then heads out while Jason and Bucky begin their respective missions.
Red Hood easily manages to keep pace with the other members of the recon team, his eyes peeled for any potential traps Kenjaku might have laid for the group. Given that he wasn't particularly knowledgable of Corrin and Beruka's history with Nohr, and the fact that Beruka didn't seem like an especially chatty person, he decides to save any potential questions he might think of - if any - for later. When Gunter warns them of an incoming Demented Spirit, Jason immediately snaps into action.
"Everybody down!"
He dives to the floor moments before the flaming arrow threatens to perforate him, executes a forward roll, and comes back up as Takumi quite literally bursts onto the scene. Noticing that the new arrival seemed laser focused on Corrin in particular, Red Hood decides to use that to his advantage. After snapping off a few shots at Takumi with one of his pistols, he holsters the weapon and summons one of his All-Blades before moving to slash Takumi across the face with a fearsome swipe.
"The hell'd you do to this guy, beat him half to death and blow the building he was in sky high?" he asks Corrin.
-
Once his squad has reached the library, Bucky takes some time to scout out his new surroundings while looking for any books Rumia might be interested in. Before he can do anything else, however, Gunter warns them of an oncoming Demented Spirit.
"So much for being quiet in the library."
He takes cover at the end of the nearest row of shelves and readies his rifle, planning to use said shelves as a chokepoint in case the Demented Spirit decided to bring any reinforcements along with her.
-
Vi, despite her initial surprise at how oddly mundane her new settings were, looks around for either a distinctive vehicle or a robot that probably didn't look as though it had been crafted in some Piltie scientist's fancy laboratory. Cue the new girl arriving and seemingly surrendering to the unlikely group of three.
"Start talking, then. Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" she inquires, remaining on-guard in case the newcomer wasn't as innocent as she seemed.
Edited by IchigoMontoya on May 10th 2024 at 2:23:29 AM
Divine Burden
Kana, if she had been aware of Ladwin's thoughts, would probably have been a bit envious of him for being able to live a full life and die not outliving the nation he was born in. But perhaps that was happening to him already. Nevermind that she was trying to think of other things at the moment. As they went, Kana also groaned slightly at the implication Hange wasn't done.
Couldn't people just be happy she was a dragon like those kooky villagers she'd run into? Dagnabit.
And though she want to be pulled from these thoughts, Kana find them an agreeable platform to stand unto, lest she face the idea that Frielda was dead, having been killed by the evil people outside in a bid to protect her daughters. And Kana knew she'd have to address that sooner than later, and it'd hurt a bit, if only because she was high-strung over daughters losing their mothers at a young age...
So perhaps it was for the best that she kept herself distracted for as long as she could. And when an occasion to chase away the bad thoughts just a bit further rolled in, Kana ended up... half happy. Since the people pulling her away from her thoughts were innocents in genuine need of help. Small-lived people with small lives, who died quickly and had fragile shells awaited rescue.
But those "small-lived" people could do great things. And maybe because they lived short lives, they didn't need to know so much pain and trauma over the course of their earthly existences.
I'll help them. Kana lacked her father's O R B and his ability to just put people in a safe place, but she was not going to be walking away from them. And she was thus glad to see someone like Taye give them some food. I don't think I can quite have them all on my back but I can always protect them to a safe place.
If there was one.
Fallout 2? More like Fallout 2 bad.
Mission: Pursue the Giant Monster
The Titanslayer is gone (and with it the potentially worrying lance), which Machinedramon takes as a victory even if it wasn't the one to land the last blow. And now most of its remaining enemies are foolishly all close to one another.
However, it fails to take advantage of this as Raging Sky Burst happens. And while Machinedramon eats the attack (not literally), parts of its armored hide look chipped and charred, and steam is coming off of it. Machinedramon is not invincible, but jeez, is it tanky.
As its other enemies all focus on Desghidorah, Machinedramon decides to try to take them all out at once, all together. It opens up its chest and unleashes Giga Destroyer, sending an entire array of organic missiles at every enemy on the field. This includes the raven-haired lady, so she'll have to be careful.
Astil
"From what I've heard, they turn into the populace and blend in, killing them off and replacing them. You'd think that would go slowly, but they can empty out most planets in a few days, if not a single one.", Areui says to Roxas. What a frightening thought.
He then looks at Sylvie.
"I... don't know. I've never seen one myself before."
"Neither have I. I've heard a lot of different things about how to deal with them. Some rumors say they'll only be as sturdy as whatever they shift into, other rumors say they're nearly indestructible even when shifted. Some rumors say their power is lowered if they get discovered to be shapeshifters while transformed, others say it's genuinely impossible to discover them at all because their act is nearly perfect. I've heard they have access to the memories of those they mimic, allowing them to be practically indistinguishable from the real deal. Honestly, we should just hope they never find their way into any other realms at all."
Then Xion explains what the Gummi Phone is.
"Oh, that's actually really handy. Maybe we can use it to keep in touch for the Odin situation too.", Kirue says, the latter part aimed at Areui.
"I guess? Can these things also connect to regular phones? Or only to other Gummi Phones?"
-
"If they find out who I am, I'll just fly away before you're forced to make a choice.", Iris says. It sounds casual, but she seems to seriously mean it.
"And if I can't escape... do you remember our fight with the Cabal? I can encase myself in crystal and be safe from their weaponry. Once I'm out of focus, you won't have to make a choice either. Either way, I want to help you as best as I can."
She smiles.
"Oh, how about this? If it turns out I can't effectively fight them without using lethal force or giving away my identity, I'll stick to the back and protect that Yazur guy and the bird. I can do a lot of things to help without us having to take these risks."
Ashes of Nohr
LIBRARY
Dracus and Karzon don't have any Corrin scales, but thankfully the same foul magic that Vladek used to bring them here could be used to return to him if necessary. Shame it doesn't work on Vladek himself or they wouldn't even need the scale.
Speaking of those two, they look at the chosen allies for the Library mission, about as stoically silent as their leader. Not a lot of banter to be had, it seems.
But at least they're helpful, as they volunteer to (carefully) push furniture out of the way so that everyone can progress.
Once in the Library they look at the Necromites. How foul, these undead.
Upon noticing the two floors, Dracus decides to inspect the lower floor while Karzon inspects the upper floor, both of them looking for any useful books, both for the mission at hand and for Vladek's personal gain. Though upon seeing the double doors Karzon pauses. That's an issue.
On the lower floor, Dracus sees the book puzzle and, figuring this isn't his forte, lets his allies try to solve the puzzle. Neither he nor Karzon is capable of using magic, after all.
They then hear Gunter's warnings as well as Takumi, and realize they're not going to have a lot of time.
"I can try to set up a trap near the door. It may buy us some precious time." , Karzon speaks up as he comes back down to the ground floor, moving as carefully as he can so that his armor doesn't make too much noise. He places a rune trap near the entrance. If some sort of spirit were to hover over it, the rune should activate and stun it, allowing for Karzon's allies to take action.
Hey, just because Karzon doesn't have magic doesn't mean he can't have some magic items.
After that, Draco and Karzon do as Bucky says and hide while trying to not make too much noise.
-
TRANSFORMERS
Vladek silently follows as the group starts setting out. It's unlikely he'll talk much unless spoken to first. Or unless he sees a good reason to talk.
Though that doesn't mean he's so stoic that nothing gets him anymore. Such as a random public pool at the site where they emerge. That's definitely not what he expected to see.
Regardless, he doesn't comment on it, and he doesn't take Leonidas' hand to get into the room. He then notices the woman as she briefly appears next to Leonidas'.
"Hrm."
He draws his blade and waits for a sign of movement as he hears the voice speak. With him waiting, he'll be able to see the hooded woman enter the room and surrender.
Vladek ponders. He doesn't trust this one bit, and he's not shy of eliminating a surrendering opponent. However, they're here to gain an ally, and he has no idea what this ally looks like. For all he knows, it could be her.
At least until Gunter speaks up. He still doesn't go in for any attacks though, as he mentally agrees it's better to interrogate her instead of killing her. And then, depending on what he hears, he may deal with her after.
He approaches her a bit, but keeps a slight distance. Just far enough to be out of reach of the blade he saw strapped to her waist, in case she tries to sneak-attack him.
"It would be highly appreciated of you to answer." , Vladek says as Vi starts questioning the woman. He still has his blade drawn, so it should be made clear that this is not exactly a suggestion.
Edited by DevilPsyco on May 10th 2024 at 12:33:01 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
Edited by DevilPsyco on May 10th 2024 at 12:32:49 PM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
Web Spidus
The Mountain - Makai
KO! Down went The Mountain!
The portal to the next level appears. It's a heated lake and an icy pond nestled between some ancient Greek ruins. The standard platforming challenges and Toppins still apply. This time. The gimmick this time around is regulating Peppino's temperature by drinking ice-cold water and hot tea. Try not to get temperature shock!
Ecclesia - Library
Despite having many allies with her, Ecclesia attempts to take cover in this strange place. In addition, she keeps her electric hammer ready in case things go south. She prays to her Pantheon for divine protection while she waits.
Vanilla Cream Sherbet - Drought
The yeti-elf makes a prayer to her prayer wheel to her nameless god before starting the meeting proper.
Glancing at the others, Vanilla asks, "Alright... How shall we tackle this problem, then?"
King of the Monsters
Astil
"Hm... I don't know, I've never tried connecting to a normal phone. But it's magic, so..."
"WAIT A SECOND!" Roxas shouts. "WHAT IF SETH IS ONE OF THOSE SHAPESHIFTERS?!"
Xion bonks him on the head. "Remember, Roxas, his body is missing from his grave. They don't just take over bodies they find."
"Oh, right. Sorry."
"Anyway, like I said, Gummiphones are magic, so I wouldn't be surprised if they worked with normal phones."
Hub Centralis Southwest Coastline That's As Good As You're Gonna Get Engie - Mission: Pursue the Giant Monster
Godzilla wails and releases Desghidorah, stumbling back from the Raging Sky Burst. The missiles hit him too.
Fucking fine. He turns to Machinedramon and stampedes at it, jaws wide open. His aim: to bite down on its neck and perform a fucking death roll, thrashing it against the ground while twisting its head off its shoulders.
Primordial Malzeno quickly beats his wings, pushing himself out of the reach of Desghidorah's attack. He uses his wings as shields from Machinedramon's missiles, trying to put all his focus on killing Desghidorah as he rapidly stabs and slashes at its chest.
Gerudo Desert
RF!Anna flies above in her Hawk Creature, while Sally and Natasha go below on foot. A sandstorm is making it difficult to see ahead of them, and even the advanced sensors of the Hawk can only pick up so much.
"Tremont's Creature's signal led here. Why in the name of the Goddess did he come back to this desert?"
Suddenly, a flash of lightning from Bolting strikes down, visible through the sand. Human yelling, and...distorted, not-quite-human yelling is audible from within, including Tremont's voice. Mechanical movements can also be heard, not quite matching the tank-like thrumming and groaning of the boy's own Creature.
"Your new goons aren't built for this environment!"
"You're not built for this, either! But I am!" a girl's voice hollers.
Edited by KiriK on May 10th 2024 at 6:11:13 AM
"He's gearing up for war."
Superficial and Otherworldly Celestial
Mission: Pursue the Giant Monster
Desghidorah is still left recharging so to speak from the Raging Sky Burst so he's wide open for Primorbius and Albaz to attack. Albaz' lariat has... limited effect due to the sheer difference in mass but Primordial tears gouges in the Super Space Demon Beast's flesh, though he'll have to worry about its magma-like blood bursting out. The missiles and raven-haired lady's debuff projectile hit but Desghidorah's eyes flash soon after the latter lands.
The Ghidorah demonspawn roars and spreads its wings suddenly, visibly shattering the Ensare spell with its demon magic. It's banged up pretty badly but it's not out yet, as it glares in the direction of the raven-haired lady. One of its heads opens to spit a Pyroclastic Shot to try and incinerate her while the other two fire bursts of liquid magma at Primordial Malzeno and Albaz, aiming to not only hurt them but slow them with the rapidly solidifying molten rock.
Meanwhile the Zeon forces decide to aid Godzilla, namely by one of the Dogas hefting a heavy duty beam cannon and firing it at Machinedramon's back while the Capules fire another missile burst..
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."
Thor blows out a sigh.
"There's going to be no dissuading or talking you out of this, is there?"
-
Loki and Sylvie both just stare at Roxas when he suddenly yells out his theory about "Seth."
"They... they ran tests on him when he arrived, too. Unless they hide someone's DNA or blood samples up their arses, I don't think even these shapeshifter things could beat them."
"Now then, I believe I was wondering how one could acquire these Gummiphones."
The New The Guy
Wiz stays under the table as he looks through the library's interior, placing the orb and a scroll of dispell curse in his robe for now in case he needed it later. He beguns gauging the enemies and thinking of his next plan. Although he was okay with just running in and fighting them as he attempted to get to ghe books, this might cause a conflict of interest with thr others. Not to mention the Demented Spirit heading their way... But he tried to keep that in the back of his mind for now. Better to think of the problems at hand and focus on it.
Looking at these books... They were covered in elemental magic. It means that they have to be important, right? Though after taking a closer look, he sees that these musty books are different than the others... Glowing blue with a strange noise being released from them. These had to be the ones to solve the puzzle, he thought... Though, he didn't exactly want to rush in for nothing. So, he turns to Noah, pointing at the books.
"Hey, I think that might just be our ticket out of here. See those books with the blue light?"
Wiz prepares his staff however... He knows they won't be able to get through there without a plan. the staff itself seems to react to this, the hands on the end of the swirling design also closing to fists. Though, he still doesn't make any actual moves. He wanted to wait until everyone was ready, after all.
I'm finally a big boy!
Chrysos - The Drought
"Weee," Lumina cheers(?) as she follows Lupin to the 'secret base', which turned out to be... uh...
Well, first of all, it's dark. With a flick of her hand, a small cluster of glowing blue crystals
◊ appears by her side, floating in the air. It shines a soft, yet significant, amount of light upon the room and the situation. And now that both are more apparent, it's easier to see the lack of... things here.
"Really? Even Sumeru's better than this." Lumina walks over to the water tank, and slaps its side - when she removes her hand, a blue conch with a star design
◊ sits where her hand was just now. It's stuck there by magic or glue or something.
"Better. Alright, alright, I'm listening to your plans now."
Edited by Hotpizza on May 10th 2024 at 9:27:37 PM
The Troubled Replicator
DM Post: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=14315151240A21923900&page=15472#comment-386798
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Ashes of Nohr
Corrin's Castle - RECON
Charlian simply followed Corrin and Beruka's lead and prepared himself for battle, and was about to admonish himself for joining a group that's supposed to just do some reconnaissance, but realized that this may work to their advantage. "Look on the bright side, this means we can cut loose and wreak havoc on our enemies to distract them from what the other groups are doing." Charlian dared to comment despite sounding rather nervous, hoping that Beruka wouldn't chew him out.
Moonrise Crypt - RECON
The hidden pathway his group took is mildly uncomfortable for Charlian due to his height, and he had to lower himself substantially in order to not smear his face over its wet ceiling. After taking the path on the right, he can't help but wonder why Corrin froze up until he saw the painting of the man responsible for most of the atrocities that happened on the dragon prince's journey.
Despite it being just a painting, Charlian feels genuinely uncomfortable looking at the portrait in its eyes, which are filled with decrepit malice and disdain. As much as he is curious about Corrin's journey, the young man knows better than to ask such an emotionally sensitive question on an important mission, so he decided to let it go for now and follow his team leader.
The subsequent reveal of the Nohrian throne room filled Charlian with enough confusion to drown out the feeling of creeping fear on his back, and Beruka didn't exactly explain how this is happening. The confusion would persist until he remembered what Kenjaku said about the Crypt's halls forming phantoms to deal with unwanted intruders.
It's not unexpected that this is what's formed to hunt Corrin- Wait, what's that sound? The Replicator's thoughts are interrupted by someone calling out the dragon prince's name in a very angry manner, the voice cutting through the raging wind and thick walls and cut into even his own heart. It didn't even take Gunter's prompt warning to make the young man draw the weapon he purchased for this mission.
At a glance, what he's wielding
◊ looks like a sword. However, it has an segmented, hexagonal rod instead of a blade. This is a Bian, also known as a "hard whip", which is essentially a rod weapon that let the wielder with blunt strikes and armor-breaking thrusts. This weapon is far from sufficient in letting Charlian deal with supernatural enemies, but it will be once he replicates and channels various abilities through it.
The mention of a Demented Spirit already put Charlian on edge, having no idea what that actually is despite already having dealt with one in the Stillwater village. Though, that didn't prepare him for Takumi literally smashing through the window at a blinding speed and going right for Corrin's throat.
The attack blew him away, prompting him to make a quick recovery. "Wait, WHAT? He can just use fire now? What happened to Fujin Yumi?!" Exclaiming loudly out of surprise and exasperation, the young man then looked at the fight that ensued and took a deep breath. Alright, you have to remember Folka's lesson. You're finally using your powers for the good of others, you can't keep reacting like you've never seen weirder things anymore. You have enough power, skill, and experience! You can do this!
After affirming his own resolve, Charlian put his weapon away for when he actually meets an undead horde, before he activated his ability, transformed into a strange creature that would give him an advantage in a battle against fire by replicating its body, and charged towards the heated battle.
(Limbus Company - Canto V Battle Theme F1)
As Corrin engages Takumi with the Kagura Squad using Quad Shock and Red Hood attacking the Hoshidan prince with his pistol and blade, they would all notice a large fish-like creature
swimming through the walls as if they are water. Its length is easily at least 8 meters, and the same can be said about its mouth from corner to corner. Its ridge- or rather its back is filled with cyan flotsam bars that illuminated the dark environment, if Takumi's flames didn't light up the room already.
Then, as soon as it noticed Takumi, it opened its gaping maw. "Sink, sink! Towards the flickering light of the depth we go!" Charlian, now the Dream Devouring Siltcurrent, launched a powerful jet of water that targeted the Demented Spirit, aiming to both douse its raging fire and pin it against the ground before trying to bite it and crunch it between his fluorescent teeth. "The abyssal waves will crash down on our enemies and wash them away!" In addition, the Demented Spirit may find its sanity deteriorating if the water jet were to connect and consistently hit it, as if it has been drowned by the vast ocean despite there being little water nearby.
Edited by cyzja922 on May 10th 2024 at 6:58:35 AM
"I know you're here, Kenjaku. You big fucking nerd. Where's my goddamn cheese?"
Zamba
Drought
After Lupin scolded Garofalo, the other Ant-Men laughed at him.
π says: Don't worry, he could be the strongest of us, but he's somewhat of a fool. Oh, and ants could do thinking work as well!
When they arrived to the secret base, they glanced around with interest.
Migafor: I've been in darker tunnels.
Pica-Verse
The remote control is arranged as any normal remote. But besides the usual number and arrow keys, the keys don't have any icon could serve Sora (and that doesn't matter: if he presses those keys, nothing will happen).
But Sora would notice three peculiar keys, located at the top line. Each button has a different color: purple, orange, and pink. The colors of the superheroes. If he presses one of those buttons, the respective hero will recover their voice and powers... And the remote will spew some sparks and smoke: it became broken.
Rumors about my death were greatly exaggerated... Yet.
King of the Monsters
The Drought
As everyone gathers in Lupin's place, he gestures to the MREs for food and the big thing of water. "Don't ask where I got any of this and we'll get along fine."
He lays out the blueprints on the table. "Before we begin, let's go around and say a bit about ourselves. You can call me Lupin. Renowned gentleman thief the world over. Together with a few friends, I've stolen from many rich people and foiled just as many of their corrupt schemes."
He doesn't overhear Luna's cries for help.
—
Zenigata is puzzled. "Hey! Do you understand a lick of what I'm telling you?"
"It's an animal," Chihiro says from behind him. "Do you expect it to know that what it's doing is wrong?"
"Er...d'euh... damn it, you're right." After a long look into the Rabright's eyes, Zenigata puts Luna down and sighs.
"But someone's gonna want someone's head fer this."
"I will pay for the damages."
Chihiro looks down at Luna and gestures for her to leave. "Go now."
Chrysos - The Drought
As soon as Zenigata puts Luna down, she quickly takes off, running back to where she last saw Lupin, but he wasn't there.
|Lupin? Lupin? Where are you?|
Luna picks up his scent, noticing that he had moved while she was away eating at the garden. Following the scent, Luna soon arrives back at his hideout.
|Lupin, I found you!|
Luna quickly ran into the hideout, not caring about if she accidentally hurt or hit someone. She leaps, jumping onto Lupin's jacket with her claws and climbs onto his nearest shoulder. The poor Rabright was seemingly terrified. She was shaking nervously.
|Oh, Lupin, I'm so glad to see you! You never guessed what happened to me! I found a huge garden somewhere near here! It was like, huge Lupin! I ate and ate until I couldn't eat anymore. When I was full, I went back to find you. But my stomach hurted from walking, so I stopped to take a break. I was talking to myself and laughing about how I found a perfect place for me to get food and water for myself. Suddenly, this human approaches me. They grabbed me by my scruff and held my in their grip! He then started yelling at me for some reason. I couldn't understand them, but it sounded angry. I was shivering in fear at the human... I don't know why he just picked me up and yelled at me like that... He couldn't understand me Lupin... And my neck... It hurts...|
As Luna was explaining her story, she begins crying, unable to control her emotions. Her ears and tail droop down, her lantern dimming, further showing her sadness and unhappiness.
Edited by ThatBlindGamer on May 10th 2024 at 9:30:31 AM
Zamba
Drought
Migafor picks some MRE's for his friends to enjoy. π talks for the group.
We are from the Ant School, with interconnected campi all around the Arena underground. I am π, and those are my friends: Garofalo, Migafor, and Xochi.
Migafor continues: We are from Astil campus, but even there we can feel the effects of the drought. We find less and less seeds each time, and our people are slowly dying out of thrirst. We need to stop this guy soon,but first we need to build this irrigation system.
Ashes of Nohr
Recon squad
Just before the agents and Zamba part ways, they give some reassuring gestures.
At the room, they look with interest at the armors, and specially at that lump of metal, but soon their interest moved into the picture.
Is that Garon Cardboard and the others helped to defeat?
What is his picture doing here?
I think the question is: What are we doing here?
When they heard about the incoming Demented Spirit, they prepared their weapons: Bombuccia and Loinball get ready the Dry Ice Cannon, and Rosita began to charge the Coke-and-Mentos cannon.
They aim their weapons at the source of the crashing sound.
Get ready...
And when Takumi lunged, they fired their weapons! The Dry Ice Cannon has a probability to freeze him, and the cannon fires soda with high pressure.
Library
Zamba has mixed feelings about this mission. He's sad and heartbroken because Cardboard choose not going with him... But also he's happy because he doesn't have to deal with "Little Miss Candy Stealer", because he finally can change clothes (he swap the ITIEI uniform for his usual white school coat), and because he is going to a library, one of his favorite places.
... Altough this one is grimmer than other libraries he has been before. Anyways, he picks a book (possibly a magic one) and starts reading for clues.
But then, he hears about the Demented Spirit incoming, and then he notices the small group gathered around the puzzle books.
I could help to answer it, but I need your help and a bit of time.
Armory
During the first stage of the trail, the sisters chat among themselves.
So... What do you think about that guy?
Who? Zamba?
Yeah! That boy had his eyes glued on you: at Fores', at the theater, during the planning... He even dreamt about you during the ship trip!
What are you insinuating, sis?
Said Cardboard with a visible blush on her face, but the conversation got interrupted by Salazar asking them about their lifes.
We fought in a Swords Tour-
But Cardboard silenced her sister: it seems they arrived where the enemies dwell.
Look at all those jewels!
We don't have time for looting around. Look.
Cardboard points at the distracted Shepherd.
Can you give it a good shot, sis?
Of course! Time for this baby to give their first steps!
Sawdust points her Scorpion tail at the head of the Shepherd, and then fires a small barrage of nails at them.
Edited by BombonBombin on May 10th 2024 at 10:08:45 AM
Rumors about my death were greatly exaggerated... Yet.
Chrysos - The Drought
The food and water doesn't draw her attention at all. "To be honest, I was lowkey afraid you were a normal thief. Do continue to prove me wrong." Yeah, she's weird.
She coughs into a hand. "I'm Lumina, an adventurer. I fight well and can do a good bunch of elemental magic. Geo- I mean, earth, water, fire, lightning, wind, ice, plants. I also have a big heckin' inventory to carry stuff in, and can contribute some ores or metals if need be."
In a quick flash of light, she's wearing a stylized armored dress
◊, decorated with red roses and frills. She's also leaning on a spiked club
◊ the size of herself. "Oh, don't worry, I won't swing it here."
As soon as Luna appears, Lumina pays attention to the fluffy rabbit(?), her huge club disappearing into sparkles. Quite frankly, the woman's attention drifted off in the middle of the speech, but she doesn't let such things bother her. She thinks she got the gist of the situation anyway.
|There, there, humans have a sense of ownership & don't like it when others take their stuff. That's why I was offering to give you more food.|
Lumina isn't very good in morals herself, but at least she knows some basics.
Edited by Hotpizza on May 11th 2024 at 8:17:38 PM
The Priest
The pale and wide eyes lined the cavern walls like stars in the dark, their bodies pressed closely together with the torchlight’s edge dancing at their dirtied clothes.
They were hesitant of the unfamiliar faces before them, even though one offered food. Some casted their eyes to Ladwin. In turn, the knight gazed upon each of them, searching beneath the thin layers of grime for a hint of who they were or a face he could recognize. Some he did, a small few, but others were either too grimy, or he simply did not know them. Curiously, there was not an able-bodied man or woman among them; these were only those incapable of battle. Their parents are up there, he grimaced, their sons and daughters and husbands and wives. I should be up there too, dying with them.
But his duties extended beyond that. He was responsible, above all and anything else now, for the protection and survival of the princesses. That was his sworn burden. But he had sworn another oath as well, a pledge to protect the realms of the Queen. All her lands and people were his to guard, and that included those people down here.
But will they help us or hinder us? Do I prioritize them over the girls—this again. Damnable promises…
The old knight chewed on his lip as he pondered the question, but thankfully it was not he who had to speak first. It was Taye who introduced herself and offered them bread, Grace who played a tune to comfort the children, and Kana who provided a means of transportation.
And last among them, Emilia who spoke in a hoarse tone.
"We will deliver you safely from the city," she croaked weakly. She lifted a trembling hand to her collar and smiled and bowed her head. "I swear it upon my honor."
Only then did they seem to recognize the young lady before them; the eldest of two princesses, rendered drastically different by her injuries from the Princess Emilia they knew: strong, proud, and always confident. Now she slouched and swayed on her feet, relying on Ladwin to keep her standing. She had spoken nearly as loud as her fearless Queen mother once, now her words were no louder than whispers in the dark.
The elders and the adults knelt, but the children stared blankly, too young to understand who she was. Emilia absolved them of their homages with a wave and it was Ladwin who spoke up now.
"The princess—" Or is she Queen now? Ladwin forced the thoughts from mind, it would do no good to dwell on that now. "—speaks true. I swear it on my honor, as a royal knight of the Queensguard." He swept his attention across the room, eventually landing on Kana, who had offered some of them easy passage upon her draconic form. "She will take the youngest and the oldest, those who cannot move on their own. The rest will need to walk. There’s…" He closed his eyes and fell silent a few moments, trying to scrape together the vague outlines of a plan amidst the chaos in his psyche. "The town of Ybicche is due not far south of here. There will be no reason for the forces of Mordor to attack it—at least, not at first." He explained, mostly for the benefit of the adventurers foreign to this land than the survivors they now dealt with. "There’s a caravan company that owes gold to the crown from a loan they took out several years ago. We’ll bring you there, offer to terminate their debt if they deliver you safely away from here. But we cannot wait. We must go, now."
And so they did—perhaps with the aid of some among this story’s heroes, the youngest and oldest, just as Ladwin had said, made for Kana. The others staggered to a stand. Some stumbled with each movement, and some were uneasy on their feet. Taye’s offering was gratefully accepted and divvied up amongst them, though some had opted not to eat the bread but rather to give their share to the children.
Do you believe in 'Gravity'?
Hi
DNC
Hange could have wished to never see a sight like this again.
"I cannot change the reality. The only thing to do is to move ahead."
If there were any survivors left who could not move, after everyone else's help, then Hange would begrudgingly carry one person, which is the most she can do. Practically speaking, you could hardly pick anyone worse for the job, but she'll do it if she has to.
And it's something quite peculiar / Something shimmering and white.
Superficial and Otherworldly Celestial
Drought
"Well I'm Takane Yamashiro, a yamawaro." Takane says, not paying the MR Es or water much mind. She has her own rations with her anyway. "Business is my main specialty but I can use my partner's mechanical tools pretty well. Or call her for some expertise. She'd come here herself but being amphibious has its drawbacks in a desert."
Beat.
"Oh, right. I can manipulate forest qi too I guess. Not really useful in a desert though." she adds as an afterthought.
She raises an eyebrow at the whole Luna interaction, wondering what the weird animal got itself into that got it crying like that.
DNC
Medicine did feel a little sympathy for these people so she didn't complain when she started checking them for any injuries that would slow them down. If there were any pressing injuries like that she'd give them a quick patch up but otherwise they didn't have the time for any thorough work. Just more work she'd have to postpone for later.
She's kind of small so she's not really in a position to help many people with moving, just one at most and preferably on the shorter side like a child or something.
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."
DNC
When the survivors knelt, Taye herself bowed towards Emilia, the same way she'd bowed to Frilda. She even smiled, perhaps proud of Emilia's character.
"Now that's a plan. I look forward to seeing Ybicche, and the caravan company." She expects that either or both of them may turn out less than pleasant, but that didn't dampen her excitement at all. She's hung out with mercenaries whose idea of fun was attempting to chop off each other's toes. Good times.
Following Medicine's lead, Taye starting helping those who had trouble moving, which seemed to be quite a few of them. She dug into her bag and pulled out walking sticks for some civilians, then sticks & rope to assist in creating makeshift splints. And when all that was done, she offered to directly help one person, by holding & walking alongside them.
Those who opted to give their share of flatbread will find it still sitting in their hands, as if it had never left their palms, even when the children are clearly enjoying the extra bread they'd just received. It's up to them what to do with this strange, yet helpful, bit of illogic.
The Priest
A cold and harsh feeling, like a metal spear pressed against the back of his skull, and slowly, torturously pushed ever-deeper in..
Pucci shuddered suddenly, and the sensation was gone. He knew something was wrong, or that something had just happened to him, but hadn’t a clue what. All he knew was that Gunter had seemingly accepted his offer, and informed him that they were better off achieving higher ground.
Did Gunter suspect him? He couldn’t have, right? Yet at the same time he had felt the sensation in his mind like rods jammed into it, and knew of the man’s telepathic prowess already. If he could beam information into his brain as Gunter had done already, did that mean he could beam information out of it? Or was this something different entirely? He had no proof of anything, no clue where he stood in Gunter’s eyes, nothing save his own vigilance as he followed the old man up the stairs, unfortunately lacking the ability to float as he did and measuring each step with caution during his ascent.
…
Seeing that Sawdust had opted to attack the Death Shepherd, D’Vorah chittered and produced a sound almost akin to a bastardized giggling. She dropped to her hands and knees and lowered her head to the pathway, just above their unsuspecting foe, before a surge of acid spilled from her mouth intended to melt through the surface and the undead alike.
Do you believe in 'Gravity'?
Zamba
DNC
Grace kneels before the new Queen, as the elderly did, and heard her words.
Then, he takes Joy into his back. I'm sorry I can't help the others to evacuate, but trust us: we will not leave you alone.
Rumors about my death were greatly exaggerated... Yet.
it's hunting season
Moonrise Crypt — ARMORY
"Saw someone I knew, that's about it." Mark replies to "Pyra".
The darkness of Moonrise Crypt, especially this area, prompts Mark to raise a finger of his to let out a small flame to act as his torch as they trek through the area. They reach their first foe, and Sawdust fires the first shot. His chains come forth in smoldering cinder as it instantly launches for the Shepherd, slamming all the way down with the hammers and then returning to his arms.
Church
Emma's Energy Reserve: 99.9%
That punch left a mark on Tilra, which makes her look at her fist and muttering.
"You bleed..."
"...YOU BLEED!"
At all cost to her, Tilra cannot win. Whether it be for hers, Arlina's, or Jack's sake. Speaking of, right as she tries to run Tilra with another infinite mass punch,
Emma's body further engulfs itself in another burst of bright light in response to the violent increase of heat all around. She's leaking energy in all forms. Her body suddenly expands a wave of might to clash with Jack's own burst.
Oddly, the attack melds with her current state of being. With his heat energy and her current output, she can kickstart that atmosphere-igniting reaction again. Difference being, it's not just the air this time. The sky flashes the entire electromagnetic spectrum once, twice, thrice, before it turns into a strobe light that can't be looked away from.
Mass slowly gravitates towards Emma. Quickly, she's forcing surrounding matter to enter a perpetual cycle of nuclear fusion by exciting them so much they smash into each other from gravitational collapse — and that business card somehow still remains intact. It's expanding at a rapid pace to consume everything in its radius.
Emm— Main Sequence Star Formation: 87%
Mechilogue
"Farewell!"
Wilhelm also waves Vincent/Monica a goodbye, before Kado mentions that he'll be the first to see it when its found. Although, there's always a slim chance that the jedi might be an odd but not uncommon instance of the Empyrreich's oversight accidentally contributing to its own destruction.
"If I may, who do you work for?"
Pucci
Lucas sees the glimpse of that white being that appears from Pucci, the dummies sent are just regular joes at the end of the day. Their heads go off with some degree of effort. Despite the implication that comes with being Emma fucking Everglade's Captain, he takes keen intrigue in it.
Before he continues his training, he asks the priest:
"Say, what was that thing that protected you?"
Edited by BoniniBanana on May 12th 2024 at 12:41:04 AM
real
King of the Monsters
The Drought
"Hey, whoa, slow down there! It'll be okay."
Lupin lets Lumina handle explaining to Luna what she did wrong (why are there three Lu- characters in this scene) as he hunches over his computer and starts searching something. Anyone looking over his shoulder would see that he's on the Bulbapedia page for Groudon... and that in a few other tabs are Google searches he's pulled up on them.
"The well network blueprints are on the table. I assume you can find the resources to get started. In the meantime, I'm making a plan to dispatch of the root of this problem. Takane and Vanilla's innate powers over ice and forests could be useful on ranged attacks unless this one happens to be capable of Primal Reversion. Obviously Lumina's water powers are where it's really at. Luna's our only Pokémon, but unfortunately I don't think she'll be capable of much—mascot duty for her. No machines, Ground and Fire beat Steel. Our ant friends should also be wary of Groudon's fire attacks."
Lupin sits up straight and turns to look at an unlit corner of the room.
"And our uninvited friend here should be careful of getting too close. Groudon is a beast at physical attacks."
"So you knew." Chihiro steps out of the darkness.
Lupin does a stupid monkey giggle.
—
Zenigata is left scratching his head, as Chihiro handed over the money and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Well, guess I better report this to someone before I get mistaken for the culprit..."
Ashes of Nohr
Library
The moment after Takumi's attack shakes the area, a figure appears in the Library, in sight of everyone.
The Demented Spirit? But...no, none of them would recognize this person.
Clad in a blue tunic with leather armor, beige pants, and a dark hood, the figure wordlessly draws a sword and readies a shield.
—
Armory
Arbiter answers "Pyra" succinctly. "I am here because of chance, and because I believed it was the right thing to do."
The Hunters do not speak.
Thel pulls out a Type-51 Carbine, takes aim, and fires at the Death Shepherd's head. A lance of green shoots from the muzzle of the strange alien weapon, the trail left behind by a radioactive projectile.
Edited by KiriK on May 11th 2024 at 11:45:42 AM
"He's gearing up for war."
Drought
"Riiiight." Takane gives a very unimpressed look to the Ant-Men as she follows Lupin. "Why don't you bugs focus on your digging and leave the thinking related work to professionals like me."
Shadows of the Crypt
Rumia does have to fan herself a little from all the heat in the corridor they find themselves in. How fortunate that those weird lava guys end up going after something else. What bothers her though...
"Can you keep the bright lights away from me?" she says to both Pyre and Shadowfart, squinting at the sudden increase in brightness. While the others seem uncomfortable with the magic darkness, Rumia herself feels drawn to it. Like a reptile spotting a nice sunbeam or warm rock to rest on and she has to catch herself from touching it.
Instead she looks at one of the other rooms (whichever one the others don't pick). She does tentatively reach out a shadow of her own to nudge at the Advanced Darkness.
Edited by shroobot3000 on May 10th 2024 at 11:10:02 AM
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."